Drake hummed in interest at Shuuichi’s future travel plans, glad that he seemed to accept the story. “Even if they do, it might still be exciting to take a trip by sea. Depends on what your family thinks, I guess…”

While Nadya nodded along with all that, she sighed softly before beginning to speak. “My mother was born in Chonis...indoctrinated almost immediately into a cult. I do not mean the Atuan faith as a whole, but rather...this was a particularly horrible offshoot from it. They took in young women and used a form of conditioning on them…” Nadya’s expression pinched a bit, her hands becoming fists at her sides. “Apparently, by the time a woman was considered fully indoctrinated, “pure” by the cult’s terminology...they would have no memory of who they were. They would have no awareness except for cult activities…”

“Which were either sexually pleasuring the cult’s leaders, kidnapping children off the street, or becoming human sacrifices to Atua.”

...the cult had been turning girls into witchlings. Not proper witches, but...mindless creatures filled with dark magic and a taste for suffering. It was...a horrific process.

Nadya grit her teeth for a moment, allowing herself the anger before continuing. “My father was a...well, I suppose you would call him a phantom thief. He was Dicean, but had traveled to Luminary and had heard that the cult had some sort of treasure…” The anger in her face relaxed, a slight smile on her face despite the subject. “...apparently he was trapped right away by the cult’s security measures, but...my mother found him. She was not “pure” yet so… I do not know what spurred her to go against all she’d known...when I have asked, she has never had an answer for me either. But she helped free my father and...he asked her to come with him. And she did.”

“They ended up traveling everywhere, going on ridiculous treasure hunts, being criminals, really, wherever they went, not a care for home or consequences. Then...my father disappeared.” Nadya’s smile faded, not returning to anger, but something...pensive. “My mother will not talk about it, but...I get the sense he had a plan for some heist, and left. My mother was pregnant with me at that time, and...she had no home, no family… But my father was a Dicean, so she stayed in this country. The elder of our village ended up finding her and gave her a home...a place to be safe. So...that was our home.”

“...my mother managed to leave the cult before they had completely broken her mind, but...the process at all is something that would leave scars on anyone…” Nadya sighed softly, a little bit of regret entering her expression. “...she suffers from intense psychosis. It has eased up quite a bit in more recent years, which is why I felt safe leaving, even if the village is looking after her like it always has, but… From Luminary as a whole, she doesn’t have much to say.” Nadya offered Shuuichi an apologetic smile, though it was entirely polite. “Other than that story, I do not think I have anything of interest that pertains to Luminary.”

Shuuichi’s eyes widened… “That’s an incredible tale… wow… I have so many more questions now then I did five minutes ago.”

Shuuichi tried to control himself. After all, this wasn’t just an idle story to Nadya. Her mother was still dealing with the effects of everything that had happened, after all, and Shuuichi didn’t want to be cruel of dismissive of that impact… but… 

“Your father was a phantom thief who was saved by your mother when he was captured by a sub-section of the Atuan faith that does human sacrifices and…” Shuuichi frowned. “...conditions women into sexual slavery? That’s… wow… that’s an incredible history…”

Did Kaito know that such a cult existed??

For a god whose entire purpose, originally, was to look after the well being of people who sold their bodies for a living… to have a cult that interpreted those teachings as permission to create sexual slaves themselves… and human sacrifices?? How had he never heard of this before? That was huge. Perhaps the cult was small enough to not be well known? Or, perhaps it was an incredibly well kept secret from the temples? Did the temples know about this? 

Shuuichi was floored. There was so much to unpack there. A cult of Atua killing and enslaving people in Luminary… should he tell Kaito? Kaito felt so responsible for the Atuan Faith… perhaps keeping it secret was the kinder choice…

Drake was just...staring at Nayda. Speechless. He didn’t think she was lying, either from how genuinely she seemed to feel about it all, and that...if someone was lying, they would never tell something so unbelievable, but...what? Of course there were, well, walks of life and hidden shadows any and everywhere in the world, and Drake had personally lived in a few of Luminary’s but...a cult like that?

...it sounded like some real demon shit. 

“It’s...a bit overly incredible, I know,” Nadya sheepishly admitted, straightening her goggles. “For the longest time, I thought that it was something my mother had hallucinated, or that she was trying to tell me some fantastical tale to explain why I never knew my father. But...even when I was older, and when my mother was doing well, that’s what she stuck to. It is the story the elder of my village accepted too, and...he is not really the type of person to indulge in fantasy. So I’m inclined to believe it as well.”

“If there is such a cult out there, I truly hope that it has been exposed and dealt with...but it’s not a personal mission of mine.” Nadya sighed, looking a little...tired. “My mother wants to put all of that behind her… And while she still loves my father, I think she’s started to put him behind her too. She’s moved on with her life and the last thing she wants is for it to become a part of mine. I think even fighting in the war was more than enough to break her heart. It’s partly the reason I have only traveled in Dicea--she is frightened for me, in the event I would travel to Luminary.”

“I would imagine so. My circumstances were nowhere near as harrowing, and I still don’t like the idea of Miya visiting the country even in ideal circumstances… Luminary’s a blight on the planet.” Shuuichi scowled, eyes narrowing, clenching his fist. “A filthy, broken place… honestly, if this civil war ripped the whole place apart into unrecognizable parts, the world would be a better place. Nothing of value lost...”

As they turned the corner again, they found themselves in the dome room again. Shuuichi frowned again, this time having noticed they were going slightly down a curve, and having never gone backwards in slope, but still eventually ended up on the same layer of floor. It was very strange. 

As they headed to the next available left hallway, Shuuichi said, slightly embarrassed, “Sorry. That was maybe over enthusiastic… I haven't had many good feelings about my home country this week. Or, well… in a while. My feelings about it can sometimes become overly aggressive.”

Nadya and Drake both looked at Shuuichi with some surprise, though Nadya was mostly surprised by Shuuichi’s blatant vitriol, while it was Drake’s first time hearing such animosity from Shuuichi and it was...surprising. He didn’t think Shuuichi would be singing Luminary’s praises, of course, but…

...in fairness, that was how he felt about Danganronpa, and with the Flora being such a stain upon Luminary…

“That was...kind of intense,” Drake conceded, smoothing out one of his bandages. “Kind of poetic, in a way. But...well, Nadya and I only have secondhand stories. You lived there. If it’s how you feel, then that’s just how it is.”

Nadya hummed, nodding along with Drake. “I do not think there is a person alive who knows what Luminary will look like, going forward. There are plenty of ideals, but reality is clouded behind the war. As an outsider...I think the most investment I have is hoping that whatever happens is better than what currently is.”

“Sheesh...and that Remnant cult stuff was scary enough over here… I don’t think “better” is a very high bar, but it is a goal, I guess.”

Shuuichi shrugged, saying dryly, “Even the Remnant stuff ended up being Luminary stuff, in the end. All the bits of it that I saw actually affect anything, anyway. If there were Dicean Remnants of Despair, I never heard about it. Not beyond just a few drunk college kids not really understanding what they were getting into, and some stupid, lonely fangirls of two actual Remnants of Despair, both from Luminary… that whole kingdom is a curse…”

Shuuichi looked over at Nadya, “On top of all of that, everyone I’ve ever met who went to fight Luminary? Soldiers like yourself? Have been some of the most decent people I’ve ever met. I’m sorry for any trouble my side caused yours… I’ve heard horror stories, of how Luminary soldiers act on the battlefield. I… it frustrates me, to think of it. So…” Shuuichi shrugged again, “I apologize on behalf of my home country, for whatever that might be worth. I have no doubt we acted shamefully.”

Shuuichi frowned… before again looking embarrassed. Adjusting his hat as he confessed, “I’m sorry. I… I really do need to sit down. I’ve been getting these spikes of aggression lately from my hormones, I don’t mean to act so intense all of the sudden. Once I’ve sat down a bit and had some tea I should stop saying strange things. Sorry, I don’t mean to be weird…”

Hmm… in the court transcripts, Drake didn’t remember reading if the brothers had come as a result of Remnant activity in Luminary… As far as either of them implied, it had been a result of people from Danganronpa… Maybe it was another Flora situation, though news about Remnant activity in Danganronpa was pretty bleak, and he doubted even that psycho queen would be fine with her precious Flora killing each other. 

...maybe it was just the humans. She wouldn’t give a damn about that, Ronpan or otherwise. 

Nadya’s gaze softened as Shuuichi spoke of the war, and she shook her head softly. “It was war, Shuuichi. Other than what you’re fighting for, there’s little honor in it--there’s nothing for you to apologize for on behalf of your nation’s people.” And...it wasn’t like he really could apologize for having child soldiers. The whole system that made it so...Shuuichi was a victim of it too. 

Drake put a supportive hand on Shuuichi’s back as he looked through the crowd, hoping he could catch a glimpse of someone who worked there. “No worries, dude. It’s not like you’re being mean to us… But, yeah, let’s find a way out of here…”

Nadya looked around as well, before...putting a hand over her mouth, as if in thought. Speaking softly, hoping that a fairy or the mage running this show would be able to hear. “Thank you for this amazing experience; you have been wonderful hosts. However, my friend is feeling a bit ill. If you could escort us, or indicate the way out, we would be most grateful.”

A small giggle in her head. 

“Of course! Next available left.” the voice whispered. “Any left.”

At that, when Nadya glanced to her left… in the middle of the hallway, instead of another display case, it was a door with an obvious, easy to see EXIT sign above it. Shuuichi, following Nadya’s gaze, looked incredibly startled. “...how did I miss that? Has that been there this whole time?”

Going to open the door, it opened immediately to the main lobby they had entered in through, Shuuichi holding the door open for the other two as he looked around and saw multiple other doors that people were leaving the exhibit through, though a few were coming out through the same hallway they had entered from. Working out the geography in his head… nope. Still made no sense. What?

“This place is weird.” Shuuichi decided, letting the door close behind them, “But, impressive. I have no idea how the architecture of the display cases worked. Though… I’m glad you both decided to come see this with me. It was nice, getting to do something sort of novel like this with you both. Even if the conversation got a little heavy at the end there.”

Fairies. Damn. 

Subtly, Nadya whispered a polite, “Thank you, and thank you for having us,” because of course you would never leave the domain of fae without proper gratitude and parting words, even if this was formatted for high human traffic, Nadya gave Shuuichi a nod of thanks as well as she passed through the exit door, missing Drake mumbling his own version of a ‘thanks for having us’. 

“It really is amazing what people can achieve, even with simple methods,” she agreed, walking along with the two men. “Though, I have a hunch some of the mechanisms put to use in this installation are anything but simple. It was a treat to see, thank you for inviting me.”

Drake nodded a bit, more focused on trying not to run into anyone now that they were at the entrance. “I don’t mind heavy conversation either--it’s fun to talk with you guys. Um...it was a lot of fun, so...thanks for inviting me, too, Shuuichi, and introducing me and Nadya, an’ all.”

“Seconded,” she laughed. “Now, shall we get you that tea? I would not mind a drink myself…”

Shuuichi sighed, looking extremely earnest as he said, “Please. Tea. Caffeine… I need some caffeine. Let’s go get a drink.”

-

Time moved forward, and as always, after a dark and frigid winter...spring came. Quite loudly at times, people shouting and laughing, embracing the sun even on days where a cold breeze persisted. 

The royal family started to get to work on their kids’ nursery, still bouncing ideas off each other, but the holes in Maki’s old room had been patched, the floors buffed, a new large rug rolled out, and a simple coat of paint put on the walls until they could finally decide what to do for it. There was more furniture on the way--likely more than they needed, but the spark in Ikuo’s eyes had offered no chance for argument--but for now, there were simply pieces for two cribs, unbuilt and lying on the floor. 

The semester at the university continued, Drake and Shuuichi hanging out outside of class now and then, but more regularly using each other as study resources, trying to really grasp the content of their classes. 

Kokichi did start to work in the evenings, though he kept his word and kept it to about one night a week. No matter how well he slept, or how much tea he drank, he never seemed to get the rest of his energy back, but...he wasn’t getting worse either. He’d managed to avoid getting any colds through the end of winter, and while spring brought with it pollen in the air and his propensity for nosebleeds, he was ready for it. 

Life continued. And, in one vein at least, a new chapter began. 

Kokichi basked in the sun as he walked hand-in-hand-in-hand with his partners, feeling calm despite the fact they were headed to the office of their new relationship counsellor. The background check had been clean, their reviews fine, Kaito had gotten approval and recommendations...so now it was just time to see if this counsellor would be right for them. 

Kaito was… a little nervous for Kokichi and Shuuichi to meet his pick. He had been briefly introduced to her by Miss Crystal, the girl- woman, the woman having briefly stopped by one of Kaito’s therapy sessions at the diner to introduce herself. Kaito had been a little surprised that Doctor Mariah would go out of her way to do so, but the second he saw her, he understood why they both had decided Kaito would need someone else to introduce her. To really just… verify she was who she said she was.

And, vaguely, Kaito kept reminding them that Doctor Mariah was extremely qualified to do this, and had twenty-five years of experience taking on cases like this, “Did I mention she’s in her forties? She’s in her forties. Like… no, really-” 

“Why do you keep repeating that, Kaito? We got her background check done, we believe that’s her age.” Shuuichi told Kaito, giving his boyfriend a mildly annoyed look, “What, does she look younger?”

“Yeah, I mean… a little… but she’s extremely qualified! Um, and in her forties! And she was very nice! And-”

As they entered the building, Kaito shut up, because red, bored eyes glanced over from the receptionist desk to the opening door, and a young girl, easily no more than eleven, maybe twelve, with black hair that came down over her shoulders and a far too elaborate, dark, victorian-esque dress looked over to them and, ruffling around some papers in her hand before placing them back onto the desk, she said, “Hello. Are you my three-o’clocks?”

Shuuichi blinked at this child, before looking around. Was there… an adult around or…

Kokichi blinked, though instead of looking around, he simply stared at the girl for a long moment. Her clothes were...very extra. And...he sincerely doubted this was a joke. This wasn’t the kind of tension disrupter they needed--wrong kind of issue. 

...Kaito had been very adamant about the doctor’s age…

...he’d heard of Nateria, the condition where the body’s aging was either stunted or severely slowed, but...huh. 

Slowly, Kokichi’s head tilted a little to the side as he gently asked, “Are...you Dr. Mariah?”

“Correct. Kaito, Prince Ouma, Mr. Saihara-”

“Lord Saihara!” Kaito said cheerfully.

Shuuichi twitched, “Please just call me Shuuichi.”

Kokichi sheepishly smiled. “Sorry for the rush of introduction, but you can call me Kokichi as well.”

Large, childish, blood red eyes glanced from partner to partner, something openly analytical in the gaze, before Dr. Mariah nodded. “Of course. Kaito, Kokichi, Shuuichi, it’s a pleasure to meet and re-meet you all again. Please give me one moment, I’m simply dropping off some paperwork to my receptionist for filing, and then I shall escort you all to my office.”

Shuuichi watched as the girl went around the desk, looking around and sighing in agitation as said receptionist didn’t materialize, before taking out a post it and writing instructions onto it, placing it on various parts of the pile of paper. Neat, organized, focused.

...she can’t be any older than thirteen. And thirteen was a stretch.

As Shuuichi was filled with DOUBT, Kaito grinned nervously at both of his partners, whispering to them, “She’s so well recommended, you guys… she’s apparently helped a lot of relationships like ours-”

“There are no relationships like yours.” Dr. Mariah said from the desk, giving the startled Kaito a stern look as she came back around the desk. “Let’s establish that right now. I’ll go more into it when we all sit down, but it’s important for the three of you to know that what you are trying to accomplish is unique and difficult, and that your circumstances demands a certain level of respect, both from yourselves and onlookers, for it’s sheer absurdity, if nothing else. Now, if you will all follow me.”

Tiny black heels clicking against the wooden floor, she headed down the hallway.

“...she does have a point,” Kokichi murmured, looking up at his partners before he started to follow...their counsellor, he supposed. Surely in the vast stretch of time, there was something similar, where two princes of different nations were married, then both started to date another person…

...but two princes of different nations that had just gotten out of a war, had been subjected to abuse from authority figures, tried to help out a friend with a dangerous drug addiction, got him pregnant, then started to date, while that friend was a childhood friend of one of them...wasn’t even everything. It was highly unique and...well, absurd in how specific their situation was. 

Kokichi was still a little...uncertain, when it came to Dr. Mariah, but he wasn’t about to start judging someone for their looks, and even more if they looked younger than they were. But with her acknowledging that their situation was unique, and would take unique understanding to really be able to continue it…

...he hoped she would be able to give them some tools. Things were a lot better than they had been, but sometimes Kokichi still felt so out of his depth. Having someone that would be able to...give them a lantern to better see the path in front of them, even if it was something no one had ever seen before, was invaluable. 

Kokichi gave his partners’ hands a little squeeze, feeling his hopes rise slightly. 

The office was surprisingly simple and comfortable, considering the extremely extra appearance of Dr. Mariah. There was no desk, though there was a sturdy filing system in the corner along with a shelf for quick writing hung onto the wall, there was a large, comfortable tan couch, a love seat and a stiff, dark brown leather chair that looked far less comfortable than the other seats, and was clearly meant to Dr. Mariah herself.

Kaito, though, found his gaze immediately on the far left wall, which was just… wow…

It was an entire wall aquarium. And, just, filled with bright, colorful fish. 

There was no candle, but there was a scent in the room that suggested that a vanilla candle had been burning in there at some point. As Kaito stared at the aquarium, just, dazzled, Dr. Mariah went to the filing cabinet and, taking a key from a chain around her neck, opened it up and pulled out a small journal, looking it over, shaking her head, putting it back and pulling out another small journal that, to the undiscerning eye, was entirely the same as the last one. Peering at it, she nodded to herself, before closing up and locking the filing cabinet, re-tucking the key back into her dress, before closing the journal and putting it in a pocket of her dress. 

Sitting at her dark leather chair, Dr. Mariah smoothed out the bottom of her dress, before saying, “Kaito, if the aquarium is going to be a distraction, I can close the curtains on that wall.”

“What? No! It’s fine! They’re just… it’s cool! I like it!” Kaito grinned, sitting down at the couch, while Shuuichi sat down at the loveseat, not wanting to be separated from the other two, but knowing the smaller chair would be easier on his back.

Kokichi’s attention had immediately been drawn to the aquarium as well, though the scent of the candle and presence of organized files all just made him feel...relaxed. Like this was going to be a good turn for them. Idly, he remembered that they had never gone back to actually go to the aquarium in town...he’d wanted to do that. Maybe...set up scheduling so they could be there for the penguin tour for his birthday or something…

In his distraction, Kokichi noticed each of his partners taking a different seat, and Kokichi dithered in indecision for a moment, not knowing who he wanted to sit by. But...while this was about their relationship...maybe it’d be easier to talk--even for a first session--if he was all over his partners… They’d had plenty of conversations like that, but...well, he could try it out. 

Giving Kaito and Shuuichi one last look, Kokichi settled on the other side of the couch from Kaito. “It is a very cool aquarium… But, you said there was more you wanted to elaborate on when it comes to the unique nature of our relationship?”

They had a limited time together, and by now Kokichi...more or less did alright at keeping on topic during therapy, though it was always his instinct to make casual talk. He got the impression that Dr. Mariah was a more serious kind of person, so maybe she’d appreciate them getting right to business.

Dr. Mariah nodded, her eyes darting from man to man to man, seeing the way Shuuichi hadn’t hesitated to separate himself from the group, Kokichi’s hesitation, and the mildly surprised look on Kaito’s face when Kokichi sat away from him, glancing worriedly over at his husband, but not moving from where he had sat.

Pulling the journal out of her dress pocket, she glanced at the papers as she opened it up. “Everything I’m about to state? Is purely public knowledge. The mere fact that this much information is available to the public is one of the reasons your relationship is more difficult than the average. The eyes of the world are on you. That’s an incredible amount of pressure right there.”

“In addition to that,” she glanced at the journal, “Your relationship is considered the publicity side of the ending of a fifteen year war between two countries that didn’t exactly end their war ‘amicably’, and that’s just between you two, though, being a Luminary, you, Shuuichi, are absolutely considered a representation to that peace… and that isn’t even the biggest hurdle you are facing in this relationship.”

Shuuichi raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly, “Oh?”

Dr. Mariah gave Shuuichi an appraising look, not certain how blunt she could be with the man yet... before saying simply, “You were a slave that is now in a consensual, equal relationship with someone who was roughly, from what I understand, your master. Yes?”

Shuuichi and Kaito both stiffened, Shuuichi narrowing his eyes while Kaito drew into himself a little, popping at his joints nervously. Eventually, Shuuichi said, after taking a breath. “...in a sense. Yes.”

Dr. Mariah nodded, before saying blankly, “That’s what we in the industry call ‘an obstacle’.”

Then, in rapid fire, she kept on, rattling off, “One of you has a life-long deliberating chronic illness. One of you is very recently drug rehabilitated and you started this relationship at the very start of that rehabilitation. You’re all three pregnant and haven't hit your one year anniversary. One of you has already adopted a child that tried to kill you. One of you has… some severe family issues happening at home.” she said, glancing at Kaito, who squirmed uncomfortably some more. “And all of that… affects a relationship. And, again, all of that… is literally just the stuff you can find out by asking any member of the castle staff or reading the newspaper.”

Dr. Mariah sighed, closing the journal and putting it back into her pocket, “That’s not even taking into account what your actual personal lives are like. The problems you all have that are just known to yourselves or each other… these obstacles are serious. They’re stressful. A less dedicated trio of people would have already crumbled under the pressure of sustaining a relationship under these circumstances. Your circumstances are unique, and extremely difficult… and to deny yourself the right and comfort to recognize how difficult it is is a huge disservice to yourselves.”

Kokichi nodded a little, already looking a little tired before Dr. Mariah had even really gotten started with what knowledge was publicly available about them. Back on that horrible night in the Memorial Garden, the public perception of the couple that was a symbol of peace between Dicea and Luminary splitting wasn’t what drove his despair. Kokichi’s broken plea to Kaito to please not divorce him… It had been from Kokichi’s feelings for his husband. 

...but what the public would think definitely had crossed his mind. He didn’t think that was an indictment on him, because how their nations’ people saw them definitely was a part of their relationship, but...it was a pressure on them that not a lot of people could relate to. Or would think about often. 

And that was just the beginning. 

Kokichi winced a little at the… They had acknowledged, at least in some capacity, that Shuuichi had been a slave. But it hadn’t even crossed Kokichi’s mind to think about Shuuichi...being Kaito’s slave. Shuuichi was...the royal family were the people he answered to so...it was correct. Even if it felt...so wrong.

...another thing to talk about, he supposed. 

His illness, Shuuichi’s history with the spores and his abuse, Kaito’s relationship with Tim (even if it was a happy story now), his...everything back home...some of it, at times, felt just like little sprinkles on the matter. Things that, in other situations, would be all consuming. 

Kokichi let go of a deep sigh, rubbing the back of his neck a little. “...it’s not been the easiest thing, that’s for sure. But...we’ve all decided that we care too much about each other to not try whatever we can to make it work.” He looked over at each of his partners, not really wanting to speak for them, but...well, it was something they had all agreed on. It was why they were there.

Dr. Mariah tapped her arm chair for a moment… before she said, “Sell me on your relationship.”

Kaito blinked. “Um… what?”

Dr. Mariah focused her youthful, dry gaze on him. Tapping on her armchair, “Sell it to me. Why does this relationship work? Why is it worth fighting for? I can’t guide you through a relationship I don’t believe should exist. Sell it to me, or I’m afraid I’ll have to advise you to find a different counselor. These obstacles are extreme. Why haven't you given up on this yet?”

Shichi narrowed his eyes again, “We don’t need you, you know… we don’t have to prove ourselves to you.”

“Shuuichi, hey now-” Kaito said, feeling his tone grow stern, before Dr. Mariah raised a small hand, her gaze now focused on Shuuichi. 

She looked him up and down… before smiling grimly. “Correct. You don’t need me. The truth is, if you three are truly determined, you don’t really need anyone to keep a relationship going. However, my job is to provide you help to make that process less painful. And, if I can’t believe in your relationship, I cannot reliably offer you that help. This isn’t a ‘test’, Shuuichi. It’s a request.”

Shuuichi pressed his lips together. She smiled wider. Intrigued by him. “Please. If you still wish to work with me? What’s worth preserving about your relationship to these two?”

Kaito was afraid Shuuichi might refuse again, frustrated by her presumptuous attitude… but Shuuichi’s face calmed, and, adjusting the cap on his head, he simply said, “Kaito’s my childhood best friend, despite whatever our legal circumstances were. He’s been there for me my whole life. I have a lifetime of good memories with him motivating me to keep him in my life.”

“That’s an excellent reason to keep a friend. Why are you dating him?”

“...” Shuuichi hesitated, his shoulders tensing. Trying to think of what differentiated wanting a friendship versus a ‘partnership’... before saying, “For the same reason I want to preserve my relationship with Kokichi… they make me feel safe. Taken care of. Looked after. I don’t have to… to guess if they love me. They prove it every day. And that’s valuable to me. I want to hold onto that.”

Dr. Mariah considered him… before nodding. “A surprisingly simple answer. There’s something to a romantic relationship that doesn’t leave you guessing or scrambling, wondering what your place in that relationship actually is. A stunning amount of partners have serious doubts if the other person in that relationship even likes them, and, an even more stunning amount are proven correct in those doubts. You want to keep the relationship because it’s one you can trust. Fine. I’ll accept that. You?” She said, darting her eyes to Kokichi next. “Why are we doing this? What’s worth this?”

...sell their relationship…

It was good to have reasoning behind why you did things, and...well, Kokichi could tell that people being in a relationship simply because they wanted to be in a relationship, or were just already in one, without any other reasoning, or even specific “want” from the other person or people was… He’d been reading a few relationship books. It was common enough to be mentioned in them. 

Still...being able to explain that reasoning in words…

Kokichi shelved his own reasons for the moment, paying attention to Shuuichi’s and...okay, his heart melted a little. There was a small, smitten smile on his face as he looked over at Shuuichi. Kokichi always wanted to be able to prove his love to Shuuichi, to have it be something tangible, almost. That Shuuichi could think back on actions and gestures and words and be confident that Kokichi loved him...and it was nice to hear that that was the case. 

However, when Dr. Mariah turned back to him, he...still wasn’t quite sure of his answer. Furrowing his brow a little, Kokichi…well, this was counselling. He could try to talk his thoughts out. 

“...Kai-chan and Shuu-chan are incredibly precious people to me. I’ve…” He sighed softly, looking a little exasperated. “I’ve had issues, being able to see the people around me. So...while I know now it isn’t true...for a long time it really felt like Kai-chan and Shuu-chan and Maki-chan were my first friends. Without any sort of qualifications, they’re my best friends.”

“But...I’m not really sure how to answer how I feel differently about friends and the romantic partners I also see Shuu-chan and Kai-chan as…” Kokichi grimaced a little at himself, cupping his hands inside one another in his lap. “I have other friends, but it’s just...different in a way I don’t really know how to explain or quantify…”

“Shuu-chan and Kai-chan are special to me… They’re incredible people, and every day, seeing them...it inspires me to be better too. For them, for others...and for me. If we split up...I would still want them to have the lives that make them the happiest. But...my world would be darker, because what makes me happiest is spending time with them.”

...which was all true, but a much healthier way of saying what he sometimes felt. Which was that the thought of not having Kaito or Shuuichi in his life was so terrifying and hurt so much that it’d sent him into a suicidal spiral. 

But that was something you do not tell your partners, and was something to work on when it came to your own mental health. More than them leaving, Kokichi wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he guilt tripped his partners into staying. The influence he had on Kaito was just another flavor of that, and Kokichi had agonized over it for months. 

“For me...the happy stuff is worth the effort or anger or pain. To make connections is the reason to be alive.”

Dr. Mariah listened patiently to all this, glancing at Shuuichi and Kaito only occasionally as he talked. In the same way the other twos faces seemed to considerably warm at hearing Shuuichi’s explanation, their faces grew soft at Kokich’s, Shuuichi looking fond, if a little amused, at Kokichi’s rambling answer, while Kaito looked openly adoring, and the top of his ears went a little red at certain points, spreading to the back of his neck.

Hmmm.

“You want to maintain the relationship because it makes you happy to be in it.” Dr. Mariah summarized. “Is that right?”

Kokichi thought for a moment. “...I think so, yeah.” Though, he deflated a bit. “...I guess that’s not a super good answer, since I can’t really...compare if I’d be happier in a different relationship. Or have the same happiness.”

“...it doesn’t feel like I would, though.”

In fact, it kind of made him feel like locking himself in his closet for the rest of time, if he were the one to leave his partners, but, again, not things you say. Not really good to think, either. No suicide-baiting, not even to yourself.

“Happiness is a perfectly fine answer, for wanting to maintain a relationship.” Dr. Mariah said, her tone almost dismissive of his concern, “There are many who’d argue that it’s, in fact, that main motivation to maintain a romantic relationship. If it doesn’t make you happy, then it’s hard to argue it’s worth fighting for. Mind you, there are caveats to that thought process. For instance, I think the idea that a relationship will always make you happy is unrealistic even for the most ideal partnerships. Moments of unhappiness happen. Just so long as they’re not the rule… and, for you, it sounds like it’s not.”

She shrugged, “As for if you would be happy in other relationships… honestly, probably you would be. But abandoning a relationship you're currently happy in for a theoretical one you might also be happy in is a sort of redundant thought exercise, by this point. Unless your desire to experiment with other relationships is something nagging at you, which it doesn’t sound like that’s what’s concerning you, then it’s not really a factor.”

“Okay… safety.” She said, pointing to Shuuichi, “Happiness.” She said, pointing to Kokichi, “annnnnd?” She continued, pointing to Kaito, who had had the longest to think about this, and was still fiddling nervously with his joints.

Kaito hesitated… “...I mean, I have a little of both their answers already…”

Dr. Mariah shrugged, “You can have the same reasons. It doesn’t have to be unique… but, for the sake of yourself, and everyone here? Whatever you want to pick, it should be honest. Is safety and happiness the reason you want to preserve this relationship? As in, the main one that comes to mind for you?”

Kaito pulled at his joints. Opening his mouth, closing it… before admitting, “Mines bad.”

Shuuichi was only half kidding to himself when he mentally grumbled, ‘I swear, Kaito, if you say the sex…’

“Are you embarrassed to tell me, or to say it in front of them?”

Kaito glanced at Kokichi and Shuuichi, a flash of guilt on his face… before he just huffed. Then laughed, grinning, a sheepish look on his face. “I’m being dramatic. It’s… it’s a lot of different things, right? This relationship makes me happy, like Kokichi said, and I gotta admit, it’s nice to be a part of relationship where I don’t have to guess if the other two like me, like Shuuichi said. It’s good. It’s safe. But…”

Kaito glanced down at his two rings. One signifying his marriage, one signifying his place as his husbands ‘hero’, his protector… a scar on his wrist that meant everything to him…

He chuckled sheepishly to himself. “They’re… they’re both mine. I want to preserve this relationship, to make it good and happy and safe, because… because I’m sworn to them. And them to me. I want to protect what’s mine… their wellbeing means everything to me. If something happened and we broke up? I can’t… I’d have failed. To be what I swore to be to them. I… don’t want that.”

“...and that’s a shitty answer. I know.” Kaito murmured. “It’s either ‘possessive’ or ‘obligation’ and both of those words don’t really… adequately equal how I really feel about it. But that’s the closet definitions I can come up with for it. And neither of those sound great.”

“...” Dr. Mariah sighed, glancing over at Shuuichi. “Are both of them always this long winded?”

“Yes.” Shuuichi said immediately. “Always.”

Kokichi relaxed a little. Like she’d said, this wasn’t...a test, or whatever, and it mattered a lot more what Shuuichi and Kaito thought of his feelings. But it still felt nice to...be understood, and to have someone say, oh yeah, that makes sense. 

He had realistic expectations of knowing that his relationship with Kaito and Shuuichi wasn’t always going to be sunshine, and while their lows could be pretty horrible, by and large, Kokichi thought they were pretty happy together. And considering how supremely uncomfortable Kokichi got at the thought of pursuing any other person for romantic reasons...this was the relationship he wanted to stick with. 

And Kaito’s answer...Kokichi wasn’t surprised. But now...he felt like he could understand it a little better. And it made him just as warm as Shuuichi’s, though there was a softness in his eyes for just...the discomfort Kaito had in sharing his answer. A discomfort that Kokichi knew he was at least partially to blame for, if not a main driving cause, because of his inability to really understand what Kaito meant when he claimed someone as his.

But he let out a small, sheepish laugh as he turned back to Dr. Mariah. “Sorry. I have trouble figuring out what I even want to say until I’m halfway through my thought process sometimes.”

Dr. Mariah waived off Kokichi’s apology, before saying to Kaito, “So, you’re worried you’re coming across as… cold or selfish or some other negative dribble you’re needlessly burdening yourself with. Personally, the word I’d use to summarize your feelings are ‘Responsibility’, which, based on how you feel about it, is either a very good reason to want to maintain a relationship, or a terrible one… but how you feel about it is the major factor in that assessment. So, Kaito?” She said, tilting her head slightly, inquisitive. “Does your sense of responsibility to this relationship feel like a good thing to you? Not a burden?”

Kaito had looked uncertain, right up until the last word, which was easy enough to make his feeling clear on as his face immediately hardened. “No. Not a burden. I don’t dislike my feelings about this relationship. It makes me happy to feel like this.”

“Okay… then, I’ll accept that too. So… from now on? When- not if. When-- we have difficult conversations in this room? Conversations that make you wonder how you ever thought this was going to work, or make you nervous at the sheer amount of work this relationship will take all three of you, and the thought potentially comes to you, ‘Why?’. Just remember that those three things were the reasons that brought you here in the first place. Not your problems, not your fears. You three are here because you want to maintain your sense of Safety. You want to continue to fulfil your yearning for Happiness. And, because you have a Responsibility to this relationship that you mean to follow through on. Those are three perfectly good reasons to want to maintain a healthy relationship… that’s what I think. Can you three agree these are good reasons? Any concerns about your priorities here?”

Shuuichi glanced at the other two… before shaking his head, “No, no concerns. I think it’s safe to say Kaito’s whole thing is one of the reasons I can feel safe in this relationship, and Kokichi’s is what makes it a joy to do it. If that’s what they’re pursuing, then I’m happy with that.”

“Safety and Happiness? That’s easy, how could I not be okay with that! I always want them to feel safe and happy! I’m all about it!” Kaito insisted, looking pumped on the idea.

Giving them a solid basis to come back to when things were hard… Oh, she was good.

Kokichi smiled warmly, looking over at his guys with adoration. “Absolutely good reasons. Kinda just...feeds into itself for me, knowing that you feel safe, and feel strongly enough that we’re something you want to have as a responsibility…”

In particular, he gave Kaito an apologetic look, though there was still a good ton of love and good humor in it. “Took me long enough to see that, right?”

Kaito chuckled a little, rubbing the back of his neck as he said, “Aw, babe, it’s not exactly, like… the easiest mentality to understand. Hell, I didn’t even understand how I felt about things till I found myself trying to explain it to you…”

Dr. Mariah leaned back in her chair, sighing, “I guess I know what I want to poke into first. But, before we get started on that, there’s some groundwork rules we have to figure out for our first counseling together. First off, I don’t really have an ‘end goal’ when it comes to our counseling. As far as I’m concerned, each counseling session goes on with the assumption will have another one relatively soon, and I keep track of our conversations, so if I can help it, all our session together will seem like just one very long conversation broken up by time. Not everyone likes that style of counseling, so I’m warning you in advance. Also, it’s ultimately up to you three, when we stop. Counseling is only useful for as long as you’re getting anything out of it. Once you feel like I have nothing more I can offer you? Stop setting up appointments, you don’t need me anymore. On that note, there’s nothing wrong with the idea of going from one counselor to another, for any reason. You all understand that? Good.”

“Two… we need to establish what you three do and don’t feel comfortable talking about. In truth, if I had my way, I’d insist on knowing every little detail of your relationship, from it’s beginning to now, and every detail about you…” the young looking woman smirked, before shrugging her thin shoulders, “But that’s because I’m a snoop and nosy. I don’t need every detail to help you, and if there are things too personal for you to tell me, I’m not going to dig. This isn’t like your once mandatory anger management counseling, Kaito, and Kokichi, Shuuichi, from what I understand, you both already have personal therapists for more private issues.”

“..I mean, not really…” Shuuichi grumbled.

“They do, yeah.” Kaito clarified.

Mariah nodded, “So, let’s get what’s usually the big four of the way… are we comfortable talking about sex?”

Shuuichi looked disinterested. Kaito immediately perked up.

Both wordlessly looked to Kokichi.

Kokichi nodded slowly. It was similar in his own therapy sessions, though they tended to bounce around from subject to subject depending on what was going on or what Kokichi had been thinking about. But...there wasn’t really an end goal. There wasn’t really ever going to be a point where Kokichi would bust into their bedroom and declare that he was perfectly adjusted and mental illness-free. There were always going to be things he struggled with, and that wasn’t even taking into account that a changing and expanding world meant that there would always be new problems too. 

It was just...maybe Kokichi would keep seeing his therapist forever. Maybe there wouldn’t be anything left to talk about one day, and he’d stop, or go to another therapist. All that...yeah, he was okay with that. 

But as for subjects to stay away from…

Kokichi blushed and squirmed, feeling his partners’ eyes on him. ...he didn’t like discussing their sex lives outside the bedroom. But...there were some...important things to talk about that had to do with it…

Kokichi’s lips thinned as he pressed them together, not quite looking at anyone else in the room. “...not...detailed.”

“I’m not asking for explicit details, don’t worry.” Dr. Mariah chuckled lightly, though even just how this exchange went was telling in its own right. The fact that both partners waited for Kokichi’s word on the subject meant he’d have the most issues with it, one way or another. Though… “Out of curiosity, which one of you would say too much if given the opportunity?”

“Kaito.” Shuuichi said.

“Me.” Kaito agreed. “But I can be discreet! No problem!”

“Interesting. Okay.” Dr. Mariah noted, before moving on, “Next one. Can we talk about family? As in, your personal families, from childhood?”

“Is that the sort of thing people would say no to?” Shuuichi asked, surprised at that.

“A lot of couples don’t like to factor in their past relationships with their families into their present day romantic problems. Which, by and large, is never true, but, since it makes people so uncomfortable to think about, I’ve learned to ask beforehand and try to navigate around it. We don’t have to talk about painful childhoods or… parental issues.” She said, looking from partner to partner, before her eyes briefly lingered on Kaito-- recently murdered parents by a sibling was a big one, really…-- before continuing, “If you don’t want to talk about it? We won’t.”

Shuuichi shrugged, looking-- almost too pointedly-- like he didn’t care either way, “I’m fine with it. I don’t really have a family anyway.”

Kaito frowned at that, before working his joints a little, before saying, “I mean… it’s fine. I don’t… there’s not a lot to say about mine either.”

...wow. That was something to unpack. Hopefully Crystal was already working on that. 

Kokichi had hesitated a moment, but ended up agreeing with his partners. It was never malicious or teasing out of derision, but even accidentally, Kaito could sometimes be...rather prolific in his locker room stories. Hopefully they could get away with talking about it only in the vaguest sense. 

As for family… Kokichi gave his partners slightly concerned glances at their answers but nodded at Dr. Mariah with a slight sigh for his own. “I’m alright talking about family. It’s something we discuss a lot in my personal therapy, so hopefully if it comes up I can have more succinct answers.” 

“Excellent. Alright, last two. Politics?”

“Ugh.” Shuuichi groaned. “I mean… yes, if it comes up, fine. But…” 

“Not a lot of love for politics from Shuuichi, noted.” Mariah said, glancing at the princes next.

Kaito sighed. “It’d be really strange to suggest politics aren’t a part of our relationship, considering…. Everything.” Kaito finished, waving his hand vaguely, “So, yeah, I don’t have an issue with it if it comes up. Kinda feels inevitable, really.”

Kokichi nodded along with Kaito, though there was something tired in his expression...mostly from thinking about work, but he doubted the specifics of, say, the absolute clusterfuck that was crocus bouquet sales would come up much. “Fine with me too. Other than the, yanno, obvious ties, politics is sorta my job so...yeah. It’s gonna come up.”

“Very good. And, finally, religion.”

Kaito perked up at this, before saying, “Yeah, of course religion! I mean… right?” He asked, looking at the other two, “That’s okay to talk about?”

Dr. Mariah raised a thin eyebrow, before asking, “Are any of you particularly religious?”

“Well, I mean, I’m a Momota, so…”

“Assume I don’t know what that means.” Dr. Mariah said, expression carefully blank.

Kaito hesitated, before, now a little uncomfortable, he said, “My family is the chosen representative of Atua? Um… yeah, I’m Atuan. It’s… kind of a big part of my life.”

“Understood. Shuuichi, Kokichi?”

“I’m… basically Atuan as well.” Shuuichi said simply, shrugging, “It’s what I was raised into, and I don’t have strong feelings about it either way.”

Lots of ‘vague’ feelings from the golden eyed boy. He presented himself as someone without hard opinions. Noting that, Dr. Mariah moved on to Kokichi.

Kokichi gave Kaito another warm smile, almost caught off guard with the question for how...almost a given a “yes” would be. Nodding to the doctor, Kokichi explained himself as well. “I’m not religious and I wasn’t raised with any religion. But if it all turns out that Atuans have it all figured out, then I’m grateful that Kai-chan in particular, but Shuu-chan too would be able to guide me along. Otherwise...I’m happy to learn about Atua in a more general sense.”

“Alright, four for four. Very good. Of course, we can adjust as subjects come along, but for now, it sounds like we’re open and willing to discuss any topic that comes up. So, with that said…” Dr. Mariah look to Kokichi, “You said something earlier, and seemed pretty affected by it. It’s likely this is something you’ve all already dealt with, but as I’ve stated before, I’m a snoop. So, I’m curious.”

“What did you mean by ‘It took you long enough to see it’?” She asked him, glancing between him and Kaito, “What was ‘it’?”

Kaito opened his mouth to explain, “We’ve had some issues in the past with figuring out valu-”

“No, no. I appreciate you wanting to clarify, but if I ask Kokichi or Shuuichi a question, I expect them to answer before anyone else can chime in with how they’re supposed to answer it. The person asked speaks first. Then the floor opens up for discussion. Understood?”

Kaito leaned back against the couch, nodding sheepishly. “Right, sorry.”

Kokichi wasn’t surprised at all--from her comment directly after, he figured this was what Dr. Mariah was talking about--though...he was a little surprised to hear her cut off Kaito, though her reasoning was sound. Still, Kokichi gave his husband a grin. “I think Kai-chan was on the path I was gonna take anyway.”

“...before, when Kai-chan described his feelings as obligation or possessiveness… I think I’m, in part, at least, responsible for a...bleaker outlook, I suppose.” Kokichi grimaced a little at himself, now having the perspective to be annoyed with his past self, but...they’d grown. So he just took a breath. “When Kai-chan and I first met, even after we got to the point of wanting to work together...we didn’t understand each other at all. And especially when it came to things even tangentially close to obligation, I’d...freak out, and try to dig deeper for another reason because I didn’t understand and couldn’t accept things that I thought were wrong, or would try to push Kai-chan away.”

“It was really hurtful… I owe Kai-chan a lot, if just in gratitude for sticking with me. And with ‘us’.” Kokichi sighed, before giving his husband a loving look. “...it took me way too long to figure out his sense of love and responsibility in a way that my dumb brain would get.”

“Hmmm… Kaito? Anything to add to that?”

Kaito carefully scratched the edge of his goatee-- he had finally conceded to Shuuichi’s pleas and shaved the rest of his peach fuzz--  before saying, “He’s taking on a lot of blame for something that I really feel like was both of us… I’d get really, really angry and defensive, every time Kokichi questioned… kind of literally anything about me or my values or my… my whatever. It was all stuff that I grew up sorta assuming just anyone would understand, if not necessarily agree with, and, like… I didn’t make those conversations any easier, ya know?”

“I mean, I get why he doesn’t like the idea of obligation in a relationship. Me and Shuuichi’s Kokichi has a really tough history with feeling like the people around him-”

Mariah was gonna interrupt him, but decided to wait to let him finish, though she watched Kokichi’s expression as he talked, 

“-are only there out of some responsibility and… like, this idea that that means they otherwise didn’t want to be there? Like there’s no place for love in a relationship that started through obligation… shit, my dumbass coming in with ‘swearing’ this and ‘loyalty’ that? I probably sounded like his worst damn fears come to life.”

Once Kaito took a breath, Then Dr. Mariah said, “...while I can understand why you feel like you understand his experience enough to speak for him, as a rule, whenever we explain how someone else was feeling during an experience? We always take a minute to confirm or clarify how the person in question was actually feeling. Our memories are stupid, lying creatures and even with the very best intentions, trying to read each others minds virtually always leads to misunderstandings. Best to hear it from the person themselves. So, Kokichi? Was his interpretation of your feelings at that time correct? If not, tell us. He really, genuinely cannot know unless you tell him.”

Well...communication was two way, and they’d both had trouble trying to understand each other, but...Kaito had from the start been making concessions and trying to understand Dicea and Kokichi, while...for a long time, it felt like he hadn’t done a damn thing to try and understand Kaito. 

Sighing again, Kokichi shook his head at first. “Maybe not worst fears...but there definitely were times where I was...genuinely afraid Kai-chan wasn’t around because he wanted to be.”

Giving the doctor a half-amused look, Kokichi explained more. “As for me having issues believing people were around me out of anything but duty? Kai-chan’s spot on with all that. He’s the one that snapped me out of thinking like that, and encouraged me to really talk with my friends and family, so...he’d know it well.”

There was probably more to dig into here, and Mariah had a feeling they’d end up looping back to this conversation at some point, considering it had, at one point, seemed to weigh heavily on their minds. But, for now she just mentally noted all of this-- the journal in her pocket feeling warm-- before deciding to get to the next big question of the first session.

“Very good. We’ll come back to all that, but for now… most couples, at least in the beginning, have some ideas of what they’d like to talk about first. It’s alright if you three don’t… but also unlikely. I can’t promise we’ll get into all of it today, but having a list of concerns to get through can help steer the course of discussions for the next few sessions, and will allow me to get to know you all and your situations better for when we start digging into things more stream-of-consciousness style.” She explained, looking around at all three of them.

“Now, remember, this is a space to safely talk about difficult things with a guiding hand. There are no stupid topics to bring up. With that said, does anyone have any concerns that you want us to, at some point within the next few sessions, deep-dive discuss?”

...there was silence in response.

Shuuichi was waiting to give Kaito and Kokichi the chance to speak first, not wanting to jump ahead. Kaito, in turn… felt his mind go blank. He knew there were things the group themselves had planned to bring up… he had memories of them talking about it. But, in the moment of being asked… he was just blue-screening. “Um…”

Well...there was the issue of trust between Shuuichi and Kaito, but...Kokichi wanted to let one of them bring it up. It just felt...wrong, if he was the one to do it. But for stuff between all three of them…

Kokichi furrowed his brow a bit, chewing on his lip. “I’m...not sure how well it would work as a discussion point on its own, but… We have trouble arguing with each other. I think we’ve gotten better about it,” he glanced up to see if either of his partners had input there, “but sometimes it just feels like...every time we get in an argument it’s some...end of the world thing.”

“...also, Shuu-chan and I have struggled with suicidal tendencies. I’m not...really sure what I’m even looking for in talking about it, honestly. It’s been a big topic in my personal sessions, trying to understand more from a loved one,” he nodded to Kaito, “hearing me say some of the stuff I have, and trying to get to a better place, mentally… I think...I’d just like to learn if there are better ways we can talk about the past, and if I’m struggling, how to talk about that, without...you know. Saying stuff that would break someone who loves me’s heart.”

Dr. Mariah nodded, “Hmmm. Expressing pain without traumatizing the person you’re expressing it too. That can be a tough balance sometimes, but hardly unattainable. Shuuichi, do you feel like you also need help expressing when your suicidal tendencies flair up?”

“Without having to physically fight Kaito off? Certainly.” Shuuichi said dryly, while Kaito winced.

“Physically fight him off? ... Kaito?” Dr. Mariah asked, giving the stressed out red-head a concerned look, “Anything you wish to add to that?”

“I have… not always been the easiest person to confide in.” Kaito admitted, staring at the floor. “That might tie in to Kokichi’s talk about us having difficulty arguing. I… well, I’m in anger management for a reason. My reactions to things can be… way too aggressive. Or just explosive. Not helpful, you know…”

“That does sound important. Perhaps we’ll get into that sooner rather than later. What else?”

Shuuichi glanced at Kaito, who still seemed to be struggling to come up with topics, before sighing and saying, “Myself and Kaito’s relationship has had some trouble, since we started dating. This whole years been difficult, really… we’ve been working on it, but I’ve been struggling to really understand my place in Kaito’s feelings.”

Dr. Mariah raised an eyebrow. “That’s a little surprising. You just stated your reassurance of your place as his partner was one of the reasons you wish to fight to keep this relationship.”

Shuuichi shook his head, “No, no, I know without a shadow of a doubt he loves me. That’s not the issue. It’s… a lack of trust I feel in our relationship. Like he just… he doesn’t treat me with the same level of trust and respect now as he did before we started dating, and I just want to try to get back to that.”

Dr. Mariah paused, considering her own word for a moment… before stating, “He doesn’t treat you the same now as he did before you started dating.”

Shuuichi nodded, “Yes… and I know, I know, the pregnancy and...the drug issues and-”

“When did you stop being a slave?”

Shuuichi twitched. Clenching his fists as he said, through gritted teeth, “Indentured.” He insisted, glaring at her. “Not a slave.”

The difference was almost indistinguishable, but seeing how important it was to him, Mariah nodded, “When did you stop being an Indentured?”

“...At the marriage. Kokichi and Kaito’s wedding. It was part of the agreement for the treaty, taking in two additional Luminaries as citizens.”

So, not that long before this relationship started. “...I see. We’ll look into that too. Though, my, this marriage certainly meant quite a lot to quite to a few people close to you. Well, to everyone around you, really, but especially your two friends. That’s a lot of pressure. Their freedom counted on it.” She noted to Kaito, who just frowned.

“...It didn’t feel like a lot of pressure. It was fine.” Kaito said. “But, Shuuichi’s right. Our relationship has taken a weird turn, and we’re still trying to figure it out. We could use some help.”

“And, while I don’t know if this will make a good entire topic or not… you both know you can’t go running into your respective closets when Miya gets here, right?” Shuuichi asked, looking at Kaito and Kokichi sternly, “I mean, I guess you can, Kokichi, if it’s not for long, but Kaito… you can’t disappear into the shrine for days at a time. We need you to keep it together… we have a baby depending on us, and frankly, it should have stopped when Tim became a part of our lives. It can’t be something we just put up with anymore.”

“Yeah, I know…” 

Dr. Mariah watched Shuuichi. “You sound angry, Shuuichi.”

Shuuichi frowned. “I’m not. It just needed to be said.”

Kokichi, not for the first time that session, felt the urge to scoot over and hold Kaito’s hand...but at least for now, he wanted to try out them each having their own space. Space was just as important as closeness in a relationship, he thought. 

Thankfully, Shuuichi did bring up the trust issue, and...well, maybe the...slave thing was something he could talk to Miss Crystal about during their non-session sessions. The tenseness in Shuuichi’s face after they talked to Haneda, the anger that would sometimes flare up when they talked about Luminary… Shuuichi’s almost...complete shucking of anything to do with the people and place he’d grown up. It was something that did concern Kokichi but...it was never his place to tell Shuuichi how to feel. Hopefully he could just find some catharsis in therapy. 

Kokichi gave Kaito an odd look when he said their wedding wasn’t a lot of pressure, not sure if it was Kaito playing it off, or if that’s how he genuinely felt. For so long, the wedding felt like it was crushing Kokichi, and he didn’t even have the freedom of two friends looming over him. Maybe...it had just been him. Kaito had said that he was worried about other stuff…

However, Kokichi didn’t get to think much more on that as he cringed at the point Shuuichi brought up. “...I’m working on it… I’d really like not to feel like...I have to go hide when I feel overwhelmed. And I never want Miya or Bonus to be neglected because of my own issues…”

“Bonus?” Dr. Mariah asked, noting that.

At this, maybe surprisingly, Kaito actually lit up, finally looking up from his hands as he said, “Yeah! Bonus! We’re taking care of a foster baby! ...Maybe! Like, maybe for a little while. We’re trying to find someone to adopt him, but, we’re preparing just in case! We have two cribs, we’re gonna get diapers for two babies, food, I’m gonna get him a few toys that are just for him, he’ll be able to take them with him when-”

“You’ve named the baby Bonus?”

“It’s cute, right?” Kaito asked, entirely missing Mariah’s skeptical look, “Little Baby Bonus! He’s coming not that long after Miya, and-”

“...you are having your own child. Why are you fostering a baby?”

Kaito stopped, his enthusiasm dampening as he said, “Uh… yeah that’s… a whole thing really…”

Shuuichi sighed. “We’ve just found ourselves responsible for another baby. We’re doing our best to stay on top of it… or, well, now Kaito is. Our friend Maki asked me to help with it, and I found myself overwhelmed, so Kaito’s taken over the process.”

“...you’re having your own baby and volunteered to foster another baby on top of that? Don’t you all also have a nine year old? Were things just not hard enough yet or…?”

Kaito’s eyes narrowed this time, as he said, “Hey, it’s fine. We’re handling it.”

Dr. Mariah sighed, “And here I thought everything I listed as obstacles before were the heaviest things we’d talk about. Don’t think I have not noted neither of you have volunteered why you’re taking care of this baby, friend or not. I can only assume that means it’s painful to talk about.”

Kokichi gave the doctor a sheepish look. “Bonus is a working name for now… We called Miya “Baby” for the longest time before we decided on a name, so...Bonus is like that.”

And, yeah, that was a whole situation to explain but… Kokichi gave his partners a quizzical look, before looking a little exasperated. He didn’t see why they didn’t just explain and make it easier…

“Bonus’ biological parents are...going through the legal system right now,” Kokichi started to explain. “It’s going to be difficult, as you’ve said, considering we have a baby that’s going to be born around the same time, and we already have Tim, but...considering the circumstances, we agreed to stand in for our friend, and make sure Bonus finds parents that aren’t going...to be influenced by what the biological parents did. That Bonus will be loved as an individual without strings attached because of things that happened before they were born.”

“We’re conferring with the adoption agency, and, ideally? We’ll be able to meet with parents before Bonus is born, and make sure that everything goes smoothly. We’re just preparing for if we need to foster Bonus for a while if things take longer.”

“I see… so. Why couldn’t you two say that?” Mariah asked, looking between Shuuichi and Kaito. “You both immediately got defensive. What were you defending from?”

“Your attitude.” Shuuichi muttered.

Mariah smiled at that. “I apologize if I come across as abrasive sometimes, Shuuichi. I’ve found that clients I speak more bluntly too tend to speak more bluntly back. And honesty is key for discussions like these.”

Shuuichi didn’t look appeased by this, but… he did sigh a little, maybe seeing the logic in it and accepting it, as he adjusted his cap, “...It’s embarrassing to admit why we feel responsible for this child. In a very loose definition of the word, the child's parents are…” Shuuichi’s nose scrunched in distaste, “...’family’. A very, very loose definition. I don’t mind being there for Bonus. But admitting any kinship to the monsters that gave birth to him is… frustrating.”

“Kaito? Is that why you couldn’t say it as well?”

Kaito didn’t look angry, like Shuuichi, but there was a sort of grimness to him as he shrugged a bit, “Bonus’s parents aren’t a good reflection on us, so… yeah. It can be tough to talk about them. We’re not exactly proud. But, like Kokichi said, that has nothing to do with Bonus. He’s going to be a bouncing baby boy, and he’s going to be well taken care of, and that’s just… how it’s going to go. That’s the part I like talking about.”

Mariah thought she could see where some of their talk about struggling to argue might come from, though it was only a small taste of the potential there. So, communication through displeasure and arguments… that would probably be a big one.

Kokichi blanched a bit as he heard Shuuichi call Itch and Tom family. He...he looked a bit sick, actually, and while he tried to keep a hold over himself, there was a noticeable shiver in his frame for a moment. 

...while what Shuuichi said was true...Kokichi never wanted to think about them as family. Didn’t really like thinking about them at all, really, though that hurt the prince in him pretty gravely. His therapist had said it was more than fine to be hurt from people that had hurt you, and while as the prince he was responsible for all Diceans...he was more than a job, and he could allow the system to be concerned for Itch and Tom while he worked on moving past them. It didn’t always feel great but...it was better than working himself into a contradictory tizzy. 

Kokichi took a few deep, calming breaths and centered himself, getting back into the conversation.

Mariah’s eyes trained onto Kokichi, the younger prince looking notably alarmed at the sentiment of the two Luminaries. Noted… and apparently also noted by his two partners, though Mariah could guess they were taking it in different ways. 

Shuuichi glanced over at Kokichi and sighed, not surprised, but feeling a little guilty at Kokichi’s discomfort. Despite Maki pushing it off onto him, Shuuichi still felt like their involvement with Itch and Tom’s problems were still largely his own fault. A burden he had put at his partners feet, since he hadn’t been strong enough to handle it on his own. 

Kaito, in turn, only thought this was Kokichi’s sickness acting up again, and worried accordingly. Kokichi had been… just slowly getting worse, lately. Kaito had stopped pushing for harder training sessions, and over the last week especially, had basically let Kokichi sleep in whenever the smaller prince so much as muttered a protest to waking up. He was… worried. And was a little loss as to what else he could do by this point to help. It sorta felt like Kokichi was just… on some sort of timer, by this point. Which Kaito didn’t like to think was true. He’d prefer to think Kokichi was going to bounce back, just start feeling better at some point, but… well… the way the castle staff was acting? Ikou and the healers? The sort of resignation in them...

Kaito fussed nervously with his joints, glancing over Kokichi nervously. The thought constantly in the back of his mind that, well… they had to be careful what they said…

“The situation sounds complicated.” Dr. Mariah agreed, resting back against her chair, “But, becoming defensive and refusing to discuss it openly in this environment, surrounded by only the people in the thick of the problem with you, and yours truly,” she added, indicating to herself, “Seems counter-productive, and sounds like another indication of the communication issues you all believe you have. Still, the more we learn, the better, yes? No new information is superfluous or unnecessary, especially for those involved in this relationship. Knowledge is power. Every time. Don’t be afraid to share that knowledge with each other, and preferably, myself.”

“... Kaito?”

Kaito looked up at Dr. Mariah, “Yes?”

“Both of your partners have offered conversation points. Is there anything you wish to add?”

Kaito tried to think… and blue-screened again. He reached up to rub the back of his neck awkwardly, before slowly shaking his head. “I don’t… think so…”

Mariah raised an eyebrow. “Really?” she said, tone clearly unconvinced.

Kaito nodded, genuinely trying to think… before he laughed sheepishly, “I’m sure something will come to me eventually, but honestly, Shuuichi and Kokichi have already brought everything up that was on my mind already.”

“General group communication issues, Kokichi and Shuuichi safely expressing their suicidal tendencies, Shuuichi feeling untrusted and unrespected in his relationship with you, your, and potentially Kokichi’s, unhealthy long term avoidance coping techniques… nothing you wish to add to any of that? No concerns from you, personally, that you wish to address to the group?”

“...” Kaito blue-screened. “No, nothing else comes to mind.”

“You know, playing a martyr in the relationship is only going to create more serious difficulties down the line. It’s not healthy, and not even particularly helpful.”

“I’m not-”

“Kaito’s expressed to me recently that he thinks I belittle his intelligence and have a habit of playing mind games on him. That I sometimes treat him like an animal I’m trying to teach new tricks to.” Shuuichi finally offered, not enjoying watching the doctor try to pull any concerns out of Kaito, who seemed genuinely bewildered as to what she was talking about.

Mariah glanced at Shuuichi, before looking back to Kaito, “I’d like to remind all three of you that trying to speak for each other can potentially cause its own problems. Speaking for each other can cause it’s own communication harm, even with the best intentions. Still, in the name of jumpstarting a conversation that will allow someone to eventually speak for themselves… Kaito, is Shuuichi correct? Is that a concern of yours?”

Kaito hesitated, glancing at Shuuichi uncertainly… before admitting, “Yeah, that was something I complained about to him recently.”

“Is that how you still feel?”

“I mean… I was angry when I said it…”

Getting Kaito to talk was apparently going to be like pulling teeth. Looking to Shuuichi, she decided to proceed from a different angle, as she said, “His feelings on it regardless, do you do that? If he felt like that, are those feelings valid, from your end of it?”

“... yes. I do that.” Shuuichi finally conceded, shifting his hat and looking away from her, “It’s a bad habit, by this point. Something me and Maki started doing to try to help him, but… I don’t feel the same way about it anymore. It’s something I want to stop doing.”

“Interesting. Noted, I’ll add it to the list, even if Kaito can’t decide if it’s an issue or not.” Mariah decided, “Anything else from anyone?”

Kokichi nodded a bit, though his eyes were downcast. They needed to be able to talk with each other. That was why they were there. If the three of them were just...able to always communicate how they were feeling and how they thought about things, even with serious troubles, then they could probably be able to sort through any problem. But they couldn’t, and it led to horrible secrets and feelings bottled up until they exploded in awful circumstances. 

They needed to be able to talk with each other. 

...long-term avoidance coping techniques? Is that what his desires to go hide in the closet were? Maybe that was something to bring up with his own therapist too…

Kokichi sighed softly at...a more recent conversation they’d had, giving Kaito a soft look as he seemed to be struggling to...say much at all. But this was the first session. Hopefully he’d be more comfortable talking about it later on. 

...something prodded at his mind. 

Kokichi chewed on his lip a little, looking over at Kaito and Shuuichi before speaking hesitantly. “This...isn’t really something we’ve talked too much about before, I don’t think, but… Do...do you guys sometimes feel like you can’t talk to me ‘cause of my conditions?”

“No, of course not.”

“To a certain extent, of course…”

Shuuichi and Kaito both gave each other startled looks. Mariah leaned back on her chair, interlocking her small hands over her lap. Watching.

“Shuuichi-”

Shuuichi frowned, giving Kaito a mildly bewildered look, “What?” He asked. This certainly couldn’t be news to Kokichi, and he didn’t want to lie to him. Looking over to Kokichi, he added, “To an extent. If I can help it? I’d rather never… shock you again. Not like how I used to when we first met. I’d rather say things more carefully, if it spares your heart a shock. And even now, I’m not super good about it… I forget myself all the time. Just because I want to be open with you doesn’t mean it’s okay for me to just… send you to the med ward again.” Shuuichi murmured, frowning at the dark memory. “I know there were other factors, but… it was still the shock of what I said that did it. That’s worth avoiding.”

Kokichi sighed softly. He didn’t look happy, but...he nodded, just grimly accepting that that’s how it was. “...I get it. I wish I could say that you don’t have to worry about saying anything that could even upset me, ‘cause...I know I can handle more than what a lot of people give me credit for. But the line between having a difficult conversation and me getting so stressed out I end up collapsing is...hard to judge. If you guys wanna err on the side of caution…”

He sighed again, messing with the hem of his jacket with a slightly frustrated look. “...I can’t say it doesn’t bother me. But I get it. I just...hope it doesn’t keep you guys from avoiding topics entirely just ‘cause...I’m irrational and sickly…”

There was that old fire of indignation in his gut. The outrage of being underestimated and coddled. But more than he trusted Kaito and Shuuichi to treat him as an adult, he...he really did understand it more from their perspective. Watching a loved one suffer was agony. Scarier than anything that could happen to yourself. And since that could sometimes be set off--though there were always other factors involved--by just...words? He understood their hesitance. 

...and while he knew it was exactly the wrong type of thinking...it made him feel like such a burden…

Shuuichi just gave Kokichi a soft, tired look, but Kaito frowned. Brow furrowing, as he said hotly, “Hey, no. You’re not irrational. You just… getting all…” Kaito scowled, clearly trying to find the right words, “At least no more than anyone else. Hell, if I had a damn heart attack every time I got pissed, I’d get fucking called irrational too!”

Mariah smirked slightly at this, “You do, in fact, get called irrational, Kaito. That’s why you were forced to take anger management therapy.”

“Yeah! Exactly! That doesn’t make me irrational-!”

“Doesn’t it?” Shuuichi asked, staring with some resigned amusement at Kaito.

“-it just makes it way more fucking obvious when I’m upset than everyone else! So everyone can fucking call that shit out easier and feel all fucking smug and shit, cause no one can tell when they’re getting angry, so no one can hold it against them or call out their patterns and shit-”

“Kaito. Did you bring your pebble with you?” Shuuichi asked, watching Kaito get more and more worked up as he tried to explain whatever he was trying to say.

Mariah’s eyes glanced at Shuuichi, before turning back to Kaito, watching him suddenly deflate, and his hand automatically lay against his pants pocket, as if assuring himself he did. Hmmm. 

Kaito not saying anything for a moment, clearly de-railed from his thought process, he started to say, “Sorr-”

“Don’t be. I’m more curious to see why you felt the need to say all that.” Dr. Mariah said, glancing between Kaito and Kokichi, “Why does it bother you so much to hear Kokichi call himself irrational?”

Kaito still kept his hand on the outside of his pants pocket, reassuringly reminding himself he had the stone… before grumbling, “Cause I don’t think he is.”

Kokichi appreciated Kaito’s faith, but… 

He watched worriedly as Kaito got himself worked up and...like usual these days, instead of getting to his point--and likely blowing up and possibly doing something he’d regret--Shuuichi reminded him of his meditation stone and Kaito just...trailed off. Just kind of quietly put out. 

Fussing with his hands in his lap, Kokichi quietly spoke up. “When we first met...it made me really happy to hear that Kai-chan didn’t think I was...irrational, or incapable, or… Any of the rumors about me that I knew I shouldn’t listen to. Or the way I thought people thought of me because of how I’d been treated all my life up ‘til then.”

“But…” Almost nervously, Kokichi looked up at Kaito, something...apologetic in his gaze. “It’s not...good for me to blow up at the opinions of people I don’t even know. Or to get stressed and weepy just from thinking about things… It’s not healthy. For me, or for you guys… It’s not that I’m not allowed to have emotions, it’s that I can’t allow them to rule my body and my life. I need to keep a sense of reality with me…”

“I wish just admitting to that was enough, but...it’s a process. I just...want you to know that I’m working on it. You can have your own opinions of me, of course, but...I don’t need anyone to defend me. I need to recognize when I’m wrong.”

Kaito looked tensed, looking like he still wanted to argue about it… but he glanced at Dr. Mariah and apparently whatever he wanted to say about it died there as he said, “I mean… I mean, yes, that’s all true, and, I’m happy that you’re taking care of it, but…”

Dr. Mariah raised an eyebrow, “Kaito, your husband just said a lot of things that were difficult to articulate and probably took a decent amount of courage on his end, and you’re shutting down on him. What’s happening, right now? Do you not want to disagree with him on principle?”

Kaito grit his teeth, looking frustrated with that idea. “No. I can disagree with Kokichi.”

“Then where’s this hesitance coming from? Do you not want to say something in front of me?”

Kaito hesitated at that. Dr. Mariah noted that. “Try to articulate to me the consequences of what you’re trying to say, and why that’s making it difficult for you to speak up.”

Kaito hesitated again, not really certain why he was struggling so much to express himself, though he… well, okay, if he stopped and thought about it… ugh, it sucked…

After a moment, Kaito finally got out, “...I shouldn’t… suggest negative things about King Aiichi around one of his citizens… and I’ve promised to not… bad mouth Kokichi’s family to him anymore...”

And with that, Kaito gripped his fists, before muttering, “But I don’t think Kokichi’s irrational. Not… not really. I mean, maybe your sense of reality isn’t exactly always true, babe, I know that.” Kaito continued, giving Kokichi a worried frown, “But I don’t think those feelings came out of nowhere. I think the odds were stacked against you because no one wants to talk to you about anything, and that saying that it’s all in your head or your own fault is… I just don’t think it’s true. I mean, I know you and Shuuichi are both right. We have to be careful sometimes what we say to you, and you have to be careful how you let yourself react to things, that’s all true. But I don’t think that equals you being irrational. You get upset because upsetting things happen… unfortunately, being upset for you just… has more obvious, extreme consequences. But it’s not all just in your head… that’s all...”

Kokichi looked over at Dr. Mariah with some surprise. ...it...hadn’t been the easiest thing to say, sure, but…

(...it was kind of nice, someone calling Kaito out on just...almost disregarding things Kokichi struggled to say, sometimes. He was always happy for Kaito to be in his corner, but when there was no one in the other one...it was difficult, sometimes, to talk about things Kokichi wanted to improve about himself.)

And while Kokichi winced a little...Kaito very much could disagree with him. That was something he hadn’t planned on even bringing up, because...with whatever Kaito concluded to himself that had changed things, the fact of Kaito deferring to him by default had stopped. And until Kaito had figured it out himself, or wanted to talk about it, Kokichi wasn’t going to push. 

Maybe that was an issue, but they had plenty of other things to talk about in the meantime. 

Like...what was another difference in perspective, he supposed. 

Kokichi smiled, grateful, at Kaito. “Thank you. You know that your belief in me is something I’ve always been grateful for, hun. And...I agree. It’s not all in my head.”

“It’s natural to be upset when upsetting things happen. But letting myself spiral into acting like...even a moderately upsetting thing is world-ending...by my own definition, is irrational. I want to be able to have the perspective to be upset without having a meltdown. That’s what I’m working on…”

Kaito sighed-- the sound almost relieved-- before nodding. “Yeah, okay… just so long as you know it wasn’t just… all you. That’s all I care about…” he paused, before chuckling to himself, “Well, not really, but you know what I mean. It’s what I was worried about.”

Dr. Mariah waited a beat, to see if anyone was going to speak up at the end of this, before saying, “So, it sounds like communicating things without triggering meltdowns is part of the issue. Let’s dig into that for what we have left of this session. Communicating, and taking in, stressful information without harming each other is an extremely valuable life skill, and…” looking between the three of them, considering her words, “...while I still don’t know you all very well, I’m going to go ahead and assume that our resident members of royalty haven't had too much life experience to train that part of their communication. For our sickly prince, it’s hard to practice taking bad news well when the people around you have decided to stop giving you bad news, and for our Luminary Prince… I’m making a large assumption here. Correct me if I’m wrong… but I imagine the average person didn’t tell you ‘no’ growing up. And, to clarify, having one or two people willing to discipline you is not the same as society as a whole not pandering to your disposition. All that teaches you is how to handle being told ‘no’ by those few people, not how to receive bad news in general from anyone.”

As Kaito took a second trying to think of how to respond to this, looking a little embarrassed, she glanced at Shuuichi, who just looked cooly back at her, “I have no idea how you handle bad news yet. And, honestly, I could be wrong about all of you. Again, I’m making some presumptions for the first session, and time might prove me entirely wrong on my first impressions. But, I’m being honest with all of you on what my first impressions are. So far, two out of three of you strike me as people who have never been forced to deal with equal communication, and are now struggling in it. Time and practice and, yes, honesty with yourselves will mitigate that.”

Kaito finally frowned, before saying, “Kokichi was told ‘no’ literally all the time growing up-”

Dr. Mariah sighed, “If you’re going to defend someone from my presumption, defend yourself, Kaito. Kokichi can speak up on his own behalf. And, already I can see how I’ve worded myself wrong, but I’ll let myself answer to how I’ve actually worded my thoughts first, before trying to clarify what I actually ‘meant’. It’s important to recognize that even if you say things that aren’t necessarily what you mean, you still have to answer for them.”

Turning to Kokichi, she asked cooly, “Is your husband correct? Is there something wrong with my presumptions?”

Kokichi relaxed a bit in relief as well--kind of internally thrilled, actually, that they were able to talk this out--and gave Kaito a grin. Like with most people, really, who Kokichi had grown up to be was a combination of internal and external factors. His external world had been a whirlwind of change these past seven months, so...now he was just playing catch up on the inside. Trying to figure out what was in his head, or ingrained patterns from what used to be his world. 

Like he’d said, it was a process. He was...happy that he and Kaito could come to an understanding over it. 

It was a good sign for these sessions, even with hitting another snag immediately. 

Kokichi looked a bit sheepish, tugging on a longer bit of his hair. “Um...I wouldn’t say it’s entirely true… For a long time...throughout most of my teens, and a little before, I guess, unequal communication is correct. I was...mistakenly banned from areas at home, and open blades would be taken from me without...really any input from me. And while during these times, I was being a danger to myself,” he stressed, glancing over at Kaito, “Sometimes I would be knocked out or carried back to my room regardless or...probably because of, since I wasn’t taking care of myself, my protests. And in my childhood...healers never really listened to me, so I still struggle with voicing my concerns these days.”

“But concerning bad news?” Kokichi furrowed his brow a bit. “...his letters were never graphic, but my d...my nanny did talk about the war with me, since I was ten. I’ve been working administration since I was fifteen, and there’s plenty of bad news that comes from that… I never really allowed myself to be very close with my friends so...I can see where that might’ve stunted me, but we did still talk about serious matters sometimes… Mostly, people avoided talking about stressful things, at least where I could notice it, when I was already in my sick bed.”

Dr. Mariah raised an eyebrow, placing a delicate finger against her cheek. “So, you do know how to regulate emotions due to bad news then. So, what’s the difference between receiving that information, and receiving stressful information from your loved ones? Can you define why those feelings don’t shut you down, but theirs does?”

Before Kokichi could answer, Shuuichi frowned, before saying aloud, almost idly, “I’ve always wondered about that… you handled everything at the ocean so… almost deadpan. But, had a meltdown with myself and Maki just theorizing about why people react to Luminary culture the way they do… the sample examples are kinda all over the place…”

“Well, maybe it wasn’t about whatever you guys were talking about, and more about fucking conspiring to do awful things.” Kaito grumbled, shooting a glare at Shuuichi, who looked a little… shocked and hurt at the look.

“Kaito…”

Dr. Mariah sighed. “While I’m entirely up for discussing another thing you two are struggling with, disguising it as speaking about Kokichi’s issues, for him, is harmful. It’s not helpful, and just means you’ll fail to talk well about two things, rather than one or the other.”

Kokichi furrowed his brow and opened his mouth...just to close it again. And not just because of Kaito chiming in too. 

...why were his responses so different? That he could hear cruel rumors about him and just fume, but when Shuuichi just listed out information in his medical file, he’d tried to fight his siblings just to be alone. That the most he freaked out about Aba, Tom, and Itch only started after they got home? Though...he therapist said that the state he’d been in on the trip could be a sort of depressive shock…

“...at the ocean…” he started softly, getting the feeling that he was about to get all long-winded again. “...while I was kidnapped...I remember constantly thinking to myself that I couldn’t freak out. That no matter what I did, I had to...refuse to give them any fodder… That if I freaked out...Aba would die...o-or I would die… At the end, I barely remember what happened…”

“...I barely remember what happened when I left you and Maki-chan either, though,” he admitted, looking up at Shuuichi with a concerned expression. “I...have no idea how I actually got to the Memorial Garden, though it’s kinda obvious to just...fill in the blank of that I walked.”

“...I don’t know what the difference is…”

Dr. Mariah nodded, “Noted. Kokichi, how about we make that a short term goal for you. Being able to recognize why we react more to some things and not others is a great step towards being able to communicate to others how to safely talk to you, and, will probably do wonders for you trying to navigate your own emotions in a calm and rational way. How about… how about this. Bring up this issue with your personal therapist. They’ll likely already have ways established of navigating this with you by this point, and can better help you come up with an answer for that question. When you have one? We’ll incorporate it into our group therapy. Do you think you’ll be up to doing that with your personal therapy time?”

“For sure.” Kokichi nodded once with determination. It was...a little shocking to not understand his own reasoning or patterns when it came to his behavior. It would do wonders personally if he could figure it out, and if it could help out his partners too, then it was a no brainer. He didn’t want them to have to hold back for him. This was a way to get closer to that. 

Turning to his partners, Kokichi gave them a soft look and a nod. “Thank you for being patient with me. I’ll do my best to make things clearer for all of us.”

“Good. Very good.” She glanced at the clock. There wasn’t much time left… but, well, if she had a good read on Kaito, at the very least, then she wasn’t going to get much of anything out of him this first session anyway. And Shuuichi seemed to really believe he didn’t have much to offer in these conversations, if the way he went silent when Kokichi and Kaito discussed was any indication. Both of them seemed perfectly fine, eager even, to discuss Kokichi’s issues, but had managed to say very little about themselves yet.

That was alright. She had time to coax them out. Luminaries were skittish things generally, so it wasn’t like she was surprised anyway.

Looking to Kaito, she said, “So, on the earlier subject of my presumption about you… anything to say about my assessment of you?”

Kaito seemed surprised they had gone back to that, frowning… before shrugging, “I mean, I’m a prince. My whole upbringing entitled me to being addressed a certain way by pretty much everyone. So, while I could probably come up with a thousand examples of people treating me ‘like anyone else’... no, it’s probably safe to say I didn’t have to talk to people at an equal level, in general.”

“So… do you agree with my assessment? Or can you just see the logic in it and feel like you should agree with it?”

Kaito frowned. “... I agree with what you said.” He decided. 

“So, does that translate to how you speak with Kokichi and Shuuichi?”

“... I don’t understand what you mean.” Kaito sighed, “Translate?”

“Does you not having to speak on equal terms with most people growing up have a direct effect on your communication issues with Kokichi and Shuuichi?”

“...I don’t know. Does it?”

“That’s not for me to answer. That will be your homework till our next session. I want you to, if you can manage it, bring that up to Miss Crystal. You grew up in one of the highest stations in all of Luminary. You need to at least be somewhat aware of how that affects your relationships now, especially considering you are no longer in that station in life. Can you do that for us, and we’ll touch against it again next time?”

Kaito looked a little wary about all this, not really understanding what it was he was trying to figure out, but… “Yeah, alright. Will do.”

Hmm… It definitely did affect their relationship, but Kokichi wasn’t quite sure...well. That was why it was Kaito’s question to solve, wasn’t it. He’d know his head best...even if it seemed for a long time he didn’t want to look at all. 

It probably wouldn’t lead them to much right now, but Kokichi could ask Kaito and Shuuichi if talking about marriage hierarchy was something they should bring up in their next session. There had been the...complete turnaround from Kaito’s expectations at the start of their marriage, but...there might still be some lingering stuff from it. In Kokichi inadvertently using privilege, or Shuuichi and Kaito acting certain ways around each other. Maybe it could inform more about how they talked with each other… Hm. 

“So, what about me then.” Shuuichi asked, seeing the pattern by this point and preparing himself. The woman was abrasive and her questions could seem a bit random, almost thoughtless. But, so far, even her most idle observations had been trying to drive the group to certain points, and while Shuuichi couldn’t quite make out what her ‘presumptions’ talk had been leaning towards specifically, she clearly wanted all three of them to leave this discussion with specific questions to ponder over. 

So, what was going to be his ‘question’. She hadn’t done a ‘first impression’ assessment on him yet-

“You’re an asshole.”

Shuuichi’s eyes widened in shock, and Kaito’s shoulders suddenly squared, the red head standing up and going, “Hey-!”

Dr. Mariah looked calmly at Kaito as the Luminary Prince took a few hurried steps towards her, clenching his fists, letting him talk as he said, “That’s uncalled for! You apologize to him, immediately.”

Staring Kaito dead in the eyes, Dr. Mariah said, “Shuuichi, I apologize.”

This seemed to leave Kaito uncertain about what to do next, just standing there now, a little flummoxed. He… wasn’t used to people just agreeing to that…

Shuuichi looked a little less startled, and said to Kaito as the red head looked lost as to what to do next, “Kaito, please sit back down. It’s fine. I’m…” Shuuichi gave the doctor, who looked mildly amused by all this, “...sure she has a point she’s trying to make.”

Kaito grit his teeth, “I don’t give a shit about that. She still can’t say shit like that to you.”

Kokichi grew...quite a bit more concerned as Kaito fronted on their doctor--and even if she was in her forties, she was still a very petite woman!!--but...he didn’t think Kaito would actually hurt her. Kaito had done a lot of work to...not have a reaction like that. 

(...even if...for a moment, it almost felt like they were back at that sushi restaurant. Kokichi hearing some...callously cruel words above the din…)

...he kind of wanted to ask why. Why such...an unheated and deadpan insult was unacceptable. But...it wasn’t really his place to say. 

Kokichi’s gaze traveled over to Shuuichi, glad to see his boyfriend looked alright, if surprised, and...despite himself, Kokichi opened his mouth. “...Shuu-chan? Would you ever describe yourself as an asshole?”

“Kokichi!” Kaito said, shocked, as Dr. Mariah just watched all of this with interest.

Shuuichi sighed, before looking at Kaito, “Kaito, please. I don’t need you to defend me. It’s fine… sit down? Please? I’m fine.”

Kaito clenched his fists, clearly entirely lost as to what to do. Shouting down Dr. Mariah was one thing, but insisting Kokichi couldn’t call Shuuichi an asshole was a different thing. Between that and Shuuichi insisting it was fine, he found himself with little other option beyond just sitting down, just generally feeling alarmed and defensive, and not really knowing where to put that energy. Quietly, he took the stone out of his pocket, the polishing rag from his other one, and just grimly started to polish it.

Kaito successfully (??) managed, Shuuichi sighed, giving Dr. Mariah a dry, unamused look, who simply looked undisturbed in response, before giving Kokichi’s question a concerned, considering look… before sighing softly, “I mean… maybe I wouldn’t have used the word ‘asshole’, but… it’s maybe not an unfair way to describe me. I was just surprised to be called out like that out of nowhere. Didn’t exactly see it coming…”

“You’re not an asshole.” Kaito grumbled.

“Are you?” Dr. Mariah asked.

Shuuichi glared at her. “...is that my ‘question’ that I’m supposed to think about on my own?”

She smiled, “Only if you can’t give me a clear answer now. Either for or against. I’ll accept either answer.”

...Shuuichi just tsked. Looking away from her. “How am I supposed to know how to answer that…”

“All of your reactions to that were interesting. I feel like that was a lovely little snapshot into the way you all react to stress, and that analyzing your reactions to it would actually be very telling. How about this… we’re running low on time.” She noted, glancing at the clock, “...and while, Shuuichi, yes, I’d like you to discuss with your personal therapist why I might have said that, and more importantly your feelings when I said that… do you think the three of you could safely discuss everything that just happened in the last three minutes on your own? Or should we wait to discuss it as a group the next session? Try to be honest with yourselves.”

“...I’m not sure what there is to analyze, for me.” Shuuichi confessed.

“Which is something you should think about. Kaito? Kokichi? Later, by yourselves? Or wait for the next session? It’s okay to be honest and say you’d need this controlled environment to analyze it comfortably. That’s the point of all of this, you aren’t expected to be able to do it on your own yet.”

Shuuichi could be abrasive and closed off sometimes, but...Kokichi wouldn’t really call him an asshole, at least not without there being a clear joking mood and Shuuichi had, like, hogged all the blankets. But...considering the surprise and how much Kaito had leaped to defend...he’d been curious. ...prodding potential sore spots wasn’t really a good thing to do to his partners though…

Sighing...well, they might as well talk now. 

“...I let my curiosity monopolize your comfort.” Kokichi gave Shuuichi and Kaito both a nod, though his gaze remained on Shuuichi. “I don’t believe that it’s a bad thing to look at yourself, but it should be a personal choice, and not levelled as...an accusation, or something of that sort. There are far more clear, and far less abrasive ways to let you guys know if I’m confused or wondering about things… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that.”

Dr. Mariah looked curiously at Kokichi. “That’s all well and good, but what were you trying to understand? If you were willing to ask in an indirect way, then it was clearly on your mind. Try again in a more direct manner.”

Mm… 

...he did try to get out of conversations that way too, huh?

Giving a nod, Kokichi turned back to his partners. “...I was surprised by your reactions. It made me wonder if being called an asshole was a sore spot for Shuu-chan, or for Kai-chan to hear it. ...I know that’s pretty dickish on my own end. If it’s something that we haven’t talked about, then it’s something I should just...leave alone until the if or when you decide to bring it up yourself.”

Dr. Mariah smiled slightly, pleased, as she leaned back against her chair again, letting this go on. 

Shuuichi looked attentive at Kokichi’s question, but seemed otherwise unbothered by all of this, as he said, “I don’t know if not asking us would help anything. I…” he glanced at Kaito, who just looked entirely lost, as he said, “...think this is one of those culture shock things again. One of those things that it wouldn’t ever occur to us would need explaining, so it’s unlikely we would have ever brought it up ourselves.”

“Is that accurate for you as well, Kaito? Shuuichi’s using a lot of ‘we’ statements.” Dr. Mariah noted.

Kaito, in turn just… looked entirely confused… before sighing. Running a hand through his hair. “It doesn’t have to be a sore point. She insulted Shuuichi to his face in front of us, and she’s got no right to do that. It wasn’t friendly, it wasn’t playful. It was an insult. He’s my partner. I should insist on him being treated with at least the most basic amount of respect.” Kaito growled, glancing at Dr. Mariah.

“I apologize again.” She said easily, no prompting needed. “I said it with the purpose of offense, and apologize for that aggression.”

Again, Kaito didn't know what to do with that. Just deflated a little… before looking at Kokichi, “Why is it okay in Dicea to insult people? You’ve mentioned that a few times now. I just don’t get it. Why would people call the king a cunt on our wedding day?”

Kokichi frowned a bit, thinking for a good long moment. Not entirely sure of himself as he spoke. “Other than calling it a cultural difference...I’m not really sure how to explain why. It just...casual insults...don’t feel disrespectful? I mean...in Tradean, there’s an entire pronoun set that...more or less means motherfucker. Like referring to yourself as a motherfucker, or referring to others the same way. It’s not meant fondly either. Swears and insults are just...a part of speech. ...my uncle always used to say that language informed culture, that the way people spoke influenced how they thought.”

“It’s...if someone was angry with the war, and how Aiichi handled it, or even how we were ending it… It feels wrong that they would hide that anger, or even just express it to close friends only. If someone tells you what they think to your face, yeah, it might hurt if you wanted to be close with that person, but...there’s no guesswork. You can try to improve your standing, knowing exactly where you were starting. Or you can just be like, alright, fuck you too, and move on with your life. All society needs is tolerance, not kinship…”

“Yeah, well… if they want to insult my partners to my face, they better be ready to tolerate my fist in their face…”

Dr. Mariah snorted, raising an eyebrow. “While I can appreciate the fact that you didn’t punch me, Kaito, be careful with jokes like that. I’m actually somewhat reassured by this point that you don’t mean it, but with your history, getting into a habit of saying that casually won’t sit well with people.”

“Yeah yeah…” Kaito sighed, his shoulders sagging. Looking tired. “Yeah.”

Dr. Mariah looked to Shuuichi, who, again, had gone quiet. “Any thoughts, Shuuichi? You are the insulted party in question.”

Shuuichi shrugged, “Not really. I thought I was supposed to think about this later?”

“So… you’re not thinking about it at all now?”

“You clearly want me to reflect on how I acted this entire session, because you called me an asshole at the end of it and you only have this one meeting to make a judgment call like that. I’m also assuming that you only want me to reflect so I can say something, like, oooooh…” Shuuichi said, his voice mocking a little, “Maybe I am an asshole… basically, you want me to reflect on where I went wrong today. Which feels mildly insulting. Why not just tell me where you think I went wrong, rather than make me try to suss it out myself?”

“Because, I’ve only known you for one session.” She said, smiling slightly at him, her tone genuinely patient. “And I may be wrong. You might not be an asshole. All I want from your reflection is you to be able to clearly say to me, one way or another, if you agree with the assessment, and why. The fact that you can’t argue it one way or another, is in and of itself why I encourage you to think about it.”

Shuuichi shrugged, still looking annoyed. “Fine.”

She glanced at the clock. “We are, technically, out of time… if you all like, we can put another hour on the clock and keep discussing this. Or you can go home with your homework assignments. How do we feel?”

And that was where the disconnect happened. Because to Kaito--and Shuuichi, likely to an extent, though...he was blocking himself off pretty hard right now, so Kokichi couldn’t really tell--it was disrespectful. And...maybe the only way to bridge that was...Kaito agreeing not to actually punch people in the face, and the people who knew them personally agreeing to keep casual insults out of their speech?

Maybe…

Kokichi sighed feeling...a little more than just emotionally tired. He followed Dr. Mariah’s gaze to the clock, then drifted over to the aquarium. ...what was the difference…

“...I think you have been, and will be good help for us, Dr. Mariah,” he started, smiling over at the small woman. “I think...we could probably sit here all day and still have things to talk about, but...personally, I wanna...sit on today’s session for a bit. And start figuring out myself a little more…”

“...guys?”

“Fuck, I think I’d lose years off my life trying to do another hour of this.” Kaito grumbled, running his hand through his hair.

“If you don’t wish to have me as your relationship counselor, that’s entire underst-”

“No, no, that’s not what I… look, I don’t like you calling Shuuichi names, okay? I don’t want to hear that shit again.” Kaito insisted, narrowing his eyes at her, “...but I’m not stupid. Everything else was really helpful. I can tell you’re, ya know… good at this.”

Dr. Mariah noted the ‘stupid’ remark, but decided she’d bring that up at a later time. There was already so much to talk about. The three were going to be interesting work, if nothing else. And her fascination with interpersonal relationships was what got her into this field of work in the first place. There were, after all, plenty of ways to get the things she needed from humanity… but this? Small, personal arguments that she could reasonably, over time, help with?

It had always felt like a good enough compromise to her, as a creature that fed on negative energy. A little bit of negative energy that they were already experiencing, and in exchange, she helped them navigate the negative energy more effectively. A perfectly even exchange.

The fact that it was Kaito Momota? A Momota, of all people, to end up in her office? Maybe three hundred years ago, Mariah’s mind would have drifted to petty thoughts of revenge… but honestly, life was actually considerably easier, now that there were less demons in the world. Demon society much easier to organize and keep accountable the smaller their community was. And, well… it was hardly the princes’ fault, what his ancestors had done. So… yes. This was interesting.  And amusing, in it’s own way. And Mariah was happy to help.

(And feed while doing so.)

She glanced at Shuuichi, smiling slightly (he was especially amusing. And especially filling. Lots of negative emotions radiating from him… she’d have to be especially dedicated, to help him sort through all that) as she asked, “Well? That sounds like two votes in favor of doing another session with me. Though, if you have any hesitations yourself, Shuuichi, I would understand. These counseling sessions won’t help your relationship if even one of you is unsatisfied working with me, and there are plenty of other counselors out there to try out. It’s understandable to say no.”

Shuuichi waited for her to finish her speil, giving her a wary look… before saying, “No. I’m curious about how future sessions with you would work. You’re interesting, if nothing else. But… I reserve the right to change my mind later.”

“Of course.” Dr. Mariah said, before clapping her thin hands together, standing up. “Alright! Let’s work out when the next appointment will be, and hopefully my receptionist hasn’t wandered away from the desk again. Don’t forget your homework assignments… because I won’t. We will be talking about everything I asked you to think about, one way or another. Try to give it some real thought so we have plenty to discuss. Everyone understand?”

Kaito nodded, standing up with her, and going to help Shuuichi up. “Yes.”

“Certainly.” Shuuichi sighed, giving Kaito a grateful look.

“Got it!” Kokichi hopped off the couch and went happily back to the sides of his partners. He...wasn’t sure if sitting apart had helped any, but he knew that generally, close by was where he preferred to be. 

They all walked out into the waiting room, conferring with each other when the next appointment would be--weekends seemed to be looking best, since Shuuichi wouldn’t have class, and there was more time to play around with between other therapy sessions and classes. Eventually, Kokichi thanked Dr. Mariah for her help and time, and the three walked out of the office, Kokichi happily holding Shuuichi’s hand, though...there was a lot on his mind. 

“That was a lot more productive than I expected our first session to be like…” he softly mused. “Dr. Mariah is...not what I expected but...it’s like you said, Kai-chan. It’s pretty clear that she’s good at this kind of stuff.”

“Yeah. Doesn’t make it any less exhausting… hey, come here.” Kaito suddenly said, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk and leaning over to pick up Kokichi, putting his arm under his butt and just sighing into his shoulder, “I need Kokichi hugs. And, like, I’d take a Shuuichi hug too.” Kaito said pointedly, looking over Kokichi’s shoulder to Shuuichi, who gave him an amused look.

Shuuichi looked around a bit, before sighing, leaning in to let Kaito give him a sort of half hug, letting himself rest against him for a moment. “...that was kinda hard. But… it’s supposed to be, isn’t it. If it was easy, we wouldn’t be asking for help in the first place.”

“Oh!” Kokichi was a little surprised by Kaito lifting him into the air, but...he...was kind of tired. He really would be fine walking home, but getting a lift wouldn’t hurt. And who would he be to deny his husband hugs?

Humming, Kokichi threw his arms around Kaito, making it a little easier for him to carry him, and hugged Kaito tightly, placing a kiss to the side of his head. By his partners’ sides was the best, but in their arms was even better, most of the time. 

“Ain’t that the truth…” He sighed softly. “...I never really realized how much I dodged conversations… Other than...one or twice, or something, I don’t think I ever meant to… It’s crazy, how much an outside perspective can do for ya.”

“I think we’re all a little used to trying to talk circles around things.” Kaito sighed, relaxing as he felt Kokichi relax against him. There. Everything was okay. He had them both right here.

Securing Kokichi with one arm, Kaito took Shuuichi’s hand, heading back to the castle, as Shuuichi snorted a little to himself.

“No ‘we’ statements, Kaito. That’s a big no no.” Shuuichi gently derided, Kaito chuckling with him.

“Of course I mean the ‘royal’ we. We would never dare suggest we’d speak on anyone else's behalf.” Kaito teased gently, his voice going slightly uptick and posh… which was a little funny, since he didn’t actually know any royal members, or even nobility, that talked in that accent. Still, it felt natural, as a form of mockery. 

Well...that had truth to it. Kokichi asked questions that weren’t what he was asking, Kaito hopped into different conversations, and Shuuichi stonewalled. They all had other tactics, and shared some, but...getting themselves to stop and really talk about exactly what they meant was important. And they were taking steps to get there. 

And even if her rules were well-meaning…

Kokichi snorted, snickering quietly against Kaito’s head. “It really does almost feel like we have to pass around a talking stick, huh.”

“I’ve literally never heard of a talking stick until this moment, but through context, oh my god, she would absolutely be the type to give us a talking stick.” Kaito chuckled, Shuuichi smirking as well. “That’s, like, a stick where if you’re holding it, only you get to talk, right?”

“Yuuuuuupp,” Kokichi snickered. “I’ve only seen it in, like, books, where camp members, after a big climax, are all sharing their grievances with each other, but can’t interrupt. And in youth debate courses. I think that’s the only way to keep a bunch of ten-year-olds from screaming at each other while arguing.” 

“Maybe that’d be a fun game to play with the kids. Give them a talking stick and watch them try to wrestle it off each other.” Kaito murmured.

“I feel like encouraging fighting through the stick defeats the purpose.” Shuuichi chided good naturedly… before saying softly, “Thanks for defending me.”

Kaito sighed, “...really? You didn’t seem that happy with it at the time.”

“I didn’t want you to do anything we’d regret. Like fight what is very clearly a twelve year old pretending to be a therapist.” Shuuichi joked, shaking his head. “I don’t need you to fight my battles like that. I don’t like the idea of you getting into trouble over almost nothing. So… in the future, please don’t threaten to fight anyone for insulting me. But… thank you for defending me either way.”

“... I don’t like just keeping my mouth shu-”

“I know. But it will only end badly. I’d rather be insulted then you get sent away. Okay? Please?”

“...yeah…”

Shifting slightly so he could rest his head against Kaito’s shoulder, Kokichi watched the two of them quietly. He had already apologized for contributing to the situation, and continuing to do so was...more for his own benefit than theirs. He thought about making some comment so they could talk about the...rather unusually youthful appearance of their counsellor, but…

...they needed to be honest with each other. 

“...Shuu-chan doesn’t have to answer. We’re not in a session right now. But...can I ask why you just...didn’t say that you weren’t?”

“Personally, I think suggesting we should only talk to each other during sessions might lead to some issues in the future.” Shuuichi said gently, giving Kokichi a soft look, “So, of course you can ask that… though… my answer isn’t very mature.”

Frowning, looking glumly ahead, after a moment Shuuichi admitted, “I just didn’t want to agree with her. Cause she was being an asshole.”

Kaito snorted. “That’s my Shuuichi.”

Shuuichi shrugged, “If she hadn’t said it so smugly, I’d have probably felt okay just giving her a straight answer… which would be, yes. I can be an asshole. Maybe even more often than I want to be. I don’t mind being an occasional asshole, but these days, I feel like I’ve taken it too far too often. It’s not something I’m proud of… I don’t like a lot of the habits I’m noticing in myself. Especially in how it affects both of you.”

“...I just didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of agreeing with her.” Shuuichi sighed.

“That’s all well and good, handsome, but I’m not terribly fond of you calling yourself names either. What makes you think you’re… what are we suggesting when we say the word ‘asshole’? Exactly?”

“I don’t know what she meant saying it, but I heard, just… someone being purposefully mean and inconsiderate. That was how I interpreted it. So, that’s what I mean when I say I am. Or, that I can be.”

“Yeah. That. All of that? No you’re not.”

“Kaito…”

“Don’t ‘Kaito, pause’ me. You’re both way meaner to yourselves than you need to be. It’s fine to want to improve on your shortcomings, but I don’t think you guys deserve these things you call yourselves. Irrational, asshole… it’s not true.”

Shuuichi leaned against Kaito’s arm, smiling slightly, “You’re very sweet… and very biased.”

Kokichi softly echoed Kaito’s snort. That...sounded about right. Despite doing it himself at times, Shuuichi was the type to shut himself off at the first sign of someone playing games. Even if it was eventually for the purpose of helping you. ...which was what he said was what he did to Kaito. 

...well, even if Kokichi counted himself as more than most, people in general were irrational. 

Huffing, Kokichi hugged Kaito tight again, nuzzling against his shoulder, and not really giving a damn that they were in public. “Kai-chan’s optimism is really the perfect kind of thing for pulling me out of my head, boosting our confidence. But he is biased. We’re all at least a little biased. Makes it hard to see the less than stellar traits we each have.”

“It’s not my optimism, it’s your boths pessimism. I’m definitely right, and you’re both definitely perfect in every other way.” Kaito huffed, no room for debate in his tone.

Shuuichi chuckled, “Sure… I’m going to use that and quote it back at you the next time you’re angry with me.”

“Who’s angry? I don’t get angry. I’m the picture of calm.”

“Uh huh.” Shuuichi chuckled. “... I feel like these sessions are gonna be hard. But there’s a part of me that’s looking forward to them.”

“Same… I wanna steal one of her fish.”

“You want to heist our therapists fish?”

“Just one… and yes.”

“I’m pretty sure we shouldn’t heist a fish.”

“They’re so colorful…”

“We need to set up your aquarium first. It’s not fair to leave a fish in a tiny bag or travel tank while we scramble to set things up.” Kokichi snuggled down a little more in his husband’s arms, closing his eyes as they walked. “A big tank with plenty of decorations for the fish...maybe a marimo. I always thought they were cool.”

The three of them continued home from there, talking idly about fish and aquariums and how possibly they could get into Dr. Mariah’s aquarium, though Kaito tried to shut down the conversation when Shuuichi mused about getting his snake again. 

It’d been hard, but the afternoon was a good one. 

-

A few mornings later…

Kaito shifted his body, and while he wasn’t conscious of it, there was an immediate sense of ‘wrongness’ to it. There wasn’t a dip where there should be. It was too cold, even in the increasing spring heat. There wasn’t a tickle of hair on his right shoulder… well, okay, there was, but Kokichi was literally on top of him, so his hair was on both sides as he drooled lightly against his chest, making those little, breathy huffs of his. But there should be another set of hair.

...where was Shuuichi?

Kaito opened his eyes as he had the thought, immediately looking over to the bathroom door. No... or, if he was, he was taking a piss in the dark, the bathroom light still off. Unlikely. He glanced at the window first, than the clock. Early. Waaaaay too early for his Shuuichi to even consider getting up, and he never really got up before Kaito anyway. So… where…

Frowning, Kaito gently shifted Kokich off of himself, bringing up the covers and tucking him back in, not wanting to alarm his husband when there was… probably?? Nothing wrong?? Shuuichi was probably just… just…

...Where was he?

Getting more alarmed the more awake he was, Kaito pulled on some pajama bottoms and immediately went looking. Just in case, he checked the bathroom, then the closet. Not seeing Shuuichi in any corner of the room, he opened the front door and stepped out, looking around…

...he smelled paint. Open, fresh paint. What?

It was a little delayed, but...it was only when Kaito was already at the door that Kokichi stirred, grumbling softly as he grasped at the blankets. And they really were nice blankets. With the weather warming up, they were down to two--a nice, smooth comforter on top, a grass green color with little colorful geometric shapes scattered here and there, and a thinner fuzzy blanket underneath. Kokichi could be quite content with them tucked in around him. 

But he wasn’t. Because he’d gotten used to two soft, warm bodies next to his. 

Kokichi picked his head up, hair a mess and his eyes not even really open as he made a questioning sound. He patted around the bed… Warmth near him, but...no dips, and not enough warmth for two…

Humming and grumbling, Kokichi started to wiggle out of bed, rubbing his eyes.

Kaito looked over his shoulder, hearing Kokichi begrudgingly get out of bed, looking dazed and sleepy and (adorably) annoyed. Kaito wanted to tell him to go back to bed, but… glancing down the hallway, seeing the door propped open, Kaito gestured Kokichi over. “Come here, babe. I think Shuuichi’s in the nursery. Stay behind me while I check it out.”

Kokichi tottered over to Kaito, still just sleepily squinting his eyes open. The nursery? They were still a hell of a lot of months before they’d be making trips to the nursery in the middle of the night… What was Shuuichi--

Kokichi paused, sniffing. ...paint?

...was Shuuichi painting without them? He hoped he opened the window...the fumes couldn’t be good for him…

Yawning, Kokichi nodded and took a hold of Kaito’s waistband, grumbling some sort of agreement to stay behind him. 

...cute…

Gah! Don’t get distracted by the cute! Shuuichi might need him! 

Re-determined to focus, Kaito headed down the hallway, to the relatively short distance of the next bedroom door, before, ready for trouble, he peeked in…

“...Shuuichi? Handsome?... what are you doing?”

Shuuichi, covered in paint splotches-- a window indeed propped open, the sounds of an owl in the distance hooting in the night air-- had a few rolls of fresh new paint, a soft, very light purple color, against the wall, but the roller had been abandoned at some point, and now the blue haired man was determinedly trying to brute force two parts of one of the cribs together, a bead of sweat going down his forehead. He was still wearing his pajamas, which were ruined with paint, and he only spared Kaito a glance before saying, “What’s it look like? We have to make the nursery.”

“...right.” Kaito said, leading Kokichi further into the nursery, now that it looked like there was no real danger… well, other than their partner being weird. “Do you know what time it is?”

“Of course, that’s why I let you sleep. Go back to bed.” Shuchi said idly, frowning as the piece just… wouldn’t slot into place. He was certain it went here… 

“...is there a reason you’re doing this this early?” Kaito asked, stepping further.

“Because I’m pregnant, Kaito. We have to get a space ready for a baby.”

“...Right.” Kaito said, looking at his poor, apparently newly insane partner. “Is this new information or…?”

To his credit, Kokichi did stay behind Kaito, and even fully for a good few moments before he leaned to the side, sleepily looking around the nursery. It looked...like…

Humming, Kokichi let go of Kaito’s waistband and walked farther into the nursery, plopping himself beside Shuuichi. “I like the color… Where’re the directions? If something’s not slottin’ can’t hurt to double check the...hmmm, the diagrams… Then maybe we got a bad piece or something...can check with the store in the mornin’...”

Kokichi tipped over, leaning against Shuuichi, looking about like he was halfway back to falling asleep again. “...you didn’t change your due date with Dr. Tenchi, did you? S’not...good for babies to be born early… We should still have two months… Nothing can wait ‘til mornin’?”

“...” Shuuichi looked mildly annoyed at the interruption, sighing in frustration as he let the two thin pieces of wood fall out of his hand, crossing his arms over his chest and huffing, “...Miya woke me up kicking this morning.”

“OH MY GOD!”

Kaito couldn’t help the shout, his eyes lighting up as he ran to Shuuichi, immediately putting his hands under his shirt and on his stomach as he said, “Miya! Miya, baby! Oh my god, oh my god, is she still doing it!? Can you feel her now!? Miya, dad’s here, can you hear me!? Ahhhhhhhh, I gotta get the stethoscope!”

Kaito bolted out of the room, running back to their room, as Shuuichi sighed, a tired, frustrated look on his face. “This is why I didn’t tell you guys… I need to make the nursery… I don’t have time for this…”

Kokichi’s eyes popped open, his head tilting up to look at Shuuichi, and the expression on his face was...reverent. Amazed and adoring and looking like he’d just witnessed a miracle. “...she’s moving?”

...their baby was moving. She was alive and well and growing and...strong enough to move. Kokichi felt his eyes start to burn with happy tears, though he just grinned, hugging Shuuichi for a moment. 

“...you really booked tight for the next two months? You know it’d all go faster if we worked together… Fast enough to give us time to sleep through the night, since that’s not gonna happen once she’s here.”

“Kokichi, I’m pregnant… we have a baby coming… we don’t have time to sleep! Everything needs to get done! I can’t even get this crib put together, and I don’t even know if I like this color!” Shuuichi groaned, looking over his shoulder at the color in annoyance, “What’s our theme!? What if we can’t pick a theme in two months, and our baby has no place to sleep, and the crib breaks because it’s apparently a piece of garbage and-”

“Stethoscope time! Little baby heartbeat time! Little baby kicks time!” Kaito crowed, coming back in with the stethoscope, ignoring Shuuichi’s withering glare as he sat down next to them, breathing on the metal for a second before putting his hand back under Shuuichi’s shirt. “Heeeeey, Miya… it’s dad… baaaaby, can you hear me? Are you awake in there? Dada’s tummy getting a little cramped sweetheart? It’s okay, you can kick a little if you need to make some roo-ow!”

“Don’t tell our daughter it’s okay to kick me, she’ll make it a habit.” Shuuichi grumbled, pinching Kaito’s ear.

Hmmm… Ikuo had warned him about this. Called it nesting. Apparently towards...towards the end of her pregnancy, Aiichi didn’t have to try and coax Miyako to bed from the observatory anymore. And instead had to coax her from the nursery. That she’d cried about not being able to accurately depict the right number of stars in a particular cluster because even the smallest brush was too big and the baby was going to hate it and hate them and never sleep through the night and…

He wasn’t sure if his partners had caught him tracing the faded stars on the walls. 

“I like this color...Shuu-chan picked out a nice one.” Kokichi soothed, sparing Kaito an amused glance even as Shuuichi pinched his ear. With one last hug, Kokichi pushed himself back up from the ground, stretching a little before he walked over to the abandoned paint rollers, checking to make sure they weren’t dried out. “Alright… Kai-chan, find the directions and help Shuu-chan make the crib. I’ll start back on painting. Let’s talk about themes again? This purple has gotten me kinda wanting to do some gradients…”

Kaito chuckled as he went looking around the room for wherever the directions had been tossed, while Shuuichi just glared at the uncooperating crib parts, looking tired and stressed out. “I still like the treasure room idea. Pastel colors and gold! And a big dragon, protecting the treasure room.”

“We’re not drawing monsters onto the wall, Kaito. What if she’s scared of dragons? We’re gonna give her nightmares and she’s gonna grow up to be a psychopath.” Shuuichi grumbled, twitching, “She’s gonna think everyone’s a dragon and is gonna try to slay them like that stupid story with the guy and the windmills.”

“Nah. A big dragon meant to protect our dearest, most priceless treasure… feels right to me… but, okay, fine, what are your guys ideas?”

“...maybe a nice, pastel meadow? Something calm and sweet that won’t turn our daughter into a freak?” Shuuichi whimpered, sniffing a little, while Kaito chuckled, kissing him on the top of his head before sitting down with him, looking over the directions. “Could… could put cute rabbits on there or something…”

Rolling some paint up into the brush, Kokichi got to work right where it seemed Shuuichi left off, just making a base coat of the nice lilac. “I like dragons… They’re really wise, symbolise good luck… But some of the designs can be a little intense for a baby. It’d be nice to give her something interesting, but not too complex to look at.”

“A meadow would be really cute! And it’s probably Ikuo’s influence, but I always found bunnies really comforting, growing up. Ah...do you remember that giant rabbit in that little girl’s lap that we saw at the petting zoo at the coast? Maybe I could paint some big rabbits like that… A shimmer of a rainbow in some lazy clouds… all sorts of pretty flowers intermingled in the meadow...pretty birds soaring in the sky…”

Kokichi giggled, turning to smile at Shuuichi for a moment. “You’ve kinda sold me on it, if I’m honest.”

“...Yeah? That’s not...too boring or unoriginal? Miya’s not gonna hate it?” Shuuichi asked uncertainly, as Kaito started organizing the different parts of the cribs, reading and then re-reading the directions, at one point tilting the paper on its side, like somehow that would make it more clear. “What if she hates it?”

“Honestly, I think Miya will be happy with whatever theme we pick. Her artistic tastes probably aren’t super refined as a brand new infant.” Kaito chuckled, giving his poor, insane partner a wink, “Get her one of those, like… spinny toy chandelier things? Bunch of cute little animals to go with our dope meadow theme? ...oh! Her onesies will make her look like she’s a cute little animal, frolicking through the field! Eeeeeee!” Kaito squealed, eyes shining at the mental image. “It’s perfect.”

“I… I guess that could be kinda cute.” Shuuichi admitted, looking nervously around the unfinished nursery, “What if we don’t finish in time. We have Bonus too to think of. What if we don’t get anything done in time and both of the babies end up homeless and eating leftover food in dumpsters?”

“Are we… kicking out the babies if we don’t get the paint job done?”

“They’ll run away!”

“Not boring in the slightest. It’s special, because we’re making it with Miyako in mind, and every piece is with that love for her in our hearts. She’ll love it.” And...yeah, newborns couldn’t really recognize objects that well, and when it came to entertainment, all the books said that texture and color were most important to a baby. Something soft, bright, happy, and fun. 

And considering Kokichi had almost doubled-over from how velvety soft the swatch Ikuo had let him touch that he was making the baby blankets out of...yeah. She was going to be comfortable. 

“Oooo, a mobile! There are probably matching rattles we could get her, for when she’d ready for those!”

Kokichi could only laugh again at their excitement. And...it wasn’t very fair, but a little at Shuuichi’s anxieties too. “I think we’d have more things to worry about if Miya and Bonus were capable of running at a few weeks of age… But we’ll finish in time. We’ve already made a lot of progress, and there’s still a lot of time left. Sometimes...when I think about her, I get so impatient that I wish there was less time...but it’s gonna be a loooooong stretch, these last two months…”

“If they’re capable of running right out of the womb, I am signing them up for every sport. All of them.” Kaito vowed, eyes wide. Already entirely lost in that fantasy. “They’re gonna be legends.”

“You’re out of your mind if you think I’m letting you turn our daughter in a jock. She’s getting into sports through my cold, dead hands.”

“Come oooon, you’d love it.” Kaito snickered, “Tennis! They’ll be infant tennis partners! They’ll set records!”

“Nooo… if we’re setting them up for sports as newborns, we should take advantage of their heights… dodgeball? They’d be such small targets.”

“What! No! They have soft little skulls! We can’t throw balls at them!”

“Then we shouldn’t sign them up for sports, even if they can run!” 

“We’ll sign them up for swim tracks! Infants should learn how to swim anyway, and they won’t hurt their little heads!”

“What if they hit the walls turning the lane!?”

“We’ll put foam barriers on the sides!”

Kokichi shook his head a little, straining up to try and get near the ceiling...and not even getting close. Sighing, he looked around for a moment, finding the stepstool they’d used for painting the first time and bringing it over. His partners’ silly bickering became a soothing background noise to him, and Kokichi started to hum softly as he painted.

“If I was a flower growing wild and free, all I’d want is you to be my sweet honeybee~”

It wasn’t a lullaby, or even a song to sing to a kid, but...at least for parts of it, and the happy, bouncing melody, Kokichi felt a certain wavelength achieved when he thought of his daughter. His loved, healthy daughter who was strong enough to kick and keep her father up at night, who would be arriving in a world to people who’d love her more than anything. 

“And if I was a tree growing tall and green, all I’d want is you to shade me and be my leaves…”

-

Dr. Mariah frowned, glancing at the clock… really? Were they late for their second ever appointment? Well, that was unprofessional… not that this was necessarily a professional matter, but it seemed unlike the kind of people Dr. Mariah had observed… wait.

Frowning, already annoyed, she headed out the office, going down the hall… and sighed in frustration as she saw, once again, the receptionist desk entirely empty, the three men waiting awkwardly in the lobby, apparently unsure how to proceed. “I’m this close to firing you.” Dr. Mariah said threateningly towards the receptionist desk, before calling to the three men, “I apologize for the wait! If you have no pressing engagements, we will go over for the time lost, or I will refund you the minutes. Please follow me.”

“Totally fine, totally fine! We haven't been here long!” Kaito assured her, helping Shuuichi up from the chair, the three following behind.

While they had gotten to work on the nursery with a more concentrated effort in the past week, Kokichi and Kaito had managed to convince Shuuichi that the daylight hours were enough. Still, that night of painting and putting the cribs together had...well, it had thrown off Kokichi’s sleeping schedule a little. He’d been dead tired the day after, and since then, even with taking a few naps when he had the time, he never...quite felt like he was back to normal. 

Though, Kokichi had been feeling tired for a little over a month now, so...maybe this was his normal for the time being. 

He hadn’t really observed any difference last time, but as Shuuichi went to sit back on the loveseat, Kokichi gave his shoulder an affectionate squeeze--along with giving Kaito’s hand one as well--before settling himself back on the far side of the couch, his smile quirking up a little at the fish in the aquarium before giving Dr. Mariah a nod of greeting. “Good afternoon! Thank you for your flexibility, Doctor, if we end up going over.”

As they all got settled, Kokichi looked over at his guys before turning back. “...so, should we go over our assignments first, or...start with something else?”

Settling into her leather chair again-- still dressed entirely too extra, but in a different victorian dress this time, and her hair pulled up into a loose braid-- she pulled out a small journal from a pocket of her dress, looking it over quickly, her eyes scanning the journal… before closing it, putting it back in her dress as she explained, “Like I mentioned in the last session, each session goes on like a continuous conversation. We always start back up where we left off previously, and work our way from there. I do it like this because, by and large, it’s always the most entertaining way to go about it… and also it wastes less time trying to reinvent the wheel every session.”

Kaito blinked, “...entertainment?”

“Love what you do and you never work a day in your life.” Dr. Mariah said simply, before observing the three. “You’ve all had some time, and I believe, have all had sessions with your private therapists since the last session. Who here feels confident in the answer to their homework assignment?”

Kaito looked notably uncertain… before raising his hand. 

Dr. Mariah raised an eyebrow at the hand-- that was adorable-- before saying, “This isn’t a classroom, Kaito. But, yes?”

“What was my question again?’

“You… don’t know? Did you not talk to Miss Crystal about what we discussed after all?”

“No, I did. I mean, I tried. But I didn’t really know what I was trying to figure out. Like, I’m not sure what answer I was looking for.”

“You… were meant to discuss if you felt like your upbringing as a royal prince of Luminary has affected your communication issues with Kokichi and Shuuichi. As for what answer you were looking for… explain what you mean by that?”

“Like… I’m not sure what conclusion I was supposed to come to. Yes? Is the answer yes?”

Dr. Mariah blinked at him, before saying, “I didn’t give you all these questions with definitive answers in mind… you know what, we’ll come back to you. Kokichi, Shuuichi? Either of you ready to answer your homework questions?”

Kokichi huffed a soft laugh. She did say she was nosy. But if you were able to help people out in a way you found fun? The saying really did hold true that way. 

Even if Kokichi couldn’t see what was...very fun right now.

From how Kaito talked about his sessions, and how they talked about therapy in general, it really highlighted it, but...Kaito had had this sort of difficulty in other realms too. Trying to find the “correct” answer, or the one someone else was looking to hear, when he was asked a personal, subjective question. For this specific one, it was probably just something they’d have to work at slowly from other angles…

Turning back to Dr. Mariah, Kokichi nodded slowly. “My therapist and I were working on it for a few sessions, actually… And while some of the reasoning might still be beyond my current understanding...the conclusion we came to was that I’m more likely to keep my head if I believe that there’s someone I have to protect.”

Furrowing his brow as he talked it through, Kokichi...still wasn’t totally sure, but it was enough of a pattern that he chose to bring it up. “At the coast...I believed I had to save my life and Aba’s, and my therapist said that how I acted afterward sounded more like shock than actually being calm… When I talk with friends about awful things, like, they’re confiding in me...I don’t want to hurt them more by becoming another problem for them. But…”

Scratching his cheek a bit, Kokichi looked off to the side. Conflicted with what he’s talked about with his therapist. “...the other side of that was...that when it’s just me and Kai-chan or Shuu-chan or Maki-chan...I feel safe enough, and...I guess I think they’ll be okay, even if it’s really scary for them and I know that… So I let myself freak out. That’s...about how I understand it, right now.”

“Hmmmm…” Dr. Mariah leaned back, nodding her head. “For you as a person, this is excellent news. It’s good to know that, under the right circumstances, you can actually save yourself, should you be at risk with your medical condition and facing, as Shuuichi called it, a ‘shock’. You have the ability, now you just need to refine those skills, make those flash-coping skills more ready to utilize upon command… but. That’s good news for your personal therapist. As your relationship counselor…”

She looked between Kaito and Shuuichi, Shuuichi looked a little disheartened at the idea, while Kaito looked conflicted, brow furrowed and a mildly confused look on his face, “Well, I can make observations, but for now lets open up the floor. Shuuichi, Kaito. What have we just learned and how can we use it?”

“...” Shuuichi opened his mouth, closed it… opened it again, “I mean, it’s nice to know you feel that comfortable with us… and while in any other circumstance, I would say it’s okay if you want to be a little more emotional, because you know we can handle it, but… considering these emotional episodes can sometimes spark your suicidal tendencies-”

“Do I need to make you feel less safe to keep you alive?” Kaito asked, looking genuinely flummoxed, pressing his knuckles into his jaw and brow furrowed, looking extremely conflicted by this idea, “I mean… I don’t want to do that but… if that’s what would help?”

“I’m going to step in and say that the two of you are maybe looking at this problem, as presented by your husband, with…” Dr. Mariah considered her words, “Too much of an idea of personal responsibility for it. And probably too much literal pragmatism. Kokichi saying he feels safe enough to allow himself to emotionally fall apart doesn’t make it your responsibility to make him feel less safe to keep him emotionally stable. Beyond finding ways to support him when he needs it, there’s very little either of you two can do about this at all, not without making your relationship even more ridiculously difficult then it already is.” 

Seeing the disbelief on both of their faces, Dr. Mariah sighed, continuing on, “To put it simply? While it’s good to be aware of this problem… for the type of problem it is? It’s really up to Kokichi, how effectively it can be handled. It’s not something either of you can fix or control. You have no power in this situation, other than to support the efforts he is already making and is willing to make… that’s it. Neither of you can fix this. Only he can.”

Shuuichi looked grim, and Kaito seemed like he wanted to argue… but Dr. Mariah was pleased when neither of them actually offered an argument against it. Clearly not liking this dose of reality, but not so delusional as to outright reject it. Good. 

Looking to Kokichi, she continued, “That said. Knowing all this about yourself? If there's any support methods you’d like to communicate to your partners now? Any tools or procedures you can offer them as ways to support your coping methods for this? It’s fine if you can’t think of anything at this exact moment, or you’re not even sure how to cope yet. But keeping them informed and a part of the process will not only help you in the long run, but also leave them feeling less hopeless or powerless to assist you. Which can mean a great deal to the people who love you.”

Recognizing any pattern of behavior was a good thing. But with this one...admittedly, Kokichi had at first come to the same uncomfortable solution as his partners. Being able to trust and feel safe around his partners was really good! It was one of the first emotional connections that had gotten Kokichi’s head out of his ass! But...if it hurt him…?

His therapist had pointed out, though, that never feeling comfortable around people wasn’t an option. For many, many reasons, but one in particular was...that it didn’t even work. It just made Kokichi’s negative feelings pile and pile, building pressure until, well, pretty much all of his suicide attempts as a teenager were prime indicators of it. They’d theorized that maybe having smaller outbursts over time would gradually make Kokichi’s fits more and more subdued, since he wasn’t bottling things up anymore. 

But there was still a lot he had to work on knowingly, and he couldn’t just coast on that hope. 

And...it really was mainly his own work. Kokichi was surprised when Kaito and Shuuichi didn’t protest that there was much they could do--personal responsibility was...kind of their game. ...it kind of made him feel better, knowing that...well, if they stuck to her advice, Kaito and Shuuichi weren’t going to try and fix him. 

“Um…” Kokichi thought back to what his own therapist had said. “...I like being able to be vulnerable around you guys. And...I also think that not bottling up all my minor freak outs until they explode in a big one will help out a lot. That’s not to say that I’m gonna minorly freak out on you a ton, but...sometimes I’ll be sad, or insecure, or pissed and...I wanna be able to talk to you guys about it.”

“As for actual methods…” Well, they were pretty good at making sure he wasn’t going to off himself, so that was a big one that didn’t need any changes. “Um…” 

Kokichi looked a bit lost, not even really sure how he was going to try to cope with his feelings yet, since...it was kind of hard to tell if what he was doing would be any help, since it would only be tested when he got genuinely stressed. “...I’m...not really sure yet… But as soon as I think of something, I’ll tell you guys. And if you have an idea--not to encourage you to brainstorm! But if something occurs to you, I’d like to hear it, and we can talk about if it seems like something that’d work.”

“Of course you can complain to us! Why wouldn’t you be able to complain to us? I’m all about complaining!” Kaito insisted, while Shuuichi snorted a bit at that.

“You’re kind of not. You like to fix things. I’m more the ‘lamenting’ type.” Shuuichi pointed out, smirking a bit. “He can go to me for whining. He should go to you when he’s angry. You’re great to be angry with. You always just get hyped up with me when I’m pissed about someone… or, well, you used to anyway.”

“What do you mean, used too? I can still get hyped up and angry! I get hyped up and angry all the time!”

“Yeah, but you’re more self-conscious about it now… I miss Maki. Now there was someone you could lament with. You could just lay on the floor talking about all your problems, and by the end of it she’d say they’re an idiot and offer to kill them for you. It was very satisfying. You and me should stare more at ceilings together, Kokichi, they’re great for lamenting.”

“...I mean, Kokichi, I know sometimes it’s difficult to be honest with us-”

“Mind reading and we comments.” Dr. Miriah reminded him.

“... and maybe it’s because I’m so ‘fix it’ and ‘reactive’ that maybe it might feel like you can’t just complain to me… and I can try to be better about that, if that is the case.” Kaito sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, before saying, “...honestly? And this might seem like a random suggestion, but… seriously, ‘Kichi, don’t forget you got some kickass friends right now. Amber and Stacy would absolutely dedicate a whole evening to ust whining about things with you and letting out emotions. They’re those kind of friends, they’re, ya know… those kinds of relationships… especially considering you’re not dating them? Those kind of relationships are invaluable, ya know? Them and that Temp guy you talk about all the time? Your siblings… there’s lots of people you can open up to, ya know? If you don’t feel comfortable talking to me or Shuuichi, you’ve got a whole support network, babe. I mean, fuck knows Waku’s pulled me out of emotional pits since I’ve been here… having friends like that is incredibly helpful.”

“We do lament…” Kokichi softly interjected, giving Shuuichi a small grin. “And I do get it...I’m a “fix”er type too.”

But...they both did have points. Kokichi had cried at Maki’s side before and...maybe that was a freak out? But it wasn’t a bad one. And...he had a lot of people he could go to with his issues too. Amber and Stacy and Temp and Lake and Nazumi and Denji...Hajime too. And…

Kokichi blinked before he laughed softly. “Perfect insight right away! You’re right… I’ve gotten really comfortable opening up to you guys, but I have a lot of other people I can depend on too. While...it’s a weird way to look at relationships, not every person is suited to every task. While I trust you guys a whole lot...I don’t want to put the full weight of all my baggage on ya all the time. I can entrust pieces to other people too…”

“Of course. Though, personally, I’m always happy to hear about it first.” Shuuichi said gently, giving Kokichi a soft look. 

“Well, yeah, course. Just, ya know… it’s good he remember he doesn’t just have us.” Kaito grinned.

“Hmmmm, indeed. Now, I feel like we got pretty well into Kokichi’s question. We’re still going to come back to Kaito’s, but, Shuuichi-”

“Yes, I’m…” Shuuichi glanced at Kaito, who already looked frustrated, “... sometimes mean and difficult.”

“An asshole.” Dr. Mariah smirked.

“I’d prefer you didn’t word it that way, but yes.” Shuuichi said, glancing at Kaito again, who seemed to relax a little. Kaito didn’t like Dr. Mariah calling Shuuichi names… but it did make him feel better to hear Shuuichi defend himself. Less like he had to come to the rescue. 

In turn, Dr. Mariah just nodded. “Noted. Now, what makes you think you’re mean and difficult?”

Shuuichi narrowed his eyes, “...do you want me to insult myself?”

“Shuuichi, I know I can only prove this with time. But I really am on your side. Have some faith that I’m not just trying to get a rise out of you. ” Dr. Mariah said gently, smiling lightly.

“...” Shuuichi’s eyes went downcast, as he adjusted his cap. Trying to keep his voice stoic as he rattled out, “I’m manipulative. I’m grumpy. I’m self-centered. I’m suspicious and sometimes I’m vicious. I’m… I can be… I can be an asshole…”

“Right. I thought you were. Mostly because you kept telling me so.” Dr. Mariah laughed lightly, before looking to the other men. “So. I know none of this is news to either of you. So, let’s share… why are you dating him?”

Kokichi gave Shuuichi a soft look as he explained himself and...he wasn’t entirely sure what Dr. Mariah was getting at with her question. It wasn’t just to bolster Shuuichi’s self-confidence because they were happy to do that without Shuuichi pointing out more negative traits about himself. So...hm. 

“People are more than just a collection of traits, and there isn’t a single person out there that’s entirely virtuous. Really...if there was, I think that in itself would be an annoying trait, since no one would be able to stand being around them.” 

Kokichi looked over, giving Shuuichi something of a mirthful smile before he continued. “I love Shuu-chan because he’s clever and determined and courageous… He’s got a great sense of humor, and, yeah, it can be mean sometimes, but he knows where the line is, and if he ends up crossing it, then he always makes amends. He’s fun and thoughtful...I love how we can end up talking for hours together… When I put my love and trust and faith in Shuu-chan, I know it’s in a good place.”

“Shuu-chan is a person I really admire, and sometimes he can be kinda asshole-y, but,” Kokichi laughed, “So can I. I love him, flaws and all.”

Shuuichi at first just smiled… and then blushed, getting more and more flustered as Kokichi kept talking, a pleased, almost bashful look in his gaze as he gave his smaller boyfriend an appreciative look. “Thanks… I love you too, Kokichi.”

“Very nice. Kaito? Your turn.”

“Easy! Shuuichi’s my best friend! Well, one of two… or, three now.” Kaito grinned, looking over to Kokichi with a wink, before refocusing, “But, yeah! He’s seriously one of the coolest people I’ve ever met! He’s smart, and can be super intimidating when he feels like it, which is hot as fuck! Oh, and he’s hot! Have you seen him!? Look at him!” Kaito said, gesturing to Shuuichi with a ‘are you kidding me??’ energy, while Shuuichi just covered his face and groaned slightly, “And he can do all this cool shit, and the way his mind works! He’s fascinating to listen to if you can get him to admit he’s got an opinion on anything! And he’s fun! He’s so much fun! He gets these little fixations and schemes in his head… it’s fucking amazing, every time he gets these ideas in his head and he gets so into it and-”

Dr. Mariah laughed lightly. “Okay, okay, yes. You have lots of reasons you like Shuuichi-”

“Love Shuuichi.” Kaito corrected with a frown.

“Yes, sorry. You said you’ve known each other through childhood, yes? And now you’re dating him.” Dr. Mariah said, tilting her head slightly, “And so you have a lot of nice things to say about him.”

“Well, yeah, of course.”

“Mmhm...but you got very upset when I insulted him.”

“Yeah. Of course.”

“I notice you didn’t say anything while he expressed those same feelings about himself.”

“...”

“Do you agree with Shuuichi about his negative traits?”

“...I…” Kaito glanced at Shuuichi, who gave him a calm, even look in return. “...not all of it, really… I mean, sure, some of it, but there mostly things I like about him anyway.”

“So, his negatives are positives?”

“Yes! Yes. Absolutely.” Kaito grinned, looking more relaxed, “That’s what I’m trying to say, yes.”

“Right… that’s a problem.” Dr. Mariah sighed. “We’ll work on that.”

“What? How is that a problem? I do like a lot of those ‘negative’ traits,” Kaito insisted, stressing the word. “I’m dating him, what’s wrong with liking all parts of him?”

“Because refusing to accept the flaws in your boyfriend as flaws is what’s gotten you two to the point where he’s bringing up the fact that he makes you feel stupid and insecure, and you won’t.” Dr. Mariah said dryly. “And that’s a problem.”

Kaito looked like he wanted to argue, and Shuich’s eyes widened in surprise… before his shoulders lowered. Looking a little shamefaced.

“Now…” Dr. Mariah sighed, “What to do next… I want to look into your question, Kaito, but honestly I’m not sure you’re really… capable, yet, of thinking about this in any real way…” 

Kaito’s tensed up, gritting his teeth. “...the fuck is that supposed to mean…?”

Kokichi could only laugh softly through Kaito’s enthusiasm as he talked about the things he loved about Shuuichi. It was probably one of Kaito’s favorite subjects, honestly, along with Atua, though Kaito showed enthusiasm for a lot of things.

...but…

Kokichi looked between Kaito and Dr. Mariah nervously. Kaito...really could never take his Kaito Goggles off, or at least that’s how it seemed to Kokichi. Kaito was unashamedly hypocritical when it came to people he liked, and while it had frustrated Kokichi in the past, and might trigger that sort of kneejerk reaction sometimes...he’d grown to accept it. But...maybe it really was something he had to take a look at…

“I...don’t mean to speak for you, and please correct me if I’m off base…” Kokichi started, giving Dr. Mariah a nod, “But...like what I was talking about earlier? How I just don’t have the personal understanding of myself yet to see if there are any more reasons for the way I act, or thinking of ways to cope… It just...takes time and introspection, sometimes, before you’re able to talk about certain things.”

“Exactly. You all have topics that you’re blind to right now. Admittedly, for Shuuichi, I don’t know what that is yet, which is why I had to use your question to point out an issue for Kaito. And, don’t worry, we’ll tear down that wall you’ve put up at some point and work on your issues.” Dr. Mariah smiled at Shuuichi, who gave her a cool look in return, before looking to Kaito, who was still glaring at her. “And for you, Kaito, some of your issues are more immediately apparent, but you’re not quite ready to see them. It’ll take exploration and introspection...”

“...Why? How did you think I meant it?” Dr. Miriah asked, looking at him with a blank, quizzical look.

Kaito twiched, flexing his arms and back muscles… before he forced himself to relax, taking a steadying breath as he said, “Sorry… there’s this… weird rumor around me… I didn’t know if you were referencing that. It’s a bunch of bullshit… it just pisses me off when it comes up.”

“What’s the rumor?”

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t really want to get into it.” Kaito grumbled. “Can we talk about something else?”

“Noted.” Dr. Mariah, “We’ll touch on this later when emotions aren’t so high. But remember, this is the group that you talk about stressful things in. These two here?” She said, pointing to Kokichi and Shuuichi, “They’re your biggest cheerleaders. If you can’t be honest about these feelings with them? Then that officially makes it a relationship problem.”

Kaito looked a little less pissed… but he nodded. “Yeah…”

...yeah… Even what Kokichi was thinking wasn’t to do with conditioning--at least directly--but if Dr. Mariah had heard about it--even if Kokichi was half-certain it was just a Luminary rumor at the moment--then...how she phrased that would be a pretty cruel slap in the face. Kaito denied being conditioned so if you were going to talk about the bullshit that happened when he was a kid at all there needed to be some talking around it, but...the least she could do would be to ask about it first. 

Kokichi gave Kaito a concerned, but supporting smile, breaking his self-imposed experiment for a moment to lean over and reach across the couch, giving Kaito’s hand a pat before he straightened back up. 

After a moment, he spoke up again. “I guess...rumors might be a thing to talk about? Maybe? Since we are public figures, so it’s more than just immediate community and friends of friends ‘n stuff… Is that...something?” He looked to his partners, mind trying to work out things that they could talk about that weren’t specifically Kaito-centric issues.

Kaito relaxed a little, giving Kokichi a thankful look, before sighing, feeling a little embarrassed. Was he going to get angry every single session? Maybe… he got mad and embarrassed a lot in his sessions with Miss Crystal too. He couldn’t really seem to escape those feelings, when he was ‘reflecting’. 

“Talking about rumors would be an excellent thing to be on the same page about, between the three of you. Again, you three are on the same team, and it’s better to have more information about each other than less. If it’s tough to talk about? Even better to discuss it here, rather than to sit on it for years until circumstances forces you all into a position where you have to talk about it.” Dr. Mariah said, tapping her chin idly, before adding in, “Plus, while I havn’t been jumping down your throats to have these things explained to me, discussing what is and isn’t true in your lifes will give me more insight to your experiences that I just plain don’t have yet. I don’t want to interrupt you every time you’re sharing, but remember, experiences like ‘The Beach’, and certain people you reference in your life? Even if I don’t ask for clarity, that doesn’t necessarily mean I know what you’re talking about. Eventually I’ll want to ask for clarity.”

“Now, if this was a group project, discussing the rumors around you, as Kokichi has offered… would you feel more comfortable talking about your own rumors, Kaito? Not being alone in doing so?” She asked, looking over to the red head.

Kaito… still looked uncertain. An uncomfortable look on his face. Honestly, he’d really rather not… but, maybe that wasn’t fair on his partners, to have this big, stupid thing that he just… refused to talk about, or entertain. Had he ever talked to Kokichi about the conditioning rumors, even? He knew Kokichi knew about them, because he could remember Marigold bringing it up… but had the two of them ever actually discussed it?

Not to mention Kokichi had his own set of hurtful rumors that Kaito still heard from random people going out, and all the rumors surrounding Shuuichi back in Luminary that Kokichi’s maybe not heard anything about at all…

Hesitantly, Kaito nodded. Glancing at his partners, he said, “If you guys want to talk about it? I can, yeah…”

Shuuichi sighed… before, adjusting his cap, he said, “Considering I don’t really have any rumors in Dicea? Not that I know of, anyway, then maybe I should go first, if we’re going to do that. After all, none of the rumors I have in Luminary can touch me now. So… it doesn’t really matter anymore. I feel distant from it, I mean. It won’t hurt me to share them.”

Dr. Mariah smiled slightly, looking at Shuuichi with interest, but not commenting. The dark feelings radiating off him suggested that the rumors did, in fact, bother him more than he was suggesting… but she had a feeling he wasn’t being dishonest. Just that he wasn’t really conscious of his own discomfort. She didn’t want to scare him off it by making him think about his feelings on it too much before he explained.

Shuuichi sighed… his eyes watching the colorful fish of the aquarium as he said, “Look, for the most part? None of it was true, and most of the rumors were fabricated on purpose. It was the same as Maki… if your reputation is intense enough? The royal family sometimes doesn’t actually have to utilize your skills to make use of you. Sometimes it was enough to just… say I was going somewhere. And it would scare people enough to get them to start acting how they were supposed to, or to talk before I had ever had a chance to do anything. It was just enough to know myself or my mentor was coming, to make them feel like all their secrets were already exposed. That they had already lost.”

“...I got a stupid nickname.” Shuuichi said, rolling his eyes, “‘The Boogeyman’. Apparently some people I had questioned disappeared without a trace not long after I had questioned them, and rumor spread that I was the one that had organized their disappearance. I was fourteen. I had no idea what happened to those people, and nothing to do with it… but people thinking I did gave me a reputation, and made people afraid of me, so me, my mentor, and the royal family leaned into it. After a few years, there was this widespread idea that if I was being sent to question you? Then you were basically already slotted to be ‘disappeared’, and that everything you said to me was you already arguing for your life… like if I wasn’t suitably impressed by them, or happy with them, then poof. They’d be gone. It didn’t seem to matter that most people after talking with me were just fine, the rumors never went away. If Shuuichi Saihara wanted to question you, then you were already slotted to die.”

“...Sometimes people would be held for questioning, and all I was supposed to do was just walk in the room and sit with them. Not even question them. Just sit and stare at them. It didn’t matter what they said. I’d just sit and listen, while my mentor was listening on the other side of the glass with guards. It had a weird effect on people… a lot of them started really cocky, or smart, but then they’d just… keep filling the silence. They’d keep talking. They’d freak themselves out, and all I had to do was sit there and watch as they just… tied their own nooses… they’d just talk themselves closer and closer to an execution… sometimes I just wanted to tell them to stop talking…”

Shuuichi had a sort of distant look on his face, clearly lost in a memory… before he blinked, and seemed to return to the present, sighing as he re-adjusted his hat, “So, yeah. In Luminary, people get a little nervous to talk to me. The assumption was that if I was talking to you at all, it was with the intention of getting some secret or another off you. Honestly, that was partly why my friendship with Kaito was such a relief. If I approached someone on my own, then I was ‘up to something’... but if I was introduced by the resident ‘party prince’?” Shuuichi smiled slightly at Kaito, who gave him a fond look back, “Then it was probably just Kaito wanting to show off his friend. Much easier to trust.”

Oh...right. His kidnapping had...kinda gotten to be national news, but even then, there were still so many details that even someone who read all of the case reports wouldn’t know. There were things that were important to him that other people didn’t really need to know about, like how it felt to see the ocean for the first time, or how he laughed at Maki’s face when she tried sea slug. But...there were other things that might be worth talking about…

...it felt too much like derailing now, but...he could tell the story if Dr. Mariah asked. 

Shuuichi’s rumors...he was mostly right. The talk around him was mostly excitement about Miya, though there were a few that said he’d been Kaito’s boyfriend before the wedding and they had pressured Kokichi into a polyromantic relationship… Among all the rumors going around, though, that didn’t seem to be one that was bothering them any, so it could just be put to the side. 

However, Shuuichi’s reputation in Luminary? Kokichi had...known that it was a daunting thing, and his family had referenced it from time to time, but Kokichi had never actually known and…

Kokichi couldn’t hide the saddened look on his face. But it wasn’t directed at Shuuichi. It...just...sounded lonely. Even though Kaito had helped on that front. 

...but, as a child, being...feared to that degree? That sort of expectation… And the affairs of Luminous investigation would always make him at least a little sad, he thought… But he also knew it was something that probably kept Shuuichi safe. That had helped him in Luminary. So...he could remain complex in his feelings. 

“I never knew… That sounds like a lot of pressure.” Kokichi sighed a bit, but managed to bolster himself to give Shuuichi a soft, fond, supportive look. 

Shuuichi smiled, genuinely looking fine as he gave Kokichi a slightly nod back, “Like I said, it’s not something that can affect me anymore. I don’t have anything close to that reputation here. No one even knew about me before a few months ago, and even now, I’m just the surrogate. It… it’s still hard to remember not to get…” Shuuichi frowned, “...stiff, when people just randomly approach me. No one did that in Luminary. It wasn’t a thing, not for me. Not for Maki either… I think I’ve said this to you before, Kokichi, but we honestly aren’t great sample examples of greater Luminary culture. All three of our circumstances back in Luminary were pretty unique, even for Luminaries standards. You just don’t… approach the royal Assassin or Detective without some greater purpose. It was considered an incredibly stupid move. So it can still get a little alarming, just on instinct, when people just… come up to you.”

Kaito grinned, “But you’re handling it better and better every day, handsome! I’m super fucking proud of you! You even went out with friends the other day! He went to the art exhibit downtown! With two friends he made all on his own!” Kaito bragged to Dr. Mariah, who just raised an eyebrow at his enthusiasm but nodded. 

Shuuichi looked a little embarrassed, but nodded, “...yeah. It’s getting easier over time.”

He wouldn’t tell them that he had done a background check on one friend and was still half-convinced the other one was a demon. He wanted to be open with his partners, but not crazy. 

“That was very brave of you to share, Shuuichi, especially considering Kokichi didn’t seem to know anything about it. Good job, now you’re all slightly more on the same page.” Dr. Mariah said, a surprising amount of gentleness in the praise, before looking to Kokichi. “Now, my good, heir-apparent, Prince Ouma… I don’t think it’d surprise you that I’ve heard a number of rumors about you… I honestly wouldn’t even begin to guess where you would start. Tell me, is the royal family still sending imposters of you to festivals and events to cover up the fact that you’ve been secretly dead for years? Or has your apparent ‘aliveness’ stopped that practice recently? Also, you walk remarkably well, for someone with no legs, or in a coma, or whatever nasty little rumor was circulating at the time to explain your long absences…”

Kaito frowned,  giving Kokichi a worried look, before saying sternly, “Hey… could you not say that so flippantly. That’s not funny, those rumors were hurtful.”

Dr. Mariah said, “Mind reading. Kokichi? How do you feel about it? The floor is yours.”

Kokichi gave Shuuichi a proud smile too when Kaito mentioned Shuuichi’s excursion with Drake and Nadya. Honestly, the exhibition sounded super fascinating, but by the time Kokichi had had time off during open hours, it had already stopped. But the more important thing was that Shuuichi had had a good day with his friends, and the two of them seemed to hit it off too. 

Maybe to Kaito’s embarrassment...Kokichi snorted hard at the rumors Dr. Mariah mentioned, a lazy grin on his face, though he did give his husband an appreciative look when he spoke up for him. “Rumors like those were kind of the lightest, when they did bother me. These days, even the worse ones I don’t mind much...but before, stuff about how I was hysterical and useless...an heir in name only, while Aiichi was raising the real heir in secret for some...unspecified nefarious reason…”

Kokichi pressed his lips together. “...those ones hurt. In part because I really was scared that Aiichi was going to choose another heir, and also...because I never thought I could leave home as myself, so I’d never get the chance to debunk anything, or even start new rumors…”

He sighed, before his expression relaxed. “It’s better now, though. To an extent, people are always gonna create wild shit and...it all seems so ridiculous to me now that it’s hard to get upset. It’s easy enough for someone to actually find out about me if they care that much, and...I’ve been able to talk with people I’ve been writing to for years. Seeing that sort of perception, the good to all the bad, so to speak, just...reminds me there’s a balance to everything, and as a public figure, I can’t take that stuff so seriously.”

“...there are some that still bother me, though…” Kokichi looked over to his partners, not without anxiety. “The ones about our relationship, mainly…”

Dr. Mariah’s eyes darted between Shuuichi and Kaito at that last bit. Shuuichi didn’t seem surprised by his words, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. The detective didn’t like to react to anything, if he could help it. Kaito, however… was a mixture of uncomfortable and confused.

“I think not everyone in the group is familiar with those particular rumors.” She said gently, though she paused when Kaito gave her a surprisingly hard look. “Or, maybe I’m wrong?”

“...at the beach, a family of people kidnapped Kokichi because they thought I was abusing him. So… while no one has said anything to me about it in… a long time. Since then, I’m taking a guess and saying that maybe you’re talking about more rumors like that?” Kaito asked, giving Kokichi a soft look, a hint of apology in his expression. The Brockman family had been out of their god damn minds… but that rumor hadn’t come out of thin air. Kaito knew a lot of those rumors were the results of his actions… and if Kokichi had been hearing more of them and he hadn’t, he doubted that was a coincidence. His Kokichi, trying to look out for his big, oaf of a husband… “Stuff like that, babe? You don’t… you don’t have to hide stuff like that from me, ya know. I can handle it.”

“Rumors are so ridiculous.” Shuuichi sighed, rolling his eyes as he leaned back into his chair, “Kokichi being a fake heir… what dribble. The king faced literal riots to cement Kokichi’s place on the throne, but noooo, that’s not dramatic enough for some people. Gotta make up even more bullshit to entertain themselves gossiping over dinner… stupid. People are really frustrating, sometimes. I can imagine plenty of people are getting their fun spreading stupid rumors about our relatioship.”

Kokichi felt his throat close up a little. In some ways, it was a little ridiculous, that it hurt more to think about the Brockmans than it did to think about the group who had literally tried to torture him…

His gaze fell to his lap, avoiding anyone’s gaze, even if he appreciated Kaito’s soft understanding and Shuuichi’s blow off of things they all knew weren’t true. “...stuff like that, yeah. I’ve...gotten it a few times, where people will take me aside in public and ask if I’m okay...if I’m safe at home. And...the Brockmans…”

Kokichi’s voice died for a moment. “...it was ridiculous, but they believed I was being held as a political prisoner; leverage for Kai-chan to take over and make Dicea a state of Luminary… Thought that I was being gaslit into liking you...so it didn’t matter what I said...though I didn’t get much out before they gagged me.”

A steadying breath. “But...more than that? ...I get letters. People concerned, asking if I need a way out… If I’m okay posing for a fake relationship and claiming a kid that’s the both of yours so it won’t cause a scandal...like that even would…” Kokichi huffed, a little more exasperated at that one than sad. “I try to write back and explain, even if I know to a point it’s just talking to a brick wall. I don’t...want people so stuck in their prejudices that they really can’t believe I’m safe and happy in our relationship…”

Hesitating for a moment, Kokichi timidly looked up at his partners. “...I don’t know if you remember but...the day I met Kerry? I...accidentally said I had been crying in the bathroom. I...had just gotten another one of those letters. I know the letters are just a small minority but…” His face scrunched a little. “...it gets to be a lot, sometimes…”

Kaito frowned at that, seeing the wariness radiating off his husband… and, well, why he recognized Kokichi had sat separately from him for some reason (he was assuming it was something to do with not wanting to be all over each other in front of the counselor), he made an executive decision and scooted over, pulling his husband into a hug. “Ah, babe… I’m sorry…”

Dr. Mariah watched this impassively, before asking, “Why are you sorry?”

Kaito gave her an annoyed glance, running his hands up and down Kokichi’s back, before letting out a sigh, “For a lot of things. For Kokichi having been dealing with this by himself? For… fueling this situation. It’s a shitty and uncomfortable situation to be in, people trying to convince you you're some sort of victim…” Kaito tensed, before saying quietly, “And I haven't always treated Kokichi very well. I’ve done some shit that probably didn’t help the rumors at all.”

“I heard you choked him out and tried to kidnap him.”

“...” Kaito had an exhausted, grim look on his face, kissing the top of Kokichi’s head. Clearly still haunted by that memory. “Yeah… him and Shuuichi both…”

Shuuichi rolled his eyes, “He was being laced with drugs that essentially makes you crazy. I can vouch for him: there is no acting rationally at that point. Honestly, we’re lucky no one died. Not his fault.”

Dr. Mariah gave a small nod, not disagreeing, but… “Certainly. But… I can imagine that still had difficult repercussions, both personally and socially. Not very many relationships survive a violent kidnapping, drug fueled or not. Kokichi, do the letters feel connected to that incident specifically? Or just general conspiracy theories? And… Kaito, please give your husband some space. Comfort is useful in doses, but a little space from each other while analyzing your feelings will give you the emotional space to be honest with yourselves. And, frankly, each other.”

Kokichi leaned into Kaito’s touch, murmuring thanks and a soft apology himself. Ever since he’d started getting the letters he...knew he probably should’ve talked to his partners about it. Just to let them know it was something happening, and maybe even allowing them all to vent frustration. But...he never could bring himself to. When they first started going out, the looks in public were bad enough and...Kaito had been going through a lot. Kokichi didn’t want to push this on him too.

As Dr. Mariah said to sit apart--he had thought he was onto something--Kokichi gathered Kaito’s hand into his own, giving his wrist a kiss before he smiled, wanting to let Kaito know he was alright. The comfort was nice and appreciated but...they had to focus, at least somewhat. 

“Some of them, definitely. But others…” Kokichi chewed on his lip a little. “There were...uneasy feelings about our marriage before you guys even got to Dicea. Even among administration, there were people worried that Kai-chan was gonna be a puppet for Luminary to try and instate policy… I didn’t hear a lot of the public rumors at that time, but if that was something in the castle, I don’t think they would be much kinder…”

“Then...even though Kai-chan had nothing to do with it, when we were both sent to medical before the wedding and…” Kokichi’s voice dropped a little, feeling stronger about it now, but still embarrassed to talk about it, “...our wedding night.”

“And...basically every time I’ve been sick since we were married… Some people don’t care that it’s unrelated, and just wanna blame everything on you guys… It sucks…”

Shuuichi smiled, though it wasn’t a happy thing, as he said with some amusement, “Even your illnesses are our doing? Couldn’t manage to win the war even with double your military funding, but we’ve been capable of poisoning the heir-apparent in his capital for the last twenty years? ...not that King Leon wouldn’t have loved to have been able to do it…”

Kaito frowned at that, shooting Shuuichi an uneasy look, though he apparently didn’t have anything to actually say to the accusation. Though, he did manage to admit, “Luminaries have been just as quick to judge. I’ve… oh.” Kaito realized, giving Kokichi and Shuuichi both startled looks, “I just realized I never told you both this. I wasn’t trying to keep it a secret, it just never came up. On my birthday, I actually got a ton of letters from people I knew back at home… Shuuichi, I should show you some of them, our friends asked me to pass on small messages to you and I just completely forgot about it. I don’t remember what was happening at the same time, I just remember wanting to open them in secret because I was nervous about something…”

“Was this around the time you got all those letters from your ex’s?” Shuuichi guessed, tone dry and unamused.

“Right! That was it! I was afraid it was more letters like that, and was so relieved when it wasn’t that it just never occurred to me to talk about them after… anyway, sorry. The letters were nice, but… yeah, there’s some pretty hefty rumors going around certain circles in Luminary that you’re like… messing with me or something.” Kaito said vaguely, looking distinctly uncomfortable, “I sent them all letters back saying it wasn’t true, and these are people who know me, so I’m sure they believe me. But, ya know… it’s not just a Dicea problem. I think it’s like Shuuichi said… I think people get a kick out of the rumors. More interesting to pass along a story about us, like… doing stupid shit like breaking each others arms and stuff than your husband being a dumbass and over-running a horse.”

“Your lives are very full.” Dr. Mariah noted with some amusement. “For you all to off-han reference this many truly awful events, it sort of sounds like everything happened at once, so nothing has actually taken priority to be dealt with.”

“There wasn’t an uneventful day, for a long time there.” Shuuichi muttered.

“So… there’s a lot of rumors of abuse from both sides of this relationship, at least when it comes to you two.” Dr. Mariah noted, gesturing between Kaito and Kokichi on opposite ends of the couch, “And it sounds like till just now, no ones been talking about it at all… why is that? Those are pretty upsetting rumors, and if there’s any benefit to keeping it secret from each other, I don’t see it. So… what’s held you back from discussing it openly?”

Kokichi huffed a little, nodding along with Shuuichi with some exasperation. If people looked at the situation with any amount of logic they’d easily see that it wasn’t the case but...some people just wanted a place to put their anger, or...just wanted to have a bit of fun. Regardless that they were talking about real people. 

…

(Kokichi’s eyes squinted for a moment, thinking back to the coast. About the hurtful things Brent had said, with his reasoning of ‘he didn’t actually think he was the prince’ as if talking about a real person like that didn’t matter at all unless you were directly talking to them. It still hurt…)

He tuned back in to hear Kaito talk about his birthday letters--and that on its own made Kokichi’s heart warm, knowing that people were still trying to keep in contact, even if just for birthday wishes--and… He sighed, looking a little tired, but not overly upset. “I guess it makes sense your brother wasn’t the only one…”

Rumors were rumors, as Kokichi was one to say, and they couldn’t be taken that seriously...but there still wasn’t a good reason to not at least...talk about it and roll your eyes or have a laugh. Cringing a little, Kokichi tugged on a bit of his hair. 

“...I didn’t want to make Kai-chan feel guilty, even if we both know the rumors aren’t true… He’s…” Kokichi sighed before looking over at Kaito with an apologetic frown. “...you were going through a lot of stuff for a long time and...I didn’t want to add to it with this… I know I should’ve told you, but...after a while, it just became habit to hide the letters and...give no indication when people pulled me aside in public.”

Dr. Mariah thought of interjecting, making some wry observation and trying to spark more discussion on the rumors themselves-- she was curious if Shuuichi had any concerns about the rumors in Dicea involving himself, since so far he had no comments at all on it-- but there was just this… strained look on Kaito’s face, and a sudden, very tasty bit of rush of dark feelings from him… hmmm…

Taking a cue from the Boogeyman, she sat back and let the silence linger uncomfortably for a moment, becoming more and more pregnant with something clearly being unsaid… before Kaito finally broke and said quietly to Kokichi, “I mean… we’re supposed to be honest during these things… we should probably tell her some of the rumors are a little true…” he said, voice a little strained at the last bit of the whisper. Clearly fighting with himself to say it at all.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Kokichi murmured in barely more than a whisper.

Kaito gave a small, strangled chuckle at that, before looking ashamed of himself, rubbing his hands over and through his hair as he said, grinning weakly at Kokichi, “Babe, it’s okay. Sure, maybe… maybe I wasn’t the driving force of the first time, or the first big few things, but I sure as fuck didn’t make any of it better. And… and there were plenty of really shitty things that were just… me and… sometimes I can’t understand why you aren’t more angry...I’d have been angry in your shoes. I’d have…”

Kaito stopped. He knew Kokichi didn’t like to hear Kaito say he deserved to be killed, or even really just punished, for the way he treated Kokichi. He had tried to stop saying that to not hurt Kokichi with his own self-lashings, but… that didn’t mean the feelings had gone away…

Glancing over at Shuuichi, who had emotionally withdrawn, staring fixedly at the fish in the aquarium, Kaito felt another flash of guilt at his boyfriends lack of eye contact, before saying nervously to Dr. Mariah, “I really… I’ve done a lot of things I really regret, in this relationship…I...” he glanced at Kokichi, and said, “I don’t want to make my husband uncomfortable sharing things he’d rather people not know about. But I haven't always behaved very well.”

Kokichi sighed softly, those first few months sitting heavily in his chest. He swallowed, sitting on words. Things he wanted to say to Kaito, to Shuuichi...but Dr. Mariah probably needed context. To...know the true things. 

“...it’s more well-known than I’d like that our wedding night...wasn’t...consensual…” he softly started, gaze downcast and hands curled in his lap. “But...I had been drugged and neither Kai-chan nor I knew it at the time. He brought me to the med bay and likely saved my life… That was not your fault.” Kokichi looked over firmly, his voice solid in its strength, though only for a moment. 

“After that...we still didn’t know each other well… My relationship with Kai-chan and Shuu-chan is the only one I’ve ever had… And...there were...some...power dynamics, I guess, that kinda…” Kokichi sighed. He’d forgiven Kaito for that night, but it was still a sensitive spot for all three of them. “Without the influence of drugs, Kai-chan...raped me, and then...immediately tried to grant me permission to kill him as repentance.”

He looked to the side. “...that was weighing on me more, before I had my heart attack last summer.”

Shuuichi scowled a little, clearly tensing up, though he was still watching the aquarium instead of them, and Kaito seemed to pale a little, jaw locking tightly against itself. Definitely still a sensitive subject… 

“As if you three didn’t have enough problems with things outside of your control.” Dr. Mariah sighed slightly, shaking her head with a small tsk. Ridiculous. It was shocking they hadn’t gotten group therapy before this. “... you tried to get him to kill you immediately after the event?” She asked Kaito, who was back to fussing with his hands joints and staring vaguely at the floor.

Kaito nodded, “Yeah.”

“Were you suicidal and using this as an excuse?”

Kaito frowned, looking genuinely surprised at the notion. “No. Not at all.”

“But you still offered it immediately.” Dr. Mariah noted, raising an eyebrow, “If this was something worth dying over, why wait until after the event was over to express such regret? Why not just not do it in the first place, or slit your own throat before it happened? Were you not aware you’d feel this way until after it was done?”

“No… I knew how bad it was while it was happening… the first part of it started while he was asleep. I remember being terrified he’d wake up…but I also sort of thought… it wouldn’t result in anything even if he did...”

“Is that why? Did you think you would get away with it?” Dr. Mariah asked, narrowing her eyes a little as she said, “Would you do it again if you thought you could get away with it this time?”

“No.”

“No to which part?”

“...to the second part. I wouldn’t try again if I thought he wouldn’t know about it…”

“What about the first part? Did you think you’d get away with it the first time and that’s why?”

“...” Kaito clasped his hands together, resting his elbows on his knees. “... I was scared he’d wake up, but… I thought he’d let me get away with it. I felt like I… could do anything to him and he’d let me get away with it…”

“Did he let you get away with it?”

“...yes.” Kaito murmured, “He did… I… I didn’t decide what I did was actually worth punishment until he started crying… it was only when he started crying that I realized it didn’t matter if he’d let me do it or not. It was still inexcusable. I was hurting him… but if he hadn’t started crying...”

“You would have thought it was okay.” Dr. Mariah finished for him.

Kaito’s face twisted with guilt, before hiding his eyes in his palm. Nodding quietly. 

“If he hadn’t started to cry, would you have decided it was okay to do it again someday?”

Kaito didn’t say or do anything. But his hands started to shake, and he didn’t stop hiding his face.

“Kaito. Don’t make me keep guessing what you’re thinking. You’ll compel me to break my own rules.” Dr. Mariah said sternly, “Lift up your head and explain to your husband why you felt like the next logical step was to let him kill you. Hiding it won’t make things better. You need to be able to talk about this.”

It took Kaito a second… then another… before he pulled his face out of his hands, balling them into fists before letting them cover his mouth, staring sadly at Kokichi. Something drained and almost empty in his expression. Trying to control his emotions by distancing himself from them… before he said to Kokichi, “...I wanted you to kill me because I came very, very close to deciding it was okay to abuse you. And I didn’t want you to give me the chance to do it… the fact that it took you crying… that it took that much to convince me to stop… I came so close to being someone terrible, Kokichi… I don’t want to be the kind of person who hurts you like that, but I came so close to deciding it was okay… I… I hate myself, sometimes, because of how easy it felt to be that kind of person to you…I don’t… want you to be with someone like that...”

Kokichi paled and made a distressed little sound at the prospect of Kaito slitting his own throat that night. It had been terrifying enough that he couldn’t pull his arm away or let go of the dagger in his own hand...if Kokichi had woken up to Kaito bleeding out or, fuck forbid, in the action itself…

Pretty much all the blood left his face at that point, and Kokichi’s eyes started to shimmer with tears, and that was before Kaito even had a chance to speak. 

And after he did...Kokichi felt familiar shame flood into him. What kept him from saying anything about that night until he was shivering against Maki’s arm, feeling like he was drowning from that night…

...he was better now. They both were. But Kokichi just...allowing Kaito to do whatever he wanted, never saying no...it had hurt them both so much. 

(...and it did hurt to hear that if he hadn’t started crying, Kaito would’ve thought that shoving his dick in his throat while he was asleep was fine.)

“...I-I know…” Kokichi’s voice broke as the tears spilled over, though he quickly brought his sleeves up to wipe them away. “I know you don’t want to be like that...and you aren’t. You had the p-potential to, I’m not saying what you did was okay, but you stopped, and you changed your behavior immediately. We worked out a plan to have a healthier relationship. And I know you hate yourself for even being on that teetering point, but you fell on the side that was doing everything you could to be better than that! That’s why I forgave you! That’s why the biggest thing that bothers me about that night now was that you made me put a knife to your neck!”

Don’t melt down. 

They’re people you have to protect too. 

Kokichi took a deep breath and pressed his sleeves to his eyes before looking back up, looking miserable but considerably calmer. And while he hadn’t even been shouting, his voice more strained than that… “...I’m sorry for raising my voice. Of course I’m upset, but...you always tell us to give more credit to ourselves, Kai-chan. Why can’t you give some to yourself?”

Kaito winced at that, his eyes glancing at Kokichi before drifting back down to his hands… he didn’t understand… “...I just wanted you to have the power that night… I’m so much bigger than you…”

Dr. Miriah opened her mouth to say something, but it was Shuuichi who interjected, “Kaito, forcing someone to act the way you want them too isn’t ‘giving them power’. It’s just flexing your own power in a different way. There’s no part of me that believes Kokichi willingly held a knife to your throat, so you made him do it. How is that ‘giving him power’?”

...Kaito frowned. Apparently having no good way to respond to that. Sitting and thinking about it a bit, he tried, “... I thought maybe he just didn’t know he’d like it? Like I’d just show him how to start and he’d get the hang of it-”

“How to start killing you?” Dr. Mariah asked.

“No, I mean… how to… have power over me. He wasn’t allowed to keep a knife before that. He was always controlled. I thought… maybe he just didn’t know that he could, or-”

“And with that… I think we have gone back to our original homework assignment.” Dr. Mariah realized, smirking lightly at that. She did love when things circled back naturally on their own. “Kaito. Do you think how you were raised, as a prince of Luminary, has affected how you treat Kokichi and Shuuichi?”

… Kaito frowned. Looking uncomfortable and not saying anything. Thinking about it.

“Let me rephrase it. Maybe this will be easier for you to think about.” Dr. Mariah said, tapping her chin, “Has it affected how you think they should treat you? As three people legally and emotionally tied together?”

… Kaito frowned again. Thinking… clearly still struggling.

“Okay. One more way of looking at it. Kaito, can you explain, as you understand it, why Kokichi is upset you made him hold a knife to you? Based on your perspective, not your expectations. Do you have any idea why he’s upset by that?”

“...because he doesn’t like violence? And blood. He doesn’t like blood.” Kaito said, sounding more confident in the answer, “It would have hurt him to see blood.”

“...Kokichi? Is that true? Is that why you were upset to hold a knife to him? Because you don’t like blood?” Dr. Mariah asked dryly.

Kokichi didn’t want power over Kaito. That’s what he had been agonizing over for ages, why he had refused to trigger Maki’s conditioning when she’d tried to explain it. He just wanted them to be equals...ideally, equals that were considerate towards each other because...that’s just how people were with people they liked. He’d like to say to everyone but...he’d seen too much to believe that anymore, even if it was still a lofty, hidden ideal. 

Giving his husband a slightly incredulous look...Kokichi almost didn’t want to think about how Kaito wanted him to like having power over him. How that power would’ve resulted from a death threat. ...he knew where those threads led, and he didn’t like it one bit. 

He didn’t want a knife so he could threaten people! That was the last thing Kokichi would want a weapon for! 

The look had turned almost desperate. They’d talked about this… “I don’t like violence and I don’t like blood, but, Kai-chan…” Kokichi had to take another steady breath, trying not to let his tears spill over again. “You were asking me to kill you. That’s the last thing I want! I don’t want you to hurt or be afraid or...anything like that! I was upset, because I don’t want you hurt!”

There was silence, after that. The heavy breathing of Kokichi, pulling himself together. Shuuichi looking exhausted, Kaito looking… conflicted. Telling himself all sorts of things. Making all sorts of rationalizations in his head. Well, sure, Kokichi didn’t want to kill him… didn’t want to hurt him… but certainly there was some comfort in knowing he could… making the choice to not do those things was a part of it. Sparing him was part of that power… hell, it was a beautiful sign that he loved him, being able to hurt him and choosing not to… that was a good thing…

After the silence went on a beat too long, Dr. Mariah said, “Indulge me. I have a story to tell.”

“A long time ago, I had this couple. Very nice, very sweet, and like you all, very new into their marriage, and into their relationship in general. They had only been dating a little over a year before tying the knot. And, honestly, they were very happy together. Like I said, a very sweet, nice young couple. But… the wife asked to go to relationship counseling. She was very worried about their future. Said she was seeing signs that they weren’t going to last the long haul, to her poor husbands endless confusion. He had no idea what faults she was seeing. Their marriage had been going smoothly so far, and he couldn’t understand why she was so worried.”

“It took a few sessions, but we finally got her to say why she was so nervous. Every now and again, she would do something wrong-- simple things, like forget to do the dishes, or bring in the mail, things like that-- and she would get ready for some big, knock down fight. She would prepare for an all out screaming match… and instead, her husband was always very soft spoken. Didn’t seem bothered. Never raised his voice. And it made her more and more nervous every time it happened. She eventually explained, that she was worried the fact that he wouldn’t argue with her, wouldn’t get into these screaming matches with her over chores, meant he wasn’t really ‘involved’ in the relationship. You see… she had been taught by her parents, specifically, that screaming arguments meant you loved each other… literally. That was the context. Not, you love each other because you’re willing to get through the fights to the other side. Not, you’re in love because you’re willing to be honest in your anger. Her parents, at different times of her life, just sat her down and explained to her that the reason they, and several other members of their family, all screamed and yelled at each other was because they loved each other, and that’s what you do when you love someone. And because she was raised by that environment, she just believed it was true… and just thought the yelling matches would start when they got married.”

Giving Kokichi a somewhat sympathetic look, she said, “If you weren’t raised in it, the logic can seem like actual insanity. But… sometimes it can take awhile to introduce your partner to a new form of ‘normal’. And, while I’m making a considerable amount of assumptions here…” Dr. Mariah turned her attention to Kaito now, “Kaito? It is normal for loved ones to express their ability to hurt you? Even if they don’t act on it?”

Kaito didn’t say anything… but that was because he was embarrassed. Ashamed as he realized he was meant to be the girl in the cautionary tale. With a ‘strange idea’ of normal.

Kokichi gave his husband a long, almost sympathetic look as he didn’t speak. It reminded Kokichi of all the looks Kaito had when...Kokichi started asking questions about Luminary. A kind of...uncomfortable embarrassment. 

Swallowing, Kokichi spoke softly. “...I know it must frustrate you guys, how much I struggle with the concept of marriage hierarchy. And...I really hate that I can’t think of a compromise, so we can blend our cultures and understanding together… But with a power dynamic...there’s not really a gradient zone. It’s either there, or it isn’t.”

“...I don’t want to have power over you, Kai-chan.” Kokichi’s eyes flicked to Shuuichi, giving him the same look for a moment. “I don’t want to have power over either of you...and when I say that I think...I’ve always left out that I don’t want you to have power over me either. I just...have always seen us as equals. I have my own life that I make decisions about, but...I keep you guys in my mind, and act on considerations about you, because I care about you. That’s my choice, not a deference towards you. I’m not...worried about some retribution if I’m not considerate, past you being hurt, or maybe angry, and...I never want you guys to feel like there’s a punishment waiting for you if you don’t consider me. It’s just...choices that we all make.”

Dr. Mariah hadn’t forgotten about Shuuichi in all this. She really thought the idea that Shuuichi growing up a slave wouldn’t affect his relationships was so unlikely as to be actually bizarre… but Shuuichi wasn’t opening up yet. So, until she could draw him out of his shell more, she was focusing on Kokichi and Kaito, who while both extremely neurotic, were at least being open enough to have their issues addressed.

And Kaito was… clearly struggling.

“... I’ve never really seen myself as the kind of person you guys are painting.” Kaito admitted, his tone quiet. “...and I’ll admit, I don’t like the… the idea that I’ve got some weird power dynamic hangups in relationships. But...I can kinda see what you all are talking about. I mean, now that you’re pointing it out… I mean! I mean! I thought… look, I know hierarchy doesn’t exist in Dicea. At least not for relationships. I get that. We’ve talked about that.” Kaito said, looking earnestly up at Kokichi, “I haven't forgotten…”

“...it’s hard to think you don’t want to, though. Like, I think… I think a part of me always just… is waiting for you to realize that you do want that sort of influence over me? Like! Like… like what are we going to do when we have disagreements over how to raise Miya?” Kaito asked, the concern spilling out of him like a flood, as he continued on, “I mean… I mean, I’ve known since we were married that it was ultimately up to you, any decision with consequences, ya know? Like, that’s always been the truth. If it makes any real difference, it’s going to be up to you… and, like, even though you kept telling me otherwise, I just thought once it became a problem, you’d change your mind. And I was… I was fine with that…”

Dr. Mariah raised an eyebrow, “Was?”

Kaito hesitated, before saying, “...we had a disagreement over Miya a few weeks ago. Maybe a month ago now, I’m now sure… we disagreed over what age she’d start weapon training, and Kokichi said he wanted to wait till she was a teenager or something, and… I was so… mad… I didn’t think I would be. I mean, I always told myself that when it started happening, I’d be fine with it. I trust Kokichi. But… but I wasn’t fine with it. I was mad. And… I wasn’t expecting that… I thought I’d be happy he finally took control...”

“...” Kaito suddenly laughed, running his hands through his hair and groaning, before giving Kokichi a somewhat amused, exasperated look, “Are you sure you don’t want to just be a total dictator in our relationship? Because apparently I was really counting on that. When did I become this much of a mess?”

“I think we’re all trying to figure out how an actual relationship works.” Shuuichi sighed, closing his eyes, as he rubbed his hands over his stomach lightly. “Kaito can’t just listen to Kokichi, and I can’t just… listen to Kaito… wouldn’t want to do that anyway. It’d be a lot less fun, if I couldn’t tease and annoy you.” Shuuichi said, opening his eyes back up and giving Kaito a fond look. “You’re fun when you’re flustered.”

Kaito laughed, shaking his head… before groaning again. “Uuuuugh.”

Kokichi didn’t think Kaito had forgotten, but...there was a difference between knowing, conceptually, that something was a thing, and really believing it. He knew he struggled with it plenty. And...that’s where he thought Kaito was. 

...and hearing that Kaito was just...planning on leaving every important decision to him? ...it hurt. He sure as hell hadn’t handled the discussion about Miya’s weapon combat education well, but...he hadn’t gone into it demanding that they didn’t teach her until later. It was what he would prefer, yes, but...how would they know his feelings about it if he didn’t say anything? After that, though...he’d screwed it up…

...he had thought it was a discussion, but...did he take control?

Kokichi chewed on his lip. “...did I monopolize that conversation? Honestly...when I brought it up, and when I was thinking over it before...I was kind of expecting you and Shuu-chan to insist she start training early… It’s why I didn’t want to bring it up at first cause...I didn’t want to go into a debate I knew I’d lose and stress us all out in the process… But I knew that...well, unless I actually told you guys how I felt, you wouldn’t know. So I did. I...wanted a discussion over it.”

“...I know I fucked up, though… Bein’ dumb and asking more questions that weren’t what I wanted to ask.”

“I didn’t feel like you monopolized the conversation.” Shuuichi said, mostly to reassure Kokichi, before giving Kaito an exasperated look as he said, “I did get upset with someone running off and disappearing for, like, two hours.”

“I was angry, and I didn’t want to be angry in front of you two. I just needed a minute…” Kaito muttered, now looking a little annoyed himself, “And, I wasn’t mad that you ‘made us’ delay her training or anything like that. You didn’t. Honestly, you never make us do anything-”

“-well, other than tell the guardforce we beat someone up and then kidnapped a dude.” Shuuichi mused.

“...oh yeah.” Kaito blinked, “Other than that, you never make us do anything. I just-”

“-Are we glossing over that?” Dr. Miriah murmured.

“- was pissed at like… the implications that Miya acting like me was gonna be some sort of bad thing. Like I’m gonna be some bad influence over her… and yeah, the marriage comment did kind of hurt… I don’t know, there was a lot going on emotionally that day. I just thought it was gonna be a lot simpler than it was. You want this, this, or that, and I’d say yes! Or, if I didn’t say yes, it was still me negotiating with you. I really thought it was gonna be all in your hands! I thought I was ready for that! But… I don’t know. That experience made me realize I didn’t actually feel that good about it. I don’t actually want you to control me… hell, I feel weird even wording it like that. I didn’t realize that’s what I wanted before, until it finally dawned on me that I didn’t want it afterwards… and none of that is really on you, Kokichi. You’re not making me do anything, one way or another. It’s just my brain being weird.”

“...Byakuya asked me to see Seiko about it. He’s worried there’s something wrong with me.” Kaito admitted, fussing with his joints, “I, uh… I guess I just haven't been acting as… I’ve just been acting weird enough that he was worried I was sick or something. Or that you were telling me to act weird with him.” Kaito rolled his eyes, before sighing with some exasperation, “It’s honestly kinda frustrating. He’s just being reactive again. Seiko says I’m fine.”

“What?” Kokichi blinked, shocked. He… ...the implication of Miya acting like Kaito? That… He hadn’t… Was that what he was implying? Sure...he would be happy if their daughter was more relaxed than the paranoia and distrust of people his family members had but...that didn’t have to do with weapons. It was because they’d grown up in supremely stressful positions. Sure, having combat knowledge made it easier for them to live in those positions, but...it wasn’t the training itself that sparked those kinds of perspectives. 

Weapons training...well, might lead to perspectives like escalating fights and looking at other people as if you already had a weapon in hand in everyday occurrences and...that’s why he wanted to wait. Sure, ten-year-olds weren’t the pinnacle of reason, but it was old enough to start exerting some judgement on what it would mean to use a weapon on someone. That’s what he wanted to wait for. 

Not that...he didn’t want Kaito to have an influence on Miya...what?

Realization aside, Kaito was talking about something rather big and...Kokichi’s eyes widened a bit. Yeah, the wording was different but...Kaito not placing the responsibility of decisions on others...wanting the choice to choose himself…

...and if Byakuya thought it was a medical thing…

Kokichi’s eyes were like dinner plates as he looked into middle space, mind processing all this as he fisted the fabric of his pants in tight little fists. ...was Kaito breaking his conditioning? 

After a truly awkward amount of time, Kokichi looked back up at Kaito, something questioning in his gaze. “...it’s fine if you don’t have an answer but...you have been acting differently lately. I...thought it was just some sort of revelation you had and was still processing but… Can I ask if something like that’s happened?”

Kaito sighed, while Dr. Miriah watched all of this with interest. Honestly, the more they all talked together, the better. She was looking for holes in the way they talked to each other, after all. The more they discussed, the more those lapses in communication would present themselves.

“...what do you mean?” Kaito finally asked, looking a little lost. “Revelation about what?”

Shuuichi, too, was narrowing his eyes at this, looking at Kaito curiously. “...Kaito, did Maki ever tell you she thought you might have been using Kokichi as a stand in for Byakuya?”

“Ew, what? How?” Kaito asked, nose wrinkling automatically, his mind immediately going into smut. But then his brow relaxed as he mused, “I mean… I did see a lot of similarities between them when we first met…I don’t remember ever telling Maki that though...”

“What kind of similarities?” Shuuichi asked.

“Like… um…” Kaito frowned. The similarities… not quite as obvious anymore. “...um… well, they’re both leaders… though, admittedly they lead in different ways… they’re both smart… um…” Kaito tapped at his knee, “...um… they’re both really invested in their countries…”

“They’re both heir-apparents, yes.” Dr. Miriah summarized, not sure why Shuuichi was asking but fascinated in how fascinated he was in the answer, “Any other way?”

“...I guess not… and Byakuya’s king now.” Kaito corrected.

Dr. Miriah gave a dry, somewhat pitying smirk. “Oh, I heard.”

Admittedly, Kokichi would be relieved with anyone calling him different from Byakuya, but with Kaito saying that? That meant they were different in the view of his Kaito Goggles and...that was...huge. And not just that Kaito no longer saw him as...someone who could trip his conditioning. If Byakuya had noticed a difference, then...his conditioning really might be entirely going away. 

Kokichi had to catch his breath a little, almost overwhelmed with how...thrilled and relieved and awed he was. There...really was a way to break conditioning? In fairness, Kaito hadn’t been forced through the same methods that people in the program but...the outcome was similar enough that it was still...incredible. 

...oddly enough, a thought ran through Kokichi’s head. ‘I have to tell Alter Ego about this!’ he thought. 

...who was Alter Ego?

Pushing that...concerning thought away for the moment, Kokichi tried to answer Kaito’s original question now that Shuuichi had gotten him to answer a question they couldn’t say. “Just...any revelation, I guess. I’m not a mind-reader, hun. I don’t know what’s going on in your head, but with how you’ve been acting...I dunno. I thought you might’ve figured out something about yourself. If that’s not the case, then...I’m off base then, and you don’t have to, like, scramble for an answer or anything.”

Kaito still looked a little uncertain-- if Kokichi hadn’t had anything in particular in mind, why ask?-- but he decided to let it go, honestly just kinda… “I’m exhausted.” He admitted, running his hands over his face, “How long has it been? Four… five hours?”

“Just shy of an hour and fifteen minutes.” Dr. Miriah said, glancing at a clock on her wall. “We have about fifteen minutes left.”

“Uuuuuugh.” Kaito groaned. “This is haaaaaard.”

“Emotional growth and learning new group dynamics usually is, yes.” Dr. Miriah said goodnaturedly, smiling pleasantly at all of them, “But you all are doing remarkably well. We’ve hit a lot of difficult subjects, and while I won’t expect you to resolved your issues on my couch in hour and a half long timeframes, I do feel more and more confident that we can equip you all with the tools you need to maturely handle these insanely difficult topics long term in a healthy, fulfilling way. You all are frankly doing much better by session two than I expected.”

“Why do I feel like there’s a ‘but’ at the end of that sentence.” Shuuichi sighed.

“But,” Dr. Mirirah added in good naturedly, before first pointing at Shuuichi, who stared cooly back at her, “You still haven't really opened up about anything that you really feel vulnerable about. Not to me, and at least not in my presence, them. You seem comfortable enough talking about their issues, and admitting that you have some behavioral issues that could affect your relationship with them, but that’s about it. I think it’s incredibly telling that after two full sessions, I have yet to hear anything about your very recent move, drug situation, or even your pregnancy, which are probably the three biggest things happening in your life right now, besides being in a new relationship.”

“Does there have to be anything worth talking about, there?” Shuuichi mumbled. “Maybe  just have nothing to say.”

“Unlikely to the point of laughable, I’m not even going to entertain it by pretending it’s a possibility.” Dr. Miriah said dismissively, before turning to Kokchi, pointing at him, “You are still asking for specific information by asking side questions to not want to admit that you want specific information related to it. That’s probably more of a speaking quirk than anything, but it’s not doing you any favors and I want to deal with it. Also, you all have a mind-reading habit, but yours especially I want to deal with. You do it a lot, and you base a lot of your actions on what you assume other people are thinking.”

Finally, she turned to Kaito, before saying, “You’re a mess. It’s fascinating. I feel like I could talk to you all day and you’d never run out of shocking things to say. It’s great, I love it, we have to deal with all of it. But for now, we’re going to start with your power assumptions. I have a feeling that you say and make choices based on that assumed power hierarchy more than you recognize… so!”

Leaning back, she took her journal out of her pocket, opened it up, looked it over… before snapping it shut, putting it back. “Homework assignment. While I know you are all a little familiar with them now, these are still blind spots in your interactions with other people. So, here’s what I would like you to do… I would like you to do…”

Getting up, Dr. Miriah went to the shelf next to the filing cabinet, an taking three sheets of loose leaf paper, wrote on all of them, before bringing them back to the trio, handing each of them one. On it, were simply their names, sectioned off in three different boxes.

“From now, until the next session, every time you notice yourself, or one of your partners, leaning on their blind spot in conversation or action, you put a little ‘check’ under yours or their name. So, for Shuuichi, if you do or say something that seems like you're specifically avoiding giving any personal opinion or details on it? A check! Kokichi, if you act or respond based on a bit of mind reading? Check! Kaito, if you act or speak to someone in a way that suggests they are more or less powerful than yourself-”

Kaito blinked, before finding himself saying without thinking, “Doesn’t everything fall under that, one way or another? Everyone’s always lower or higher than yourself.”

“Then add a check! And, I think we’ll start right now, so you can all add a check for Kaito. At your next session, we’ll compare your papers and discuss, showing how often you notice it yourself, and how often each partner notices it. Try not to share your papers beforehand. Any questions or concerns?”

“Why do I have to put a check next to mine?” Kaito grumbled, looking warily at the paper… before looking around, “Do either of you have your pens on you?”

Kokichi sighed a little, taking a pen out of one of his internal pockets and adding a check next to Kaito’s name before handing it over to Kaito. “Um...should we add to mine if I start asking indirect questions? That’s...really going to be something I need to work on even noticing…”

“I was worried it’d feel unfair to give you two things while the others got one.” She admitted, “But if you’re offering, then all of you make two boxes for Kokichi, and indicate which one is for mind reading and which one is for indirect information seeking.”

“I think I need a pen again.” Kaito said, still annoyed he was ‘losing’ by having a check already.

Kokichi nodded and added another section for himself, labeling one with a MR and the other with IQ before handing his pen back to Kaito. 

It had been...a long session. The indirect questioning thing, like he said, was going to be difficult to catch since...did he just do it to gauge answers? And give himself more time to think before he broached whatever topic he really wanted? That sounded plausible for him...and really wasn’t very fair for the other people in the conversation. 

And mind reading...sometimes it felt like he needed to take a guess to really talk to his partners but...that wasn’t healthy either. They all needed to stop guessing and start saying what they meant. It wasn’t fair to stew in your own thoughts and try to pry information from the others. 

But it wasn’t going to be easy to just stop. Kokichi sighed and ran a hand through his hair before folding the paper into his pocket and popping up from the couch, moving to help Shuuichi up too. “It’s still early, but I think I might want a nap when we get back… How are you guys doing?”

Shuuichi accepted the assistance, though he didn’t put much weight onto Kokichi’s hold-- Kokichi was still looking pretty out of it these days, honestly-- as he forced himself up out of the chair, sighing at the immediate sense of vertigo. Stupid fat pregnancy body… Man he missed feeling limber and healthy and moving around easily… Never know what you have till it’s being slowed down by an additional thirty pounds all in one damn spot.. 

“I’m alright. Pretty tired too, honestly. A nap sounds good, if you want company.” Shuuichi sighed, folding up his own paper and already deciding to just use his journal instead, rather than the looseleaf he tucked away.

“I can’t decide if I want to go to the shrine or bury myself in a hole.” Kaito joked, as Dr. Miriah walked them out, giving them a respectful nod before heading back inside, again no one at the receptionist desk. “Not in a ‘I want to die’ way. More in a ‘ooooooh, a nice, comfy, chilly nap in dirt sounds relaxing’, sort of way.”

“Our therapy sessions is literally leaving you wanting to be a mole man?” Shuchi asked, taking Kokichi’s hand as they walked.

“There’s something nice to the thought. I bet mole-men don’t have to deal with weird checkmark lists of our bad habits.” Kaito grumbled, shoving his paper into his pocket, not bothering to fold it, “I bet they just gotta deal with mole problems, which sounds way easier. Hunting for… grubs and stuff. Whatever moles do.”

“They’re blind, you know. And kind of ugly. I don’t think I’d date you if you were a mole.” Shuuichi admitted. “Maybe if you were a bat instead. Bats get caves. That’s sort of like dirt holes. And they get to fly.”

“Bats are creepy looking. I wouldn’t fuck me if I were a bat.”

“Didn’t you have a vampire phase?”

“No! Liking a book about vampires doesn’t count as a vampire ‘phase’!”

“Vampire-fucker.” Shuuichi muttered, smirking a little.

“Company sounds great!” Kokichi chirped, giving Dr. Mariah a wave and a soft, thankful look as they headed out. “I’ll never say no to prime Shuu-chan snuggling hours.”

For the most part, Kokichi idly listened to Shuuichi and Kaito banter back and forth as they walked home, interjecting here and there (bats were adorable, thank you, and what book about vampires was that?) but mostly just...thinking. About his issues, about theirs together. Power dynamics and rumors and trying to break free of both…

By the time they made it back, Kokichi was looking quite drowsy, weirdly feeling...excited to go to sleep. He loved cuddling his guys but usually not to that degree. But he brushed it off in favor of getting comfy in bed next to Shuuichi and drifting off. 

-

For the first time, Kokichi searched out Alter Ego’s signature, opening a portal to his mentor’s consciousness. Practically running through and looking around with awe in his eyes. “Alter Ego!!”

Alter Ego looked a little startled as Kokichi ran through the, well, essentially ‘front door’ of his consciousness and into the landscape he was currently chilling in, and said with a touch of concern, “Oh, Kokichi! Be careful, there’s-whoops.” Alter Ego said, watching Kokichi step out into air and immediately plummet down into the soft pink abyss below, soft, white clouds puffing out in cutesy explosions around him as he barreled through them in his wild free-fall, “There he goes.”

As a creature of consciousness, and one that sometimes had to be very still and very quiet for long periods of time to keep his anchors poor mind from literally splitting in two, Alter Ego had mastered the art of sort of… existing in a feeling. His landscapes simple, pleasant, and derived entirely from moods or vague sense of experiences. 

This place was a sweet, sleepy feeling of peaceful content. Visually, it looked like a warm, pink sky with sweet smelling, fluffy, off-white clouds lazily drifting through. And since flying too a concentrated effort in any landscape, to allow himself to lazily drift through it without using that concentration or making it a ‘rule’ of his landscape, Alter ego was laid out and stretching on a cute, tiny cat bed, that was playfully being held up by several pastel colored balloons. Just enjoying that warm, peaceful, content feeling.

But! It was nice to see his friend, and his tail flicked as he looked down at the warm pink void below. Waiting for him to either come back up or go full circle and fall down from the sky above.

Kokichi gasped as he plummeted through the clouds, feeling a rush of memory from his first lesson with Alter Ego. Big drops… Though, this place was much nicer. Just kind of...effortlessly happy. Comfortable. Just being there had a sort of calming effect, though Kokichi was still amazed and excited. 

Eventually...Kokichi wasn’t really sure how he knew that he’d looped around, but he was and...okay. While clouds were, well, clouds, Kokichi could remember that lazy day feeling of wanting to soar up to the sky and rest on a cloud...and he summoned that feeling, able to mesh it enough with the surroundings so it wasn’t obvious or intrusive. His landing on a big, fluffy cloud was a little rough, but Kokichi just laughed as he bounced, grinning at Alter Ego’s cute bed. So he did have a cat bed…

Looking over his friend with fondness, instead of a proper greeting, Kokichi could only say one thing. “I remembered you!”

There was a brief, confused moment… before the cats eyes got wide. Standing up on their bed as they said, “What!? Tell me everything! What happened!!?”

Kokichi giggled, reaching out to his friend in a friendly way. “Okay, I did want the dramatics of saying that but...I don’t know how big it actually is. I told you Shuu-chan, Kai-chan, and I have started relationship counselling, right? Today...well, we talked about a lot, but something amazing came up.”

He had to catch his breath again, just...baffled by the implications of it, but delighted nonetheless. “We think...Kai-chan’s conditioning is being broken. And as soon as I pieced that together, my first thought--after, like, incomprehensible, excited screeching, I guess--was that I had to tell you. Not some vague impression of telling my friends but...I thought about you.”

“And that kinda confused the hell out of me, so...that might be something to watch as it develops but…” Kokichi beamed at Alter Ego. “I think I’m starting to remember!”

Alter Ego easily accommodated the friendly reach, leaping into Kokichi’s arms and sitting against his lap, looking at him in baffled, genuine excitement. “Wow… that’s huge! That’s… wait, did you think ‘I wanna tell the cat’ or… I want to tell one of my shards? Or just literally the name ‘Alter Ego’?”

Kokichi paused, thinking for a moment. “...it was the impression of a friend I trusted very much, someone I looked up to, and...I think that was bundled with the name ‘Alter Ego’. I was...confused about who the hell that was, but… I think that’s a big step all the same.”

He scratched at Alter Ego’s ears, just...full of things to discuss--though he was aware it was kind of the middle of the day and Hiro might be busy, so he didn’t want to impose too long--but this...this was something that was special specifically for the two of them. 

“I was going to say, that must have been terribly confusing for awake Kokichi.” Alter Ego laughed, purring happily at his ear scratches, tucking his paws under his chest and laying down cheerfully, “What sort of name is ‘Alter Ego’ for an imaginary friend? I certainly hope you don’t end up thinking you’re battling some new split personality before you remember everything fully… still! That’s so exciting!”

Looking up at Kokichi, he added in, eyes intensely interested, “And… wait? Kaito’s conditioning? You’re seeing signs of it breaking? ..How? Did an empath end up contacting you after all? Is someone working on it?”

Kokichi snorted, tipping his head back with a laughing groan. “Oh no, I hope not! I have enough in my head to deal with already… But it probably is going to be confusing for a while before I can remember enough to piece it all together.”

He was still piecing together certain things even when he was asleep. Kokichi’s eyebrows drew in a bit, though he didn’t lose the optimism or excitement in his face. “That’s the thing...Saint Madison hasn’t contacted me for that at all. But...Kai-chan’s been slowly changing for a while now. At first I didn’t think too much of it, other than, hey, my husband’s working out some stuff. And he is in therapy so...I thought that it was just from that.”

“But…” The wonder ramped up in Kokichi’s face, his eyes practically going starry. If Kaito were right there, he might even compare them to amethysts again for how they sparkled. “...we can argue, and he doesn’t back down right away. He’s stopped second-guessing himself, like he thinks he’ll only make things worse, that other people know better. He…”

Kokichi sighed, knowing this was a bit personal but...he trusted Alter Ego not to spread it around, and the cat had seen inside Kaito’s head before anyway. “Before, he’d resigned himself with just...being okay, and expecting me to make all the major decisions for us. But...he wants to have control of his life. And…oh, this might take some explaining…”

“Kai-chan sees people, like, entirely subjectively. How they look, how he thinks about their personality, it’s all dependent on how he feels about them. And...for the first time, he couldn’t think of how his brother and I were alike. When, when we first met, he compared us pretty heavily. And apparently how Kai-chan’s been acting is enough that Byakuya told him to get a medical exam. And...that’s pretty telling. Byakuya’s the only person besides the bastard who did it to them, that knows what Kai-chan’s conditioning actually is.”

Kokichi smoothed his thumb over the top of Alter Ego’s little kitty head, his grin a swirling mix of so many things, though all positive. “I really think he’s broken it…”

Alter Ego closed their eyes, enjoying the pets and his friends good mood (and possible signs of progress on his waking self recognizing it’s empath abilities!)... but…

“Kokichi… you and I have talked before about what it’ll required to fix someone who’s been conditioned in the way Luminaries program breaks them… maybe it’s because Kaito didn’t go through the actual program, and maybe that means he wasn’t conditioned the same way everyone else was, but if he was, then there is no fixing it by himself. You can talk your way around it, but even that is incredibly difficult, and is usually only a temporary solution.”

Looking up at Kokichi, he said seriously, “I’m not saying that the signs you’re seeing are wrong. I’m saying Kaito couldn’t possibly be doing it by himself. If he’s improving? Someone’s in his head. Someone who’s gotten around your defense… we should probably look into it. Maybe reach out to Temp, in case it’s...”

The cat looked quizzical, as they confessed, “Well, I was going to say in case it’s Tengan again, but that wouldn’t make much sense. It couldn’t possibly be Temp himself doing this, could it? Has he mentioned anything like that to you?”

Kokichi sighed softly. “Just because something hasn’t ever been done doesn’t mean it’s impossible...but I know what you mean. Kai-chan isn’t an empath, and he’s not a psychic...even if his head is kinda weird for someone who isn’t, with the initial blockade and the places you and Temp ended up. He definitely hasn’t broken it completely on his own...but I still think there’s something to it.”

“Still…” Kokichi’s brows furrowed a bit. “We haven’t talked much in the mindscape--mostly just in person in the physical world. So...nothing really in depth. I don’t think he’d do this, especially without letting me know at least...but it can’t hurt to ask. He’s more in tune with the community than I am too.”

Sighing again, there was something almost like a wince in his expression. “If Temp doesn’t know...then I’ll stop by later when we’re all asleep tonight. I know Saint Madison won’t really be thrilled to see me, but if I messed up the tether and she’s been trying to reach me about someone...but that doesn’t make any sense either, since she wouldn’t let anyone in without both of our approvals…”

Kokichi ran a hand through his hair, his excitement bleeding into a bit of frustration, but it was something he could do things for. Talk to Temp. Swing by Kaito’s mind that night. 

Running a hand over Alter Ego’s body, Kokichi gave him a fond look. “I’ll probably go back to my own mind to reach out to Temp. Thanks for humoring me in the middle of the day.”

“Of course! Are you kidding, all of this just made my day. It’s all good news… well, confusing news, but generally in a good way. Even if someone is in your husbands head, there are worst empaths to deal with than the nosy, obnoxiously helpful kind. And you remembering your abilities while awake will make you safer in the long run. This is all good news.” Alter Ego purred, closing his eyes contently as he leaned his body into the pets, “I’m glad you came to tell me.”

Looking around the landscape, Alter Ego leapt back onto his gently floating cat bed, before settling in, looking back at Kokichi as he said, “Next time you visit, I’ll think of some fun memory to have us walk around in. I have four different sets, not to mention my own, I’m certain there’s something we’ve seen that would interest you. Ever been to a concert? Mondo and Hiro both have. We could take a peek into one of those. Chihiro’s been to a good number of exhibits in Luminary too. And Taka’s seen some incredible landscapes and political buildings.”

The golden cats chest puffed  with something akin to pride, as they boasted, “I have lived many lives. Let me know what sounds interested. It’ll be fun!”

Kokichi giggled, happy to share the news. And...more than just a personal thing, him remembering would be better for everyone around him. No more accidental mind reading--and it was almost alarming how spot on Dr. Mariah had been--and...maybe it’d make certain conversations harder, but Kokichi was willing to put in that work to see his friends and family happy and comforted without confusing shortcuts that would leave them uncertain. 

Even if it was just something Kaito had apparently just accepted at this point. 

“Ohhh…” Kokichi’s eyes widened in interest. He was always delighted to experience any memories his friends wanted to share and...well, his enthusiasm was pretty similar for it all, but that was just because it was all so cool! “I’ve snuck into a few concert performances over the years but I’ve never...yanno, “properly” been to one, I guess you’d say. And I bet ones in Luminary are really different! All of those things sound incredible… Anything you want to share is special to me, but,” he laughed, “I am kind of a sucker for sightseeing. I think almost anywhere in Luminary would amaze me, if I’m honest.”

Reaching over to the cat bed, Kokichi gave his friend one last pet before nodding. “Alright, I’ll let Hiro get his focus back. I’ll see you soon!” And with a breath, Kokichi let himself fall back through the cloud he was sitting on, falling through a portal back to his own mind. Back in the backyard, though it would soon look like this in reality again… Maybe then he’d start spending time in the snow in his mind. 

Kokichi snorted at himself before reaching out to Temp, putting out a feeling of a request to talk. Again, it was the middle of the day, but...Temp tended to be alright at multitasking, and it really could be a quick thing if he was low on time.

-

Temp was, currently, in the middle of some paperwork, looking bored as a very earnest but entirely unnecessarily enthusiastic assistant to one of his larger properties gave him the run down of the budget that would be needed this year to maintain the level of quality of the grave sights. 

Really, he did appreciate how gung-ho she was about showing him the level of research she had done, and he was paying attention as she suggested certain cost-saving ideas and where else that money could go-- she had ‘big ideas’ on incorporating gardens into the borders of the land her bosses particular funeral home rented on that her boss has approved for her to pitch to Temp-- but what she didn’t seem to quite understand was that her boss had given her the responsibility of informing Temp of the budget as an opportunity to teach her how the budget worked, not as a request to actually tell them anything ‘new’. Temp in particular thought it was a little mean spirited to approve of her garden idea to pitch to him, when no doubt her boss already knew that they had considered the gardens, but that the city didn’t have enough water to support them, and that they were waiting on succulents and desert flowers from places like Luminary, which had been waiting on the end of the war to get them… and her boss had likely only not informed her of this as a lesson in humility. To be told no by the landowner himself.

..she really was very enthusiastic. She had brought poster slides to display her ideas on. She had brought a lot of poster slides. They were only halfway through and it had been over an hour already.

Temp nodded, gaze already a little unfocused-- he had already finished reading her paper reports, the slides simply being presented as an ‘alternate’ way for her to convey the information to him should he need clarifying on anything, which he was allowing for her learning purposes-- as he nodded vaguely at every other word, giving little encouraging noises of ‘go on’ and ‘I see’. As he did this, he felt a tug…

...Kokichi?

Without much effort, he disconnected from what he was doing, before creating a current memory to replace himself, putting the thing in his body on auto-pilot. It’d do fine for getting through the type of work debrief Temp’s done a thousand times before, and it would reach out to Temp for help if something happened that Temp didn’t have a muscle memory response for (unlikely. He’s done this so many times.).

Taking a breath… reaching back…

-

The Templar stood outside of Kokichi’s door. Even though he had been called, he knocked politely. “Kokichi?”

Kokichi opened his door, his sunny grin towards Temp almost just an instinctive reaction towards seeing his friend, rather than any specific pleasure that he’d answered his call. “Hey Temp! Thanks for coming by--there’s actually a little more I wanna talk to you about, but if you can only be by for a sec, I just have a question.”

“Pretty much...Kai-chan’s been showing signs that he’s breaking through his conditioning, but Saint Madison hasn’t sent me any indication that someone’s been by asking to help out so...I was wondering if you had heard anything about it? I’m probably gonna go by Kai-chan’s head tonight to check if not, but she gets kinda pissed when I do that so I wanted to ask you first…”

The Templar raised an eyebrow, “Your husbands breaking his conditioning? Interesting… and no, it’s fine. I’m just sitting through a pretty typical meeting for one of the funeral homes I ‘inherited’.” Temp said, rolling his eyes a little, “I always forget how much of a pain it is to re-establish yourself after a lifetime reset. I’ve been managing this burial land for a few years now, according to the paperwork, and the funeral directors are finally at the point where they’re not trying to sneak new policies around the new naive ‘heir’ landowner. So, it shouldn’t need my full attention for the next twenty or so minutes, at least.”

“But, let’s see… it’s not been me trying to fix him, I’m afraid. I’ve thought of offering, but fixing conditioning requires a serious amount of time and dedication from the empath in question. Think someone basically living full time in your head for over a month. I’d have to get a few affairs in order to make certain I could take that amount of time off, and… well, by the time I was done, I’d know literally everything about him. If you were okay with that, then I’d still offer, but, well, it’d probably require a conversation between us long before I start…”

“As for if anyone else has… hold on. Let me reach out to a few people I’d suspect, though I can’t imagine no one would have talked about it.” Temp said, before closing his eyes and crossing his legs, sitting midair as he placed his hands together, concentrating.

He floated there for about a minute, before opening his eyes and letting his legs fall again, shaking his head, “If anyone within the community is doing it, no one is fessing up. Do you feel like you or your husband are in danger?”

Kokichi snorted softly, but...right. He supposed immortal people, or at least people who lived a lot longer than humans had figured out some way to keep their homes and possessions after a normal human would die. It did sound like a hassle, though, having to pretend to be new, or to deal with people who thought they knew better when you’d been managing things for longer than they’d been alive. 

Temp had mentioned off hand before that he managed the properties of a few funeral homes and gravesites. Of course, at the time he’d explained it as an inherited business, but Kokichi had still been very impressed. Especially when he heard about the work Temp did with the Memorial Garden, though Temp never really talked about work for long. It was a little on the morbid side at times, he’d shrugged. 

But he was glad Temp had a few minutes to spare. 

Kokichi nodded with a hum, having figured Temp would’ve talked to him about working on Kaito’s conditioning himself, though it was nice to hear it confirmed from the man himself. But...if it wasn’t anyone who’d easily admit it…

Kokichi frowned slightly. “That’s the thing… At least when it comes to empath stuff, everything’s been fine? And if I didn’t know how much work would go into undoing his conditioning, I honestly would suggest that he was breaking through it himself. But since that’s such an incredibly unlikely option… I really don’t know what’s going on…”

A sigh, though Kokichi smiled up at Temp. “Thank you for checking, though. Guess I’ll be seeing what’s up tonight… And, uh, thanks for the baby advice too, though that is kind of a non-sequitur,” he sheepishly laughed. “We’re...most likely gonna end up needing it more than I thought.”

The Templar raised an eyebrow, before smirking, “How ominous. Did you just get that ‘Oh no it’s actually happening’ feeling’? Are you nesting, and that’s why you’ve realized you need it? Don’t be embarrassed, that revelation can happen pretty late for most new parents.”

Kokichi snorted again, laughing. “No, though Shuu-chan got it pretty bad the other week. It ended up with the three of us painting and putting together furniture in the nursery at, like, three in the morning.”

“But, no, it’s…” He paused, still not really sure of the right way to word it. “Maki-chan’s wards are having a baby, like, two weeks after Miya’s gonna be born, but the parents are all going through the legal system, so she promised that she’d foster the kid and make sure whoever adopts them is alright. Except...she’s out of the country, so we’re doing that instead.”

Kokichi rubbed his neck a little, still determined to take good care of Bonus but...he really did understand why everyone they told looked at them like they were crazy. “Taking care of two newborns is gonna be a lot of work so...I’ve been pretty thankful, lately, for any tips and help that people have offered.”

The Templar sighed, letting out a huff as he said with some sympathy, “Taking care of two infants at the same time is… challenging. I loved them, but easily my most difficult experience with young children was the twins. I swear, they synchronized their schedules that if one was asleep and peaceful, the other was up and wailing. I honestly don’t think I slept for months…. Not to discourage you. That was pretty early in my life and I and my wife of the time weren’t in a position in our lives to hire help or anything like that. It’s more than manageable, I was just too inexperienced to know how to do so…”

Still… that was a hell of a coincidence. “You’re seeking someone to adopt the child?” He asked, voice even, trying to imply simple curiosity, “How is that going? Any prospective adopters yet?”

Kokichi could almost feel the weight of exhaustion already...but it was something he was preparing for. He knew he couldn’t throw his health in the toilet to care for the kids, but he would still be alright with a few sleepless nights a week. He just, to his own disappointment, really would need to rely on Kaito and Shuuichi on the nights he needed to sleep. Thankfully they had others who’d help out too. 

Shrugging with a small sigh, Kokichi tried to look optimistic. “Kai-chan’s taking on the bulk of the responsibilities, but I helped set up a meeting with the adoption agency branch in the city. Unfortunately, the people who are looking to adopt infants and have reached out have only done so with other branches, and unless it’s a dire situation, the agency tries not to pair babies and adopters who would have to do a lot of traveling to get back home. There was a couple who...maybe seemed willing to rent a place in Usot for a while, until the kid’s old enough to be alright traveling, but...it’s still not the ideal situation, and I don’t think Kai-chan felt good about it either…”

“...I understand why they’re so wary about adoption, and I do wanna see the kid go to a good home...but it’s a lot of work and...it’s probably looking like we’ll be taking the kid in for at least a little while.” Shaking his head a little, Kokichi tried to perk himself up. “But getting the word out can be hard sometimes, so maybe there are people in Usot looking to have a baby that just haven’t heard. There’s still time to do background checks and interviews and all that before the due date.”

Temp frowned, giving Kokichi a considering look. “You said it was soon after your boyfriends due date, right? So that’s a little over two months. For the adoption process, you’d really have to find some prospective parents kinda… right away, to get all the paperwork and safety checks done, especially if your husband is wary to trust strangers. I know in the past, adoption from families has always been a more challenging process than adopting from systems. Lots of nervous cold feet and battling ‘gut instincts’, regardless of how much you qualify…”

… he really didn’t want to make any promises he couldn’t keep, or give Kokichi false hope… but as a man of faith, Temp believed that if something felt like fate, then there was a good chance it was. He had literally just started contemplating being a father again… and now the man who had brought those feelings back to the surface just happened to have a spare baby lying around that he’s trying to adopt out?

He’d need to pray to Bathul about it one way or another, but if that was a coincidence, it was a damn weird one. Especially surrounding two people whose lives were deeply embroiled by divine purpose. And a dragon. Temp was still wondering when the dragon thing was going to come up again. Bathul hadn’t said anything about it since the trade was struck. Apparently, whatever the dragon thing was about, it wasn’t, like… urgent, or anything.

“Kokichi, may I ask what might seem like a random and somewhat egotistical question?” Temp asked, giving the young prince a fond look. “The waking version of you. What does he think of Temp?”

“...yeah.” The optimistic look deflated out of Kokichi a bit. That was why he was anticipating having Bonus for...on the brightest, realistic side he could see, about a month. While that was the time infants slept the most, it was also the time you had to be most vigilant. Newborns wouldn’t always cry if something was wrong when they were that young, so you had to do constant checkovers keeping everything in mind, not able to rely on sounds or body language belying discomfort. 

It...was going to be a very stressful time for them…

It was no reason to say yes to the first people the agency deemed acceptable--though Kokichi trusted their judgement more than what he knew to look for in a parent, but...he knew Kaito would have quite a few reservations no matter who the candidates were. 

Glancing back up at Temp--as his gaze had drifted downward--Kokichi gave his friend a somewhat surprised look before going thoughtful. “...it’s a little hard to separate my opinions, but...you’re someone I feel comfortable with. You fit with the atmosphere whether we’re out at a club or hanging out talking or going on a shopping spree--you’re adaptable in a way that puts people at ease, I guess that would be… You’re a good friend to me, and you’re really caring towards other people--or, me, Stacy, and Amber, at least. Even when you asked me about Kai-chan, it...never felt like you were accusing us of anything.” 

Kokichi looked a bit tired at that thought, the counselling session fresh in his mind. While Temp had been another person to ask...it felt different. Admittedly, they became friends after, so he had a bias, but...it was still how he felt. “You just seemed...concerned, and as soon as I said it wasn’t the case, you accepted my word. It’s...care without being smothering or suspicious.”

“I guess I’d say that awake or asleep, I consider you a great friend and a good person,” Kokichi finished, shrugging a little with a grin. 

“Thank you. I appreciate that… maybe more importantly right now, your husband doesn’t have some deeply disguised dislike of me, does he? Did you ever tell him about my accusation? Or… actually, maybe that’d be something someone like him would respect…”

And then, realizing he was being annoyingly obtuse, he said simply, “Think I’d have a shot in the adoption application?”

Kokichi shook his head a little, looking a bit sheepish. “I never did… I’ve never...actually told him about any of the accusations that people have pulled me aside for or written in about until today. We’re...working on that…”

“...but he doesn’t dislike you, no,” he continued with a bit of a sigh. “He knows we’re friends and...mostly refers to you as, ‘that guy Temp you talk about’, ‘cause...you guys have really only met like twice, right? But I don’t think he has a bad impression of you.”

Kokichi had been wondering what this was about, but he had assumed that Temp would get to it eventually, and when he did… Kokichi’s eyes widened, a shocked look on his face before there was something with a glimmer of hope back in it. Just a bit. “I… You wanna adopt? I-I mean...I think you would, yeah! I’ve talked before to Kai-chan and Shuu-chan about the advice you gave me, and your volunteer work so…”

Kokichi grinned up at his friend. “I mean, I’m gonna vouch for you, awake or asleep. I’d like to think my judge of character would count for something, when Kai-chan’s considering it.”

“I’d have to pray about it.” Temp warned Kokichi immediately, wanting to give him reasonable expectations, “Bathul might advise me not to, and I would take that into consideration. He might know if I’m taking some long trip within the next few years, or dealing with some quest or another, and know now would be a bad time for me to adopt, so I’d take his denial in my prayers seriously… but barring that?”

Temp shrugged, smiling lightly, “I’ll admit, your baby talk has found me missing my own kids… it’s been about two hundred years since I was last a parent. My pretty Idala… my great grandkids live over in Apatha. Small town next to the western coast. Good people, I check up on them every now and again, but they’d probably barely remember great grandfather Aspen--” Temp chuckled, “I was going by ‘Aspen’ at the time. I’ll admit, I was feeling very lazy when I picked Temp this time around. One has only so many fake names they feel strongly about before the joke ones start seeming like an option… anyway, I digress. I was thinking of starting the process of raising children again within the next few years anyway… but, honestly, there’s no real difference between two months from now and two years, barring any divine missions and all that. And, considering that, in a sense, it’s a child of yours? If I can fulfil that desire and help out a friend at the same time? It’s basically perfect, isn’t it?”

Temp said all this with a smile… before asking, a somber look on his face, “Can I ask the situation with it’s biological parents? It won’t affect how I view the child, but I should know if it has a past that might try to catch up to it.”

Honestly, having Temp pray about it was even better. If Bathul accepted it, then great! If not, then it’d be disappointing, sure, but Kokichi would trust in that faith that Bonus would be better off somewhere else when it came to stability. It was a sort of assurance about the future that not many people had, even if they knew about magic. 

“I gotta say, it really would set me at ease, at least, if you ended up adopting them. Know they’re in good hands!” Kokichi laughed softly, in his heart knowing even more than Temp was a good choice, hearing him talk about his other kids. And when Temp had shared that memory of the turtle hatching festival, the way that he wanted to stay with his kids’ memories, the way he had looked at them… Kokichi might never have seen Temp’s parenting in action, but those moments were some pretty good indicators. 

And out of everyone...Kokichi really did trust him to treat Bonus no different because of their parents. 

So he sighed, his hope calming into something not quite melancholy, but getting there. “The parents...are in sort of a situation like me, Kai-chan, and Shuu-chan--there’s three of them. And...they were the Remnant of Despair cult members that were arrested last fall… Two of them...Tom and Itch, they grew up in Maki-chan’s orphanage, so she considers them siblings. When Tom was up for his trial, she was the one to explain that they were actually minors, and she took custody of them. Their friend, Aba, is the mother, and...after she has the baby, she’s been sentenced with isolation therapy so...she can’t take care of them. So Maki-chan stepped in.”

“...I hope they can all grow, but…” Kokichi fisted the end of his shirt, his brow furrowing. “...they were all...really horrible. Their actions hurt a lot of people. I think...after just making sure that someone adopting the baby wouldn’t treat them badly for that, Kai-chan wants to make sure the parent won’t tell the kid about it. It has nothing to do with them and...it’s a really heavy weight that shouldn’t be put on a child…”

Temp nodded as he listened to all of this. It was a pretty sad story, but he wasn’t really thinking about that, just adjusting his approach with the more information he had. “I see, I see… well, personally, I agree with your husband. Some things are better left in the past. Adopted kids tend to internalize things they know about their biological parents as they turn into teenagers and are looking for ways to be different than their actual parents. Sometimes that can be harmless, but not so much when the biological parents were horrible people. I can’t stop the child from seeking information if they really want it, but I can guide them away from that. Not to mention kids have a bad habit of spilling their life story to anyone interested in hearing it, without knowing the full consequences of that yet… I can do my best to shield them from their past, certainly. Even growing up in the same place the incident occured.”

Though… Remnants of Despair… Temp sighed. “I don’t suppose you know if the woman giving birth is a seedling or not?”

Slowly, Kokichi calmed himself. It still hurt to think about, but...focusing on Bonus, and how it tied into their situation made it...easier. Smiling a little, Kokichi gave a shallow nod. “I think that’s pretty much the mindset we’re hoping for...though the one you really need to convince, if that comes up specifically, is my husband. Shuu-chan’s dealing with enough with his own pregnancy and...Kai-chan doesn’t want me involved with the biological parents if we can help it.”

And while Kokichi was trying to help out where he could when they were just talking to members of the agency...he’d found there were update meetings he just couldn’t make it to. But he trusted Kaito to handle it. 

…

Kokichi blinked up at Temp for a moment, not sure if he heard correctly. “...a seedling?”

Temp looked back, just as mildly confused. “...yes? A seedling. The results of the spores that the Remnants of Despair spread? It doesn’t matter if the other two were ones, only the person actually giving birth will affect anything. Was she changed by the…”

...Temp’s eyes widened, as he realized, “You have no idea what the spores do.”

...the results of the spores?

Kokichi’s face only grew more confused, a serious sort of worry joining in. “...we know that it encourages risky behavior to an extreme degree, and that in people who had prolonged consumption, it morphed and prepared their bodies to have children, culminating in a sort of heat. But...that…”

Kokichi gave his friend an increasingly worried look. “...did...it really change the DNA of a person? Seiko said that it was the same, just with an added parasite of the fungus…”

A bit of panic started to bleed into wide, purple eyes. “...she was on spores, yeah. She should’ve just finished rehab…”

“...but so did Shuu-chan…”

It wasn’t the DNA of the parent that was the issue. It was the DNA of the womb that spores grew…

“...first of all, everything’s okay.” Temp quietly reassured Kokichi, putting a hand on his shoulder, “It might not feel that way for a moment. But it is. Second… let’s take a seat. Somewhere comfortable.”

When the environment changed, Temp sat down with Kokichi, and considered how to say all of this. Throughout the whole time, he kept his face calm and reassuring. It was going to be fine, and he meant it. Admittedly, he had assumed someone would have told Kokichi about this before now, but… Temp hadn’t seen any issues with it when he first heard about the situation, and he didn’t see any now. The world was big, and species relations had a long life. It was hardly like Kokichi’s situation was unheard of… just not to the man in question.

“... you know, Flora are going through a rough patch right now. But in all of the planets history? They’re actually, historically, a very intelligent, helpful, beautiful race. In the early days, when species wars were more common, Flora were actually known as being a neutral, healing force. They were creatures of the gardens, the nurturer’s of the natural lands, and anyone who was suffering were welcome to visit, to rest and get back on their feet. Then… well, a considerable amount of the world started industrializing, and to deal with their issues, a number of species started declaring isolationist values. You don’t talk to us, we don’t talk to you, mentalities. And because Flora are a creature that thrive on cooperation and co-existence, their numbers started dwindling, and eventually a leader arrived that claimed to be able to fix their problems, and influenced Flora to the cut-throat society they are today… but it’s not instinctive. It’s not simply who they are. This is just a difficult period in their lives. There is nothing, inherently, ruthless or viscous about any Flora. They were once, and can be again, a very good, incredible people… so long as they are raised by good, incredible people…”

“...Kokichi, I’m asking if the mother is a seedling, because I want to be prepared, if I’ll need to... to raise a Flora.”

Kokichi almost felt like he was going through a haze, though he let Temp guide him into a seat. ...seedlings? Was Shuuichi...was their daughter…

...Temp was explaining about Flora so...seedlings made Flora, and the spores made seedlings… There was some part in the back of Kokichi’s mind that thought it was...just an awful way to reproduce, to put someone through that sort of agony and lost sense of self…

...but despite being a hivemind inclined for species supremacy and subterfuge and violence...they weren’t always that way. Kokichi listened quietly as Temp weaved his tale of the past. It was...difficult to think of the Flora as nurturers...as healing peoples that welcomed others. As...honestly, how Kokichi thought of Dicea. 

...but in some ways...as much as a country was its people, it tended to be a reflection of its leaders. And...he supposed that was even more true for Flora. 

An insecure look ran across Kokichi’s face. “...I don’t know how to raise a Flora… I’m only barely starting to remember things, and Miya’s coming in two months...what if we hurt her? We won’t understand and...fuck, even if I manage to, what am I supposed to tell Shuu-chan and Kai-chan? They don’t…”

Kokichi took a gasping breath before following it up with calmer ones, trying to not completely lose it. Almost desperately, he looked up at Temp, searching in his eyes. “...she won’t hate us ‘cause we’re humans? Even if she’s connected to Queen Enoshima?”

Temp gave Kokichi a soft look… before he reached out his hand and ran it gently over Kokichi’s forehead. Sending out a wave of messages. Transferring information.

[Flora are connected by a hivemind the same way Empath’s are, but theirs are just more intrusive. Besides that intrusiveness, Flora are really just weaker empaths, as far as mind abilities go. They are just as much individuals as we are.]

[Plenty of Flora in this day and age use other magics and enhancements to disconnect with the greater hive mind. I will likely seek out those myself for the new child. Reuniting with the hive mind will be their choice, someday, but not one I plan to raise them in.]

[There are plenty of Flora out there who live away from the hive mind and with their preferred species, and most of those Flora pick humans.]

[There are plenty of kind, good Flora.]

A quick search through Kokichi’s mind…

[You know some. I know some. We can go to them for advice and guidance.]

[Flora are a species designed to be raised by other species. It’s part of why they needed co-existence so much. This is a natural way to raise a Flora.]

[Miyako is still your daughter, and she will love you.]

[This is okay.]

[Everything is okay.]

With every bit of information, Kokichi clung to it like a starving man. Or, an expecting young father who had been nervous but excited for his first daughter, and had suddenly discovered a pretty major insecurity and was looking for any way to prepare himself. 

Despite really trying to keep his emotions more level, Kokichi’s eyes watered. “...I just wanna be good for her… I wanna be a good dad…”

He huffed a few more breaths before rubbing his eyes, voice a little more level. “...I think, yeah, Aba was a seedling. Considering she went through the anti-spore treatment, and...a-and the way they talked...I think it’s pretty likely.”

A soft sigh. “...when the time comes...do you think you could help...I guess, re-introduce me to the Flora I know,” because Kokichi...only had one hunch, and he had more than a few reservations about trying to contact Togami, “so I can help Miya?” A huff of a laugh. “...I guess it’s kinda lucky that I can understand mind stuff...that’s one thing I’ll be able to relate with her.”

“Of course I’ll help. If it makes you feel any less alone? This will be my first time raising a Flora as well. I’ve seen it done, but never have had it happen to myself. So… you and I will be figuring this out together.” Temp shrugged, giving Kokichi a fond pat on the shoulder, smirking at him a little, “We’ll be a Flora-Dad’s club. Trading notes and sharing weird anecdotes. And, hey… maybe our kids will bond? It can’t hurt to raise two Flora kids to be friends. They’ll be able to relate to each other.”

“Until you can remember everything, don’t worry, I won’t leave the waking version of you to figure this out on your own. You’ll have my help, I promise. On Bathul’s name.” Temp said seriously, leaning back and sighing, “I’ll re-introduce you to the Flora in your life and get you ready to ask them for help when you’re finally capable of articulating the idea. I’ll see if I can’t find some ways to block Miyako’s hive mind abilities as well, since I’ll be looking for them for my own child.” Temp said, speaking as if the adoption was already decided on, already leaning onto old parenting instincts, “As for luck… honestly, I can’t imagine who’s more prepared to raise a Flora than an Empath. We’ll be able to help them with so many things, mind-wise…”

“...and, physically? Honestly, the way I hear it, just don’t set the kid on fire, and she’ll be fine. Flora are incredibly hardy. I seriously doubt you could harm her on accident.” Temp paused, before musing, “She’s a Flora and you, her genetic father, are an incredibly powerful Empath… that could potentially be interesting. I wonder if she’ll inherit your raw potential, when it comes to mental strength.”

Kokichi huffed another laugh. “We should make club hats...or secret patches. Styling a logo after plants wouldn’t look out of place to anyone.” He snickered a little more before looking fond. “...it would be nice if our kids were friends. I know it isn’t the same thing for you, Mr. Functionally Immortal but...Flora live a long time, right? I would like it if there were a lot of people Miya knows from the start that would still be around… I think it’d make the world a little less lonely sometimes…”

It wasn’t even him lamenting about his health this time. Him, Kaito...probably Shuuichi, though Kokichi didn’t know what...seedling lifespans were like, and if that would even still apply since he didn’t have any spores anymore… But they were human. Shooting for eighty! But compared to someone who would live for centuries or millennia… Kokichi hoped to fill Miyako’s life with a lot of happiness. But it would be nice for her to have truly life-long friends as well. 

Looking at Temp with no hidden fondness, Kokichi felt his heart melt a little as the Templar swore to his god. ...they could really do this… He could do this. It would all be alright. 

He shook his head a little at the mention of Floran fortitude--he knew he and his partners were still going to treat her so delicately--and let out a snort, leaning back in his own chair, noticing for the first time that they were sitting at one of the social areas in the commerce district, meant to give people a place to rest while they were out shopping. A place Kokichi and Temp had spent many days sitting at together while out with their friends. 

“...I don’t even know if I want to hope for that or not. But...no matter how she turns out, I know I wanna do everything I can to help her be the person she wants to be. Though…” He rubbed his forehead a little. “...Alter Ego said that most empaths only realize their powers at three at the earliest. Looks like I won’t get that grace period so...I hope I can keep up the pace, learning all I can.”

“...I appreciate your help even more now. And even if I don’t really remember this conversation...I’ll do whatever I can to vouch for you when it comes to the baby’s adoption. I know I will.”

“If she’s not an empath, and we get the blockers, your grace period is basically as long as you want it to be.” Temp observed… though he did add in, “We should ask Flora, though, if it’s healthier for them to be able to tap into it occasionally. Maybe we can find ways to limit who they can and can’t hive with? I can’t imagine we’re the first ones to worry about that, there must be an answer for it somewhere. I’ll start reaching out today, see what I can find.”

“...as for the adoption… know if your husband is doing anything tomorrow? Maybe I can invite you both out to dinner or lunch and it can come up ‘organically’ that I’m thinking about adopting soon. It could go largely the way this conversation did… though, I probably won’t drop the ‘Flora’ bombshell on you till you’re capable of remembering your empath abilities… and what Flora are… and that I’m not, in fact, a suddenly crazy early twenties something spouting bullshit and am, in fact, a very well informed ‘technically’ immortal Templar of a God of Death and Trade trying to help… yeah, we’ll restrict it to just adoption talk. Do you think you’d be up to that tomorrow? It’ll give us plenty of time to work on the background checks/interviews/adoption paperwork for the next two months.”

Yeah...it’d be best to consult with Flora first. It was a little much to expect any one person to have all the answers about whatever demographic you were asking about, but they would at least know better than you and… Well, it wasn’t as if there were any parenting books in Dicea about this. Or...any he could easily find, anyway. Kokichi didn’t even know the first thing about tracking down obscure texts. 

(But he did know people who did. Nadya did it as a hobby, and...no. He could at least ask Nadya...maybe. Maybe if he just asked about little-known parenting things...though if she knew about Flora, then he couldn’t imagine her giving him something about them to him without him asking so...maybe not.)

Laughing a little more, Kokichi thought for a moment. “I don’t think he has therapy...but he might have a cooking class. Maybe dinner would be a safer bet. I’m always thrilled to spend time with you--and I’m definitely free tomorrow evening--and, well...we just had a conversation about me being able to open up to friends. I think Kai-chan would be happy to hang out.”

“Mmm…” Kokichi looked around the dreamy landscape of the shopping district around them. “...I’m taking a nap with Shuu-chan right now, and...I think Kai-chan might be in his shrine. But if you send a message later, it should find us no problem, at least this evening.”

“Ah.” Kokichi gave his friend a sheepish look. “I do have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow afternoon, though, so if I’m a little tired, that’s probably why. We’ve been doing this...like, active yoga in a hot room, thing, and it really tires me out. I’ve always been good to do stuff by the evening, though.”

“Really? You’re doing hot room exercises?” Temp asked, surprised, looking Kokichi notably up and down, before asking, “Do you even have any water-weight to sweat off?”

Kokichi rubbed the back of his neck a little. “Seiko--my regular doctor--isn’t...really enthused by the courses I’ve been doing with Cedar--this doctor--but it’s something I’m trying out. She said as long as we take more breaks than Cedar initially suggested--which we do--and I stop as soon as I start feeling dizzy, even if it’s, like, exercise dizziness, I should be alright.”

“I don’t really get why we have to do it in a hot room, but the yoga routines themselves are kinda fun. We do them with the kids sometimes in the morning, though usually as stretching before we move onto the regular stuff.”

“Huh. well, be careful with that. You're a stick of a person, Kokichi. You probably need all the water you can get… and that’s right, you’ve told me about your morning workouts. Do you think Kaito would be impressed with trapeze walking? I once traded traveling with a circus troupe for working for their circus, and learned the art of trapeze walking. It can be quite the exercise. Maybe that sort of showy sportsmanship will impress him into letting me adopt the child.” Temp chuckled, standing up and looking around the shopping district fondly.

“Alright. I’ll send a message tonight. Hopefully I will see you tomorrow, and we can get this whole process started… and you said you were planning to visit your husband tonight with Alter Ego? Call for me if you feel like you are in danger, or need assistance. I’ll come immediately. Okay?”

Kokichi nodded with a dry expression on his face. Even with the strides he’d made with his weight, he was still small. Cedar said the bikram was good for his respiratory system and metabolism and...well, it felt like a workout, and Kaito had always touted the benefits of exercise. 

He...just...hoped that he started to feel better soon. He knew the treatments were going to take a long time but...he’d been feeling so...tired and low for so long now. Thankfully Miya wasn’t born yet but...well, he could just hope to finally start feeling the benefits of the work when she was. 

While Kaito was still a question, the way Kokichi’s eyes lit up definitely meant that he was impressed. “You traveled with a circus!? And were in shows!?! That’s amazing!! I mean, Kai-chan’s been impressed with the parkour stuff my dad taught me, and he liked the D.I.C.E. show we went to so...maybe?”

Still gushing a little bit, Kokichi had to shake his head to re-center himself, giving Temp a thankful look. “I will--thanks, Temp. For that and everything.”

-

Kaito was trying very, very hard to raise his little tadpole fish children, but they kept slipping through his hands! 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, I’ve got you… hey! You three! I see you over there! I’ve got the rock wall for a reason, you’re not big enough to swim through the rest of the lake! Stay over here, come back to your siblings!”

The little fish children were, well, what you might imagine. Incredibly small, sweet looking children with little tadpole like aspects to their body, like tiny, tiny mermaids. They were so small that about three of four of them could rest in Kaito’s hand, and right now he was trying to hold a little more than that, because a few of the siblings had been fighting and it had ended up with too many hurt feelings, the group of kids crying and all wanting dad’s comfort. And he was trying! But they were so wet and slippery! Kaito frowned and fussed as some of the tadpoles slipped through his fingers, landing back in the small, sectioned off part of the lake that he was mentally calling ‘the pond’, the little tadpoles landing safely enough, but pouting up at him, clearly displeased. “It’s okay, come here, come here… hey! What, did you think I stopped looking? Try to jump that wall one more time, and I’m putting all three of you in timeout!”

Kaito was having… somewhat of a stress dream.

The rest of the afternoon and evening had been really nice. Kokichi had woken up with just an utter flood of affection and determination in him, and while Shuuichi had been partially the subject anyway, considering he was right next to Kokichi, he had been turned into the sole target. 

Kokichi had absolutely showered his boyfriend in praise and affection and devotion, littering him with kisses and soft touches and any sort of favor he could think of, to helping Shuuichi adjust to lay back on one of the special firm pillows they’d gotten, to massaging his legs as well as Kokichi could--which, after watching the master that was Kaito, was pretty satisfying. 

He’d been pleased in return that Shuuichi had been somewhat open to his affection, and after the massage, he and Kokichi had spent a good while trading kisses, all until Kaito had come by to let them know it was dinnertime, looking all too excited, and then put out when Kokichi and Shuuichi easily parted to get food. 

They’d even gotten a message from Temp, him inviting them out for dinner the next night! It had been a nice day after the stress of counselling. 

But Kokichi had a job to do, and he remembered as soon as he fell asleep. 

Looking around the lake and Kaito’s struggles with some worry, Kokichi hid himself in the reeds, whispering with...a bit of a wince. “Saint Madison? I’m sorry I’m here, but I needed to talk with you. If this was something I could solve without coming here, I would.”

Alter Ego’s tail twitched… twitched again… at least the environment of the lake was nice. It was warm and sunny and - AH!!

Before Kokichi and Alter Ego could do much of anything, vines suddenly shot up from the ground, encircling around them tightly before drawing them down, down, down, into the mud of the reeds, into the dirt, down, down, down…

When they were pulled through the final layer, suddenly up was down, and the vines pulled them up through some sirt, though the vines didn’t release them, as around them, three dogs growled, circling them as Alter Ego groaned-- why? Why had he made his defenses vines?? If he had known how often he was going to get caught up in them, he’d have made it cuddly, hugging bunnies or something-- and looked around. They were in some sort of… it looked like a Luminary street, but somewhat fake. Like a set of a Luminary street. Kaito’s lobby, but considerably weaker now…

Alter Ego sighed as heavy, heeled feet clacked their way up to them, as Saint Madison scowled down at them. “Well, here we are again… I’ll be honest. I was hoping the two of you would last longer before giving into the urge to meddle… you know the drill. State your case, or be gone. This is my place.”

In some ways, Kokichi was happy the vines actually attacked him this time. That happiness wasn’t very front and center, though, as he grimaced, bracing himself as the vines tugged him through the dirt and...huh. It was way more organized now. Maybe to make up for how the lobby looked…

Kokichi gave it a worried look before offering Saint Madison a weak smile. “Kai-chan’s breaking through his conditioning. While that’s something I’m, honestly, thrilled about, it shouldn’t be something he’s able to do himself. I already talked with Temp and he asked around the Empath community, and no one’s saying that it’s ‘cause of them. I…”

His smile faltered, giving into his worry. “...I know I’m not very practiced yet. I don’t know if I set up the tether between you and me right. I trust you to keep outsiders out, but...that doesn’t explain what’s happening to Kai-chan. Do you know?”

Saint Madison frowned… before saying, “No one’s been here. I’ve not challenged any visitors since the two of you left.”

“Then perhaps someone has been sneaking by- hrk.” 

The vines tightened around Alter Ego’s stomach for a moment, before taking a breath of relief as the vines loosened, Madison glaring at him as she said, “No one has gotten past me. I patrol rigorously. Nothing gets past me.”

“Right… but something has.” Alter Ego sad, bracing himself for another attack… though apparently that last warning squeeze was it, Madison just glaring at him as he said, “His conditioning has been laxing. That doesn’t happen by accident. Something’s happened…”

Madison just looked confused at this… before she waved her hand. The vines loosened off of them, and the dogs backed off. Sitting and slobbering a little, sniffing the air and looking much more chilled out. “I need more context.”

The thing was...Kokichi believed Saint Madison. Kaito’s mind wasn’t a physical space, where even the most diligent patroller could miss something just by the virtue of being unable to be everywhere. This space was metaphorical, and with how the defences worked, they could...more or less, “sense” any presence that wasn’t Kaito’s. For a defence that could essentially think for herself and adapt, if Saint Madison believed that she had been wary and digilent the entire time, Kokichi really believed that no one had gotten past. 

Because...if someone was coming to undo Kaito’s conditioning, why would they go to such lengths to conceal themselves when there were plenty of people without defences to help out too?

Carefully untangling himself from the vines to stand back on the ground, Kokichi almost idly offered his arms as a place for Alter Ego to rest as he began to explain. “Over the past few months, Kai-chan has started to act...different. Some stuff I thought was just the absence of that dillhole, and others...like, maybe without someone messing with him all the time, Kai-chan’s been able to sort through some stuff. I...pretty much have just been thinking it’s some sort of personal revelation he had while I’ve been awake, so I never pushed it.”

“But today in therapy…” Kokichi’s brows furrowed, not upset, but confused, and from that confusion came worry. “He stands up for himself when we argue. He believes in himself in situations he’s always backed down from before. He...he flat out said that he was expecting to defer to me in our marriage, but he doesn’t want to be controlled. And that was a recent thing he discovered about himself…”

“...he sees me and Byakuya as completely different people. And with how he’s been, apparently it’s freaked Byakuya out enough to demand that he see a healer, after Kai-chan’s insisted that it’s not “someone ordering him to act weird” to his brother.” Kokichi chewed his lip before looking back up at Saint Madison. “All that...screams that something’s happening with his conditioning. I even thought it while I was awake. But considering the degree and long timeframe, it… Temp explained that something like this would require a strong empath basically living in Kai-chan’s head for months. But...no one else is here…”

“...I don’t know what more context to prove in return.” Madison admitted, frowning, “I understand the context of conditioning and it’s requirements to be fixed… as much as you understood it when you created me.” Madison said, looking to Kokichi, “And I know it would require a powerful empath regularly visiting to help him. And that’s just not been happening.”

“...would you know what it looked like if it did?” Alter Ego asked.

“...what do you mean?” 

“Everything in the consciousness is portrayed in metaphor.” Alter Ego said, speaking slowly, thinking aloud partially to himself as he reasoned it out, “Conditioning, at least in some way, must follow that same rule. It’s too well organized not to, really. Would you recognize, Madison-”

“Saint Madison,” she corrected.

“-...” Alter Ego sighed, “Saint Madison, would you recognize seeing a sign of the conditioning as it was happening?”

The saint seemed to consider this...before shaking her head. “Kokichi didn’t know what it looked like when he made me, and Kaito doesn’t know how to recognize it. So, no. I don’t know what it looks like. Only what Tengan’s specific influence looked like, and I have not seen those same red ribbons since.”

...okay.

Alter Ego looked at Kokichi, and said, “If she knew what she was looking for, she might be able to tell us what’s happening. We can find out easily… but it would require you maybe doing something mildly uncomfortable… do you think, for observation purposes, you could try to trigger it on purpose? His conditioning?”

...that was an issue. Saint Madison was an incredible defence...but her knowledge was limited to the pool between him and Kaito. If there was something they both didn’t know, then...they were kind of shit out of luck. 

...the obvious solution was experimentation but…

Kokichi gave his mentor a strained look. “It’s more than mildly uncomfortable… Doing that to Kai-chan makes me sick to even think about.”

But then what would they do? Something was happening, but no one had seen any signs. This was a blind spot, but…

Kokichi covered his face with a strained groan. Then peeked his eyes out at the saint. “...if I do...to figure out what’s going on...can I help him out in his dream? It looked stressful and...I can’t just walk in to make it worse then leave…”

Now it was Saint Madison’s turn to look conflicted. This went against her primary objective, which was to keep Kaito’s mind free of intrusion… but. Her secondary objection was to protect Kaito from outside influence. And the conditioning was an outside influence, even if she didn’t know how it worked.  Allowing the first objective to be bent would help with the secondary…

She scowled, but beside her, a door appeared and opened, the smell of a lake coming through. “Fine… but if he asks me to make you leave? If he feels alarmed or afraid of you? I’m kicking you out. Understand?”

Even though Saint Madison was allowing it...Kokichi looked over at the door with no happiness. Only guilt and dread. “More than understood. ...I really hope this answers something big…”

He would hate himself if it was for nothing. 

Walking through the door, Kokichi found himself back at the lake...pond. This part was the pond. Maybe as a way to already try to make this up to Kaito, Kokichi changed his clothes, wearing water-suited overalls with little carrier slings instead of pockets over a skin-tight light green swim shirt, his hair pulled up and out of the way. 

Coming closer to the pond, Kokichi frowned, partly as part of the act, but...how would he even try to trigger Kaito’s conditioning? The times he’d, well, noticeably done it before was stopping Kaito from killing people. Orders, he knew...but…

Coming up to Kaito, Kokichi gasped, reaching over to scoop up some of the kids that Kaito had dropped in the pond. “Kai-chan, careful! It still hurts if you drop them too high up!”

He cradled some of the tiny children, smiling softly at them even as his chest filled with a horrible feeling, turning a disappointed and annoyed frown over to his husband. “Honestly… I thought I told you to go pick Shuu-chan up this afternoon. Leave the kids, I’ll handle them. Go see Shuu-chan.”

...he wanted to vomit. To cry and apologize right there and then...maybe even try bowing again. He felt sick…

“Shhh, hey, I‘m sorry, it’s okay, Dad’s here… wait, where’s your brother? And sister? And other brother? I swear to Atua if you jumped the wall I am grounding you forev- oh, okay.” Kaito gave a shaky sigh of relief, seeing the troublesome trio were now handing out near the far right soil, finally losing interest in the wall, though… “Hey! Don’t take her pebble, give that back! I didn’t raise you to steal things! Yes, I’m talking to you, don’t- oh!” 

Kaito felt the crying tadpoles fall from his hands again, quickly reaching down to scoop them up… but was pretty startled, his shoulders jumping, when Kokichi came in to his right, leaning down and getting the fallen tadpoles. Kaito honestly lit up, so relieved, thank god, he was starting to feel a little overwhelmed-

What? Oh. Oh fuck, he had forgotten to pick up Shuuichi… shit he had said he was going to do that, Shuuichi was counting on him to get him. But… but Kaito couldn’t just leave the kids! He had… had he been supposed to do something? Call Ikou or Hajime or something? He couldn’t remember… he couldn’t leave the kids. There was no one else to watch them, there were so many of them, he had too-

The laws of Kaito’s nightmare fought with his husbands orders, briefly. The crux of the nightmare was that there was a lot to do, kid wise, and Kaito had to figure it out on his own. If Kaito looked away for a second, some of his kids could get lost, or die, or would be sad, or, for fucks sake you three, grow up to be some real bad apples! He couldn’t leave, he had to watch the kids…

Kokichi said he had to go.

Kokichi knew better. Of course he knew better! Shuuichi needed to be picked up! He needed… but the kids- no, no, relax, just do what Kokichi said, if you try to overthink this, you’re just going to make everything worse, you’re just going to-

Around him, not as thick as the red ribbons, which had curled around his wrists and neck almost like ribbons around a present, but small, thin, bright yellow lines started to pull at Kaito, tight enough to cut, tight enough to sting, everywhere. They were everywhere, and while he started to feel the sting in plenty of places, around his neck the thin, biting yellow ribbons grew tighter and tighter and-

“Ugh, these fucking things again.” Madison grumbled, stepping out of the water and, taking her sword, effortlessly swinging through them. 

Kaito gave a small gasp of air as the ribbons started to be severed, each swing easing the strain against him. The thoughts were still entering his head, but it wasn’t… painful, now, or all consuming. More like intrusive thoughts that annoyed or stressed him out, but… weren’t impossible to deny. Kaito felt himself relax ever so slightly, and really think about what he should do next.

As Kaito thought, Madison gave Kokichi an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, I’ll step back in a second so you may continue the test. I just fucking hate those things. He always starts to panic when they show up, and the more you leave them the tighter they get, so it’s best to just cut them as soon as they arrive. Alright, one more second… okay!” She said, cutting the last of them away, Kaito rubbing the back of his neck appreciatively as the stress eased up there, “Okay! Return to your experiment! Let’s see what these conditionings look like!”

Over in the reeves, Alter Ego’s mouth fucking fell open… were you kidding? What?

Kaito, in turn, sighed… before saying guiltily to Kokichi, “I’m sorry I forgot babe. But… could you go get Shuuichi this time? Those three over in the corner keep trying to jump into the lake, and if they get in, you can’t swim to go fetch them, so… I don’t know if it’s a good idea for me to go right now...”

Kokichi’s eyes widened, first in horror, as hundreds of little yellow strings began cutting and strangling Kaito, witnessing the panic and...nightmarish feeling of conditioning. It was probably a different metaphor for everyone, but...if this is what everyone was dealing with? ...Kaito had said that people lost their minds trying to resist it. Kokichi knew there wasn’t any way to, but seeing it first hand…

But he’d barely opened his mouth to take it all back when Saint Madison appeared. Just...nonchalantly explaining as she cut through them like nothing. 

...an empath that lived in your mind full-time. 

Now Kokichi’s eyes were wide with astonishment, his mouth agape. ...were the two of them really that oblivious?

For a moment, Kokichi couldn’t even respond to Kaito. A defence he’d made was...remotely fixing conditioning all on her own. Something that shouldn’t even be possible, according to Alter Ego and Temp, and yet…

Kokichi’s eyes filled with tears, though he could only laugh. “Mystery solved…”

While Kaito just looked confused at that, before getting distracted by a few of the kids whining for his attention, demanding to be held, Alter Ego rushed over to Kokichi, staring at Madison in wide eyed, almost disbelieving awe. Kaito spared the cat a quick, confused glanced, before uncomfortably shifting his body slightly to block the kids from the feline. Not fucking eating any of his kids, cat…

“What did you make?” Alter Ego finally could bring himself to ask, giving Kokchi a disbelieving look, “What did you… how? This is… Kokichi, do you realize if what we’re looking at is what we think it is, how huge this is? A type of defense an empath can make and leave behind that will eradicate the effects of conditioning… if other empaths could replicate this technique… oh my god, this could cure people en masse…” Alter Ego whispered, floored by the implications of this, “How did you do this?”

The tiny children in Kokichi’s hands seemed to be distressed at the sight of tears rolling down their daddy’s cheeks, and Kokichi could only gently rock them, bringing them up for a moment to ever so softly place a kiss on each of their little heads. Though, the rapturous look on his face never left. 

“I don’t know…” Kokichi whispered, though his endlessly grateful look never left the saint. “I knew that Kaito’s belief in Atua was the strongest there was… He told me the story of Saint Madison, a protector. And in that moment, all I wanted was him to be safe and protected… And now…”

The tears ran a little thicker, Kokichi beaming up at the holy woman. “Saint Madison, you’re protecting him even from himself. From the binds that others trained his mind into. This...really does feel like a miracle.”

“But…” he sniffled, looking from the saint to the cat, “I do have a dream to help. Let me help out Kai-chan, then we can talk?”

Alter Ego was still floored. This was… incredible. Empaths most powerful and dedicated minds hadn’t figured out how to do something like this yet, and the empath community tried. Being essentially trapped long term in a persons mind to help them was what made breaking conditioning so difficult, so resource consuming, and so dangerous, it giving Flora plenty of time to find and deal with you. However... If you only needed a day to get in, make a suitable defense, and then can just leave it? Probably with a tether, in case anyone tried to break the defense, but beyond that… this was HUGE! This was…

Alter Ego got pulled out of their thoughts, looking over to the happy, if somewhat overwhelmed Kokichi, and to the stressed out, overwhelmed in a different way Kaito, and took a breath. This was huge, but Kokichi deserved to take his time with this. They wouldn’t solve conditioning overnight (though holy SHIT it felt like they could, in this moment) and Alter Ego would do no good pulling Kokichi away from his husband and leaving them both stressed out.

So, instead, he said, “Of course. Take all the time you need. When you’re ready, call for me, I’ll swing over to your consciousness from mine. For now I’ll go. Just… wow, Kokichi… this is huge… wow.”

And with that, Alter Ego was gone.

Meanwhile, Madison gave Kokichi a hard look… before saying to him, “Same rules still apply. Now that he knows your here, it’s fine, but the second he wants you gone, or I feel you distressing him? You’re out.” Then she paused, Kokichi’s knowledge catching up with hers… and she said, “Huh. So that’s what those annoying things are.”

And she was gone.

“Shhh, oh, I know, I know, Dad’s such a brute, I know. Come on, you, oh, shoot.” Kaito cursed, looking alarmed as two more of his kids slipped through his hands, splashing back down into the water. He shot a guilty, ashamed look to Kokichi, before saying, “Sorry, sorry, I don’t mean to do that. They’re so slippery… look, babe, if you need me to, I can go get Shuuichi, I just… I just gotta figure out how to keep everyone in the pond first, and then I’ll go, I promise...”

This was monumental...but at the end of it, right now, Kokichi had his husband, and they had some kids to take care of. 

Sniffling and blinking to try and stem the tears, Kokichi shook his head a little, a wet laugh coming out of his mouth. “No, I’m sorry...I’m so forgetful sometimes. I went by and Shuu-chan said he was gonna spend a little time with Drake and Nadya before coming home. I’m sorry for snapping at you...c’mon, let’s get all these troublemakers settled, huh?”

Settling on the bank of the pond, Kokichi let his legs rest in the water, smiling adoringly at the kids that swam closer to have some contact with him. “So slimy today, huh? That’s good, it means you’re all healthy, but it makes Dad and Daddy have trouble keeping you close! Kai-chan, I can cradle some in my slings, if you need help keeping track of everyone. We can spend time together in the shallows, keeping nice and cool.”

At this Kaito gave a somewhat shaky chuckle, feeling already immensely relieved that Kokichi wasn’t in as foul a mood as he had appeared. Phew… that had been kinda scary. It took a lot to get Kokichi to get that snippy with him. Heck, Kaito couldn’t actually remember a time after Koh when he had. 

And, frankly, the effect of having their daddy around was immediate, the little two-faced daddy’s-boys and girls. The kids loved it when Daddy came by to spend time with them, and now all of the sudden they were all cute and on their best behavior, including the trouble-trio, most of the tadpoles rushing over and peering happily up at him, swimming around his legs and clambering together for chances at head pats and strokes. 

Kaito sighed, gently laying back into the water the tadpoles that he had been holding, and while a few of them still wanted to hang out next to his legs, most of them were still aiming for Kokichi. He really was so good with them… “I like the outfit, babe. That new?” Kaito asked, feeling himself relax a little, the situation more under control.

Though, now that he was finally looking at Kokichi full on… “Hey? Is something the matter? Were you crying?” He asked gently, reaching over to place a thumb at the corner of Kokichi’s eye, wiping away some leftover of a tear.

Kokichi giggled at all the tadpoles crowding him, all hoping for attention. Ever so gently, he helped the few in his hands into a few of the slings on his overalls, the fabric already wet enough to keep the kids comfortable, and he scooped up a few more, giving them kisses now too. 

“Yeah, Ikuo helped me pick it out. He said it would be a help during naptime so the kids wouldn’t drift away, but I think it’s kinda helpful all the time. I like being able to have kid-time--yes, even with you, don’t even give me that look. I love you, sweetheart.” Kokichi raised his eyebrow playfully at one of the kids who’d given a pout, scooping them up for a kiss as well. 

Leaning into Kaito’s touch, Kokichi gave his husband a soft look. It would take time, but...they’d already put a lot of time in. Really...his husband was free. “I’m okay… I saw something that made me really happy, and I started crying. I would tell you, but…” Kokichi laughed, giving his husband a wink. “It’s a surprise. I think you’ll find out soon enough, though.”

“Yeah? Sounds like a good thing… alright. If you’re sure you’re not upset.” Kaito grinned, leaning in to give Kokichi a small kiss-- ignoring the literal dozens of chorus’s of ‘ewwww’ from the peanut gallery-- as he said, “I’m looking forward to the surprise then… though, if the surprise could be us raising that rock wall up a little?” Kaito sighed, glaring at it, “The kids are getting too big for it. They’re gonna manage to jump it one of these days. God knows they keep trying. They’re determined to make my hair fall out, I swear.”

Still… now that the crisis was over? This was nice. Just him and Kokichi at the lake with their dozens of strange, tiny tadpole mermaid children. They looked cute, all tucked away in Kokichi’s slip, some of them playing with each other, a few yawning, being in the slip making them think it was an early nap time… and Kokichi, of course, looked beautiful.

“...thanks for coming to check up on, us, ‘Kichi.” Kato murmured, taking his husband's hand and bringing it up, kissing against Kokichi’s pinky, before sighing. As he turned his face up to the sun, just enjoying the heat and peace of it for a moment, he said with a chuckle, “Got a little nervous there, for a second… it’s always nice to know you’re on the way. This would be really hard to do alone. Ya know?”

Kokichi smiled into their kiss, giving some of the kids a pat to make up for the gross adult affection they’d had to witness. “We should take them swimming soon… Maybe next time Ikuo and Hajime can both babysit, we can bring just a few of the kids out at a time, get them used to swimming in bigger water. We should make sure the wall’s gonna hold, but if they’re so determined to see the rest of the lake, it’d be good to teach them to be able to swim in it. We’re not keeping you in the pond just to be mean, yanno,” Kokichi teased, knowingly looking at the trouble-trio, even if they were always darlings to him.

Comfortable, Kokichi leaned his head against Kaito’s shoulder, his hands still making their rounds to make sure every one of their kids felt loved. “Course. We’re a team, hun. There’s so much my Kai-chan is capable of, but whenever he needs a hand, or even a cheerleader, I’m right there with you. And I know I can count on you too.”

“We could do that, yeah. Gotta get you some floaties or something…” Kaito murmured, reaching down and gently starting to play with the tadpoles around his legs, putting a few of his fingers in the water and, with a small grin, spinning the water around them. Now this got some of the tadpole kids attention, wanting to go play in the ‘whirlpools’, giggling in excitement as their cute, strange bodies spun and swirled in the dad-made tides.

Kaito knew he was setting himself up. Once the kids started playing, they’d want the whirlpools waaaaay past the point his arms would get tired… but, well, that was Kaito in twenty minutes problem. Current Kaito was just enjoying making his kids laugh.

“Yeah… Still haven’t got floating down. I’m happy for them, but it’s a little embarrassing that our kids know how to swim before I do.” Kokichi laughed along with his family, reaching over to make little ripples in the water so the little mermaids would have more to play with…

And at the same time, for how much he really could just spend the whole night in Kaito’s head, spending time with him and his subconscious--and conscious too--desires to be a good dad, he’d promised not to linger too long. And there was something pretty big to talk about. 

Carefully, Kokichi focused, leaving behind an impression of himself, though it was easier when he could feel Kaito’s memories of him filling the space. If he remembered it, it would be a fun dream to think about in the morning. Finally, Kokichi let himself completely fall away, sending a brief feeling of thanks to Saint Madison before he left through a portal, falling back on the grass of the castle’s backyard. 

Temp had told him he’d be there in trouble, but...this was big. Before they figured out what this meant for Kokichi’s future and for the community, it’d...be helpful to talk to people he trusted. Reaching out, Kokichi let out a feeling of “I’m back” to his two friends.

As usual, Alter Ego leapt through the air, a portal connecting Kokichi’s mind to theirs opening up as he pounced. He landed in the grass, his whole body shaking for a second, before he started to lick at his paw, cleaning his face, murmuring, “Wild… it’s so wild…”

The Templar, in turn, just seemed to step out of literal nothingness, in his ceremonial outfit, looking calm and collected as he gave both Kokichi and Alter Ego respectful nods. “You called? What’s so wild, abomination?”

Alter Ego didn’t look phase by the less than kind nickname, just shaking their head in wonder, “Kokichi’s pulled off something I’ve never heard of before, Death SIMP.” The Templar snorted at that, looking mildly amused. “For one, he’s made a defense that’s capable of learning…”

“That’s not unheard of. Adaptable defenses are difficult to pull off, but not unheard of-”

“And it’s teaching itself how to fix conditioning.”

“... what?” Temp asked, looking stunned. He turned to Kokichi for confirmation, “...really? You’ve both seen this for yourself?”

Kokichi sighed softly at his friends’ jabs at each other, but...for as different as their views were, they could still work together, and they were both his friends. It never seemed like it would escalate into anything, so he could just laugh a bit at the names. 

Sitting up from the lawn, Kokichi nodded, his expression more serious. “She didn’t even know that’s what she was doing. Just just saw something that made Kai-chan panicked and upset, and took care of it without a second thought. Apparently, she’s been doing it enough to just be annoyed by his conditioning now. It’s...incredible.”

“But… I don’t know what I did to make her different from any other adaptive defence,” he admitted, looking up with a furrowed brow. “And I have no idea if I can replicate it…”

Temp frowned at that… tapping at his at arm as, entirely idly, he brought his legs up into a criss-cross, floating in the air as he thought.

“...This could, honestly, without exaggerating, be one of the most important discoveries from an Empath in… well, since they figured out how to condition people…” Temp murmured, brow furrowed, gazing with slight concern at nothing, his ancient mind racing. “...give me a moment…”

There was quiet, Alter Ego’s tail flicking back and forth as they stared up at The Templar, who seemed deeply lost in thought. Eventually too much time past, and the cat, growing somewhat impatient, said, “Would you at least think alo-”

“We can’t tell anyone about it yet.” Temp said, a frown on his face, but his tone entirely certain, “We can’t even hint it. Not to anyone. Not until we know exactly what we’re talking about, and can quickly and efficiently teach it to others… if the Flora find out we’ve discovered and are developing a way to quickly and efficiently cure conditioning? They’ll never stop trying to stop us before we can get the word out. They stand too much to lose.”

“Perhaps that’s a good reason to tell everyone. If everyone’s working on how to create a defense like this, then it would be pointless to target just us three.” Alter Ego reasoned out, “And it could be replicated quicker, with more people working on it.”

“...No. Or… more, only if Kokichi is ready for far, far too many Empaths trying to peek into his husband’s head, looking to study the original success story,” Temp said, giving Kokichi a concerned look, “That’s why we need to know how to replicate it ourselves before we tell anyone. The Empath community wants to fix conditioning. We feel responsible for it. If they have what they believe is an opening to do so? They’re not going to value Kaito’s privacy or mental wellbeing over that goal. I’m assuming that won’t be tolerable.”

It was...astounding. Maki told him that there were workarounds that helped, that there had been rumors of people breaking conditioning, though any that had been ‘solved’ were bull. If he had really found a way to break it? Then it wouldn’t just be stopping any new people from being conditioned through the dismantling of the program. They couldn’t take back the pain that had caused it in the first place, but they could undo the effects of anyone who’d already gone through it. 

Maki and Shuuichi and Tim...maybe even some of those kids coming over, all of the refugees that had been indentured, everyone still stuck in that program in Luminary…

It was something that needed to happen. But it wasn’t in a vacuum. The Flora were a huge factor. ...so were Empaths that were a bit more nosy than Kokichi was. 

Kokichi’s expression darkened a bit. “No way...Kai-chan isn’t an experiment, and he’s not a sacrifice. There are ways to do this without throwing someone on a chopping block.”

“So...how would we try and replicate it?” he asked, feeling...less than completely sure about saying “we”, but feeling brave enough to say it at all. “I don’t think just making a bunch of Saint Madison’s would work, since I made her specifically for Kai-chan, and...I don’t think we’d learn too much just experimenting here.”

Kokichi wrinkled his nose, heart sinking a little. “...we’d need to actually see if the defence can deal with conditioning.” And none of them were conditioned. 

Alter Ego chuckled grimly, “Damn… four people from Luminary, and none of my shards have any conditioning on them. So, there’s no volunteering any of us to do it…” Alter Ego sighed, before squaring their little kitty shoulders, saying grimly, “...I don’t suppose any of know anyone who’d be… willing to be experimented on?”

“In Dicea? Maybe a hundred years ago, but now, unfortunately, I don’t personally know anyone with conditioning. Finding random people with the issue isn’t unreasonably difficult, but… beyond asking them in their minds for permission? It’d still be more than a bit intrusive, hopping from stranger to stranger, asking if they’d be willing to have an experimental defense in their head for a few months… not to mention we’d have to keep checking back on them. Or trying again when we failed. It’ll be incredibly intrusive…” The Templar sighed, running a hand through his black hair, before he said, “I try not to do stuff like that anymore, but… for something as important as this? The two of you don’t have to join me in doing something so uncomfortable. I can try to replicate Kokichi’s success on my own…”

Alter Ego sighed, “No, at least not on my part… though, I do feel a little… weird about just intruding on strangers…”

Kokichi closed his eyes, that sinking feeling in his chest continuing. “I want to be able to help people. It makes me so happy that I was able to do this for Kai-chan… If there’s anything I can do to help, I want to.”

Though the thought of just strolling into people’s minds, maybe making regular visits, being a foriegn party in a mind that had already been taken advantage of so badly…

“...what if it wasn’t strangers?” He felt a bit sick, and his voice was soft and unsure. But...it would mean the consent meant a bit more…

Both Alter Ego and Temp looked confused, but Alter Ego only for a moment, before their golden eyes widened, only just now remembering, “Oh, right… you do know some conditioned…”

“More than just your husband?” Temp asked, looking surprised at that… before looking annoyed with himself, bonking his palm lightly against his forehead as he said, “Oh, of course… the assassin.”

“And the detective.” Alter Ego added in gently, before realizing, “Actually… the soldier too…”

...their tail flicked, and looking somewhat pissed at themselves, they corrected, “Sorry, that’s not the correct way to refer to them. In Luminary, referring to Indentured by their job titles over their name was pretty common, but that’s not an excuse. Shuuichi, Maki and… Timothy, correct? Kaito’s and Maki’s son? All three of them have conditioning, don’t they?”

The Templar looked surprised at that, “Are they conditioning detectives now? I wonder how that happened. Someone must have really fucked up to make detectives an Indentured positon…”

Kokichi gave Temp a somewhat surprised look in turn. “Really? Shuu-chan said that it was, like...a solely indentured person-filled position… but.” He shook his head, getting back on track. “...I know more than them too. But I don’t want to experiment on Tim, not ‘til we know more about what we’re doing.”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he closed his eyes for a moment. “...I don’t really feel good about experimenting on anyone, but Tim’s nine. I can’t do something like that to him. Shuu-chan and Maki-chan though…”

“Shuu-chan’s told me before that he’d get rid of his conditioning if he could. There are certain things from it he likes, like being able to relive a day in his dreams, but on the whole, he wants it gone. He’s...not very happy with the idea of being experimented on, but he might agree if I ask.” He hoped… At some point he wanted to help his family with their conditioning, and Shuuichi had lamented more than once about the shoddy job he’d been given. 

“Maki-chan...hasn’t as obviously complained, but she hates how certain people can just order her around. And considering what she’s doing right now, that might help her out a lot. She might agree just from the immediate benefits.”

“And the others…” Kokichi sighed again. “I don’t know. But it might be better for them to be asked by someone they know. It’s still experimentation but...I’m willing to wager the trust people have in me, if it gives them a chance for this.”

“Well, it still feels better to have a pool of people to choose from who aren’t just… random people in Luminary trying to live their lives. Actually, on that note, even if we did go the ‘stranger’ route, we’d have to be careful not to put anyone in danger by breaking their conditioning while they’re in a place where that would anger the people around them. At least we could guarantee your friends their safety in the real world, without that consequence looming over their head.” Alter Ego mused, tilting his head curiously.

“We should make an agreement now, to only do these experiments together.” Temp decided, crossing his arms, “I think, for the experiments to be labeled a ‘success’, we need to be able to get to a point where any of the three of us can perform it upon request and understand how we do it. So far, only Kokichi has successfully made one, and he has no idea how he did it, but only him being capable of doing it at all doesn’t help anyone, really. Especially considering we’re all similar power levels, as far as raw Empath abilities go, if myself and Alter Ego can’t replicate your success? If it really just was a one time fluke? Than we shouldn’t tell anyone about it at all. People knowing will only put you in danger, Kokichi.”

“I’ll try it, next time.” Alter Ego decided, looking determined, “And I agree with the idea that we should only do these experiments together. If we can’t figure out how to teach each other how to do this method, then we won’t be able to teach others. Plus, it’ll keep us all accountable to how we’re treating the consciousness’s we’re experimenting with. What do you think, Kokichi? Anything else we should decide on now, while we’re brainstorming how to go about this?”

Kokichi frowned a bit, not having thought of that himself. Shuuichi had told him about how much danger he’d been in from not having his obedience training stick. Without the compulsion, there were probably a good chunk of people who wouldn’t be able to fake it to keep themselves safe. And until the program was dismantled and the contracts annulled, there would be no way for some people to be safe. 

Asking people who were already free would be safest for everyone… And for the folks in the revolution, it might be able to help them out a lot, making sure that no one could stop them. 

Guiltily, Kokichi was reminded of Maki’s furiously huddled form in the brewery, humming to herself and unable to quit.

“I agree to doing this together too. And...well, it already sounds like you guys are already on board for only doing this for people who consent. We listen to their terms. And...I don’t want to ask kids until we’re sure about how to do this.” ...though...there were two kids that might bend that rule. He’d talk to Maki first. She was responsible for them, after all. 

“And…” Kokichi looked over both his friends, giving them a worried look. They both were more experienced than him, less volatile. But still… “When I made Saint Madison, it really fucked me up. If you’re willing to expend that much power, make sure you’re safe to do so. I know it’s more of an issue for me, but we can’t kill ourselves to help people.”

Alter Ego stretched his body, before saying, “Maybe on fridays for me, then… Hiro doesn’t do readings on saturdays. If there’s any day that he could be kept in bed all day recovering, then it’s saturdays. As for me? I should be fine whenever…”

“I’m fairly good at managing my power bursts. If I over-exert myself, I’ll at least know I’m doing it, and be able to mitigate the effects.” Temp assured them… before admitting, “When I’m responsible for a child, I may need to make certain I have a baby sitter or a some sort of daycare to help out with the next day.”

“Oh! Are you pregnant, Templar?” Alter Ego asked, meaning in the sense of if he was a part of a couple that was pregnant.

Temp shook his head, before shrugging, “Some young woman out there is. I’m actually planning to start the adoption attempt tomorrow… oh.” Temp, almost ridiculously, gave Kokichi a thumbs up, “No complaints from the man upstairs. I should be good to go.”

Kokichi nodded. Thankfully he was already prone to having random days where he struggled to get out of bed, so until he remembered, it wouldn’t be suspicious. Especially if the three of them all took turns trying to make the super defense. When he remembered, though...well, he could try to make sure to have his turn on a day when he knew Kaito or Shuuichi or Ikuo or any of the others who had offered themselves for kid-duty would be able to come by. 

...and it would be a little easier if they only had Miya to worry about. 

Kokichi perked, grinning. “That’s awesome! Kai-chan was excited to have dinner out too, so we’re all set for tomorrow.”

Taking pity on Alter Ego’s confusion, Kokichi gave his mentor a more sheepish smile. “My family’s been helping out in the adoption process for a baby that’s coming late this spring--not my daughter, though the other kid’s coming at about the same time. My husband and I are gonna hang out with Temp tomorrow to try and get the ball rolling more.”

“Wow...I’m going to try to be doing a literal world changing experiment with two new fathers… oof.” Alter Ego chuckled, shaking his head in amusement, “You both are going to be so sleep deprived.”

“I don’t sleep much either way, and I’ve have some experience raising children already… Kokichi’s gonna be a wreck though.” Temp also chuckled, also looking amused. He had the sort of confidence of someone on their fourth child, looking at a soon to be brand new parents, snickering at their innocence. “We’ll have to be careful not to monopolize too much sleeping time. He’ll be delusional otherwise. Make some weird defenses.”

Kokichi sighed, slumping over a little though there was a soft smile on his face. “Hey, maybe the kind of logic me might need at times will be sleep-deprived logic. You never know what make sense to someone’s brain.”

Still...he was going to try and not completely fry his brain. Even with all the help they had, Miya was going to be demanding, and Kokichi was looking forward to that. 

...hopefully she would find herself in a world kinder than it had been. It took a lot of strength to be kind in a cruel place, and Kokichi was hoping they could slowly build up to that kind of strength. He hoped it would never have to be tested, but...it was all he could do to make sure she was prepared. 

“Speaking of, I should probably get some sleep tonight, since my nap earlier wasn’t that long.” Stretching out his neck, Kokichi gave his friends a fond look. “Is there anything we can do now to try and get started, or leave it for another night?”

“It can wait. Honestly, there’s probably a bunch of little details that we’ll only realize need hashing out once we actually start… but…” Alter Ego smiled… in his kitty way, anyway. The joy clear on his face. “It’s amazing that this is something we can actually do… this might very well be our legacy.”

“If we succeed? It will certainly be a chapter in the history books. A chapter the average person may never get the chance to read, but a chapter regardless…” Temp agreed, nodding his head... before looking at his two friends. A curious look in his gaze.

“We’re an interesting group to do it as well…a creature of consciousness, the prince of Dicea, and the Templar of Bathul…” Temp smirked. “How interesting. It’ll be an honor to change the world with you, gentlemen.” 

It was a hell of a legacy to leave, if they managed to pull it off. Kokichi wasn’t particularly interested in doing it for the select fame, but...personally? Knowing that he had contributed to something that amazing, knowing that he’d been able to help so many people...it was something he could be proud of. 

Hopefully it was something he could explain to his daughter one day too. 

Kokichi laughed a bit at the motley crew they made, enjoying the last few moments with his friends, making plans, before he let himself sleep. 

-

And sleep was where Kokichi found himself again a bit before he and Kaito were going to meet up with Temp. He’d been exhausted after his session with Cedar, so in a rare, but not unheard of turn, he’d asked Ikuo if he’d mind walking Shuuichi home that day. Shuuichi could walk himself home fine, but...it was nice to have someone waiting for you. 

In the meantime...Kokichi was out cold, snuffling away on their bed.

Okay! 

Tim and the girls book reports were taken care of. Kaito had just spent two hours sitting through, critiquing, and then sitting through again, three children's book reports that three personalities that were a variety of enthusiasm vs. actual willingness to read the material. Kaito found this out the hard way, when he was thumbing through Kimiko’s book while listening to her report for the third time, and realized… “Kimiko? How far into this book did you… actually read?”

And Kimiko, with a sweet, innocent smile, confidently told him, “Four chapters!  … I skimmed the rest! It’s okay though, I’ve got the gist!”

And then Kaito had to explain to the increasingly panicked little girl that the cute slice of life book she had picked was actually an apocalypse book that only started half way through. And then he had asked Timothy and Cali if they had also ‘skimmed’ through their books…

Anyway, long story short, the girls had been, uh… well, ‘threatened’ with future notes home to their parents unless they got home, read the rest of these damn books, and tomorrow Kaito was going to sit with them all afternoon to make sure these damn reports were right. 

But, okay! Shuuichi was walking home with Ikou, and it was fine for dinner! Now to just go pick up his no doubtedly already prepared and ready to go husba-....

Kaito quietly closed the door behind him, before sighing, running a hand over his hair. Ah geez…

Sitting at the edge of the bed, Kaito thought about just letting him sleep… maybe he could get a message to Temp?...shoot he had no idea where that guy lived. He had met him, like, once months ago now, and otherwise had only seen him briefly, dropping Kokichi off back home, picking him up for shopping trips with the ladies. Kaito was thrilled to be invited to dinner! But Temp probably wouldn’t want to eat with him and not Kokichi… maybe they could reschedule?

...eh, let’s just see how ‘Kichi was feeling first.

Running his hand over Kokichi’s hair, Kaito said gently, “Heeeey… babe? ‘Kichiiiii… you in there babe?”

Kokichi stirred slightly, obviously very tempted to just go back to sleep. He still went to training regularly with the others but...sometimes he’d wake up and realize that it was breakfast, and the others had just left him to sleep. It was kind, and it really did feel like he needed the rest, but…

Well, it meant that Kokichi didn’t always have the dedication to actually wake up when someone tried to rouse him. 

However, this time Kokichi sleepily blinked his eyes open, making a pleased sort of sound when he saw Kaito over him. “Mm...Kai-chan!” 

He was tempted to roll over and ask if his husband wanted to cuddle, but as his mind woke up a little more, Kokichi stretched. Dinner. Right. They still did every now and then, but it was rare for Temp to wanna hang out without the girls. Even more to meet up with Kokichi’s partners--or just Kai-chan in this case. He’d been surprised, and Kokichi had half an idea that...maybe Temp had asked so he could get to know Kaito more. He hadn’t brought up the rumors again since that first time, but...if he wanted to get to know Kaito as a person…

There was no way Kokichi wanted to miss out on this dinner.

“Shoot...sorry, I meant to wake up before you came back from working with the kids…” Stifling a yawn, Kokichi squinted at the clock, relieved to see he hadn’t totally over-slept. “Mm, just lemme wash my face and put my shoes on then we can head down, okay?”

Kaito… twitched. 

“...Yeah, I mean… we’re going out into public, but… I mean, you could just… wash your face… and nothing else…”

… yeah no, Kokichi’s hair was a mess from his nap, Kaito wasn’t allowing that. “Let me just brush your hair real quick, put in a little conditioning, what outfit are you wearing, not that one, right? We’re going to a restaurant Kokichi, why don’t we put on something nice-”

Kokichi pouted and looked down at his outfit. “This is nice. I changed before I went to sleep…” Sure, it was nothing fancy, but that was because Kokichi didn’t like wearing “fancy” clothes. But it was still nice! He was wearing one of the pairs of slacks Kaito had gotten him for Unity with the cuffs rolled up to his mid-shin with a light, open jacket and a fun patterned shirt tucked into his pants. And, of course, one of his ever-growing collection of neckerchiefs, this one the black and white floral one Shuuichi had gotten him. 

Sighing, Kokichi walked off to go to the bathroom. “You can brush my hair, but I don’t wanna be late. My clothes are fine--we don’t even know where we’re going yet, right? This is a nice, good for most occasions look.”

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, you look great babe… but can we at least iron it or something, you were just sleeping in it and-”

-

It took a while, and, frankly, they were dangerously on the verge of being more than fashionably late when they headed down to the gate.

Kaito was, still, fussing with his own outfit, fiercely debating with himself if his button up shirt should be two buttons open, ooooor, the more scandalous three. Three would show off his pecks better, but, maybe that was sending off the wrong message. He wanted to be sexy, sure, but a ‘classy’ sexy, not a loose, ‘frat boy’ sexy. Honestly, three buttons open was probably overkill... He had already made the decision to have his sleeves rolled up to his biceps, and, ha, what, was he a slut (well, yes, but no one in Dicea knew that)?? Showing off this much skin?? He might as well just go without a shirt, if he kept three buttons open! 

Honestly… what was he thinking… absolutely only two buttons open…

…

...and yet…

As Kaito, once again, fiddled with his third button, undoing it and looking down at himself, debating if it was too much, no part of him wondered if, just maybe, he missed the act of getting dressed up for dates and going out on the town. 

Temp, in turn, was dressed in a very fine line between casual and ‘formal-casual’. He wore a simple, slightly v-neck black shirt, with a clean, well ironed black jacket, nice black shoes, but dark blue jeans. He wanted to be seen a friendly, but responsible… honestly, it was the most he had thought about his outfit in ages. He wasn’t ‘nervous’, per se… but he did want to make a good second impression on Kaito.

He smirked slightly when he saw Kokichi and Kaito (now wearing his shirt only two button open, having on impulse at the last second decided to hold back a little, ya know, all ‘classy’ like), giving them both a respectful nod, before his eyes searched Kokichi’s. Any… well, any sign he remembered the previous nights events? Any clue towards Temp’s true purpose for this visit? Anything at all?? “Hey.” he greeted, giving them a small, casual wave, “Thanks for meeting me. Been looking forward to this.”

Kokichi, at the end of it, relented into changing into a different jacket, but the rest of his outfit really wasn’t that wrinkled Kai-chan, geez. Really, what probably saved him was Kaito turning his focus onto his own outfit, allowing Kokichi to scoot on by with a minor outfit change and brushed hair. 

Seeing Temp down in the main hall, Kokichi grinned, trotting up to the man to give him a brief, friendly hug. “Temp! Hey, it’s our pleasure! Thanks for thinking of us. You’ve been having a lot of business meetings lately, right? I know it really hasn’t been that long, but it’s nice to see ya!”

Taking Kaito’s hand again as they headed out, Kokichi tried to make up for the lines he knew were still under his eyes. The nap had helped a lot, considering that it was all he could do to collapse after today’s session, but...he was still tired. He wondered how much longer it was going to be until they were over the hump…

“Did you have a specific place in mind, or are we seein’ what’s hot tonight?”

“It's been a few weeks. Stacy will be pleased you’re still wearing those shoes she picked out.” Temp said, glancing down at still pretty fresh pair of practical, but still very cute, tennis shoes. Then he recalled, “Amber’s going to want to talk to you soon. Stacy’s birthday is coming up, I think Amber’s going to take us and a few of their other friends for drinks the day after. Apparently Stacy’s gonna visit her parents for the day of. She’s turning… twenty-five, I wanna say?”

“Stacy’s twenty-five? Or, will be? I wouldn’t have assumed that. I kind of thought she was maybe Kokichi’s age. Isn’t she still in school?” Kaito asked, looking surprised at that.

“Sure, but she’s getting her doctorate. Takes awhile. But, yeah, she’s older than she looks.” Temp agreed good-naturedly, before saying, “I was thinking of treating us to that nice pasta place? The one on the corner of 6th? Though, I’m flexible if you had your heart set on something else.”

Kokichi made a pleased sort of sound, taking a few steps a little oddly, obviously in a way meant to show off his shoes. The girls has been aghast that Kokichi didn’t really have a good pair of quick, walking around town kind of shoes, and while he’d been good-natured about the whole thing, it did light the fire under his butt a little when the girls pointed out how he tended to shift his weight around when they did big shopping days, since Kokichi still wasn’t very used to being on his feet all day. 

So! They’d gone shop shopping, and Stacy had found the pair of cute, but very sturdy and comfortable tennis shoes that Kokichi took the opportunity to wear when he knew he was gonna be in town for a bit. Or when it hadn’t rained the night before. Or when he wanted to look cute. 

“Oh, that’s right… I’d almost forgotten. Aw, that’s nice that her parents are coming to town! It’ll be a great birthday week for her!” Especially since Stacy had been getting a little stressed with her doctorate program. She still had time to hang out semi-regularly, but lately all their group hang-outs had definitely been stress reliever days for her. Taking a few days to relax and celebrate would be good. 

Nodding excitedly at the place Temp mentioned, Kokichi grinned. “Oo, yeah! I know it’s just the garlic bread, but that place always smells so good when I walk by… That good with you, hun?”

He hoped so. Getting a nice plate of pasta to fill his stomach sounded amazing. As per doctor’s orders, Kokichi always drank a ton of water and had a snack after the yoga sessions, but...well, he supposed the metabolism stuff was true. He always found himself starving those nights. Or...well, feeling kind of shaky and unsteady until he had a full meal, but same difference. 

“Sure, sounds great! I’ve been craving some good meatballs, actually.” Kaito said, entirely skipping the issue of what kind of spaghetti he was looking forward to eating… for now. Squeezing his husbands hand, he said to Temp, “I know ‘Kichi’s said it already, but thanks for inviting us out. He raves about you, ya know? I’ve been hoping to get a chance to get to know the famous Temp better.”

“He does? What does he say?” Temp asked, smirking a little.

“He repeats information you give him a lot, basically every time he comes back from your hangouts. ‘Oh, Temp made this joke about otters, it made me spit juice out of my nose’, ‘Hey, Temp had a really good tip for fixing the sink drip without having to put a work order in,’, ‘Did you know that the discovery of batteries is actually older than the lightbulb, according to Temp’... well, you get it.” Kaito grinned, “A lot of stuff like that. Seriously, he raves about you.”

“Oh, that’s funny. He talks a good deal about you as well, when we’re out. Though… I probably shouldn’t repeat the things he says about you out on the street.” Temp sighed, looking slightly flustered.

“...Wait!? What does that mean!? Is it nice things!? What kind of things!? Why did you say it like that!?” Kaito asked, his mind short-circuiting, caught between knowing Kokichi didn’t like saying sexy things outside of their private conversations, and desperately intrigued at the idea that maybe Kokichi was saying things like maybe his husband was hot!? And cool!? Hot and cool!? Was that what he said!? Someone tell him!!

Kokichi rolled his eyes a little, but withstood Kaito’s teasing admirably. After every hangout, he tended to have a handful of stories to share with his family when they all talked about their days. Bits of conversation or fun anecdotes...he liked to share his life with everyone who was a part of it. 

Though, when it was Temp’s turn to tease back, Kokichi went a deep pink and facepalmed. He nudged Kaito’s arm a bit, still flustered, but affectionate. “Course it’s nice stuff--Kai-chan’s always so nice it’s hard to tell a story otherwise. And there’s plenty of stuff that’s safe for public ears.”

Kokichi sent his friend a half-hearted glare, though his lips were quirking up into a smile. What were friends for, if not embarrassing you in front of the guy you liked? Though, he could only sigh. “Seriously, I’d tell embarrassing stories about you too except I know they wouldn’t bother you.”

Kokichi raised an eyebrow up at his husband. “Really, Temp’s, like, the least phased person I’ve ever met. It’s a serious skill.”

...Pfff… yeah right… Kaito could have totally phased him… ya know, back in the day. That day being roughly… ten months ago now? Well, technically longer. Technically since he was betrothed. Outright flirting got tricky when everyone in the world knew you were engaged. But, man, a year and ten months ago! Kaito could have totally flustered this guy! Easy! No sweat! Would have done it with a look and a wink and, damn right, three buttons! Fucking knocked a dude out, three buttons down! 

… Okay, even Kaito recognized he needed to calm down a little. He was maybe having a little too much fun in his head. It had been a little bit since he had gotten to go out. He was maybe overly excited. Look! It was evening time! He and Kokichi were out! On a date! Sorta!? Temp was also here!

“I can get pretty phased. I’m just not really the type that shows it on my face so much. I have a pretty heavy case of ‘resting bitch face’.” Temp admitted with a small smile and a shrug, “And I’m glad you said yes to the pasta place. I actually reserved a table for us, they get pretty busy on nights like this. I’ll admit, woulda felt kinda silly and over-prepared if you guys just wanted to stop at a food stall somewhere. I tend to over-plan, rather than under-plan.”

Yeah, that’s right. Who’d make a good potential father? This guy. Mr. Responsible Planner. Eat it up, Kaito.

Kaito grinned, “You reserved a table? Wow, good on ya. I never think of doing stuff like that. If the place I plan to go to is out of tables the night of, I tend to just end up wandering around until I find somewhere with a space open.”

Yessss… drink that responsibility juice, Kaito… Temp felt a little amused at himself. He was also maybe having too much fun with this already.

Kokichi snorted softly. “I dunno if I’d go so far to say “pretty heavy”. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Haneda-chan smile, and not just ‘cause of her mask. And smirks don’t count. I think Temp just has a face of composure.”

For no real reason, Kokichi rubbed his thumb in circles on the side of Kaito’s hand, just feeling happy and affectionate as they walked. Nodding with Kaito’s habits, he laughed bashfully. “It’s a good thing to plan. I’ve...never really done reservations myself, but sometimes when I’d walk around town in the evening, especially if it was Devoted’s Day? I’d see people lined up almost around the block to try and get into restaurants. There are tons of good places to eat in the city, but it is disappointing if you were looking forward to something in particular.”

“Oh!” Kokichi blinked, something occurring to him. “I’m super glad we’re going here, then, ‘cause I promised I’d bring a dessert back to Shuu-chan. They have that soft layered cream cake here, and I’ve checked the menu in the past and the coffee’s decaf, so Shuu-chan can still enjoy it alright.”

They had actually gotten to the restaurant itself, Temp stepping forward and grabbing the door, opening it for the other two as he said, “They have a few good desserts here. If you all don’t mind taking the extra time, I’m probably gonna splurge on a tiramisu myself. I have a fondness for wet cake.”

“Wet cake…?” Kaito asked, nose scrunching slightly. Sure, they had moist, spongey type cake in Luminary too, but to describe it as ‘wet’??

As Temp gave the hostess their table name, the three following her to the reserved table, Temp gave Kaito a curious look, before looking a little embarrassed, as he laughed slightly, “Sorry, sorry. A terrible habit from the first graders I work with. I read pretty regularly to the kids at the local library, and the librarians put out these little sample cakes for the kids to eat, the kids have this habit of calling certain cakes ‘wet cakes’. It’s terrible, I know, but I hear it so often that I can’t shake the habit now.”

“Aw, that’s sweet… they do events for kids in libraries, huh? I gotta keep that in mind. Might come in handy to keep little Miya entertained someday.” Kaito mused, taking a seat at the table, on a whim leaning over to kiss Kokichi at his temple. Look at them! They were at a restaurant! A nice restaurant! Like a date! Kinda! With Temp hanging out too!

“They do, they’re great. The kids can be a handful, but they get really into the stories, really makes it all worth it… sorry I didn’t invite Shuuichi, by the way.” Temp said, looking to Kokichi, giving him a small shrug, “Honestly, with the way you talk about his pregnancy, I thought I might spare him feeling obligated to come. Poor guy sounds like he’s in the rougher part of it. I’d love to make it up to you two someday, maybe talk him into getting a lunch with us.”

Kokichi had also given Temp a Look at the phrasing. Like...yeah, you did brush down the cake with coffee, and that technically did make it wet cake but...just describing it like that…

A very kid thing to do. 

“I mean, at some point you just have to go along with whatever new names kids come up with, right? There’s only so much pedantry you can stick with.” Kokichi laughed a bit, leaning against Kaito at his kiss as they settled themselves at the table. “Especially for you, Temp. You do guest volunteering at a daycare too, right? Amber and Stacy were laughing at me for ages when I teared up at your last kid story.”

Kokichi waved Temp off a little, though he did offer a thankful smile. “He didn’t seem too broken up about it. I haven’t seen him since this morning, but he teased us about getting to have the room to himself for a while. It’d be nice to properly introduce you two sometime, though, and hang out. And...yeah, Shuu-chan’s really looking forward to when he can actually set Miya down. We’re really in the last stretch now.”

“Oh I bet.” Temp said, looking appropriately sympathetic, though they had to pause as a waiter came by, taking their orders…

After that was settled, Temp continued, “I gotta imagine you’re all pretty antsy by this point. Any big news since the last time I saw you, Kokichi?”

“Mmmm… guess it depends on what you mean by ‘big news’.” Kaito chuckled, already reaching forward to snap off some of the bread they left on the table. “I doubt it matters to anyone but us that we’re starting to knock the nursery out, but honestly, for our Miyako, that’s kinda the biggest thing lately. Kokichi’s been taking up the bulk of the painting, and it’s really something else. It’s only half done and already looks amazing.”

“You paint, Kokchi? I don’t think you’ve ever mentioned it before.” Temp said, sipping on his water.

Kokichi blushed lightly, taking a smaller piece of bread for himself. It smelled wonderful, but he knew that he’d ruin his appetite just on bread if he let himself. He really was looking forward to that eggplant parmesan. 

“We decided on a meadow theme, finally. We’d been trying to think of a theme since...not long after we got the news, honestly.”

“And it’s a side hobby,” he bashfully laughed. “I’ve taken a few classes, but I don’t paint too often outside of them, though working on the nursery’s changed that. I enjoy drawin’ and that whole side of art, but it’s not something I really advertise...though I’m alright, I suppose. It’s been handy in working on the nursery, though I’ve been pretty torn on whether I wanna paint the cribs or let the natural wood be. They’re already nice-looking…”

After a moment, Kokichi shook himself out of deliberation, figuring that the minutiae of it all wasn’t that interesting. “Oh, but Miya’s started to move! That’s pretty big news too!”

Boom. There was his opening. Thank you, awake-Kokichi. 

“Oh shoot, yeah, how did I not think to add that!?” Kaito said, before Temp could get a word in edgewise, eyes wide with excitement, “She’s kicking and punching and shifting around! She’s so active! It’s driving our Shuuichi totally crazy, but I lose my mind feeling her do it every time it happens. Feeling her little feetsies kick, kick, kick!” Kaito gushed, his voice doing that little upswing thing he did when he started talking about some of the cuter aspects of his baby, poking the air with his index fingers like little feet kicking, entirely unaware of how obnoxiously adoring he was being. 

Temp looked a little curious, but he said, “It’s good to hear she’s moving, but… isn’t it kind of late in the pregnancy for that to start?”

“Eh, Shuuichi’s pregnancy is a little unusual, but she’s healthy and so is he, it’s all fine.” Kaito reassured, “You gonna eat any of this bread, man?”

“No, thanks though...cribs?” Temp said, raising a thin eyebrow, “Couldn’t just decide on one, or like the idea of putting them side by side and making her a queen sized crib?”

“Awww… a queen sized crib for my princess…” Kaito whimpered, eyes wide.

Kokichi giggled softly, sipping at his water and looking over at Kaito with pure fondness. All three of them were so ready for Miya’s arrival, him and Kaito practically chewing at the bit to be dads, and while Shuuichi was ready for that too, the guy was beyond done with being pregnant. Kokichi knew that Shuuichi was going to take full advantage of his rest days after his surgery, probably having him and Kaito run circles around the hospital and their home to make sure father and baby were as comfortable as could be. 

After a moment, Kokichi realized his phrasing, and that Temp had caught on and...he glanced to Kaito. It wasn’t really a big deal if people knew… Maybe they could get the word out to help find good parents, even. 

Giving Temp an even look, Kokichi explained. “While that does sound like us, no. We’re fostering another baby for a bit, most likely. The situation’s a bit complicated, but we’re trying to make sure the kid’s taken care of and will find someone who’ll love and take care of them. Setting all that up has kinda been Kai-chan’s big project lately.”

“Oh? A foster kid? That… admittedly, sounds like an odd choice right now. At the same time as your own pregnancy?” Temp asked, looking curiously over at Kaito, who laughed a little sheepishly around his bread, which he was eating far too much of.

“Yeah, we’ve been getting that a lot. From...basically everyone.” Kaito admitted, their therapy session really only being the most recent bit of ‘shocked eyes’ at the apparently outlandish decision to take such a personal hand in this. And, while it could be a… little stressful, certainly, Kaito grinned, “But, it’s been a pretty rewarding experience, for a lot of reasons! Honestly, I’m learning so much about the adoption system in this country, which is gonna be invaluable someday when Kokichi gets pregnant with his feelings baby-”

“...?” Temp didn’t say, but definitely expressed. Giving Kokichi a ‘what is he on about?’ look.

Kaito didn’t notice, and continued on, “-And it’s gonna be kinda nice to know what to expect from all that, ya know? And, the social workers have been really helpful, as have been the few parents we’ve interviewed-”

“Are you part of the interview process for adopting the kid out, Kaito?” Temp asked, as if he didn’t know. “That seems like a lot of responsibility. I can’t say I’m overly familiar with the adoption system yet, but the bit I’ve asked about it lately gave me the impression only social workers would be a part of the interview process.”

“Oh, well… honestly, it’s not normal, here, I guess, for someone outside of the social workers or the person giving birth to want to be involved in the process. But, well… originally it was my friend Maki who was really invested in making sure this kid would be taken care of, and she can be a little paranoid about things… and, frankly, now that I’m invested, I kinda want to make certain the kids going to good parents too, because I’m a little paranoid too…” Kaito chuckled sheepishly, looking a little embarrassed. “The kids… kind of my nephew? Like Kokichi said, it’s complicated. Honestly, we had a couple not long ago that probably would have been fine. Sweet, stable…”

Kaito frowned, twisting the napkin around his silverware awkwardly as he confessed, “I know I shouldn’t think this way. And I’ll stop! I will! Both my therapist and the social worker assigned to the case have both had long talks with me about this… but there’s a real part of me that wishes the baby would stay in the city. Not just for safety reasons, but like…” Kaito looked conflicted, ripping the napkin idly to shreds now, “...it’d be nice to see Bonus around sometimes… see for myself he’s happy and being taken care of… I know that’s not the way to think about it. Once he’s adopted out, that’s it, I give up all responsibility for him, and all say in what happens to him. I don’t know… maybe I should just say yes to that couple…”

Temp gave Kaito a sympathetic look. “That does sound tough. It sounds like you only mean well... though, they are right. Once the kids adopted, that’s it. You can’t exactly raise him from afar.”

“I know, I don’t want to do that! Like I said, I just like the idea of seeing him around sometimes… oh, thank you.” Kaito said, as their food was brought to them.

Kokichi nodded with a bit of a tired look. From everyone wasn’t an exaggeration, and Kokichi knew exactly why. But at this point, they were in the thick of it, and they weren’t going to back out. Not just for fear of Maki’s ire--if that were the only reason, Kokichi would’ve tried harder as soon as Shuuichi told them to try and convince his partners otherwise--but...because Bonus wasn’t just an average baby. Their situation was difficult, and while the agency and the social worker could figure it out…

...maybe it was just because Kokichi still felt...guilty and responsible for what happened to Aba, Tom, and Itch. But he wanted to make sure Bonus had the best chance possible. 

“It would be nice to see then grow up, see for ourselves that they’re happy and doing well,” Kokichi sighed, putting a gentle hand on Kaito’s shoulder. “But part of sitting in on the interviews is meeting prospective parents that we can trust will be able to do that for Bonus. Still...it’d be nice to be able to ensure stability for them as soon as possible…”

It was...a little bit of a downer, but Kokichi couldn’t resist digging into the meal in front of him, the hearty dish and bold flavors relaxing his expression...before he looked up at Temp with a quizzical look. “...wait, you’ve been asking around about the adoption process? Are you looking to be a parent, Temp?”

Temp’s eyes widened, looking a little surprised, before he said, “Oh, did I let that slip? I try not to tell people about it… it’s partly why I’ve been volunteering at the daycare and the library for the last year.” Temp confessed, looking mildly sheepish, “My business’s have gotten easier to work lately, and my income’s been steady… I’ve been kinda feeling like I have every other aspect of my life sort of figured out right now, to the point where I barely have to think about it. I inherited this very nice house from my grandfather, who, honestly set me up for life… I know I’m kind of young for it, which is why I get embarrassed telling people about it. But, life’s given me so many nice things… I’m in a place now where I just sort of want to share it with someone, ya know? Instead of having to busy myself going to clubs and bars all the time.” Temp said, rolling his eyes, as he cut up his food.

Gently, he continued, “I thought, if I want to fill up my time and use my resources for something more… well, why not a kid that needs a home? I’ve been working on the idea for awhile, and I’ve finally gotten to the point where the social workers are willing to sit down and discuss my options with me. Though…” Temp sighed, looking tired, “Apparently, it’ll still be a while… as you can imagine, the early-twenties, single dad isn’t placed that far ahead of the waiting list. They said it could still be years before I start coming in for interviews…”

Kaito blinked… before saying uneasily, “...what if someone requested you specifically?”

“Hm? I don’t know. I never thought to ask.” Temp said, his voice calm, but internally a little alarmed as the unease radiating off of Kaito. Had he laid it on too thick? What was wrong here?

...Temp was lying.

Not about everything. Most of the stuff was pretty true, as far as Kokichi’s internal lie detector was reading it. But...about not wanting to tell people he wanted a kid? Bull. 

The thing was...that was such a harmless thing to talk about. So harmless, it was kind of confusing, but...maybe Temp was just trying not to, like, bust in and be like, oh, my paranoid friends, I’m totally gonna hop in and offer to take care of the baby you’re looking for a home for! No objections, right?

Aw, Temp…

“Sounds like you’re more prepared than us,” Kokichi chuckled. “I appreciate how thorough the adoption process is, but I can see how it could feel tedious for parents who’re more than ready and just need to go through all the safety and bureaucratic hoops.”

Gently, Kokichi tapped Kaito’s arm, trying for one of the first times to talk to his husband from just a glance. In all honesty, they hadn’t known each other for that long, and there were still volumes upon volumes they didn’t understand about each other. But...you’d never get anywhere if you never tried. 

Temp was a stable, trust-worthy person that lived in the city. Had been preparing for adoption for over a year. Wanted to share his life and guidance with a child. It...really couldn’t hurt to ask for an interview.

Kaito glanced back... And he was pretty sure Kokichi was telling him to tone down the accusation in his tone. Had he really been that obvious? Damn, Kokichi really was a mind reader…

Kato, in turn, tried to silently express back… this was sus, right!? There was no way this was a coincidence! The guy had lured them into a date specifically to steal a baby from them! This was a set up! There’s no way a coincidence this perfect just ‘happened’ to fall into their lap! What was his game plan!? What if he was one of Tom and Itch’s and Aba’s victims looking for revenge!? Kaito didn’t trust this shit! His bullshit meter was through the effing roof!

Temp looked back and forth between the two nervously, though it likely only showed in the way he quietly tapped his finger against the edge of his plate. He had messed up… he could see it in their faces…

...Temp sighed, “... I feel bad. I should just be honest… I already knew you two were trying to adopt out a child before tonight. It’s… why I wanted to talk to you. Words been getting around about it, you know how fast these things spread. And… I kinda thought, if Kokichi was adopting out a child, literally right as I was getting ready to start the process? What could be more perfect? It kind of felt like fate…”

“...but I got nervous at the idea of just directly asking you two about it. I thought I should try to sort of… sell myself to you first.” Temp confessed, shoulders slumping a little, “I don’t mind waiting a few years for the agency to give me my shot, but if I could adopt in as soon as two months? Honestly, that’d be amazing… I thought with a request from you too, I might be able to cut to the front of the line, finally get my interviews. But I just… I guess I thought it’d be weird to just straight up ask you about it. After all, just because I’m Kokichi’s friend doesn’t mean he owes me a shot at a child he’s trying to take care of…”

Hanging his head, Temp said, “I’m sorry I wasn’t direct with you both. I can see the skepticisms on your faces immediately, and you’re entirely right. I just… wasn’t sure how to properly go about this, but I’m immediately embarrassed…” 

Kokichi smiled softly, his expression sympathetic to his friend. Not quite what he’d guessed, but...still very much an ‘aw Temp’ sort of thing. “It’s alright, dude, though I would’ve appreciated you just being up front with us.”

“...honestly, it would be more than irresponsible of me to just give you a go ahead, especially when I’m not even the legal rep,” Kokichi sighed, giving Kaito a respectful nod as the actual legal representative. “But...since it’s not a matter of you being unstable, or lacking experience, and it’s literally just going through a waiting list?”

“I mean, I wouldn’t really know how to broach this conversation either if I were in your shoes.” 

Kokichi looked back to Kaito, giving him a softly pleading look. “An interview isn’t a yes...but you’ve always been a good friend to me since we met, Temp. We haven’t met a ‘yes’ yet so...I don’t think it would hurt to ask for an interview? Get the background check and safety forms sent through and all that. And it is a little easier to get information sent back and forth between us since you do live here.”

Kaito didn’t say much of anything for a moment… just eating his food a bit, before leaning back in the seat and sighing…

“...Well, I don’t like that you started this with trying to play games… but I do appreciate that you fessed up to it basically without a fight.” Kaito admitted, rubbing the back of his neck a little, looking conflicted, “And, like… it is a tough topic to bring up. I’m sure I woulda acted kinda stupid in your place too…”

“...Ya know, I’m sure you’ve heard I have anger issues, right?”

Temp kept his face stoic, already seeing where this was going. “Yes, I’ve heard.”

“...if I find out you’ve used your friendship with ‘Kichi to do anything… I don’t know. Anything shitty with this…”

“The warnings taken.” Temp said, nodding, “My fear in asking was because it would seem like I was taking advantage of our friendship. But, I promise, it goes no further than that. I’m just a perspective parent looking to adopt. That’s all, I swear.”

“...” Kaito sighed, “I’m not really allowed to fight people anyway… and I’ll be honest, I want to believe you. You’ve been really good to Kokichi, and you were a standup guy back at the dance club. And I can kinda be biased like that… I want to see the best in ya, and seeing as Kokichi wants to give you a shot too, than… yeah. I’ll ask the social worker to add your name to the interview list. But don’t think we’re skipping anything. The background checks, the interviews, the home visits, we’re doing all of it.”

“I’d expect no less.” Temp said gently, “Thank you… this really does mean a lot to me.”

“...yeah.” Kaito sighed, looking a little sheepish now, “Honestly, this is kind of amazing, if this is actually just a coincidence… you’ve really been trying to be a parent for a year now?”

“Paperwork wise, yes? But, I’ve been wanting to do it for a lot longer than that. I feel like being a parent will be a good fit for me.” Temp said, basically honest. He always had it on the back of his mind. It was always just… wondering when would be a good time to start again. “I like children and I like watching them grow up to be adults even more than that. It… just seems like a fulfilling way to spend your time.”

“Yeah… I get that. I’m really looking forward to seeing Miya be an adult someday. See how she turns out? It’s exciting to think about.” Kaito grinned, starting to relax again.

Technically, Temp was taking advantage of their relationship, but...not in taking the place of anyone else. Not in skipping steps. Just to be given a shot at all. It was networking, plain and simple, and Kokichi could live with that without guilt. Temp still had to prove he was a fit parent, but...if he could do that? Then Kokichi would be relieved, knowing that they had found someone that would be good to Bonus. 

Kokichi smiled softly as he worked through his meal, hearing about Temp’s wishes to be a parent. He really hoped this would work out. 

“I hope she doesn’t turn out to be a ruthless teaser, since I know I’m gonna cry at, like...everything she does. She’s not even here yet and I’m already so proud… It’s really something amazing, getting to watch someone grow into themself and to support them any way you can.”

“I just hope she isn’t a little nudist.” Kaito said, looking vaguely grumpy at the idea, “I just know I’m gonna end up spending all this time on her little outfits, putting her little shoes on, with matching colored socks that have little animal imprints on them, and ya look away for one second! One second! All her clothes are off and she’s running for the hills!”

“Why do you sound like this has already happened?” Temp asked, sounding a little amused, endlessly relieved this hadn’t gone worse. He had… really underestimated the paranoia of Kaito… and also, probably, awake-Kokichi’s ability to read him. He had thought presenting this as a pure coincidence would be entirely harmless, but, phew… that had almost cost him.

“I just have a really active imagination.” Kaito admitted, pushing around his meatballs, “I had this weird dream last night about… well, it was sorta about having lots of kids. Anyway, since I’ve woken up, I keep adding things to the dream, and this one freaking kid, man, she just takes off all the cute little outfits I sew together for them! Takes them off, jumps into the lake! Just leaves them in the mud! It took me hours to sew dresses that small!”

“...hours in your daydream, or…?”

“Man, I don’t know, I’ve got too much time on my hands sometimes,” Kaito grumbled.

Kokichi snorted, looking tiredly amused as he could all too easily imagine a future bathtime, little Miya trying to evade bedtime and just booking it in a towel not even properly wrapped around her. Driving her dads into frantically running around the castle trying to find their daughter before she runs into a crowd. Maybe they should team up, have someone manning the door to avoid runaways…

Though, Kaito’s dream was a whole ‘nother layer of amusing. “I didn’t know you could sew clothes… Though, knowing how much you like to dress people up, I’m just gonna hope she’s about it. She can inherit that from you, not me.”

He still had...feelings about their daughter being treated like a doll, but he trusted Kaito not to push it to that point. She could have the freedom to have agency over her clothes, and still have fun dressing up with Dad. And having him coo over her.

“I caaaaan’t…” Kaito groaned, looking more than a little embarrassed as he confessed, “I just… we had some napkins and silverware left over from our meal the day before and I just used the silverware as a model while I made little napkin skirts and dresses and stuff…”

Shrugging, he said, “Middle of the day? Like, around noon? I end up just finding ways to fill my time. Sometimes that’s productive stuff, like cooking and reading or checking in on things? Sometimes? It’s napkin clothes for my imaginary tadpole dream children.”

“...tadpoles?” Temp asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s a dream, dude, I don’t have to defend myself.”

“Tadpole dream children…” It was true, it was a dream and Kaito didn’t have to have any sort of reasoning or logic behind it, but that didn’t mean that Kokichi couldn’t still find it funny. So he giggled softly, shaking his head. “Even if it isn’t sewing, that’s still cute and cool. Maybe you could explain or mock up some designs with me and we can see about making Kai-chan’s fashion dreams a reality.”

“Mm, you’ve never really talked about weird dreams, Temp,” Kokichi hummed, more relaxed in their conversation now. “I know I’ve mentioned with Amber and Stacy that I don’t really get dreams that often, but do you? Or just kinda mundane stuff that isn’t worth mentioning?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Dreams are fun to have, but I’m of two minds if they’re worth exchanging. Some people know how to tell a dream story, ya know? They keep to the highlights, make it interesting, weave a narrative. They’re usually alright. And others… well, it can be kind of a drag.” Temp shrugged, “And I’ve never worked out where I fall in that spectrum.”

“Well, give it a shot. We’ll judge your dream telling abilities.” Kaito goaded, honestly just happy enough to follow where the conversation led. “Judge ya 1-10, based on ‘length’, ‘non-boringness’ and ‘was it worth sharing’.”

“Sounds like a harsh judgement.”

“Tell us your dreams, coward.”

“Heh...um…” Temp paused to think… before saying, “Well, I had a dream last night. A golden cat and a small, cute elf asked me to help them save the world.”

“Okay… strong start.” Kaito admitted, “Go on.”

That was fair enough. Sometimes it was fun enough to say whatever you remembered from an absolutely bizarre dream, just to marvel at the weirdness, but there was a certain point where narrative broke down and it was just hard to follow. Still, as someone who tended to only remember his nightmares, Kokichi had always been delighted to hear about others’ dreams. 

And, nodding encouragingly, he was excited to hear about Temp’s. 

A sort of thoughtful look came over Kokichi’s face right from the opening statement, though. The elf gave him a sort of impulse to roll his eyes, though Kokichi had no idea what that was about, but the golden cat? Maybe not literally golden, but…

...Kokichi really liked cats. They were playful and affectionate and curious, as the saying went, but also independent and really felt like they had their own lives going on. Admittedly, that last one might just be because Kokichi had never owned a cat himself. But he liked to pet outdoor cats and the occasional stray--even if he was well aware of the ecosystem issues with it--and, at times, liked to daydream about cats, if he was thinking about animals or pets at all. 

And...lately? Over the past few months? Every time Kokichi thought about a cat...it was the same one. A young, agile, graceful blond cat with golden eyes. 

It was a coincidence, obviously, but...a funny one. 

“Did they say what they wanted to save the world from, or was that just a piece of dream logic?”

“Angry plants that kept shouting at people to do stuff.” Temp said easily, “Think giant flowers with megaphones all shouting at people to weed their gardens for them. Very aggressive. The elf ended up making an equally giant woman with a sword to go chase them off, and myself and the cat were trying to work out how he did it to make our own, aggressive amazon women.”

“Heh. Sounds wild… and kinda hot.” Kaito admitted, before frowning, “Is that alright for me to say around you, Temp? I mean, amazonian women fighting evil plants with swords is hot, but I can refrain from saying so.”

Temp shrugged… before saying seriously, “No worse than the things Kokichi says.”

“What!? What does he say??”

“I’m afraid I couldn’t bear to repeat it…” Temp said, looking gravely scandalized.

Kokichi snorted, raising an eyebrow. What an...odd thing to threaten the world. He wondered what plants would actually say if they could talk… He knew people did their best to care for the ones in the gardens. Did flowers like being smelled? It might be easier to care for them if a flower could tell you it needed more sun or that it was starting to get overwatered. Still, no reason to get aggressive over it. 

Enough to make a giant gardener, of sorts. 

Sighing dramatically as Temp teased again, Kokichi sat back in his chair a little, sending a ‘can you believe this’ look to the ceiling. “I can’t believe I’ve scandalized my friends talking about how much I love my partners. It’s come to stab me in the back in a way I never anticipated. I’ll never live it down! I’ll spend the rest of my days trying to make it up to you, but no, all you’ll be able to hear is me saying, ‘oh, my husband is the best, he’s my best friend and I love him so much.’”

Kokichi straightened, shaking his head in dismay. “Just filth from my mouth, I know.”

Temp was about to make a joke back… before getting mildly distracted as Kaito, who had been staring at Kokichi throughout the whole speech, like… notably got red in the face. Apparently something Kokichi had said in that tirade just managing to absolutely burn at his cheek, ears, and neck. It really was just a marvel to witness. Kokichi had mentioned in the past, mostly explaining it to Amber and Stacy, how small things could sometimes rile Kaito up and get him overly excited, but damn. Calm down, drink some water, your husband literally just said he loves you, it was literally the most innocent thing the world.

“Well, if you would slow it down with the smut, I wouldn’t have to call you out so much.” Temp finally said, a little late with the joke, but finally finished with watching the Luminary prince turn, just, bright red, “But anyway, that’s all there really was to my dream. Just amazonian women fighting plants.”

“W-well, it’s, uh… hold on.” Kaito muttered, drinking a long, long sip from his water, feeling a little more composed when he was done, “It’s funny. I feel like plants have been a recurring theme this year, when it comes to people telling me about their dreams and such. Not that I ask about it much, but, well… er, I mean… we do this… well, by ‘we’ I mean, ‘Atuans’ do this thing once a year where we have these waking dreams…” Kaito trailed off, looking a little embarrassed as he realized he didn’t really want to talk about his religion in front of Temp. At least not the hallucination stuff. It suddenly felt irrelevant and kinda stupid… “Oh! We didn’t rate you yet! I say… 7 out of 10!”

“I don’t know if that’s particularly good or a low key insult.” Temp admitted.

“It was nice and short, but almost too short? Would have loved more details. But! The fact that I wanted more details meant it scored real high in ‘worth sharing’ and ‘not boring’! So, yeah! 7!”

“A surprisingly thorough answer.” Temp said. “Kokichi? Wanna score?”

Kokichi could only watch his husband turn into a tomato with an amused smile as he gently moved the sauce on his plate more towards the last bits of eggplant and noodles that he had left, wanting to leave as little behind as possible without being weird and, like, licking the plate or something. Kaito had been pretty hyped the whole evening, so it wasn’t surprising to see that his affectionate words got to him. 

Though...hm. He couldn’t...particularly remember if Kaito had mentioned plants much when he’d talked about his ritual. Or if plants had been a big deal in other people’s dreams… He wondered what Kaito meant. 

“Hmmm… It does sound like a cool dream. Gives a bit of pep with the concept of saving the world, even with something as silly as loud flowers, but I guess the threat being silly prevents the dream from being a stress dream or a nightmare, you know? And you get the coolness of watching someone else do the big battle, so you get to skip the stress there too, and having some giant amazonian woman is a neat touch. And, like, any dream with a cat is elevated by it.” Kokichi nodded, affirming his review. “I’ll give an 8 out of 10, just because I enjoy being able to fill in some of the blanks yourself. A good dream, and a good re-telling!”

“I didn’t find it particularly stressful.” Temp admitted with a shrug, before laughing somewhat sheepishly, “The beginning of this conversation has been the most stressful thing I’ve done in years. Everything else has been a lot of fun.”

...hmmm, that one might not make a lot of sense outside of context. Temp kinda got a kick out of saying things he knew Kokichi would only fully understand later, when he was asleep, but he didn’t want to sound like he was spouting nonsense to awake-Kokich. So, he added in, “My job, meeting you all, Stacy and Amber… it’s been a pretty nice couple of years for me. I’m in a good period of my life.”

“Man, I wish I could get into a battle with a big amazonian woman… and by that, I mean I really wish I could have sparred Sakura before she left. Or watched her spar. Or, just, like… watched her workout routine or something… Temp, you ever go to the Ogami Pub? There’s a woman that works there, built like a brick wall, long white hair, awesome scars and really soft eyes? Super pretty… god, I bet she could just hurl a broadsword one handed…” Kaito sighed, clearly somewhat smitten, as he said, “Hina’s a lucky woman.”

“I feel like I’ve seen this woman you’re describing, yes.” Temp said, though, admittedly, ‘pretty’ was not how he would have expected someone to describe her. Also… soft eyes? The woman at the Ogami Pub? Maybe they were thinking of two different people. That woman had a glare that could kill.

Kokichi nodded softly, a small, comfortable smile on his face. He knew his own life was, as Dr. Mariah would say, absolutely absurd, but it was nice to hear that one of the happy parts of his own, in his friendship with Temp, held a similar meaning to him too. Plus...it just made Kokichi happy to hear about people doing well. It was a nice bonus it happened to be someone he was fond of too. 

Laughing a little at Kaito’s gushing over Sakura, Kokichi reached over to put his hand over Kaito’s, curling his fingers around the side of his hand to hold it for a moment, though Kokichi was familiar enough with Kaito’s propensity to gesture that he knew it probably wouldn’t be long. 

“Sakura’s very sweet, though she can be a little intimidating sometimes,” he chuckled. “The day Kai-chan and I met, we had lunch at her pub, and I had to thank every lucky item I’ve ever found that she didn’t out me for who I actually was. She isn’t really the type to bend for pleading, unless it’s from her fiance.”

He shook his head. “It’s kind of a cool coincidence, in the wide picture, that one of the first people who ever saw me an’ Kai-chan together is getting married to someone in our extended family. It’s going to be very sweet when she and Hina are back in town.”

“Oh, Hina is a family member of yours, Kokichi?” Temp asked, surprised at that. Other than his father, Kokichi had only ever mentioned two people he considered honorary siblings… well, outside of Kaito. Temp had sort of assumed Kokichi didn’t have much family.

He was doubly surprised when Kaito shook his head, raising a hand as he said between bites of more bread, his meatballs long taken care of, “My side of the family. And… well, it’s complicated. My…” Kaito never really was sure what to call Maki, in the legal sense. “...the mother of my kid, my friend Maki, you’ve met her, I think… or, no, she never introduced herself at the club-”

“I’ve met her outside of it, once.” Temp filled in, “She said hi, wanted to meet me, seemed both welcoming and vaguely like she wanted to threaten to murder me and couldn’t decide which one.”

“Yeah! Her! Anyway, her family situation is, at the very least in her own mind, and… kind of as a cultural thing in Luminary? That anyone raised in the same orphanage are culturally considered ‘siblings’. Maki took that idea to heart. Like, really to heart. So, Hina is a woman who immigrated from Luminary to Dicea a long while back,” Kaito said, deciding not to mention the refugee thing, “But before she came here, she was raised in the same orphanage as Maki. Very sweet girl, amazing swimmer, strong as heck… it was shocking to see her again when we got here. And just in time to see her engagement! I can’t wait to go to the wedding…” Kaito grinned.

“...if you consider everyone Maki considered a sibling to be a relative, then… how many… I guess maybe ‘cousins’ is the word, or... sibling...in-laws or…” Temp faltered for the title, but Kaito just nodded.

“I understand what you mean. And the answer is… just… so many… so many.” Kaito said, looking a little grim as he whispered, “And they’re all coming here… I’m gonna be so busy...I mean, I know it’s not gonna be on me to figure out their situations but… I still owe it to Maki to keep an eye on all that… so many kids...”

Kokichi sighed softly. “I think we should just go with “cousins” in the community sense, and...maybe we’ll be uncles in the same sense for the younger ones. It’s easier to think about in terms of people who care about each other than figuring out legal or familial definitions. Like how Hajime-chan is for Tim.”

And since Kaito had basically spelled it out, Kokichi tried to explain more for Temp’s benefit. “The students that are coming to Usot as part of that exchange program? They all are from Maki-chan’s orphanage. The organizers of the program are setting up the host families and accommodations and all that, but considering they all are sort of family, we’re gonna greet them and check in. Aiichi and I were gonna do that anyway, as part of the welcoming party, get them set up in the exchange, but it’s a little more personal! And…” He laughed softly, sheepishly, trying not to...let on how nervous he actually was about this part. “Well, I think they’d be a little more comfortable getting to talk to Kai-chan right away. Just to keep a little bit of familiarity, both for the kids that actually know him, and just to talk to someone from the same culture.”

Kokichi hadn’t been involved in the actual organization, but he’d heard about it from Aiichi and Hideki during their admin meetings. Most of the foster families had been found--another reason, actually, why it had been a little harder finding parents for Bonus--and to a point, some of the kids could choose to stick together. All of the families had been taking...classes of a sort, trying to prepare them to understand Luminous culture more, as well as recognizing the signs of trauma for...what they could expect from the kids from the orphanage. Apparently, all the families who had been approved for this project were people who had had combat experience, so they could truly prove to the kids that they’d be able to protect them. 

...it was going to be a tense time. But more than worth it to ensure all those kids’ freedoms. 

Kokichi clutched a hand in his lap into a fist, a determined look in his eyes despite trying to keep the conversation light and non-accusatory. Not explaining exactly what was actually happening.

“Oh, do you know most of them, Kaito?” Temp asked, a little surprised at that. While in Dicea that idea might not be so strange, Temp knew Luminary wasn’t the kind of place where literal royalty was meeting orphans, so…

But, to his surprised, Kaito just nodded, confirming that was exactly the case as he said, “Some better than others, but I’ve seen the list of names for the kids that are heading this way, and besides two of them, who are infants themselves and brand new to the orphanage in the last year, then yeah, I’ve met all of them. Some of them will probably be too young to remember me after even just a year,” Kaito admitted, shrugging his shoulders, thinking of the little toddlers, “But Maki liked to visit them regularly, and I would go sometimes with Maki to keep her company and let the kids wrestle me and stuff. Maki, as a rule, liked to make sure I visited at least once a month, even if it was only for an hour. I don’t really know if this was true--” though, it probably was, “-- but she thought having a prince show up all the time to see the state of the place gradually made the orphanage better run. Made the caretakers feel like someone was watching, ya know? It did get cleaner and nicer as we got older… though, honestly, I think part of that was having a well-known and very aggressive assassin coming back regularly to visit and critique things lit a fire under their asses way more than me showing up ever did.”

Temp nodded his head, before saying gently, “I’ve heard orphans in Luminary can have it rough… that there’s two different types of orphanages. I’m guessing Maki came from the rougher type.”

Kaito looked a little… more somber at this, but nodded, “Public Orphanages run by the Indentured Program, and Private Orphanages. I never visited a private orphanage, but I heard they were a lot nicer. Kids got adopted out, that sort of thing… maybe all the orphanages will be like that once the… I mean, if the Indentured program… um… people are working on stuff back at home. Discussing the… merits of the program and if it's worth the hassle--” and the civil war, “--that comes with it. If the country decides against the program, then those types of orphanages go away! The Atuan temples run the private orphanages, so maybe the temples will be allowed to take up the rest of the orphanages once the program loses rights to them. I think… I think that could be good.” Kaito murmured, taping his plate fitfully… before saying, “You guys still wanna get dessert? Should I go find our waiter?”

That was one of the things during that very stressful time Kokichi was actually looking forward to. Kaito was good with kids in general, but seeing him with a bunch of kids who knew him? And, from the few stories he and Maki had told, seemed to really love him? It was going to be something really special to witness. And even with all the seminars...maybe it’d give the kids some peace of mind, hearing from someone they trusted that they really were free. That they were safe. 

And for all the other kids still in Luminary… Kokichi gave his husband a somewhat surprised look. There were...two types of orphanages? The others had always made it seem like if you were an orphan, then you went into the program, no other pipeline. If there was already another system…

Kokichi’s lips pressed together, as much as his anger showed on his face. Feeling a low, bubbling fury that people would just...arbitrarily choose to make some kids slaves. But...if there was a better system, then it would be an easier transition when the program was shut down. And things could get better for everyone. 

Giving Kaito a softly understanding look, Kokichi nodded. “I definitely do, but I don’t mind waiting until they come around again. Your choice, hun.” If he needed to take a moment, it was alright.

Kaito would, honestly, feel better to get up and walk around and do something vaguely useful, so he grinned and leaned over, giving Kokichi a quick kiss, before saying, “Be back in a second, let me go snag him.”

As Kaito left, Temp watched him go… before saying, “He’s sort of absurd, but I can see why you two get along so well. I really couldn’t understand it, the day we met, but seeing you two in a more relaxed atmosphere really shows it off. You two balance each other out well.”

Kokichi also watched Kaito’s retreating figure with a fond smile before giving Temp a grin. “Thank you. In fairness, we’ve both come strides forward since we met you, but...yeah. I feel like I’m better when I’m with Kai-chan. And when Shuu-chan’s with us too? It feels like a good harmony. Like we just fit… It’s really nice to find people who feel like that.”

“Even if it was to talk to us about getting an interview, thanks for inviting us out, Temp.” Kokichi sipped at his water, feeling much steadier now that he had some food in him. “And...just between us? I really hope that everything works out and you can adopt. It’d result in us both being exhausted at the same time, but I think it’d be cool if we got to be dad friends together. I could even make a club patch for us.”

Temp’s eyes widened in genuine surprise… before he relaxed, a small, pleased smile on his face. Maybe it was awake-Kokichi getting some residual from Kokichi’s memories, or… maybe his mind just worked the same way, awake or asleep. Either way, it was a nice reminder that every version of the Kokichi he knew was optimistic about this, as he said with a small smirk, “A dad patch, huh. Yeah. You could make it look like a little flower or plant or something. Something no one else in Dicea would bat an eye at, but we’d know it was our super secret dad patch. I like that idea… I hope this works out too.”

The three spent another half hour over desserts, in which case the three bonded over how Miyako got her name, and then, surprisingly enough, fire dancing came up, and Temp did get to talk about the fact that he knew how to walk a tightrope, claiming he dated a circus performer for a few months and she taught him. 

Ooing and aaaahing over that, Kaito got Temp to promise to come to training one morning to teach the kids the basics of it, and a date was set to do so. Bagging up Shuuichi’s dessert, Kokichi and Kaito bid Temp a fond goodnight at the restaurant, before hand in hand, started to head down the dark streets, heading back to the castle. 

Kaito looked fondly around at the well lit lights of the streets and buildings still open late in the evening, and then up at the sky, the moon almost full… it’d be full in a few days. That’d be nice to see. Kaito was always reassured, when the moon was full and bright. Night hikes were best on nights like that. It felt soothing and safe. 

Idly bringing Kokichi’s hands up to give it a kss, he said, somewhat cheekily, “Ya know… late night out… pretty lighting… stomachs full of good food and looking just fucking spot on… it’s kinda like we just went on a date.” Kaito said, grinning… before admitting, “Well, and Temp was there too.”

It had been a nice dinner. A sort of vibe Kokichi hadn’t often experienced, but he found he really liked it. Just...a little calmer than going out in the middle of the day, bouncing around from place to place. He liked those times too, in fairness, but this was pretty novel for the prince who was still learning about all the restaurants in the city he’d lived in all his life. 

Giggling softly as he and Kaito started on their way home, Kokichi pressed to his husband’s side. “Yeah? I’ll admit, it’s a little weird for someone else to come along on a date, but if dates are like this, then I really like them. It was really fun.”

“I know it’s kinda bad timing, with Miya coming so soon, and Bonus and all our cousins and niblings on their way too,” Kokichi softly started, already making use of the familiar titles for all of Maki’s siblings, “But...I think it would be nice to do this more. With friend hang-outs, and as real dates. Like...I could watch the kids on my own, or with my dad or someone for a few hours, and you could take Shuu-chan out...or any permutation like that with us and our friends.”

Placing a kiss on Kaito’s arm, Kokichi laughed a little more. “I guess I just like going on dates with you, even if we don’t do it that often. I like spending any time with Kai-chan, but it’s special when it’s put away and in this sort of context.”

“We might want to get into that habit straight up for our own sanity.” Kaito mused, though he grinned a little at the arm kiss. His sweet, incredibly short husband… “Breaks can’t hurt, you know? Plus, if it’s in the name of, like… health and stuff? Heck yeah I want to go on more dates with you guys… I know he’ll never look the way he did, but I hope Shuuichi’s body gets closer to it, once he’s recovered. I’d love to be able to take him out and let him feel, like… I don’t know, like it’s one of the old days. Let him just feel comfortable again. If I had known it was gonna be my last chance, I’d have made more time to take him out on that bro-date when we first got here… though, I guess even by then it was too late…”

Kaito trailed off, looking at the sky. He couldn’t see that many stars on a night like this, but he found something reassuring about the night sky either way…

Then he grinned down at Kokichi, leaning down to kiss the top of his head as he said, “I’d apologize for bringing down the mood, but I’m gonna do that anyway, so… how are you feeling, babe? I didn’t wanna say anything about it earlier, didn’t want ya thinking I was gonna tell ya to stay home or something, but… you were kinda… shaky. Earlier.”

Among the baby advice, there had been plenty of people advising them about finding time for themselves once Miya arrived. Both for personal time and to still be able to find time to be in a relationship without it being completely focused on their daughter. While she was going to be the main focus of their lives for a while, Kokichi did appreciate their advice and just… Everything in moderation, right? Gotta find the balance between everything. 

Nodding slightly, Kokichi’s smile tinged a little sad. “Yeah… It’s gonna be a big relief for him once she’s born in a lot of ways, but with how annoyed he gets sometimes these days… Really, any time he or you two wanna take off, we have the support. Shuu-chan’s been carrying her for seven months, any time he wants to focus on himself I’m gonna do my best to make sure he can get it.”

And not by taking on heaps of responsibility all on his own, though Kokichi figured he’d be delighted to have Miya and Daddy time. They had a lot of people they could rely on, and Kokichi wasn’t just grateful for the offers. He was absolutely going to make use of the time and energy their friends and family were willing to give. 

...they had a good support system. It was about time they made use of it.

Sighing softly, Kokichi leaned his head against Kaito’s arm. “I feel fine now, but I was feeling a little off earlier. Cedar and I went a little hard this afternoon, and even after a nap it felt like I needed a little something extra to bounce back...and thankfully, dinner was that. I’m okay. Thanks for checkin’ in.”

Kokichi seemed okay now... well, as much as he ever seemed okay these days. Kaito Goggles or not, just because Kaito thought Kokichi’s looked like a damn statue made in the image of ethereal creatures, almost hauntingly beautiful… he could still, also, see the deep lines of exhaustion under his eyes. The way he leaned on things when still for longer than a moment. That sort of vacant look he could get in his eyes sometimes. 

...Kaito just wanted Kokichi to feel better. What did he need? If his body was hurting him, it had to be asking him for something, right? Surely??

“...Do you think you might need more rest?” Kaito asked, “I still think exercise is good for you, but… if you’re doing yoga with Dr. Cedar, maybe my training sessions are tiring you out because we’re piling it on top of each other? Do you want me to just stop waking you up for training for awhile?  Over-exerting is a thing, ya know… I trust you’d let me know when you felt good enough to start again. You’re not our Shuuichi. He’d argue he was too exhausted to do it for the rest of our lives, if I offered that reason to stop bugging him about it.”

Kokichi snorted at the comment about Shuuichi--it was entirely true. Shuuichi hated working out and loved sleeping in--though he frowned softly. “I already miss a bunch of days ‘cause I don’t wake up when you guys get up… And I like training. Maybe not getting all sweating and working out, but I like spending time with you two and the kids in the mornings, hearing about what the kids are doing in school, listening to what you and Shuu-chan are planning with your days… And some of the stuff we do is kinda fun, and Cedar and I only do yoga like...a little more than once every two weeks.”

He sighed again, grateful that Kaito was carrying the take-out box so he could run a hand through his hair, the mild, but still slightly cold evening air refreshing his face. “...I am tired a little more than usual these days...but I don’t know if sleeping in is gonna solve that. Maybe...on the days I wake up in time, I could just sit in on training? Like how me and Shuu-chan used to. And we can see if that helps.”

“Call me clingy, but I like getting to spend time with everyone.” Kokichi chuckled softly, offering Kaito a small smile.

“Well, I’m not exactly about to ban you from hanging out.” Kaito shrugged, still giving Kokichi a somewhat soft, worried look, “And, it is nice out, and man, Kimiko adores you… she’d be bummed if you started disappearing in the mornings.I swear, every time she successfully pulls off some tricky little maneuver, her eyes immediately whips to wherever you are, to see if you saw. It’s the cutest fuckign thing, man…”

Kaito sighed, and then nodded, “Alright. Even though I know I‘m setting myself up with Shuuichi now. Oh, no, Kaito, I can’t walk a lap, poor Kokichi looks lonely over by the tree, someone needs to keep him company, blah, blah, blah.” Kaito rolled his eyes, before huffing, “I wish he’d take training more seriously. I’m trying to keep him off bed rest for as long as I can. It’s just gonna be harder and harder for him to move when Miya gets her full size… I’m really hoping with enough strength training, we can delay the point he can’t get up and down the stairs indefinitely. But the way his face goes all red even when we’re moving real slow on the way back up these days… it’s not looking likely.”

“...is it super weird that there’s a part of me looking forward to pampering him when that happens? Man, my fetish’s are all over the damn place lately. I need to calm the fuck down.” he said, shaking his head at himself, just, a little embarrassed on his own behalf. A super pregnant Shuuichi eating dinner in bed… which, frankly, literally happened all the time already. But the mental image still made Kaito blush. He couldn’t shake the fantasy. That and tadpole children and Kokichi in, fuck, cute little overalls with his hair pulled back cradling little tadpole children in his hands… 

Yeah. His imagination was getting a little strange, even for him. Gah!

Kokichi nodded, his smile growing fonder as he thought of the kids. Maybe it was just because he’d prepared more for the mindset of a father, but the time he got to spend with Tim, Cali, and Kimiko in the mornings were some of his favorites in an average day. The kids had already been as thick as thieves months ago, but the bond between them had only grown as time went on. And, similarly, their comfort with the adults around had grown too.

...and Kokichi would be lying if he said he hadn’t gotten a bit of a soft spot for Kimiko in return. It was amazing, seeing the progress she’d made in training, and while Kokichi definitely wasn’t exempt from the kids’ hijinx, the mischief that he saw in her eyes was something he wanted to encourage, along with everything else. They were all good kids, but Kokichi really loved being able to cheer Kimiko on. 

Though he did tend to cheer everyone on. And in...sneakier ways just during the day with Shuuichi--he didn’t want it to feel patronising to his boyfriend. 

Shaking his head a little, Kokichi sighed. “I really can’t believe she’s not already at her full size… Shuu-chan’s already so big, and his back is so miserable. I think I’ve seen him almost get to the point of wanting to throw in the towel, but being bedridden for the next two months would suck and he knows it. I am happy that he chose to stick in our room rather than taking one downstairs, though… Even if the stairs are rough, I like having him with us…”

“And...I don’t think it’s super weird to wanna take care of him when he’s laid out, but…” Kokichi gave his husband a look, partly teasing, partly reprimanding. “I dunno if feeling that way to the point of a fetish is. I dunno if Shuu-chan would be particularly thrilled with you getting all worked up over the fact he can’t get up by himself.”

“Nnnnn, I knooooow, don’t teeeellll hiiiiim.” Kaito groaned, putting a hand over his face. “I don’t want it to happen! Not in real life! I just… gah, I don’t know… I keep thinking of a turtle that’s fallen on it’s back!” Kaito said, way too loudly, a few people they were passing by on the sidewalk giving him a bewildered look and walking just a tad faster. “And, like, you turn the turtle over, of course. Cause that situation sucks and leaving it to do it on its own is shitty! But there’s that brief second between seeing it, recognizing what’s happening, and then helping, where it’s like… awwwwww…. Poor little guy…” Kaito said, a small half grin on his face, “Where it’s kinda cute and funny? That’s the mental image of Shuuichi… only with, like, weird, horny undercurrents. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!?”

He shouted this, basically in response to hearing him say this outloud, before covering his face again, just, burning in embarrassment. “Atua strike me down.” He grumbled, shaking his head. “That’s too much… maybe calling it a fetish is too much. I do have a habit of just calling any image that arouses me a ‘fetish’. There’s gotta be more qualifications than that! If that’s all it takes to be called a fetish, then we’re gonna be here writing the damn list all day!”

Kokichi supposed he could understand the turtle thing, as he gently waved to the people they passed, trying to portray that everything was fine, please continue on with your evening. There was a certain form of sympathetic pity that could be a little cute. And, in a way, when Shuuichi was stuck on bedrest, Kokichi knew he’d be feeling some of that wherever he managed to make Shuuichi’s situation a little less shitty, and there would be a relieved or content look on his boyfriend’s face. 

But...a horny undercurrent?

Sighing, Kokichi patted his husband’s arm, again giving strangers whose heads had turned careful, reassuring smiles. “I think...for it to be a fetish,” he softly said, not really wanting to be overheard with this sort of conversation, “It, like...the terms can be specific, but it has to apply for more than one scenario? Like if you can imagine more than one person and it still gets to you, or if you can imagine it happening in more than one case. But...I do think Kai-chan has a lot of fetishes anyway. It’s not a bad thing, though it can be a little exasperating sometimes when me and Shuu-chan are just trying to go on with our days. But it’s something we know about Kai-chan--all part of the package.”

“Hmmm… more than one situation? …” Kaito-- because, sometimes, Kaito enjoyed taking stupid thought exercises, just, far too seriously-- stopped to think about it for a moment… someone else, super pregnant?

Kaito frowned, not even getting to the rest of the scenario, his mind stuttering right out the gate. Hmmm… “...I think it’s literally just cause it’s Shuuichi.” Kaito realized, looking genuinely surprised at himself, “Maybe the undercurrent is just… me thinking about Shuuichi in general? Maybe I just have a Shuich fetish, and all this other stuff is just getting caught up in that.”

Kaito grinned, the look more than a little teeth, as he said to Kokichi, voice low, “Awwww… my poor Kokichi and Shuuichi… can’t even just live their lives without someone pointing out how sexy the way they do paperwork and homework is… my poor guys…”

And then, because he was mostly being playful, he leaned down and gave a few loud, obnoxious kisses to Kokichi’s cheek, before snickering, “My bad. Thank you for being patient with me, ‘Kichi~”

Kokichi raised an eyebrow, honestly having expected Kaito to have turned red and affirmed that it was a fetish. Sure, the guy was turned on by a lot, but maybe Kokichi really wasn’t giving him enough credit. “I think at that point it’s not a fetish at all, and you’re just sexually attracted to Shuu-chan. Which...not really a surprise there.”

Withstanding the kisses with a slight roll of his eyes, Kokichi caught Kaito’s cheek in a kiss of his own for just a moment before his husband straightened back up. Damn tall people and their normally unkissable faces… “It’s part of the Kai-chan deal--if I really had a problem with it, I would’ve told you ages ago. But…”

Kokichi offered up an impish grin. “I think if I did paperwork in short-shorts, then you might actually say something like that, huh?”

….

…….

……………… Kokichi in short-shorts….

Kaito immediately looked around, almost desperate. Certainly there was a clothing store open somewhere. 

Not seeing any open clothing stores within view immediately, Kaito swallowed his truly bitter disappointment, before saying, “Babe, you always look sexy doing paperwork. I literally fantasize about fucking you over your desk. This is not new information.” he said, a hint of a tease in his voice, grinning down at him, “God, remember that office at the beach house? You sat at the big, sturdy wooden desk, surrounded by books, a little line of concentration on your forehead...that image still randomly pops into my head sometimes. You looked amazing…”

“... do you own any short-shorts? Just, for curiosity’s sake?”

And didn’t Kokichi know that all too well. He didn’t often think of it, but every time he thought about how he and Kaito had broken in the office...it was all he could do to not cringe into infinity and apologize to Nadya for the rest of his life. 

Even if it had been fun. 

But the look Kaito got on his face when Kokichi had to be decisive on work things? Oh, Kokichi hadn’t forgotten that fetish. 

Shaking his head again, Kokichi smirked up at his husband with a glimmer in his eyes. “Hun, we share a closet. Yes, I own short-shorts, and not just the sleep shorts I wear during the summer. But, I don’t really wear my regular ones until summer anyway, ‘cause I just wear ‘em so I can still wear clothes while I feel like I’m melting.”

“Though…” Kokichi hummed, looking down at himself, putting his free hand on his waist. “You might get a fashion show sooner than then. I know I really haven’t gained all that much weight, but I should make sure my summer clothes still fit… Don’t wanna leave myself with nothing to wear when I can’t stand to wear warmer clothes anymore.”

“Oh, I am all about a fashion show… though, awww, do you think it's getting to that point now?” Kaito asked, lighting up a little. “I mean, I know you’re teasing a little, but… that’d be something to get really excited over, right? Needing to up the sizes of all your clothes?”

“I might just be getting ahead of myself,” Kokichi cautioned, though there was a little pleased smile on his face. “But...yeah. It’d be exciting. Even if I can find stuff in my general size, I always need to get it tailored...and, yeah, pretty much everyone does, but...it’d be nice to actually find something that doesn’t dwarf my shoulders or drags on the ground.” 

“And...it’d mean that I’m getting to a good, healthy point with my body. If I can put on weight and keep it?” Kokichi laughed, pressing against Kaito’s side. “Hell yeah that’s reason to celebrate!”

Kaito grinned at that, his chest filling with warmth… they were getting close to the cates of the castle, but Kaito looked around, eyes darting from trees, to buildings, to the dark spaces in between… 

“Hey, how do you actually feel, right this second? You tired? Ready to get home and relax?” Kaito asked idly.

Kokichi raised an eyebrow, having...an inkling where Kaito’s mind was, but… No mind reading. “I’m not particularly tired, no. And tonight’s pretty comfy for walking around.”

Late enough that it wasn’t too busy, but early enough to barely be called night. A refreshing sort of chill in the air, but warm enough to walk around comfortably in just a light jacket. It was just...nice, and Kokichi really wasn’t any more tired than he was at his baseline these days. 

“...but I do wanna make sure that tiramisu gets to Shuu-chan alright. Did you have something on your mind?”

Damn… right. Kaito looked at his elbow, where the dessert was safely tucked away in a bag, hanging from it. Shuuichi’s dessert… well, guess there was no just sweeping Kokichi off his feet. Gotta take care of the other partner too.

Shrugging, Kaito admitted, “I liked the idea of pulling you away somewhere, maybe doing some sky gazing, maybe kissing ya a bit… I don’t know? What would you think of dropping off the dessert and going on a walk? A little night hike? Find just somewhere we haven't been, get a little lost… but, don’t feel pressured. It’s spring, there will be plenty of nice nights to talk around in coming up. We can put a pin in this, do it later.”

A night hike! Other than their walks to and from that misinformed party, Kokichi still hadn’t gotten to go on a night hike with Kaito yet. Really, it had been something that he was really looking forward to that they just...hadn’t gotten around to. Just wandering around the city a bit, talking, enjoying the night atmosphere…

Lighting up, Kokichi hugged Kaito’s arms. “That sounds awesome! Yeah, let’s check in with Shuu-chan, then take a walk. It feels like ages since we’ve looked out at the sky together...and kissing’s on the table too.” Kokichi gave him a wink, though his cheeks went pink. “If...you know, we’re kinda alone.”

Kaito grinned, feeling himself start to ramp up, getting excited. They were going on a night walk! After dinner! Like a date! 

Temp wasn’t even here! 

Instead of relaxing, Shuuichi was deep in studying mode, apparently taking the quiet break from his partners to really focus on his schooling, surrounded by papers and digging through a textbook as he carefully started ciphering through the information, trying to work out what would be useful later. Shuuichi had seemed happy enough to see them come home, asking how dinner was and happy to get his dessert, but didn’t exactly seem brokenhearted to hear they were heading right back out, sort of just nodding absently, mouth full of tiramisu already, as his eyes scanned his textbook, humming, “Mmmm kay. Have fun. Be safe. Love you both.”

With that, Kokichi and Kaito were out again, heading out the gates, the wind light and the air crispy, but not uncomfortably so. Kaito looked around curiously, before asking, “You lead, or should I? I imagine there’s not a lot of the area you’re not familiar with, but it should still be a nice walk either way.”

Seeing Shuuichi so deep in study mode gave Kokichi a few giggles, but he kept it down for the most part. The semester was about a month and a half in, and while that wasn’t comparatively long, it still tended to be one of the first waves of people getting serious. Especially with a sort of ‘thus so far’ comprehensive test coming up. 

But he was happy that Shuuichi wasn’t feeling lonely, and that he was enjoying the dessert, so Kokichi could head back out with Kaito without any worries. This time was just for them, without making anyone else worse off to get it. 

Hand in hand once again, Kokichi leaned against Kaito’s arm fondly, his gaze idly going over the plaza. “Mmmmm, you lead. Since you don’t know town as much, I think there’s a better chance for us to get a little lost and have an adventure. Even trying to do that, I think I’d still end up taking us on paths I know well.”

“Still...I don’t have to be lost to have an adventure with you. That’s pretty much every day,” he softly cooed, nuzzling against Kaito’s arm.

“Awwww, you cute little flirt.” Kaito chuckled, squeezing Kokichi’s hand slightly, before looking around and saying, “Alright, well… don’t think I’ve ever really had a reason to go down the left hand path. Let’s head this way.”

Leading the way, but matching Kokichi’s pace in walking, the two strolled down what was, to Kaito anyway, an entirely random sidewalk. Maybe it’d curve around and head down to the merchant streets again, maybe it’d keep going to some part of town. He had no idea. But, honestly, finding new places wasn’t altogether the points of these walks. T was always just… nice to be moving around with nowhere in particular you had to be. No end goal, or time limit. With Maki and Shuuichi, some of the most important conversations they had had, were on walks like these. Even if they hadn’t felt important at the time. Talking about their hopes for the futures, or the issues they were having in their days. Their philosophies and their ideas. Just… really getting to know each other n ways busy days didn’t really allow.

...Kaito felt nostalgic, thinking about those days. He wouldn’t say ‘those days were better’, because, honestly, he wasn’t sure they were… but even despite that, he missed them. Both that time in their lives, and really, just who they were as people…

Kaito wanted to ask Kokichi, if he could go back to any time in his life before this, just to revisit it, what would it be, but… he had the depressing suspicion Kokichi wouldn’t be able to think of anything. Too many days locked away in sickness or paranoia. Kokichi’s life was… pretty depressing to think about, sometimes. But, well… mind reading, right? That was a no-no. So…

“Hey, babe. Hypothetical question,” Kaito said with a grin, as they seemed to pass by what looked like apartments, “If you could revisit any time in your life? What would you want to do again? What’s a highlight you’d revisit?”

Kokichi only laughed, placing a kiss against Kaito’s arm before they headed out. And instead of thinking about routing, where they were and where it would lead and places to go from there, Kokichi just let his gaze wander. Enjoying taking in the sights of his city and the warmth of Kaito’s hand in his. 

It wasn’t like he’d never done something like this. Kokichi had spent plenty of time just wandering around town, seeing what there was to see. But there were always lingering cautions in his mind--places to avoid being seen by guards, how far he could afford to venture out and still make it back home in time to avoid suspicion. Now...well, he did want to sleep that night, but they could take as long as they wanted, taking any sort of path. It was nice…

Looking over in interest when Kaito posed a question, Kokichi hummed softly as he thought, really putting it to consideration. “...when I was young enough that Lake didn’t have guard training all the time… She used to play with me a lot, you know. Making up adventures to play pretend, or playing dress-up or having tea parties or...sometimes she, Dad, and I would just take walks around the castle. Neither of us had jobs yet, and while we both enjoy and find good purpose in them...there is something nice about the freedom of childhood. Having such a small world, but still finding it more than fulfilling…”

Kokichi looked up and raised an eyebrow at his husband, grinning. “Now, if this is some djinn wish and I’d have to, like, relive a whole year? I think I’m happier just living life normally. But it’d be nice to revisit memories for a bit.”

“What about you?”

“Awww, yeah, you’ve talked about that before. She used to put you on her shoulders and run around with you, right? I’d say you must have been young, but honestly, she could probably still do that to you now and not really have any issues.” Kaito teased his, just, incredibly small husband. “That sounds nice.”

“My first year of college, easy.” Kaito said immediately, even though the memories that had brought this one had actually started late in high school. But they had kept the night hikes up into college time as well, and, honestly, the ones during those times had meant a lot more to Kaito. Seeing his friends, at least Maki and Shuuichi, had become slightly more difficult, during that period of time, all of them so busy, so taking the time to meet each other up at night and walk around, bitching and complaining and talking shit, had felt that much more cathartic. Finding time for each other meaning that much more when it took that much more effort. 

“I met a lot of interesting people during that time, and...while I love them, I gotta admit, life was a lot simpler, without living with my family. I mean, I wasn’t far, I was still in the city, and I would still come when I was called. But knowing I wasn’t in the castle, that me getting there would take longer, made my family less inclined to call for me, not feeling like waiting, so… I just had a lot of freedom, at that point in my life. Maki and Shuchi were coming into their own in their careers, which was amazing to watch, I was feeling pretty good about my grades and my classes, I dated Kore that year and learned just… all kinds of things about myself. Got over a few things that had been bugging me up until then, really just…”

Kaito laughed, shaking his head, “Sorry, I’m gushing. Probably a lot of it is rose-colored goggles, but still, it was honestly a pretty nice time in my life. Mind you, that’s just cause the lows were never that low… it’s got nothing on the highs of this year… big things happened this year.” Kaito said, squeezing Kokichi’s hand again… before laughing. “It’s funny, hearing you talk about jobs and childhood… ya know, I still have never had a job? Only ever interviewed for a job once in my life. Crash and burned. Your husbands a layabout.” Kaito snickered.

Well. That was true. Kokichi had heard about an incident only one or two years back where Lake had hauled a grown man (and not a fun-sized one like him) over her shoulders and ran him to the hospital after a stabbing, and while Lake was prone to exaggeration, there had been plenty of people to corroborate the story. His sister was scary strong sometimes. 

Though, Kokichi still rolled his eyes a little at Kaito’s teasing. 

And Kaito’s first year of college meshed in a satisfying way with the rest of Kokichi’s knowledge, filled in with all sorts of little anecdotes from that time that Kaito and the others had told Kokichi about. It really had sounded like a good point in his husband’s life. 

“Hey, I mean you know how envious I was when you first told me you were going to university. That kind of independence in your life, along with all that other stuff you say you had going on...it’s something worth gushing about!” Kokichi giggled, reciprocating the squeeze on his hand. “Still...yeah. I think just about anything would look moderate to what this year’s been like.”

Incredible highs that Kokichi still sometimes had trouble believing were really true...and fierce, horrible lows. Things that were subject to haunt and hang on their shoulders, though they were all working through that stuff. Just...a very action-packed year. 

Rolling his eyes more fondly, Kokichi tipped his head over onto Kaito’s arm. “That interview might’ve not gone well, but please. You’re in no way a layabout--Kai-chan does a lot! Even without my other responsibilities, I know I’d struggle doing everything you’re doing with the kids and being there for Tim and learning how to cook and helping Seiko out with her business and taking care of me and Shuu-chan and getting things ready for Miya and setting everything up for Bonus and the rest of Maki-chan’s siblings…” Kokichi let out a breath. “I know I’d need a lot of help to achieve what you’re doing on your own. So be proud! Being employed isn’t the sole determining factor of whether you have a job.”

“Awww… heh. That’s sweet…” Kaito grinned, sheepishly scratching at his cheek… before chuckling, “Geez, ‘Kichi, you know it’s okay to tease me, right? Every time I give ya an opening, you always swerve hard right into saying such nice things… which I appreciate! Don’t get me wrong. I’m always touched by a compliment, but, like… you know you can take some digs at me if you want too. My skin isn’t that thin…”

Hitting his chest with his free hand, Kaito smirked, “Come on! Take a shot! With words, I mean, we both know you punching me wouldn’t so much as leave a bruise anyway.”

Kokichi smiled slightly, though his gaze was averted in embarrassment as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I dunno… I know it’s joking and part of friendship and all that, but it doesn’t feel good to...like, it’s different if you’re both just talking shit from the beginning. But going into an opening, even if someone opened it on purpose...I dunno…”

And it really depended on what he was teasing about. With Denji, it had always been easy. They mocked each other’s style and impatience and pride relentlessly. It was almost hard to be genuinely complimentary to each other these days with how much they’d gotten used to banter. With Lake, he teased her about her lovelife, and she shot back with loving teasing towards her sensitive li’l bro. 

With Kaito?

...he knew that Kaito had actually felt bad about “doing nothing” before. About what his place in Dicea and in their family was. Teasing someone about things they were actually insecure about, even if they instigated it, just felt...mean. Not something Kokichi could participate in without just feeling bad about himself. 

Taking a small breath, Kokichi leaned his head against Kaito’s arm again. “I seriously thought we were gonna be late tonight… I really don’t understand how you can spend a lifetime in front of a mirror before going out, especially when you end up looking the exact same.”

“The exact same!? Are you kidding!? My goatee has to be perfectly pointed, Kokichi, or it ruins the whole effect! And getting that perfect point just by itself takes five minutes of finangling! You're lucky you get a trophy husband willing to put so much time into himself! You just wait, our first fancy party, you’re gonna be so glad to have me when all the other world leaders are dropping their jaws in envy!” Kaito said, half incredulous, half clearly joking, a small smirk in his outrage…. Before he huffed, looking genuinely disappointed as he said, “Not that Dicea even does fancy parties… honestly, my talents are wasted here. I could go out in a t-shirt and socks with flip flops and no one would bat a damn eye. Travesty.”

Kokichi snorted, at least knowing that this was a topic he could safely tease over. “That’s true. To be fair, the castle is my home, but no one really cares if I wear stuff like that around.”

“And...we do have fancy dinners every once in a while,” he hummed. “Like, different than festival dinners. But it doesn’t happen that often ‘cause...like, how often are other world leaders coming by? But when Ambassador Shirogane came we had one, and sometimes business associates from Danganronpa have come and we do it for them too… And a lot of the events around our wedding were like that.”

“Still…” Kokichi sighed a bit, looking around the...well, it was a residential district that they’d walked into, if not the main one. He wasn’t snooping, but seeing the lights in various windows...it was a sign of life that brought him comfort. “...dunno if you’d call ‘em fancy, but it’s still an occasion… I kinda wanna go to the Friday night dances… Technically they go on all year, excluding if there’s a festival on a Friday, or if we get snowed in...but the start of the season during spring is when it always kicks up, I’ve heard. Tomomi-chan...sort of invited me. Said that it could be fun, since she knows we like to go dancing at clubs ‘n stuff.”

...he’d lost the thread. “...but people usually get all dressed up for those. That’s the kind of fancy I like.”

“Pffff… fancy? ‘Kichi, our wedding was a large group of people mingling in the park. We literally had our ceremony in the local park… oh my god my marriage was in the local park.” Kaito realized, suddenly, just, blown away by this revelation. He hadn’t really known where he was when they had all actually gathered for the event, just kinda going where he was led. The park was a nice enough place, very scenic, it had been pretty, but… fuck his marriage had been in a public park… his mother would have been outraged…

...Kaito snorted. Rubbing a hand over his face. Ahh… life was funny.

Still! Ooooooh, “Dances?” Kaito asked, looking intrigued, “Do you even have to ask? That sounds like a lot of fun! If they’re called ‘Friday Dances’, does that mean they happen every friday? I’d be so down for that! I’m kinda bummed we haven't gone sooner, if they’ve been happening this whole time. Do you know what kind of dancing they do? I liked the last two places we went… well, for the most part.” Kaito shrugged, the brewery party being a weird ‘worse in hindsight’ situation, “But both of those were more just sort of like… crowd mashings than anything. Which can be a lot of fun, I dig those kinds of dances, but I think it’s not a secret by this point that I’m a sucker for more specialized dances. The kinds ya gotta learn, ya know?”

Kokichi just nodded, not sure what sort of revelation Kaito was having. All the fancy dinners and events, and the wedding itself… It had been a huge reception, moving out personal tables and banquet tables and getting special tablecloths and flower arrangements and decorations for the whole thing… It had been the most fussy week of Kokichi’s life, no question. 

He opted to let it go, though, when Kaito moved on. 

“Yeah, they’re every week, in the big dancehall that’s…” Kokichi looked around for a moment, getting his bearings before pointing over to the north, “Over there, thereabouts. They’re...supposed to, I guess, honor the old community get-togethers from before unification, so it’s mostly Dicean folk dances, though they have “free dance” sections where you can just do whatever, from what I’ve gathered. Swingy, upbeat stuff.”

Giving Kaito a kind look, Kokichi swung their hands together a little. “The folk dances are the kind of dancing that has a caller, and you practice each dance before the band starts playing, so it’s really beginner-friendly. We might have to ask around what certain moves and terms mean, but since everyone’s doing it, I imagine we could catch on alright.”

Kaito nodded along, his eyes trailing to a stair way that seemed to be leading up a hill, which seemed a little out of place for the middle of a neighborhood. And, the unusualness of the sight is what caused Kaito to steer them in that direction, offering Kokichi the weight of his arm if he struggled with the stairs at all as he said, “Folk dancing… I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it. When we get to even land again, show me an example, maybe we have a different name for it. Either way, I’m still into it.”

The stairs were, again, surprisingly tall, clearly built to make use of the otherwise in the way hill that started here, and by the time they got to the stop, the small noises of the houses had faded away, and though they were clearly only halfway up the uphill landscape, the path opened up wide, revealing on a large, likely naturally forming ledge, clearly what was meant to be a small, neighborhood park. There was a small playground, with swings and one of those spinny wheel things that kids made themselves dizzy on, slides. Not far off from the playground, was what could arguably be called an ‘adult’ playground, but was more just items to help adults exercise, high bars and low bars, wooden planks to stimulate walking up and down stairs in a circle, hanging ringlets to move your body around on, an elevated walkway to test your balance on. 

Beyond the playgrounds, there were benches, some of them pointed towards the playground, to keep an eye on the kids you brought, but some pointed back towards the neighborhoods, where the halfway point of the hill had a beautiful view of both the neighborhood and the city and mountains beyond it. The city sparkling with lights, it’s shimmers almost beautiful enough to make up for the lack of stars in the sky. 

Kaito grinned, “Hey, look at that. We found something… alright. Folk dance. Show me.” Kaito insisted, crossing his arms and smirking at his husband.

Kokichi looked at the hill they climbed with some interest. Conceptually, he knew this was here. Where they could avoid it, their ancestors had tried to use terraforming as sparingly as possible, trying to make the most use out of the natural topography. So, as this residential district grew, there had been a question of what to do about this hill. Making it a little easier to climb, and incorporating it as a resource for the people who lived there was the answer but...Kokichi didn’t think he’d ever actually seen it with his own eyes. 

A playground and a place for exercise for anyone, a lookout spot and meeting ground and...Kokichi felt his breath get taken away by the view…

...or maybe it was the steep climb, but he wasn’t feeling winded by it yet. 

Looking over at Kaito, tearing his gaze from the landscape, Kokichi colored. “I-I mean...it’s all partner dances… And I’ve only watched, I don’t really…”

“Um…” Awkwardly, Kokichi held his right hand out, nodding for Kaito to do the same, and using their hands as the center point in a circle, walked around that point clockwise. “Then there’s…” Dropping his hand and having them face each other again, Kokichi walked in a circle around Kaito, though he faced the same direction the whole time. “And I’ve seen parts where…” Coming to stand at Kaito’s side, he joined their hands in a particular fashion. “And then you walk to the next point…”

Even more red, Kokichi dropped his arms and shrugged a bit. “Like...it’s a bunch of simple moves like that but in a big group with everyone doing it and sometimes you take really specific paths through the groups… It’s hard to explain. I get it if it’s...kinda weird…”

“Hey, come on, let me try it again, don’t give up on it yet.” Kaito snickered, pulling Kokichi back into the half-baked lesson, grinning wider as he saw Kokichi go redder with every half-remembered step… cute…

But Kaito followed the directions as given, stepping forward when he was prompted and following the uneasy path Kokichi led, wondering what kind of music this went with… before snickering, noticing that the hand positions Kokichi had put them in made it literally perfect to, “...annnnnd spin.” 

In a place that felt natural in the movement, Kaito took advantage of the arm placement and gently spun Kokichi around, until he was roughly in the same spot that he was before, but their arms twisted in a mirror version of what they were. Grinning, loving the way his husband hair spun, Kaito did it again, before pulling him in and leaning down to steal a kiss. 

Finally letting him go, Kaito laughed, “I like it. It seems fun. It’s sort of like ballroom waltz’s, it seems. Trading partners, who,” Kaito took Kokichi’s hand, before putting his other hand behind himself, bending his elbow and taking a step forward, trust Kokichi to follow his steps, “go in, and out, and then you lay your hands palm straight against each other, like this, keep your arms straight, and… step in circle with each other… then you go into a group where the group does that, but with their fingertips, like this, and then the girls step in, the boy step out-- or, really, whoever was leading in the dance before that steps out, whoever was being led steps in-- and the in group steps to the left, out group steps to the right, form back up, annnnd new partner!” 

At this, Kaito snagged Kokichi, claiming his partner, before putting his hand around Kokichi’s waist, holding his other hand and spinning him around, grinning down at him as he said, “And, one two three, one two three,” counting out the steps that he did around Kokichi, his husband only really needing to successfully not fall down to follow the dance by this point as Kaito led… before the red head snickered, stopped and, with a flourish, dipping Kokichi down, enjoying the visual of his husband, cheeks reddened hair flushed backwards under the weight of the dip, staring up at him… before admitting, “Okay, I maaaay have fused two dances together just now. Most of ballroom dancing it that first part, the palms thing and the keeping the arms together as you circle thing. The touchy feely stuff is a different kind of ballroom waltz, but… as you can guess, I kinda prefer this one.”

Bringing Kokichi back up, Kaito let him go, stepped back, and gave him a bow, saying, “And you end with one of these, showing respect to your partner, thanking them for dancing… I mean, it’s kinda the same. Similar patterns, it looks like.”

Looking Kokichi over, Kaito glanced over his shoulder, at the swings, before saying, “You tired, babe? Want to grab a seat?”

Kokichi, while embarrassed by how the steps seemed with only two people and without music, snorted as Kaito spun him, remembering watching similar flourishes between the dancing couples he’d watched in years past. The kisses were another common thing to see when the dance couple was a romantic couple too, though usually it was saved for the end of a dance. 

“Oh, I know some waltzes…” Kokichi softly commented, though he followed Kaito’s lead as he started sharing some of his own cultural dance. The waltzes he knew weren’t...exactly like this, but… “...this is sort of like a cross between some folk dances and a waltz...huh…”

While Kaito did take the heft of leading the sort of waltz Kokichi was more familiar with, he did manage to keep in time with the steps, though he smirked up at his husband’s counting, adding in his own time-keeper of, “Big, little-little; big, little-little…”

While his cheeks were still flush, by the time Kaito dipped him, Kokichi was giggling, having fun with their little impromptu dance in the middle of a playground. And, in return to the bow, Kokichi did a little flourish, tipping his head down and bending a knee slightly while his other leg went back, before he turned ninety-degrees to do the same to the air. “Say thanks to your partner, say thanks to your neighbor.”

Among all the drastic differences in their cultures...it was fun seeing the similarities in things like this, sometimes. 

Giggling more, Kokichi straightened, moving hair out of his face. “Not super tired, but I wouldn’t mind a break for a bit.” Assuming what Kaito had meant, Kokichi took a step over towards the benches.

Kaito grinned wide at Kokichi’s cute little flourish, loving that his husband looked like he was having fun with the impromptu dance exchange, now that he wasn’t reeling in embarrassment from explaining his half. Though, he snorted a little huff as he saw Kokichi start to head to the bench, reaching down and taking his husband hand, saying, “‘Kichi, it’s night time. No kids are gonna show up. We are not banished to the benches.”

Pulling his husband along gently, Kaito headed to the swings, before letting Kokichi’s hand go and darting forward a bit, taking the swing and, double checking the chain, hinges and wood, he pulled on the swing with his own weight a bit, seeing if anything bended worryingly… and when it seemed secure, he moved around it, patting the seat off with exaggerated posh fussiness as he said, “Your seat, your grace?”

Kokichi gave Kaito a questioning look for a moment before he was turned around, eyes widening in excitement. Swings. The top tier of playground fixtures. And not something he got to play on that often, ever since he’d tied a rope to one of the trees in the backyard in an attempt to make his own and had ended up busting the back of his head open. 

But! This was an installation, which meant that it’d been made by professionals, approved by the public safety committee, and was kept in top condition by the recreation rangers. 

His excitement clear on his face, Kokichi almost kept pace with Kaito before he realized what he was doing, slowing down and laughing a bit at his husband’s dramatics. Rolling his eyes as he sat down, Kokichi stuck his tongue out though he was smiling the whole time. “Geez, even when you say it as a joke it sounds so weird… Well, your supreme excellence? You gonna join me?” Kokichi nodded to the swing next to the one he was now seated on, figuring that this was the plan for at least a bit of the evening now.

Kaito looked a little surprised, for a second, wondering why Kokichi was calling him the Royal Appointed Judge’s honorific title… when he realized Kokichi probably didn’t know what he was saying and had just thrown together two fancy words for a title to tease. Chuckling a little, he leaned against the chains a bit, leaning down to kiss the back of Kokichi’s head, before saying, “Anything you ask, darling. There, see? Your grace, darling… it all sounds weird if you’re not used to hearing it. Not every title can come as naturally as ‘babe’, beautiful.”

Kaito glanced at the other swing… before saying, “I’ll take a seat in a second. You alright with me pushing you?”

Kokichi snickered a little more, shrugging. “I dunno; ‘darling’s kinda cute. Though… Like, ‘darling’ is it’s own couple pet name thing, but it always reminded me of ‘starling’, like what some parents call their kids, you know? All very sweet.” Not that his own father had ever called him that, and Ikuo tended to stick to ‘bunny’ rather than any other affectionate name. But it was still something that made Kokichi smile when he saw it in public. 

Lifting his feet from the ground, Kokichi held onto the chains of the swing, giving Kaito a grin over his shoulder. “Aw, hun. Gimme what you’ve got! It’ll give me time to get in the groove of swinging myself--it’s weirdly harder than it looks.”

“I think it helps to have a little weight to throw around, but you’ll get it either way, beautiful.” Kaito promised, though he couldn’t help but marvel at the ‘starling’ comment. Starling? That was sweet, but he had never heard of it before. Huh. Another cultural thing, he guessed. Neat.

Snickering at Kokichi’s enthusiasm, Kaito, though, decided not to give it what he had, because what he had would actually probably send Kokichi flying off the swing? Like, that probably wasn’t even an exaggeration. His husband was just… so thin. So, instead, to test it out, Kaito took the lower parts of the chain, held them firmly in hand, and started to move backwards, lifting his husband higher and higher as he said, “Alright, I’m gonna let go. If at any point the momentum feels too much? Don’t try to catch the swing yourself with your legs just yet, I don’t want it to drag you under while you’re still getting the hang of it, kay? You’ll end up with a face full of dirt and probably a bloody nose. Just let me know and I’ll slow it down. Just while you’re learning.”

Kissing the back of his head, Kaito got him all the way up to his chest, before saying, “Leeettting gooo… now.”

Kokichi huffed good-naturedly. “Oh, I know. If you don’t use them exactly as intended, swings are just physics nightmares. I tried to make my own in the backyard as a kid? Didn’t end well.”

Keeping his legs slightly tucked so they wouldn’t hit the ground when he went forward, even despite his own warning Kokichi found it hard not to squirm in excitement. Kaito was able to lift him high. He was gonna totally swing forwa--

WHOOSH!

At first, Kokichi couldn’t even make a sound as he rushed through the air, that wonderful feeling of rushing weightlessness combined with the glittering night city and distant mountains striking him speechless. 

But then Kokichi started to swing back, and he remembered to move his legs, trying to add to his own momentum, keep himself going. And the rush of air backwards was just as wonderful and… 

“Nihi! Hi-shishishishi!!!”

Kaito laughed, stepping back for a moment to just allow the momentum of the swing take Kokichi back and forth a bit, his husband kicking out his legs wildly, looking like he was trying to force himself higher and higher into the air with every kick. Like Kaito had suspected, there wasn’t a lot of momentum his thin husband could get through just his weight, so as he saw him start to slow down, he stepped back forward, reaching back and catching his lower back on his swing backwards, before gently pushing him forward, keeping the momentum up. 

He could help but feel his chest warm and flutter at the excited, obnoxious giggling. It was one of those moments where he found himself again wondering how anyone had ever denied Kokichi anything. Kaito loved that sound. More than their intimate moments, more than Kokichi’s kind, sweet words… Kaito’s favorite memories of Kokichi were the ones filled with unapologetic joy. 

“Man, ‘Kichi, you getting a good view of the city? What’s the weather like up there? The atmosphere must be getting pretty thin.” Kaito joked, enjoying the novelty of watching his husband get high up and away from him.

For a bit, Kokichi could only answer his husband with loud, joyus laughs, his delight too strong for his small body and so it escaped through sound. “I feel like I can even see the fields! It’s incredible! C’mon, Kai-chan--swing with me! You gotta see this too!”

He knew he’d start slowing down without Kaito’s help, but he could keep himself going for a bit. The world was a crazy, vibrant, amazing place. So much of which Kokichi hadn’t even been able to dream about seeing. And now...he could. One by one, witnessing life in its fullest, from the wide world to deep interpersonal moments, Kokichi’s tiny box had exploded into infinite reaches. 

But as amazing as it was witnessing life himself...it was better with someone to see it with him. The world was best when it was shared. 

So much of it had closed off itself, creating self-made barriers...but those with a willingness and desire for happiness, for adventure and excitement, for peace...they would open it back up. 

...Kokichi’s smile quirked a little, not really sure where those kinds of thoughts were coming from, or even how they’d spawned, but...well, it felt hopeful in a way that he liked. 

“Alright, alright, if you insist.” Kaito said cheerfully. 

Then, because hs swinging days had been severely hindered since around late fifteen, when he had really sprouted up, Kaito did what his over six-foot self always did on swings, which was test its weight, one last time, before stepping on the swing, remaining standing before, with a small, pleased smile that it was tall enough to accommodate him-- not all swings were, though usually none of them were high enough to support his long legs either, not without him getting real balled up onto the seat, making this the better bet-- he rocked himself back and forth, not going anywhere near as high as Kokichi by design, but still enjoying the wind and momentum of it, going a little higher every swing. 

The view was pretty. Kaito took a deep breath, just enjoying the calm joy in it. 

“...I had a playroom as a kid? Like, a real little kid, way before I met Maki or Shuuichi. Honestly, way before I had any friends, really...I mean, I guess I had Kaede, but she didn’t live in the castle, she only stopped by for lessons and events. And Byakuya was so much older than me… well, I guess only three years. But he seemed so much older… anyway, I had this playroom. It was really nice, it was this big, colorful room with all these big toys, and it had a playground, designed into it. Two swings, along with this big tire swing that hung from the ceiling, and a slide that fell into this ball pit that would just totally engulf you, and, like, these little tunnels that felt like a maze and a fortress at the same time. There was even a little throne room hidden in the back of the tunnels, like the playground was its own miniature castle. I loved that room. Kid me would go nuts in that room. There was this giant tiger doll that I spent half my time fighting and half my time cuddling with.”

“...I think when I was really, really little, maybe there were a few other kids in there sometimes? Like, sometimes? I know I remember this one kid in particular, brown skin, big brown eyes, brown hair, everything brown, and I just remember adoring him. Couldn’t tell you anything about him, not his name, nothing, but I just remember the feeling of four year old me thinking he was amazing. He could climb up the slide! That was really hard! I tried to follow up behind him and always ended up sliding back down halfway up. He was just soooo impressive.” Kaito gushed, the sound half mocking, rolling his eyes at his easily impressed toddler self. “I never asked anyone, but I’m guessing they were some of the staffs kids, allowed to play to keep me company, maybe partly as a babysitting thing? Don’t know why it stopped. Maybe someone just decided I was too old to play with the staffs kids...I wonder what that guys doing now? My cool slide-climbing crush...” 

Kokichi looked over in some combination of alarm and amazement as Kaito started swinging standing up. He...really had never seen anyone do something like that before, and while Kokichi worried about Kaito slipping off the seat or face-planting on the ground, he seemed steady enough and unconcerned as he rocked to and fro, managing a good rhythm despite the baffling orientation. 

A man of many talents, his Kaito. 

And of many experiences that Kokichi sometimes had trouble even conceptualizing. 

“Wow…” he breathed. “That...your playroom sounds like something right out of a urban fantasy novel… A room with a whole playground and a ball pit and tubes and a hidden room…” He shook his head a little, trying to put more ‘oomph’ into his swings. “That’s, like...crazy incredible.”

...and he was glad other kids got to use it too, even if it was just a couple. 

Giggling softly, Kokichi looked over with a soft smile. “I know I can’t exactly relate but...it’s kinda weird to think about, right? People who you saw regularly when you were little, or even a little older, and then are now just...off living their lives somewhere? Living totally different paths from you, and yet there was that time you shared… I’ve heard it’s a pretty common thing to feel about kids you knew in daycare, or in primary school if you split into different districts later on… It’s weird, how many lives you end up touching, if only for a relatively small time.”

Kaito nodded, the movement slightly somber, as he said, “Yeah, well, you know… lots of different little lives, all brushing past each other…”

If Kaito had a point, he never got to it… just squeezing the chains of the swing in frustration for a moment, before letting out a breath. “...I just… I just sometimes still get so mad they did that to you...I know it’s not Lake or Denji’s fault. They were basically just kids too, and either way, all of it was long over by the time either of them got to the castle, if I understand the timeline right, but… god it still makes me so angry how isolated you were… my mom really believed in social classes, and I still got to hang out with other kids my age, even if no one was ‘my level’... mind you, maybe no one told her.” Kaito admitted, “Even if she had to know who my friends were as I got older, we never really...talked about it…”

Sighing, Kaito put a leg down, slowing his swing a little, still standing, but just leaning against the chain as he looked at Kokichi, smiling sheepishly, “Sorry, I had a point… and honestly it’s a shitty point. I just… wish you had been treated better, growing up. I know it was complicated, but… I still get this alarmed feeling, like I need to defend you, sometimes. Like somethings gonna happen and suddenly everythings gonna be like how it was when I first got here…”

Kokichi sighed softly, his smile shrinking a bit, though his enjoyment of the world rushing past him never abated. It was ironic, in a way. Kokichi had grown up in a country where community and togetherness was pushed first and foremost, everyone treated as an equal to everyone else, and he had been isolated through negligence and a self-imposed image of never being enough. Kaito had grown up in a strictly striated society, and yet...he’d had friends and experiences his whole life that had ranged from the peak of “high society” to...becoming best friends with slaves. And everything in between, forging bonds that were his, striking out in a way...Kokichi didn’t think many people, if any, in Luminary ever managed, if they even wanted to. 

He snorted, finding their lives just...ridiculous. 

“Hey, I’m pissed about it too.” Kokichi looked over, something sly and yet wise in his gaze. “And...sometimes I get that feeling too. Like one day all this is just...gonna disappear for me. But…” He turned his gaze back out to the city. His city, among the thousands of people who lived there. “...I know better now. I am better now. And if anyone would even think to try and cage me...well. They wouldn’t succeed. I only was ‘cause I let myself--’cause I made part of it.”

“If someone tried to imprison me, I would not let them. I’d fight, and while I know I have all you guys to fight with me...I can stand up for myself. Kai-chan doesn’t have to worry about keeping the fighting away from me.” Kokichi looked over again, shooting his husband a peaceful, confident smile. “I know we have different perceptions of what a battlefield looks like...but, believe it or not, there are a few I’m willing to fight on.”

Kaito watched Kokichi swing, back and forth, like a grandfather clock, tolling the seconds, something both ominous and reassuring in seeing that passing of time, bit, by bit, by bit… his eyes glazed for a second before he blinked, shaking his head, just catching Kokichi’s self-assured gaze for a moment before nodding, going back to swinging a little himself, trying to clear his head a little from that soft, fluffy, accepting feeling. 

He did accept what Kokichi was saying. Especially considering how sincere his husband was about it. But the feeling of watching his husband while his head got all fuzzy, just accepting everything he said as the absolute truth was… weirdly familiar and slightly uncomfortable in that familiarity. He didn’t want to get caught up in it. That almost… religious faith.

So he listened to his husband and watching the view of the city, swinging gently to and fro… and nodded. “I believe you.” He decided-- and, briefly, there was something unkind in him that insisted of course he believed him. Kokichi knows better… but a second later that mean, self-accusing thought seemed to die into nothingness, and Kaito felt his shoulders relax slightly as he said, “It makes sense… I mean, for one, I can’t see how the castle staff would justify to themselves letting anyone tell them to keep you locked up again, when you’ve been out and about officially all this time and even through the worst case scenarios, like… you came out the other side fine. Anyone who wants to argue its too fucking dangerous for you to go into the kitchen needs to fucking explain how the fuck they thought you survived the worst of the beach trip… seriously, you’re so much more fucking capable than that, it’s fucking insulting…”

Kaito took a steadying breath, before saying, “And beyond that… you’re so clearly well loved and respected among the staff… if you just point blank tell them to do something? To stop, or treat you differently? I can’t imagine anyone just straight up telling their Light of Dicea no… you’re their leader. And… I think they respect you as such.” Kaito shrugged, “And they should. You’re a great leader. You’ll be an even better one, when it’s your turn to take the top leadership position. You’re going to do great things… it’s gonna be amazing to see…”

“And, thank god one of us is good at your idea of a battlefield, because fuck knows I’m not… that was always Kaede and Byakuya’s gifts. I suck at the head game stuff… heh. My ability to punch people wasn’t that super useful growing up, either. Not to anyone outside my school friends. All the fights that mattered in the castle and stuff? Politics and all that… never had any idea what I was doing. I was point blank told by basically everyone growing up to not get involved in any of that. Don’t talk politics with any of the other elites, don’t get drawn into discussions of policies or current events or political disputes. Don’t talk to anyone about that stuff, not unless it was family or the High Secretary. People could try to get secrets out of me or try to insist to other groups that I spoke for my family, or could try to use me to get to them. Unless it was purely socializing? Keep your mouth shut. Give no opinions other than pre-approved ones, and even then, only if you have to...”

… squeezing the chain again, Kaito said quietly, after a moment, “Don’t… tell people this but… I’ve been thinking to myself lately that, like… maybe some of the ways I was raised was maybe not… entirely normal…”

Kokichi nodded slightly, his smile relaxing as Kaito affirmed his faith. A Kaito that...was breaking through his conditioning, and didn’t have to give Kokichi his faith. Kokichi had chosen before to acknowledge Kaito’s feelings as real, but...well, he could prove that promise true with his whole being. Kaito believed in him because he wanted to, because he believed, personally, that Kokichi was worth that belief. 

...and he wasn’t alone in that belief. Whatever Aiichi had seen in him to choose him as the heir, other people had been able to see it too. In Kokichi as a leader, and as a friend. 

Still, Kokichi felt his cheeks start to burn again, turning a cute cherry red as Kaito invoked his silly title and talked about how everyone at the castle treated him. Not pitying or indifferent but...respectful and optimistic. Having all those expectations on his shoulders was a bit thing, but...Kokichi trusted them too. He believed in his people, and that made the weight of leadership a joy to hold. 

“Kai-chan…” Kokichi uselessly, softly cooed, not having much of a point in saying anything, but feeling awed and humbled by his husband’s words. 

...they had both proven themselves much better than their circumstances growing up had assumed of them. 

Kokichi’s smile faded. He’d known Kaito’s frustration in this before but...he didn’t think Kaito had ever talked at length about it, in detail. 

“...I won’t tell anyone. But...none of that was fair to you.” Kokichi’s brow furrowed, though the rest of his expression was soft. “Everything you just described? None of it was fair. You might not...be a persistent schemer, or whatever, but you understand and can manipulate politics and head games better than people give you credit for. Telling you your thoughts and opinions were wrong and didn’t matter, without even hearing them; isolating you from what the rest of your family and a lot of your peers were doing…”

Kokichi huffed, letting himself start to slow down. “...I know I’m far from an expert, but that’s bullshit. They all put themselves at a huge disservice, if just the fact of personal stuff wasn’t enough, by not partaking in all you have to bring to the table. It’s a lot.”

“...Maybe.” Kaito mused, shrugging, seeing Kokichi slow down and once again dragging his foot to stop his momentum, sitting down on the swing, his keeps higher than his hips, stretching out his knees and letting his swing shift side to side a little as he said, “Sometimes I told Byakuya stuff. Ideas and opinions and stuff. And sometimes Kaede asked, like, with actually wanting to know. Other people asked too, like, my folks and stuff, but they weren’t really asking. It was more like impromptu quizzing… like, they’d ask my opinion, and if it wasn’t correct, they’d correct me. That sort of thing. And with my friends, well… so long as I kept it vague? It was usually okay…”

“I didn’t really want to share my opinions on stuff anyway.” Kaito said, shrugging, “I know that sounds weird, but, well… my… I mean, he was trying to look out for me… but Byakuya said I’d be happier not sharing, and I was. Like… like it made me uncomfortable, sometimes, knowing I was thinking something wrong, especially when I was talking to other people who were giving the right opinions. But, I didn’t want to share mine with them. I didn’t really feel the desire. I just felt bad that my thoughts didn’t line up right. Made it feel like I was lying, even if I wasn’t saying much of anything. Lying by omission, I guess. Though, that kind of lying is okay.”

“...um… when I was a kid, there was this parlor the Head Secretary… Tengan… that bastard?” Kaito tried, chuckling sheepishly, “Anyway, there was this parlor we’d do, like, these private lessons in… um… one day I was learning which lies were okay to tell… and my brother was being taught how to spot lies… um…”

Kaito felt his heart start to thump, a feeling of… embarrassment and apprehension squeezing his chest and making his back feel like it was made of rocks… before he let out a breath. “Sorry… I thought… maybe that’s not a story I actually want to share… it’s kind of a bummer. Tonights a nice night. How are you feeling? You want to start the walk back soon?”

“...I really hate the idea of a ‘wrong’ opinion…” Kokichi frowned a little more, but his words weren’t much more than a murmur. Sure, there were opinions that he felt were misinformed, or that just plain old made him uncomfortable to realize that other people really believed in them, but...they were opinions. Unique and personal for each person and...who were you to tell someone that their truth was wrong?

You could poke holes in reasoning, and give reasons to why you held your own opinion, but...to just say that someone was wrong…

...well, there was nuance to that. But it still hurt to hear when posed towards his husband. 

His swings were slowing down to the point Kokichi could drop his feet to the ground, letting his heels slow him down even more and eventually stand up. Doing so, he went to Kaito’s side and kissed the side of his head before leaning down a little more and capturing his lips for a good moment. “It’s been an incredible night. Thank you for sharing so much with me…”

“I’m alright--good to head home if you are. Don’t wanna leave Shuu-chan without his cuddle-buddies tonight, right? Or to stay up waaaaay later than he should since we’re not there to whine about bedtime.” Kokichi flashed a more playful grin before he swooped in to give Kaito’s forehead a kiss. “...for the record, I really like hearing your opinions. Even if I don’t always agree with them, they’re worth being heard for me.”

Kaito felt himself relax, glad Kokichi wasn’t going to push. He sort of felt like, he didn't know… Kokichi was owed those stories, or something. That not telling him was somehow keeping things from him, but… honestly, he was just barely getting to a point in his life where he could honestly look at those memories himself. Sharing them with other people, even his therapist, even Kokichi, felt… way too hard. He just wasn’t mentally or emotionally capable of it yet.

And, well… kisses were a nice alternative thing to think about. Kaito grinned, warm and fuzzy from his forehead kiss, before putting his arms around Kokichi’s back and pulling him back in as he said playfully, “Oh? Well, that’s good then… for the record, my current opinion is that you should sit on my lap and give me a few more kisses before we head back. I think that would be a cool and fun thing to do…” Kaito leaning in for another kiss, capturing Kokichi’s lips a moment, softly kissing at that bottom lip before tilting his head a little, kissing him a little more fully...before chuckling. Grin all teeth as he said, “I mean… just in my opinion.”

Kokichi let himself be pulled back flush against Kaito as they kissed, but he gave the swing a concerned look. It...should probably be fine, though it wasn’t really designed for two people. They should be under the weight limit…

Distracted with more kisses, Kokichi rolled his eyes under his lids for a moment before wrapping his arms around Kaito’s shoulders and...not quite sitting on him, but coming close while leaving most of his weight on his feet. “If it’s the realm of cool and fun things, I trust Kai-chan’s expertise there. His opinion matches with mine so...there’s not really a conflict.”

Rubbing a thumb down the back of Kaito’s neck, Kokichi leaned in again, pressing his lips against Kaito’s in small bursts, though they never really parted. Once he’d warmed up, Kokichi peeked his tongue out to touch against the seam of Kaito’s lips, silently asking for more. 

Kaito, partly out of self decency, mostly because he loved his husband, glanced over his shoulder, double checking the top of the staircase. It really was super unlikely anyone was going to walk in on them making out, but, well, his husband was pretty skittish about stuff like that. Kaito would glance there every now and again just to keep an eye out, but otherwise just enjoyed the tasting and touches of his Dicean prince.

Kaito could have easily gone cross eyed staring at his pretty husband through this, really, but… there was nothing quite as unsettling as realizing someone had their eyes open during a makeout session, and Kaito would spare Kokichi that disturbing revelation, closing his eyes and just focusing on his other senses as he ran his hands up and down Kokichi’s back, keeping his right hand on ‘Kichi’s lower back. Feeling Kokichi’s sweet little tongue start to poke and prod, clearly wanting access, Kaito easily parted his lips, feeling the sudden intrusion of warmth, that small muscle exploring him. Kokichi tasted like coffee and chocolate, right now… clearly the result of that dessert. Kaito knew he’d taste faintly of mouth wash, having stopped in the bathroom while Kokichi was giving their partner his gift. 

What? Kaito had been hoping this trip would result in some making out. He had wanted to be prepared!

Kokichi’s tongue exploring, Kaito closed his lips around it briefly, just enough to suggest pressure, as he kissed back against Kokichi’s lips again, letting his husband take lead on the kiss… but couldn’t help letting his hand wander down further south, smirking a little as he found the curve of Kokichi’s almost barren ass, appreciatively palming the curve that led from there to his inner thigh. Cute… all of Kokichi was cute… and fuck he drove him wild… Kaito would have to keep reminding himself they were just making out. Just showing and taking a little soft love for his beautiful husband…

Kokichi appreciated the hand on his back--though anywhere Kaito touched him was all good in Kokichi’s books--keeping him steady. He still wasn’t so sure about actually sitting in Kaito’s lap, but that hand gave him enough guidance that Kokichi could just trust his husband and his feet under him and mostly focus on Kaito. 

He huffed a laugh, tasting a fresh, minty flavor in Kaito’s mouth. He had said he wanted to kiss, and ever since their series of frustrating debacles, Kaito rarely was left unprepared for impromptu sexy times. Not that this was going to be a sexy time, but Kokichi wasn’t in much of a hurry to get home. They could take their time. 

And Kokichi certainly was, taking a slow, luxuriant pace in their kiss, taking the time to play with Kaito’s tongue and rub his shoulders, even as he had to smile at Kaito getting a little handsy. Almost an expert at breathing through his nose while making out now, Kokichi didn’t make any moves to pull back, simply enjoying lazily kissing his husband. 

They kept at this for a little bit, trading little back and forths… when suddenly Kaito got an idea in his head that made him laugh, and he pulled back from the kiss, cheeks flushed and eyes bright and playful as he said, “Wanna stand on the swing, see if it makes you tall enough to kiss me straight on?”

It was nice, just having a moment to themselves to just...be affectionate. Not not have to rush to do anything more and figure out the logistics of how to do it, not having to be sated with chaste touches… Those two things were nice, of course, but...Kokichi wanted the variety of life! And getting away to make out for a while in the middle of the night was part of that! 

Catching his breath as Kaito pulled back, Kokichi giggled at the idea, looking over to the other swing. “It’s...more than a foot off the ground, so totally. I get to be the tall one for once, Kai-chan having to feel what it’s like to tilt his head up!”

Scampering off Kaito, Kokichi carefully got up on the other swing, placing his feet apart to make sure he was balanced. Holding onto the chains, he jutted his chin out, giving Kaito a grin. 

Kaito raised an eyebrow, lazily getting off the swing as Kokichi excitedly got off, looking back at it and- oh yeah, he guessed it was a few feet off the ground. Which meant Kokichi-

He snorted, taking his knuckles to his mouth and snickering behind them as he looked up at Kokichi, who just looked so proud. “Someone’s feeling accomplished.” Kaito teased, before looking at Kokichi’s feet, making certain his husband wasn’t going to just fall off at the slightest bit of pressure. It looked like it’d be okay… taking a chain in each hand, Kaito leaned on the swing a little, jostling it just a little, before placing a few kisses on the underside of Kokichi’s jaw, smirking as he said, “I might have to look up, but wait till you see what a crick in the neck it is too keep slightly leaning down. You’ll finally see how much your husband does for you.” he grinned, kissing at the hard line of Kokichi’s neck, before peering up, waiting.

Kokichi giggled, leaning his head down to place a kiss on Kaito’s forehead. “Hey, I think this is actually a good stretch for us since we’re normally looking the other way. My spine gets to elongate, you get to stretch out the front or your neck, push your shoulders back… Maybe I should pick up stilt walking, just so we don’t end up with repetitive positional injuries.”

It wasn’t like Kokichi never saw Kaito from above. Whenever Kaito was sitting and he was standing, if Kaito was going down the stairs in front of him, sometimes when Kokichi was up on a stepstool...but it was still novel enough. Cute. 

Bending his knees a little, Kokichi captured Kaito’s lips once more, giving them a little playful nip since Kokichi didn’t really have any leverage like this to press and stay close. “My cute giant Kai-chan~ Finally feeling what the rest of us deal with. A shame not too many people see you from this angle--it’s a good one.”

Kaito pouted, ever so slightly-- ruggedly handsome, thank you very much-- before smirking a little, carefully letting go of one of the chains and, grasping the neckerchief that Kokichi was wearing that night, carefully but firmly leaned Kokichi down a bit, saying in a low tone of voice, “Talk, talk, talk… I’m here for anything my ‘Kichi wants. And all he wants to do is talk…”

Feeling the neckerchief loosen slightly, the knot not exactly tight, Kaito let it go before it came untangled, moving his hands around the back of Kokichi’s neck, feeling a little thrill at the gentle, playful nip, but wanting more. This time Kaito pushed his way in, wanting to taste him more fully, turned on and excited by the wet breaths and the small smacks of muscle pressing and exploring against each other. 

When he pulled back ever so slightly, it was purely because he wanted to look at Kokichi. He had noticed it before, but caught in the rush of arousal, he couldn’t get over the sight of the moon hanging up and above Kokichi, his husbands face slightly covered in shadow beneath his hair and the tilt down, though his eyes, catching the reflection of the moon light in the chains, seemed to almost sparkle and glow…

“...Aw, look at that. From this view, you could be tall, dark and handsome, ‘Kichi.” Kaito teased, before barely even thinking about it, he put his arms around Kokichi’s back and beneath his butt, and picked him up off the swing, heading towards the slide. His thought process being basically ‘that spots seems a little more sturdy’.

Kokichi snickered but acquiesced easily into more making out. Hey, sue him, he liked to talk; Kaito was fun to talk to. But, he was also fun to kiss, and once they were heading back home...well, technically they could do anything, but Kokichi had a feeling that he wouldn’t want to make any other detours once they were home, more content to get into bed with his guys and snuggle until they fell asleep. 

“Pff. I think I’m more than a little too pale for that--I’ll take the other two, though,” he laughed, raising an eyebrow as Kaito picked him up though he got comfortable in his husband’s arms. “Already done with the swings? Too jealous about being the short one for once?”

“...but it’s okay. I like having my arms around you more, too.” Doing just that, Kokichi started kissing along Kaito’s cheekbone, moving from it to his ear and every so gently nibbling at the shell, though he was careful not to touch at his earring. It would be more than a little embarrassing to get his lips caught in the metalwork holding the gem. 

“Was a little worried I’d forget myself and accidentally push you off it.” Kaito admitted, before saying dramatically, “And Kokichi, if I’m not the tall one, what’s even the point? Being tall, big, strong, ruggedly handsome… it’s all purely aesthetic for the makeout sessions, ‘Kichi. There’s no other use for it. Gotta make use of the aesthetic when it comes up.”

The slide was one of those plastic, simple square things. The sort of ‘starter slides’ of the playground, that smaller kids could use together without hurting themselves or each other. Kaito saw it and immediately realized, getting closer to it, that it was gonna be… way too temping to test his luck on it. It looked too comfortable to be laid down on. Fuck. 

Eyes looking around quickly for a ‘good Kaito’ spot, he changed his trajectory the last minute, and with a huff,  lifted Kokichi up and sat him down on the ‘second floor’ of the playground, where kids could slide down the pole for five whole brilliant seconds before safely landing on the matting below, before pulling himself up too… oh, and, actually. “Look at that. The views pretty nice just from up here too.” Kaito mused, looking on at that city skyline. “Man, the kids around here will never know how nice this actually is. Lucky ducks…” Kaito subconsciously put his fingers against the shell of his ear, softly rubbing the spot Kokichi had been messing with, smirking a little as he said, “Well, maybe not as lucky as me… just to be clear, I’m not getting lucky, right?” 

“It is an aesthetic you embody well. Can’t say I’d wanna deny us both that. Where else would I get my fill of being scooped up into big, strong arms and laid against a huge chest my husband worked out more just ‘cause he knows I like to touch it? I’m trying to stop self-sabotage here.”

Kokichi raised a bit of an eyebrow as they suddenly changed directions, watching them move away from the slide. In fairness, it was made for sliding, so it wasn’t the best place for Kokichi to perch on, but… He snorted, settling on the play structure, scooting to the side to give Kaito enough room to join him. And while he thought that they’d get right back to kissing…

He looked back out at the city, that same wonder sparkling in his eyes. The sun had truly set by now, and while there were still streetlights and some lights in various buildings… The moon cast a bright blanket over the relatively calm city, promising to look after its inhabitants and give them a good night’s rest. 

The mountains that protected them and the rivers that made the land fertile, all manners of plants finding a home in their little corner of the world… Dicea wasn’t the biggest country, but they were comfortable and had what they needed...allowing themselves to focus on other things. On making things better for everyone…

Feeling much calmer, Kokichi rested his head against Kaito’s arm. “Nah. I don’t wanna do anything in public, and by the time we get home...I’m a little tired. I just wanna cuddle with you guys tonight. Sorry, hun.”

“Fine…” Kaito sighed, putting his arm around Kokichi’s waist, and resting his head against his for a moment, rubbing his thumb against Kokichi’s hip bone, “Can’t blame a guy for asking. Guess I’ll just have to settle for light touches and soft kisses and being all affectionate and stuff…”

Kissing the top of Kokichi’s head, Kaito held Kokichi close, just staring at the scenery, listening to the sound of distant crickets and owls hiding in not so distant trees. Ignoring the stillness of it all as he said, “And cuddling and sleep sound pretty good too… we can go whenever you’re ready, you know. I’m enjoying our night hike, but we can kiss at home just as much as we can here, and it’ll be just as sexy and cute and nice tomorrow as it would be now…”

“...I just love you, you know that? Kissing, hugging, more, whatever… I just like being around you. You bring a real calm to my life. A real sense of peace.”

“Never do,” Kokichi hummed, pressing a kiss to the arm he was leaning against. In his opinion, at least, they’d gotten pretty good at the whole casual sex thing. Just...one of them would bring it up--usually Kaito, though they’d all had their moments--and they’d find a good moment, have a good time. Just because Kokichi wasn’t feeling it right now didn’t mean that he was...angry about Kaito asking. They both just knew where they stood right now. 

Closing his eyes for a moment to better appreciate the sounds of the night, the wildlife and mild wind rustling leaves and the slight buzz of the city that was certainly dulled in the night, but never truly became silence, Kokichi sighed softly, a smile on his face. “Tomorrow will be good, but I’m having fun enjoying the right now too. A little longer, then we can head back…”

“...I love you too. It’s my favorite thing, to spend time with Kai-chan…” Kokichi laughed softly, opening his eyes again to look up at his husband, an angle he was much more used to seeing. “You know, Temp mentioned to me that he could really see why we get along--he said we balance each other. And while there’s more nuance to it, the first thing that comes to mind is that you bring excitement to my life so...I’m inclined to think he’s right.”

“Yeah? I could see that… we’re kinda opposites in most ways, really. That can be hard, sometimes, but maybe that’s also what lets us see and enjoy new things together… I don’t know. I think I’m just feeling sentimental, partly.” Kaito laughed, grinnin wide, his expression bright and earnest and just… happy, before leaning in for more kisses. “But maybe there’s some truth in all the sentiment.”

He kissed Kokichi for a bit, letting his hand rest on his husbands thigh, idly rubbing up and down it as he traded soft kisses for deeper ones, mostly gentle, but sometimes pushing for those wonderful little harder gasps. Lovely little ‘Kichi sounds… lovely little ‘Kichi touches… his hands went a little higher up his leg... lovely little ‘Kichi-

Breaking the kiss, Kaito snorted to himself, taking his hand back and laying it over his own stomach as he leaned back metal-plastic flooring of the play area, chucking to himself as he looked up at the moon, face red as he said, “Sorry, sorry, give me a second. Gotta compose myself. You drive me wild, beautiful… gotta stop every now and again and remind myself to be a gentleman. Plus, the moon looks a little incredible, right now. Not gonna lie, this temperature, the brightness, it’s all perfect. It’ll be a shame to go back in… maybe I should take you and the kids camping someday? Probably not soon, Shuuichi would hate going and I don’t feel comfortable leaving him too long like this. But camping under the night stars? Like we did to and from the beach… those were nice.”

“My thoughts exactly… Guess there’s something fitting about being opposites, and yet able to be on the same page sometimes. Balance in everything, I guess.” Kokichi smiled into the next round of kisses, shifting slightly so he had one leg up on the structure to help brace him as he let himself be swept away in Kaito’s tempo. Like the sway of ocean waves, oscillating between deeper passions and sweet touches. Leaving Kokichi gasping and diving in of his own accord. 

...but just for kisses. 

Taking a break as they parted, Kokichi could only laugh, shivering slightly in the wake of such intimate touches that were suddenly gone. Shaking his head, he turned to look up at the moon as well, smiling in its nearly full light. “It is a nice night… I’d love to go camping, honestly--those nights on the road were almost as much fun as getting to see the coast.”

“Maybe we could set up an area in the backyard, camp at home,” Kokichi hummed as he brought his other leg up onto the structure, tipping his head back against one of the metal sidebars to moongaze. “It’s not the same, but it would be fun while not being far from home. Could be fun for Miya when she’s still too little to travel too, though after she’s old enough for something like that to be okay…”

“Look, I gotta take Miya on a normal camping trip before Maki gets her hands on her and convinces our baby that camping is sleeping in trees and hunting with a bow and arrow you made yourself.” Kaito huffed, rolling his eyes. “Though, for now, I bet you anything Cali and Kim would get a huge kick out of a backyard camp trip. Tim won’t, but I think he’d just enjoy spending time with them, so that’d be worth it.”

Kaito closed his eyes for a moment, taking a few deep breaths… okay, he felt a little better. Less ready to jump Kokichi’s bones. Sitting up, Kaito smirked at ‘Kichi, before just quietly leaning in, tapping his bottom lip, as he said, “I feel better. Wanna rile me up again?”

Kokichi giggled, his face entirely fond. Again, he found his thoughts wondering what sort of person Miya was going to be. If she was going to be the type to be able, or at least have the drive, to keep up with her aunt. If she would find peace and comfort in nature, or adventure. If she would be most comfortable at home, backyard camping about as adventurous as she wanted to be. 

“I think it might be something fun to plan when school gets out for summer break. It’s a bit away, but I think we’re gonna have our hands full...and by then, it’ll be comfortable enough that we won’t have to worry about the kids catching colds from sleeping outside. Might even be more comfortable than sleeping inside if we get an early summer heatwave.”

Looking over to Kaito, Kokichi gently kissed the tip of his finger before scooting around to drop both his legs back off the edge of the play structure. “As tempted as I am, I think we should start making moves towards home… Gotta make sure Shuu-chan isn’t gonna study the night away.”

“Awww, you sure? I can keep this up all night, babe. Hot, cold, hot, cold… it’s like a sexiness rollercoaster! Something thrilling in the whiplash!” Kaito laughed, though he easily followed Kokichi out, jumping down from the play area and then, like a gentlemen, offering to help Kokichi down, taking his hand when it was all settled and taking one last final look out to that view before heading towards the stairs. 

“Actually, I’m putting twenty copper on the idea that Shuuichi’s dead asleep by the time we get back. Our guys on a schedule, and it’s wellll past his bed time. Past ours too, for that matter. It’s late.” Kaito realized, the sudden thought causing him to yawn. “Now that we’re actually heading back, I can’t wait to curl into bed.”

Kokichi hopped down with ease thanks to Kaito’s assistance, and even the thought of walking back down the hill wasn’t that daunting. Now, if they’d had to walk up to get back home? Then maybe that would be a different issue…

“You might well be right, but I’ll take that bet,” Kokichi laughed, squeezing Kaito’s hand softly as they started off to make the trek back to the castle. “We’ll pay up tomorrow, though--I’m gonna wash my hands and teeth, change, then go right to bed when we get home. Even if I do end up sleeping through training, it’s still an early morning; got a lot to do tomorrow.”

“...tonight was worth staying up for, though.”

“Oh, I know, right? Thanks for agreeing to come out so last minute…” Kaito grinned, squeezing Kokichi’s hand for a bit.

As they headed down the stairs, he asked, entirely idly, but genuinely curious, “Why the early morning? Something going on specifically? More winter accounting stuff?”

“Well,” Kokichi sighed, “It’s not any earlier than a regular day, really, but there is a lot to do. We’re done with winter accounting until we get the incident reports from all the other towns, but Nadya-chan and I are compiling market data for spring crops right now. We busted ass to get the early-spring ones done in time, so our farmers could plant things securely, but we still have to get the rest of the season done. Considering we have additional trade demands now, it’s really important to be able to give good data so the farmers can plant more without having to go out on a limb if things don’t sell as well as they’re expecting. There will probably be uncertainty for a while, until we can find accurate trends in our exports…”

He sighed again, something deeper in his chest. “...it’s a lot of work. And considering it’s crop and livestock stuff, it’s all on a timer, so it’s not something that can be put off much, or shuffled around between teams… But since I used to do it mostly by myself, it’s going a lot faster with Nadya-chan’s help. I think we might be able to finish before the incident reports come in.”

“Oh man, if you all are making extra for trade reasons, I can’t imagine we wouldn’t buy up anything you offer.” Kaito said, marveling a little at Kokichi’s workload. He couldn’t really grasp what you would even have to know, to figure out all that stuff. It sounded like a lot. His Kokichi was so clever… Nadya too. But especially his ‘Kichi. So damn smart… “I mean, foods always the hot-button issue in Luminary. Food and fresh water… well, I guess the water thing leads to the food issue. Our crops keep having shit happen to it. Poor rain seasons resulting in the dirts drying out, and then the farmers themselves underreporting the crops they do get, reporting losses and selling them to our mob families… and it’s hard to convince them not to do that because we’re underbuying from them because the noble families refuse to…” 

Kaito looked uncomfortable, before shaking his head, shrugging, “I don’t know, I’m just mimicking things I’ve heard Kaede and Byakuya argue about. Byakuya says its the nobles fault, Kaede says its the wealthy elites fault, I sometimes have a hard time seeing the difference… I always wanted to ask Fuyuhiko what his family was paying the farmers for the un-reported crop. But that would have led to putting him in a position where he most likely would have to lie to me, which by the end of high school felt shitty… and before that he was too scary to confront about it.” Kaito chuckled.

Kokichi nodded slightly. “Our prospected export of spring goods is...almost startlingly high. Considering we don’t wanna leave our farmers with too much surplus that they can’t make a profit off of, we got estimates from Luminary secretaries and independent merchants about how much they were willing to buy--of course, that’s not a fixed deal, and everyone can buy more or less, but it gives us enough of an idea of how much to grow and produce. Even the winter goods this year, Luminary bought a ton from us, and winter’s always such a low projection since not as much grows… This spring is gonna give us a real idea of how much Luminary’s actually willing to buy.”

And while Luminary bought other goods...yeah, food was the main slice on that graph. So much so that it was probably going to influence the Dicean market so that agriculture was the most lucrative field, even with their trade deals giving Luminary a discounted rate for food. The amount of funds spread out to all their farmers for the start of the spring farming season had been insane…

...and Kokichi couldn’t help but wonder how that would affect the Luminary market. If their farmers would even be able to find people willing to buy at livable prices… It was why Dicea retained the rights to sell to independent merchants, to try and keep the wealthy from hoarding all the food, but…

...well, Kokichi wasn’t working on international affairs. Some part of him knew better than to ask about how the admins had chosen to approach the changing market in Luminary until…

Well. Until the civil war was over. As much as it made him curious...Kokichi knew it was safer for everyone to not be involved if the others hadn’t brought him into the mix already. 

“It’s a difficult situation for sure…” Kokichi sighed. “I do think you were on the right track in starting to untangle it, but...it’s the kind of thing that no one person can solve on their own, I think. It’d take a lot of cooperation...the market tends to be like that.”

“Oh, yeah, no doubt. But, you know… people are working on it.” Kaito shrugged… before grinning, looking over at Kokichi as he said, a hint of playfulness, a hint of genuine curiosity, “Did Byakuya’s team ever manage to get those fertilizer deals with you all? It was the only thing that he and Kaede could ever agree on, in the debates they made us do for our lessons. We have got to buy more shit on this continent. Literal, actual shit. Shit goes bad! Who’d have guessed!? It’s super hard to get it shipped in off continent, so Danganronpa’s been our only outside supplier outside of our own livestocks, and of course they knew that and were selling it top dollar… Byakuya used to joke that if we really wanted to solve the food crisis without sending gold outside of the kingdom, then we should tax the citizens a daily ‘fertilizer’ tax, and have collectors go around with buckets…”

Kaito snickered, shaking his head, “I always wondered if that was just a joke between them, or if the shit issue really was that cut and dry. More shit, more crops… fuck, I’m so immature. That made me laugh when I was fourteen and it makes me laugh now.”

Kokichi snorted, entirely unable to imagine Byakuya making that sort of joke--it was actually funny. “Geez...if only it was so easy to use human poop as fertilizer… Pffff…”

“But, yeah, that is one of our exports,” Kokichi managed to say around his snickering, shaking his head. “I don’t think it’s as much as the secretaries we were talking to wanted, but considering we still need fertilizer for our own fields, and that producing extra crops means less grazing area, so farmers can’t afford more livestock… We are working on a deal, though, to trade some extra livestock to Luminous farmers, so they wouldn’t even have to trade for more fertilizer, and our farmers wouldn’t have to worry about overcrowding and our animals getting poorer treatment…”

Laughing a little more, Kokichi pressed against Kaito’s arm. “Hey, poop is funny, it doesn’t matter how old you are. And the image of, like...some refined collector person going around with buckets full of shit...snrrrk!”

“Right. Oh my god. Plus, if everyone had to contribute to the collection? Lord Bryan, Lady Bellmore, sorry to interrupt your dinner, we do need you to ever so quickly make a deposit to the tax… ha ha, oh noooo.” Kaito chuckled, running a hand over his face, “What a dumb mental image. It’s so fucking funny though…”

“...I don’t really miss those lessons.” Kaito admitted, looking back. “I wasn’t particularly good at them… well, I mean, like I said, I wasn’t expected to be a part of politics. Me, Kaede, and Byakuya used to be tutored together growing up on policies and politics and world events and stuff, and I think I was mostly made to go just because it would have caused weird rumors if I didn’t. But man, those two could and would debate on our lesson of the day for hours with each other. I don’t think they ever really agreed on anything… but, I think that was partly the reason everyone was so hopeful for my generation of royalty. Once my elder cousin was gone, it was suddenly, like, wow… really? These two are going to lead the kingdom someday? Fiercely intelligent, endlessly ambitious, extremely argumentative for both sides of any debate? I think people thought that between the two of them, there wasn’t anything that wouldn’t get figured out and dealt with…”

“...ooooor they could just waste all that potential and just try to kill each other instead. That works too, I guess. Great fucking job, guys, you did it.” Kaito grumbled, rolling his eyes. “So fuckng stupid…”

...it still infuriated Kokichi that Kaito wasn’t even given a chance. Not even from the start. And it was only the fact that Kaito wasn’t fussed about it--at least not in a way that he was willing to be open about--that Kokichi didn’t raise more of a stink. 

But...even if he hadn’t been sabotaged, Kokichi could see how being in lessons with Kaede and Byakuya could make you feel a little out of your league. Arguing endlessly was far from all there was in politics, but faced against it, it was understandable that some would just want to back down. 

Because, well...sometimes you would end up with a situation that they were looking at right now. Kokichi sighed softly, giving Kaito’s hand a squeeze, knowing there really...wasn’t anything he could do to make the situation better. Kaede and Byakuya both had differing views on what they wanted to do with Luminary, and maybe at a different time, that would’ve led to a race to the top that would’ve benefitted everyone. However...the people had had enough. 

It wasn’t just a fight of ideals. It was lives and well-beings and treatment that were put in the balance. For that...it wasn’t about Byakuya and Kaede. It was about the people. And whoever would come out at the end would...simply be the person who managed to secure what the people were fighting for with the least disruption to everyone else. Not...exactly the most hopeful thing in Kokichi’s eyes, but it would be a huge step from where they were. 

But Kaito’s world was smaller than that, and for him...it was two people he loved both with a knife to each other’s neck. Not knowing what to say to that, Kokichi just rubbed his husband’s arm. “...I hope one day they can argue in good faith again.”

“Yeah. We’ll see.” Kaito said quietly, having bummed himself out by accident.  Not even necessarily about his blood family, but with, well… “...man, I miss Maki… I hope… I hope when she comes back, I’m gonna wanna see her… sometimes I try to imagine the worst case scenario, ya know? And try to, like… imagine what the future would look like in that scenario? Like, if there was any way I could… get over it or look past it or… and wondering what kind of person I’d even have to be, to get to that stage…”

“It feels too incomprehensible to really get my head around.” Kaito admitted. “To just… forgive her and move on, if she… I can’t imagine doing it. But! But… it’s not like I’m not… practiced or anything. If you had asked me before it happened how I’d react to the news of my folks… I probably couldn’t have comprehended how I’d react to that either. Like, what do you do when that happens? What do you do? I don’t know what to do…”

“...sometimes I think my Timothy is more emotionally mature than I am. He went to you, right? When he was face to face with someone who he thought he had killed, and had tried to kill him? To figure out how to handle it? That’s… that’s at least handling it, ya know? My good little soldier… there’s a part of me that’s, like, maybe I should ask someone whose already dealt with this? Forgiving and moving on from someone… um…” Kaito trailed off, still struggling with… vocalizing what he was ‘forgiving’ exactly. “...well, forgiving transgressions against your loved ones, I guess. I’m literally surrounded by people like that in this castle. Maybe I should just ask them how they did it… I feel like the only way I can manage it is just… not thinking about it at all.”

Kokichi sighed again. “...yeah. I really believe in her, I believe that things can change without...the worst case scenario. But Maki-chan...she’s the kind of person who would throw away everything for what she believes in, if it ensured victory. It’s a sort of drive that’s awe-inspiring, and that’s probably why Kaede knew she’d be a good leading image, but...it can be scary. If you’re part of Maki-chan’s everything.”

He hoped there were enough people in the revolution to temper Maki’s ambitions, that he’d left enough of an impression on her that there were ways to solve things without sacrifice...but her friendships and bonds, her life both metaphorically and literally… Maki was strong enough to sacrifice those to get what she wanted. It wasn’t necessarily a strength that was very good for a person, though it could be instrumental to a group. 

But if all the worst things happened...while he understood it, Kokichi didn’t know. He had no idea what that future would look like. 

Shaking his head a little, there was a small, fond smile on Kokichi’s face. “Honestly...I have no idea how Tim handled it on his side of things. He’s very outwardly focused. I didn’t realize it until the end, but he was just asking me...how to not frighten Kyuu-chan. I have no idea if Tim even really thought about how it all affected himself past his initial freakout. But...he does seem to have some sort of peace with it.”

“Not thinking about it...is genuinely a coping method. But it’s not one that works forever… It’s a way to buy yourself time until you know how to process it and find another way to cope. ‘S what my therapist said…” Kokichi hugged Kaito’s arm, wishing he had a better answer for his husband. “...personally, I think you should ask someone. Asking about someone’s experience, or bringing it up with Miss Crystal if you haven’t… Finding a way forward from that kind of stuff...it’s a kind of relief and peace that I know I’d like for you. But it’s always your choice to want it for yourself.”

“...Yeah…”

There was the silence of their footsteps for a moment. Kaito deep in thought, a conflicted, somber look on his face… before he gently squeezed Kokichi’s hand. Looking at the dark shadows of the pavement at their feet.

“... I shouldn’t kill him, right?” Kaito asked quietly.

Kokichi squeezed Kaito’s hand back. 

“...in my opinion? No.”

“...our ideas of justice are so wildly different so...I can’t tell you that it wouldn’t make you happy. But...if you’ll excuse my mind-reading...I still don’t think it would.”

“I’d have killed anyone else.” Kaito said simply. Just looking sad and tired. “Or, I would have tried, anyway. There’s honor in at least trying… I think… I think my father would have wanted me to try… my mother…”

“...I still can’t wrap my head around why. Why her? She adored him. He was her bright, shining gem. Her greatest achievement. She used to gush over him… her brilliant heir-apparent. Talk about all the great things he was capable of… even after what he did, I can’t imagine she would have given him an ultimatum. She wouldn’t have put herself in a position of either him or her. She loved him… so… so why? Why…”

“... I don’t know if it would have made me feel better, but at least I’d feel like it was done, one way or another. That there was nothing else I needed to do. Closure, I guess… but… I don’t hate him. I’ve tried. I just can’t bring myself to do it. I just… I just keep wishing he hadn’t. I keep forgetting he has. I keep finding myself thinking none of it happened and they’re alive and maybe this and the war and Maki and everything has all been some elaborate, unbearably cruel joke on me… maybe nothing is happening at home and it’s just letter after letter and phone call after phone call of them saying it is. Maybe everything’s fine… maybe all the letters were lies and all of it didn’t happen… how could it have? Everything… the whole world I left behind sounds like it’s literally fallen apart… my home won’t even be there anymore, someday…”

Kaito stopped, eyes wide, clearly lost in the ramble… before he closed them and sighed. Clenching his fist, loosening it… clenching it, loosening it… before he said, calmer, “Sorry. I got caught up. I’m okay.”

Kokichi would like to say that no father would want to see his sons killing each other, but...well, there wasn’t much he could say about Leon’s judgement with certainty. Kokichi wouldn’t have wanted to say that parents had treated Kaito the way he’d been treated either, but that’s what happened. And for all he actually did know about Byakuya, Kokichi still couldn’t think of an answer as to why he’d killed Sayaka too. He was a Momota by blood, so it wasn’t a matter of securing the crown. And while she hadn’t really succeeded, Sayaka had still been trying to fix their country, so it wasn’t that she would sabotage his plans. He had no way of actually knowing, but...he didn’t think Kaito’s mother would’ve snitched to the public about what Byakuya had done either. For her own reputation, if not for their family’s. 

...the motive that was left that he could think of was...personal spite and...Kokichi had no way of knowing that either. Not that Byakuya seemed to care much about his family as people either, but...he really didn’t know if personal spite was better than Sayaka just being inconsequential and a sort of…’why not’ murder. Both were horrible…

Kokichi put a hand on his husband’s back, just...trying to be there for him. “...as horribly cruel as it’d be, I wish it was a bad joke… No one should have to see their home and loved ones in a situation like this.”

“...it’s okay, hun. But...this really is the sort of thing you should talk about in therapy. I can hold you, listen to your thoughts and feelings, affirm what bullshit it is...but I don’t have any answers for you. No one here does about the situation itself, but for how it affects you? I don’t know how to help beyond those things.”

Chewing his lip a little, Kokichi...took a gamble. “...do you think you’ll ever be able to talk to your brother about all this? Not for...you know, rumor reasons, but just…’cause it’s a difficult thing to talk about.”

“I know… and I know this is a heavy conversation. I didn’t mean to bring the mood down so much…”

A brief moment of silence, Kaito thinking about Kokichi’s question… before he confessed, “I keep meaning too. Like… we talk once a week, at least… and I keep, right before our phone calls, prepping these questions in my head. Sometimes, I think about the questions all day, every day, the entire week leading up to it… and sometimes is better than how it used to be, because when it all first happened, the questions used to run through my head every time I stopped thinking about anything else, like… like this mad, endless mantra…”

“How did mom die? How long does it take to fall from the tower. Can I have their last letters to me? If not, why not? Did you read them? It was the last thing they ever said to me, and the first thing they sent after I was married… did they say they were proud? Why… why would you take those letters from me!? You got to hear they were proud of you our whole fucking lives, why was I denied the one fucking letter that probably would have-!?”

Kaito covered his mouth, suddenly aware he was shouting and it was late and he might be scaring some people in buildings nearby. Quietly, he said to Kokichi, “Can we sit down somewhere for a second? I need to get my head back on right… I just need a second…”

“It’s alright. The mood is fine to get heavy,” Kokichi softly reassured. It wasn’t that he didn’t want Kaito to be able to share this kind of thing with him, but...Kaito did need more than just someone to validate him. And Kokichi didn’t know how to do anything else. 

His husband was traumatized. Going through a lot of grief. Kokichi could stand by him, could be a place of comfort, but he couldn’t help. And...Kaito did need that sort of help. 

Kokichi’s eyes hardened a little, though it was from an anger born of sympathy, feeling his husband’s desperate, outraged grief. And, gently, he kissed Kaito’s hand, looking around for a moment before finding a bench and leading him to it. “Of course, c’mon, let’s sit.”

“...I’m sorry, Kai-chan. It fucking sucks…”

Kaito gratefully sat down on the bench, immediately leaning on his knees with his elbows, looking frustrated, head in his hands… before grumbling something incomprehensible to himself, before with a certain amount of frustration, taking his meditation stone out of one pocket and his polisher out of his other, muttering, “Sorry, sorry, one second, I know it’s stupid, but one second…”

This whole process of polishing the stone embarrassed Kaito when other people saw it. He couldn’t get over this idea that it shouldn’t work, and he was so clearly stupid for doing it… but it always did, and it did so this time too. The learned, almost ritualistic way he went through the process, starting on one side of the stone and then moving to the next, before getting the tips, like polishing a fine gem… great. Looking stupid and crazy in front of Kokichi on their first date in ages… good job, Kaito. Way to hold it together. 

Still, he felt the calm start to flood him… and, partly in apology, he laughed, shaking his head, “Yeah… yeah, it sucks. But it always sucks. I shouldn’t have brought all that up now, of all times. I just got all lost in my head… I’m sorry, Kokichi. I really did just want to walk around and make out with you and stuff. Maybe try to cop a feel. Instead, I got all mopey and angry again… that’s pretty shitty too. My bad…”

Kokichi just shook his head a little and rubbed Kaito’s back as he meditated, happy that Kaito had found something that did help, if just in giving him an outlet to temper his temper. It was something pretty big, considering, and Kokichi was grateful to Miss Crystal for that. 

“Apology accepted, hun,” Kokichi hummed, tipping his head onto Kaito’s arm. “I’m happy to be here if you want to vent, but...I dunno. I think I’m assuming things again… I just...wish I could give you some answers. Or promise that everything will be okay in the end, and have it actually turn out that way. There’s...there’s just been so much that’s been so unfair to you, and it pisses me off, and I want to do something about it...but I can’t.”

“...but you have the resources for the people who can help some things, so...I can just offer my love and my shoulder and an ear and…” Kokichi wrapped his arms partially around his husband, giving him a hug. “I’m here for you in happy times and in bad ones. Among everything...you’re not alone. I’m right beside you.”

“Thanks, Kokichi. I know how frustrating it can be to be facing some problem that there’s just… no helping with. It fucking sucks. God, sometimes I think it feels worse to be helpless in the face of other people's problems then really face the enormity of your own… I get pissed all the time about shit that happens to you. Shit from years and years ago that you’re way over already. I wanna go personally punch half the people you’ve ever mentioned in your whole entire life experience, fucking show them how it feels to be made helpless and small… but when it comes to my own stuff? It’s just harder to think about it. I always either feel almost nothing about it, or like it’s gonna rip me apart on the inside, and I can never tell when that second bits gonna happen…”

Kaito sighed, “Annnnnd that’s a therapy problem. I know. That’s a whole… coping thing and stuff. It’s either therapy or go fucking beat my brothers face in with a meat cleaver, and, frankly, therapy sounds like it’ll give me more time to spend with Miya when she’s all new and small and has that pudgy, grumpy old lady look to her and that new baby smell… I know. I do. And… and I will. It’s just hard. But I will…”

“...Thanks babe. For sitting through it. I know it’s hard.” Kaito said, wrapping his arms around Kokichi in turn, hugging him back, before saying sheepishly, “If you want, I can go back to being obnoxiously horny? I feel like that’s more fun than this. Do you think Shuuichi would wear sexy underwear if I bought him some? Would you wear sexy underwear? I might buy you guys sexy underwear, is what I’m saying…”

Kokichi nodded a bit. To him, being in love made you feel like, in some cases, you wanted to be your love’s superhero. But...there were some problems you just couldn’t touch, and that was frustrating. But...you just had to be a cheerleader instead, and considering Kokichi was usually more than pleased to play that loving role...well, time would tell. The future would move forward and...they’d just have to see what their world looked like. 

And Kokichi was happier to hear that Kaito was choosing to stick around for the problems that he could do something about. For many reasons, but for him to be there for their daughter was a pretty major one. 

Rolling his eyes a bit, Kokichi kissed Kaito’s cheek. “I just want you to be you, Kai-chan. However you’re feeling. But for the record...Shuu-chan’s not in the habit at all of wearing gifted clothes, and if he wore sexy underwear, I’d be suspicious about what he’s trying to get out of us.”

“And for me…” Kokichi’s cheeks tinted as he shrugged. “I did say I’d wear anything you bought me at least once. Can’t promise anything more than that, though.”

“I will get him to wear that raccoon onesie… I will have it. It’s a life goal. That, and sexy underwear. I don’t care if he’s trying to manipulate some sort of trade with me or something. I’d trade most anything for Shuchi in sexy underwear… oh my god, I know you said you weren’t a fan of bikinis, but how do you feel about panties and a vest… and a sash… maybe one of those shimmering see-through half face mask things… I mean, I’d rip that thing off you pretty quick, but very briefly, it’d be very sexy…”

Kaito chuckled, putting the stone and polish away. “Alright, I’m ready to go again. Like, back home again, not the other thing… though also kind of the other thing. The outfit I’m thinking of looks great. You’re gonna look great in it…”

Kokichi sighed in exasperation, getting up from the bench, though he took Kaito’s hand again. “Panties...they seem so uncomfortable. Can’t see how the other things would be either...wearing a vest without a shirt is just weird. And even then I don’t really like vests.”

“...but I’d trade a lot to see Shuu-chan in sexy underwear too. His ass is incredible just in pants--anything that’d accentuate it would slay me on the spot, I swear.”

“Right!? There’s so much underwear out there that would just hug those curves… if I could just convince him to wear them.” Kaito said with a certain, just, longing in his voice. “He’s so fucking pretty. I know he doesn’t think much about his looks right now, but god damn. Watching him put on those black blazers and black trousers feels like a small tragedy every morning. Thankfully Hajime fits them, but man, Shuuichi hiding himself away in those clothes is a gut punch every time.”

“And, of course, you’re a treat in everything you wear.” Kaito chuckled, looking slyly down at Kokichi, “I feel like there’s very little you could put on that would detract how cute you are… but man, there’s some clothes that really…”

Kaito sighed, again, a certain amount of longing in his voice.

They hadn’t talked about it in a long time, but Kokichi hoped Shuuichi had found some peace in his body. Kokichi adored how Shuuichi looked, thought he was cute and sexy and so pretty he could just swoon, but...at the end of it, it didn’t matter what Kokichi thought. It mattered how Shuuichi felt about himself. And, sure, Kokichi being a fan of his looks probably helped, but...being attractive was not a sign of worth. And sometimes Kokichi worried about Shuuichi’s worth being tied to that. Not often...but sometimes. 

Shaking his head a little, Kokichi sighed dreamily, thinking about their boyfriend. “If he’s comfortable, I’m happy, but...yeah. Showing a little skin, wearing cuts that showed off his body more...I suppose I should be thankful he doesn’t more often, since I’d get so flustered I’d get palpitations.”

Though, that was the kind of fluster that Kaito actively wanted to invite into his life, at all times if he could. 

Bopping his head against Kaito’s arm, Kokichi snorted. “Once. I’ll wear things once. I know it’ll make you happy, so I’m happy to try it out. But I have some strong feelings about being used as a doll model for clothes, so you only get the one, a’ight? Besides, you usually get to pick my clothes when I’m sick anyway.”

“Yeah, but those are comfy ‘Kichi clothes, not sexy ‘Kichi clothes. Light, airy, won’t get tangled or restrict your breathing, even temperatures throughout your body.” Kaito listed out, not really even thinking about it. It was just the sort of thing he was thinking about, when Kokichi was bedridden. Kaito had never considered himself the natural caretaker type, but he had found pretty early into their relationship that he had a sort of ease with the process. It had felt second-nature. “The fact that they’re usually cute is more a compliment to your taste in clothes in general.”

Looking down at Kokichi, seeing the exhaustion on his face as he smushed his face into Kaito’s arm, leaning against him. He seemed happy enough, despite Kaito’s dumb earlier meltdown… Kaito supposed that was okay. His Kokichi was okay…

“You’ve talked about that before… people used to dress you up as a kid?” Kaito ran his thumb idly over the side of Kokichi’s hand, “... can I ask… how that happened? Did you have nannies outside of Ikou or something? I just can’t imagine him dressing you in clothes you hate so much that it still bothers you years later. What happened?”

Kokichi raised a bit of an eyebrow, not having known all the considerations Kaito took in picking out his clothes. It was...really sweet, though the care Kaito put into caring for him had always been something Kokichi appreciated. Sweet enough that Kokichi skipped out on some joke about how they could be sexy clothes. And, really, if Kokichi had his way, his only clothes would be comfy clothes. 

His way hadn’t always had a say, though. 

Sighing, Kokichi just rested his head on Kaito’s arm, idly watching the outline of the castle in the distance. “A few things… When I was younger, sometimes healers would have me do studies in, like...test locations, I guess? I think they were trying to figure out if there was something in the castle that would make me sick… Ikuo was usually allowed to come with me, but...they would provide everything for us. We weren’t allowed to bring anything from home. And...every fuckin’ time there was either someone on the study team, or a partner of healer that just...thought I was soooo cute.”

Kokichi rolled his eyes a little, his mouth scrunching to the side as he went through his memories. “And I did, actually, have a few other nannies...though none stuck around for long. They all came around after Ikuo had left, but...I dunno. I never vibed with any of them. And they, and the study people...they always picked out these...ridiculous, overly cutesy clothes that were too many fasteners and layers and that I could barely move in and...ugh. I hated them.”

“...but it never mattered that I hated them. None of them put me in those clothes because they thought I’d like them, or because they were the best clothes for whatever I had to do that day. They just...wanted me to sit still and look cute so they could fawn over an image, like I wasn’t even a person…” Kokichi made a low sound, almost like he was going to spit on the memory...but spitting was gross, so he just sighed. 

“...clothes should just be for you. Maybe other people will get a kick out of it, but that’s all irrelevant to how you feel in them. It’s like...creepy body policing.”

“Huh… body policing…” Kaito looked at Kokichi in concern, “You’d tell me if you felt like I was doing that, right? You wouldn’t keep that to yourself?”

Kokichi nodded, squeezing Kaito’s hand a little. “Honestly...some of the stuff you say, if someone else was saying it, I’d see it as that...and that’s why I’ve brought it up before. But I know for how much Kai-chan likes to see people’s beauty and cuteness, he wouldn’t force it on anyone if they were truly uncomfortable. Like...just talking about how sexy Shuu-chan would look in sexy underwear is waaaaaaay different from, like...hiding all his other clothes so he has to wear it, or physically forcing him.”

“It’s not to say words can’t hurt, but...Kai-chan knows a line when he sees one, and we know what you mean when you talk about stuff you’d like to see us wear. “

“...Oh my god, do you think I could get him to wear sexy underwear if I hide all of his other underwear???”

Kaito sounded sincere for two whole seconds… before smirking, giving Kokichi a wink as he said, “Kidding, kidding. But, okay then, good. I’ve just never really thought about all that in that way before. Like, body policing and all that. I don’t want either of you to think that you’re, like… ugly or doing anything wrong or anything like that, just because your tops don’t match your bottoms. I don’t want to be that kind of person to you, ya know? But since I don’t want to be that person, if I am? It means I don’t recognize I’m doing it, so, I need you to tell me if I am, or when I am.”

“...except when it comes to your hair. I’m not budging on your hair. You literally just cut knots out, ‘Kichi, I can’t afford to back off on your hair, I love you too much to let you butcher your hair all the time.”

Kokichi snorted, for once catching onto the joke before the ‘gotcha’ and giving Kaito’s arm a nuzzle. “If it’s any consolation, you’ve never made me feel ugly or like I was doing something wrong or that...I was only there for you to look at, before. Like I said, Kai-chan’s not that type of person. But I’ll keep you honest, sure.”

Though, he would still put up a stink when it came to his hair, even if he knew Kaito was right. 

Kokichi stuck out his tongue with a short, “booo”, leaning his full body weight against Kaito for a moment. “My hair’s fiiiiine. But...you don’t pressure me into getting it cut differently, so I’m only fighting Kai-chan, like, 20%. And it’s mostly just ‘cause it takes forever. As much as I do fuss…” Kokichi looked up, offering a small smile. “...you do make sure it doesn’t hurt, and I appreciate that. Even if I think three conditioners is overkill.”

“You have curly hair, ‘Kichi! Why do you think it tangles so often!? It needs extra attention! Not everyone can have god damn magical hair like Shuuichi! How does he do it!? What is his secret!??”

Kaito spent awhile sharing various conspiracy theories on his Shuuichi managed to keep his hair soft and clean and untangled with, as far as Kaito could tell, nothing but the occasional use of basic shampoo and water. His theories varied from ‘decent genes’ to ‘a decade long joke where Shuuichi’s hiding his products from me to mess with me’ and ‘Maybe he made a deal with a demon for really good hair?? I mean, fair, but we might have to be ready in case a demon comes to collect Miyako after she’s born, Kokichi, you make an idle trade for your first born assuming you’re never having kids and years later you’re pregnant and your partners gotta fight off demons with swords!”

Admittedly, he sounded vaguely excited about that last theory, and by the time they got back to the castle, Kaito was full blown in daydream mode, trying to work out a strategy to fight off the demons and maybe find some loophole out of Shuuichi’s deal. “...maybe… maybe if we sell his hair back to them? That sounds tragic though. Do you think they’d take my hair instead? I’d probably look okay with a buzz cut…”

It was fun, trading theories back and forth about how Shuuichi somehow kept his hair soft and neat at all times, even under a hat. (Though, Shuuichi had admitted to Kokichi that his hair got oily from the hat so if he skipped a shower, it’d be a little more obvious that his hair wasn’t actually perfect.)

By the time Kaito was figuring out how to protect their daughter from collecting demons, Kokichi was pretty much leaning on Kaito in every way but to keep walking forward, his blinks a little slow and sleepy and his comments becoming shorter and shorter. It was way past their bedtime, and while Kokichi had taken a decently long nap earlier…

...he was always tired these days. Missing out on regular sleep wouldn’t do him any favors. 

Stifling a yawn, Kokichi pulled towards the stairs, about ready to collapse into bed without even the truncated routine he’d outlined earlier. “They’d probably charge something more, for changing the terms… Maybe giving Shuu-chan all the knots he’d skipped out on since he made the deal...not too bad to just go super short once and deal with it...from there.”

Kaito took one look at the stairs, and without so much as a hesitation, reached down and scooped Kokichi up, resting him on his hip as he kept on without missing a beat, “Inflating the rates, huh? Nefarious… well, if they give him knots, I can just keep untangling them, but… hmmmm… do you think it’d be worth it to sacrifice my goatee to keep Shuuichi’s hair pretty? I love him, and the goatee would absolutely be an even exchange, but… it’s an iconic look on me! I’ve been sporting this goatee since I was seventeen and could grow it! I wouldn’t feel ‘Kaito’ without it! Is it worth the trade…”

“He can still have pretty hair…” Kokichi hummed, wrapping his arms around Kaito’s shoulders and resting his head, not missing a beat in getting comfortable in his husband’s arms, though it’d probably be more of a struggle if he tried to do anything other than just flopping into bed. “He’d just have to work at it… Then you guys could bond over, mm, bathroom time, and Kai-chan could keep his goatee. Though...Shuu-chan might be in favor of you trading it...so he can keep an easy lifestyle...and you won’t be as tempted to try growing a full beard out…”

Sleepily, Kokichi cupped the side of Kaito’s jaw, pressing a lazy kiss to the other side of it. Kaito shaved regularly, but especially late at night, there was a little more of a...fuzzy, not quite stubble-y feeling near his goatee.

“Oh, god, yeah, he’s so against the beard.” Kaito chuckled, grinning at the little kiss as they got to the top of the stairs. “And I think he’s just being short sighted! I’d look great in a beard. I think he’d love it, once it was fully grown and he was used to it. I’d be hot and fuzzy. 

Kaito, still, was thrilled about his recent body hair developments. Some of it was...less fun than others, but Kaito wasn’t exactly slacking when it came to managing his looks, even if it took a little extra time and effort now, in the shower. But, man, he got a kick out of all the new possibilities now. For now, the goatee. Someday, though… someday.

When they finally got back to the room, Kaito pulling out his key from his pocket and unlocking it with Kokichi still securely in his arms, he went in and… well, Kokichi technically won the bet, but clearly only just barely. Shuuichi, perhaps in some compromise with himself, had put on his pajamas and put himself to bed, blinking so slowly that he was clearly about to fall asleep… but was still reading from his textbook. Damn. Out 20 copper.

“Hey. Welcome back. How was the walk?” Shuuichi asked, looking over to them, “Kokichi alright?” He asked, a touch of concern, not certain if this was normal ‘sleepy Kokichi’ or ‘sick Kokichi’ carrying. 

“Think i’ coul’ be cute…” Kokichi murmured, giving Kaito’s jaw a little affectionate rub before he relaxed his hand, really comfortable enough to just fall asleep in Kaito’s arms. But he had a nice bed and a wonderful boyfriend to cuddle, so...he could stick it out a little longer. Like a brave soul. 

Kokichi didn’t even have his eyes open, but upon hearing Shuuichi’s voice he stuck an arm out, making grabby hands to indicate that he wanted Kaito to just drop him off in bed. “M’okay...sleepy. It’s late…”

“It was fun... We found a playground on a hill an’...could see the whole city and over to the mountains from it… Think Shuu-chan could ‘ppreciate the view...if it wasn’t up a big staircase. Maybe...we could take Miya t’ play and then you could see it.”

Kaito rolled his eyes at the grabby hands, paying it no mind as he sat Kokichi down on the edge of the bed, murmuring, “Your shoes babe. Let me grab ya some pajamas too. And you should at least brush your teeth before you go to sleep.” Kaito gently scolded, untying Kokichi’s sneakers and pulling them off as Kokichi sleepily explained where they had gone, Shuuichi watching on in some sleepy amusement. 

“You guys found a playground on a hill? Sounds both sweet and rebellious, two weirdo adults at the park at night… do anything Kokichi will regret?”

“Hey, noooo. I was a total gentleman. How dare you accuse me of acting weird at a playground. Even an empty one at night.” Kaito huffed, kissing Kokichi’s forehead before grabbing his shoes and heading to the dresser to grab a set of pajamas for him. “Also, Shuuichi, put away the textbook. It’s bed time. Well past bed time.”

“Mmmm.” Shuuichi hummed, not sounding convinced… though he whispered conspiratorially to Kokichi, “Hey, forget your teeth. Come here, snuggle.”

Kokichi unceremoniously flomped back onto the bed when Kaito set him down, though he didn’t scoot up or try to crawl farther onto the bed. He even lifted his legs to help Kaito take them off! He was the picture of cooperation!

“Kai-chan was...very sweet. He pushed me on the swings…” Kokichi sighed, the sound suspiciously close to his trademark snuffles. It’d be more comfortable to change into pajamas, or to at least shuck his day clothes off, but...he was tiiiiired, and his trousers were cuffed and form fitting enough that it’d take at least a little focus to wriggle out of them. 

Groaning, Kokichi flopped his arms in Shuuichi’s general direction. “I’ll brush for four minutes in the morning… Just wanna go to sleep with my guys…”

Again, Kaito rolled his eyes, “Sure, heard that one before. You don’t want to get filling for cavities, right ‘Kichi? Gotta keep at it then.”

“Tyrant. Let us sleep.” Shuuichi argued on Kokichi’s behalf, now 110% on board defending his partners bad choices. Fruitlessly, he reached back towards Kokichi’s flapping arms, the two not even coming close to touching, but both making a show of trying. “Kokichiiiii.”

“You’re both ridiculous.” Kaito decided, putting the pajamas down next to Kokichi, raising an eyebrow as his small husband seemed perfectly content to just fall asleep where Kaito had placed him down, before with a sigh, he started to undress Kokichi. Pulling at his pants as he said, “He was fine right up until ten minutes ago, and then just crashed. It is late though…”

“Swings sounds nice.” Shuuichi murmured sleepily, still clutching his textbook, but his blinks coming in uneasily. 

“It was. We’ll take you to the park, Shuuichi, and after Miya’s born I’ll push you on the swing too.”

“...Aww… that’s cute… did they have one of those roundabout things? Spinny table thing?”

“Yes!” Kaito said cheerfully putting Kokichi’s pajama bottoms on, before moving onto the shirt.

“That brings back memories. I wanna do one of those.”

“Heck yeah. We’ll do that too.” Kaito grinned.

“Meeeeeh… I’ve never had a cavity before… They can’t form overnight.” He knew he was being kind of a brat, but...fuck he was tired. It was like his body didn’t want to move at all, and every time he paused, his brain faded out into that kind of fuzzy place right before you fell asleep. If he gave up even the bit he was trying to stay awake right then, Kokichi knew he really could just pass out right there. 

Thankfully, though, Kaito was determined to make sure he was clean and comfortable. So...Kokichi shifted his arms a little, making it easier to take his jacket and shirt off, and put his pajama shirt on.

There was...no way he was making it to the bathroom though. 

“Woul’ be a lotta fun with Shuu-chan there… It was a pretty big playground, and they had stuff for adults and bigger kids too...though everyone can play on the regular stuff…” 

Once Kaito had finished dressing him, Kokichi put in a meager effort to try and push himself more onto the bed, though he’d barely turned on his side before relaxing, another wave of sleep trying to drag him under. 

Kaito gave Kokichi a distinctly unimpressed look… but, well, he couldn’t win every battle, and Kokichi looked on the verge of passing out. “Fine, but I’m timing your brushing tomorrow morning.” Kaito grumbled, scooping Kokichi up and maneuvering him next to Shuuichi, who lifted the blanket for Kaito to tuck Kokichi in next to him before closing the cover on top of him, holding him close, ignoring the fact that Kaito swiped the textbook as soon as his hands were free.

Going to put the textbook away on the bookshelf, before starting the process of getting himself ready for bed. Putting on clothes-- well, kicking off clothes and putting on new briefs for the night-- brushing his teeth, washing some of the gel off his hair since he had the time, heading out the door and back to the bed…

Kokichi and Shuuichi were both out. Like, out out. Kokichi was full snuffle mode and one of his legs was already idly kicking, at least in this moment actively sleeping, while Shuuichi was curled around him, hair splayed out on the pillow, entirely peaceful looking, with the exception of one small sliver of drool escaping.

...Cute.

… They seemed okay without him… maybe Kaito would take a bath real quick. Or, well, sit in the bath for awhile. Take care of some of that extra energy. Indulge some of his daydreams for a bit. 

Double checking the front door to make sure it was locked, and double checking his partners to make certain they were good, Kaito then went to go and ‘relax’ in his own way. His earlier meltdown now far from his mind, fantasies full of sexy underwear and happy, gasping partners on a slide.

-

Like Kokichi had said, the weekly dances in the dancehall happened all year, and at times even hosted multiple dances a week, just to cover different styles of dancing that people might want to do. Once the weather started to warm after a harsh winter and people were looking for any excuse to get out and have fun, spring was the time where the dances saw the most attendance. 

Even with that natural rise in popularity, it seemed that Tomomi had put it upon herself to outdo the numbers from every year previous. She’d gone to practically everyone in the castle and most of the regular visitors, mentioning the dances and encouraging people to go, and with her enthusiasm, there was a certain vibe in the air. 

Enough that even as she was making her patrol rounds in the castle, Lake found herself humming little bits of songs, doing little spins and flourishes as she walked. That Friday was going to be a lot of fun!

It was that weird time of day again where Kaito didn’t… really have anything to do. 

It was funny. He really did have a lot of things going on, in theory. Well, in practice, too. Making himself available and keeping an eye on Bonus stuff, making himself available and keeping an eye on Foriegn Exchange Program stuff, making himself available and keeping an eye on temple stuff, not to mention the day to day stuff of watching over his partners, watching over Tim, working on upcoming baby stuff like the nursery, being available to Byakuya whenever he called…

But, see, that was the issue.

Most of the stuff he was working on, mostly relied on waiting to be called upon. With the exception of the nursery, which he worked a little bit on every day, but tried not to do too much without his partners, because they both wanted to be a part of the process as well, most of the things he was ‘working on’ were actually things other people were working on that Kaito was just… well, honestly, usually mostly ‘supervising’ for his own peace of mind. Fussing and intruding and being nosy because he cared, but not really being responsible for the day to day nitty-gritty part of it actually getting done. Making himself available to be used if any of those projects needed him...

And, for the most part… none of them ever did.

He wished they did. He knew he was being mostly just a nuisance for most of these projects, and it’d be… nice to feel validated on being a part of literally any of it. But they didn’t. The foriegn exchange program was being taken care of by Hideki and Aiichi personally, the Temple had been outsourced and local Atuan’s were more officially involved than he was, and Bonus’s case worker was really just nice enough to let him know a day in advance whenever he’d need to be there for interviews and let him read inspections. Other than that…

The middle of the day was always so lifeless. All of the rest of his family busy with their projects, and without them to fuss over, Kaito mostly just looked for ways to keep himself busy. Sometimes he was productive! Working on his figurines, reading, cooking, that sort of thing. Working on his hobbies. Sometimes he just… sat and stared at nothing for awhile. But in scenic places! So it looked like he was sitting and staring at the scenery! Being cultured and stuff! 

But he wasn’t. 

He was just staring. 

Mostly thinking about random things. Sometimes not even that. 

Today was one of those days. He was sitting at the castle’s southern garden, sitting at the bench, staring blankly at a fountain. It was a small fountain. It had a whale on it… Kokichi had explained to him once, all the random whale imagery around town. Some weird whale obsessed artist, spreading whale obsessed chaos, wasn’t it? Sea-based giant mammal propaganda… he’d take his family to see a whale someday. He bet even Tim would be impressed. A whole fucking whale? Yeah, the kid would love it… Kaito would find a big fucking whale and finally impress the kid… hell yeah… how hard could it be…?

Kaito blinked. He heard… humming. It sounded familiar… he looked around. “...Lake?”

Lake had, technically, seen Kaito when she entered the southern garden--he was a hard guy to miss!--but his presence, quiet as it was, had immediately gone into a ‘hey, cool!’ folder in her head while she was on patrol. Not something she needed to really pay attention to, and so she’d leave him be, maybe give a wave if she passed in front of him later. 

However, with him actually calling out to her? Lake looked a bit surprised before she grinned, giving Kaito a wave. “Heeeeeey, Prince Kai! How’s it goin’? Taking advantage of the weather today? We’ve had a real nice run of it lately, though ‘Zumi says that just means we’re in for a solid rainstorm soon. Even more reason to get out when the sun’s out!”

Things had been… Well. They’d been, with Kaito. They acknowledged each other in the halls, didn’t end up being hitches in conversation when Kokichi was chattering away to the both of them...but ever since...pretty much their conversation on the stairs months ago? They just...hadn’t really talked to each other. 

It was a bummer, but...Lake couldn’t force the guy to start getting all buddy-buddy with her. As long as they could co-exist and not put strain on Kokichi, that was about as much as she could hope for with the guy who at one point wanted to run her through with a sword. 

Kaito blinked, a flood of weather information sort of flying over his head as he stared at Lake’s enthusiastic greeting. Were they really in for rainstorms? Kaito hadn’t seen too many thunderstorms since he had gotten this far into Dicea. Lots at the border, but, then, they had gotten into Dicea at spring, so many that was less the location and more then time of year. 

They had crossed the border in spring… wow. Almost a year in Dicea. Maybe he’d buy Shuuichi and Tim cupcakes in celebration.

Kaito grinned when he realized Lake was done talking, as he said, “Yeah, it’s nice out. I’ve been getting a kick at watching the flowers bloom. You’re patrolling, right? Must have been tough patrolling this route through the winter. I imagine the change in weather was a huge relief. Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt work. Just was surprised to hear humming. In a good mood?”

“Aw, yeah, it’s always fun, but I guess it’s your first time seein’ the Pollen Boom, right? Even with her gig with li’l bro-bro, ‘Zumi’s been taking walks in the Community Garden, like, everyday, seeing what’s starting to bloom. I think Thalia’s starting to get a little annoyed with how much she’s been coming by since she’s not on the main gardener rotation anymore.”

Laughing a bit, Lake quickly pivoted into a sigh, shaking out her boots of imaginary snow. “You got that right--it’s always been a little easier to get castle patrol since half the route’s indoors, but going through the gardens? It’s not like they’re a top priority to shovel out. I have to wear, like, four pairs of socks just to keep kickin’ ass without freezing my feet off. Have to wear a shorter cape too, just so I’m not wearing through the fabric lightning fast.”

Though, she was back in her usual uniform now, her cape somehow still billowing from the proud set of her shoulders as she continued her route, though a bit slower to be able to talk to Kaito. It was a few minutes she could afford fine.

Rubbing the back of her neck a bit, the green-haired woman laughed sheepishly. “Aw, sorry if I was botherin’ ya. I’m sure you’ve heard, but Tomomi’s gotten to me too. ‘Zumi and I are gonna try and go to the dance on Friday together--whole thing’s just got me all pepped up!” She raised a triumphant fist, just filled with excitement for something a little more special than the norm. “I made sure to get a nice dress and everything. There’s not a dress code or anything, but it feels good to match up with the kind of display everyone else has, you know?”

“Yeah, me and Kokichi are going too. It should be fun, though…” Kaito suddenly looked a little uncertain, “Kokichi also said there wasn’t a dress code, but he didn’t say if there was a theme. What kind of thing is everyone gonna be wearing?”

“Oh, no shit?” While Lake had gotten the night off, she and Nazumi had both known that if Kokichi made plans, then they’d put it off. But...if Kokichi was going to the dance too? Then Nazumi could do her job and still have a fun night! Booyah!

But if Kaito had never seen the dance before…

Lake hummed in thought for a moment, running a hand through her hair and gesturing with her other. “Like...just nice clothes, you know? Not as fancy as your armor sets, though your capes would blow the whole damn hall away, but...I mean, nicer than what we’re both wearing right now. Something you can still move in, and won’t be devastated if you sweat in but...the sort of things you’d wear if you were invited to a friend’s anniversary party. Dress to impress, but not steal the show.”

...what did Diceans wear to anniversary parties?

What if it was only an acquaintance’s party? Would you dress more formal, or less? Was formal even what she was talking about? What if you hated the person? Would you dress to perfection to an enemies’s anniversary party? The more you hated someone, the more formally you talked to them. Unless you were insulting them. Formal insults? Good morning, kind sir, I hope that you and the whore you rode in on both have a lovely day? But in a ball gown. The ultimate insult. 

“What does you and Nazumi’s outfits look like?” Kaito decided to ask, figuring that’d probably shed some light on what she meant. “Did you guys coordinate to match?”

“Aha, not really,” Lake admitted, ignoring the flutter in her chest just thinking about getting coupl--er, matching outfits with Nazumi. “Though I still think the outfits we have work pretty well together. Den got some editorial sketches accepted to a fashion exhibit in the modern art museum a while back, and they invited folks to the opening--so I got this cute, pale yellow dress for then. Haven’t had too much reason to wear it, but it’s a good choice for when I want to get all dolled up.”

...er, yellow wasn’t much of a descriptor, was it. Gesturing to her current outfit, Lake tried to explain a little more. “It’s a little longer than knee-length, and pretty flowy with lace trim on the bottom hem. The sleeves were a big draw for me, I’ll admit, since they flutter off the shoulders and join in the back as a kind of tiny cape,” she laughed. “I have this sweet little zinnia necklace Nazumi got me for my birthday a while back, and off-white short heels, though I usually wear ankle socks with them so I don’t cut the shit outta my feet if I’m moving around a bunch.”

“For ‘Zumi? She might mix it up, but her usual go-to for this sort of thing is this really nice button shirt she got from a Kimigashine import pop-up--it looks cream-colored, but the whole thing is actually embroidered! It looks really cool if it catches the light. Then she has gold-threaded suspenders and these...like, they look like tweed trousers, but Den said there’s no way tweed gets as thin as hers are, so…” Lake shrugged a little. Her friendship with Denji had given her a lot of fashion knowledge, but the nuances were still beyond her. “And ‘Zumi got some legit spats to wear over dress shoes, and she has a few different bow ties that she goes between...but, yeah, that’s about what we wear for nice occasions. Probably the only time of year we both don’t wear boots.”

Okay. Not formal wear than. More like summer garden party wear. It sounded pretty. Most of his and ‘Kichi’s clothes would probably be entirely fine for it, but Shuuichi would probably need something a liiiiittle lighter. Not that Shuuichi was coming that night. But maybe when he was feeling a little more sure on his feet, they could convince him to come to a dance. 

“That sounds cool.” Kaito fiddled with his hands a little, “Thanks. That’ll make it easier for me and Kokichi to pick something. Should be fun… do you and Nazumi go to a lot of events like these?”

Lake gave Kaito a wink and a thumbs up, making a sort of triumphant sound. “Always happy to help! The hero of justice never leaves a person in need, even when it’s for fashion advice!”

Calming down with a self-aware laugh, the woman shrugged a little. “Not a ton. The two of us tend to be on the busier side, at least when it comes to syncing up our schedules. But we always have made a point of doing something fun together after festivals, since I’m always working through at least part of ‘em. And sometimes we get a little lucky, so when Miss Event Coordinator comes-a-knockin’, we’re actually able to give her a promise to see her.”

“Honestly, I have no idea what’s lit a fire under Tomomi’s butt this year,“ Lake admitted, tapping her chin. “You’d think she just got a new outfit she wants to show everyone, but...she kinda does that all the time. Maybe she’s just excited since all the vets are back.”

“Yeah, I imagine that’s been weird. Weren’t a lot of the castle’s guardforce front-liners? Is it weird to have them back? Or, I mean…” Kaito frowned, doing some mental math and mostly coming away with question marks, “I guess maybe you wouldn’t know most of them that well. You were a teenager when most of them left, I think… right?”

Everyone had been settling in by now but...things had been really different. Honestly, Lake wasn’t quite as busy as she’d told Kaito--with the bulk of the guardforce back, there was no need to go from a castle patrol shift into a gate duty one, having to strategically schedule days off so there would only be one person off at a time, praying that you did your reports right so you wouldn’t have to come in on your off time to fix them… 

And that was just the stuff concerning the job. 

Lake’s face went a little pensive as she gave Kaito a nod. “You’re right, and even when the second wave left I was still a rookie. But...a lot of the people on the force I knew as mentors. Folks I looked up to and would give me tips, if not outright train me. It’s been good to see everyone again...weird, but good.”

“I know you don’t have all that much to compare it to,” the guard grinned softly, “but the castle’s a lot more lively these days. Everyone’s a little different, but it’s good to see the place filled with people again. Just felt...I dunno, kinda lonely before.”

“Oh.” Kaito said. “I bet.”

Idly, Kaito pulled his stone out of his pocket, just idly playing with it. Feeling its soothing smoothness between his fingertips. It really was a pretty stone. Dark purples mixing with dark blue. Pretty…

After a second, Kaito managed to grin. And that grin became sincere a second after that. “Sorry, again, I know you’re working. I probably shouldn’t keep you…” This was Kokichi’s sister, make an effort, you self-important dick, “Would it be alright to walk with you for a bit? It’s fine if not, I just wasn’t doing much before you showed up. Just admiring the fountain more than anything.”

Lake nodded, about to wrap things up and leave Kaito be as she got on with her patrol, but… She blinked gold eyes, surprised, though the expression didn’t last long before she broke out into a wide grin, gesturing Kaito up. “Yeah, totally, man! Having company on patrol is always a good time--I have to pay attention to what’s going on around, but that doesn’t mean we can’t chat.”

This was...a nice surprise! For a moment, Lake felt a little bad, wondering if Kokichi had said something about the tension between her and Kaito, and this was Kaito trying to reach out through that...but it wasn’t like she wanted things to be awkward between them. So regardless of his reason, if Kaito was reaching out, then hell yeah she’d take that hand!

Waiting for him to come up, Lake gave the fountain an amused look. “It is a nice fountain, huh. The whale really makes it unique--I dunno too many artists who think of whales when they wanna make, like, some graceful, fancy water-based art piece. Maybe a fluttery fish, or a mermaid, or...a jellyfish! But whales can be graceful in their own ways.”

Kaito gave her a surprised, curious look, before glancing over his shoulder back at the fountain, “A whale? Is that what it was? Are you sure? It seems kind of small to be a whale… aren’t those guys, like… I wanna say, like, waaaaay bigger than that. Right?”

Something gleamed in the older woman’s eyes. “Oh, buddy, if someone made a to-scale whale piece? That’s a whole different impact of art. I don’t think they’d ever get approval of the amount of water that sort of fountain would need. Maybe you’d just have to build it in a lake at that point. Make some cool surprise for people who go out on a boat or do long-distance swimming.”

“Why?” she asked, tilting her head. “What did you think it was?”

“The fish in the fountain? I wasn’t sure. I thought it might be a fat, sort of gnarled dolphin, at some point, but I was still kind of pondering it over when you arrived.” Kaito said, chuckling a little, looking a little sheepish, “Plus, I thought it would make sense to make a dolphin for a fountain, basically for the same reasons you were talking about before. Dolphins, fluttery fish, mermaids, jellyfish… it kinda feels more majestic, if the fountain is for a mythical creature, you know? Or, maybe majestics the wrong word… mystical? Whimsical? One of those.”

Lake thought about that for a moment. She...guessed if you didn’t have much of a reference for whales that the statuette in the fountain could...sorta look like a fucked up dolphin. 

However, her thoughts cut short as she made a sort of choking noise, looking at Kaito with a bewildered expression. “...dude, dolphins are real animals. Even the pink ones, I got into a whole argument back in the day over that. Super real.”

Kaito, in turn, gave her an equally bewildered look, “...what? No? The long, six foot fish that breathes air?  Who told you they were real?”

“They’re not fish!” Lake accentuated the point with pointing her index finger in the air. “They’re aquatic mammals, like whales and otters and seals and walruses. So they breathe air!”

“And, like, everyone says they’re real. In high school, we took a trip out to the coast to whale watch and we got to see dolphins too. They look so smooth, dude, so smooth. And not in the ‘gotcha’ kind of way sharks are. Prime, legitimate smoothness.”

Kaito’s brow furrowed, looking confused and concerned… before he frowned. Giving her a cool, unimpressed look as he said, “You know, it’s actually not that funny to try to convince the foreigner that mystical animals are real. Kokichi and King Aiichi and the Head Secretary have all been working really hard, Lake, on those pamphlets and learning materials on how to get along with Luminaries, which maybe you should read. If you had, you’d know aquatic mammals are actually considered unlucky symbols of death and misfortune in the Atuan religion. So, pretending to have seen one? It’s actually kind of fucked. I know it’s just a joke, but I’m just letting you know.”

Lake blustered a bit, just completely blindsided by this conversation. She...she’d read a few of the notices they put up about Luminary culture but…

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Shit, dude...sorry, Prince Kai. I had no idea… I’ve never really been much of the studying type but...yeah, this is a pretty important thing. Seriously, I never meant offence. Maybe I should be hitting up travel workshops instead of weekend dances, yeah?” Lake laughed sheepishly, thoroughly humbled.

“So, you admit you’ve never seen a dolphin?”

She made an uncomfortable face. “I mean...that’s what the teachers and the guides were telling us. Maybe what we consider a dolphin is different than what y’all in Luminary consider them. So...I saw a Dicean dolphin, which is a pretty normal animal, I guess I should specify.”

… Kaito rolled his eyes, shaking his head, “Diceans are too nice. Has anyone ever told you all that?”

“Uhhhh,” Lake started, scratching the back of her head. “Mak-attack said we were soft, which is kind of the same thing?”

“That sounds about right… though, to be entirely fair to you, Maki says that about most people. It’s hard to impress her.” Kaito admitted, grinning slightly, warmed by the memory of her, “I wanted to get into an argument with you over whether dolphins are real or not. I was not expecting you to immediately back down and just say certain types of dolphins are real. I mean…” 

Kaito shrugged, looking tired, “I guess that is the nice answer. Maybe it’s a good thing you said that. I don’t know. Now I just kinda feel like an asshole. Well, I am an asshole, so…” Kaito chuckled. He was such a hypocrite. Shuuichi would have a field day, if he heard Kaito say that. Oh, sure, Shuuichi couldn’t say that about himself, but Kaito could say whatever he wanted… heh. “I know dolphins are real. And aren’t fish. And all that good stuff. And the thing I said about my religion isn’t real. I just thought you might get a kick out of correcting me.”

“Oh.”

...well, now didn’t she feel foolish. 

Letting out a breath, Lake couldn’t help but laugh at herself. “Aw, sorry...just spoilin’ all the fun, aren’t I.”

Shrugging a little, Lake offered a small smile, though she turned to keep her eyes open on patrol after that. “I’m not too used to correcting people--I know we don’t spend that much time together, but I’m a little dumb. If you say dolphins were mythical omens in Luminary, shit, dude, you’d know better than I would about your own culture, and it’s pretty shitty to assume a whole country doesn’t know what dolphins are, so...maybe there are just different kinds!”

“But nah, you just played me like a fiddle,” she laughed. “I hope you and Shuuichi and my brother can have a laugh at how easily you convinced me! You’re a good actor, Prince Kai!”

Kaito groaned, covering his face. “Thanks.” he said, deciding Lake just wasn’t a good person to try to mess with. It was like kicking a smiling puppy. “Me and Shuuichi keep talking about trying to talk people into thinking random, crazy things about Luminary. Just… was bored and thought I’d give it a shot. Ended up just feeling like a dick. Shuuichi will be so disappointed in me.” Kaito sighed, dropping his hands.

“And, you shouldn’t say you’re dumb. You’re not naive, or dumb. You’re just nice. I get the feeling I could have told you Luminary thinks the sky is always pink and you’d have argued maybe Luminary had a different idea of colors than Dicea. That’s not stupid. That’s just… being considerate of potentially stupid people.” Kaito shrugged. “Or, not stupid people. Just people with different ideas than yourself. Either way.”

“Well, you did have me convinced--that counts for something!”

Lake gave Kaito a somewhat sympathetic look, shrugging. “Considerate’s a nice way to put it, and I guess that works out in this context. The world is full of people who don’t think like me, but I can’t live life ignoring them, or starting a fight over every difference. So...I just have to accept that people are different. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter so much what they believe as what they do. If someone’s kind to me, I’ll be kind back. If they’re not...well, I can say fuck ‘em in my personal time, but I just don’t hold it against them if we have to interact. Trying to go much deeper than that is a little too complicated for me.”

“That’s nice.” Kaito repeated. “You were kind of raised by Ikou and King Aiichi, right?”

“You could say that, yeah.” Lake tousled her hair a little, vigilant eyes surveying the garden. “Boss really did me a solid… Sure, the law goes easier on kids, and self-defense is justified but...well, there wouldn’t be a ton of people scrambling to take care of some fucked up eleven-year-old, right? But...he let me stay here, got me settled. Made sure I had people to check in with, that I knew where to find help…”

“And, of course, Ikuo’s Kokichi’s old man through and through. But...he did look after me too. A lot of us, actually, but he never made you feel like you were just ‘one of the others’; he always took the time to make it personal. I’m not sure how I would’ve gotten through the start of my life here if it hadn’t been for him.”

“I thought so. I mean, I knew already, of course. Kokichi told me you grew up here. But you’re both so similar. I could just see the whole ‘family’ dynamic, ya know? Similar philosophies.” Kaito said, following her step by step on her route, not really paying attention at all to where they were going. Just trusting he’d be able to find his way once they parted ways, “Kokichi doesn’t think he’s nice, but he is. You’re both very nice.”

“...You know, when Kokichi told me you were his sister? I looked at him like he was crazy. I think it hurt his feelings. I didn’t mean too. I was actually really happy you two had finally talked about your relationship… but I was stunned when you walked away from that conversation with a sibling relationship. He loves you a lot.”

“That so…” Lake softly laughed, not really saying much but...sometimes little words like that were just her pauses in a conversation. In some ways, she understood it. Being so involved with the mindset it took to lead Dicea...well, obviously Kokichi was way more involved with it, but Lake hadn’t been untouched, despite not being an Ouma. When you were surrounded by that expectation and consideration, it tended to leave an imprint on you. And where Kokichi had his duty to the country, Lake had her duty as a guard. Different, but with some overlap. 

“...I suppose I should thank you for that, actually.” Lake’s voice was a bit softer than it usually was, matching the look on her face. “I love Kokichi...I’ve always thought about him like a little brother, even if I always thought I was a shit sister. I was barely ever there for him...though, it wasn’t like he ever shared what was going on in his brain even when people poked at him. I just thought, well, okay, he obviously doesn’t see me that way, so I can just support him! There’s a lot to be proud of, when it comes to him!”

Again, her voice softened from the proud bravado. “...I had no idea that he...thought that I was just around out of obligation. Considering that that’s kind of how he thought of most people, I know it’s not entirely on me, but...you can’t help thinking in a situation like that, that if I’d just...made a little more time for him, you know? That maybe things would’ve been different. Better late than never, but damn do you feel like shit over the missed time.”

Kaito shrugged… and then laughed. 

“You were raised by Ikou and King Aiichi.” he said, shaking his head a little, “That’s just another family resemblance. If it makes you feel any better, Kokichi made the exact same mistake with you. It didn’t happen in a bottle. I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. With my friend Maki and my brother. None of it happens in a bottle. We were all raised in the same environment, with similar philosophies and, like… ideas and such. If the situation was reversed, and I was in one of their situations, and they were in mine? We’d all probably still make the exact same mistakes, just in each other's shoes. I think. Maybe.”

“You can’t really hold it against them when in their position, you’d do the exact same fucking thing…” Kaito murmured.

… he looked at Lake, something genuinely curious in his face. “Can I ask what might be a cruel question? I won’t if you say no. You’re stuck at work right now and I’m bothering you. It’s really, genuinely fine to tell me off if I’m making you uncomfortable. The question isn’t some, like, low-key insult, by the way. It just might potentially bring up a bad memory or something, is the only reason I’m concerned.”

Lake raised an eyebrow before huffing a laugh. What made a person who they were...was such a ridiculously difficult question. But for the most part, you could generally assume that people were doing their best, and that if you were in their shoes, there might not be any different decisions you’d make. There were exceptions and nuances like there always were, but generally...no one set out to make a mistake. And when you saw other’s mistakes, it did you well to remember that. 

Lake turned to give Kaito a moderately surprised look before returning to her patrol. “I’m pretty used to being asked uncomfortable questions, Prince Kai. It’s kind of my novelty. I can’t promise I’ll want to answer, but you never know until you try. What’s the question?”

“Me and Kokichi have been talking about ‘rumors’ in therapy? It’s just made me think more about the rumors I’ve heard over the years, how they’d translate in Luminary and stuff. Trying to relate a little more, or understand a bit better, that sort of thing. Every time I think I understand anything about Dicea, I’m always… pretty dramatically wrong.” Kaito chuckled. “So, this is my latest attempt.”

“Apparently, one of the rumors that used to hurt Kokichi’s feelings the most, was that King Aiichi had a secret heir he was training for the throne, that he just hadn’t announced for whatever reason, using Kokichi as a fake smokescreen or just… waiting for him to die or something.” Kaito looked at Lake curiously, “Did anyone ever think it was you?”

…

Out of everything Kaito could’ve asked, every rumor that could’ve pertained to Lake that he might have wanted to ask about...that was not one Lake had been expecting at all.

“What?” she gaped, looking astonished even at the insinuation that anyone would’ve thought she could be an Ouma. “Uhh, I mean! If anyone did, they certainly never let on about it to me.”

Lake ran a gloved hand through her hair, following down all the way to the tips at her waist for once. “I...think it might’ve been different in the old days, or something, but I have a murder charge--def can’t be an Ouma with that. Plus...like, Aiichi never really spent one-on-one time with me, growing up. I went to school...never any time for anything that could be considered leader training, unless you wanna stretch the trauma therapy I went to into that.”

“I’m flattered that you see similarities between us, but...seriously,” the woman grinned. “I am in no way Ouma-material. I dunno anyone who would see it like that.”

Kaito nodded, “See? It’s why it pays to ask. Our cultures are so different… I really have to confirm even my most gut impulses and see if it even resembles anything close to how Diceans think. Back in Luminary? I’m pretty confident you’d have been the prime suspect of any conspiracies like that.”

“For one, King Aiichi didn’t spend much one on one time with Kokichi either, so that alone doesn’t disqualify you. He seems to leave training the next leader in other peoples hands.” Kaito observed, raising his index finger, counting out, “At least, based on my stories and observations, which of course could be less than the full story. Two, he’s a war leader. Has been for fifteen years. A war leader might appreciate having a warrior heir. Would maybe push or reward their charge for committing to a combat career early in their lives, like a teenager becoming a guard of the castle.”

“Three, your murder charge would be why King Aiichi couldn’t just announce you right away. His last announcement went incredibly poorly, and his second announcement being a commoner with such a scandalous history? He might have wanted to avoid the outrage that would draw until it was too late to stop the inheritance. Four and Five, you were mentored by people who directly serve the king, and raised in his castle, which means you’d have naturally absorbed most of his beliefs. As for specific training to be a leader? Part of that could be hidden in guard training, part of that could just be secret lessons in private within the castle.” Kaito shrugged, dropping his hand, “All that, along with your closeness to his heir apparent, to a familial sense… in Luminary, with all the available people accounted for? I’m convinced, at least in that people raised in my environment would come to a similar conclusion. You’re the most likely pick as a secret heir.”

“...but people don’t think that way here.” Kaito shrugged, “And now I know.”

Lake’s eyebrows raised as Kaito made his hypothetical case, and even if some of the reasoning was foreign...it was still understandable. Enough that...Lake really wasn’t sure why no one had talked to her about the conspiracy theory and how she might be a part of it. 

(Conveniently, Lake was forgetting quite a few childhood scuffles, thankfully not intense enough to compromise her prospects of becoming a guard, all over people talking shit about Kokichi and her shutting them up real fast.)

Really, Lake’s major sticking points as to why nobody would look at her and think ‘leader’ were...that she was kind of dumb, even if people knew Aiichi was no genius, and that she just...didn’t have that oomph. That fire that made people shut up and listen when an Ouma was talking. That sort of peace that made people feel listened to and like the Ouma they were faced with really wanted nothing but their happiness and safety. 

Lake had become a guard because she wanted to protect people, yeah, but...her world was so small when compared with Kokichi’s and Aiichi’s. Her world was a handful of people kept near and dear. Theirs was an entire country. 

“Most of that actually makes some sense, if, like, you’d never met me,” Lake hummed, “Though...if you wanted a little more insight on Dicean culture? Aiichi being seen as a ‘war leader’...is probably something that feels like a stain on his record. There’s pride in defending your loved ones, but the war itself isn’t really something folks are proud of. Most people would be expecting someone wholly committed to peace, or at least keeping us as out of other countries’ affairs as possible as the next leader.”

“And...I guess this would take people actually knowing me, but I lived here before Kokichi was born and announced as the heir. It’s such a crackpot theory that I dunno if the folks who believed it were thinking at all, but I’d be my guess that they’d be looking at people that came around after little brother was born, if they were thinking about a specific person at all.”

“Were you here before? I had no idea.” Kaito admitted, “That’s interesting. You’re a castle veteran. Other than Hideki and King Aiichi, you’re now the longest moved in resident I know here… or, well, you don’t live in the castle now, so maybe that’s not true. Guess it depends on how you’re judging it.”

“And it doesn’t matter what the people are expecting.” Kaito said, “Kokichi’s heir either way. Isn’t that why the riots got so bad? ...Actually, that’s a point. Could you clear another thing up for me? I don’t like to talk to Kokichi about the riots, since it upsets him, but I’ve never really gotten a good scope of how big or influential that evil league of evil group was. The ones who started the riots and kept tricking people into trying to assassinate him? Sometimes I feel like they were a small handful of dedicated idiots, other times it feels like you all had a low-key civil war about this. What actually happened?”

“Just a bit,” she clarified. “I think I moved in like...two months before Aiichi made the announcement? It all moved pretty fast.”

In no small part thanks to the LRG…

Lake sighed, an old, quiet anger in her eyes. “It’s...kind of hard to get an accurate read on the...pff, evil league of evil. The people who were actually instigating riots and hiring assassins… I think the amount was something around two hundred people? But counting everyone who supported the so-called ideology…”

She crossed her arms, just to keep her hands from balling into fists. “...a lot of leadership and respected positions across the country at the time had been...ironically, inherited positions. Not necessarily familial, but you’d be friends with the current leader or business owner or whatever, and you’d get a job, which, yanno, is fine, but then they’d get promoted and there was this whole pseudo-culture about certain communities of people and...so people would get into those positions without actually being qualified. And, because people like that tend to be hypocrites, they raised the biggest outrage over Kokichi being blood-related to Aiichi.”

“So, while a lot of them weren’t actually in the riots, or hadn’t actually gone after Kokichi...they still gave money and support to the people who did, and normalized that sort of behavior so people got more ballsy in just...being garbage.” Lake huffed, clenching her jaw for a moment. Not many people nowadays had anything but disgust towards that time, other than shame in knowing that those people had been Diceans too. “Those two hundred, well, a fair number of them had died in the riots, actually, but the rest were arrested on various counts, but all the quiet supporters across the country?”

Lake went quiet for a moment. “...Aiichi went on a damn tear… Of course he wasn’t okay after what happened with the Doc and Kokichi, but...the guy can be really scary sometimes. He...basically went through the accounts of every establishment in the country and nailed everyone who had ever had an incident of misconduct. It’s why there are a lot of employee contract debates these days--before then, it was more or less an honor system, and people didn’t raise a fuss unless it was something really egregious. I think...something like forty-percent of people involved with local governments and businesses were slammed for contract breaches. And...because they were assholes who had talked shit forever, but now had no power over other people? They were shunned by their communities. Sure, you can move to a place where no one knows you, but at least for a few years while all those proceedings were still going on, people paid attention to court cases avidly. There was no escaping people knowing what they’d done.”

Again, Lake stopped for a moment, though this time she let out a sigh, relaxing the angry tension in her body. “It’s not a proud part of Dicean history. Even if they were fair-weather or ambivalent at the time, if you ask anyone who lived through it, they’ll all spit on the name of the Lineage Resistance Group. No one wants to be associated with that.”

…

Kaito was listening, but he honestly couldn’t help taking a moment to pull a piece of paper and a small piece of pencil out of his pocket, opening it up and with a sigh murmuring, “...commoner.” Before putting a check next to his name on the paper, then closing it up again and putting it back into his pocket.

“Sounds like it was pretty wide spread.” Kaito said, giving Lake a mildly concerned look as he said, “That must have been tough to live through. It sounds scary for anyone, but especially to a newly orphaned eleven year old right in the thick of it.”

“It definitely didn’t do me any favors, I’ll tell ya,” Lake murmured. But then any trace of her usual smile vanished, even just...the air of good humor she usually had even when she was talking about serious things. 

Instead...there was a pretty rare expression on her face. Something sad, and a little unsure. 

“...I’ve never told my brother this. I always...thought it would just hurt too much.” She sighed. “...I didn’t see much of the Doc, since, you know, I was some scamp that had never seen much of the world and was still pretty freaked out by everything, and she was the damn queen of the country, a respected physicist, and pregnant. But she did try to talk to me sometimes… She was a very gentle person.”

“...’course I was scared of the riots, even if I never went into the city on my own at that point but...she reached out to me, once. I was taller than her even then, she was such a tiny woman, but her hugs made me feel...tiny’s not the right word at all, but like she could envelop you, you know? A real motherly hug.”

Lake closed her eyes, a humorless smile moving the corners of her lips up. It was a hug that her actual son never got to feel. “...she said not to be afraid of the riots, that everyone at the castle would keep me safe. And to not blame the people in them either. You never knew who was just caught up, or even...just who didn’t understand you yet. And once we all understood each other, things would calm down, and we’d all be better for it.”

Lake took a deep breath. “...I’ve known him way longer than I ever knew her, but...Kokichi really took after Dr. Miyako in a lot of ways.”

“...” Kaito considered his next words very carefully. Because… if he was wrong, it could really, physically hurt Kokichi… but…

Kaito didn’t think he was wrong though, when he said, “You should tell Kokichi that story.”

“Maybe not the riot related parts. Her reassuring you you’d be safe and stuff, because, well… knowing how that story ends, that part is kind of a bummer.” Kaito shrugged, “But the hugs and stuff? How kind she was, what it felt like? ...I know Kokichi can be a jealous kind of person, and maybe that hasn’t been a safe thing to tell him about before this. But he’s about to be a parent himself. And, I don’t know… maybe he’ll see the similarities between the hug from his mother you got, and what he’s gonna give our little Miya… I think it’d be a nice thing to share with him.”

At first, Lake thought Kaito was crazy. Refusing to give into fear-mongering and having faith in others to keep you safe weren’t bad qualities to have, but...considering what had happened to Dr. Miyako and Kokichi...there was a pretty fucking big reason Lake had never told her little brother about that. 

But once he clarified… The skeptical expression on Lake’s face turned into consideration. Without the awful context...it was something she could give him about his mom that...even the stories he got from Aiichi and Ikuo and Hideki wouldn’t be able to capture. They had been friends and a lover and a peer--not a child receiving comfort from a mother. 

“It’d be a little weird to bring out of nowhere...but I think you’re onto something. Next time we get talkin’ about Little Miss M or reminiscing, I think I’ll bring it up. Neither of us really had good stories to tell about parents unless it was about Big Ik, so...it’ll be novel.” She flashed the prince a grin, giving him a grateful nod. “I’m sure you’ll hear about how it goes.”

“No doubt.” Kaito agreed, glancing over at Lake, giving her a curious look. She really wasn’t all that bad… “The dance should be fun. Your dress sounds cool. I’ll have to put some thought into it if I want to compare. You said Denji designed it? Maybe I should ask them for some help too.”

“You and Nazumi ever think about being parents?” He suddenly asked. “Sorry if that’s a rude question. Kids are on my mind a lot these days, for obvious reasons. I’ve seen kids talk to you while you’re on patrol before. They seem to like you.”

The grin on Lake’s face was almost immediately strained as she scratched the back of her head. “Totally not a rude question, but, uh...no. There are plenty of options for friends to raise a kid together,” and man did her cheeks go pink saying that, “but we’re still...a little too unstable for a kid right now? We both work and are away from home a lot--neither of us have really been responsible for a kid for a significant amount of time either.”

“I mean, kids are great! I love getting to chat with ‘em, and the anti-bullying seminars are some of my favorite things to do as a guard. It would be really amazing to nurture a new little person in the world…” As...difficult as some conversations were for Lake, but concept of kids in general? She was all about it. And the soft, proud look on her face supported that. 

Almost going to nudge Kaito’s arm, Lake caught herself at the last moment and simply put her hands on her hips instead, giving the prince a wink. “I know I’m excited as all get out to see your family do it! But for me and ‘Zumi...I don’t think it’s in the prospects of the near future.”

“Understandable. I already love my little girl, and I’m very proud of my boy, but… I was pretty naive and impulsive to what I was doing, when I took in Tim. Didn’t really grasp the scope of what I was volunteering for. And if we had been…” Kaito sighed, “If I had been smarter, we’d have probably waited to have more kids when we were all in… better places in our lives. Smart to work on yourself before adding another person who’s entirely dependent on you, ya know? ...But! Well, that’s not the situation we’re working with! So… we’ll make the best of what we got, ya know!”

“... Hey, are you… not with Nazumi?” Kaito asked, “People talk like you two are together, and I’ve been taking them at their word, but… if you’re not with her, I won’t act like you are. I know how frustrating it can be, when everyone just ‘decides’ you’re in a couple with someone. Makes dating other people really hard.” Kaito sighed, rolling his eyes, “I had this one girl in high school… she was a good friend, she was really nice, but too shy to stop people or correct them when they just decided me and her were secretly dating, so that was a weird few months before that was all worked out. And this other asshole one summer… god what a fucking dick… told everyone we were dating and half the people who heard the rumor took his word on it cause I had a ‘reputation’ at a time… well, less dating, more ‘sleeping together’... that fucking loser wished…” Kaito scowled, shaking his head… “But, yeah. I know how frustrating that can be. I figured, since I have you, I should just finally ask. You two are just friends?”

“Exactly,” Lake nodded. “Life would be a lot simpler if everything went according to plan, but it rarely does, so you just have to roll with the punches, right? And if you’re lucky, you find yourself in a place you’re happy to be. At least from a little more on the outside, looks to me that you’ve got yourself in a pretty good place!”

The situation that had led to Tim’s adopting was still...a little over Lake’s head. That Kaito and Maki had set up some sort of secret contest for the kids in the Luminary Party to try and kill Kaito to be chosen as an assassin trainee, and Tim had gotten more than close and so...they adopted him? Denji had just rolled their eyes, waving off a mess of what they called political bullshit, so while Lake didn’t really get it, she knew there was more to the story but…

Well, Tim was just a kid living at the castle now! And while for most months he’d just ignored all of Lake’s attempts to be friendly, he had friends and family and seemed to be doing alright, so she’d assume it was all good now. 

A relatively safe assumption, she figured, though she knew how dangerous they could be in general. 

A kind of...uncomfortable look came over Lake’s face at a question...well, it wasn’t actually asked that much, since waaaaaay too many people did just as the prince was describing and just assumed they were a couple, but it was asked when rumors came to a head and...it was never an easy one. But the way Kaito asked, along with sharing some of his own experiences…

Lake sighed a little, tousling her hair. “We’re just friends, yeah. I love ‘Zumi a lot, don’t get my wrong; she’s an incredibly special person to me. But we’re not...involved like that. I mean…”

Lake tugged on the back of her hair in a very familiar quirk, her voice going a little softer. “She could probably try out being in a relationship again...we’re both adults, have a lot of, yanno, wisened experience to be cautious. But...it’s kind of the same thing with a kid--we do make time to hang out every now and then, but it’s...not really something that would work well in a relationship. Hell knows I have enough ex’s that’d tell you just that. For our friendship...I think it’s best we stay friends, and nothing more.”

“That makes sense… so.” Kaito grinned, looking over at her, “Anyone you do have your eye on? Literally other than speculation about you and Nazumi’s friendship, I hear no relationship rumors in this castle. I mean, I don’t usually hear any rumors unless Waku’s spreading them, and when me and her hang out, we mostly just take turns complaining about our days and drinking really shitty beer that she can’t get rid of.”

“Naaaaah,” Lake laughed through a sigh, feeling...oddly light from how easily Kaito just accepted her words. Maybe she shouldn’t be surprised though. “Like I said, I really don’t have much time for new people in my life, and the time I am carving out now is for my cute little niece coming in two months. Li’l bro told me about how the nursery’s coming along, by the way! Nice idea on the meadow theme!”

Laughing a little more openly, Lake shook her head. “It’s a real mixed bag what rumor’s you’d get out of Waku--girl’s either right spot on about stuff that, like, no one’s told anyone, or coming up with really crazy shit. Like...back in the day, eeeeveryone was snickering about how IQ and Sei were totally fucking, but Waku just flat out said that it wasn’t true, but that IQ was into desperation watersports and Sei was kinda burned out over his ex and just wasn’t into playing the field at all.” Lake let out an incredulous huff, giving Kaito a semi-bewildered look. “Like...she was just a young teenager at the time, barely really knew anyone on the force, and she just piped up out of nowhere while a bunch of us in the castle were shooting the shit. It was nuts.”

“It’s her heart hearing thing. She can, like… hear what peoples hearts are saying.” Kaito shrugged, “My running theory is that someone in her family made deal with demons, or maybe it’s a blessing by Atua or one of the lesser gods? Or she’s just… really good at reading body language. But she definitely can do something. She just knows things too much otherwise. Besides, she says she can, and I believe her.”

“... Watersport desperation? Ngh. I knew this guy who I think was into that, but he wouldn’t just own up to it and kept trying to like… ‘trick’ me into it. I know it’s not fair to judge the group for the individual, but it’s always left a creepy taste in my mouth since then.” Kaito frowned, nose wrinkling in distaste… before he balked, “Uh, sorry! Too much information! I do that sometimes, that’s my bad.”

“Yeah, she’s mentioned that a few times. I’m not really sure what to make of it, but it’s a wild icebreaker when she feels like sharing. Not really comparable, but she saved me, like...probably around ten trips back to the castle to collect things I’d forgotten when I moved out. Just found all the stuff I’d left laying around and collected it all into a box--considering she wasn’t really talking to anyone ‘cept maybe Big Ik and her social worker at the time, I really appreciated it.

Snorting, Lake wrinkled her nose but waved Kaito off. “S’all right--things slip out sometimes, you know? People’ve got their own business, but ya gotta admit it is a weird one. IQ denied the shit out of it when he heard, but I don’t think I’d ever seen him so flustered, except maybe the time Sei beat him in the hoopin’ charity marathon.”

Chuckling a little, Lake sent Kaito a calmer, questioning look. Maybe it wasn’t the wisest thing to bring up delicate subjects, but...she’d never been a particularly delicate person. “...I heard something went down between him and your boy after the vets came back. I won’t pry, but...is Tim doing alright?”

“Oh, ya know… standard ‘someone you thought you killed just waltzing back into your life’ issue.” Kaito muttered… before sighing, running a hand through his hair, “Timothy’s a soldier. A child soldier, but a soldier regardless. In theory, he… shouldn’t have been a combat soldier. Kids below a certain age are supposed to be just support positions, but, well, drummers are ‘support’ so… he was in the front line and... ngh… my home sucks.”

Shaking his head, Kaito continued, “He’s fine… I think he’s fine? It’s sort of hard to tell with Tim. Soldiers are… Tim’s… if there is something wrong? He… he might not be able to recognize it. Like… by design. Our soldiers are… well, not all of them, but the indentured ones… it’s called emotional… ahhhhhhh.” Kaito groaned, pulling his hair in frustration, “I DON’T KNOW!? I HOPE HE’S ALRIGHT!? I CAN’T GET HIM TO TALK TO ME BECAUSE OF LUMINARY BULLSHIT!! AUGH!!!”

Kaito, in fit a frustration, kicked a stone that was nearby, and did manage to get it flown a good distance, but… “Ow-ow-ow, fuck, my foot...where’s my stupid fucking-”

Kaito continued grumbling as he pulled his meditation stone out, idly rubbing it with his thumb, staring at it… “Sorry, sorry, I’m good. I’m great! And… Tim’s okay. Probably. He seems okay, anyway. Sorry.”

Lake’s eyebrows raised, seeing a few warning flags even from the moment Kaito said “standard” while talking about something...like that. So when his voice suddenly raised in frustration, it wasn’t a surprise, and the guard in her was prepared. She didn’t square up, didn’t make herself bigger than usual, but she made herself sturdy. Agile. Able to hop in and intervene if Kaito looked like he was going to hurt himself, but not intruding on his space until she saw that. 

And...wow, it really looked like that anger management had done a lot of work. 

Smiling slightly, not letting her guard down just yet, Lake shook her head a little. “It’s alright--it’s a personal, familial thing, and I knew that it might be a sore spot if I asked. You don’t have to go into it. I’m glad things are alright. And...if they aren’t? Then people need to speak up. You’re not at fault for not being a mind-reader.”

“...but, if I can say something? Both if things are okay, or if they’re not...you being there for you kid does a lot. Physically and emotionally...even if he doesn’t want to talk to you about some things, just the knowledge that you’d be there if he did does a lot of work.”

“Yeah? Yeah… yeah, I hope so. I’m just trying to make myself available to him, ya know? Sometimes I feel like some dumb teenager trying to take care of someone just barely younger than me… but that’s just emotional. I’m his father. Regardless of how unprepared I feel sometimes. I gotta be ready to be whatever he needs me to be.” Kaito sighed, before shakily laughing, “...man, I’m sorry. You’re just trying to do your route, and I’ve been going crazy hot and cold on ya. I feel like I’m always doing that with you. I’m sorry. I’m not… always super good at regulating my emotions.” Kaito admitted, though he doubted it was a surprise to anyone, tossing his meditation stone from one hand to the next, playing with it, “And, I mean, I’ve told you this before, but it bears repeating… I have super taken that out on you, like… disproportionally, ya know? Sorry, again… about all that.”

So, Lake wasn’t a parent herself, as stated, and she wasn’t even someone that worked in childcare. But...as someone trained to try and catch signs of child abuse, to recognize the signs of someone in distress when they couldn’t express it well, and...had her own unfortunate experience to draw on… It was a really good sign, the sort of stuff Kaito was saying. Parents were far from perfect, but a willingness to put your own insecurity and some needs aside to be what a child needed was...well, it was the kind of thing that made claims of parents being superheroes pretty spot on. 

The two of them had finished going through the southern garden and were heading around to the west one, a little bigger since the southern garden just became what it was as people tended to the area around the south side of the castle that wasn’t taken up by the entryway. There hadn’t really been people around, so Lake’s attention wasn’t split too much, nor were Kaito’s outbursts overheard. 

Taking another chance and lightly giving the prince a pat on the shoulder, Lake offered him a friendly, ‘no harm done’ sort of grin. “I appreciate the apology, Prince Kai. But, yanno, if it had to happen to anyone, I’m glad it’s me--might get a hurt feeling or two here and there, but I can take it. So if you needed someone to take this sort of stuff out on, I’m glad to put my fists up and duke it out with ya! But...yanno, I’ve liked you since we met, so I will definitely take the apology.”

“Yeah… hey? I know I was bullshitting about fake Luminary culture stuff before, but if you ever get into another spar with a Luminary? Uh… doooon’t do that… matching handicap for handicap thing.” Kaito warned her, giving her a somewhat uncomfortable look, “It’s kinda offensive. Like, you can hold back for someone if you think they need it, that’s normal. But, like… doing it as obviously as you did? You… like, I don’t hold it against you, but it’s kind of a really loud spit in the face. I was pretty embarrassed, at the time.”

Lake’s eyes widened, her surprise clear and obvious. “Seriously? Like...it was kind of obvious you guys thought it was weird but...damn. Didn’t think it was, like, a direct opposite gesture.” She whistled softly, shaking her head before giving Kaito an apologetic look. “Note taken. Even still, sorry about that. Maybe I really should take a better look at all that literature.”

“Nag, again, like, I don’t hold it against you, and even at the time, I kinda recognized you weren’t… trying to do that? Ya know? Like, Maki would have gotten more pissed, if you had been trying to insult me. The fact that she let you kinda clued me in that it might be a Dicean thing, and, well, I was pissed enough to just want to start the fight either way. But, yeah, in Luminary culture, pointing out a weakness, even to help someone? Huge insult. You can do things to help a person if you see them struggling, but acknowledging they need that help is… super shitty. The sort of thing you only do with close friends who you know trust your intentions. And handicapping yourself to give someone else better footing? It basically just feels like the other person is bragging. Like, a flex to humiliate them.” 

Rubbing the back of his neck, Kaito continued, “But, based on who you seem to be as a person, and Kokichi’s reaction when I told him? That’s not how Diceans see it… honestly, maybe it’s something I should mention to ‘Kichi for those literature things? I’m really not certain if anyone here knows that about us. It’s just one of those things I sort of thought was… universal? I was pretty surprised when it wasn’t.” Kaito frowned… before huffing, “My first… no, second. Night married to Kokichi? The Head Secretary stopped by our room and accidentally made me fucking cry. He didn’t mean to. I think he thought he was giving me good news. But he gave me some news about something that happened in Luminary that just… humiliated me… and I just couldn’t help it, I broke down in front of him. I don’t think he had any idea what the fuck was wrong with me. It really seems to be just this… huge disconnect between our cultures… I don’t really understand why you guys… like, maybe help me understand? Sorry, sorry, this is a bunch of stuff I’ve really wanted to talk to someone about, but I don’t fucking… Waku’s great! But she sucks at trying to explain culture stuff and we always end up getting off topic. And it gets too personal between me and Kokichi… and I don’t know anyone else. Why did you tie your hand behind your back? What was the thought process?”

Lake tapped at her chin, absorbing the impromptu culture lesson. So...helping was only not seen as rude when you were sneaky about it? Or if you were a close friend. Though...she didn’t...totally understand why you needed to know someone’s intentions to accept help. And what she’d done during their spar had been...braggadocious? And adding in that Kaito had seemed like he was expecting to talk while they sparred, and not just about form…

“Ahhhh, this is confusing…” she softly groaned, tousling her hair. 

From the little she’d already learned, their cultures were pretty damn different, but geez...it was like a total reversal, except nuanced in the just the right way that even if you tried to do the exact opposite of what you thought was right, you’d still mess it up. 

Shrugging a little, Lake tugged at her hair for a moment before combing through it with her fingers, idly trying to undo all the knots she’d been ruffling into it. “Well...you had a broken arm, which meant you were an arm down! Spars are just practice fights, like a more involved version of working out, in a way, so you want to be as evenly matched as possible--there’s not a lot you can learn when you and your opponent aren’t even. So, to make it fair, I should be an arm down too. Then we can fight with the same handicap, and no one has an advantage. Then we could really see how we match up against each other.”

“...honestly?” she laughed, “If I’d gone to fight you without doing something like that? I would’ve felt like a huge asshole. Like I was showing off and, like, belittling you or something. Not properly honoring your request to spar.”

Kaito’s mouth sort of scrunched to one side, scratching the side of his chin… before he said, “I mean… some spars are just practice fight… but, honestly, even the ones that are just practice… usually part of that practice is the communication aspect of it. Ah, geez… that’s gonna be a really tough one, I think… spars are meant to be relatively safe ways of having really tough conversations… well, I told you all that before.” Kaito sighed, before idly touching the front of his throat as he said, “Those conversations can get… really scary, without a ref. But even without one, it’s still better than just letting someone stew in those feelings until they attack you outside of a spar, and when that happens, you just kinda gotta assume they’re trying to seriously hurt you, if not kill you. Better to spar then to have a deadly misunderstanding like that. Asking someone to spar when you’re in the middle of an argument is basically just saying ‘I’m pissed, but I don’t want to kill you’... but, yeah. Already told you that. Sorry.”

“And, yeah, like I said, based on you and Kokichi, I assumed you were just doing something nice. Neither of you are the types to do something that obviously condescending, or support it. So, to you, it just wasn’t. But, from my perspective… well, maybe it doesn’t matter. We’re in  Dicea, I’m doing my best to kinda get my head around the way you all think, sort of match it, ya know? Maki made an argument to me before she left that it wasn’t enough to just mimic it, that understanding why would leave me feeling less weird and bitter about it. And, I keep hearing this small woman telling me to stop ‘mind reading’ every time I think of a question I want to ask and don’t ask it because I assume I already know the answer. So, yeah… just trying to assimilate! I don’t spar anymore!” Kaito said this like he was proud of it, though he had an uncertain look on his face, “I just stopped! I mean, I stopped because of other stuff, but, like, I was going to just take a break? But I think I’m just straight up gonna stop now. I think it’s maybe just better if I don’t fight anyone in Dicea, ya know? Less chances to make really fucked up mistakes.”

“Though… my kids, or, Tim and the girls? They’re desperate to be taught sparring. Kokichi doesn’t know how to do it, Shuuichi can’t right now for obvious reasons… but you know how to do it! Uh… sorry, I mean… sorry, I’m not trying to volunteer you for anything. That thought just came to mind and I got excited. It’s fine if you can’t, but do you think you could ever take some time and teach my kids how to do a proper spar?”

Lake thought Luminary spars--see?! There were different meanings to things with the same name!--were just as weird as she had thought the last time Kaito explained it to her. But...it was another step in understanding how other people thought, and that was another step in everyone being able to live together peacefully. 

Nodding, Lake said, “Yeah...I can see that it’d be a bit of an uphill battle explaining all that to everyone you meet in Dicea...but at least personally, I appreciate knowing. Both ‘cause I know you personally, so it makes things easier on the two of us, and professionally. Now I know, if I see some visitor from Luminary asking someone to spar? We can quickly debrief so it doesn’t turn up like our misunderstanding. It might not always lead to changed behavior, but understanding comes from all participants.”

And...maybe for Kaito, that understanding was not sparring anymore, and learning to work out his issues with people through other means. It was a really mature thing to decide. 

Though for those who decided otherwise…

Lake lit up, her thousand watt grin turned back up. “Oh hell yeah, I’d be honored! I can let you know what days my shift starts a little later, or if I have the day off, and we can set something up for me to come by your guys’ training in the morning? You all have been at it for a while--it’ll be great to see what the kids have picked up!”

“They’ve all got incredible potential. Man, in a different place…” Kaito’s gaze went far away for a second… before he came back down to earth, chuckling slightly, “Ah well. It’s good exercise either way. Maybe they can use it for sports in school or something. Or to impress friends! Any skill can be cultivated to impress random strangers at parties! And to impress crushes! Have you ever seen Kokichi climb shit? That parkour thing he can do? I swooned, I swear. It was so cool.” Kaito gushed, eyes practically sparkling, “And Shuuichi said he looked cool as fuck staring down an attacker trying to kill him the first day they ever spoke! I’m thinking that’s one of the reasons he fell for Kokichi. Word to the wise, you ever get sweet on a Luminary? We’re suckers for physical feats of courage. You back up that whole hero speech stuff with some actual sword fighting skill or some feat of strength? Damn. You’ll have them eating out of the palm of your hand! The tourists are gonna love you.”

Lake had nodded--being able to pull off cool fighting moves was definitely impressive--though her eyes lit up as Kaito mentioned Kokichi’s special brand of impressive moves, laughing a bit. “He really did take to it like a fish to water--it looks like he’s flying sometimes, right? Meanwhile, I couldn’t tell you how many walls I fell off of trying to get to wherever little smarmy place he was perched. I got banned from the library for six months from knocking down one of the freestanding bookcases, trying to copy what my li’l bro did. He’s a talented guy.”

Who was also unfortunately talented in staring down assassins, which Lake gave Kaito a more than a little worried look at--when?!?!? WHO?!--but...even with adding in the fact Kaito was Luminous, if he was saying it that casually, it was all fine. It’d been months ago at this point anyway.

...but Luminaries were suckers for feats of strength, huh?

Lake let out a little proud, yet bashful laugh, her cheeks tinting slightly. “That so, huh? Tell me, is bench-pressing another person the kind of thing that would inspire tourists’ hearts, or is it a more, ‘oh no, you caught me moving allll this equipment all on my own’ sort of deal?”

Kaito chuckled, “That’s absolutely a preference thing. Maki and Shuuichi would both probably roll their eyes at the first one and be impressed by the second one, but me? Bench pressing another person? Hell yeah.”

-

“You’re such a bastard.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Months, Kaito. It’s been months. Winter happened.”

“I know. I’m the worst.”

“I cannot believe you all kept this from me for so long… could you pass me the plate of strawberries?”

Kaito chuckled, reaching over to the plate of strawberries and very purposefully grabbing the pitcher of ice water too, refilling Shuuichi’s cup and putting the fruit beside him before settling back to his spot perched at the edge of the hot tub, cheerfully kicking the water lightly as Shuuichi thanked him, ignoring the water for now and chewing on a strawberry. 

“...You’re still the worst.” Shuuichi muttered, relaxing in the water with a sigh.

“I know. I just sorta forgot this place was here for like...ages. And you can keep telling me off for it as long as you want, but how does your back feel?”

“...Good.” Shuuichi admitted, “I feel weightless.”

Kaito grinned. “Good. Drink some water. I don’t want you to overheat.”

-

Kokichi might not like vests, but Kaito did, and he readjusted the rich, red colored vest over his shoulders, adding a more vivid splash of color to the dark, dark maroon red that was his button up shirt beneath, sleeves rolled up to his bicep, and, again, after fierce debate with himself, only went two button down. Partly because the place they were going too sounded nice, partly to slightly obscure the extremely finely made, white-gold chain necklace he was wearing. He had a few pieces of extremely nice-- and extremely expensive-- jewelry that he had been waiting for a formal event to break out, but as he realized there might not be an event in the near or far to justify wearing such nice pieces… well? Unless Amber was there, likely no one would even realize he was wearing something like that to an event like this… but just in case someone would, Kaito was hiding the round-cut diamond beneath his shirt. Just cause…

...Look, he liked the pieces, okay? But it was embarrassing wearing them to a low class event! Tacky! But everything was a low-class event here! So… this was his mental compromise to himself. He’d get to wear his jewelry pieces, but in a way where no one would notice! There! Totally not embarrassing! 

He hadn’t told Kokichi what he was wearing, just slipping it on and hoping his husband wouldn’t make much note of it if Kaito didn’t point it out, but Shuuichi had chuckled a little when he saw it. Traitor. What, was he never supposed to wear it again!? It looked great on him! Made him look handsome and sophisticated (nevermind the fact that it was mostly hidden under his shirt)! It was from the Bvglari Collection! It deserved some use! 

His mother had loved this necklace.

(Mom would be pissed.)

As they got to the building though, hearing the cheery, fun music already playing inside… shit, shit, shit, maybe he should take it off and tuck it in his pockets, if anyone recognized the kind of thing he was wearing to this he’d fucking die… “This place seems fun.” Kaito said aloud to Kokichi, his panic of his fashion guffaw mostly happening as background noise inside of his head. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard music like this.”

Kokichi really would’ve been happy just wearing something comfortable, but...well, with Kaito dressing up paired with the fact he knew that everyone else would be too… Peer pressure was real, alright?

And the clothes weren’t that bad. 

He was wearing a pair of dark blue semi-pleated formal shorts with a lighter blue, floral printed wrap shirt that was clearly inspired by yukata, the sleeves cut off from the shoulder on the tops and hanging until about his forearms. Forgoing more formal shoes, though, Kokichi was wearing a nice pair of mid-shin length black leather boots, though he’d laced them with bright pink laces, cute cherry blossom charms hanging from the aglets. He had a matching pair of hair clips keeping his bangs out of his eyes, his hair a little too short right now to reliably tie up, especially if he was going to be moving around a lot. 

Which he was! Because they were going dancing!

Laughing a little in that same sort of sheepishness that he’d had when Kaito asked about the sort of dancing that the dances were for, Kokichi shrugged a little. “I can’t imagine they’re playing much Dicean folk music over in Luminary… And like I said, they play other stuff too--for swing dancing and our version of waltzes ‘n stuff. But...yeah, folk music for folk dancing.”

It was a big, beautiful place, really. There seemed to either be some effort to make the building look older than the more modernized buildings around it, or it just was one of the older buildings in the area, it’s style and material just ever so slightly off-kilter from its neighbors. An interesting blend of wood and marble, the building’s entrance itself’ sort of looking like a wave mid-splash, it seemed to be mostly open-ended within the building itself, if the glance from the wide, open front doors was any indication. And it was busy. Shockingly busy. Kaito wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but considering Tomomi’s desperate-seeming spreading of the news of the event, Kaito had sort of assumed attendance would be struggling.

Nope. Apparently not.

Looking around for some sort of… reception or ticket desk or… “Do you think we sign in anywhere? It seems like people are just walking in.” Kaito observed, puzzled by that, “I assumed an event like this would have some sort of entrance fee. No?”

Though he’d been a little embarrassed to show it to Kaito, Kokichi couldn’t help grinning as they passed through the threshold and he could more clearly hear the music playing, the jaunty tunes familiar and nostalgic. He’d never been able to join in on folk dances before, even when they were held in the plaza, because for while many of the steps were relatively simple, you did work up a sweat while dancing. He’d heard that every few dances the caller for the night would recommend taking a break and getting a drink to those who’d been dancing for a while, even before the longer breaks for the band, or when they were switching bands. 

But there was nothing stopping him now. 

Looking around at Kaito’s word, Kokichi shook his head softly. “It is technically free, but it’s considered common courtesy to give a donation--the funds help pay the bands and the upkeep for the hall and compensate the organizers for their time… I think there should be someone with a donation box around here…”

Apparently overhearing his implied question even among the din, another couple standing around the entry area waved to Kokichi, pointing over in a direction away from the source of the music, before seemingly realizing who they were gesturing to and waving a little more enthusiastically. Giggling, Kokichi waved back before leading Kaito over in the indicated direction. 

And...he almost wasn’t surprised to see a familiar brunette sitting daintily on top of a table, chatting with a nervous-looking man who was sitting more normally behind it. Predictably, Tomomi was wearing an extravagant gown, the cut low on her chest and showing off most of her back, the bodice held together with glittering chains to match what looked like little diamonds stuck to her shoulders and chest while the asymmetrically cut skirt elegantly flowed down one of her legs. 

Catching sight as the princes approached, Tomomi perked up, hopping off the table--with a little flourish to sway her skirt around appealingly--to put a hand on each of their shoulders. “Kichi! Kai! I’m so glad you guys decided to come tonight! It’s a dance for the ages, for sure!”

Purely on instinct, Kaito tensed ever so slightly at her touch, but he threw a grin onto his face and reminded himself she was fine and she was just a slightly ditzy person who seemed nice enough and liked to put on dances and events and had a nice dress and none of it had really been her fault. “Of course! Thanks so much for inviting us, me and Kokichi have been begging for more opportunities to do events like these! And this looks great!” Kaito praised, gesturing to the events around them, “This goes on every friday? I’m so sorry this is the first one we’ve gotten too! We’ve definitely been missing out.”

Looking around, Kaito asked, “I know Lake and Nazumi were planning to be here today. You seen anyone else from the castle around?”

“You and a ton of people, but I’ve been remedying that!” she laughed, looking exceptionally proud of the crowd. “You can make the prettiest poster in the world, but you need someone to shout about it from the rooftops if you want people to pay attention! Talk sells!”

“Are you taking on ‘Kashi-chan’s jobs now?” Kokichi joked. Speaking of selling, he took out the cash he’d stashed just for this purpose, handing it over with a grin to the nervous man who seemed a little relieved not to be taking the brunt of Tomomi’s attention for the moment. The man quietly thanked the prince and put the donation in a lockbox as Tomomi managed to grin even brighter.

“We’re doing a lot of collabs these days! Takashi’s been a bit of a sad butt lately so I offered to get some buzz going for the dances--he likes doing market deals more anyway. Gawd, it was almost painful, watching him try to ask Ryou to the dance tonight; Takashi’s, like, a decade older than me and he acts like a high schooler when it comes to Ryou.”

Looking out at the crowd as Kaito did, she further explained. “Those two should be coming around tonight, and Mikaku comes to the dances every now and then. Ughhh, it’s been such a bummer since Susie moved away--she used to be a hoot.” 

And...people really did underestimate Tomomi sometimes. She didn’t mind it, and sometimes it really was just easier to go through life claiming you didn’t notice or understand things. But she did. So she didn’t mention that Nao and her wife used to be semi-regulars, though Nao did tend to come on her own almost every week. The dances had a much better vibe without an abuser anyway. 

Takashi was the other informant with the arm, and Ryou was… did Kaito know a Ryou? It sounded so familiar. Susie… had Hajime mentioned a Susie? Kaito was pretty sure he hadn’t met a Susie. “Is Hajime or Waku here? Have you seen either of them?” Kaito asked semi-hopefully, though he was pretty sure Waku wouldn’t enjoy an event like this. It was a lot of people and she had told him once she wasn’t a fan of big crowds. And, unless he was with Chiaki, this didn’t seem like Hajime’s scene either. 

“Okay, remind me… whoooo is Ryou?” Kaito asked, looking around the crowd, “I know, I know, it’s been months, I should know the people in the castle by this point. So I don’t want to embarrass myself if I come across them and just blank when I shouldn’t, ya know?”

Tomomi shook her head, her elegant up-do bouncing slightly. “Sorry, I haven’t. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Waku at one of these dances, and I don’t see Haji that often. Though, he is a pretty good dancer, from what I remember.” 

Tomomi gave Kaito a slightly surprised look, but Kokichi chimed in from there. “Ryouhei Sukuna, he’s the Head Scribe--the sleepy guy at all the meetings we had for our wedding.”

“He’s my boss!” Tomomi added brightly. “Like, Kaito, you talk to him all the time when you come in to use the phone. I think he’d be a little hurt you didn’t remember him, though Ryou doesn’t really get fussed about that kind of stuff. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him actually get angry, even when I was first hired and kept messing things up.”

“Telephone guy?” Kaito asked, looking surprised at that, “His name’s Ryou? Man, I’m sure he’s told me that… that’s my bad. I probably totally spaced on it when he said it and just never noticed I didn’t have it.” Kaito chuckled, shaking his head at himself, “Ah well, even better reason to ask beforehand. I’d have felt like an asshole if I saw him tonight and couldn’t call him by it. Thanks.”

Kaito looked around, before saying, “Alright, ‘Kichi, knowing every other event we’ve been too, two things are gonna happen. A crowd’s gonna form around you of people wanting to thank you for various things, and Tangouai’s gonna show up and force me to school him again. I’ll, politely, turn him down this time when he shows up, but for the first bit, do you want me to go grab us some drinks while you do the meet and greet thing?”

Kokichi chuckled softly, by now used to Kaito’s habit of calling people by their profession or things they did for even a while after they met until he saw them regularly enough to remember their name. And knowing Ryouhei...the guy probably hadn’t even said his name to Kaito once during all their chats over the past months. Their scribe could write beautifully, but he wasn’t much for spoken words. 

Waving off Kaito’s thanks, though she seemed pleased with it, Tomomi went back to her conversation with the man who was likely one of the hall managers, now up close, Kokichi able to see that the man was visibly struggling not to look at any of the more revealing areas of Tomomi’s dress. While was a feat, with how she hopped back up on the table and leaned down towards him. 

Kokichi sent a longing look over towards the actual dancehall part of the building, but he knew Kaito was right. It was nice to be thanked for his work, but...of course he’d do it! And he wanted to dance! But such was his fate. 

Sighing, Kokichi nodded, giving his husband a soft smile. “Yeah, that sounds good. I’m not sure what all they have, but if there’s a variety, I’d still just like water, please.”

“Got it. Give people ten minutes, when I come back with drinks, I’ll insist on sweeping you away.” Kaito winked, taking up Kokichi’s hand and giving the back of it a kiss, before noticing over his husbands head a group of much older couples, egging each other on, approaching Kokichi already, as he said, “Ten, fifteen minutes. Then we’ll start dancing. Good luck, babe.”

Kaito managed to escape just as the group of older people called out to Kokichi, asking to speak to him for a moment, pleased, eager looks on their faces. Looking around, Kaito went hunting for the drinks.

It took Kaito a bit to find the drink counter, and he ended up waiting in line for awhile. Again, the place was busy. People seemed happy and into it, which was nice, the energy of the place bouncy and light. Kaito was feeling himself relax a little, grinning at the energy of the place, getting a little excited. Kaito gave Dicea a lot of shit for not knowing how to do a fancy event to save it’s collective life, but Dicean’s did know how to dress, for all that. The people here looked good… not as good as his husband! And his super cute pink laces and cherry blossom hairclips and that shirt that looked little like that weird robe thing Kokichi wore for the wedding. But… still. It was a pretty good looking group. Not that hard on the eyes.

The air smelled like strawberries and sweat…

Kaito got himself and Kokichi a water, but he got himself a shot of whiskey, just to loosen himself up a bit. He wasn’t going to get drunk! He was not going to get drunk… he just wanted to not be weird and stiff here. It was a dance! He was on a date with Kokichi! It was going to be a good time.

His face scrunched reflexively at the whiskey, it surprisingly difficult to get down. Guess he wasn’t drinking that much these days. Oooph. 

By the time he got back… “Oh geez.” Kaito muttered.

The plan had been to swoop into whatever crowd was forming around Kokich, make a fussy Luminary out of himself and insist he take his husband away from his adoring public, and then proceed to do the shit out of that. Easy plan, no problem. But… that would have required an opening in the crowd to get to Kokichi. Who was swarmed. Happy, excited people, thrilled to see him at the dance, everyone wanting a chance to say hello, say thank you for this or that, just make some small comment or nicety to him or just wanting to see him for the sheer novelty that still was. The Light of Dicea, out in public, again.

“...Whelp.” Kaito sighed, looking around for somewhere to put himself until the crowd thinned out a little. “Probably can’t justify pushing my way through yet. Uh…”

Looking around, he spotted the nervous, put upon man that Tomomi had been talking to before, still sitting at the desk with the donation box. Heading over, Kaito grinned sheepishly. “Hey, mind if I put my drinks down here? Waiting for Kokichi, could take a moment, and, frankly, don’t feel like holding them the whole time. My name’s Kaito! Who do I have the pleasure?”

The man startled, almost a little surprised that the redhead, Kaito, had come back to talk, and especially so warmly--yet...weirdly formal, but Anri remembered after a beat that this was Prince Kokichi’s husband, who was foreign--even if he was just waiting for his husband. But it wasn’t like Anri really had a problem with people--he wouldn’t be manning the donation box if he did--so he grinned awkwardly and nodded to the...probably hypothetical question. 

“Oh, um, I’m Anri. Anri Kiyoma. I, uh, already told Prince Kokichi, but thanks for your donation to the dancehall.”

Miss Eiten was a known entity to the group that managed the hall, but even knowing something didn’t always prepare you. And while Miss Eiten was, er, surely confident in her body, Anri could still feel his cooling sweat that had seeped into his clothes. Sweet god she was beautiful. And the man in front of him now was no different, though thankfully a little more...modest. 

Still, Anri tried not to let his gaze linger on Kaito’s forearms. “So, if I heard right, this is your first time coming, right?”

… Kaito grinned. A beat of excitement. 

No, no, no, bad Kaito. Don’t get excited because a stranger looked a little flustered seeing you. You are here on a date with your husband. Your horniness is exclusive! To two people! Focus! 

Still, Kaito-- and this poor bastard probably caught the attention of people like Kaito and Tomomi far too often, the sort of person who was flattered by fluster and enjoyed encouraging it-- smirked a little, putting down his drinks and leaning his hip against the desk, crossing his arms and absolutely not flexing his biceps (though they might have tightened a little, ya know. Just from the act of moving them. Totally innocent.) as he answered cheerfully, “Got it in one! I’m surprised you picked that up. If you don’t mind my saying, you seemed a little distracted, when we came by to donate. Got your eye on the event coordinator? Tomomi? She really knows how to dress for these things.”

...maybe the clothes weren’t a blessing. Anri felt himself swallow as--just in the corner of his eye! He swears!--he saw the fabric around Kaito’s biceps strain for a moment. The man was obviously in good shape, but ‘good shape’ evidently meant ‘ripped’ if you took another look. Which Anri was mainly doing to Kaito’s face, since he’d struck up a conversation, and it’d be rude not to look at him. 

Prince Kokichi was a lucky man. 

Grey eyes widening, Anri quickly shook his head, seeming somehow both affronted and even more flustered with Kaito’s gossip-y observation. “What?! No, no, I was just--our jobs are pretty similar, you see? It was just interesting to talk with her. We’re associates!”

After a beat, Anri’s eyes slid to the side. “...her dress tonight is very pretty, though. Events aren’t the only things she’s good at coordinating. I don’t always come to the dances, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen her wear the same outfit twice, at least when it comes to how she styles them.”

“I get to see a lot of fashion!” Anri quickly spit out that addition, realizing that it could be taken that he stared at Tomomi all the time, and that was creepy so-! “It’s interesting to see what people put together.”

With a grin that was all teeth, Kaito said, “Oh, I bet. She seems the type who's good at… coordinating. Some people just seem to have a natural grace to them, ya know? They’re good at people, good at taking lead, good at raising a sense of… ya know. Excitement. In the atmosphere…”

He chuckled, leaning back, actually feeling a little bad. The guy seemed to be perfectly capable of flustering himself, really, he clearly didn’t need any help. It was so mean to keep heaping attention onto people like this, especially when you had no plans to follow through on anything, but they were so sweet. And cute! It was so hard not to want to watch them stutter or turn red, or see that small bit of sweat, or watch their eyes…

Man, where was Kokichi? Right, still back in that crowd, right. Kaito already missed him. Man, his Kokichi, used to get all flustered and sweet and cute… dammit, now he was thinking about Kokichi. 

Chuckling a little more, Kaito said reassuringly, “Hey, come on, no judgment. She dresses to impress, and she clearly impressed you! I bet she’d be thrilled at the compliment. You have complimented her, right? For the outfits she puts so much time into?”

This was a married man, Anri. You do not shoot your shot with married men, you are not a homewrecker. Even married men who were being forward and were very hot and were probably not monogamous. Men who were married to the heir apparent of your country. 

Anri swallowed a little. Maybe he could ask someone to get him a water soon…

Though, that same almost affronted look came over his face. “Of course I have. Miss Eiten has a fine knack for steering conversations towards compliments, and, like you say, she does put in a lot of effort.”

There was a pause before Anri gave Kaito a nod. “I like your outfit too, actually. Very tasteful. Your chain necklace is a nice pop to the whole thing.”

Ripped guys with their dress shirts rolled up to their forearms, fitted vests to show off their waist, a chain to bring in a little accessorizing without being too much--and, of course drawing eyes to the few undone buttons above a chest that could probably pop a few more off just from flexing…

Anri’s eyes were dead fixed on Kaito’s face, his brain feeling a little steamed. 

Kaito couldn’t help the mixture of ecstatic flattery and alarmed embarrassment at the mention of the necklace, immediately putting his fingers around the chain and pulling them idly, playing with them, as he bit his lower lip, incredibly pleased. “Thanks! I kind of wish I had dressed up more, honestly. Everyone here looks great. I love the embroidery on that jacket, man, seriously, that looks great. And that color goes great with your eyes. They really ‘pop’, ya know? Could I-” 

Kaito leaned onto one of his hands against the desk, his heart beating a little more excitedly as he leaned into Anri’s space, inspecting his eyes close up, getting close enough to feel the heat of his breath as he peered in, “-...I knew it! They’re not green, they’re gray. They’re just reflecting the color of your jacket. I love eyes that do that. They’re so versatile. You’re so lucky. People must compliment your eyes constantly…” he said, leaning in a touch too close…

And then his eyes glanced to the left and he realized with some excitement, “Oh, oh! I see an opening! I gotta go rescue my husband, okay, bye!” He said, straightening up and, excited to get back to Kokichi, grabbed his waters and headed for the brief opening he saw in the crowd around him, saying over his shoulder to Anri with a beaming grin, “Don’t be a stranger! Catch us in a dance later!”

Oh no. He took compliments well. Where Tomomi glowed and looked pleased--everyone who knew her for long enough knew Tomomi fished for compliments but it was so sincere that no one could really be mad at it--Kaito looked a little flustered himself, though almost preening…

It was so cute.

Unbidden, Anri imagined that bitten lip expression framed by pillows, and he wanted to strangle himself. 

As it was, Anri already made a sort of strangled sound as Kaito leaned in right in front of his face, almost close enough to touch...though Anri thought there was a substantial chance he’d just up and die if Kaito actually touched him. 

And then, it was all gone. The hot intensity of Kaito’s aura vanished in an instant, leaving Anri to croak out a timid, “ThaNKS…” as the man left. And it was only by the thinnest margin that he didn’t thunk his head down on the table. It was going to be a long night…

-

Kokichi was clasping an older woman’s hands, a genuine and soft look of appreciation on his face as Kaito caught the tail end of their conversation. “...sankyuu, obaa. Bokura no bebbi wa utsukushii kuni no tame ni obaatachi ni narimasu. Jya nee!”

Catching sight of Kaito, Kokichi brightened, though there was still some of that calm, happy look on his face. Turning to the rest of the crowd, he put on his sweetest smile. “Thank you all for giving me such a warm welcome and thanks, but my husband and I are going to try and get a few dances in before the hall closes.” That gained a few laughs, since it was barely into the evening. “If you catch me resting later, please feel free to say hi!”

Kaito grinned a tad sheepishly at the crowd as they laughed, some of their gazes at Kokichi nothing less than star-struck. He thought about apologizing, but Kokichi’s final word on it seemed to be enough for most of them, the crowd already dispersing, returning to whatever they had been doing before Kokichi had arrived, some of them heading towards the concessions counter, some heading back to the dance hall, a few heading towards the entrance. 

Once they had stepped away from the group heading to the dance hall, Kaito said, “Your water, babe.  They seemed happy. Was that… more traditional Dicean?” He asked, looking over his shoulder, seeing the older woman tottering off with a few other people her own age.

Accepting the water--he’d barely done anything, but talking so much did make his throat a little dry--Kokichi sipped as he retook Kaito’s hand, leaning gratefully against his husband for a moment. “Thanks, sweets! And yeah; I think it was her first language, so...yeah.”

Looking pleased, Kokichi grinned up at his husband. “She was very kind...offered some traditional blessings for Miya and...she said that between the three of us, Miya was going to grow up to be a wonderful person… It was really nice. But, I hope I wasn’t keeping you waiting for too long.”

“Nah, you didn’t. I entertained myself talking to… the guy at the donation box. Anri.” Kaito explained, realizing he wasn’t quite certain who that guy was meant to be. Probably a… volunteer? He should ask if he saw him again tonight. “And, awwwww, that’s very sweet. Little Miyako, hell yeah she’s gonna grow up to be a wonderful person. Hopefully that woman will be around for another few decades to see herself proven right.” Kaito grinned, “She’ll get to be all smug about it. Saying she called it, bragging to all the other old folk playing bridge or poker… is that a thing here? Old people playing card games together to pass the time? It’s a stereotype back at home.” 

Then, looking a little smug himself, he grinned more sharply as he said, chest swelling, “Well, while you were getting swarmed, I got a compliment. I think Anri was pretty taken with me… well, okay, he might just be the type to get taken with people.” Kaito admitted, chuckling a little, “But still! Your husbands still got it!”

In the dance hall, things were in full swing… literally. At least, that’s what it looked like a bit. People in the middle of swinging each other, while a band played lively sounding music from instruments that looked… a little like instruments Kaito was familiar with, but all just slightly wrong. The guitar too small, too few strings. A violin the wrong shape and, again, too small. The drums not connected to each other, and the separate ones not double sided. A… what the fuck was that?

Kaito watched someone like… squeeze and widen a… it was sort of difficult to describe, but it looked like a miniature piano played one handed, connected to what Kaito could only describe as a cloth slinky. The sound it made, if he could discern it in the din, was, um… strange? Definitely some of sort of air based instrument. 

“‘Kichi? The hell is that thing?” Kaito asked, pointing to the weird instrument.

Kokichi nodded, glad Kaito had found some fun conversation too, though he laughed at the sort of conversation. And more than being jealous, Kokichi knew how much that sort of thing could brighten Kaito’s day, and he was happy for it. Maybe he wouldn’t want to stick around to watch someone try and be all over his husband, but he knew Kaito was true, so getting the sort of compliments he liked while Kokichi wasn’t there was just...a good time for all. 

“Of course you’ve still got it! Kai-chan’s adorableness hasn’t diminished even a single percent!” Kokichi snickered, knowing that Kaito would protest about being considered cute, but he just continued on. “I mean, older folks get together for all sorts of stuff, and playing games is definitely a part of that. I dunno if it’s a big stereotype on its own, but there’s a basis for it, sure.”

Kokichi still wanted to finish his water--no leaving drinks unattended, even at a place like this--but he couldn’t help bouncing on his feet a little as they entered the hall proper, watching the crowd dance freely, people mostly swinging but others doing bits of their own style in it. As soon as the next song started--or the next walk-through of the dance--Kokichi wanted to join right in. 

He’d definitely been more focused on the dancers, so it took Kokichi a moment to follow Kaito’s finger over towards the band, humming with recognition after a moment. “Oh! That’s an accordion! It’s like...if you wanted to play a piano that used air instead of strings, and had special buttons on one side for chords so it doesn’t have to be, like, three feet long.”

“I’m a little surprised to see one, if I’m honest. They are featured in folk music, but more in music from the south. Maybe the featured band tonight is from there…”

“It’s funky looking.” Kaito noted, having only sipped at his water as he looked around at the dance. Okay… it was a little tricky looking, but nothing he didn’t think he could get after a bit of an attempt at it. If he knew the dance already, he’d probably insist to Kokichi they just find a spot and swoop in mid-dance, just find a place and assert themselves. But, well, he didn’t know it, so instead he looked around for somewhere they could stand and watch a bit, before gesturing Kokichi to the left, where there was this big, wooden statue of a horse. It was a little odd, but the base of the statue seemed like a decent place to lean and put down their cups if they didn’t want to hold the weight of them the entire time. 

It was a big statue of a horse, and it looked bigger as they stood beneath it, Kaito looking up at it and, of course, thinking of Kohtalon for a bit, before chuckling, “I tried to convince Lake I didn’t know what a whale was the other day.”

Kokichi followed Kaito over to the horse statue off to the side, giving it an amused glance. He really had no idea why the first Ouma had been named for horses. Or...well, they weren’t really the first Ouma, of course, but the first one in recorded history that people could find, and when you were the leading force in unifying a country, that was kind of a big deal. 

But. Horses. No idea. And now they had statues and other pieces of art all throughout the country. 

Looking up at Kaito, Kokichi snorted, raising an eyebrow and looking highly amused. “No way! How did you even manage that? I mean, it’s not like she’s heard us talking about wanting to go whale-watching or anything but...like...how?”

“To be entirely fair to her, I’m not even sure I did. I think she just wanted to give me the benefit of the doubt more than anything. I think the big issue was that I claimed sea-mammals were mythical creatures according to the Atua religion. Guess it’s kinda hard to look someone in the eye and say something their religion said is obviously bullshit.” Kaito chuckled, shaking his head, “I took it back almost immediately. Felt bad. She was a good sport about it though.”

Kokichi could only snort again, putting a hand over his face as he laughed. “Oh my god… That’s incredible. I mean, Lake-nee’s never been the hardest person to fool but that… I can’t even imagine what she was thinking. There are otters in the aquarium. Sea mammals are mythical...pff!”

“Too bad you totally rolled it back,” he laughed, looking back out at the dancers, trying to see if he could spot his sister and aunt. “I could’ve totally worked with you, tried for a more plausible, ‘oh yeah, that was totally a joke. Of course whales are real--they’re not like mermaids or dewgong.’ Just confuse her even more. Even if she does just roll with it.”

Right about then, the song finished, everyone on the floor coming to a slow stop before cheering and hollering, some folks heading out of the dancing area right away while some lingered around, seemingly seeing if the next dance was one they wanted to join in for or if it was a good time for a break.

The caller projected into the room, the acoustics from the stage carrying her voice easily over the crowd. “Alright folks, we’re heading into another square dance next. Grab a partner and form squares, four pairs in a group!”

While people shifted around to make groups, a hand waved up and a loud voice rang out. “Lil’ Bro! Kai! Over here!”

Kaito took Kokichi’s cup from him, telling him “Go ahead, I’ll toss these guys and catch up.”

Gulping down the last of his own water, Kaito got rid of the cups, before trotting back to the direction Kokichi had headed. It didn’t take long to find him, mostly because Lake’s green hair and bright yellow dress were sorta hard to miss. “Hey!” Kaito greeted Lake and Nazumi, “Are we grouping up? Ladies, I gotta warn, you, I super have no idea how this works.” Kaito confessed, looking around at the other groups of fours, rubbing the back of his neck.

With a nod, Kokichi scuttled off to his sister and aunt, Lake scooping him up in a hug while Nazumi gave him a pat on the head, though she was soon busied talking to two other couples, getting them ready for the practice. “Awww, look at you! I knew you and Kai would figure out something really great to wear!”

Kokichi rolled his eyes a little. “Of course you guys talked about fashion… But I’m glad to see you guys here! We’ve never really gotten to dance together before.”

“Unless you count stuff from when we were kids,” Lake laughed. “But, yeah, since I’m always working during festival dances, and…” She made a sort of squeamish face, but Kokichi just squeezed her hand with a softer smile, shaking his head. It was alright. They could dance now. 

When Kaito joined, Nazumi just gave him a thumbs up. “Hey, it’s no problem! That’s why there’s this practice first, so everyone can learn how ta do it together!”

Just as she said, the caller spoke up again. “Everyone found their groups? Let’s start off. First, say hi to your partner, Larks on the left, Ravens on the right,” The crowd followed suit, a few people doing the same sort of flourish Kokichi had done in the park, “Then say hi to your neighbors,” and the crowd did the same thing, but instead of with their partner, across their nearest diagonal. “Everybody join hands in a circle, and first you’re going to spin clockwise--this isn’t a trading dance, so spin however fast you want! Then, you’re going to do the same counter-clockwise.”

What the heck was a Lark, and what did it have to do with Ravens??

Kaito was a little lost on the instructions, but he guessed he was a raven?? Listening for the instructions, but mostly just mimicking what he saw the two older women doing, crossing when Nazumi did and standing counterclockwise to Kokichi now, wondering if they had stood in the right spot to end up dance partners. 

Putting his arm into the circle, before following Lake in front of him, their small group of four spinning, Kaito having no idea who among them was setting the pace, but doing his best to follow the rhythm, stepping forward every half step into his own spin. Next to them, a group of four suddenly shifted the other way, and Kaito mimicked them, heading the other way, thankfully still in step with the others as he did so. Oof, lots of spinning.

As he spun, he caught a glimpse of Kokichi, who was spinning like nobody's business. Kaito was actually a little shocked at how much he was whipping about. His husband had been so tired lately, that Kaito had half expected most of their dances to be pretty slow and careful, but… 

He laughed, calling out over the sound of the groups steps. “You spin any faster than that, babe, and you’re gonna end up launching yourself. Save it for the actual dance, ‘Kichi!”

Kokichi just giggled with the others in the group he was in, giving Kaito a wink before they slowed and stopped right back into the four sets of two making up the square. “I mean, you usually end up going with the beat of the song when it’s time--it’s fun to be a little silly during the practice.”

Once all the groups had stopped, the caller spoke out again. “Alright, now you’re going to need to designate your couples! Folks with your back to the back wall,” she pointed, “You’re couple number one, then two, three, and four going clockwise from there. The dance is going to go through all four couples, but let’s just practice with couple number one.”

Lake and Nazumi perked, being couple number one. 

“Couple number one, you’re going to face each other slightly off-set in the middle of the group and hold your left-hands up, pressing your palms together. Spin around one full time, and then stop when the Lark is facing couple number two!”

The women did so until stopping, a very dapper-looking Nazumi with a yellow bowtie that evening that matched Lake’s dress, and her hair fully slicked back instead of in her headband, waving to Kaito and Kokichi, couple number two. 

“Lark number one, join hands with couple number two and spin! When I say so, couple number two raise your joined hands in an arch and SCOOT that Lark through, back to their Raven. Then couple number one, SWING!”

“The next round, Lark number one goes to couple number three while Raven one goes to couple two, and you do the same thing, SCOOTING each member of couple one into the middle to swing. Once Raven one dances with couple number four, then next time you’ll start with the Lark from two who’ll go to couple three, and that’s the pattern, folks!”

Kaito was doing his best to pay attention, and, well, basically succeeding, though he was always just half a step behind Lake and Nazumi, who both seemed to know the dance well. He was starting to think he and Kokichi were in the wrong spots, worried he was going to be the one going through the middle arched arms-- he was absolutely too tall to do that smoothly-- before he realized he wasn’t thinking of the same sort of arc he had seen in other dances, it literally just being him and Kokichi going to swing Lake or Nazumi back (he had lost track of who was doing what), seeing a few of the other couples get a little ahead of themselves and do it already. Okay, okay. He thought he was getting it.  

Nazumi and Lake, in turn, started in the center, waving back at their little wave, before watching the two of them look at each other, starting their part. Those fond smiles, that bright, happy look… Kaito could see why everyone thought they were a couple. They did seem really happy together.

But, nah. Just a couple gals being pals. Gal pals! Pals who were gals!

Kaito didn’t know where he was going with this, but he chuckled. He was pretty sure he just liked that it rhymed--shit, catch her!

Lake was suddenly between him and Kokichi, basically hurling herself into the throw, Kaito catching one hand, Kokichi the other, the three spinning before, following the momentum of Lake leaning into the excepted swing, he and Kokichi arched their arms and pushed Lake through, the woman being caught by Nazumi back into their spin, before she tossed Lake to the next couple over, who did the same thing. Every time Lake was sent out, Nazumi turned and joined the opposite couple, grasping hands and spinning, before they arched her back to the center, just in time to catch Lake again, the two spinning in place before, oh, there goes Kokichi.

As everyone practiced the first fourth of the dance--which seemed like a lot, but considering how quickly each step happened, didn’t actually take that much time--the caller helped out with any questions people had before, more or less, people knew the steps of the dance. And if they needed a little help? Well, that’s why there was a caller. 

Calling for calm, the caller stepped to the side a little before the main fiddler of the group stood, evidently going to say a little piece of the song. “Thank y’all for comin’ out tonight! I see we have more than a few newbies in fer this song, so I hope y’all like it. This, ah, is an all ages dance, so tonight, our next song is just called “Satin”.”

There were a few laughs from the crowd, some people familiar enough to get the joke, and with a few strums, the band started up the tune. The caller stepped back in without hesitation, her voice a little more melodic and vibrant than her, while enthusiastic, educational tone from before. “Eeeeverybody circle left! Eeeeeverybody circle right! Now the first couple to the center-of-the-ring, turn around with a left-hand swing!”

As they circled and waited for their turn, Kokichi bounced along with the music, giggling and giving Kaito’s hand a gentle squeeze, his eyes bright and excited.

Kaito watched Kokichi’s happy little bounce and squeezed his hand back, before saying quickly, “If we get separated and you need to stop dancing, meet me back at the horse, kay?”

He didn’t know if they would get seperated, but he put that out there either way, before looking around. Hmmm… this was going to be dancing with a lot of strangers, he suddenly realized. A lot of… well, Diceans. Diceans he didn’t know. Hmmmm.

It’d probably be fine. It’d definitely be fine! Probably. He glanced at Nazumi and Lake. Nazumi was Kokchi’s personal bodyguard and Lake was a member of the castle guard. Kaito couldn’t risk getting into any confrontations, not with his record, but so long as those two were there, it’d be fine. And everyone here really liked Kokichi. What were… the odds anything would happen… ya know? Again?

Kaito squeezed Kokichi’s hand again. He’d keep an eye on him. Kokichi wasn’t going to disappear again.

It was only another second before they were moving, the beat fast and upbeat, and it was even less time after that before Kokichi and Kaito caught their first Loft, a person from a couple Kaito didn’t recognize’s turn to go. She was small, and after a second Kaito realized she was probably on the young side, maybe even as young as fourteen, with a bob-hairstyle and an excited gleam in her eyes as the three started to spin. Kaito, even though he was still a little stiff, didn’t want to alarm the kid and so matched her easy, excited look, before she giggled, going through their arms and heading back to the center, where an older man, likely her father, reunited with her for another spin, another couple splitting off, keeping up the pace. 

It was so much spinning. So much spinning. Kaito was suddenly so glad he had decided against the full body cape he had been debating with himself. He’d have been tangled up in it immediately.

Kokichi looked up with a little surprise, but nodded, rubbing his thumb down the side of Kaito’s hand. 

The dances were a regular event, highly managed and yet had the ease of casual celebration, a fun time for everyone promised in its name. But people hadn’t foregone safety. The princes may have walked to the hall alone, but Nazumi still considered herself as doing her job that night. As she made her way through the other two couples, she shared quick words with them, telling them how excited the princes had been to come out dancing and that she was hoping that they really could have a nice night, you know? The kind of night without anyone causing a scene, you know? 

It wasn’t even a threat, not even in comparison to Maki’s, and the people took it good-naturedly, and as she watched Kaito and Kokichi each dancing with them, she could only see smiles on everyone’s faces. 

“Now scoot on home and everybody SWING!”

With a knowing grin between them, Lake and Nazumi actually lifted Kokichi into the air a little as they shot him back off into Kaito’s arms, the two princes swinging like they were the only people there for a moment. 

And despite the vast number of sequences, eventually, the song finished with a haunting, beautiful last note, and again the crowd turned to holler and cheer. 

Lake looked over at her brother and in-law, laughing. “Hey, what’d you think!? Lotta fun, right?”

Kaito was relieved that when it was his turn to start running through couples, opposite of Kokichi, that they were so late in the couple lineup that they had basically danced with almost everyone together before being sent off to be spun on their own. He felt less big and intimidating and weird with Kokichi right next to him, but was familiar enough with the people in the group, visually anyway, that he felt less apologetic for his presence when he was going back through them, grinning at he dipped his head very low to accommodate for the father-daughter couple they had started with, ‘swinging’ back to the center, just in time to catch Kokichi in the air, delivered by Nazumi and Lake.

And Kokichi just looked fucking amazing already.

For being someone who was a little shy of his own dancing and hadn’t had too many chances to dance officially because of his old illness based lifestyle, Kokichi was a natural at this. He seemed to float from couple to couple, allowing himself to be easily tossed and spun and throwing himself in wholeheartedly into each new couple, who just as easily took him in, able to keep pace with all of them, no matter how fast or how slow. 

And he just as easily and wholeheartedly threw himself back into Kaito’s arms, and the two spun, lost in each other for a bit, before Kaito heard the music end and realized that it hadn’t just felt like they had gone through all the other couples. He and Kokichi were the last couple, Kaito catching his breath as he looked around, startled, as people started to clap for the band. 

“Wow, that was quick. We got through a whole song?” Kaito asked in response to Lake, looking Kokichi over, double checking on him, “That’s such a fast tempo. You good, babe?”

“It is one of the faster ones,” Lake grinned with a shrug, though she turned her attention to Kokichi as well. 

His cheeks were flushed and he was breathing a little heavier, but that wasn’t wholly abnormal on the dancefloor. Considering the glitter in his eyes, though, it seemed that Kokichi was more than alright. Hanging off Kaito’s arm, Kokichi just laughed. “I’m good! That was fun! I think I’ve actually seen this dance before, but I didn’t recognize it. I think it would look different watching from outside of the crowd, in fairness.”

After giving people a moment to breathe, the caller announced that the next song was going to be a free swing. Lake perked up a little, before looking over at the princes with a slightly sheepish, but excited look. “I know you two just got here, unless I totally missed you before, but...may I have a dance, Kokichi?”

The last dance they did had been the first time Kokichi and Lake had really danced with each other in a…’proper’ setting, but...as they said, there had been a few times in their childhood, Kokichi quite young and Lake in the tailend of her teens, where the two had spun and boogied down, enjoying each other’s company and songs they could only remember half right. 

“I don’t think I’d have to stand on your feet for it to work this time,” he joked, before looking over at Kaito. “That okay with you? I’ll be back after the song, and if we don’t see each other I’ll go to the horse statue.”

“Yeah, that’s alright. I’m counting on that next dance though.” Kaito grinned, leaning down and giving Kokichi quick kiss, before backing up, giving Lake a wink as he said, “Take care of my guy out there. Don’t take his word for it- I think you could still probably carry him on your feet. If he starts looking a little tuckered out, just throw him on there, it’ll be fine. Have fun you guys.”

With that, Kaito backed up a bit, looking to Nazumi. “Since we’ve both been abandoned, want to partner up? Or we could go wallflower, if you’re not up to dancing again.”

Lake looked at Kokichi with an excited, appraising look, and he just sighed, taking her hand and leading her away a little to have enough space to dance. “You are not picking me up to dance…”

Nazumi watched them go fondly before laughing in a flattered way, smoothing back her hair. “Aw, aren’t you sweet. I was gonna ask the same of ya--let’s dance, darlin’. I know neither of us particularly wanna let those two out of our sight, but we can still have a li’l fun ourselves.”

The caller stepped to the side of the stage for the time being, accepting some water from someone evidently involved with the production of the dance, and the fiddler from before along with the banjoist stepped forward. “Next, we’ll be playin’ our version of an old favorite - The Bank Robber’s Nursery Rhyme. I know some ‘a y’all know the words, so please sing along.”

Over on their own place, hand clasped together and bodies mischievously tensed for an explosion of movement, Lake and Kokichi both looked over at the stage in excitement, the song familiar to them both. 

Even though Kaito was less familiar with these types of dance, purely on instinct, he automatically took the lead pose with Nazumi, putting his hand on her waist and giving her a small grin as he said, “I like your outfit. And your hair. Slicked back is a good look on you. Makes you look fierce.”

After dancing with Lake for so long, it was a little novel to take the following position, but it wasn’t like they never danced with anyone else. So it was only with a slightly amused look in her eyes that Nazumi placed her hand on the tall young man’s shoulder. 

“Ain’t you sweet, darlin’,” she laughed, following Kaito’s lead as the tune started, the two of them just feeling out the rhythm for a moment. “It takes a good bit ‘a effort; my hair really don’t wanna stay outta my face. But it’s a nice effect for special events.”

“You ain’t lookin’ too shabby yourself, hun! Don’t see too many people able ta coordinate two ‘a the same hue together and make it look as good as you’re doin’.” Giving him a slightly teasing look, Nazumi started putting a little more liveliness into her steps as Kaito got more comfortable with the music. “I know Kokichi teases about yer pamperin’ routine, but yer a good-lookin’ guy, Kaito, and takin’ care takes time! Even if he’s a whirlwind, it’s easy to see he’s impressed with ya too.”

Meanwhile, after the plucked intro, Kokichi and Lake could only burst into giggles as they spun and twirled together, singing along with the tune. 

“I haven't got a penny, haven't got a dime/But I know how to have a good old time/I ain't got a dollar, baby when I do/Gonna go and spend it all on you!”

Kaito chuckled at the chorus of people all singing at the top of their lungs to the song, the words difficult to discern in the middle of the enthusiastic din of voices, all either a step ahead of the other or a step behind, some people trying to sing, some people just shouting the words enthusiastically. 

Pulling Nazumi closer to him to hear the last part of her compliment, the two doing a simple two-step swing for a moment before Kaito, seeing what the folks around them were doing, swung her into a more bouncy, enthusiastic swing, pleased as Nazumi met his change in style and rhythm step for step. 

This was strange, but in a nice way. Kaito didn’t really… know Nazumi. Not in any way that mattered. He had never had anything more than a shallow conversation with her, despite numerous opportunities to do so now, really only knowing that she liked to garden and she liked Lake and Kokichi, and that Maki had seen something in her that had made his friend comfortable enough to recommend her for the job (Maybe the shovel incident had reassured Maki? The woman was damn good at threatening people with shovels, ya had to give it to her). 

And, well… maybe that was all there was to the woman. She was just a weird old gardener who was weirdly fierce sometimes and got real attached to Kokichi, probably over plant stuff.

Kaito glanced over at Kokichi-- awww, he definitely knew this song. Look at him bellow.
Before saying to Nazumi, “Thanks, I appreciate that! And hell yeah Kokichi appreciates how I look. He just likes to make fun of all the effort I put into looking like this, cause he’s a brat like that. Though, isn’t his outfit amazing!? I had nothing to do with that, that was alllll ‘Kichi! His fucking shoes! He laced those up himself! Aren’t they cute!??”

“He’s a sweet li’l thing, for sure,” Nazumi adored, following Kaito’s gaze over to Kokichi, though she’d kept him and Lake in at least her peripheries the whole time. “Ain’t no reason ta underestimate the dang gear labyrinth that’s his mind, but Kokichi is a real cutie. I kinda miss all the animal designs he used ta wear, but I ‘spose he has outgrown it.”

Despite a few...difficult incidents over the years, Nazumi considered her attachment to Kokichi to be the healthy fondness of an aunt and her nephew. Caring about each other, but not overstepping her bounds, even with her relatively new job of being around him a lot more than when she worked in the gardens. There hadn’t been any incidents, and when people started being a little too much for Kokichi, she was able to deescalate things easily, no deep-seated threats or physical fights or anything. Healthy!

Though it did help that he was dancing with Lake right now. If Nazumi could trust anyone, it was Lake. 

Tilting her head a little, she asked, “Hey, I think he mentioned you fellas were talkin’ ‘bout kid pics, but did you end up lookin’ at Kokichi’s childhood portraits? He always was a darlin’.”

“No, not yet. I’d say we haven't had a chance, but we more just haven't made the time.” Kaito admitted, before, glancing to his right, he saw an enthusiastic couple start to barrel a little too close, and putting both hands on Nazumi’s hips, picked her up into a twirl, dodging around the couple, who kept going, likely not having noticed how close they got. Placing her down, Kaito stepped back into the dance, as he said, “We probably won’t today, since our Kokichi’s probably gonna be a little wiped after this, but if you know where we can find them? I’d love to take a look at them tomorrow.”

Nazumi laughed softly as Kaito picked her up, a little impressed that he managed to do it. His bulk wasn’t just for show! “Yeah, there’s an album in Aiichi’s office with every ‘official’ portrait he commissioned. Ones just ta mark Kokichi growin’ up, and the promotion art fer festivals an’ events that needed art like that. I think Ikuo might have his own copies, an’ maybe some amateur ones too, though only from before Kokichi was ten.”

“There was a group pic with Lake in it,” she explained. “So the two ‘a us looked at the album a few years back. A shame Kokichi never got too inta self-portraits--he’s real talented.”

There was a squeal from the crowd as the people stomped along with the breakdown, Lake enthusiastically holding Kokichi high in the air with a grip around his waist.

Kaito watched Lake hold Kokich up, and chuckled, “I don’t think I’m gonna try to copy that.” he told Nazumi with a half-apologetic shrug. “I can’t afford to throw my back. Got a baby coming. You understand.”

Nazumi raised an eyebrow, a little less amused. “Don’t even try, lover boy. Kokichi’s the exception, an’ Lake’s been throwin’ him around since they were little. I ain’t been thrown around since my teens.”

And it hadn’t been...her proudest moment. You could make an argument that it left a bad taste in her mouth, but she definitely was much more comfortable sweeping other people off their feet. 

(Except, of course, when Lake got drunk and tried to benchpress her. Her partner was always so determined and excited that she could never say no. And it was pretty novel.)

Kaito raised an eyebrow, “An exception to what? Are you suggesting I shouldn’t throw Kokichi around? Uhh… cause if yesssss, then of course I… don’t. Do that.”

“And if you mean me being thrown by Lake? Uhhh, I know she’s strong, but I’ll believe she can do that when I see it. I’m not exactly light.” Kaito chuckled, before glancing around the crowd, grinning sharply, “And if you mean not me to you… well, anyone here you would be interested in throwing you into the air? What’s your type? Anyone here caught your eye?”

“I mean no one should really be throwin’ anyone around here, but Kokichi’s tiny enough that, well, if it’s you or Lake, then no one’s gon’ get hurt. Though,” Nazumi gave Kaito a slightly boastful look. “I think Lake could at least lift ya a little.”

Sighing wistfully, Nazumi looked over more obviously to where their respective partners were dancing. “In another life, Lake and I would’ve gotten married at twenty, right after we found our dream home, all nice an’ cozy but close to friends, with a thrivin’ garden. We’d have a little girl by now, just startin’ first grade, with a little brother just barely inta his toddler years. I’d be a stay-home, takin’ care of the kids an’ house, actually know how to make meals they’d all love, and Lake would always make it home for dinner, fillin’ the kids in with amazing, heroic stories about her day savin’ people.”

Another sigh, but Nazumi just shrugged, seemingly unbothered after her short moment. “Since that’s not happenin’, not really.”

…

?

Well, now Kaito was totally lost. Diceans, man… it had to be a culture thing. Why were they all so good at living together without actually talking to each other?? This seemed like an exhausting way to live.

Carefully, not sure what mess he had just stepped his foot into, he said, “Oh… uh… sorry, I didn’t realize… I mean, you guys have the house and the garden, don’t you? Sounds like you’re… halfway there. Sorry, I didn’t realize you two were… together? I wouldn’t be trying to check people out with you if I had known, my bad.”

Nazumi raised an eyebrow. “The house an’ garden are great, but that’s about as far as we’re goin’. We ain’t together like that, darlin’. I just ain’t interested in anyone else right now.”

“... Cause Lakes not interested or… sorry, this is none of my business… but also, like, cause Lake’s not interested?? Cause, like… I wasn’t kidding, you guys are literally halfway to your dream life, apparently. What’s the hold up?”

“Darlin’, I have a psycho-active attachment disorder. It might be fine, but it ain’t the type of thing ya take chances with, yanno? We’re happy bein’ close friends. Life partners, without the romance.” There was a somewhat dry, halfway amused look in Nazumi’s eyes, a little surprised that Kaito hadn’t heard about it. Shuuichi was such a nosy fella, she figured he would’ve told.

What the heck was psycho-active attachment disorder??

But, well… okay, so there was some health thing involved in this. That… well, that still really sucked for Lake, under this new context, but… everyone found happiness in their own ways, with their own obstacles. Hell, if Kokichi or Shuchi said tonight that something happened and they suddenly couldn’t… acknowledge their relationship in any romantic way? 

Well, it’s not like Kaito could just stop being in love with them. Not without hurting himself in an awful, fundamental way. If that was the situation Lake and Nazumi were working around… “That sucks, man.” Kaito said, shaking his head slightly, giving her a sympathetic look, “Sorry, I didn’t meant to stick my nose into a situation I knew nothing about acting like I got it all figured out. Sorry, your thing is a first one for me. But, if that’s some good way for you two to enjoy each others company? Then hell yeah, more for it… but to clarify, I should not call you guys a couple, but also not treat you like your single? Exclusive platonic besties? Is that right?”

“Ain’t no feelin’s hurt. It’s old news at this point.” Nazumi shrugged good-naturedly.

Though...for the first time, there was something almost frustrated in her gaze before he took a breath, forcing the tension out of her body. “Not quite. We ain’t a couple, but we both are single. Lake’s had a few partners over the years, and while none of them stuck around long-term, I’ve been happy for her happiness in her relationships.”

“...I don’t own her. She doesn’t belong to me. If you care about someone, then you need to respect them as an independent person, with or without you.” Something about her words seemed repeated, but it was much more natural than it used to be.

“..oh! Oh? Uh… oh. Okay. Got it.” Kaito nodded, his heart, just, breaking for Lake. Fuck… no wonder she got so flustered and denied it so hotly. Fuck.

He’d start inviting Lake out for drinks. Maybe she didn’t need a drinking buddy, especially not her young brothers husband, but fuck, Kaito would make the offer either way. She probably had friends to talk about shit like this too already, but just in case she didn’t. Fuck.

Still, this was clearly something important to Nazumi, maybe even, like, important, to Nazumi, so Kaito nodded again, keeping the pity for their situation out of his face as he grinned, “That makes a lot of sense, and, again, you two seem really happy. You make it work! That’s awesome, Nazumi… again, sorry if I said anything shitty. I can be a dumbass.”

“Oh! We’re gonna do the cactus thing soon! Thanks again for helping us out with that all those months back! If you have any interest, you’re more than welcome to join us for planting them, if you’re not working that day anyway, ya know?” Kaito said, hoping to dig himself out of this uncomfortable hole before he said anything else insensitive and shitty.

This time Nazumi physically waved the younger man off, not looking bothered in the slightest. In some ways, facing the reality of her brain was a lot easier than thinking about Lake having another partner. “Ain’t no thing, really. It’s natural you’d be curious if ya haven’t heard, and I don’t mind talkin’ about it.”

Brightening at the mention of the cacti, though, Nazumi grinned. “Kaito, if I’m workin’ I’ll most likely be with y’all anyway. But I’d be honored to be there with y’all when you make your mark on the garden! It’s always such a special moment.”

With a bellow of “Never gonna catch me / Long as I’m alive / You and me together, we’ll survive!” the song drew to a close, Nazumi gracefully going into one last twirl before she turned to see Lake and Kokichi hugging, giggling with open, joyous expressions, her own face softening in fondness.

With that, the song was done, and giving Nazumi a small bow, as thanks for the dance, Kaito straightened up and immediately headed over to Kokichi and Lake, his stomach twisting uncomfortably as he glanced at Lake… but he let out the breath, turning back to Kokichi. As shitty as that whole situation was, Lake stayed for a reason. She seemed happy, and Kaito would have faith that she wasn’t the type of person that’d stay in a miserable situation if the pro’s didn’t outway the cons. 

Still, he smiled when he walked up behind Kokichi, putting his arms around him and kissing the top of his head, endlessly grateful. Kokchi had his own issues, same as Kaito, but Kaito would never be put into a situation where he had to try to date other people, knowing it was destined to crash and burn, while heading home to a bitter partner he wasn’t allowed to admit he loved… Fuck.

...maybe it wasn’t as grim as all that. Again, they seemed happy. Kaito watched Nazumi and Lake reunite, clearly just as happy to see each other as Kaito was happy to be back with Kokichi. There had to be more to it then everything he had just learned. 

Kissing the top of Kokichi’s head again, Kait grinned, “Did you have fun? I was watching. You know every word of that song. What was it called? Robbery something somethng?”

Kokichi pressed against his husband, still breathing a little heavily from the dance, but just as happy. “Bank Robber’s Nursery Rhyme. It’s an oooooold folk song, but this band really pepped it up! And I did have fun, even if Lake’s a cheater and can just toss me around the whole time.” Though, he didn’t look put out from it. 

It had only been two dances, but Kokichi was...starting to consider taking a break. But then the fiddler announced there was going to be a waltz next--something called “Sad Songs and Waltzes” apparently--and...well, who knew when Tangouai was gonna show up and steal Kaito for a bit. He could rest after a slow song. 

Offering his hand as the lights dimmed, Kokichi grinned up adoringly at his husband. “Prince Momota, may I have this dance?”

… Kaito’s face turned bright red, but he grinned and nodded enthusiastically as he said, a tad too quickly as he took Kokichi’s offered hand, “Yes! Yes, I would! Um, ahem.” Kaito coughed, embarrassed at how much that had affected him, before saying more calmly and suavely and still only blushing somewhat furiously, “I mean, please. After you, Prince Ouma.”

The next song seemed to be partially a break for most of the band, as someone who hadn’t been playing before had gone up while the rest of the band put down their instruments, grabbing water while the man tuned his acoustic guitar real quick, before starting out a low, somber drawl, playing the guitar with it. 

Kaito chuckled a little at the lyrics, pulling Kokichi closer to himself, not too worried about facing with Kokichi to a breakup song, the two just swaying together, Kokichi’s head resting on his chest. Kaito could feel his husband still somewhat catching his breath from the last two songs, his thin chest every now and against breathing deeply, and Kaito said softly to him, “Do you want to get another drink of water after this beautiful?”

The two of them just swayed slowly together, only doing a waltz in the barest sense. But it was comfortable, and Kokichi could hear Kaito’s heart faintly as he rested. “I think so. It’s only been a couple songs, but this kind of dancing is a little...I dunno. I get tired more easily than what we did at our wedding, or at the club.”

Even if they had been swinging at the wedding a lot, so it wasn’t that different. And their dancing at the club had been a lot more energetic. But despite his enthusiasm, there was only so far Kokichi could push his body right now, and mild dances were that limit, apparently. 

“How was your dance with Aunty? It looked like you guys were having fun.”

“It was fine. She’s good on her feet, easy to dance with. We chatted a bit about you and Lake, she reminded me I have to see your portraits growing up. Apparently you were a cutie.” Kaito grinned, more than happy to simply hold Kokichi close and gently sway.

And then, not in small part to the conversation he just had… “Kokichi, I love you so much that sometimes I feel like I could drown in it.”

“It’s painful, sometimes, how much I love you. Like my chest just fills and fills and fills. I just get… randomly overcome with it, sometimes. I look at you and your hair just barely catches the light, or you have that small, eager smile on your face when you’re talking to someone, or you just… peacefully still. Working on something or thinking about something. And it’s like just glancing at you… my heart fucking drops to the bottom of my stomach. It’s crazy...the sheer effect you have on me.”

“I love lots of people in lots of different ways… but the way I feel about you? It’s like trying to hold the heat of the sun inside of me… I couldn’t ignore it or escape it if I wanted too. It’s all consuming… I love you, Kokichi.” Leaning down to kiss the top of his head again, Kaito said softly, “I just… wanted you to know that.”

“I’m a cutie now, so it makes sense, but don’t be shocked when you’re not blown away,” Kokichi snorted, knowing that it was a losing battle to try and keep his partners away from his childhood portraits. And...for as embarrassing as it could be...there was a part of him that wanted to share them. To be able to share a small piece of his childhood with the people he loved. 

Who...truly and deeply loved him too. 

Kokichi looked up, almost surprised since he wasn’t sure what had sparked this but...Kokichi felt his chest warm and his heart soften, almost feeling like it could burst. A wide, dopey-looking smile came across his face and Kokichi could see the dimmed lights of the dancefloor blurring in his vision from the fat, happy tears forming in his eyes. 

“Kai-chan… Hun, you’re gonna make me cry… I love you too.” Kokichi laughed, hiding his face a little in his husband’s chest. “I don’t have some heartfelt speech ready, but...I love you so much. When I say you’re the light of my life, I really mean it...it’s like you bring joy to everything around you, not least of all me. I love you, sweets.”

Kaito grinned, rubbing Kokichi’s back a little. “I know… but thanks for telling me again.”

“KAITO MOMOTA!! TURN AND FACE ME, I CHAL-”

“Tangoai, not just yet, I’m slow dancing with my husband. Give me another song, he’s taking a break then.” Kaito called back, not so much as glancing over his shoulder, just continuing to dance with Kokichi. “And I can only do one song this time!”

“...GOT IT! I shall return!”

“He is just the weirdest dude.” Kaito muttered.

Kokichi snorted, holding Kaito a little tighter and still hiding his face, at least until his tears calmed down. Geez...being all sweet out of nowhere… “But you like that kind of weird. I didn’t get to see much of what you guys did at the club, but from the run down you gave me later, it seemed like quite the event. Have fun with your friend, hun. I don’t mind waiting a dance or two while I drink and rest up.”

And as it was, with a slow instrumental solo the waltz came to an end, more than a few people trying to end in some final dramatic pose before the lights came back on. 

Kaito watched fondly as Kokichi walked off, touching the wet spot on his shirt with some sentimentality. Awww… he hadn’t meant to make him cry. He had just wanted to tell him he loved him. He never wanted Kokichi to doubt that… not ever. If there was one thing in the world that Kokichi could count on, he wanted it to be that Kaito lov-

He caught the hand before it could land on his waist, violently spinning Tangouai around and pulling him in close, hand on his waist, other hand gripped tight, as he growled lowly, “Did you really think I’d let you lead?”

Tangoiuai, to his credit, only looked surprised for a second before he smirked back, an equal amount of intensity in his gaze as he said, “I don’t need to lead to beat you.”

… and then another damn slow song came on. 

The two stared at each other, not quite sure what to do with this as the man on the stage warbled about missing summer nights and his dog and his girl while he’s away hunting… and then Tangouai whispered, “I’m gonna slow dance the shit out of you.”

“Please, I’ve been slow dancing since before you were born.”

“Unlikely! We are probably close to the same age.”

And a very weird, somewhat threatening, surprisingly informative conversation continued from there as the two men fiercely slow danced together, the other couples slow dancing around them giving them weirded out stares every time they danced close enough to hear the weirdly aggressive casual conversation.

-

Back at the drink stand, sitting at the bar… “So! I was dripping wet, and of course, I didn’t want anyone to see me because that would mean admitting that I had accidentally brought the bucket water into the library rather then the utility closet, like Kirumi said-”

“Mhm.”

“-And by this point I just had to admit to myself there wasn’t any sinks in the back of the library where I could have dumped the bucket, so it’s not like I could just be like, oh, I knew a shortcut and I took that-”

“Makes sense.”

“-and, let’s be honest, even if there was a sink in the back of the library, I still had to go down two flights of stairs to find it, and she had said the Utility closet was, well, down two hallways, not down two flights of stairs… I guess I could have said I misheard her? But somehow that seems just as embarrassing-”

“Probably. But, you managed to dry off because…” John asked, trying to steer Kerry back to their original ‘weird’ story.

“Oh! There was this dirty, wood covered towel hidden on the very, very top of the bookcase! I was climbing up the bookcase, because I thought, well, maybe I can get out of this by leaping from the top of bookcase to bookcase, not letting anyone see me dripping wet all over the carpet-”

“...were you not worried about dripping all over the books? Which is… objectively worse?”

“...dammit.” Kerry muttered, cradling their orange juice like it was a hard whiskey, a dejected look on their face. “I suck.”

“No you dont.” John muttered, actually cradling some hard whiskey, “You just need to stop and think more. You’re too impulsive. Family curse.”

Kokichi headed off to the bar, giving Kaito a wave though he could only laugh when he saw Tangouai immediately swoop in to claim his dance rival. It was sweet, something good to come out of their wedding besides, yanno, their marriage. 

Finding juice on the list of options, Kokichi got himself some grape juice, figuring that it’d do well to keep his energy up for the night, but as he was waiting, he noticed a...moderately familiar voice, and a more familiar face. 

Kokichi brightened but...it looked like Kerry was already in a fairly deep conversation with someone else, and he wouldn’t want to intrude… But that was the same shyness--and it was shyness, and not consideration, he’d learned--that had prevented him from reaching out to anyone. 

So...it couldn’t hurt to at least say hi.

Walking over to the two over on the side of the bar, Kokichi grinned, giving a bit of a wave. “Hi Kerry!”

Kerry looked over at the sound of their name… one beat… two beat…

Recognition! Administrator guy! 

...Shoot what was his name??? Crying in the bathroom administrator guy… short purple haired guy… always around the castle guy… come on, come on, come on you know he gave you a name, what was it…

“Koichi!’” Terry tried, while John gave them a small, raised eyebrow, but said nothing to correct them as they waved, “Hey! Long time no speak! Are you just getting a drink? Come on over, sit with us!”

That was a little warmer than he had expected but...it was nice. And if he was invited, then it wasn’t an intrusion. “If you don’t mind! It’s nice to see you--I know we see each other in the castle all the time, but I feel bad pulling you away to chat when I know you’re working.”

Kokichi laughed sheepishly, not bothered by the...very close version of his name. It wasn’t the first time Kerry had forgotten it. Giving a nod of greeting to the person Kerry was sitting with, Kokichi sat on the housekeeper’s other side, softly thanking the person working the bar when they handed over his juice. 

Not wanting to be rude, Kokichi acknowledged the other person a little more. “Are you a friend of Kerry’s? It’s nice to meet you, then--I’m Kokichi! Kerry and I both work at the castle.”

Kokichi! That was it! Shoot, had he noticed they said Koichi? Prooooobably not, right? It was close enough! They could say they slurred it. They could believe they slurred it. They had basically said ‘Kokichi’ and just slurred it a little. They had known the whole time! 

John gave Kokichi a somewhat dry look but raised his glass to him slightly, as Kerry introduced, “John, this is my co-worker, Kokichi, he works in administration. Kokichi, this is my half brother, John! John, Kokichi, Kokichi, John, boom. Perfect introduction.” Kerry congratulated themselves, pretending to brush off dust on their shoulder, ‘it ain’t no thing’ sort of motion.

John, in turn, again raised an eyebrow, as he said, “...administration.”

“Yep!”

“... really.”

“Yep again!” Kerry said cheerfully.

John sipped his drink. “... is that so.” he said, finally looking at Kokichi. Wondering if there was some reason or another the Prince of Dicea had told his little sibling that they were in ‘administration’.

Kokichi gave John a slightly confused look. “That is my job. I mostly do market evaluation and infrastructure budgeting, though I kinda take anything on that needs doing. I’ve been trying to keep things more consistent, though, ‘cause I work with Nadya-chan,” turning to Kerry, Kokichi gestured a bit, “The woman with the low buns and goggles? You might’ve seen her when you do the rounds near our office. But she’s my official assistant so...I mean, it does help out when your boss doesn’t give you a ton of unrelated stuff to work on, right?”

Maybe John didn’t know what the heir’s job actually was for the country? It wasn’t like it was taught in schools, but in Kokichi’s experience, he’d done enough work over the years that people sort of understood what he did just from having done business with him personally. 

...but that was all job stuff. Coloring a little, Kokichi let out a sheepish laugh. “But...yeah. Jobs. I’m glad I could make it out to the dance tonight! Do you guys come often?”

John just gave a mildly irritated sigh, running the glass over his forehead, while Kerry laughed a little sheepishly, looking back and forth between the two before trying to smooth over, “Goggles lady! Yeah, I’ve seen her around. I had no idea she was an administrator though. I just knew she wasn’t a housekeeper, but that’s about it.”

“And, yeah! We come almost every friday!” Kerry said cheerfully, giving their brother an openly adoring look, who gave them a somewhat soft look in return, “For the last… five?”

“Six.” John corrected, “Six years. I was seventeen and they were ten when we met--”

“Weird family history stuff, it’s a whole thing.” Terry laughed, rolling their eyes.

John nodded, continuing on, “Obviously didn’t have too much in common because of the age difference, and, well…” the gray haired young man shrugged, while Kerry just grinned brightly at him, “I started to taking them to the dance nights to try to get to know them, and it became a tradition. We go… at least two times a month? Though, we try for every week.”

“Yeah! Family tradition, high five!” Terry laughed, putting their hand up high, and while John sipped his whiskey, looking unamused and like he was going to leave Terry hanging for a second… Terry looked incredibly pleased when John put his hand up, accepting a loud high five. Terry, while a little shy and quiet when they had met Kokichi, was clearly far more relaxed here, in the company of their brother, as they brightly turned to Kokichi, “What about you? Are you here with anyone?”

John sipped at his whiskey again, though there was a certain… tenseness in his face now. As he listened for Kokchi’s answer.

Kokichi watched the siblings with a fond look, his heart-warming at the story behind the tradition. “That’s an awesome tradition! It’s great you have that sort of history with it.” Making an effort to bond, even with such a difference in age and, at least from the little he knew about Kerry and just meeting John for the first time, a difference in personality. But treasuring the family bond all the same. 

Nodding, Kokichi glanced back over to the dancefloor, though there was no way he could really see it well from the bar. “I’m here with my husband--a friend of his seems to always be around when we’re out dancing, so they’re having a few while I’m taking a break.”

“Not that we really go out dancing all that often, but it’s enough of a pattern,” Kokichi laughed. “It’s something we both enjoy, but we don’t end up going out at all that much--a lot going on, and especially the baby so close on the way, but Shuu-chan says he doesn’t mind having the occasional evening to himself.”

Glancing around the hall, there was a bright smile on Kokichi’s face. “But I really like the vibe here. Probably won’t get to for a while when Miya’s born, but when I can, I wanna make more of an effort to come. All the different types of dances are really fun to learn.”

“Aren’t they?! I’m actually half decent at a lot of these dances.” Kerry bragged, half-smirking, though their face was too bright to really commit to the smirk, “I mean, consider how exposed I’ve been to it growing up, it makes sense. Can’t come to these things so often without picking up some stuff. But...well, yeah! If you like, Kokichi, I can join you in the next group dance? I’d love to meet your husband!”

“You very likely have met his husband, Kerry.” John told him, taking a longer sip, more a gulp, of his cup. “Six foot tall red head… muscles.” Another gulp, a grim look on his face, “Famously temperamental.”

“Oh! I do know that guy! He helped me pull up my cleaning cart up the staircase, after I accidentally crashed it down… isn’t that guy the prince?” Kerry frowned, before looking curiously at Kokichi, “Are you married to the prince?”

“That would be a ton of fun! And I’d love to introduce you to Kai-chan--I know I’ve mentioned you off and on so it’ll be nice to finally properly introduce you two.” Honestly, Kokichi just figured that Kerry had never talked more than a nod in the hall with Kaito. But as John clarified and Kerry turned to him with...what seemed to be a genuine question, Kokichi’s amused smile dimmed a little with similarly genuine confusion. 

“Yes?” Kokichi’s head tilted, giving Kerry a quizzical look. “You...did know I’m the heir apparent, right?”

“...”

“...” John sipped his whiskey, waiting for it.

“... Ha ha ha ha, o-of course I did! I…” Kerry, just to make certain they understood right, glanced at John for confirmation, who, extremely used to this sort of exchange by this point, simply nodded his head, as Kerry continued, “... totally! Knew you were the Dicean Prince! That’s so obvious! How could I not know!? Ha ha ha ha!”

“...” All of the sudden, Kerry knew way more about Kokichi than they thought they had, and as their mind made some connections… they suddenly gave John an alarmed look. “Oh! Oh. C-congratulations on the baby, by the way! Sorry, that’s suuuuper late! Um… Shuu-chan is Shuuichi Saihara, then, right? The Luminary surrogate? Blue hair, pretty eyes, super pregnant?”

Kokichi just looked at Kerry for a moment before relaxing into a friendly smile. Now that certainly was a novel experience these days. He was just...used to being recognized on sight, and even more easily when he was in the castle and...yanno, talking with someone on staff. They tended to know who he was, and Kokichi just figured that...Kerry was just being cool, not lingering on the prince stuff. Granted, it was a little awkward with the...crying and stuff. 

He hoped this didn’t make Kerry think too differently of him but...well, that was just reality. He hoped they could still be friendly. 

“Thank you!” Kokichi accepted the congratulations, and he nodded, figuring that Kerry might’ve seen Shuuichi around the castle too, and had maybe not made the connection. Laughing a little at Kerry’s emphasis on Shuuichi’s pregnancy, Kokichi’s smile went fond. “Yeah, that’s him. He’s due in...sheesh, a month and a half now. Super pregnant is real apt these days.”

“...” John looked like he wanted to say something, a conflicted look on his face, but he ended up just looking frustrated with himself, taking another sip… only to realize with some annoyance that his glass was empty. 

Kerry frowned as John motioned to the bar keep, before saying quietly to him, “Hey, remember what mom said…”

“Margot can…” Again, a conflicted look on his face, like he wanted to say something harsh, this time… but he looked at the anxious loo on Kerry’s face, and just sighed, “Fine. Hey, man. Water.” John said to the bar keep, who gave him a water after a moment, before continuing on to other costumers, either not bothered or not surprised by John’s curtness. “Anyway, Kerry, let me sober up a bit. You can go dance if you still want to.”

Kerry gave John an uncertain look, glancing at Kokichi, before saying quietly, “I don’t have to if it’s weird-”

“Nah, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it, have fun.” John shrugged, “Though, I told Margot I’d get you home today by ten, so take two songs and then it’s time to start walking if we still want to stop by that crepe place.”

Kerry still looked a little uncertain… but nodded, before turning a bright look to Kokichi, “Well, guess I have a time limit. You up to dancing, Kokichi?”

Kokichi looked between the siblings, able to feel the tension. John had obviously known who he was, so it wasn’t the fact that he was a prince that was the sore spot, but...something had happened when he mentioned his partners, and the siblings put together who they were. 

...he had a feeling it wasn’t as simple as that, but…

Knocking back the last bit of his juice, Kokichi returned Kerry’s smile, looking around for the dish drop-off container before hopping off his seat. “Absolutely! I’m glad that we ran into each other and can get a dance in before you’ve gotta go.” Looking up at John, Kokichi offered him a softer smile, hoping that...he wasn’t being obnoxious in his obliviousness to whatever issue the man had. “It was nice meeting you, John, and thanks for letting me steal away your sibling for a little bit. Maybe we’ll see each other around the dances again!”

Dropping off his cup before he and Kerry went back to the dancefloor, Kokichi gave the housekeeper a bit of a worried look. “It’s not my business, but...if you’re uncomfortable with Luminaries, I don’t have to introduce you to Kai-chan. He’s very sweet, but I don’t want to...impose all that on you.”

“What? Oh, no! It’s not that. I mean…” Kerry frowned, looking back over at their brother, partly to make certain he hadn’t immediately switched out to get a drink now that Kerry wasn’t there to give him hurt puppy-dog eyes. Still looked like he was sipping his water. That was good… “Sorry, I know that was weird. If I had realized you were Shuuichi’s partner, I wouldn’t have been so quick to have you sit down with John. I mean, that must have been pretty uncomfortable when you realized. I’m sorry, I can be a little slow with social stuff like that.”

Kokichi blinked. “...when I realized what? I...don’t think I’ve ever met your brother before? Have he and Shuu-chan met?”

...he didn’t think John was someone that had been hurt by Shuuichi’s detective work in Luminary. Of course, there was no difference between a refugee and a born Dicean citizen, but...even if it had been something with John’s side of their family, if John had been given a warning, then Kokichi assumed Kerry would’ve too and...the younger housekeeper didn’t seem to have an issue with them. 

Now it was Kerry’s turn to look surprised, “...John’s the one who got into all that trouble with Shuuichi and Mr. Bullworth. A few months back, before winter? I mean, I know it’s all sorted now.” Kerry said, shrugging a little, a tired expression on their face, “Or, more or less, anyway. John says he hasn’t really had a conversation yet with Shuuichi, but they manage to work together in class, and, well… I know he’s gonna get the courage to properly apologize to him at some point…”

Seeing the expression on Kokichi’s face, Kerry realized, “Do you have any idea what I’m talking about? John, uh… he made a bunch of...shitty comments to Shuuichi at the theater? Mr. Bullworth kicked him out, and reported him to the school…” Kerry frowned, before agan, that tired, somewhat ashamed look on their face as they said quietly, “It was kind of a… huge thing for our family? We started getting all these comments and stuff… a-anyway, John’s doing his best to make up for it! Um… did you not know about any of this?”

Recognition finally dawned on Kokichi’s face, but there was a whoooole lot to that story that he...didn’t know. ...did Shuuichi know? Shuuichi had said that the guy that had harassed him a few times--that was John?!--was in his class at school, but…

“I...Shuu-chan told me about the comments your brother made to him at the theater and the coffee shop, and I knew that at the theater Mr. Bullworth had talked to John, but…” Kokichi’s eyebrows drew into a slightly concerned expression. “...I didn’t know about any of that other stuff. And...and I didn’t recognize your brother. I don’t know if I even saw him at the theater…”

Kokichi’s lips drew into a line. He wasn’t going to apologize. All the things that Shuuichi had told him about were...horrible and...well, sexual harassment was something you could report to a school, even if it hadn’t been on campus and Shuuichi hadn’t been a student yet. 

But...that wasn’t reflective of the rest of the family, and if John was trying to make up for it...then he deserved that chance to do so. 

Sighing, Kokichi did end up giving Kerry a somewhat apologetic look. “I’m sorry that your family has been dealing with...comments and stuff. That’s really shitty. And...while I can’t really condone anything...I’m glad John’s been trying to grow from it.”

Kokichi led Kerry over to the horse statue as they waited for the current song to end, giving him a look with...a little more urgency. “But, um, Kai-chan doesn’t know any of that. Shuu-chan had me promise not to tell… Kai-chan’s...really protective of us, and Shuu-chan didn’t want to make it a big deal.” Even if it kind of had turned into one. “So...I mean, it’s not exactly something you say to someone right off the bat but...can I ask you not to bring it up with him? I think...I need to have a talk with my partners when I get home…” Kokichi sighed, looking a little tired. 

...was this something Shuuichi had tried to hide, or had he not known the school stuff either?

“Ah, geez, I’m really sorry. I thought this was something you’d all…” Kerry laughed a little awkwardly, leaning against the base of the horse, scratching their arm as they said, “And, uh, don’t worry about it. Condoning, I mean, or anything like that. John says that this was inevitable, now that he looks back on it all, ya know? And… yeah, he’s… he’s super different now. It’s amazing what a few months does!” Kerry laughed, “I mean… anyway.”

Kerry seemed a little lost for what to say for a moment, before they said, “How is Shuuichi, anyway? I’ve always wanted to say something to him at the castle, apologize on John’s behalf and stuff, but John asked me to wait until he said something himself. He says he’s tried to sit down with Shuuichi a few times since then, to apologize, but the first few times didn’t work out, and I get the impression he’s worried about making things more weird while they’re still in class together. I think he’s worried anything he says will, like… jinx them being able to work together in there or something. Not that that’s anyone but his fault, I just… is Shuuichi still super pissed at him? It’s fine if he is! But if he isn’t, I can tell John, and John might feel more okay finally going to apologize to him… that might make things a little more normal again…”

Kerry was trying to help, in their own way. If Shuuichi was okay to be talked to, John might actually talk to him, get the apology out, finally settle everything down, maybe stop being all closed off and angry all the time, might stop drinking, which would get their mom to stop threatening to not let John take him out every friday anymore… it could fix everything! The teenager was sure of it.

Though, Kerry frowned at the warning about Kaito… Kaito had been super nice to them, when they had needed help with the cleaning stall. But, that was, apparently, while not knowing what was going on, and… the Luminary Prince had kind of a… scary reputation…

“...actually, maybe it’s better if I just head home with John.” Kerry realized, scratching their arm, looking a little embarrassed, “Sorry, I thought you knew all of this, and… this is super weird, right? I’m really sorry about all this.”

Kokichi thought for a moment. Shuuichi was...hard to read, sometimes. While he wasn’t a brick wall in a conversation, there were a lot of things that, unless someone else brought up, Shuuichi wouldn’t talk about at all, even if he felt strongly about it. “Like...I don’t think he has a problem with John… I know he was kind of...nervous on their first day of class, but he said that it wasn’t a big deal or anything. But I think if your brother wanted to apologize, then Shuu-chan would...at least hear him out.”

Maybe after talking about everything with more candor, he’d be able to get a better beat on how Shuuichi was feeling, and he could let Kerry know with more clarity…

Kokichi deflated a little as Kerry seemed to have second thoughts, and...he couldn’t blame them. But he still offered his friend a sweet, soft smile. “If that’s what you want. I hope I do get a dance with you one of these days, though. Enjoy your crepes.”

Kerry just gave another awkward, embarrassed grin. The second they had realized who Kokichi was, they had wanted to not be weird about this. If John could go to class with Shuuichi after everything that had happened, Kerry could be mature enough to keep being normal with Kokichi! But…

...it was weird. Being one of the ‘bad guys’. John had always been kind of a dick, and his ‘friends’ he had made in university (who had all flown the coop and joined the ‘trash John’ bandwagon when that became the new thing to do at school, despite the fact that most of those guys acted the exact same way he had used to. Fuckers… forget them. They’d get their own ‘moments’ someday, Kerry was sure of it.) definitely hadn’t helped over the years. John had definitely been getting worse and worse over time, treating people he was attracted to but didn’t know like objects, leering at them or saying shitty, uncalled for things…

But, well… Kerry had never thought they would be in this position before, but… for all of John’s faults, John had always been good to them. Gone out of his way to be there for them when their father had been perfectly content to never acknowledge their existence, once the affair had finally come to light and Kerry had finally learned who their father was. John was a bad guy, but… Kerry still loved him. And all of this… 

John had earned all of it. Kerry knew that. Even John knew that now. John had been on therapy before this, for similar issues, but it was only after his life fell apart this time that he really, really started to understand and change, really putting in the effort… but Kerry wished it hadn’t taken this much to finally do it. It had hurt, watching all this, and people didn’t… like that Kerry still liked John.  People got angry with them for still spending time with him, while all of it was happening…

Kerry just wanted John to be better. Time would help, but this part of it… was hard. They wished they were on the other side of this, already…

“I’m really sorry again.” Kerry said, giving Kokichi a small wave and stepping back, “Um… I’ll see you at the castle! Thanks for… anyway! Yeah! Bye!”

Kerry would try again monday, on their next shift, to be less weird and shitty about all this. For now, they were just gonna try to talk John into apologizing to Shuuichi before the pregnancy took Shuuichi away, and maybe took away John’s chance to make things right.

As soon as Kerry left, the music ended with a flourish, and there was a surprising amount of cheering the crowd, once again, Kaito and Tangouai’s feud having drawn in an audience.

Kokichi gave Kerry a cheerful wave as they left, but his smile dimmed and dropped once he was alone again. It just...was a bad situation. People making mistakes that they were rightfully condemned for but...despite their punitive system being specifically designed for it, people had a hard time respecting the right to change. To grow and be better than you were yesterday. 

If Shuuichi was still uncomfortable and nervous around John, maybe Kokichi would’ve felt differently, because it was hard to accept someone’s attempts to change if you or someone you loved was still hurting from them. And that’s why separating accommodations and restraining orders were a thing. But...with Shuuichi at least outwardly pretending that it was water under the bridge, if he didn’t actually feel that way, it was hard not to feel frustrated at all the people who hadn’t been hurt by John who were piling on. 

...though, Kokichi didn’t know that for sure. And he wasn’t gonna badger Kerry for details. 

He sighed, looking out into the dance crowd with a small, tired smile as he tried to pick out his husband’s tower of spiky red hair in the crowd. 

“Hah...hah.. J-just admit it this time! I definitely won that one!” Kaito insisted, the two of them wrecked from their incredibly intense slow dance.

“Y-you… hah… hah…” Tangouai wiped some sweat off his brow, breathing deeply, “...you wish! I had people, hah, swooning with my dip at the end there! Including you! I saw how red you got!”

“My hair is red! My complexion always looks slightly red because of it!”

“Bullshit! I heard your heart quicken in your pulse, I absolutely nailed that slow dance!”

“What, because I was excited?? I’m always excited! You don’t even know what swooning looks like, if you think that was swooning! Wait till you see me dance with my husband! That’s swooning!”

“I saw! You were dancing with him when I first got here, remembr! It was incredibly sweet looking!”

“I know, right??? Oh, actually, that’s a point, I told my husband I’d find him after this song.” Kaito remembered, looking back over at the horse, before saying to Tangouai, “See ya next dance thing I go to?”

“At this rate? Yeah, probably. See ya!”

“Bye!” Kaito called back, heading through the crowd, eyes scanning… “Kokichi! Hey, beautiful.” Kaito greeted, pulling Kokichi into a hug, squeezing him tightly, “How was your break? Catch your breath?”

Kokichi’s smile perked up as he was pulled into a tight hug, and he pressed himself against Kaito, hugging him tightly in turn. It...probably wouldn’t be the easiest conversation, but for now, they were having a nice night. 

“Yeah, I’m all rejuvenated now! I ran into some friends at the bar and we talked for a bit--do you remember Kerry? They’re a housekeeper at the castle, teen, brown hair, earnest smile. They have a curfew tonight so they and their brother are off, I’m guessing, but it was nice to chat for a bit.” Kokichi nuzzled against Kaito’s chest, taking care not to tweak his nose on any of his buttons, just...focusing on the nicer parts. 

Looking back up, Kokichi quirked an eyebrow. “It was a point, though… I still have more than a few dances left in me, but let’s try and not get back too late. I was a wreck the last time we stayed out until the middle of the night… You’ve turned me into an old man with a sleeping schedule, Kai-chan.” Kokichi pouted up at his husband. “I don’t think I’ll ever see 3AM again, unless it’s waking up in the middle of the night to tend to Miya.”

“Shhh, sh sh sh… do you hear that sound, Kokichi?” Kaito asked, putting his finger in front of his mouth, looking up vaguely at the ceiling, “...that is the sound of you in two months, cursing you right now, for not appreciating your amazing sleep schedule while you have it. Oh, past Kokichi, I hear future you saying in the wind.” Kaito said dramatically, putting out his hand vaguely through the air, like he could see some shimmer, ghostly form of future Kokichi, lamenting, “Why didn’t I enjoy my beautiful, eight hour sleep schedule that my ruggedly handsome, sexy husband so diligently established for me? Now I am at the whims of a fussy infant who does not know when it is night time, and I am full of regrets.”

And after that, Kaito patted Kokichi’s head, saying sympathetically, “Poor future Kokichi. Don’t worry. I shall take care of past you as best as I can… but yeah. How about we do two more dances, then call it for the night? Go back and disappoint Shuuichi with how early we are. Maybe we’ll catch him in a ‘compromising’ position.” Kaito grinned, eyes shining at the fantasy. 

Kokichi rolled his eyes a bit at the dramatics, but...well, Kaito did have a point. Sleeping regularly and solidly through the night had done wonders for his physical and mental health, among the other changes Kokichi had made, and he was definitely going to miss it once Miya came and shuffled up all their sleep schedules. But it was still fun to whine about his horrible wakefulness stamina these days. 

“That sounds good to me. I hope they’re both group dances...I really wanna learn some more.” Kokichi pumped himself up again, but he couldn’t help letting out a loud snort as he pulled Kaito back to the dancefloor, not wanting to miss getting to group up if he got his wish. “Doooooooubt it. I think the only compromising thing you’ll catch Shuu-chan doing is eating extra dessert, which is fully his right to do, by the way. If he’s craving it, then that’s what Miya needs, and Shuuichi’s already been dealing with her fussiness enough to earn a treat.”

“He could be doing both! We know damn well that man likes to mix and match those two things. Admittedly, not a joy he and I share, but I’m always happy to accomodate.” Kaito snickered, allowing himself to be pulled, following Kokichi to the dance floor, his mind now full of fond memories of Shuuichi using him as a table. Again, Kaito didn’t have any particular connection to food when it came to sex, but, well... He did have a connection to seeing his partners pleased and excited through sex, and Shuuichi had been both of those things through that. So Kaito was more than able to get into it through that.

… easier to deal with a sugar kink than a murder kink, thank god. Phew. Kaito still thanked his lucky stars he hadn’t had to figure out how to accommodate that one. That’d have been tricky.

… maybe Shuuichi would be more willing to exchange blow jobs the next time Kaito was aching for it if Kaito came to him with his dick dipped in honey… that would be an experiment.

Kaito got pulled out of his honey-dick related contemplations as he heard the now familiar sound of a woman over the intercom, announcing everyone needed to find their place in a group. Kaito grinned, giving Kokichi a wink as he said, “Looks like you got your wish. Ready to impress some people, ‘Kichi?”

Kokichi just raised his eyebrows in a considering look as he shrugged a little. That was true, though they hadn’t done anything more to explore it. Maybe Shuuichi would be amenable to having another go after he had the baby… They could definitely get someone to babysit for an evening. 

Looking up at the caller, Kokichi grinned and scrambled to find a place for him and Kaito, giving his husband’s hand a squeeze. “Oh, you know me, always an expert at things I’ve done once. Let’s dazzle, hun.”

Kaito thought they were gonna be fine, honestly. The dance had been a little tricky to learn, but they had it now! Now it was just taking what they had learned and- oh, come on! It was a different dance!? 

Kaito looked annoyed as the woman started to explain the new dance, huffing as he rubbed the back of his neck. Damn. He had been looking forward to impressing Kokichi with how well he did on the first dance, this time going into it knowing what he was doing. Ah well… next friday, he guessed. Or, the next friday they made it, anyway. Damn!

Still, the new dance didn’t seem that tough, and as they all formed up, Kaito gave Kokichi another fond, pleased look, something challenging in his eyes. They might still both be new to this dance, but it was time to keep up, Kokichi…

The song started, the accordion roaring, and apparently a lot of the people recognizing the song, there was suddenly a lot of clapping from the crowd around the dancers, stamping of feet, the floor echoing and vibrating from the THUMP THUMP THUMP, air clacking with the CLAP CLAP CLAP, and as a woman started singing loud a song that in the roar of the THUMPS and the CLAPS of the crowd Kaito couldn’t really decipher, they were off.

It almost felt like a race, in a weird way, and it wasn’t long before Kaito, moving as quickly and deftly as he could to keep up with the pattern of the shifting and thronging lines of people, lost track of where he physically was in the room, the crowd past the dancers mere blurs of color, the only people really in focus being whoever was your partner in the moment.

For Kokichi…. 

Being thrown with the momentum of the pattern of dancers, he was weaved and moved around the circle, when his first partner, a thicker woman with bright red eyes and a dazzling smile with shockingly sharp teeth, and seemed to excitedly know every word of the song, and was already singing cheerfully to herself as she pulled Kokichi into a spin with herself, widened her eyes brightly and broke away from her singing real quick to say, “Boom, cra- Prince Kokichi! Nice!” and with that, she laughed, and despite not being much taller than Kokichi himself, she easily lifted him by his waist, twirling with him, “She’s gonna kill me for telling you, but next time I see you, can I bring you a portrait of yourself to sign? My sister has one of you up on her wall, it’s been there for years now. She thinks you’re hot.”

At first Kokichi had a bit of trouble keeping up with the actual pace of the song, but soon enough he found his footing, opting to take smaller but lightning quick steps to match the pace. He wasn’t sure he’d ever heard this song before, but it had such a lively beat he was bouncing and grinning with the rest of the excited dancers. 

He spun with his first partner, enjoying that she seemed to be joining in with the lyrics, though his eyes widened just a beat after hers did. More from being twirled in the air than any recognition, but still. 

He blinked in astonishment before laughing softly, giving the woman a grin. “Sure thing! Geez, that’s really flattering… If you see me out and about, or if you see me in the castle, yeah, no problem, I’d be glad to sign something.”

An equal distance away in the weaving circles, a tall, spindly man with a poised look despite the rowdy song and an extravagant dress to rival Dr. Mariah’s smiled down at Kaito like he knew some secret the two could share as they spun. 

“Ah, I see the world still turns to throw those like us together. Black embraced with red, a haunting beauty for the world to witness in a fleeting moment.”

Kaito’s eyes widened in surprise, more startled by the feeling of the man's hands than anything, it being the very first thing he had noticed as he joined in with his next dance partner. As Kaito passed from body, to body, to body, all warm and sweating vibrating with movement, this man’s hand was impossibly steady and strong through the dancing, and shockingly cold to the touch. Cold enough to even give Kokichi a chill, should the two exchange a handshake. Fingers thin and bony, sharp at the edges, and, again, just incredibly steady for dancing. He looked…

… there was a trope, in stories. Of powerful, high ranking people, being whispered too by thin, older, like… ‘blatantly’ nefarious looking adivers, whispering in their ears schemes and warnings, ruling the lands from the shadows of their ‘second man’ position. They were obviously, almost comically villainous (and, because Kaito wasn’t super self-aware about his own life, ‘obviously’ fictional), and this man, with his poised demeanor, deep wrinkles, and bright white eyes, looked like a evil advisor of fiction, stepped off the page and into the real world, his words as poetic sounding as they were ominous…

… oh, no, Kaito was such a sucker for guys like this.

Looking, just, enchanted as he took in this, aesthetically, comic book villain of a person, Kaito tried to take the lead and was surprised (thrilled) when the man expertly put him back in the follower position, as he said through a sharp grin, “The world insists, huh? Can’t say I blame you for thinking so. Red and black’s always been complimentary colors… but, sorry. They don’t blend. Not today.” Kaito gave the older man a wink, moving his feet quickly to fall back into the pattern, as he let the man’s hands go, “Hope you enjoyed your moment.” 

Kokichi’s partner grinned brightly, her bouncy hair twirling in the dance as she let him go to move onto his next partner, “I’m taking you up on that! I’m easily winning best sister award for this! Have fun with the rest of the dance, stud! If you want to sing along, just shout ‘Boom, crash!’ as often as you can, you’ll be right about sixty percent of the time!” 

And, almost as if to prove her right, she shouted out, “Boom, crash!” as soon as the rest of the audience did, the room still roaring with claps and stomps and singing along.

Kaito, not that long ago, had made a joke that from an angle, Kokichi could be called ‘Tall, dark and handsome’.

This next person was the actual type of person that people thought of, when they made that comparison. He was almost unbelievably easy on the eyes, his skin a smooth, clear mocha color, his eyes a dark, warm orange that was just shy of tan, and his hair, shaved on the sides and the top pulled back into a loose bun, matched his eyes, dark orange just shy of tan, all of this on a lean, fit body and an angled, chiseled face.

He took Kokichi’s hand and his own hands were incredibly gentle and polite, a warm look on his face, not pulling him in too close, not leading very forcefully, leaving himself loose and willing to follow if Kokichi so much as tensed in any direction, and he said, in a voice like music, “Ah, siento que te reconozco... ¿Príncipe Kokichi?”

Stud...ha! That would be something fun to tell Kaito and Shuuichi later! 

Following the woman’s advice and bellowing out a “BOOM, CRASH!” with the crowd the next time he saw it coming...ho boy. Kokichi was fortunate that his cheeks were already flushed from dancing, because he would’ve gone embarrassingly pink at the actual stud that was his next partner. 

And even though Kokichi didn’t really recognize the words, his partner’s voice was pretty enough that somehow Kokichi felt flattered anyway. “I’m sorry, I don’t speak, but...yes, I’m Prince Kokichi?”

That was his best guess at the last two things the stranger said, his name at least giving him a guidepoint. 

The little secret in the older man’s eyes just twinkled brighter, and he bowed his head respectfully to Kaito before sending the prince on his way to his next partner. 

Who, after the weaving, was a woman just a little shorter than Kaito, her dark brown hair tied up into twin high buns and her naturally narrowed eyes gleaming with a sly intelligence, even when just enjoying a dance. She had initially gone to simply smile at the new man that was her partner, but her eyes zeroed in at something around his neck. 

With a smile that spoke of barely contained excitement, she leaned in, getting intimate for a moment to murmur in Kaito’s ear. “You sly dog…! Don’t tell me you’re wearing a piece of the Bvglari collection?! It’s impossible to even get someone willing to give people a look over here! I think you’ve made my year, hot stuff--wear that baby with pride!”

Kaito felt his stomach tighten as she leaned in close, incredibly aware of her heat after the chill of the last gentleman, and with what she said… he grinned wide, immediately looking a mix of sheepish and excited as he said, “Oh my god, I didn’t think anyone would recognize it… it’s not too much? It feels like too much. It’s the Mother of Pearl edition!” Kaito couldn’t help but want to brag, immediately feeling so foolish but… she seemed interested! And liked it! And knew what it was! And wasn’t looking at him like ‘what the fuck, are you wearing something like that to something like this??’.

“It was a gift! I can’t really afford something like this.” Kaito rushed to explain, again, feeling super… insecure? About wearing it, and maybe overcompensating a little as he explained through their dance. “My god parents sent it to me for my eighteenth birthday… it’s nice, right? Thanks!... sorry, I’ll stop talking now.” Kaito laughed, shaking his head, a pleased and embarrassed grin on his face… before adding in suddenly, “I love your earrings! That’s Amber’s work, isn’t it? ‘Usott’s Hidden Gem’? The Tanzanite collection she’s been putting out the last few months! They look great on you! My shell earing is from the same collection!”

Kokichi’s partner laughed lightly, the sound patient and sweet, and after a beat, he said very slowly, somewhat stiltedly, “...sorry… my common not good… I am working on it… dancing a…” he paused, clearly struggling to find the right word, whispering to himself, “Vamos, vamos, está cerca del placer, del placer, es básicamente la misma palabra… Pleasure! Dancing a pleasure, Prince Kokichi.”

Smiling, pleased he had gotten his message out, the man brought Kokichi’s hand up, and placed a kiss on the back of his hand.

Now a little bit of Kokichi’s blush could reasonably be contributed to his partner, Kokichi having to stifle a little schoolboy giggle as he felt his heart flutter. “The pleasure is mine. Learning languages is difficult--er…”

Having heard a little more, Kokichi thought he...might know what language the man was speaking, and with a little struggle, he got out, “Um, buena suerte! Learning Common.”

The woman shook her head, an almost incredulous look on her face. “Are you kidding--a beauty like that deserves to be worn and shown off; helps if you have the beauty to compliment it.” She winked at the prince, taking in the details of the necklace with excited, rapt attention before she preened a little at Kaito’s attention and looked over at his own piercing. 

“Amber’s a genius, and I can’t believe how easily I managed to snag a pair--like, girl, this work is priceless! I’m stealing from you! But you’ve gotta love artisans like her--gives people like us the chance to dazzle. Next time I see you, hot stuff, you better be wearing that necklace with a million gold smile!”

She managed to send him out with that...encouragement? Threat? and, after another set of weaving, was replaced by what looked like another teenager, her golden hair curling at the sides almost like cute sheep’s horns and her face a little mottled with acne, though there had been an attempt with light makeup to cover the scars. Her eyes widened a little as she took in her new partner, before she almost comically puffed her chest out with confidence, putting on a big smile. 

She started trying to lead, her large hands a little awkward, but determined to be sure. “Hello! Great dance tonight, isn’t it?”

Kaito jerked a little in her grip, instinctively fighting her for a second, having assumed he was going to lead...but he relaxed into her grip, adjusting to her steps and allowing himself to be turned, grinning down at the young bruiser. “It’s been amazing. My first time here! ...Anyone ever tell you that your hair looks like sheep horns? It’s a great look on you. Very cute. Does it do that on it’s own, or do you style it? I’m having a little girl soon, I’m super tempted to style her hair like this when she starts growing enough to style. It’s so cute and cool, I’d love to know how to do it.”

Meanwhile, thanking Kokichi for his well wishes, the man moved to send Kokichi to his next partner… and then laughed. Adjusting to not spin Kokichi to his next positon, as his next partner wasn’t… quite big enough to catch him.

Beaming up at him, having excitedly gotten the through the line bit by bit while her mother watched from outside the dance, a little girl, likely no older than four, excitedly gave her previous partner, a brightly smiling old man with a bent back, a bow of thanks-- the four year old hadn’t caught on yet that you don’t do the thank you courtesy thing until after the entire dance was done, doing it after every partner throughout the dance so far-- before turning to Kokichi. 

Looking just as determined as Kaito’s partner, the little girl put out her hands, and loudly asked-- again, not quite grasping that she was only supposed to do this once, at the beginning of the dance--, “May I have this dance!?”

If his last partner made his heart flutter, then his new one made it melt. Maybe it was his newly awakened Dad Feelings, or maybe it was something that was always within him, but Kokichi looked upon the little girl with all the fondness in the world. 

“It would be my honor, miss.” He gently took the girls hands, for once leading the dance and trying to find a comfortable yet fun pace for someone whose legs were even shorter than his. “It looks like your last partner had a lot of fun--I’m in for a treat!”

Absolutely led on by Kaito’s flattery, the girl seemed to puff herself up even more, almost visibly thinking things like, ‘Yeah! I am cute and cool!’

Smirking, she spun the larger man around, letting him in on the trade secret. “If it’s for your daughter, I suppose I can give you the goods--the trick is to make your hair want to do the things you style it into. While my hair’s still a little damp before bed I tie the sides into buns--that gets it halfway there in the morning all on its own! A little heat, maybe a little hairspray if it’s gonna be a busy day, some strategically placed pins, and you’re golden.”

She looked all too self-satisfied, her grin becoming more natural by the second. “I’m sure your daughter will thank you down the line--it’s a trend that will catch on for sure!”

“Oh, no doubt.” Kaito nodded, grinning as he went into the twirl with an exaggerated flourish, pushing on his foot to put a little ‘oomph’ into the spin back into her arms. “Speaking of trends, a tip for a tip. If you haven't heard yet? There is a really valuable collection of jewelry being sold at Usott’s Hidden Gems? These dark blue gems, very valuable, very rare-- like the one on the shell of my ear?-- they’re practically giving them away right now because they stumbled into more than they expected. Seriously, go take advantage of it, it’s jewelry you can match outfits too for literally the rest of your life.”

Meanwhile, the little girl, holding onto both of Kokichi’s hands, spent most of the dance staring at both their legs, determinedly trying to match Kokichi’s steps. It was less of a dance and more just the girl hopping up and down while hanging onto him, doing her best, but entirely uncoordinated… but when she looked up at him, her face was beaming, radiating with pride, clearly thrilled with her progress as she shouted, voice hissing slightly through her missing front teeth, “Boom! Crath!” 

And with one more bellowing sound from the singer, the crowd joining in with her final, wailing note, there was a final flourishing sound from the band… and the song ended.

The girl look at Kaito with a hesitating interest, not sure if he was pulling her leg. But...Usott’s Hidden Gems was no Fantasy Clair’s, and it had a good reputation for high end jewelry for a fair price. If it was true...then she better see if there were any pieces her allowance would cover and snag something before they ran out! 

“I’ll check them out, if I have the time,” she coolly replied, slowing their pace as the song ended and giving the man a shallow, but still respectful thanks for the dance. 

“Boom! Crash!” Kokichi had joined in with his partner, nothing but joy in his own smile as he supported the little girl, knowing that he was absolutely going to cry in fatherly feelings to Kaito and Shuuichi later. 

And when the song ended, Kokichi performed the full traditional flourish of thanking your partner. “Thank you for the dance, miss--you’re a wonderful dancer. I had a great time.”

Straightening, he kept an eye out not just for Kaito, but for a parent he assumed had been supervising.

“S-thank you for the dance!” The girl cheerfully shouted back, doing her bow, before throwing her hands into the air and shouting, “Momma!! I did it!!”

The girl bolted out of the line, running her little body towards a woman, who smiled warmly and caught her, looking her over and fixing her hair before picking her up, the girl happily wiggling in her arms, apparently attempting to recreate the dance mid-air, as her mother took her away.

Kaito, in turn, found Kokichi again, leaning down and placing a kiss on his cheek as he smirked, looking at the little girl he saw run from him, “Hey babe. Looking a little red in the face. Catching your breath, or still swooning over your partner there?”

Kokichi watched the girl go, a little just for his own quickly made fondness rather than just fully being concerned that she made it to her mother alright. He turned to grin at Kaito, pressing against his chest as he groaned. “She was such a little sweetheart! She was singing along and trying so hard to keep on beat…”

He peeked up, eyes a little misty. “Kai-chan, I hope so much Miya likes dancing. I’m ruined. I have this idea in my head now and it’s never going to leave. Our daughter is going to be so cute…”

“Look, between the three of us, we got two to one that she’ll love to dance. And if she takes after Shuuichi, well, I’ll bribe her with sweets to indulge her dance loving fathers sometimes.” Kaito laughed, giving Kokichi a soft, sympathetic look as he saw his misty little peek, giving Kokich a hug as he said, “She’s gonna be perfect, babe. Just like you… but, that was a lot more dancing than I was expecting for one song. It feels like a sauna in here. How you feeling? Still wanna do that last dance, or you ready to start walking home?”

Kokichi embraced the hug, though he subtly tried to wipe his eyes when they parted. Too many emotions that night… “It’s real hot… As much as I wanna keep dancing, I think it’d be a good idea to head home. We have to regale Shuu-chan with everything that happened, right? That’ll postpone bedtime even more.”

“I’m still hoping I’ll get lucky.” Kaito chuckled into Kokichi’s hair, keeping his voice low, before kissing Kokichi’s skull, “Not from my sleepy ‘Kichi, but, like, Shuuichi’s gotta have plenty of energy left, right? I’m gonna make a move. Be all alluring and stuff.”

Straightening up, taking Kokichi’s hand, he said, “But, yeah, let’s go home. We can always come back next friday to dance more. And the night air will feel good while we’re still sweating like this. Come on, beautiful, let me lead the way~”

-

They got back to the castle without an issue, the night air indeed doing its thing to cool them off and bring the energy back to calm before they reached their partner. Kokichi almost immediately started chattering to Shuuichi about their night, describing the dances and his swing with Lake, seeing Kerry at the bar (though he didn’t mention John just yet), and the partner-trading dance, talking about the woman who wanted his autograph for her sister, the absolute heartthrob who didn’t speak Common, and the dear little girl that had been a joy to dance with. 

Really, Kokichi could’ve talked all night, but at some point he became overly aware of the stale, sticky sweat still coating his body and he left his lovers to take a shower. And, by the time he came back, clean and warm and in light, but soft pajamas...Kokichi was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillows. 

In his mind, however, Kokichi facepalmed, reaching out to his friends. Hopefully it wasn’t too late for them…

Alter Ego, after a moment, leapt down from the sky, landing next to Kokichi and, as a greeting, rubbed their body onto his leg, before stretching out their body, yawning. “Good evening, Kokichi. How are you feeling? Do you believe you’re ready?”

Temp, in turn, stepped out in his ceremonial outfit, hood up, which he let down dramatically… before grinning, somewhat sheepishly, “Hello Kokichi. We haven't spoken since the dinner… I want to apologize. I was… overly confident. I was not expecting Kaito to notice my casual lies, and I wasn’t considering the waking version of you’s ability to read people. I… got very careless. I apologize for putting our plan at risk on such careless lies.”

Ah, well, it didn’t seem like they’d been impatiently waiting for him… That was good. 

Kokichi crouched, giving Alter Ego a friendly pet. “Good evening! I’m doing alright--Kai-chan and I went out dancing tonight so I hit the bed like a sack of bricks. I should be all good to go!”

He turned to face Temp, giving his friend a sympathetic smile. “It all worked out in the end, so no worries… I think it did just come off that you were over-excited but, like, over-aware of our friendship and you weren’t trying to look like you were trying too hard… Kai-chan’s still gonna take the interview seriously, but I think you’ll do well.”

Real busy days lately...and they were going to get busier. 

Looking between his friends, Kokichi posed a question. “So...should we talk about how we wanna approach making a defence or...just try to talk to people first?”

“We’re still in agreement that we’re keeping this secret from everyone until the three of us understand it, yes?” Temp asked, now that his apology was done, easily falling back into his casual, easily confident air. 

Alter Ego sat down on their hind legs and looked up at their two friends as their ear twitched, “I’ve been considering that. While we should keep it between us for now, I’d like to propose that if we find we’re struggling with it? That we should discuss, if we have too, other people we’d be willing to trust to bring into the fold. Preferably people we’ve worked with before. Temp, have you had any more contact with the swamp witch who gave Kokichi his necklace? That worked extremely well… she could be invaluable if we need more magical influence.”

“I have been in contact with her… but if we are in need of further help, I’d prefer we know exactly what we need from her, before we go back to the swamp for further help. I am… still very much in debt over the grounding necklace. I’d like to be able to dig myself out of that hole, someday.” Temp sighed, crossing his arms, “It’s nothing I can’t handle now. But further indebting myself to her could make circumstances difficult.”

Kokichi winced a little, feeling guilty over being the reason for Temp’s debt, but...well, he’d been brushed off when he apologized before, and there wasn’t much reason to push the issue. He could only be available for help if Temp came to him. 

But as for others they’d ask help from?

Kokichi sighed, rubbing the back of his neck a bit. “I mean...the only other magical person I know where I know they’re magical is Mikado, and he said he can’t travel to other people’s consciousnesses… But,” Kokichi hummed consideringly, “He had been able to recognize that bastard’s influence in Kai-chan’s mind. If we have trouble creating defences that can recognize the metaphor of conditioning, it might be worth talking to him about forms he’s seen. Other empaths in the community might be able to too, though I don’t know any others myself…”

Alter Eg nodded, “That’s an excellent point, actually. Mikado spends almost all of his time looking into minds. For being such a low level empath, he’s very likely more familiar with a wide range of minds and ways of thinkings than even the most studied Empaths. A difference between field work and text work… the sheer fact that he recognized Kaito was being invaded in the thirty seconds he spends looking through those costumers minds? His familiarity with how peoples minds works is likely invaluable…”

Temp frowned, “Can he be trusted to keep the secret?”

“I’m not certain, as far as willingness goes, though seeing his minds defenses, I imagine it’d be extremely difficult to take that information from him by force.” Alter Ego licked their paw a little, thinking about it… before saying, “But, again, these are just in case we find ourselves really, truly stuck. Hopefully we won’t need any assistance.”

“Well, we do still need one bit of assistance… if we’re going to start working on anything, we have to go find a mind to experiment in.” Temp sighed, before looking to Kokichi, “So… who do you feel we should ask first?”

Hopefully they could find success in making an adaptive defense that would be able to work on conditioning...but it was nice to know that there was help if they needed it. For the time being, they could try to figure it out on their own, try to find the method that would work so they could pass the information on to other empaths and...one day, everyone who had been hurt by the program would at least have their minds back. 

Kokichi sighed, deeply hoping for that future, and thought for a moment. “...I think we should ask Shuu-chan first. He was heading to sleep too, so that should make things a little easier just in talking to him, and...he’s my boyfriend. Even if I don’t exactly remember what to look for, he’ll be the easiest person for me to see if something’s changing.”

“However…” Kokichi looked at his friends, lips thinned a bit. “Shuu-chan dreams loops of his days, so if he has a dream, he’s gonna be uncomfortable right from the start. And...I don’t have the details about how, really, but he and Maki-chan always told me that the program had messed up his conditioning. Like...sometimes his triggers are seemingly random, and while they tried to put obedience conditioning in him, it never took...but he pretended it did to protect himself. I think...it might be important to consider that, if he accepts.”

...he hoped Shuuichi would accept. His boyfriend could be suspicious and cynical, but...making it so he wouldn’t go on data dumps anymore? It didn’t happen often these days anyway, but if they could insure it? It would surely be a peace of mind, right?

Temp’s eyes widened at that, before he placed his finger against his chin, thinking about it, “If his conditioning didn’t take, seeing why it didn’t take might make it easier for us to work out why some defenses work and others don’t… which, if your defense for Kaito worked because of his faith in his religion, then knowing how certain types of defenses effect certain types of people will be relevant… mind you, we won’t really know anything until we start. So.”

Alter Ego squared their furry shoulders, and said, “I volunteered to go next, and I still intend to uphold that. Kokichi, I swear to you… I promise. I will be unfailingly careful in your partner's mind. I will take no risks. No harm will come to the father of your child.”

That made a lot of sense… Kokichi figured that just making copies of Saint Madison wouldn’t work, and the reason why he had placed his hopes in making her in the first place was because he knew about Kaito’s unwavering faith in his religion. There was no loophole for anyone, including Tengan, to abuse--Atua was absolute in Kaito’s mind. 

It...did beg the question, though, if that sort of solution would only work for people who had absolute faith in something...but there were other things to consider. Discovering the nature of someone’s conditioning might help with that. 

Crouching down again, Kokichi leveled a serious gaze on his mentor, reaching out to place a hand on their little head. “...I know you will. I trust you, Alter Ego. It’s my trust in you, in both of you, really,” he glanced over to give Temp a nod, “and our promise to only do this together, that gave me the confidence to speak up last time about the people I know with conditioning. They’re people I care about, and people who put their faith in me concerning that fact. And I can put my faith in your two to respect that too.”

Straightening, he gave the other two empaths a grin. “I’ve actually been to Shuu-chan’s mind before… He had a nightmare that pulled me in. Hopefully that familiarity will count for something.” 

Kokichi took a breath and felt out for his boyfriend’s mind, able to find it quickly from having been there before, along with his familiarity with Shuuichi in general, and he opened a portal. 

Hopefully, starting from tonight...Shuuichi would be on the path to total freedom.

-

“Alright… have fun. Be safe.” Shuuichi told them, giving Kaito and Kokichi a little wave as Kaito closed the door, the two of them heading to the dance. 

Well… he had the evening to himself. What to do with himself… he supposed he could study some more. Or maybe read a bit. Take a nap, make an early day of it…

...could take a bath. 

A bath sounded nice, actually. The hot tub had spoiled him. He really wanted to go into the hot tub again, if he was being totally honest. But… well, actually, why not? He had the whole evening to himself. The door had a lock. If he went down there and the hot tub was empty, he’d lock the door and have a soak. It’d feel great on his back.

Deciding on it, Shuuichi got up from the bed with a grunt, sighing as he felt his back give him a warning spasm… and then sighed, rubbing his belly as sudden little kicks suggested he had disturbed his passenger as he said, “Yeah, yeah, relax, we’re just going to go on a little trip… you’re gonna be warm and toasty and comfy soon, and your fathers going to go give his poor spine a break. Let’s go, Miyako…”

Going over to the dresser, Shuuichi started taking out a fresh pair of boxers and a big t-shirt he could wear into the jacuzzi, and as he headed to the bathroom closet to get a towel, the trio stepped out of Kokichi’s portal, and into the bedroom. 

Alter Ego looked around, “Okay, so… interesting. This feels like a lounge. That’s two for two now, Kokichi, in your partners just inexplicably having mental lounges, despite not being empaths themselves.”

“That might be an affect of the conditioning itself. Maybe constructing a lounge to protect themselves is a part of the conditioning process? Or maybe a self-defense instinct that happens in peoples minds, who have a history of being invaded?” Temp mused, looking around the room as Shuuichi fussed with the towel in the bathroom. “Though, the fact that it’s his lounge that repeats the memories of his days for him… Kokichi, why does he do this? Is looping his memories something Shuuichi was born doing?”

Kokichi shook his head a bit. “No, he said it was part of his conditioning. He said it helped him catch details about cases, able to analyze things over and over… He was actually kind of freaked out when he didn’t do it, asked me an’ Kai-chan what had happened the day before. He said he remembered it, but...I guess he’s used to remembering it so vividly that it didn’t feel like enough.”

“I...didn’t think it would be a lobby, though… It’s something Shuu-chan’s paying attention to, so...it feels different from Kai-chan’s, at least to me…” Kokichi looked around the memory of their room in wonder, perking up when he saw the bathroom door start to open and quickly dove behind the bed, hiding from Shuuichi.

Temp, following Kokichi’s lead, made a small, swishing motion with his hand, and his image faded into nothing, merging in with the small shadows of the room. Alter Ego, in turn…

His things collected in hand, Shuuichi walked by the bed… and stopped. Looking at the cat in confusion.

“Meow?” Alter Ego offered as an explanation. Tail flicking playfully against the bed. 

“...” Shuuichi frowned at this slightly, before reaching over to pat the cats head a little, Alter Ego bearing this heroically as Shuuichi didn’t so much ‘pet’ as ‘pat pat’, before continuing on with his memory, Shuuichi aware that there was now something off about this memory, but not overly disturbed, simply moving on to the next part of it. 

As Shuuichi headed out into the hallway, the room they were all in immediately dimmed. The colors more muted, all signs of life, flecks of dust in the light outside the window, the scent of the room, the sounds, almost unnoticeable, of the pipes in the walls, all muted, halted. The room kept in stasis, entirely frozen, for how Shuuichi last remembered it being, and likely would stay that way until Shuuichi’s memories led him back into here.

“This is actually very impressive.” Temp admitted, looking around the room, “Shuuichi’s lobby, for a room he’s not using to deteriorate this little, not to fade completely? It must be huge. Perhaps as large as everywhere he’s personally visited the day before?”

“Well, we need to get out of it. We won’t get anything done with his lobby. We need access to his mind…” Alter Ego said, before hopping off the bed, looking around the room, feeling out, “Every lobby has a weak point… some part where the consciousness’s sense of surface self fades… Kokichi. This might be a good chance for you to try this, actually. See if you can still yourself, and feel the walls of the lounge… it’s sort of like stepping into the setting itself. Existing as this part of the consciousness… and looking for places that feels weaker, or confusing, in your sense of self.”

“Is that how you describe it? I imagine myself getting bigger and bigger until I fill all the cracks of the place.” Temp mused, before shrugging to Kokichi, “But that’s just a different way of looking at the same result.”

Kokichi let out a little breath as Shuuichi continued on with his memory. While they did need to talk to him, it would be easier to do if it felt...natural. Not like they were disrupting Shuuichi’s mind. It wasn’t Kokichi’s intention to make his boyfriend feel threatened, or like he needed to be defensive. 

So...they needed to speak with a...not going through the motions version of Shuuichi’s consciousness. 

Giving his friends a nod, Kokichi sat against the slightly blurred version of their bed, closing his eyes and trying to...melt. Become all mixed in with the air, the consciousness, letting it mingle and...trying to feel all of himself. How it felt. Where he could…

It took a bit. A feeling so foreign that Kokichi had trouble feeling what Shuuichi’s consciousness actually felt like, what it would mean for there to be a weakness. 

But...there was something there. 

Still with his eyes closed, Kokichi walked over to the closed window, giving it a one! A Two! (His hands glowing for a moment.) A threeeee! And it opened! The landscape of the town unmoving and flat, but Kokichi paid it no mind, starting to climb out of the window and into the inky darkness right below it, something Shuuichi’s mind hadn’t bothered filling in. 

“This way…” Kokichi murmured, still hyper-focused. 

“Hmmm… nice.” Temp murmured, giving Alter Ego an approving nod.

“He’s a quick learner, right? I’ve never had to tell him anything more than once. He’s extremely quick on the uptake.” Alter Ego bragged, little kitty chest swelling with pride, before leaping onto the windowsill and, with a quick glance to the inky abyss below, he leapt down to follow. 

Temp took one last look around the room, and said, “Someone trained not to dream, but to constantly analyze… no introspection, incomprehensible outrospection… this should be an interesting mind to see. I wonder how he’ll rationalize his observations to himself.”

And, with that final curious question to himself, Temp followed as well into the darkness.

As the fell through the darkness, things started getting colder and colder, and there was a certain thickness to the atmosphere, their descent getting slower and slower...and when they finally landed, they were in a long, dark corridor, the floor wet with maybe three inches of water, the water glowing a a light blue fluorescence. Within the water itself, near the edges, there was little lily pads, small, brightly colors blue and green frogs resting on them. Croaking occasionally, their croaks echoing down the dark stone walls.

Temp, when he landed, felt a small amount of algae brush against his sandaled toes, raising an eyebrow at the little detail in this part of the consciousness… and he heard a low, sad whine…

Glancing behind him, he saw a very unhappy, very wet cat, sitting miserably next to a lily pad, a frog croaking on their head. “Why are so many metaphors wet? Why?”

As they fell, Kokichi blinked himself out of the weird focus, though what he perceived wasn’t exactly welcoming. Shivering, Kokichi gave himself one of his winter coats, balling his hands in the sleeves for the time being. However, the place they landed was less winter wonderland and more...cold swamp corridor? The sort of place Kokichi would imagine while reading some fantasy adventure book... It was pretty.

And wet.

Stifling a laugh, Kokichi let out a little ‘awww’, and crouched down to offer Alter Ego a ride on his shoulders or arms as they walked. “Well, it is one of the foundations for life… Honestly, I’m a little more glad that Shuu-chan’s mind chose frogs instead of snakes… Considering how bright these ones are, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were poisonous, but at least we can just leave them alone--a big snake in here? That’s even more of a bad time for you.”

Still...they couldn’t be sure what to expect. Kokichi looked down each end of the corridor, seeing not even an indication of a bend, and while the water was bright enough to see, the ceiling, if there was one, was still entirely shrouded in darkness. “...so should we just summon a memory of Shuu-chan? It’d be the same as like...trying to find him in here, right?”

“Basically, yes. For the majority of untrained minds, there’s only two personified versions of the consciousness present. Surface, which is the version of the consciousness that’s basically thinking in the real world… some consider this version the most ‘true’ version of the consciousness, but personally, I consider the inner constant self the truest version of a person. The version of themselves that essentially lives in here.”

“Well, you would believe that. You are only the inner constant.” Temp pointed out, ignoring the felines dirty look, the cat resting on Kokich’s shoulder, dry now, “But the inner constant is not really different from… well, from these walls. Or those frogs. Or the water. Just another part of the consciousness, able to introspect about itself…”

“I think all you’re trying to say is that we should make a memory, but don’t be surprised if we stumble across another Shuuichi in here outside of other memories. And don’t be concerned about ‘tricking’ him. We’ve made no efforts to mask our presence here. Shuuichi’s mind is aware, in certain ways, we’re here… his mind just hasn’t made any decisions to do anything about that. Sensing us, but likely not understanding us. Not enough to realize anythings actually wrong.”

Kokichi hummed softly, taking in the clarification and...honestly, some musings about the nature of the self. The truest version of a person…

...he wasn’t sure there was a thing like that. All of a person was themself. Sure, people could play pretend, act certain ways with the intention of fooling others but...the choice to do that was them. How they put on that act was them. Inner and outer...it was all parts of a person, none more “true” than any other. 

Kokichi had actually had a little more practice in making a memory than he had of feeling out a consciousness, so in just a few moments he pulled, bringing in a memory of Shuuichi to stand in the corridor with them. Smiling gently, Kokichi stepped forward, offering a hand to hold. 

“Hi, Shuu-chan.”

Shuuichi took the hand… but he looked confused. Looking around at Temp and Alter Ego… before murmuring, “Oh. I see. That’s why there was a cat earlier… Kokichi, did you get us a cat? I think Kaito’s going to be upset we got a cat before we got him his fish.”

“Meow.” Alter Ego tried to explain.

“It’s my cat.” Temp said with a small smirk.

“Rrrrr.” Alter Ego threatened.

Shuuichi frowned, still looking around… just… really confused… before murmuring, “...this isn’t… real?”

“Feel free to take a moment, Shuuichi.” Temp said gently, the memory just looking more and more disturbed, as he looked down at the water, kicking it gently to watch the glowing ripples spread, “You understand what is happening. You understand because your partner, who summoned you, understands. I understand you have a skeptical nature, but if you allow yourself to relax…”

Shuuichi squeezed Kokichi’s hand, frowning still. He gave Temp a less than convinced expression, before looking to Kokichi, “...you…” Shuuichi squeezed… but his eyes narrowed, “You don’t think you’re supposed to be here. Why are you here, Kokichi?”

Kokichi sighed, his smile tinging melancholic as he squeezed Shuuichi’s hand gently. “...normally, I don’t want to be here. For any of you guys. I don’t want to pry...if I’m going to learn about you, I want it to be because you chose to share.”

“However,” Kokichi took a breath, his expression going more serious. “This is important and...I think it’s worth trying for.” In a way, he was sacrificing his partners’ and friends’ privacy. Not in a way where he, Alter Ego, and Temp were going to go digging into everything that made someone who they were, all their thoughts and secrets...but they were going to learn some intimate things. And for that, Kokichi wasn’t happy about it. But for the chance of freedom...he had a feeling some of them would’ve invited them in if they knew to. 

“Shuu-chan...we figured out a way to get rid of conditioning. My friends and I are here to ask if...it’d be okay if we did that for you. If you say no, we’ll leave, I promise.”

Shuuichi gave Kokichi a concerned look. Little by little, what Kokichi knew about the situation was filling in the blanks, and like Temp had said, it was really only Shuuichi’s suspicious nature that was stopping him from fully embracing the knowledge.

But… “Sorry, give me a second. I’m just trying to digest this and… Miya’s kicking again, and I might wake up any second… and I really want vinegar. Like, I will take pickles, but I don’t really want the pickles. I want the pickle juice. And… and you can fix conditioning… you’re an empath? What is an empat-”

“If you’re uncomfortable, you can change your form to something a little less distracting.” Temp said, realizing the memory was starting to work itself up. Wanting to distract him to call Shuuichi down, he said, “Your body, and Miyako, are safe and sound, out in the real world. It will be no failing, to put her down in your mind, long enough to do this. If you’d like.”

Shuuichi immediately put a hand on his stomach, alarmed, “...I can put Miyako down…?” 

“Meow.” Alter Ego explained. Shuuichi gave the cat a confused look.

“You can put down the discomforts of your pregnancy, in here. It will cause your daughter no harm. You’re just thinking about yourself for an hour. She will be fine.” Temp explained on Alter Ego’s behalf, glancing at Kokichi, saying again, “And our presence here may be easier to bear, if you are not so distracted by the discomforts of your skin.”

Shuuichi didn’t look entirely convinced… still gently rubbing his stomach… before looking to Kokichi for confirmation. “Miyako will be okay?”

Kokichi’s smile returned, hearing about his boyfriend’s cravings and baby disturbances. It wasn’t like she was a gymnast, but Miyako had been getting pretty active lately. Their little daughter...almost ready to head out into the world. Almost ready to give Shuuichi more of a break than he’d gotten in nearly nine months. 

Bringing their hands up, Kokichi placed a kiss on Shuuichi’s fingers. “She’ll be just fine. You’re still keeping her safe, and I’d be willing to bet that if she keeps kicking, then Kai-chan’s gonna start cooing to your stomach again while we’re sleeping.”

“Think of it like...meditating,” he offered. “Everything physical is still there. You’re just giving your mind some peace.”

Shuuichi still looked… tense. And there was a flash of guilt on his face. Like he was ashamed at how… alluring all that sounded. Still gently rubbing his stomach. He loved Miyako. He loved Miyako. He had been worried for a long time he wouldn’t, but ever since he felt her first start to kick… it was like, after that, she was real. And… it was easier to love a baby that was real, than a baby that was a concept. And Shuuichi hoped that when she was finally out, that any and all doubts that he loved her would finally just… disappear.

And the doubts… that was what made him feel guilty. Because as much as he loved Miyako… not being pregnant…

Just think of it like meditating.

Miyako is still in bed with him. Kaito liked to keep his hand on Shuuichi’s stomach. Kaito was probably already awake, softly speaking to her. Reassuring her. Dad was there. Daddy nearby. Dadda hadn’t put her down… let her down… it was okay. She was safe. Everyone was safe.

Shuuichi closed his eyes for a moment… and breathed… it was okay… you could put her down… everything was okay…

And when he opened his eyes… he immediately felt the difference. 

Shuuichi looked down at himself, eyes wide, looking first at his hands. His hands and arms felt… less strong. His legs too. The muscles thinner. He frowned at that a bit, but… his back didn’t hurt. His round belly was gone. He could see his feet. His hips were narrow… he put his hands on his chest and just…

...it was like none of it had ever happened…

… Shuuichi felt his eyes start to sting, and he put his hands down, before reaching up and lowering the brim of his hat. Embarrassed… at just how affected he felt. Normal… he felt normal…

… none of this was real. Not physically. Not in a way that mattered. If there was any better proof to that, then his body returned to him was a prime example. He needed to mentally adjust to that.

So, relaxing, he let all of Kokichi’s knowledge in, accepting Kokichi’s mind… and calmed, he looked over at his partner. Eyes soft, a calm, curious look on his face… before he smiled. “You fixed Kaito’s conditioning.”

Kokichi’s gaze softened as, all at once Shuuichi...looked how he did the first day they met. Before Miyako, before the pollen… Of course it was a change, and they had all noticed it, but...seeing it all at once? From Shuuichi heavily pregnant, back to before his muscles had even started bulking…

...he wished there was some way to give Shuuichi his body back. But...well, that’s not the change they were there for. 

A little relieved at Shuuichi’s smile, Kokichi nodded gently. “Pretty much. Basically...I provided this thing called a defense, and it...keeps Kai-chan’s conditioning from affecting his thoughts. At least to the point of forcing them to be a certain way. He still feels that initial discomfort, I’m guessing just…’cause he’s had it for so long, but...he has the option to choose otherwise now. And...with enough time, I think there won’t even be that impulse to follow the conditioning anymore.”

“Our theory, though,” Kokichi nodded to Alter Ego and Temp--though it was a little difficult to do so with Alter Ego on his shoulders, “Is that the way the defense works, to a point, kinda...has to be unique to each mind.”

He sighed, squeezing Shuuichi’s hand again. “...that’s why we’re asking. We’re not...totally sure on how to make a surefire defense that will prevent conditioning from...I guess, activating in your mind. We want to know the specific process before we share it with other empaths...before we start setting up defences in a ton of people’s minds.”

“...I don’t want you to be an experiment. If you say no, we’ll leave,” Kokichi promised again. “But...Shuu-chan? Can we try and get rid of your conditioning?” 

Shuuichi, to his credit, paused to think about this. He thought about it for awhile. And, as he thought about it, the frogs around him croaked louder. Starting to jump around, the water at their feet no longer stagnant, but swishing, a current running through them, pulling gently at the lily pads. 

And when he let out a breath, the current slowed, the water coming to a still again. “My conditioning is, in comparison to others, light. I have a compulsion to tell authority information, and at night, my dreams repeat my memory of the day. More was attempted, but for some reason, it never took… my conditioning was extremely poorly made as well… in a way?”

Shuuichi laughed lightly, something shockingly relaxed in him. It was amazing… nothing hurt right now… “I feel like for what you are attempting? I may be almost… easy? If my conditioning barely functions, perhaps it won’t be difficult to fix it. If my conditioning is relatively simple to fix, then you could almost consider me a… a tutorial, of sorts. A simple, easy puzzle to solve… but because of that, I don’t know how much solving me would actually… help you. With people with properly done conditionings. I might prove to be a waste of your time.”

“We can’t know fixing broken conditioning will prove to be simpler than fixing well-established conditioning. We’re so early in the process that learning anything will be helpful… but even if we learn nothing? Nothing that we can replicate?” Alter Ego met golden eyes with golden eyes, something stern in their voice, “Ridding you of conditioning will not be a waste of time. Your mind is your own. We wish to fix the wrongs of other empaths, and give the parts they took back to you. That alone is more than worth it.”

Shuuichi blinked at the cat… before whispering to Kokichi, “Your cat talks.”

Kokichi frowned a bit, but Alter Ego beat him to the punch. Shuuichi may be a unique case, but...minds were complex. Every person’s conditioning might be a unique case--they had no idea yet. But the effort and time put into helping someone was never wasted. 

But even in the face of a heartfelt statement like that, Kokichi could only give Shuuichi an amused look. “They can. You’ve met Temp, Shuu-chan, but this is Alter Ego, my empath mentor. If you’re open to it, they’re the one that’s gonna try building you a defense.”

A little sheepishly, Kokichi tugged on a piece of his hair. “At least when I did it for Kai-chan, make a defense that strong...really takes it out of me. We’re all taking turns, trying to make sure it’s something we all can do, and...well, it gives the other two a break. Though...you are the first person we’ve spoken to about this.”

Shuuichi considered this, Kokichi’s knowledge filling in the parts he didn’t… before he suddenly looked worried. Taking Kokichi’s hands into his, he said softly to him, “This is making you sick, Kokichi… or, it’s exacerbating it… are you sure you should be doing this? Being conditioned… it’s not that bad. I mean, you get used to it. Me, Kaito, Maki, Tim… we’ll all be okay if you choose to prioritize your health. I’d understand.”

Kokichi let out a little frustrated breath, and while the look in his eyes was deadly serious, his grip on Shuuichi’s hands was gentle, just soothingly rubbing the sides. “It’s nice that you worry about me, but...even if this was slowly making me sick? You’re worth it, Shuu-chan. Fuck, you’re easily worth it!”

“None of you should’ve been conditioned in the first place! And you’re all such strong, wonderful people, so you’ve worked and lived past the horror of it happening to you, to work past the obstacles that it’s put in your path. You’re more than strong enough to live the rest of your lives with it.”

Kokichi gently squeezed Shuuichi’s hands, stepping closer to him. “But you shouldn’t have to. You, Kai-chan, Maki-chan, Timothy...you deserve to have the same freedom as everyone else. To have all of your minds to yourself. To be able to relax, to not have to work as hard… You guys deserve the world, Shuu-chan.”

“And...if it was making me sick?” he calmed slightly. “Then I’d make sure you guys were safe, and I’d ask Alter Ego and Temp if they could spread the word… But everything I’m learning about being an empath...it’s to make sure I don’t hurt myself. I can’t sit by while people are asking for help...so I can get stronger to help them without hurting myself. If it gets to me more than I can handle, I’ll back off. But I want to help people…”

Kokichi smiled softly, bringing Shuuichi’s hands up to kiss again. “...I have this gift. I want to use it.”

“...Okay. Fine. But…” Shuuichi squeezed Kokichi’s hands, “I agree to be your first experiment on one condition.”

“Which is?” Temp asked, a literal worshiper of trade. 

Shuuichi looked over to Temp. A serious, almost viscous look on his face, “You look different in here. You feel different… but your Kokichi’s friend, Temp. The one looking to adopt Bonus?” Shuuichi looked over at Kokichi, and explained, “I know… most of what you know. But some of it doesn’t… click. I need a starting point to understand what you know… but that’s Temp. An Empath. Who knows what you are and what you’re doing… but you… don’t?” Shuuichi asked, sounding somewhat uncertain, his mind struggling to finish the half made connections. “You don’t. Remember. In the real world… you don’t know that you’re taking these risks and putting yourself in danger. You don’t know why sometimes you feel more sick than others… and… and you… can’t handle that information yet.”

Shuuichi frowned, brow furrowed, “Which is why you haven't asked for… what I’m about to ask for. Right? I… I think that’s right… I know, I know... “ Shuuichi smiled softly, “Mind reading. It’s a no-no…”

“You said you had a condition, Shuuichi?” Temp reminded him.

“Right… you’re going to inform me of what’s happening to Kokichi in the real world.” Shuuichi said, looking to Temp. His eyes cool and calm and insistent. “All of it. Everything. Kokichi may know what’s going on in this place, but he doesn’t out there. Someone needs to be watching out for him out there. You need to tell me.”

“...you won’t believe me.” Temp said.

“Convince me.” Shuuichi replied. “That’s the deal.”

Kokichi looked a bit sheepish as Shuuichi explained his condition. He could make a lot of vows and promises in the mindscape...but as it was, none of those could transfer over in good faith to the physical world. He was starting to remember! And it was incredible! But...until he remembered all of it…

...and...maybe there was a reason he hadn’t just asked Temp to explain it when he was awake. 

While he kept his shoulders square to support Alter Ego, Kokichi thunked his head forward onto Shuuichi’s shoulder, sighing as he gave his hands a squeeze. “...there’s so much more to the world than I had ever thought, Shuu-chan. So much more. Things that have...changed my understanding...even more than learning about Luminary. In some ways...I know I’ve only been able to handle it because I know that I won’t remember when I wake up. When that day comes...all of it will be real again. I’ll never be able to look at the world the same again. And I’m...constantly going to have to look at how I interact with the world, what I want to do on a larger scale...have to think about what it means for me to exist and be alive.”

“...it’s really heavy, Shuu-chan. Are you sure you want it? Are you sure you’ll be willing to listen?”

Shuuichi put his arms around Kokichi. Rubbing the tips of his fingers along his back, feather light.

“...four months ago, I found out that two people could both, at the same time be the father of my little girl.” Shuuichi said, lighting rubbing his fingers up and down. “Three months before that, I found out I was pregnant. A month and a few days before that, I found out a foriegn prince could love an Indentured. A month and a few weeks before that, I found out I could get pregnant. A few weeks before that, I found out… I found out all I had to do was go two months to the east to be free, and I could just… go to university. If I wanted too. Ten months ago, I found out that you go two months to the east, and everything was different…”

“...Also, Nadya’s a witch, and also might be a demon? So those are real and that’s pretty weird too. Also, pollen itself is pretty weird? Like, Kokichi, my world has already been insanely weird for the last year.” Shuuichi laughed, gently pushing him back, looking down at him fondly. “What’s a little more?”

Kokichi relaxed into the hug, smiling softly at the list of...yeah, their incredibly insane year. Barely even touching on interpersonal things. Sure, explaining about psychics and magic folk was...a pretty big step, to say the least, but...if Shuuichi thought he could take it now, then he could take it in the physical world too. 

Though, at the last things Shuuichi listed...maybe he already had more of a clue. 

Kokichi gaped up at his boyfriend with wide eyes. “Nadya-chan’s what?! Really?” ...that might be another person to get help from. 

...shit, he really could ask her about Flora parenting books now…

Looking over at Alter Ego, tilting his head just so to see the cat, he asked, “...is she one of the Flora I knew that you were talking about before?!”

Alter Ego looked confused, before shaking their head. “No. Nadya is not a Flora. But, based on what Shuuichi just said? It sounds like she might be closer to what the swamp witch is. Someone studied in magic… or a demon? I mean… I’ve… heard rumors that demons actually exist, but-”

“They do.” Temp said immediately, “But, if she was a demon, I highly doubt Shuuichi would know about it. Demons are very good at protecting themselves, their species reputation being a huge danger to themselves. Not a lot of people willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, though they have the same capacity of good and evil as any other species. She’s likely as he said… a witch.”

“I wasn’t going to tell you, but that was before I knew you were involved in all of this already. And, Nadya… whatever she is? She’s a good person. If your life… if our lives is full of magic stuff now? Then yes. She can help us. We can trust her… even if she can’t trust me.” Shuuichi shrugged, entirely self aware.

Temp, in turn, was still staring at Shuuichi, tapping at his arm, arms still crossed over his chest… before saying to Kokichi, “I’m sworn by any trade I make. But, Kokichi, I will leave it to you if I accept this trade. His knowledge of your situation, given to him by me, in exchange for allowing us to experiment in his mind. Do I agree to those conditions?”

Shuuichi smiled, petting Kokichi’s hair. “Let me do this for you. I can handle it… and someone should know.”

Kokichi didn’t doubt Nadya, even if his surprise over her being involved in magic was a shock. From the very start she’d been nothing but kind and understanding, and having worked together all these months...well, if she had any nefarious ulterior motive, he figured something would’ve come of it by now. She was a friend, no matter who or what she was. 

Really...whether you knew magic or were one of the magic folk didn’t matter all that much. People were people, in every range and flavor there was. If you found a friend, then that was what mattered. 

Kokichi looked between Temp and Shuuichi, weighing the trade. It...was a fair one. And… Kokichi looked over, comforted by the fingers in his hair. If Shuuichi said he could handle it...then he trusted him. 

“Alright… I think you should agree, Temp.” Again, Kokichi leaned his head on Shuuichi’s shoulder. “...I’m starting to remember. Just barely...but I am. I can’t prove it in the physical world, but...I’m choosing to do this, Shuu-chan. Please trust me on that, even when we’re both awake.”

Shuuichi leaned down a bit, and gently kissed Kokichi on the cheek, “We’ll both be okay… you-” Shuuichi said, straightening up and giving The Templar an unimpressed look, “Better be better at convincing me of that then you were at convincing Kaito you weren’t trying to trick him into giving you a baby. He think’s your well meaning enough, if a little stupid, now, but he told me he was ready to drag you out the back of that restaurant and beat the truth out of you before you just confessed what was going on. And between him and myself, I’m the ‘suspicious’ one…”

“And between him and myself, he’s the violently protective one… but that’s still only in comparison to each other. Don’t play games with me. Treat it seriously, when you tell me. I’ll be skeptical and nervous and looking for signs of betrayal, and I won’t like anything that validates those fears. Don’t treat my fears idly, and don’t treat my threats like bluffs. They’re not. I’ll be scared and defensive, and that will make me dangerous… do you understand?” Shuuichi asked, all the small, colorful frogs, all staring at Temp, all suddenly very, very quiet… the water beneath them moving again. A current running through, ripples pushing the water…

...something big in the tunnels, pushing the water in its movement…

...something large, slithering in the darkness…

...a hiss…

Temp didn’t look disturbed… but he did nod, not mocking or deriding Shuuichi’s threat. The man was trying to give him a genuine warning. Shuuichi knew he’d be nervous and defensive when Temp started basically spouting what would sound like nonsense to him, and was trying to let Temp know that beforehand. Temp wasn’t going to mock a warning like that. He’d respect Shuuichi’s fear, and said so. “I’ll be clear. No head games. I’ll come to you with proof, and I’ll treat any doubts or fears you have seriously. I’ll be patient through your threats. I will make certain by the end of it you understand. Agreed?”

...Shuuichi relaxed. The water no longer rippling. The colorful frogs croaking again, as the big thing slithering in the darkness of the tunnels slithered away, appeased. “Thank you. I apologize if I’m a nuisance. Thank you for your patience… now. How do you all wish to start this? My mind is…” Shuuichi looked to Kokichi, taking his hand, squeezing it, a soft look of trust.  “My mind is yours to experiment with. Please take care of it.”

Kokichi felt the urge to interject--and at one point he did sigh with a murmur of his husband’s name, knowing very well why Kaito hadn’t told that to him--but...this was an important understanding. It wasn’t going to be as easy as having a conversation in the mindscape and then recreating it in real life, even if there was something to that in this. It was going to be an uphill battle, convincing Shuuichi. So...Temp needed to be prepared. 

Though, he did look down at the water in surprise. Huh...so there was a snake here. 

Once Temp and Shuuichi agreed to their deal, Kokichi squeezed Shuuichi’s hand back. “We’ll take care of you. Thank you for letting us.”

“...when I made Saint Madison...I had a wish to protect Kaito from all intruders and people that wished to manipulate him,” Kokichi mused, repeating himself somewhat, but just laying out his process clearly for them all. “And...I called out to her because I remembered the story Kai-chan told me about a protector. I invoked the name of Atua and the saint while offering a blood sacrifice because...that’s what I knew Kai-chan believed in. Then, later...she didn’t even know she was undoing his conditioning, just that he got panicked and stressed and she sought to alleviate that because...she was meant to protect him.”

“So…” Kokichi furrowed his brow, trying to think it through. “We need to invoke something that Shuu-chan believes in above all else? In a way that matches his logic.”

“Which, is where I come in!” Alter Ego said, about to leap off Kokichi… before looking in distaste at the water below. “Shuuichi, may I please have something I can stand on?”

Shuuichi gave the cat a curious look, “This place isn’t real. Can’t you make it yourself?”

“Not without changing the rules of this area, and that would require forcing some control of your mind away from you. If you change the rules to allow me to have a magical floating cloud of something, I could do that, but it’s tough to change the rules of your own mind without having some practice in it.” Alter Ego admitted, shrugging their kitty shoulders, “So, is there anything that would make sense to you that I could stand o- oh.”

Alter Ego watched as a… step ladder. Appeared in the middle of the water.

“...sort of unimaginative. Why not just a table or something?” The cat asked, leaping from Kokichi’s shoulder to the ladder. 

“Because you might need to move around, and a step ladder has legs.” Shuuichi replied simply.

“...what-oh!” Alter Ego’s fur stood on end as the ladder, showing off its chops, started to walk in a circle, it’s… ‘legs’ moving with a weird liquid like motion, it’s walk weirdly comically exaggerated. 

And ‘comically’ was probably the point, as the cat looked over to the detective, and saw him smiling, something genuinely delighted in his expression. Apparently quite pleased with his walking step ladder. “What?” Shuuichi asked, laughing lightly, “It works.”

“It does.” Alter Ego conceded, sighing. “So, Shuuichi! You and I need to get to know each other a bit, before I try to make you a defense… you heard what Kokichi said. We need to find out what you beli-”

“If we go on the idea of ‘faith’, then this is a dead end.” Shuuichi said simply, “I don’t believe in anything with the same amount of faith that Kaito believes in Atua. No religion, no philosophy, no authority, nothing like that… I was raised to doubt everything. And I do.”

Alter Ego’s tail flicked… before saying, “That’s fine. That doesn’t mean this is hopeless. We know it’s possible to create a conditioning fixing defense, but we knew going into this that the logic behind it was going to be different per person. That’s why we’re experimenting. We have to see what works and doesn’t… and we already know that there’s one kind of conditioning that doesn’t work on you. Obedience, right? They tried?”

Shuuichi nodded, a slightly grim look on his face. “They did. Twice. As in, two different sessions. One summer when I was six, and two summers later, when I was eight. My seventh summer they did information conditioning. Dream conditioning was throughout all sessions… I have a feeling I wouldn’t have qualified for the detective program at all, if I hadn’t shown signs of the dream conditioning working my first summer. Dream conditioning worked perfectly, information conditioning was spotty, and obedience never worked at all, though, by eight years old, I knew better than to let them know that. At… at fourteen, I was sent back for two weeks of reinforcement. Where they confirmed everything was still working. Past that? No more attempts at conditioning happened.”

“A summer… a full summer?”

“Two months.”

“Two months when you were six, seven, and eight, and two weeks at the age of fourteen, likely to see if puberty had affected your conditioning at all… but beyond that… okay. So we can assume that if they put that much time into it, it wasn’t for lack of effort. They tried… and it didn’t work. If we can figure out why not, that could be the key to getting rid of all of it.” Alter Ego murmured, half to themselves… before looking to Temp and Kokichi, “Does that logic make sense?”

“Maybe… I would like to suggest that perhaps we should simply try recreating a defense like Madison in his mind, just to see if that alone would work. Without having to invade any more of his privacy than we need to.” Temp suggested, “It… probably won’t work. But it might be worth confirming it won’t work.”

Kokichi laughed a bit, watching the stepladder prance about, and the look he sent Shuuichi, seeing the amused look on his boyfriend’s face, was entirely fond and adoring. He really loved this man…

...and that was why it hurt so much, hearing about the specifics of his conditioning. Knowing that as a young child, his boyfriend had been put through all that… Concentrated sessions where they broke a person down so much that an empath could reach in and...do whatever the fuck they wanted. Smash and rearrange and do things that should never be done to a person. 

Kokichi huffed, but calmed himself, crossing his arms. “I think we’d be doing ourselves a disservice by assuming anything...but I really don’t think we can just copy Madison here.” 

Turning to Shuuichi, he tilted his head. “Is there...a person, or a thing, that you believe would genuinely be able to protect you? Or...how do you feel when your conditioning is triggered? We might be able to create something that combats that feeling specifically…”

Shuuichi fussed with the brim of his hat… before admitting, “I’d… I’d like to say Kaito or Maki… in fact, if it was ever going to be true, it’d probably be Kaito or Maki. They’ve kept me safe through so many… difficult, frightening points in my life… a year ago it would have been them easily.  But, now...I still trust them. Love them. But… neither of them feel invincible to me anymore. It’s something I’ve been struggling with… I’ll bring it up in therapy, at some point.” Shuuichi said, giving Kokichi a soft look.

“As for what my conditioning feels like… I’m not sure?” Shuuichi said, looking a little confused, “I mean… I guess… it feels like my vision kind of blacks out? Or, not blacks out, but it’s like I’m looking at a tunnel and can’t see out the other side of it. Like there’s light and color and motion, but none of it makes sense. And… I feel like it’s incredibly important I give someone their information. It’s… not my information. I’m just the person holding it. It’s the person who asked me’s information, and it’s incredibly important to give it back to them…”

“Could we see an example?” Temp asked.

… at this Shuuichi looked a little uncomfortable… but he shrugged, “I couldn’t stop you if you wanted too. Anyone can trigger it in me. You just have to sound demanding enough. It’s only meant to be authority figures, but because of how I was conditioned, I guess, it’s just… anyone who sounds expectant. Or… like they’re just… I don’t know, it’s harder to explain. Like, if you ask the question and it sounds like you expect an answer? Then I feel like I have to give you one. And I feel… weird and sick if I don’t know it… like my skin crawls and I get anxious and afraid, like something terrible is about to happen.”

“...May I?” Alter Ego asked Shuuichi.

And while the mentor was asking Shuuichi… they glanced at Kokich too. Waiting for any objections.

...yeah. While assuming it wasn’t fair to either of them...Kokichi could see that. With everything that had happened in the past ten months, and the stark difference in culture likely highlighting things in all of the Luminaries that they and others hadn’t been able to see before, Kokichi figured that Shuuichi would be seeing his friends in a different light, and not just seeing Kaito in a romantic one. 

It would be a difficult subject to talk about in therapy...but like all of their talks in there, it was going to be one they needed. 

Kokichi frowned in concern as Shuuichi explained his...well, they were symptoms, essentially. The tunnel vision was bad enough, but...feeling like your information wasn’t your own?

...he wasn’t happy about triggering Kaito’s conditioning before either, and this time, there wasn’t even Saint Madison there to rise up out of a lake and slash those ribbons to shreds. ...but it was pretty much the only way to see what metaphor they were dealing with. 

“...undo it as soon as we get an answer for what it’s like. And we never trigger it on purpose again, only asking the defense if they’ve been able to combat it.” Kokichi was tense, visibly unhappy, but he looked over to Shuuichi for the final word. “...Honey?”

Shuuichi smiled slightly, giving Kokichi a warm, affectionate look, “...Thanks Kokichi. I don’t mind doing it for the experiment. It doesn’t hurt. But… I appreciate the idea that there’s limits.”

“Agreed. Only once, and the second we know what it looks like, we stop it.” Alter Ego said, nodding their head. “Okay… Shuuichi Saihara?”

Shuuichi didn’t look affected by the stern way he was addressed. Just giving the cat a somewhat amused look. What a world… taking orders from a dream cat in what sort of seemed like some sort of sewer? Mind sewer? There was a lot of water here. “Yes?”

“What are the names of the constellations visible in Luminary during winter?” Alter Ego asked, assuming that they’d be able to see the effect better if Shuuichi couldn’t answer easily the literal next second. The cat knew Kaito was an astronomy fan, and growing up with him, this was likely information Shuuichi would have absorbed, but not know instantly. So…

Shuuichi was immediately off. 

There was no hesitation. He let go of Kokichi’s hand, and ran, heading towards the wall. His expression determined, almost panicked, as the wall produced a door that swung open for him, letting him in. Alter Ego, Temp and Kokichi all followed him inside, and inside, was a vast, vast library. Dozens of stories up, and longer than they could see. And Shuuichi stood at the bottom center of the library, looking up, while books flew off the shelves, flying towards him, opening themselves up, their pages blowing left to right while his eyes read them quickly, before shooting off again, being replaced with a new possibly relevant book, Shuuichi reading as quickly as he could.

He had to hurry, he had to hurry, you couldn’t keep something that didn’t belong to you, you couldn’t keep it, give him his information, hurry, he didn’t want to pass out, he wanted to breathe, please, please-

Behind him, a shadow was starting to form, as Shuuichi’s vision started to tunnel. A man, incredibly big. Much bigger than Shuuichi, A man who would have looked huge to a six year old, put his hands around Shuuichi’s neck as Shuuichi started to recite, “The Witch’s Hand, The Rose, The Weeping Fairy, The-”

“Enough.” Alter Ego said, eyes carefully watching the man’s hands, which had grown tighter around Shuuichi’s neck the longer it took him to answer, but didn’t start to squeeze so long as he was answering.  “Thank you, Shuuichi. That’s all I need.”

The man disappeared. The books went back to their places… Shuuichi relaxed, blinking, before looking back at them. 

“So?” He asked, calm. “Like I said, I can’t really see much, when that happens… what does it look like?”

Kokichi startled as Shuuichi started sprinting away, but he didn’t hesitate in surprise for long before he was booking it after his boyfriend. Were they running from something? Honestly, Kokichi thought the snake below them really could take care of most threats…

But he got his answer as they entered the library, something that made the castle library look like a single-room bookstore. Kokichi gaped and...honestly, was paying quite a bit of attention to it. Alter Ego said that it was difficult to make libraries of your knowledge but...maybe he could do something like this…

Of course, though, Kokichi didn’t let himself become too distracted from Shuuichi, since he was the reason for this. But...as the shadows coalesced into a humanoid form, looming over Shuuichi, putting its hands on his neck. 

“Uuung!” 

Kokichi grunted softly, putting a hand to his head as… It wasn’t exactly painful. But...overwhelming, he supposed, in a way that almost was. Something almost like...terrible nostalgia washing over him. 

Sucking in a breath, Kokichi opened an eye--he’d closed them?--and looked over at the now calm Shuuichi. “...I’ve scared the men in the dark before… I got really bright...told them that they weren’t allowed to be here. ...there? ...where…?”

Shuuichi looked concerned, stepping forward, but Temp was there already, placing a hand on Kokichi’s shoulder, saying with some concern. “Take a breath, Kokichi… you looked like you were going to faint yourself, for a second there.”

“Here, I’ll…” Shuuichi looked around, before-- because it made sense to him in this moment-- he summoned a bunch of the books around them, having them stack up behind Kokichi, as he finally got over to him, encouraging him, “Take a seat, please? Men in the dark?”

“Your conditioning, Shuuichi, looks like a man made of shadows, essentially threatening to hurt you if you don’t answer fast enough… and it sounds like a type of conditioning that you’ve seen before, Kokichi? Perhaps one of the people you helped before I came to mentor you?” Alter Ego suggested, looking concerned from the top of their step ladder. 

“...I don’t know about any men in the dark.” Shuuichi said quietly, “...I don’t remember a lot, from that second summer… I don’t remember a lot from any of them… I know my… I know my mentor was supposed to keep me in a dark room, after those summers. I always thought that was strange. She didn’t do it for year after the first summer, but she did the second one… and told me that if I was good and did whatever the men said in the third summer, if I was very, very good, and stayed good, she wouldn’t do it the year after the third one… I remember she was told it was very important to keep me in the dark for a little bit every day… she lied to people and said she did...”

“Maybe that’s the difference. Maybe your mentor sabotaged your obedience training, if she was meant to reinforce it somehow? Maybe that’s why it didn’t stick.” Temp mused.

Shuuichi frowned… before saying uncomfortably. “I don’t know why she would do that, if that’s the case. Me not having obedience conditioning made things harder on her. She was constantly covering up for it… it was… it was a miracle she didn’t report me herself…”

Kokichi nodded distractedly, the feeling slowly fading from his head though he was still a bit pale. He sat down on the book pile, finding Alter Ego’s guess to...probably be his best one too. Someone who had been so afraid, enough to find his consciousness and call him over...and that person had been conditioned. Kokichi doubted that he had actually done anything to permanently help that person’s conditioning, but...well. He hoped he had helped them that night. 

...he couldn’t even begin to imagine who it was. 

But...if it was another person who had been...mentally tortured and kept in dark rooms… Kokichi scowled, feeling the burn of anger towards the people who ran the program. 

...but even if he was annoyed with her, and didn’t always agree with the stances she’d taken in the past...Kokichi wasn’t angry at Miss Kirigiri. She was indentured too, after all, and just...blatantly doing nothing would’ve been way worse for the both of them in the long run, as sick as it made him feel. 

...but it did sound like she had tried to mitigate what she could. 

Kokichi looked up, something soft and sympathetic in his gaze towards Shuuichi. ...combined with all the stories about her...it sounded like she really cared for Shuuichi. More than an obligation. More than a...an investment. 

...so why had she cut off communication now? Apparently it was still safe enough for Maki’s mentor to write. The optimistic part of Kokichi wanted to know what was different for Miss Kirigiri, what was going on that she had to...break Shuuichi’s heart like this. But...if it really turned out to be that she just...really didn’t care… Kokichi couldn’t bring himself to bring up the solution that she had loved Shuuichi, and so she had prevented what conditioning she could without putting him in unavoidable danger. 

It would...hurt too much, acknowledging that love, then seeing the absence of it now.

Kokichi just shook his head in silence, resting on the books. 

“So...we make something to fight off the shadow man, yeah?”

Alter Ego nodded, before saying, “Well… fight off, yes. But, I think it not only has to be protective… it has to be reassuring. Shuuichi can’t even see the shadow man when he’s triggered. He’s learned to start giving the information before the man can attack him. Even if we had a protector in here, Shuuichi’s actions wouldn’t change, because he never allows it to get to that point on his own where the man actually starts to choke him. So… the defense would have to be something that not only would stop the man if he attacked, but would convince Shuuichi in the moment that he doesn’t have to run and find the information to begin with… Kaito’s conditioning needed passionate protection and extreme diligence. Shuuichi’s? I think the way to go here, is giving him something that he trusts. A presence that will reassure him.”

“...but I’ve been trained to doubt everything. Everything and everyone.” Shuuichi said quietly.

“...is there anyone you trust to not lie to you?” Alter Ego asked, “Someone who makes you feel calm?”

… Shuuichi glanced at Kokichi. “...I mean…”

Alter Ego followed Shuuichi’s eyeline, looking over at Kokich as well… hmmm…

“I’d hesitate to do that.” Temp warned, “He might trust him now… but we want this remedy to last. If we use Kokichi’s form, and Kokichi breaks that trust someday, then even if this works now, it might not work after that.”

“... I… don’t really believe Kokichi would break my trust…” Shuuichi murmured.

“Oh...yeah.” Treat the cause, not the symptom. Shuuichi never being hurt by his conditioning would be great! But...it wouldn’t change his behavior. It wasn’t just a matter of giving him the space to choose differently, like it was with Kaito. It was to illuminate the fact that there was the possibility at all to choose differently. 

So...someone or something that could reassure him… Shuuichi would know best, of course, but Kokichi still brought a hand up to tap against his lips, trying to think of things to suggest, at lea--

Kokichi blinked, before going pink, melting a little as a wobbly, touched smile came over his face. “Shuu-chan…”

“...but…” he sighed, “As much as I’d never want to break your trust...and I really would want to do everything I could to not do that… I wanna make sure Shuu-chan has the best chance. That he has a defense that would never fail.”

“Plus…” Kokichi scratched his cheek sheepishly. “I know I could. But would you believe I could fight off a huge shadow man?”

Shuuichi smirked. “...well, the first real memory I have of you is standing strong against Kaito… who can seem very big when he’s raging out like that. But I understand what you mean. And that would be a lot of pressure on you regardless.”

Shuuichi paused, thinking about it… before he said, a cool, distant look in his eyes, “If it’s about certainty? What if we went the opposite direction… what if we replaced the shadow man with someone I know I can’t trust. Someone I’d refuse to serve just on principal alone… strong enough to send him off, but otherwise would make me want to leave this room entirely?” Shuuichi asked, looking around the library, “Just to get away from her.”

“...I could see that having undesired side effects. For one, this room has given you, from the looks of it, almost perfect memory recollection, or at least information recollection. There are Empaths out there who’d beg to study a system this efficient, hoping to recreate it… if we created something that would make you avoid this place, you’d lose that ability. That would be… unfortunate.” Temp mused, looking around the vast library.

“And it would stress you out. We’d essentially be creating an enemy in your head to harass you. Even if it’s not a perfect solution, having someone you find at least somewhat reassuring and trust in here would absolutely feel better than having someone you can reliably despise.” Alter Ego said, shaking their head. “And I agree with Temp. It’d be a shame for you to lose access to this room. Freeing you shouldn’t equal taking away your gifts. You’ve earned this room.”

Kokichi’s eyes widened as he realized what Shuuichi was insinuating, and while Temp and Alter Ego brought up some incredibly valid points…

...inviting Shuuichi’s version of Nao into his head as a...semi-permanent resident? That...there was no way in hell that could end up being anything approaching healthy. It’d stress Shuuichi out and...if she was used as a tool of fear? Then...all the progress Shuuichi was making to move on from her and that horrible segment of his life...he’d be constantly reminded of it. 

Kokichi looked over at one of the books that hadn’t made it into the pile he was sitting on, taking it into his hands. Not opening it, but just...looking at the cover, feeling the binding in his hands. “...what about...making it so you never doubt that your information was yours? In your monolog, you kept saying that you couldn’t keep something that wasn’t yours… But everything in here…” Kokichi looked up from the book, giving Alter Ego a nod. “It’s like they said. You earned it. It’s yours.”

“There’s just...a matter of conceptualizing that. Like...writing your name on all the books? Or...getting a key for your library…” Kokichi mused softly, looking back down at the book in his hands, trying to figure it out.

“Ah, well… no one can accuse me of not trying to make use of my resources.” Shuuichi said dryly, a grim, amused look on his face as everyone turned his idea down. “It probably wouldn’t have worked anyway… I don’t always hate her.”

He said this last part quietly. Just looking around the library, it’s shape and presence just… bringing her to mind. Though he turned to Kokichi, taken out of his musings, as he said, “...Oh.” He blinked, “Maybe?”

Alter Ego also seemed to be strongly considering this… before saying, “Well, we can try it on a small scale real quick. Doing the whole library will be tricky, but for a sample size… what book are you holding right now?”

Temp peeked over Kokichi’s shoulder, “It appears to be a book of Luminary fables.”

“Okay… let me concentrate.” Alter Ego said, closing this golden eyes, focusing on the book.

It was only one book, but it still took a second, and after a moment… the book glowed.

A latch formed around it, locking itself into a small, golden keyhole. On the front of the book, at the bottom, in bright, golden words, were the words ‘Property of Shuuichi Saihara’. And then…

Shuuichi blinked, startled, as he felt a sudden weight around his neck. Putting his hand on his chest, where a key was hanging from a chain. “...oh?”

“Maybe that’ll be enough to convince you even after we’re gone and some of this information leaves you… a visual reminder, and a space where you have to make a decision to take the key off your neck, two visual, physical reminders… I know I said we’d only do this once… but we can test this now, to see if it would work.” Alter Ego said, looking to Kokichi.

Kokichi watched in wonder as the fancy, bright script and the lock manifested on the book. Putting a boundary on a piece of someone else’s knowledge… It was only within the metaphor, and if he wanted to get the information, Shuuichi would likely be able to recall it without more difficulty than any other random subject, but now… Hopefully, it would...give him the option to only open it up by his own decision. To share, and not give. 

...but...they would have to test it.

Kokichi sighed, looking more annoyed than he was earlier. “...we can’t exactly ask a lock, huh. And...doing this to every book in this library would be...a lot. So much for something we don’t even know would work…”

The small prince groaned, tugging at his hair before looking over at Shuuichi. “...would you be alright with that?”

Shuuichi shrugged, looking unbothered by the prospect, as he said, “Better to test it and know now rather than, well… later, when I won’t even know that I don’t know… and neither will you… the two of us just not even aware we’re waiting to see if it’ll accidentally get triggered, which is always wildly inconsistent anyway…” Shuuichi frowned, a mildly annoyed look on his face as he said, “Yeah. Not testing it now would be far more frustrating, just to me in this moment.”

As Shuuichi rambled somewhat to himself, trying to get his head around the increasingly weird idea that after the three of them leave, he will effectively ‘forget’ all about all of this-- even if Kokichi wasn’t putting himself at risk doing this, Shuuichi would have not been entirely pleased by that either way-- Temp was looking over the book… looked to the center of the library… 

“Before we test this, can I say that it’s not going to work?” Temp asked, sighing. “And I’d rather us talk that out first before allowing Kokichi to watch his currently still very pregnant partner get choked out in his mind?”

Alter Ego looked up at Temp with somewhat wary surprise, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, if fixing conditioning were as easy as that, Empaths would have done this already. The issue isn’t just creating a defense that makes sense for the logic of the person’s mind. The issue is making a defense that’s as strong and flexible as the conditioning itself. We might be able to suggest to Shuuichi through the key and book that he owns this knowledge, but the man in the dark… the conditioning takes the form of a person for a reason. Conditioning is such a difficult thing to solve because, like our Saint Madison, most people’s conditioning has the frustrating ability to adapt to whatever their thinking and twist it back to having them perform as they are supposed to. So, despite Shuuichi trying to remind himself he owns the information through the name and key, what the man will likely, and violently, do, is convince you otherwise. Something a mere name and lock can’t stop from happening, and in fact, that delay in getting the information might make it worse...”

“...a lock and key could make Shuuichi slower to get the information, and could make it more likely he’s choked out, with nothing stopping the man from doing so.” Alter Ego realized, feeling a little sick at the mental image. Watching Shuuichi trying to unlock the books while someone was getting increasingly violent with him… if that was even a possibility… “You’re right. We can’t risk testing that, if that’s a possible outcome. Shuuichi’s not physically in a good place for it.”

Shuuichi adjusted the brim of his hat, solemnly listening to all of this… before sighing. “So, the defense needs to be as adaptive as my conditioning-”

“Something with the ability to to problem solve, like Saint Madison can.” Alter Ego agreed.

“- and it needs to follow my sense of logic, but I don’t have enough belief or trust in anything to make it consistent, and making it an enemy would hurt me more than help… I’m sorry, I don’t… know what else I can offer you…”

Alter Ego stopped and thought about it… “We’re stuck. We need a new way of thinking about it, a-”

“Kokichi, you made me. Or…” Shuuichi frowned, looking down at himself, “Something like that? Could you make Maki and Kaito? They might have an idea.”

Kokichi deflated a bit, though he was glad Temp caught it. Even if it had taken something thinking to get to, even if it would take considerable work to label and lock every book in the library...it was still something that was relatively simple. Non-adaptive. Without a will and so...could be used as a tool against Shuuichi, as much as it could be used to help him. 

He hadn’t even made Saint Madison with the intention of fixing Kaito’s conditioning--he’d been under the impression that it wasn’t something he could do. But after living in his head, understanding Kaito’s thoughts, because she was as much him as she was Kokichi...she started to recognize a pattern of panic, and found a solution that she could apply in different situations. She wasn’t a logic-gate algorithm...she had genuine thought. 

...again, the enormity of what he had managed to make hit Kokichi. 

...something that was as much him as it was Kaito…

Kokichi looked up at Shuuichi, giving a nod. “I’ve never tried to make a memory of Maki-chan before...but I think I can do it.” He thought that even while it had only been a few months, he’d gotten to know Maki enough that a memory wouldn’t...well, she wouldn’t be a version of Maki with ‘Kokichi Goggles’ on. 

Kaito was an old hat at this point. Kokichi didn’t doubt he could make a memory of him...even if the last time he’d tried he’d ended up summoning Chibi Kaito. 

Closing his eyes, Kokichi drew upon the memories of his friends (and, inadvertently, Shuuichi’s memories of their friends too), willing them into existence here.

Usually, memories just sorta… ‘appeared’, when summoned. No fanfare, no effect, one second they weren’t, next second they were. But… Shuuichi didn’t know that. And, as the person who had requested them, he was sorta… expecting? Something cool to happen? And, well, this was his mindscape, so…

There was two sudden, bright sources of light in the middle of the air, one purple, one red. Shuuichi watched, adequately impressed, as those two bright lights lowered down, Alter Ego a little confused, Temp smirking a little-- it was nice to know the detective actually did have a sense of ‘whimsy’--, before touching down, getting brighter…

Maki was the one to form first, glancing around quickly, a mildly annoyed look on her face. And Kaito…

≡(*′▽`)っ !!!

Maki looked mildly startled, looking down as an extremely excited, and… really, just, obnoxiously small Kaito ran up to her leg, throwing his arms around her lower shin. Excited, bell like sounds came out of him, and Maki listened to the bells… before nodding. “Oh… hello. Kaito, why…”

More excited bell sounds. Maki listened… nodding. “Got it. That’s really stupid, but okay. You,” she said, looking to Kokichi, raising an eyebrow, “Are overly sentimental. You know that?”

Shuuichi...relaxed. An incredibly soft look on his face as he said, “Maki…” and then he looked down, “...Kaito?”

A small rush of air left Kokichi and...fuck, he hadn’t realized… ...he missed Maki so much...seeing her like this was…

To his credit, Kokichi didn’t start tearing up, but the look on his face suggested that he was close, and Kokichi could only chuckle unashamed as Maki called him out immediately on it. Hopefully this would help him not just burst into tears when they went to ask her about her conditioning in the future. 

Snorting a little to himself, Kokichi crouched down to give Chibi Kaito a pat on the head, offering Shuuichi a sheepish grin. “So...this is gonna sound weird, but this version of Kai-chan is...sort of like a defence from my mind. Though, he’s really more like an aide...he helps me find knowledge and memories in my head. And...I guess ‘cause he’s connected to me, I end up summoning him when I try to summon any version of Kai-chan.”

Kokichi looked up at Maki, still just...blown away with seeing her as close to as in person they could get without it actually being her. “But...it sounds like you can understand him, so I think you both can still offer your thoughts alright.”

In lieu of explaining everything--Kokichi knew they couldn’t take all night, even if tomorrow was a rest day for Hiro--Kokichi extended a hand each to Maki and Chibi Kaito, passing on the knowledge he had of the situation to catch them up to date.

Chibi Kaito was already pretty familiar with all of this and just nodded, though he immediately reached up to give Kokichi’s hand a hug, nuzzling his face into his Big Husband’s palm. Then saw Shuuichi and, in another fit of excitement, went to go hug Big Shuuichi’s leg, excitedly trying to tell Shuuichi about Chibi Kokichi saying hi-- Maki facepalmed when she heard that as well-- before looking back at Maki, clearly, just… entirely uncertain who he wanted to be hugging more now. Maki and Shuuichi were here! He wanted to hold them! 

Maki, in turn… had a much easier time adjusting to the new knowledge than Shuuichi had. In no small part because this wasn’t her mind, and she was somewhat ‘incomplete’ here, and thus more willing to just accept the things she was told without thinking about them to hard, but also, because, well… it sounded like things were going on and Maki didn’t want to waste time getting her head around it more than she needed to.

So, sighing, she gave Kokichi another stern look as she said, “I’m not even close to the ‘real’ Maki in any way, and since you’re going to go see her soon, don’t waste your time or emotions being happy to see me. That goes for you as well.” she said to Shuuichi, who was still looking fond and… sort of sadly at her. His eyes red around the edges, though there was something painfully calm in his face, “We’ll… you’ll get to see her in the real world at some point, you can save the ‘reunion’ feelings for then. For now, we have a job to do.”

“...Fine.” Shuuichi said quietly, “Do you have any ideas, Maki?”

“Your idea to put Nao as your defense was stupid.”

A bunch of very angry bells from Shuuichi’s leg.

“Yeah, exactly. Of course that wasn’t going to work. At best you’d have given yourself stockholm syndrome.” Maki rolled her eyes, “Sometimes I think you go out of your way to make life uncomfortable.”

“Says the girl who ran back to Luminary to fight their civil war.” Shuuichi grumbled.

“We’ll save that fight for when you’re talking to the real Maki again.” Maki said dismissively, “As for faith… unfortunately, I believe you’re right. You don’t believe in anything blindly, and it takes very little to shake that faith. Anything based on faith in anything will be destined to eventually fail as your defense.”

“I know… that’s why we needed a new perspective. It’s hard to look at myself and go ‘oh, yes, this will convince me-’”

Happy, excited bells.

Both Maki and Shuuichi looked down at Chibi Kaito, who cheerfully explained himself further, still hugging onto Shuuichi, but looking up at Maki. After a moment of bells, Shuuichi frowned, “...that’s… I’m not that narcissistic-”

“No, it’s perfect.” Maki smirked, “I’m actually incredibly annoyed I didn’t think of it first. I would have gotten there if you had given me a minute.”

More bells, before Kaito ran from Shuuichi to Maki, the assassin kneeling down to pick him up, while Kaito continued to explain his reasoning to her, Shuuichi looking more and more annoyed…

“Excuse us.” Alter Ego finally said, “For those of us that don’t speak… bell…?”

“Our Shuuichi’s prideful.” Maki shrugged, Kaito giving an incredibly pleased nod to confirm, “He might not trust in reassurance and good intentions… but he believes in respect, and enjoys being treated that way. If you were to give him someone who he believes is loyal out of respect for him?”

Bells~

“Yeah… an assistant. Someone to manage the library in his stead, to fetch the answers for him, at his request, but also strong enough to not be bothered by the man in the dark. An assistant he can trust, someone he knows to be reliable… someone who will respect him.”

“You make me sound so self absorbed…”

“You are self absorbed…” more bells, “No, Kaito, it’s not-” more insistent bells, “Is there anything that isn’t sexy to you?”

Alter Ego, in turn, gave Shuuichi an intense, analytical stare… before closing their eyes…

...and when he opened them, Chihiro politely put his hands in front of his waist, and lowering his head a little, gave Shuuichi a shy smile as he said, “Mr. Saihara? Do you remember me?”

Kokichi couldn’t help laughing softly at Chibi Kaito’s affections. It was why he couldn’t bring himself to dismiss the memory--Chibi Kaito was just...Kaito condensed, all of his affection and passion in a cute little body. 

But Maki, as she usually was when it came to staying on track, was right. They had a problem to solve, and as nice as it was to be all together again, even in this weird way...they had a job, and it’d be better to save their reunion for the real one. Still, he snorted. “You can’t stop me from being happy. A combination of my and Shuu-chan’s memories, or even just a picture--seeing Maki-chan’s facsimile will still make me smile.”

And...so was seeing her just bluntly dismiss “dumb” options, pointing out facts and flaws without much care for being something as inefficient as gentle. It was because Maki could do that, that she pointed out something that...would’ve taken a long ass time for Kokichi to think of, if he even did at all. Or...at least condensing an idea Kaito had, though Kaito doubtlessly had his goggles on. 

He blinked in realization as she interpreted. Of course he knew Shuuichi had a lot of pride...but… The Luminaries’ concept of respect was so different from his that...no, he took it back, he never would’ve thought of this. Trust because of respect, not because of good will or love…

As Kokichi processed that idea, he was almost startled by Chihiro’s appearance, his gaze softening. Since Chihiro had been a secretary, he would’ve been working in the castle while Shuuichi and Maki were. Even if they didn’t end up crossing paths all that often...they should still know each other. 

...leaving a copy of an incredibly powerful empath would be more than adaptive to take care of conditioning…