Hideki paused, frowning as Kaito seemed to...panic. For the sake of his friend... It was always about frustrating star-lovers with the Oumas, wasn't it. "My apologies, Kaito, I didn't express myself clearly. Your friend is not under suspicion for anything, even with her job. Miss Maki and Mr. Shuuichi are now dual citizens as you are--though we still need them to sign the paperwork--but they weren't prior to the wedding yesterday. Thus, we cannot charge Mr. Tengan with her continued extortion."

It had been...shocking to find out about the practices of "training" assassins in Luminary. Even with all of the things they found distasteful or concerning about the way that country was run, it was truly one of the worst. Conditioning, brainwashing...he hoped they could give the young lady a more peaceful life.

Shooting a fond but exasperated look at the sleeping prince, Hideki sighed. "We have no confirmation, but considering Miss Katsuki has disappeared along with your friends, I'm assuming Kokichi sent her to look after them. That does bode well, but if Miss Maki accomplishes what I'm also assuming is an assassination, likely as another form of blackmail directed at you or Kokichi, then...we will get there when we get there. But considering none of this is of her own free will, nothing too severe will happen to the young lady, I can assure you that."

"It's such a mess, but I suppose that's what happens when you try to be civil with people who want to overthrow your government."

Oh! Oh, Kaito had thought...when he had heard the word 'prosecution' and Maki in the same sentence...shit he was out of his depth here. He couldn't figure out how much Secretary Hideki knew, and he felt like every word he said was giving away information that could be used to harm his Kingdom or his friends. Atua, please send Shuuichi back to him, he needed him...

Kaito was going to argue again that Maki wasn't on a job, that she was sight-seeing, but that last sentence...he felt his blood go cold.

Kaito didn't realize he was doing it, thinking that he was still just popping his joints, but he was actually, actively wringing his hands now, twisting his fingers in growing concern and fear.

Did...did they know? Did they know he was supposed to commit treason once he was married into the family? That Head Secretary...that his father hadn't sent him to bring unity, but to corrupt from within? Was that treason? Did it officially count? Was he going to be put to trial? Kaito wasn't sure...and he didn't know what to say...terrified that anything he had to say would make this worse...

Not that...not that they sounded angry? It sounded like Secretary Chisa was going to be able to just walk away from this and return to the Luminary Kingdom. And...he acknowledged that Maki doesn't really have a say in her orders...

...but...but it can't really be that easy, right? There'd be consequences Kaito couldn't see yet. He was being set up for something. He had to be. It...it didn't work this way!

There would be closed doors! People were going to disappear. There would be lessons that ended with concussions and spotted vision. That was how it worked!

Right!?

Kaito looked back up to Secretary Hideki, and was confused as to why the man seemed blurry and far away. Then he reached up to clear his eyes and realized he had started crying at some point. Shocked and disturbed, Kaito quickly wiped them away. "Sorry, sorry," he said, hands shaking as he said, still keeping his voice low, still not wanting to wake Kokichi. "I didn't get much sleep last night," he said as way of explanation, taking a deep, steadying breath.

"...I'm sorry. I...I don't understand what you're saying," Kaito said, giving the Secretary a shaky grin. "Could you please just tell me what it is you're accusing my kingdom of? So far I've heard you use the words manslaughter, blackmail, extortion..." Kaito frowned, as he re-considered the first thing the Secretary had said, before he had gotten distracted by his concern for Maki. "...mental and emotional abuse? To my party?"

The frown on the secretary's face grew in increasing concern, feeling...out of his depth. He had never been good at comfort--it had always been Toshio making up for his mistakes. His partner had been so skilled at speaking a language anyone could understand...

"Per...haps get some rest after this," he slowly started, looking distinctly uncomfortable before clearing his throat. "We are not accusing your kingdom of anything. In fact, we are distinctly not accusing Luminary or King Leon, since all the facts point to your father not having a hand in any of this. And, other than the terms I've told you about regarding Ms.Chisa, we're actually not accusing anyone else. We are simply bringing to light things that have been shoved into the shadows."

"Pardon my metaphor, but that is to say that through the efforts of the Dicean government and the Luminous royal staff, we have gathered and presented evidence of the crimes against the Luminous crown to King Leon and Queen Sayaka. The list is quite long, so I will briefly say that acts of money siphoning from the castle accounts, blackmail, extortion, and physical, emotional, and mental abuse towards both staff and you and your brother have been documented with proof and have been given to your parents. It is, of course, up to their discretion on what to do with that information, but Aiichi believes that consequences are at hand for your secretaries."

"Personally, I am not so hopeful, but only time will tell," Hideki grumbled before returning to his calm facade. "In short, your country is not being blamed for anything, and neither will you unless Kokichi decides to press charges, which I doubt, but that is something you two need to talk about. I would really like for it to be none of my business." He made a face at that. He would live happily knowing nothing about the kid he'd watched grow up's sex life.

Hideki then stood, though didn't immediately make a move for the door. "That is all that I came here to tell you, and I trust you will fill Kokichi in when he awakes. If there is nothing else you need, I will leave you two alone."

Kaito was shaking. That...that was...a lot of information at once.

He and his...brother’s...what? had been reported to his parents?

"Yes, yes, okay," Kaito murmured to the Secretary, feeling just...suddenly exhausted. "Thank you for your time, Secretary Hideki."

The Secretary seemed to consider him for a moment, his face unreadable to Kaito, before the man opened the door and left, closing it behind him. The second, the literal second, he walked out, Kaito felt his chest hiccup, felt his eyes sting. He covered his mouth, looking over to Kokichi. Had it woken him? No...no it was okay. He wasn't being watched. No one was looking. It was okay.

What right did they have, to get involved in Luminary affairs!? What right did they have to come in and say 'here's all your failings, all your evils, all the mistakes'!? They had their own ways of dealing with these things! They didn't need Dicea to just...come in and...call them garbage!

...sure. The Secretary had said that they were just accusing the Secretaries. But...

...he felt so...exposed.

He felt used.

Kaito put his head in his hands. Physical, emotional, and mental abuse? What right did anyone have to say that? And, what...they had e-evidence? That they were going to show his parents!? His parents were...being told what? What had been abuse? What could his parents possibly not already know about himself and his brother?

S-sure, the lessons in his childhood had been...rough. Was that what they were talking about? What evidence!? Who gave them the right...Kaito had never broken, never went whining to anyone else about what was happening! He had stayed strong! Toughed it out! What gave them the right to just...dig into his past like that!? These fucking self important assholes.

...C-calm down Kaito. Maybe it didn't have anything to do with the lessons. Diceans were sensitive people, to say the least. They could be talking about anything. No one necessarily had to be talking about the lessons.

And even if they did, who cared!? Who cared if they showed father evidence, whatever the fuck that could mean by this point. Certainly his father had known about it? The Head Secretary was meant to report everything back to him. Everything he did, everything he said, was a representation of his father's own beliefs, his own words. His father had approved of the lessons, certainly.

His father wouldn't have let Master Tengan do those things if he hadn't approved. And there was no way he hadn't known. He had asked the Head Secretary to teach them: certainly he had specified exactly what he would want those lessons to consist of?

...fuck, what did it even matter now?! Kaito was grown! He was an adult! Why were things that happened to him as a kid even being cataloged as a crime, by the enemy kingdom of all people!?

Fuck...

Okay. Tantrum over. Steady breath, Kaito.

There was nothing he could do about any of this. He couldn't influence the Dicean Secretaries any more than he could have influenced the Luminary ones. None of that was his responsibility. He was a prince-consort in a foreign land: his literal only responsibility was to his husband. Was he still asleep? Good. Good. He needed the sleep. He did too, for that matter...

He just had to ride this wave and see what came out the other side of it. That was all. It would be fine!

Kaito looked over at Kokichi. That was technically his bed too...but Kaito didn't want to make Kokichi uncomfortable, not while he was recovering. Taking the desk chair, Kaito brought it back to the side of Kokichi's bed, allowing himself to fall asleep while keeping an eye on him. It really only took a couple of seconds of watching Kokichi breathe before he was out.

For a moment, Ouma's snuffles got a little louder before they stopped, immediately replaced by a snort and a quiet groan. Looking around his room...it was probably some time in the late afternoon, and Hideki was gone. He'd fallen asleep as...he was telling them that Secretary Chisa was going to be arrested if she stayed in the country...right. And...they were all just going to walk away back to Luminary, knowing what they'd done to him, to Kaito and Maki and Shuuichi and...

The anger he felt before was muted if he still felt it at all, instead feeling...vulnerable. With every word Tengan had said to him, every look that seemed like the old man was looking at a statue instead of a person...had he imagined it? Was he feeling oh-so self-satisfied, knowing the state Ouma had been in? When they'd talked at the wedding...h-he didn't think anything was that off, but had Tengan been watching him, waiting to see if the aphrodisiac was starting to take effect?

...he felt like throwing up. Not that there was much in his stomach to throw up.

Feeling small and scared, Ouma sank under his blankets, holding them close to him. He glanced up, noticing Kaito...sleeping in a chair. Was he watching over him? ...he'd helped him with the tea before, right... But if he was sleeping...wouldn't it be more comfortable in a bed. His bed, which was right in front of him.

...Ouma refused to acknowledge that he just didn't want to feel alone right now.

Reaching out, Ouma weakly tapped Kaito's arm, hoping to rouse him just enough to come to bed.

Kaito's eyes fluttered and his shoulders tensed, looking up through the hazy black of his eyelashes, pulling himself out of a dream. He had only been awake for a second but already didn't quite remember what the dream was about. Something to do with horses...huh. He wondered if his guide had checked in on him...that'd be nice...

Kaito blinked his eyes open, seeing Kokichi. "Hmm?" Kaito hummed, before his mind started to unclog a little, sitting up from the chair that he had been half falling off of. Kokichi was awake. That meant something. What did it mean again...oh! Medicine! "Tea? Do you need the next cup of tea now?" Kaito said, looking warily around. Where had he left the kettle again?

"Mmmmrg," Ouma groaned. "I do, but... I mean, it looked like you were uncomfortable, sleeping like that. I'm not contagious so...you can sleep here, you know."

...it was far too embarrassing to ask, 'hey, please get in bed with me,' even to his sleepy mind. He had to sit up to drink the tea, but Ouma sank down even more in his blankets, the tired feeling that made him want to burrow into his bed and not wake up for years rising up.

Things were supposed to be okay now. The treaty was signed, the Luminary party would be preparing to leave, if they hadn't already. Katsuki was bringing Shuuichi and Maki back. Everything was fine.

But right then, it didn't feel like it.

And thus, wanting to sleep.

"...please?" It was barely more than a whisper, maybe not enough to reach Kaito.

Kaito put the tea set away again once Kokichi was done, every movement a little slow and a little janky, not asleep but still not quite awake yet. He was listening to what Kokichi was saying, but his mind was still half puzzling over the dream, where the horses had been...bouncing on pancakes? Was that right? As far as Guide dreams went, it didn't seem particularly helpful...

"...please?"

Kaito blinked, really focusing on Kokichi now. He looked...tired still. The sleep hadn't taken the lines away from his face, and somehow he seemed even smaller in the bed as he spoke, his voice only half a whisper by the last word.

Kaito would never say this to Kokichi, but he could understand it now, King Aiichi's paranoid, obsessive protectiveness. It felt awful, seeing Kokichi like this. Kaito could already feel the appealing siren call of thinking, 'Well, how can I make sure nothing like this ever happens again? How can I be certain he never feels like this again?'

...but that wasn't the way to think about something like this. Maybe if he hadn't seen Kokichi's breakdown in the greenhouse he'd feel differently, but he had, so he didn't. Kokichi was undoubtedly going to end up bed-ridden again at some point in the future. Maybe in the near future. Maybe all the time, forever.

But that couldn't change how Kaito treated him when he was well. Kaito just had to accept that this, the sickness, the tea, the fear and sadness of seeing him like this, was just...part of their future together. That there was nothing to do but roll with the punches and hope tomorrow would be better.

...and tomorrow would be better. Kokichi just needed more sleep, and he'd look a little better tomorrow, and a little better after that! He'd get through this, and Kaito was going to see it through with him. Kaito just had to believe.

All of that passed through his mind in an instant, after Kokichi's little plea. And, reassured, Kaito gave him a warm grin. "Yeah, of course, man. Just didn't want to crowd you is all."

Crawling in, Kaito got close to Kokichi without actually touching him...but then reached out his hand, putting his fingertips onto Kokichi's arm, studying Kokichi's expression to see if it was okay to do so. Tracing his thumb ever so slightly against Kokichi's skin, he said, "Oh...ya know, I don't think I got to tell you about your wedding present yesterday? Did you manage to figure out what it was?"

How easy and casually Kaito agreed made Ouma feel a little better--even if he should just be fine--though he glanced around the large bed and tilted his hands outward. "I take up like a fourth of this. Even if you are a giant, I really doubt you'd be able to crowd me."

...he got what Kaito meant, though. When he'd first faced the fact that he'd be sharing a bed with the Luminary prince Ouma had planned on demanding that they each keep to their own sides, crossing the middle punishable by sleep kicking. And now look at him, pleading for his husband to lie down with him. Ridiculous...

Ouma sighed in quiet relief, the worries and monsters of the world feeling a little farther away with Kaito coming close. He tilted his head toward Kaito, knowing better now than to shift closer, each little adjustment below the belt making the ache between his legs stab up into him. But...just Kaito's hand on his arm was nice.

"Mm?" Oh...he'd almost forgotten about that. The surprise that Kaito had caved in telling him it existed. Had he told him it was a wedding present? Ouma couldn't remember, though he had a feeling that if he had, he would've rolled his eyes and told Kaito that he didn't need a wedding present. If anything, the end of the war was their gift, in a weird ouroboros way.

"Believe it or not, I was a little more than preoccupied yesterday; my sleuthing skills were focused elsewhere." Ouma snorted softly, shifting his shoulder up so he could touch his fingers to Kaito's hand, even if the angle tired out his wrist before too long. "Let's see... An absurd cape matching one of yours so we could match and you could teach me the glory of that ridiculous item? A limited edition of one of Fukawa's books? Or one of your own copies, criticisms written in the margins?"

Laughing softly, Ouma sent Kaito a teasing look. "If you convinced Aiichi to build a new room in the castle like he did for my mom, I'm gonna have to chew you both out once I'm sure I won't fall asleep in the middle of it."

"Oh my god," Kaito said, eyes wide. "Those are all such better gift ideas. Matching capes? God damn it, why didn't I think of that...we could have worn it for the wedding! Fuck!"

He chuckled, only...half kidding. It was definitely a gift idea he would keep in the back of his mind now though. Jewelry and capes that Kokichi would proooobably not wear. He wondered when Kokichi's birthday was?

"Chew us out, huh? All 5 foot -whatever of you?" Kaito chuckled, tapping his fingers against Kokichi's skin now as he rolled his eyes. "Well, we wouldn't want that. No new rooms. I'll keep it in mind."

Tap. Tap. Tappity-tap.

"...Do you wanna go to Danganronpa?" Kaito asked.

"...I've played myself. Fuck," Ouma groaned, pressing back into his pillow and closing his eyes in defeat. "I'm too smart for my own good. I can't believe I know you well enough to know what you'd be into just to spite me. I've known you a week and I was asleep for, like, three of those days."

He could deal with that future, though. One where they teased each other mercilessly with affection underneath. Maybe he'd even wear a cape once in a while just to see Kaito's astonishment. The one he wore to the wedding was kinda cool--maybe there was one out there that he'd like.

Opening his eyes, Ouma huffed, jostling Kaito's hand a little. "5'1", you overgrown ogre. I'll just keep you around as a lightning rod--easy, since you wear armor and lift up swords all the time. Prolly some patented 'hero pose', right?"

He couldn't really keep the pout up, a smile sneaking through. This was...fun. Usually Ouma was miserable the entire time he was bedridden. He never had any visitors, and whoever was looking after him tended to keep quiet. Sometimes they'd read to him or tell stories from their own life, but he'd never be able to stay awake through the whole thing. Just being able to talk? Ouma couldn't help the fond look he was giving to Kaito.

Only for it to shift into confusion. ...Kaito definitely knew he wasn't allowed to leave the castle. A gift like that...

Narrowing his eyes, Ouma paused before speaking. "...like, yeah? I'd want to go anywhere, but we both know that's not gonna happen. If you'd wanna cover for me sneaking out to go to town, I could probably keep getting away with that, but..."

Tap, tap, tap...he stilled his hands, giving Kokichi's arm a gentle squeeze.

"If this is about your dad," Kaito said softly, "I already asked him."

Kaito drew his hand away, tucking it into his chest, looking down at the marks he had left on Kokichi's neck. Not for any lewd reasons, but just because he needed to rest his eyes somewhere not on Kokichi's face, trying to...withdraw a little. Give Kokichi some privacy with his own thoughts.

Kaito knew better than most people how hard it was to hear something that completely went against what you thought was true...even if it was good news.

Staring at Kokichi's neck, he whispered, "He asked me to wait a month, so everything would be settled before we go. He said he wanted you to pick a healer to take with us for the trip. We'd go to Dangandonpa's Kingdom, look around, maybe visit their royal family? Or maybe we wouldn't and we can just, you know...see what we see. Have an adventure."

Kaito shifted in the bed slightly, curlings his knees up a little as he laid on his side to look just shy of Kokichi's face, yawning as he continued sleepily. "I think the King said some other stuff too, like other stipulations. I don't remember, but we can ask him again...well, maybe when he's less mad we can ask him… It'll be a long trip you know. If we go, you gotta keep in mind we probably won't be back ‘til the end of the year. I know that's a long time for your first bit of traveling, but you know...I mean, you don't have to say yes. We can go somewhere closer if you want. Just, when I was asking the King, I thought why not...just swing for the stars, ya know? See how far he'd let us go… Kokichi?"

The confusion stayed around. Kaito...wanted to take him on a trip. Had asked Aiichi about it, and... He listened to the stipulations, the plan, though they didn't quite seem to sink in. Like leaves on top of a pond, floating, maybe making a few ripples as the wind made them lazily sail like tiny ships.

...have an adventure...

Light pink dusted over Ouma's face, as deep a blush as his body could afford, and his eyes started to water, going wide as he turned to Kaito as much as he could, searching his face for a lie. Be-because if this...

"...I can leave?" His voice was quiet, strangled, ever so tentatively reaching out to hope. "My dad will let me go? I...I-I can..."

The tears started to spill over and Ouma mustered up everything he had to roll onto his side, ignoring the pain that made him tremble anyway, to nestle close to Kaito and hug him as tight as he could--which wasn't tight at all, or even firm, but the sentiment was there.

"Y-yes!! Oh my god, yes! Get me o-out of here! I wanna s-see everyth-thing!"

"Whoa!" Kaito said, laughing as Kokichi just sort of flopped onto him, well, as much as he could anyway, his shoulders shaking as he cried into his shirt. "Ha ha! Really?" Kaito said, his eyes light with accomplishment as he realized a part of him had been waiting for Kokichi to say no, to tell Kaito he had gotten it wrong. But Kokichi's joy was more than infectious, and Kaito put a hand on Kokchi's back, pulling him close to himself as he hugged him back.

"Everything, huh?" Kaito said, snickering into Kokichi's hair as he rubbed his back, "Well, I don't know if I can promise that. I've only been to the Danganronpa Kingdom once, for the trip here, and we didn't exactly get to see a lot of it on the way here. You and me are basically going to be exploring it together."

Rubbing his hands up and down Kokichi's back soothingly, he said, half daydreaming, "And it won't be just us. Or, it doesn't have to be, I mean. Shuuichi and Maki would come, no doubt. Maki will scare off the things that go bump in the night and Shuuichi would make sure no one could con or trick us. And anyone you want to bring too. We'll have a whole adventuring party, like the ones in stories."

Kissing the top of Kokichi's head, Kaito said, tired but happy, "I'm glad you like your gift."

Ouma knew in the back of his mind that he really couldn't afford the energy to sob like a little baby, but it was happening anyway, the overwhelming feeling of his cage finally being opened bowling him into bawling. He could leave. It wasn't sneaking out of the castle and messing around town, having fun but knowing that he'd never be able to set a foot outside of it. It was going to be confidently walking out, not caring who saw, embracing the world at his fingertips.

A-and...and that was just...

It was a super gross sound, his giggly sobs, and he was probably gonna get snot all over Kaito's shirt, but he didn't care.

"N-not the f-f-for-forest--dun' w-wanna have you th-threaten to k-k-kill me again," he hiccuped. "Buh-but everything else!!"

He knew he couldn't just leave forever. He was the heir apparent, he already took on a lot of the kingdom's business. He wouldn't abandon his people for his own desires. But Aiichi was still in charge, and everything wouldn't fall apart if he wasn't there, so...he could leave for a little while.

"Tha-thank you..." Ouma nuzzled into Kaito's chest, exhaustion and pain taking their toll after allowing him that brief interlude. Even as weak as his embrace had been, Ouma's body was already laxxing, his tears slowing down as he felt himself start to drift. "Thank y-you...Kai-chan..."

Kaito was very, very, very close to pointing out to Kokichi that he already knew Kokichi had a murder-rampage kink, and that maybe they should talk about that at some point and like...work out some boundaries there. Like...establishing some strict limits.

...but he held back, deciding that was a super weird conversation for another time.

Kaito could feel Kokichi falling asleep in the most literal of terms: he could feel his slowing breath against him, the relaxing of his back against Kaito's fingertips. If Kaito had to guess, it wouldn't be long before he was out.

Probably for the best. Kaito could barely keep his eyes open.

"Hmmm," was all Kaito could muster as a response as, lulled by the warmth of Kokichi's body, he found himself falling asleep.

The next time Ouma woke up, it was dark. And warm. And breathing. He slowly unstuck his eyes from lashes that had stuck together when wet, realizing that all those things were true because he was pressed up against Kaito's chest. They were wrapped up in each other, Kaito arcing around him and Ouma's arms draped around the larger man.

It was...nice. Better than what he'd thought it'd be like, sharing a bed with another person. ...he wouldn't mind if they did this more often at night.

And it was actually night, he confirmed when he pulled his head away from Kaito's--muscled, yet soft?--chest. Time for another dose then... But Kaito was sleeping. Maybe...maybe he was rested enough to get it himself, if he could just--

Ouma had barely started trying to wriggle out of Kaito's grasp when he felt a desperate pang in his gut, drowsy eyes going wide in an instant. But it wasn't like the night before. He had to piss. Now.

It was always a dangerous line when he got sick. He was given cup after cup of tea, sleeping to let the medicine get him back up into working order, but, well, it was a lot of liquid, and he didn't have a very large bladder. If it was a particularly bad case, he'd had to use a bedpan while someone helped. Sometimes he'd be able to hobble to the bathroom with a hand to make the distance.

But he had to go now.

"Shitshitshit!" he whispered to himself, more frantically trying to get out of bed and trying to hold it despite the growing pain from his crotch.

Kaito blinked awake, for a moment, just...really, really confused. Where the fuck was he? And who was...

Lifting himself up onto his elbows, watching Kokichi curse at the air and struggle to kind of, like...wiggle? Off the bed? Kaito asked, "Uh...do you need a hand, or...?"

"I'm gonna piss myself!"

It wasn't the time for subtlety or embarrassment. He was twenty goddamned years old, he was NOT going to wet the bed he shared with his husband! Not making it to the bathroom at all wasn't much better either. However, his body was still weak and sluggish, not as bad as it had been but still not recovered. The blankets felt like they were made of lead, and the distance to the edge of the bed felt like miles, nevermind the walk to the bathroom.

Already he was starting to pant, his body already giving its last warnings.

"Bathroom, NOW!"

"Right, on it," Kaito said automatically, not even hesitating as he threw the blanket off and used his arms to practically leap off the bed, the second his feet touching floor scooping Kokichi up and making a dash for it. He really could understand Maki's point of view: orders were nice. Very straightforward. Usually no guesswork involved.

Opening the door with his hips, Kaito placed Kokichi down next to the toilet, steadying him by his shoulders. "Do...can you stand or...okay, fine, I'll just be looking over here then," Kaito said, reading the irritation on Kokichi's face as he suddenly found himself, just, fascinated by the shower curtain rods. Black and thin. Really, very tasteful. Kaito wondered if Kokichi had decorated himself, and very much did not look slightly to his left.

Ouma bit his lip hard as Kaito scooped him up, willing to not make an even bigger fool out of himself in front of his husband. And, as Ouma more or less collapsed in front of the toilet, they made it just in time.

Except. Something was wrong. Ouma choked on a gasp. It felt like his dick was on fire, pain even worse than when he'd be shifting in bed. But there was nothing he could do about it. Other than doubling over and holding himself, trying to stifle pained cries.

Out of bed, it was easy to see how wrecked he was. The hickeys on his neck had been visible before, and it probably saved embarrassment for both of them that Secretary Hideki hadn't mentioned anything. But, with his sleep shirt riding up a little, there were little dot-like bruises across Ouma's back, more finger-shaped ones around his hips. He was currently covering most everything, but Ouma's genitalia was swollen, obviously irritated, as was his sphincter, still a little loose.

"Nn! Ah! Ffff--mmm!" Ouma trembled, squirming as if he could escape his own body.

"Ah, geez. Hey-" Kaito sputtered, feeling Kokichi sway in his grip having to look back now, leaning over and putting an arm around his chest to hold him upright as he seemed to just wanna collapse then and there. "Come on now, j-just, relax. Take your time, we don't have anywhere to be. Don't force it!"

Kaito said all this, without really having any idea what Kokichi was trying to work though. He'd had his own share of after-sex discomforts, but...

He didn't want to, but he couldn't help glancing down as he steadied Kokichi, wincing at what he saw. The guy was raw down there. Probably the result of cumming basically non-stop for an hour.

Not sure what else he could do but support his weight, Kaito said, "You're fine, you're fine. Take your time."

He wanted to snap that he wasn't forcing anything, it was just happening. He wanted to plead how much it hurt, make it stop! He'd had, you know, rudimentary sex education, but was it really supposed to feel like he was being scraped from the inside out?!

Instead, it all garbled together into an incomprehensible sob, shaking against Kaito's support for the whole handful of seconds it took for the tea to vacate his body. Ouma didn't even try to stand on his own when it finished, just whimpering and gasping for breath, feeling like he was gonna vom now that it was all over.

"Fuh-fuck!"

Kaito found himself once again admiring the shower rods and, oh look, there were shower curtains here too. Lovely, it tied the whole room together. Just, excellently chosen curtains, 10/10 all around.

Though Kokichi was still shaking in his arms, Kaito couldn't hear the sound of any more piss coming out, and he looked down to see Kokichi's face twisted into, just...angry pain, sweat pooling from his hair down his forehead, his face uncomfortably pale. Whelp. That probably wasn't good.

Kaito frowned, unsure what he could do for this other than let Kokichi just ride it out. He gave Kokichi's side a somewhat pathetic reassuring pat, as his gaze fell below the shower curtain, and...

"Hey," Kaito said, inspiration striking, "I bet warm water would help."

Carefully, but intently, leading Kokichi to sit down on the toilet so that he wouldn't fall the second Kaito let him go, Kaito then opened up the shower curtain, working out the faucets as quickly as he could as he started to run warm water. Plugging the drain, he looked around and noticed some bubble bath in a container next to the bath, grabbing that and pouring some in until bubbles started to form, the bathroom now smelling much nicer.

Satisfied with his work, Kaito let the water run as he went back to Kokichi, giving him a warm smile. "I'm gonna undress you now, okay?"

Ouma leaned forward when he was placed on the toilet, hugging himself around his middle, the best he could think to do to brace against the pain. This was the absolute worst thing he'd ever felt in his life. At least when he'd been dangerously sick he'd been delirious any time he was awake. That...was debatably worse, but the sharp pain from his junk didn't care enough to argue specifics.

Even through all that, Ouma still weakly snorted up at Kaito. "I'm on-only wearing a shirt--d-does that count as und-dressing?" Still, he shakily uncrossed his arms and held them out so his shirt could come off. Even if a bath wouldn't magically ease the pain, he felt real gross. At least he wouldn't be a sweaty mess of a person.

It wasn't extravagant, but Ouma had a relatively large bathtub. Longer than he was tall--not that that was a difficult feat to design-- and wide enough for maybe more than two of him lying side-by-side. He practically only took bubble baths when he took a bath at all, often delighted in the vast expanse of foam to play in. He didn't feel much like playing now, but at least it smelled good.

"Just didn't wanna alarm you," Kaito said brightly, taking Kokichi's shirt off and tossing it aside...

...huh...

Wow, Kaito had...really done a number on him, huh.

Kokichi was covered in marks and bruises, and not all of them just from his grip. He could see clear signs of teeth around Kokichi's neck, and what looked like probably fingernail scratches on his sides and, Kaito was going to guess, probably his back too. There was a particularly big bruise on Kokichi's hip, where Kaito had ripped his underwear away.

Lots and lots of bruises. All of them from Kaito.

Kaito's next smile was more strained, but it was there. He wanted to apologize, but at the same time, he was afraid of making this more awkward then it already felt. He had never had to help someone use the bathroom or take a bath before, beyond helping clean up some particularly drunk friends, and frankly, he was doing his best to not think too hard about any of it, or he was going to get real embarrassed, real fast.

Taking Kokichi into his arms again, he said cheerfully, "Alright, go~ing up!", standing up with him and taking the few short steps to the bath, "and go~ing down. There we go." Kaito tested the water with his fingers to make sure it wasn't boiling after he had left it and, feeling satisfied, lowered Kokichi into the water.

Once he was sure Kokichi was secured, he let him go and went to go turn off the faucets, the water more than high enough now. There was a good layer of bubble, which was kind of cute, and also kind of a blessing, because as the foam re-spread, Kokichi's battered and bruised body hid itself beneath it, at least a little bit. Good. That would make it a little easier to look at him now.

Sitting by the tub, Kaito said, "Hey, I can grab you some more tea to drink while you're in here. Get some, like, maximum healing in!"

Considering how he'd been feeling earlier...it was appreciated. When it was with Kaito, Ouma didn't feel... Dunno. Coddled. Exposed. Something there.

Ouma huffed a strained laugh as Kaito guided him over to the bath, a louder sigh leaving him as he slipped into the water. It wasn't like a magic balm, but...the unobtrusive warmth did feel better on his junk, not to mention his aching body, tired from coughing and straining against pain. And. Well.

The bruises were bruises. Didn't hurt unless pushed, but they did make his body a bit more tender than it usually was. He'd liked it all at the time, and Ouma kind of wanted to see exactly how much Kaito had marked him up, but...was that a weird thing to comment on? He wasn't sure, and, weird or not, it was probably not the best thing to talk about when he...probably had a bladder infection or something.

Sinking into the water up to his neck, Ouma reveled in the warmth, some of the pain in his face easing away. Before he sighed again, making a face up at Kaito. "Probably a good idea. They're gonna yell at both of us if I miss a dose. But, uh..."

"In the drawer in my desk, I have some candy--can you grab a piece for me? You can have one if you want. I just wanna taste something other than tea."

"Got it, boss," Kaito said, giving him a thumbs up before standing up, stretching his back a bit before heading out. "One tea, one candy! Coming up!"

As Kaito went out to grab the kettle (where was it? Oh, there it was. Why couldn't he just leave it in the same spot, why'd he always move it?), he called back as he poured, "Hey, don't, like, drown in the tub without me or whatever. That tub seems way too big for you, I don't get how you're keeping your grip if I'm honest. Mind, I've never been in a tub where my toes didn't touch the other side, so...wait, do Jacuzzis count as tubs?"

Getting the cup, he went to grab the candy. When he opened the drawer, it was...wow. Literally just an entire drawer full of nothing but different candies, all different kinds. "Hey, serious question," Kaito said, grabbing two different colored round licorice candies before popping a longer, thinner piece into his mouth, sucking on it between his teeth as he brought the cup and candy back into the bath. "How are you not fat? Seriously, what's your secret? A drawer full of candy, and don't think I didn't see the way you inhaled those pancakes the other day."

He put the cup, it and the candies on a little tea-plate, on the rim of the tub, sitting down and resting his head on his arms, leaning against the rim of the tub as well as he grinned playfully at Kokichi. "You're a glutton, man."

Boss... Ouma went pink again, hoping he could blame it on the heat of the water. While Kaito went back into their room, he tilted his head into a little divot at the head of the tub, playing a little with the bubbles anyway.

"I'm not, I'm totally drowning right now. Blub blub blub!" It was hard to raise his voice much, but it was a little stronger than it'd been earlier in the day, hopefully enough that Kaito could still hear him. "And jacuzzis are totally just big bathtubs. Some baths have jets in them, so there's literally no difference."

Slowly, slooooowly, the persistent ache in his groin was easing, becoming something manageable, and not the kind of pain that made him eagerly escape into sleep. He'd have to get out of the tub eventually, but hopefully he'd be feeling a little better then. Maybe enough to put pants on.

Scooting up on the tub wall as Kaito returned, Ouma leaned on the rim, carefully holding the teacup as he leveled a sort of 'really?' look at his husband. "Pancake. One. And I couldn't finish any more of the food we got at that pub either. I can't eat that much, so I think that disqualifies me from glutton status."

"People might actually be relieved if I actually gained weight from it, though," he rolled his eyes, gulping down the tea and hurriedly popping one of the licorice candies in his mouth. "You've seen me naked. I'm pretty obviously underweight, and if I didn't favor sweets, I think I'd lose more."

...not to mention he fairly regularly skipped meals, but eating around Aiichi tended to just make him feel sick. After one particular examination from a highly recommended healer, he'd tried eating regular, larger portions, but... Well, it'd been one of the only times he'd been stuck in bed not because of a blood issue. Those stomachaches had been brutal.

"What about you?" he shot back. "You're like a damned carnivorous vacuum. And please don't say it's how you got all big and strong."

Kaito grinned, pulling up one of the sleeves of his shirt and flexing his bicep. "It is though! Well, that and, ya know, a ton of exercise. To be honest, if I ate as much as I do now, and then stopped working out, I'd probably be three hundred pounds, easy."

Kaito, still chewing on his now considerably shorter licorice, ran his hands through some of the hot water before saying, "Which wouldn't be all bad. Ya know, I had a boyfriend once who was almost 290 pounds. But man, you would not believe it, the guy could run. I, to this day, have no idea how he managed to move that quickly while that big. It wasn't, like, almost 300 pounds of muscle, it was just pure excess weight. But it was like it didn't phase him at all."

Kaito let his hands out of the water, dripping it back into the tub, as he asked, "Hey...am I really your first, like...everything?"

Ouma almost couldn't imagine it. Well, the concept of Kaito's boyfriend, yeah, but, like empathetically? No way. He'd never been over 100 in his life.

...boyfriend. It hadn't ever occurred to Ouma to even think about previous relationships Kaito may have had. Who he might've had to leave behind for the treaty. He'd traveled, been to university...what else had he been up to, in that life that seemed more full than Ouma could fathom.

He felt that same gurgle of envy, but...it was overshadowed by curiosity and...guilt. For all the things Kaito had to give up now.

Ouma held up a palmful of bubbles, focusing on that instead of Kaito. "Pretty much. You're not my first crush, but you don't even rank on that list."

"...what I was doing, that day in the market when we met, I do it pretty regularly. Or. Did it. Sometimes when I'd sneak out, I'd just go hangout in the gardens or go to museums or just...be in the city. A lot of the time, though, I'd go to the market and try to find travelers stocking up on supplies. See who would be willing to indulge a stranger in a few stories. Sometimes it'd work out, others not so much."

Sinking into the water a little more, Ouma could feel his face heating up a little more. "...you were the first to ever really ask about me, though. Past, like, asking where my parents were."

"My first kiss, my first fuck. The first person to hold my hand that wasn't using it to make sure I wouldn't run off into danger. Obviously my first husband." Ouma managed something of a grin in Kaito's direction before looking away more fully. "...the first person to believe in me."

Kaito blushed, still playing with the water a bit..."Nah, I don't believe that last one," Kaito said, shrugging. "Every time you talk to any of the staff here, they seem thrilled to be noticed by you. One chick went off into the woods by herself on your word alone, and, like, since you probably didn't brainwash her to do it, I mean...you guys don't do that, right?" Kaito asked, chuckling nervously. "No, no, I'm kidding, I know you probably don't. Anyway, the fact she was willing to do it just on your word alone? That's...that's gotta be belief, right?"

Kaito tapped his fingers against the side of the tub, basically entirely lounging against it now, as he said, "I don't know. Maybe it's hard for you to see their belief because your dad's always ordering them to be your wardens, but it...seems really obvious to me how much people around here like you."

Kaito grinned, sitting up and pointing at Kokichi with a wink. "Though, I bet I can claim to be the first person to declare to the Gods that I believe in you! So, yeah...that's pretty cool! That's a first for me too!" he said with a chuckle.

He started to crack his knuckles, his face reddening a bit. "So...other than being sort of...raped...was it any good?" Kaito asked, staring fixedly at a particularly cracked tile in the wall. "You can tell me if it wasn't. I mean...like, if there were parts that were bad, you can tell me and next time I won't...do those parts, is all."

Ouma went quiet, staring at the foam covering the whole tub. It was true he wasn't...like, on bad terms with any of the staff, even from the times he'd be physically carried away from the front gate or have anything sharp ripped away from him. Those incidents just got lumped in with his general anger with being underestimated.

He knew them all by name, even the kitchen staff though he didn't really know much more about them. He could joke with them, learned their quirks. He'd let Lake "save" him from terrible beasts, thanking his daring hero as she carried him on her back, running around the castle. Knew Waku loved puzzles and so he'd gotten a book of riddles and gave her a new one every day for nearly a year. Would act as referee for Sei and IQ's competitions, back before they'd left for the war.

...he considered Katsuki's mission for him, one of the only times she'd ever broken their game, even a little. They had to be there, to talk to him. They were being paid to protect or clean or whatever. He was their boss's kid. But...they didn't have to be so familiar, to play with him as much as they did. Maybe...

He looked up at Kaito's laugh, cracking a smile himself. Maybe he wasn't as alone as he'd thought.

However, his smile dropped like a stone at the next subject. "Can we...not call it that?"

Technically...Kaito had raped him. He'd been drugged, and in that state he hadn't been able to give proper consent. Even if he thought he had at the time. Ouma wanted to argue, to say that Kaito had constantly asked him if he was okay, if he wanted to stop, had been so gentle with him. But...that's not the way things worked. He'd been under the influence of something, so he couldn't give consent. End of story.

"...I'm sorry..." he apologized again, face crumpling a little.

"...sorry, I shouldn't have brought that up," Kaito said, staring at the wall.

He turned, suddenly, a bright, cheery grin that was only just shy of unnatural on his face. "Wait, wait, let's back up! Crushes? There was a whole list of crushes? I legit can't even imagine you pining over someone. I mean, not sincerely, you know? Have you really had crushes?"

Kaito leaned down against the tub so that, for once, he'd have to look up at Kokichi instead of looking down at him, even if it was only a little bit, giving Kokichi a wolfish grin. "Alright, no holding back, you have to tell me! Who made Kokichi's heart go doki-doki? What were they like? How do I compare in handsomeness? If I'm better looking, please, feel free to be brutally honest."

It felt weird for him, but Ouma just wanted to keep apologizing. For making their first time so… For not doing enough. For disappointing Kaito.

But he swallowed those words, and it was easier to move on, giving Kaito an embarrassed look as he was questioned on his crushes of all things. "You're seriously that curious?"

"Well...I mean, it's kind of up for debate about sincerely," he stalled, playing with bubbles to avoid looking at that grin that made his heart speed. "I never really knew any of them. Kind of hard to when I have to disappear all the time."

"S'just...you know, people you'd see who are really cute, and maybe you get to talk to them for a little while, and, shit, they're nice and funny and interesting too, then... Then maybe you see them one more time and then they're gone." Ouma's cheeks were just a little too pink to blame on the bath anymore, though he gave a little awkward giggle. "Honestly, guys like Shuu-chan tend to be my type. Fun to tease, have interesting things to say, prettier than life itself."

Ouma leaned back on the rim, flicking a bit of water Kaito's way with a smirk. "Sorry, but he is prettier than you. Thankfully, you're not at the bottom of that list, at least. Somehow Kai-chan still manages to be pretty even with his chicken hair and dumb capes."

Kaito lifted his hand lightly to deflect the water, but honestly that was more out of reflex than because it got anywhere near him. "Hey, we've talked about this. Capes are amazing. It's like, you know how in art pieces, portraits and stuff, people can put really abstract backgrounds and stuff? That's capes, but in real life. Everyone should wear cool, personalized capes."

"And oh, god, I know he is." Kaito sighed, thumping his chin on the tub, suddenly looking exaggeratedly depressed. "I wasted my entire thirteenth year just being hopelessly in love with the guy. It was a mess, almost totally destroyed our friendship, that's how out of control it got. When I finally got around to confessing after having made it painfully obvious for like nine months, telling him how much I loved him and how wonderful I thought he was, you know what he said to me?"

Kaito straightened up, pretending to pull a cap down on his head in an actually pretty spot on impression of Shuuichi's nervous expressions, "Thanks. That's nice of you to say."

Kaito clenched both fists, a sudden fiery energy to him. "Augh! I was humiliated! I didn't come out of the temple for a month! Maki finally had to drag me out and make us talk about it." Kaito lowered his arms, chuckling as he said, "I mean, obviously we got past it, but maaaan. Thirteen-year-olds suuuuuck."

"Mind you, that was always a terrible habit of mine," Kaito admitted, staring up at the ceiling as he considered other fond, if embarrassing, memories like that. "I fell in love with my friends constantly growing up. If you were a little too nice to me for a little too long, boom!" Kaito said, snapping a finger. "Lovestruck! I'm not sure if I even have a close friend that I wasn't hopelessly in love with at some point or another. Thankfully all my friends also knew that about me, so when it came to be their turn, most of them had already worked out how they were going to turn me down...and sometimes they didn't," Kaito said, his shoulders relaxing as he thought of even better memories. "And it was pretty cool when that happened too."

Ouma broke into giggly whinnies, snorting into the bubbles lathing against the side of the bath. "He did not. Oh my god!" He could imagine it, a younger, maybe even more awkward than he was in present-day Shuuichi, handling a love confession as non-confrontationally as possible.

"Fuck, thirteen-year-olds do suck," he agreed with a roll of his eyes. "Do you know how many straight guys I accidentally flirted with because they thought I was a girl? If I couldn't get any taller, I can at least thank the universe for dropping my voice." If he never got called 'Princess" again it'd be too soon.

Bending an arm up on the rim of the tub to set his head on, Ouma listened to Kaito talk. Falling in love so freely and so frequently. And...it all turning out okay. Still being friends. Being friends and more. What a concept.

Ouma knew of couples generally, citizens he'd met briefly. He had watched Lake and Nazumi practically be together for years, could remember the days when Hideki still smiled freely with Toshio by his side. Was told stories of how his parents had fawned over each other. All people who loved each other, but it had never really...clicked for him.

Would he grow to love Kaito one day? He really had no idea, but...that was okay. He liked him, and that was more than enough.

"Hmm. Did you ever date Maki-chan?"

Kaito put a hand to the back of his neck, massaging the muscles there as he shrugged. "Eh. Yeah, kinda. Me and Maki-Roll did this whole...dance around it for a really long time. It almost seemed like we'd take turns crushing on each other every couple of years, ya know? But there was always something in the way: either one of us was dating someone already, or one of us was being sent overseas for a few months to help an important diplomat fall down some stairs. Ya know. Just little complications that made it hard."

Kaito noticed that Kokichi was done with his tea and, not wanting the glass to fall, he took it and moved it to the sink as he continued. "Then, in our last year of high school, with it looking uncertain how much time we'd get to spend together, with me going off to university and her work becoming full time for the next ten years, I decided that even though I was kinda...over it, by that point? I thought, what the heck. I'll ask her out just so we can say we actually got around to trying it."

Sitting back down by the tub, he went on. "And it was...super weird. I mean, it was fun! It's always fun to hang out with Maki-Roll, and, ya know, we got to try a bunch of also fun couple stuff on top of the friend stuff we were already doing, but...I think maybe just too much time had passed. We had both had our crushes and gotten over them, and then tried to date. Though..."

Kaito made a face. It was an unusual one for him...something close to disgust. "The conversation that really put a nail on that coffin was one of our friends asking, as a joke, if the only reason Maki-Roll accepted my ask for a date was because I was her prince and she had to." The look on his face deepened. "And she said, 'I don't know. Maybe.'"

Kaito stared at the ceiling for a while before chuckling. "Yeah. That turned into a huge fight. It got ugly there for a while. Again, obviously we got past it. But, we were both mad. Really mad. It took a lot of work from both of us to get back to being best friends again." Kaito grinned, putting his hands back in the water. "But we got there! Hey, do you want me to re-fill this? The water’s losing its heat."

As Kaito ran his hands through the water, confirming its increasing lukewarmness, he said, unprompted, "You know, I was seriously considering ditching the wedding entirely to go after them for a little while." He just stared at the ripples from the touch of his fingers. "I didn't because...well, because of all the obvious reasons. But there's a part of me that still feels like I should have gone to get them back."

High school...so Kaito had been through public standard education too. Or. At least not homeschooled. ...How old was Kaito anyway? Ouma had figured they were somewhere around the same age, especially since the Luminous prince had been attending university, but...that was a pretty big age range, still. He spoke like the end of high school was a while ago. Ouma had only turned 20 a couple months ago too...

That was something to consider at another time, though; he was more invested in the actual story being told. Kaito and Maki were friends, that was obvious. They were comfortable around each other. But even though he'd asked, picturing them as a couple was...difficult. Apparently being one was too.

Ouma wrinkled his nose, humming in sympathy as Kaito brought up the exact reason he wasn't sure if any of the castle staff actually liked him. It was probably more serious in Kaito's case, both in that it was about a romantic relationship and status was a bigger deal in Luminary, but... It was hard to know if someone was being nice because they had to. It was a super uncomfortable thing to know.

Having been sitting in the water, Ouma hadn't really noticed the water cooling down, and as nice as it would be to just sit in the bath all night...he should probably get out. "Nah... There are clean towels under my sink; could you get one for me? I don't think I should really indulge in an hour-long bath. I have enough issues going on already..."

He sighed, only feeling his chest depress further at what Kaito said next. ...it was important for Kaito to stay long enough to sign the treaty, but after that... Ouma half-hid his face in the crook of his arm, feeling...inadequate? Why had Kaito stuck around just to dance with him? Maybe, seeing that Kaito was gone, Chisa wouldn't have bothered drugging him. Maybe she still would've, but...

"...thank you, for last night," he murmured quietly. "Even if I...you know." Was gross and horrible.

"Coming right up," Kaito said cheerfully as he went to grab the towel. Honestly, his mood was sort of...all over the place, right now. He had felt so genuinely awful going to sleep that he had woken up not necessarily feeling better, but...maybe the word was apathetic? Numb. Numb to the point of cheerfulness. Like he didn't have a care in the world. Like his friends weren't in danger and his week hadn't been mostly terrifying and he hadn't raped his husband on their wedding night!

All in all, he felt great!

"Ha, what? Why'd you say it like that?" Kaito asked with a laugh, putting the towel on the side of the tub for Kokichi before reaching down to take out the drain plug. "Even if you what? Were poisoned? Super, duper poisoned by one of my people? You know that's text-book definition the opposite of your fault, right? Why do you, I don't know... why do you sound guilty about it? You didn't do anything wrong," Kaito said, his voice gentle as the water drained. "You were basically the only person last night who didn't do anything wrong."

Ouma scooted himself up to the very far side of the tub, waiting for it to drain a little before attempting to get out. He...probably couldn't pull himself out all the way, but he could try to do as much as he could!

And it was something to focus on so he wouldn't have to look at Kaito.

In some part of him, he did know Kaito was right. He was familiar with the law, had done work for various cases where people tried to blame the victim and knew just how absurdly stupid that was. But...he still...

Ouma worried his bottom lip, watching the draining water. "I...just..."

"I know it wasn't your first time, but it was your first time with me. Before we found out about the aphrodisiac, I just...thought I was some freaky pervert? A-and, even still, I was really gross, right? I barely did anything! E-even when I tried to blow you, it...i-it was so ho-horrible that you just decided t-to face fuck me instead. I just laid there the entire time, cumming over and over like a freak! H-How could that--"

He hadn't realized how worked up he was getting until his words got choked off with a dry sob. He was shaking, clasping his hands so tightly together his nails were digging into his skin. Even just having a bath, he felt disgusting, like every time someone looked at him the way Tengan had, every time someone called him a 'pretty little thing' and never used his name.

How could Kaito even stand looking at him?

Kaito moved without thinking about it.

Kokichi had looked, in a very physical sense of the word, like he was about to fall apart, shaking as he gripped the side of the tub, his breathing coming in uneven as he tried to talk through what looked very much like what would become another greenhouse breakdown. And Kaito didn't know what to do with this...this kind of...self-loathing? Had never had to deal with the consequences of someone going through an incident this painful or ugly before.

So he did the only thing that made sense to him, and he grabbed the towel and put it around Kokichi and, sitting at the edge of the tub, he pulled him up into his lap and held him.

He gripped him close and tight and stared at the wall, trying to think of something, anything to say. Every word, every choked gasp from Kokichi, was another stab in the heart. It was the same as seeing him in his sick-bed hurt, but worse. Because it was the sort of thing that didn't feel like it would get better with a night's worth of sleep, or even two. It felt like watching the sort of pain that was just going to hurt forever.

...but Kaito couldn't treat it like that. Just like the sick-bed, Kaito couldn't treat Kokichi like some broken thing, just because it felt like maybe he was. He had to have faith. He had to believe it could be okay.

So...

Kaito looked down at Kokichi, took his finger underneath his chin to lift his head up to look at him, and staring down into those red-rimmed, purple orbs, (praying to Atua he wasn't making a SEVERE miscalculation) he leaned in to kiss him.

"You," he said, with another kiss, "were beautiful," another kiss, this time to the upper cheek, "and fun," and then the ends of his ear, breathing hot into it, "and so fucking sexy-"

And he leaned further, to kiss Kokichi's neck, pulling Kokichi’s whole body against himself as whispered, growling through gritted teeth, "that I wasn't even on any drugs and still almost lost my god damned mind wanting to fuck you."

And he pulled back, all that aggression gone as he cheerfully smiled, "So, no? You weren't gross, or horrible, or any of that bullshit?" Kaito chuckled, "You were amazing."

Selfishly, Ouma tucked himself into Kaito's chest, crying without any tears though his eyes certainly felt irritated enough. Why was Kaito even bothering with him? No one wanted him, he was just a burden, a mistake, someone that only made things worse. He'd only caused Kaito problem after problem, a-and even his friends were gone now, and...

Ouma sniffled into the kiss, only confused by it because...no? This wasn't what Kaito was supposed to do. He was supposed to leave in disgust and...

Beautiful. Fun. Sexy. Wanted.

Wanted.

Amazing.

With another sob Ouma tucked himself back against Kaito, gripping onto his shirt as hard as he could as if that would ensure that he would never leave. "I-it was good for you? E-even if I d-didn't do anything?"

Breath hitching a little more, Ouma rubbed his face back and forth against Kaito's chest, words just falling out of him. "It felt s-so good for me--I-I'd never-- I liked it w-when you'd h-hold me down a-and order me, and I know tha-that I could trust you be-because that's all y-you've been saying th-this week, that you b-believe in me. A-and you were so gentle i-it drove me nuts and I-I j-just wanted to g-give you everything and m-make you happy, aaagh - huuhah - uuuuuh!"

He really did start bawling a little again, trying to hold on to Kaito for dear life.

Kaito held Kokichi close, listening to all this in...wonder. Entirely baffled at this confusing, flattering, absolute mess of a confession. Just staring down at his prince...amazed.

Smiling.

Laughing.

God damn it, Atua. What a funny little trick to play on him, binding him to this funny, wonderful, crazy little person. W-what the fuck, Atua!?

Kaito laughed, holding Kokichi close. "Okay, okay! I think I get it! Geez, Kokichi, is that what was bothering you? Oh no, I guess it was your first time, so...you have no standards!" Kaito giggled, kissing the top of Kokichi's head as he said, "You didn't do nothing? I've been with people who do nothing, and trust me, it is not fun, and also not what you did last night. You were so much fun, you were so attentive and willing to, just, be there, in the moment, ya know? You would not believe what bad sex is like. It's like the other person's making up tomorrow's to-do list in their head while you're desperately trying to please them, feeling like an idiot. You-"

Kaito's eyes lit up, rubbing Kokichi's back as he recalled fondly, "-you were so cute!? Is that weird to say!? Oh my god, when you started to suck my dick and did that little look up at me? I was going to die, Kokichi. Atua was gonna strike me down right then and there because I had never felt so turned on in my life. Oh fuck, I still feel like the biggest pervert thinking about it," Kaito said, his face flushing red at the memory.

Kaito glanced down again, Kokichi's face buried into his shirt. "Are you still crying?" Kaito asked, his voice teasing, putting his hands on Kokichi's shoulder and pulling him out of his shirt so he could look at his face. "You were amazing, okay? Everything bad that happened last night, only happened after you stopped breathing and scared the shit out of me. Everything before that? I was...really happy you let me be with you. So, ya know...maybe skip the not breathing part next time? That'd do wonders for my experience, personally."

Ouma warbled indistinctly, taking in...that he hadn't messed everything up. That Kaito was happy, and had been happy with him last night. That he didn't regret it, at least in any way not in the context that he'd been drugged. That, if he hadn't been given an aphrodisiac, it would've just been...good. Though, if he hadn't been given that love drug, he didn't think it would've turned out that way at all.

He was sure he looked a mess, having far too many crying fits in the last day, but! It was Kaito's fault for turning his life upside-down! The prince had given him so many firsts that Ouma was left to figure out an entirely new world. And...he was happy for it.

The endless days of being stuck in the castle, seeing the same people, doing the same things... They were gone. There was someone who loved adventure as much as he did right at his side, and, in a month, if Aiichi kept to his word? Everything would be different. He couldn't wait.

"Fu-fuck off," he whined, scrubbing at his cheeks. "Maybe don't let me c-cum like, 50 times? You try t-to be okay after that. You did nothing to help that, b-by the way. Even when you t-told me not to, you were so hot I couldn't help it."

It was wobbly, but Ouma managed a smile, a little embarrassment coming into his face as he managed to loosen his grip on Kaito's shirt. "Uh... After I don't feel like my junk is full of rusty nails... Could we have a proper first time? One where we don't have to worry about anything in our drinks?"

Kaito played with Kokichi's hair, entwining the discolored hairs between his fingers as he chuckled, "Hey, that's barely my fault. I can't help that staying in shape also just results in me being fucking gorgeous. It's a blessing and a curse, you know?"

Pulling Kokichi's head in gently to kiss him on the top of his skull, Kaito said, "Yeah? I want to if you do. We'll have to be really careful, since, like, so far our track record is one spiked drink a piece in a single week, which is just...terrible odds, really?" Kaito rested his chin on Kokichi's head as he held him. "Like maybe we just don't drink anything that day? Safest bet? Oh, and, cumming fifty times? Will never happen again in your life. Just telling you upfront. I have trouble taking a piss the next day if I cum just twice in a row. What you did is a once in a lifetime experience."

Deciding that was enough time in the bathroom, Kaito stood up, holding Kokichi easily as he took them out of the bathroom, bringing Kokichi over to the bed to put him down. "I have to go get you more tea, by the way. There's barely any left in the kettle. Do I just go back to the med-wing for that?"

"100% your fault, stop t-trying to dodge blame, Kai-chan." Ouma nuzzled into Kaito's touch, sighing contentedly as he calmed down from...that. That fit, or whatever. Explosion of worry. Aaaaaand now he was tired again. Not that he had been particularly alert that night at all, but Ouma could feel familiar exhaustion seep into his bones. Of all the changes happening in his life, not constantly falling asleep whenever he got sick was not one of them.

"I think we'd have to worry about dehydration at that point--if you didn't have to take me to a medic because of my blood pressure zeroing out, you might've had to just to get me to guzzle water without drowning." Ouma made a face, nosing against Kaito's chest. "I never wanted it to happen! I'm a little insulted you thought I could cum that much and so easily in the first place! I'll be overjoyed if it never happens again."

Particularly because that would mean he'd never be, like, roofied again, but still. It had been gross and painful.

Ouma stifled a few yawns as Kaito carried him back to bed, his disgruntled expression free for his husband to see this time. "Yeaaaaaah. There's always someone on duty through the night, even if you might have to wake them up. They have to mix up my medicine into the tea, but that usually doesn't take too long. Um..."

He paused, looking away for a moment and drawing the towel tighter around himself before looking back up at Kaito. "When you come back, could we, uh. Cuddle again? You're really warm and comfy."

Kaito considered Kokichi for a moment, before smiling. "Say something for me and I might," Kaito teased, a spot of mischief in his eyes. "And if you won't say it, I don't know? Might gotta go check to see if they've given my old room away for the night. Maybe find a couch somewhere?"

Ouma pouted up at Kaito suspiciously. "My own husband won't even sleep in his own bed with me. I can't believe it--this must be something suuuuuper important. Something you feel in the depths of your soul, as true as anything can be in this world."

With a beleaguered sigh, Ouma scooted around a little on the bed, pulling up the blankets Kaito had thrown off before though leaving a free space for his return. "Wow. Capes are so cool. I can't believe how cool Kaito looks when he wears a cape," he said, completely deadpan.

"Ha ha," Kaito snickered, through there was a twitch in his eyebrows, because, fuck you, capes are so cool. "You little shit. No."

Kaito leaned over the bed, catching Kokichi's chin again as he said, the gentleness in his touch and smile not belaying the intensity in his gaze as he said, entirely serious, "Give me your best shit eating grin, and say 'Kai-chan is s~o lucky to have me'."

Ouma giggled quietly. Gottem. However, his mirth faded into confusion. What? Why would he want to hear that? He blinked up at his husband, trying to find the plan here, to see what in his expression would give him away and found...nothing. Just the overwhelming sincerity Kaito did nearly everything with.

Another beat passed before Ouma took a breath and grinned up at his husband, wide enough to crinkle his eyes a little, though you could still see the tiredness in him. "Kai-chan is s~o lucky to have me. Maybe his god really did pull some strings to make sure he got to marry me."

The smile disappeared as a yawn overtook him, Ouma just barely bringing a hand up in time to not yawn in Kaito's face. With an amused, sleepy expression, he raised an eyebrow. "Satisfied, you weirdo? Can I have my heater tonight?"

Kaito looked down at the smug, self-satisfied grin...and flushed red, a flutter in his chest.

"I am," Kaito said, giving Kokichi a little peck on the mouth for his compliance, "That's way, way sexier than hearing you call yourself 'gross'"

Kaito straightened up, yawning himself after seeing Kokichi do it. "Alright, I'll get some more tea and then crawl back into bed. I'd say 'don't wait up for me' but I seriously doubt you'll be awake the second you actually lay down. Get some rest, I'll be back."

Feeling both slightly turned on and slightly smug Kaito walked out of the room with a pep in his step, taking a left out of the door...and then realizing he was going the wrong way and heading right.

Ouma followed in Kaito's blush, feeling...tricked? Maybe? That wasn't really a prank, but it sort of felt like one still. But...like a really nice one. If Kaito didn't think he was gross, then...man, his husband had weird standards. But, considering all the things Ouma had learned about himself the night before, so did he.

"See you in the morning," Ouma murmured after him, settling down in bed, proving Kaito very correct in how he felt the beckoning of sleep tugging at him. "Don't get lost and end up lying to me...I'll be pissed..."

Without the intensity and determination of saving a dying Kokichi to find it, Kaito found himself having a much harder time finding the Med Wing. It was...it was definitely downstairs, and then once you got down the stairs, it was...um...hm. How had he found it last time? He remembered just...feeling it in his gut, which way he had to go, Kokichi's breaths getting weaker and raspier with every frenzied step...

Ugh. And he had been feeling good too. What a miserable memory.

And then, because Kaito didn't have much to do as he looked, he decided to check in with Atua.

"My god, who loves me," Kaito said, starting the prayer the way he had been raised to by his childhood priestess. It wasn't, like, the 'only' way to talk to Atua, she had explained, as there wasn't really a good way to 'start' a conversation with an entity who was always listening. But she had told him that Atua was happiest when Kaito recognized how loved he was. "Hey. How's Koh doing? Has he gotten used to being a spirit yet? Tell him Kaito says hi and is thinking of him."

Hmmmm... "Are Shuuichi and Maki doing okay?" he asked Atua, "Could you check in on them for me? I know you won't directly interfere, but...I mean...maybe if you could nudge things into being okay? I'd appreciate it..."

...oh, right. This way. The med-wing was this way. That's how he had found it before, the symbol outside the door leading to the wing. He must have gotten so lucky to just stumble across it last time.

It was the same healer as before, who seemed, Kaito had to guess, pleased to not see him carrying a half-dead prince covered in cum. They re-stocked him and he bowed low, to which they uncomfortably waved him off. Right. Bowing wasn't a thing here. That was gonna be a tough thing to unlearn.

To Atua, he said, "I don't really know what I'm doing now." Kaito said, carrying the kettle carefully as he walked the dark hallways, "The wedding’s done. The treaty is signed. I don't really...have much purpose beyond that. I mean, I guess Kokichi seems happy with me. So, ya know...I guess I could just focus on that for awhile."

Kaito sighed, "I know, I know...that's not a good long term solution. Well, if you wanna judge my choices, why not send me a sign of what I'm supp-"

The prince's small whispered prayers faded into nothing as he stopped, staring at General Juzo, who was standing in the middle of the hallway, dressed in full armor, broadsword at his side.

"...how did you know I'd-?"

"Saw you leave," the General said, lifting up his broadsword, "Figured I could just wait for you to come back."

And with that, he threw his sword down, the sword skidding across the floor to just in front of Kaito's feet. Then the General, looking resigned, got down onto his hands and knees, and put his forehead on the floor.

And just...waited.

Kaito looked down at him...carefully putting the kettle aside. Then, curiously, he tried to lift the broadsword. Frowning. "It's heavy," he said, able to lift it, but, really just barely. "How do you fight with this so much?"

"It's heavy enough to do the damage itself," the general said, not moving his head as he spoke into the ground. "You just let it fall. It does the killing for you."

"I see..." Kaito said.

Dragging the sword over to the general, he looked down at him. Feeling...conflicted. This man was going to be his mentor when Kaito joined the military. In another timeline, another world, he would have been groomed to replace the General one day, a proud protege, trying to fill the shadow of this proud, strong man...laid bare. Not even pleading. Just resigned and ready to accept whatever decision Kaito made.

And it wasn't an insincere gesture. Kaito could feel the...ugliness in him. The anger still. And the general had to know it was there, had to smell it on him. The bloodlust that Kaito was struggling to ignore, furious of the damage that had been done to what was   h i s.

It would be easy. The Diceans would be appalled, but the Luminaries? His people? They'd understand. Sometimes, when you bowed, if the crime was great, you were not allowed to rise again...

"Speak plain," Kaito said, gripping the sword, the ugly thing inside him squirming and biting. "Yes or no. Did you have anything to do with Kokichi's poisoning?"

"No," the General said.

The biting thing receded, the darkness edging away. Kaito felt himself relax a little. "Then...why the request for forgiveness?"

The General clenched his fists. "I should have fucking been paying better attention," he growled into the ground. "I'm sworn to protect you, but those two...they've got all this fuckery going on all the time… I thought I understood what they were after, but this? Fucking came out of nowhere. And I was...if anyone should have known what was happening, it should have been me. I failed you. I ask your forgiveness."

Kaitio considered the General for a while...before sighing. "It's yours," Kaito said, feeling exhaustion weighing on him. The air itself felt heavy, let alone the sword. "Please take your sword back, it is really too big for me."

The General gave a little breath, before standing up, taking the sword back. As Kaito went to get his kettle, the General said, "We're leaving tomorrow morning. Everyone but you and the Tim kid. Heading back to the capital."

"Secretary Chisa?" Kaito asked, though he guessed he already knew the answer.

"Free and clear," the general said, "I mean, banished, technically. But banished home, where she was going anyway. So, ya know...the fuck lot of good that does."

"I should kill her," Kaito said.

The general didn't argue.

Kaito looked at the kettle...and sighed. "I gotta get back. I need to look after my husband...goodbye, General Juuzo," Kaito said, walking past what would have been his mentor, stomach twisting in as much grief as it was anger. "Safe travels."

The general said nothing back for a moment, as he watched Kaito walk away, before calling out. "My prince...if you find yourself surrounded by enemies..."

Kaito gripped the kettle a tad too tightly, immediately loosening his grip when he heard the slightest crack in the handle. "...sure..." Kaito muttered.

He went back to the room and went to bed.

The next morning was better. It usually was, even if what he usually went through wasn't as...seeped in fuckery as this time. Still, though, sleep was no friend of Ouma's and he groaned quietly as he woke up, screwing up his face and nuzzling in closer to Kaito.

His head was a little clearer, body a little less achy, a little stronger. And his groin didn't feel like just the slightest touch would send a knife of pain up into him. If he really did have a bladder infection and wasn't just overly sensitive, well, he'd figure that out next time he used the bathroom. Which probably wouldn't be too far off, since he'd have to take another dose, and--

GURGLE

Ouma's eyes blinked open in surprise at the absolutely monstrous sound that came from his stomach. ...well...he'd had tea and a few candies yesterday, then...maybe one or two eggs and a slice of cake the day before...and before that? He'd been bedridden then too, so...

GRRRRUMBLE

Okay, okay! Sheesh!

Reluctantly, Ouma wriggled away from his husband, realizing he was completely naked, the towel having been lost somewhere under the covers during the night. Clothes first, then.

Kaito grumbled incoherently as the blankets moved, the room getting cold, Kaito blindly reaching out for the pillow he had been holding, which had just...walked away from him?

"Grnngh-em?" Kaito sort of said, trying to say "What's going on, then?" and just failing right out of the gate. He opened an eye, his vision still half blurry with sleep as he murmured out, "oe-shi?"

Ouma snorted a bit at Kaito, picking up one of the pillows at the head of the bed and gently hitting his husband on top of his head with it. "Go back to sleep," he cooed softly. Before he could continue, his stomach decided to have a word in as well.

GUURRGLEEE

Actually wincing a little at that one, Ouma slid himself to the edge of his bed, determined to get up by himself. "M gettin' breakfast. Want anything? We can set up our own breakfast in bed."

Technically, he was supposed to still be on bed rest. Two days tended to be his minimum, no matter how much he whined and tried to escape. However, if he ran into someone on his way downstairs and they insisted on bringing him back to his room, he could put in a request for breakfast anyway! Not a terrible consolation.

Gripping the edge of the mattress, Ouma attempted to lift himself up, inadvertently giving Kaito a perfect view of his ass...before he tipped forward, knees giving out almost immediately and head swimming with vertigo. He panted lightly, trying to get his bearings as he stayed on the ground on his elbows and knees.

Kaito had been idly watching Kokichi get up and move around, his sleep-laced brain not really thinking much about anything...until Kokichi fell.

He was up, he was up!

Getting out of bed in a flash, Kaito kneeled in front of his husband, offering his hands to help Kokichi sit up. "Geez, Kokichi." Kaito lifted him up, sitting Kokichi back on the bed. "Where are you even going? If you can't stand, you can just wake me up when you need something. Just let me fetch, I'll go get whatever you're looking for while you get your strength all sorted out."

Kaito stepped back, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Though, if you can stand and you just, need, I don't know...a little bit of help walking? Got me for that too. All about it. Where we going, bathroom again?"

Kaito blinked, his brain catching up with his vision as he asked, "Kokichi, did you know you're naked?"

Ouma accepted the hands up, getting his breath back. And...it wasn't begrudgingly. This wasn't one of the staff picking him up with a sigh, half-threatening to tuck him in tight enough to keep him in bed. Reporting that he couldn't stand, so maybe he needed another day to rest? The patronizing looks of pity as he couldn't help drifting off again.

This was Kaito realizing the annoying truth that he did need help but recognizing that just because Ouma couldn't do everything didn't mean he couldn't do anything. And...that was a big difference.

GRUMBLE-GRUMBLE!!

"I wanted to go get breakfast," he griped, rubbing his stomach a little, hoping to placate it. "Wanted to let you sleep too, but if you're up, wanna come with? I... I could use a hand."

Ouma looked off to the side, annoyed with having to ask for help like that, but... He blinked up at Kaito, slightly incredulous, before a smirk came over his face. "You were the one that undressed me last night--I'd hope that you had actually noticed before right now."

The events of last night finally cracked through Kaito's sleep-hazed brain, a pleased smile flitting across his face. "O' yeah...that was fun. We should do deep midnight bath talks more often."

"Well, if we're going to grab food, you need clothes first. Will anything work," Kaito said, glancing around, trying to guess where Kokichi might be hiding less candy and more clothes, pointing a questioning finger to the door which he was guessing was a closet, "or do you have a specific outfit-"

He went silent. Going downstairs was a bad idea. Why was going downstairs a bad idea...?

Then he frowned, remembering the last bit of the night. He gripped his fist...sighing. "I...I think the caravans are leaving today," he said, glancing outside the window to see the sun doing its slow crawl up. "Probably setting up to go right about now. Are...I mean, I can go get food and bring it back if you wanna avoid..." Kaito shrugged. Not sure if he really needed to elaborate.

Ouma rolled his eyes a little--oh, yeah, he'd totally planned on wobbling his way right down to the dining room buck naked, perfect plan, even better since he was covered in healing bruises and bites from his wedding night. That would be the exact impression he wanted to have on everyone.

The tirade of internal sarcasm stopped as Kaito stopped speaking, Ouma's expression changing from exasperation into confusion. And then... Ouma's lips pressed into a line. "I guess the investigation added a day, huh. Kinda hard to do when your prime suspect is leaving the country."

He didn't want to see her. If Chisa really had made the drug like they'd surmised, then...she would know exactly how it had affected him. He didn't want to see Tengan either. Even if he hadn't ordered Chisa to drug him, the old pervert had probably been ecstatic to hear the news anyway. Ouma would live happily never having that kind of gaze on him ever again.

But they didn't fucking run his life! Or Kaito's anymore! Or Maki or anyone in Dicea! They didn't deserve to be feared, to be tip-toed around.

Taking a breath, Ouma bolstered himself up. "Kai-chan, if I have to wait much longer for breakfast, I think my stomach's going to eat itself. I'm not gonna change my plans for any tearful, heartfelt goodbyes."

"I usually don't wear the kinda stuff you've seen me wear the past few days; Aiichi either. We heard you guys were all stuffy so we decided to dress up. Just grab me something comfy." Ouma pointed to his closet, figuring it wouldn't be very hard for Kaito to find something for him to wear. Most of what he owned were just simple shirts, big comfy sweaters, and shorts. Of the most eye-searingly bright colors one could get their hands on.

Kaito felt a rush of nerves go through his stomach, not feeling quite as comfortable with the idea as Kokichi seemed to be. Somehow, he had a sinking suspicion that if they went down there, there would be a lot of curious eyes on them, and not all of them friendly... Still, what was he going to do? Just hide in their room as Kokichi crawled down there by himself?

...Nooooo, he probably couldn't do that.

"Stuffy? Who’s stuffy?" Kaito asked, trying to work out if… Were any of these supposed to match? None of these seemed like they were designed to go together. How did Kokichi match anything in all this mess? "Luminary people are cool. We wear cool, casual armor. Some of that armor is sexy, too. You would not believe how revealing and slender armor can get before it becomes functionally useless. We have that shit on lock."

As Kaito picked out some...sort of matching?? Clothes? He asked, idly, "Hey, I didn't want to mess with it while you were sleeping, but I think someone left you a gift on the nightstand? Do you want me to get someone to check it for traps?"

He brought Kokichi the clothes, raising an eyebrow in the silent question of 'These work?'

"Sure, sure, wearing armor is totally not stuffy. I'll learn your ways eventually, husband of mine."

Amused, Ouma rolled his eyes to himself before becoming veeeery curious about what Kaito brought up. He...hadn't actually noticed the box. Ever since they returned from the wedding, he'd been, er, rather preoccupied with various things. He'd hope the secretaries wouldn't have access to his room, but...

Well. Nothing they could do with a card, right? Ouma leaned over and plucked up the card, reading it over. And bursting into laughter.

"Niiishishishi!! No, n-no, I don't think we want anyone else touching that box!" God. What sort of ridiculous thing had Iruma sent him? She had always been incredulous and teasing over the fact he was a virgin; no doubt it was a sex toy. Well, if he hadn't been a virgin either, she probably would've sent one--that's just how Iruma was. A brilliant mind that you could always find in the gutter.

Ouma accepted the clothes Kaito brought over without batting an eye and started to get dressed, giving his husband a smirk. "Hey, why don't you open it?"

Kaito narrowed his eyes at him. "You just snickered, like, a lot just seeing who it was from," Kaito pointed out, going over to the box. "Like, straight up supervillain laughter. Have you ever gotten to read the little boxed picture books they make the next continent over? With the really two-dimensional, over-the-top villains who laugh with their arms in the air as lightning flashes behind their back? That was you. Just now."

Even though he said this, he still went over to the box, giving it a scrutinizing stare before just opening it up as Kokichi got dressed. "Who's Iruma?" Kaito asked, reading the card as he tore off the paper wrapping and pulled off the box top.

Huh, what was that? It was...like a...baton? A pink, thick baton? Like the kind of thing you'd give a kid you wanted to train to use a long-dagger but didn't trust them not to cut their own fingers off. And there were switches at the base? Reaching in to pick it up, Kaito said, "I think your friend sent you a weapo-GAH!"

He had clicked one of the switches, of which there were a few, and the whole baton started to vibrate. Thinking for a second he was being shocked, Kaito tried to turn the switch off, but picked the wrong one and as he moved that switch, little bumps seemed to just pop out of what Kaito had thought was an entirely smooth surface, which was now rigged and...spinning?

In a panic, he clicked the original switch down and moved it too low, and suddenly it was vibrating so much it was shaking his hand, and fuck, fuck, it was a bomb, bomb! And Kaito THREW the thing to the other side of the room, near the sitting window, turned around, and threw himself over Kokichi, pulling him in to shield him from the exploding metal rigged shards as much as he could.

...

The distinct lack of explosion a moment later was, admittedly, very confusing.

"Figures Mr. Hero would call me a villain," Ouma chuckled, pulling his head through a loose, bright green sweater. "But no, I've never read those books, I think. Sounds like a good junk time, at least."

The shorts were a little harder. Thankfully Kaito was more absorbed with the box, but he couldn't help the little shudders of pain as he put on the aqua shorts, having to suffer through adjusting himself for a moment. "A-ah... Miu Iruma, she's an inventor that lives in Carbosi--she's the one that designed the aqueduct I took you to. She regularly works with us here in the capital for new infrastructure and she pitches new inventions to take to market too. She was the pupil of Gorou Yukimura, who kinda designed how all our more modern cities run. After he died, she took up the mantle and has been knocking it out of the park."

Ouma paused, snorting through a bit more laughter though his cheeks started to flush at what Kaito took out of the box. Seriously? Well, he didn't really expect anything less of her, but really? Considering that Kaito was the more experienced one between them, Ouma took great amusement in the confusion on his face, but didn't expect him to straight up yeet the thing and--

"Wha-waa!" He yelped as Kaito leaped over him, feeling disoriented from the sudden movement. "U-ughh..."

"...she's also a rampant pervert, Kai-chan. If you have a phobia of vibrators, I think you two should never meet."

Kaito could still hear the damn thing vibrating on the other side of the room, his face bright red now as he looked down at Kokichi. "That's a vibrator!? That's not a vibrator! Vibrators are small and round! Discreet! I mean...fuck!"

He pulled away from the prince, putting a hand over his heart with such a stressed out, pained expression that could have come straight out of Shuuichi's face. "That almost gave me a heart attack. I was not expecting anything like that. This is it, this is how I go. Terrified of a vibrator."

Taking a deep breath, and then glancing over Kokichi to make sure he was fine, Kaito went back to the vibrator and, giving it a mean look, worked out how to turn it off this time. "Who makes them this shape?" Kaito asked, totally astounded. "What a weird culture clash. All the vibrators at home are little ball things. Some of them are so small you can strap them to your fingers. This is an abomination. You could beat a man to death with this."

"Small and round?" Ouma murmured, confused. "Like...I've heard of ones that are more like nodes that you can just attach to your thighs 'n shit, but if it's just, like, a ball, isn't that hard to get out?" Seemed like something more likely to get you to end up embarrassed at a medic's door than anything. Then again, he was no expert. He'd only seen the designs the actual expert tried to sneak by.

Ouma pushed himself back up into a sitting position, a little unsteadily, and chuckled at Kaito's question. "Iruma does, and I'd bet everything I have that she made that one too. What a concerned friend, wanting to make sure I'd die from being dicked down no matter what your dick turned out to be." He rolled his eyes a little, though his face only reddened further.

GRUUUUUUUMBL!!!!

A-ah, right.

Wrapping his arms around his middle, Ouma pouted up at Kaito. "Hey, can we shelf this cultural lesson for at least being on the road? I'm actually going to wither away or look like a dope dragging myself downstairs if you don't give me a hand."

Kaito threw the abomination on the bed, nodding. "Sure...oh, wait, wait! Clothes, I need clothes!" Kaito said, looking down at himself. "I mean more than sleep clothes. Hold on, I won't be long, I'll just throw something casual on too," he said, heading to the dresser he had been told before was where they had put most of his clothes.

Five minutes later...

"Hold on, one second!"

...ten minutes later...

"Where are my shoes!?"

...fifteen minutes in all it took for Kaito to throw on something 'casual'. And it was. It was a red v-neck long sleeve shirt, some pressed black pants, shoes and socks, and he gelled up his hair real quick before turning to Kokichi, a grin on his face.

Which is when he remembered he needed to brush his teeth real quick.

Five minutes after that, he was ready to go!

"Okay, see? Told you I'd be quick!" Kaito bragged, offering Kokichi his arm. "Alright, downstairs to the kitchens? Lead the way," Kaito said, being sure to let Kokichi put his whole weight on him if necessary. He thought about offering to carry Kokichi the whole way, but wanted to try to let him walk. Definitely down the stairs though, no argument on that one.

Having a little more presence of mind, while Kaito was getting dressed Ouma placed the vibrator back in the gift box and closed it back up, setting it back on the nightstand. Never knew if one of the housekeepers was going to come in to change the sheets and collect laundry while they were out, and while it might be a funny scare, he'd rather not leave that out when the whole damn castle probably knew that he'd been sent to the medic on his wedding night. No way he was gonna let Iruma take credit when she heard whatever that turned into through the grapevine.

That only took a few moments though, so...Ouma had quite a lot of idle time, waiting for Kaito to 'just throw something on'. Fussy. Luminaries. Lying back on the bed, Ouma pressed against his stomach, suffering through its desperate demands, idly swinging his stripe-socked feet off the bed in an attempt to do something. Hell. He might be able to make it to the dining room on his own in the time it took for Kaito to put on something 'casual'.

"You're such a diva," Ouma lightly griped, taking Kaito's arm. And having to clutch onto it hard as his knees tried to give out again. He...was somewhat able to steady himself, taking shaky steps forward, determined to make it downstairs if not on his own, then on his own feet. "And to the dining room. I'm not allowed in the kitchens, and food's usually...hah...laid out in the dining room for people to take...anyway."

It was annoyingly slow-going, and they'd barely made it to the end of the hall Ouma's room was located in, but still he was starting to breathe heavily, sweat beading at his hairline. But he refused to give up so soon.

Kaito felt Kokichi start trembling against his arm, and he looked down to see the angry determination on his face and held back the strong urge to offer more help, instead saying with a forced air of idleness, "So, I was thinking last night that, when things start to really slow down, like, when...when our friends come back..."

A sinking feeling erupted in his stomach as he thought about it, but Kaito shook his head. It was too late to do anything about it now. He had to trust in them. They were coming back! They...they had to. There would be no way to find them now...

"When our friends come back!" Kaito said again, forcing firm conviction in his tone, "We'll still have a month, maybe a little more depending on your dad, before we go, and I don't...have anything to do. So, I was thinking maybe you could show me the local university I heard a little about? I doubt I can finish my degree, but maybe I can start working on a different one? Is there anything that, as the kingdom's Prince Consort, would be useful for me to learn a lot about?"

When their friends returned...maybe everything would actually be okay from the absolute mess the last week had been. Even if Aiichi had said yes to the trip--and, wow, that was still hard to believe and made something in his chest shudder and tremble every time he thought about how he was going to be able to leave--he somehow doubted he'd suddenly be able to go around town as he pleased. There were still the never-ending administrative matters to attend to, and especially with the war over, that would now include making sure the members of the militia could safely come home and reintegrate into peaceful life. Likely they'd need to set up specialized counseling programs... Memorials too... Reparations for broken families... Restoration programs along the border for the battlegrounds...

Ouma staggered a little bit with a light cough, but righted himself. Always work to do.

"I talked to...Hideki before, and he said y-you could probably transfer no...no problem. I've only been there, ya...ya know, sneaking around, but I could...nmm...show you where it is, at least. Maybe." It just depended on whether they could go together from the start or if Ouma had to sneak out. He briefly pressed a hand to his chest as he panted, taking a few long blinks before drawing himself up more. "Kind of...everything? A lot of what we do is budgeting, but when people can't find answers t-to their problems, it's up to us. And if we can't th-ah...think of anything, then we have to know who to ask. You're already a...a people person, so you ha...have the hardest thing to learn d-down."

"Maybe...look at classes and d-dabble in what you find interesting?"

Kaito could feel his shoulders tense with every word. Kokichi was already sounding worse. Winded. Weak. Kaito wanted to save him, but didn't want to overstep. But, he also didn't want Kokichi to be obliterated by the time they got downstairs. Atua give him strength.

No, Atua give Kokichi strength.

...no. Atua gave Kokichi him.

Kaito suddenly grinned and, without a word, scooped Kokichi up. "I am a people person!" he said cheerfully, as he walked to the stairs. "But I'm also super athletic. Like, watch this: is there a degree for stairwell sliding?" Kaito asked cheerfully, going to the stairs and, Kokichi still in his arms, hopped onto the rail, letting it slide them down.

Able to catch them at the end of the rail, Kaito jumped down, putting Kokichi down so he could lean on his arm again. "Sorry, I saw that railing and couldn't help myself," Kaito said. "Perfect butt-width. It's like it was designed to slide down. I've gotta assume you've done that a million times already," he said with a laugh.

"H-hey!" Ouma yelped as Kaito picked him up. He felt a fleeting stab of alarm, waiting for the man to turn around, bring Ouma back to bed and insist he stay there, but...Kaito kept walking forward. Right up to the stairs that, normally, Ouma could run up and down all day, but had been putting out of his mind in dread. At least it had been going down stairs. If he had to go up, he might've actually given up.

And, while he had a suspicion Kaito was trying to give him a break, this wasn't giving up either.

Ouma held onto Kaito's shoulders as they zoomed down the flight, giggling quietly at the familiar sensation. "I wouldn't call sliding down a railing particularly athletic, but maybe you could get an acrobatics degree? And you're right--kinda hard to stop me when I have gravity on my side."

He snickered a bit more as they continued on towards the dining room, not caring that they had to pass by the entrance hall and likely the Luminary Party getting ready to leave. "I think I was like, 8 or something, and I didn't catch myself at the bottom--broke my arm pretty badly. Aiichi was thiiiis close to replacing all the railings in the castle with anti-sliding technology; thankfully everyone pointed out what a waste of funds that'd be. Still, if I'm walking with someone they always place themselves closer to the railing to try and keep me from doing it. Buncha bullshit. Sliding down a railing is waaaaay safer than falling down the stairs."

They started to see more people bustling around, getting some smiles and waves and 'good morning's, and a few Looks, though no one tried to interfere.

The entrance hall was packed. It seemed like a good portion of the Luminary party was using the entrance hall as the place to do their last triple checks. There was laughter and excited chatter as they all planned to go. Kaito glanced over long enough to see near the front door the murder kids all in a group, chatting with Timothy, who was seeing them off, tears in his eyes as they all assured him they'd write and come visit when they were older.

And it was maybe his eyes playing tricks on him, but he thought he saw a familiar old, bony hand within the crowd, and though it might not have been him, Kaito pulled his gaze away, just...incredibly more tense.

Kaito Momota was a little relieved. He just wanted all this to be done. To just get on with learning his new normal. But the Luminary Prince?

The Luminary Prince started to draw his shoulders up, his eyes falling to the floor despite himself as he let Kokichi lead the way. He could hear familiar voices as everyone was collecting their things, packing up, making plans for the road and counting supplies twice. Everyone readying to go. Move on from all of this, one way or another.

They were leaving...

...his people were leaving him...

...he wasn't going home again...

Kaito felt a flash of panic, felt a stab of warmth in the back of his eyes, and said a touch too loudly, "Maybe I could learn to cook?" Kaito laughed, not looking towards the front entrance. "I can't cook anything. You can't even blame it on my access to servants; I moved out to live in the dorms of the university and had, like, three years to teach myself how to cook, and just never got around to doing it. Instead I just went from having really good food to having really shitty food all the time. Entirely my own fault."

There were a couple of whispers in the distance. Stares as more and more people pointed out the princes to each other. A few of them who Kaito had made drinking partners of or were generally friendly with daring to give him a little wave before their friends jabbed them in the shoulders warningly.

Kaito was well liked...but he wasn't who they were going to be traveling with, not the one in charge of their comfort or happiness, for the next few months. And their leaders were not happy with him.

Kaito knew that. He knew that. He didn't mind. He understood.

"We should ask the kitchen staff if they know how to make crepes," Kaito decided, eyes trained on the floor. "Do they make crepes in Dicea? It's a Danganronpa thing. It's barely food, but it's amazing. I could learn how to make crepes!"

Ouma gave Kaito's arm a little squeeze as they traveled through the entrance hall, leaving it up to him to take it as comfort or Ouma needing to steady himself. He'd never left all he'd known behind, and likely wouldn't ever. Not like Kaito was. Ever since their fathers had made the agreement...

Ouma had felt conflicted, at the time. Well, about a lot of things, but over the fact that some foreign prince was moving to Dicea to marry him? It had worked out likely in the way the two leaders preferred, that there were two heirs to Luminary but one to Dicea. If Ouma had been the one to move to Luminary, then...that would leave Dicea without an heir, so there had been little debate about Kaito moving to Dicea.

He'd felt sorry for the concept of Kaito ages before they'd met in any way, but also, sort of...envious. And relieved? It was complicated. Moving to a new country had seemed like such a grand adventure, but at the same time...really scary. Especially with what he knew of Luminary. Even more in retrospect, having had firsthand experience with the leadership in Luminary. If they had been willing to threaten and poison him while in his home, if Ouma had been the one to move, what would they have done to him there? Or would they not have done anything, just trusting the climate of a much stricter land to beat him down?

Ouma didn't know, and honestly felt kind of sick thinking about it.

But while Dicea was less harsh, it was probably similarly scary for Kaito to face that it was home now. So...he was happy to play into the distraction.

"You lived away from home?!" he gaped, actually shocked by that and not just playing his part in ignoring the departure preparations. Then he frowned lightly, doing some tentative math in his head. "Wait...you lived in your university's dorms for three years? How old are you anyway?"

He had been meaning to ask. They weren't that far apart, but...somehow it really felt like it. Maybe because Ouma had so little to act as milestones for his age.

Muttering a little to himself, Ouma ignored the occasional stare from the crowd and shook his head. "Crepes are those super thin, fancy pancakes, right? I think you can find 'em in some specialty places...but we have a version that's a little different. They're thicker, so I'm told, but don't ask me about any other differences because I don't know how to cook either."

"But if you wanna learn how to cook the best pancakes in the kingdom, I'll gladly taste test for you!" he chirped with a grin, bright enough to offset the gleam of sweat on his face a bit. "And you won't have to worry about getting false feedback--I won't hesitate to tell you you're shit."

"Wow, Kokichi." Kaito twitched, "Such a treasure. Truly, how lucky I am to have you." Kaito then grinned, the feeling more natural as they got past the entrance hall, the worst of the staring done, and the feeling of the impending doom of isolation less in his face. "Though, watch, I'm gonna make you regret those words when I'm the master of pancakes and you gotta spend every day just begging me to make you more of your favorite breakfast. That's how I'll conquer Dicea!" Kaito said, a flash of inspiration as he clenched his fist to his chest. "Through the power of breakfast bribery! It's perfect! Dad will be thrilled!"

Kaito laughed at his own joke, and then decided he didn't actually feel comfortable joking about that yet and stopped, looking embarrassed.

"Uh, sorry. Anyway, I didn't answer the age thing, did I. Twenty-two?" Kaito said, an upturn in his voice at the statement as he found himself taken by surprise by the line of questioning. He hadn't been given a picture of the Ouma heir coming here, but he had been told Kokichi's age and such, and had sorta assumed Kokichi had the same pool of knowledge to work from. "Though, I'll be twenty-three in a little less than two months. And yeah, I moved out for the dorms when I was...nineteen? Wait, that math doesn't work, I graduated...right! The hold! I applied at eighteen and got put on academic hold until halfway through nineteen, and then had to officially un-enroll seven months ago, so... yeah! Three years, give or take a few months."

Getting to the dining hall, relieved to be past the crowd of preparing departures, Kaito reached to grab the door for them. "I mean, technically I probably should have unenrolled a year ago when the marriage talks first got started, but no one was really sure it was happening right up until we left, so I didn't, ya know...wanna put all my eggs in one basket so to speak. Also it would have been really boring to just sit around and wait for things to happen..."

The table was, indeed, already covered in food, like Kokichi had suggested it would be, but they weren't the only people getting breakfast, as Kaito had assumed by this point in the morning. There were a handful of people Kaito didn't recognize, who he assumed were Diceans, some more Luminary people, most of whom were less eating and more putting together to-go plates for others who didn't have time to eat that morning, and...

"Good morning!" Secretary Chisa said cheerfully, blowing demurely at her hot porridge as she gave the princes a friendly wave. "Have you two finally come down to see us off?"

"Never forget it!" Ouma sang, giggling a bit before his smile widened into something dangerous. He lowered his voice, something just for Kaito's ears even if they'd gotten past the busiest area. Couldn't have just anybody overhearing. "I don't know if that little plan of yours would go as planned, however. If I recall correctly, you're rather happy to fulfill my wishes if I beg."

Even if he was the one to say it, Ouma's cheeks still colored, and he was a little relieved when Kaito changed the subject. Twenty-two...okay. Kaito was a little under three years older than him; again, really, not that much of a difference, even if it sort of felt like it with their differences in life experience.

"Hmm," he hummed. "I turned twenty a little over a month ago. I get your point about...about school, though. If I hadn't been able to work this past year I would've actually gone c-crazy. Maybe enough to make a break for it for good--lucky for you you caught me when you did."

They'd made it. Only with a brief banister-sliding interlude, Ouma had walked down to the dining room, maybe out of breath and fatigued, but he'd done it! All that said, though, he was looking forward to sitting down for a little while and stuffing his face.

And that cheerful expectation was shattered as soon as they stepped through the doors.

Ouma stiffened as he spotted Secretary Chisa, holding onto Kaito's arm a little tighter. Seriously? Just let him have a fucking meal in peace!!!

Filled with a sort of frightened fury, Ouma gave the older woman a cold stare. "Ah, you're finally leaving? I would have assumed you'd be frantic to get to a country where you aren't a registered sex offender."

The Secretary took a sip of her porridge, a pleased smile curling around her lips as she gave Kokichi a look that could best be described as coy. "Why? What would be the hurry?" she asked, seeming genuinely curious, before smiling as she glanced specifically at Kaito. "Something bad gonna happen to me?"

The Luminary prince clenched his fists, his muscles all slightly tensing. Kaito could practically feel the knives in this room. It wouldn't be hard. If he was fast, didn't hesitate...

Kokichi wouldn't like it.

Kaito put a hand on Kokichi's shoulder, whispering, "We should g-"

The Secretary frowned, clearly guessing what he was saying as she rolled her eyes. "Oh, honestly, I'm finishing up in a moment anyway and then, poof, I'm out of your hair forever! Honestly, Prince Kaito, you worry too much. Sit, sit, please!" she said, motioning to two empty chairs at the table. "Give me five minutes to finish eating, and then I'm gone. Promise." Putting down the spoon to her porridge, she drank from her tea. When she put the cup down, the Luminary person next to her put aside their own food for a moment to quickly add some more to her cup. There wasn't fear or anxiety in the servant’s gaze. It was almost done with a sense of...awe. Like they were witnessing something they thought was amazing. Chisa smiled, picking up the cup again. "I'm eager to go anyway. I cannot wait to tell people about my trip!" she said, giggling lightly.

"Such a wonderful kingdom this is. Full of such pretty things and...opportunity." She said, her next glance to Kokichi more appraising this time, her smile a beam of delight. She, however, was entirely ignoring the distinctly uncomfortable looks some of her own people were giving her now (besides the servant to her right, who again, just seemed blown away by the whole display) though no one spoke up. "I really am going to enjoy spreading the word about what a wonderful kingdom this is at home. Ten out of ten! Such fun!"

Engaging her would be pointless. She had chosen banishment and wasn't going to escape it. There would be no point in alluding to exactly the kind of consequences she'd face if she stayed a little too long, if she ever came back--it would just bolster her ego, thinking such things like 'oh, but that's not going to happen to me'.

So, instead he held Kaito's arm tightly and nudged him to the open seats, rolling his eyes a little at the secretary, ignoring the nerves in his stomach. The food was safe. Other people were still eating, he'd be okay. She'd be the first suspect, and with a repeat performance...the admins wouldn't just let her leave, would they?

Any relief sitting gave him was nulled by the way his skin crawled at Chisa's gaze on him, as if he was laid bare, an experiment for her to do as she pleased. Soon. She'd be gone soon.

Ouma focused on moving a few pieces of battered toast onto a plate, absolutely drowning them in syrup. Probably not the best thing to eat when he hadn't had a proper meal in a few days, but he didn't care! He was going to eat what he wanted and enjoy it despite never being able to get away from unpleasant company!

...but he couldn't resist shooting one more thing back. "A shame, then, that you can never return. Good luck with the absolute depression that will overtake you." He stuffed a forkful of the dripping toast in his mouth, hoping that he wouldn't end up just throwing it up later.

Picking at his ham and eggs, Kaito glanced at Kokichi, just checking in on him. The younger prince seemed okay...if maybe trying to shock his system with sugar. Kaito himself was finding it a little hard to get his appetite back in light of current company. Glancing over at Secretary Chisa, he couldn't help but feel...confounded. She had never been a saint before, of course. The Head Secretary had favored her above others in her position for a reason. But this...

She seemed so different. Every situation that Kaito might have expected to bring her a small smirk instead now brought an open, mocking sneer. What would have been a mere amused look in her eyes at home was now cruel laughter. The sheer fact that she would not only be complicit in what Kaito was certain was the Head Secretary's plan, but seem to be thoroughly enjoying others knowing she had done it...

What had happened to Secretary Chisa between Luminary and Dicea?

Kaito supposed a six month trip into foreign lands could change anyone. Maybe she just...felt more relaxed here? Less at risk? Or maybe she had heard about the crimes the Dicean ambassadors were apparently reporting to the king and queen and was deciding to get her fun in now while she still could.

Either way, it was an uncomfortable change from the friendly, if opportunistic, woman Kaito had known her to be at home.

Still, Kaito could feel his anger draining away from him in the face of Kokichi's control around her. If his still barely recovered, ninety-something pound husband could turn his nose up to someone who had hurt him so bad, then Kaito could respect Kokichi's choices and just get through thi-

As the Secretary finished her porridge, she put down the spoon and sighed contently. "Oh? Prince Kaito, aren't you ever going to thank me for your wedding gift?" she asked, before smirking, "Or was he just not any good?"

Kaito grabbed for a knife.

The one he got was the meat carving blade for the ham, long and thin and perfectly capable for the job. As he grabbed it, every Luminary person at the table stood up and ran for the corners, knocking chairs down to get out of his way. A few of them ran out the room, deciding to run and seek help as, in mindless fury, Kaito ran around Kokichi, turning the tables edge and grabbing Secretary Chisa by the hem of her dress, throwing her against the wall and putting the blade to her neck deep enough to draw blood, which ran down her throat in a thin line. The Secretary was trembling in his hand, he could feel it, but her expression was lively. Excited. Her cheeks red and flushed.

"Apologize to him," Kaito growled, digging the blade in deeper. She cried out, but the excited look on her face did not go away as she gripped the arm that pinned her to the wall. "Apologize for what you did and beg him for your life! This is the only chance I'll give you!"

He flinched. Despite trying to remain composed and just get through this, Ouma flinched, his throat tightening, his hand shaking, at least not clinking his fork against the plate. There it was again--"gift". How the secretaries thought of him, an object, an obstacle to be shoved into a corner. Another tool to hurt Kaito.

He wasn't the only person that reacted, however. Ouma looked up with wide eyes as Kaito...likely acted on something he'd wanted to do ever since he'd found out what happened. The scared part of him, the one that had to worry about poisoned food for the first time in his life, for plots that had greater consequences than being locked in his room; that part of him...kind of agreed with Kaito. Didn't want Chisa to just be able to walk away from this, even if Tengan still would. Didn't want to give her the chance to hurt him or anyone else ever again.

But, seeing her expression... The greater part of Ouma was the one that rose to action.

Ouma heaved a deep, bored sigh, stuffing another piece of toast in his mouth, forcing it down despite the scared part of him wanting to just hide under a table until someone would come tell him it's all okay.

"Kai-chan, using a meat knife as a weapon is super unsanitary. So is blood around food in general." Ouma leveled a disinterested stare on the scene happening in front of him, sopping up some syrup idly. "You really think that's worth the clean-up? Chisa has a loooooooooooooong, boring life in front of her--she's not worth giving a happy death. Please return the knife to the kitchen when you're done--don't wanna worry about cross-contamination."

A roll of the eyes, another bite of sugar-soaked battered toast. Find something that hurts.

Maki would be proud. Kaito, again, could feel the length of the knife, knew its weight and depth and how far into the neck it was and how far it could go with the same learned instinct of being able to reach out your fingers and knowing when they were about to touch the surface you were aiming for. He didn't have to think about it. It would be easy. It would be so easy.

But Kokichi...?

Kaito looked back at Kokichi, just...distressed. Confused. She had hurt his husband, she had almost killed Kokichi, and embarrassed him on top of it. All of his people knew about the wedding night. They would all hear about her comment at the table. It wasn't fair! She couldn't...she couldn't be allowed...

But...Kokichi really didn't seem to mind...

Secretary Chisa, in turn...frowned. "Tsk?" she said, sounding a tad annoyed, Prince Kaito's gaze no longer on her in that fury, and Prince Kokichi doing a fairly decent job at faking a dismissive air. Who the fuck did he think he was? Just King Aiichi's little poster child who was probably going to get himself killed long before he ever had a chance to actually rule. Where was the fear? The rage?

She had wanted to see the Despair.

...oh well. Fine. Be that way. Kokichi Ouma may be able to control himself, but at least Kaito, who wore his heart on his sleeves, was still quite fun, and still quite on the edge of committing to this choice. So, to him, she whispered, "What a calm, capable master. You heard him. Heel."

Kaito flinched, turning death eyes onto her. He gripped the knife fiercely...and then took a breath, pulling it away, letting her stand on her own feet again as she gasped, putting a hand to her neck and looking...disappointed.

Kaito looked down at the knife, and said, "Sorry, Kokichi. I'll go ask them for a new one."

Without another glance at her, Kaito, trusting Kokichi, walked away and went through the door connecting them to the kitchens, going in to apologize to the staff and ask for a replacement.

While he was gone, the servant from earlier quickly came and offered Secretary Chisa a handkerchief, who accepted it with a smile, blocking the wound in her neck with it. All in all, it was only a small cut. It'd close up on its own. Frowning at Prince Kokichi, she said, "You know...it really is a shame you grew up here. The Head Secretary said something about you the other day that I just couldn't see, but now I think I get it."

Secretary Chisa walked over to Kokichi, giving him a curious stare as she said, a tad impressed, "There's an edge in you. Something...just shy of madness. I wonder if it was taught to you from your joke of a childhood or something you were born with?" She reached out, as if wanting to touch him, almost entranced as she continued. "Shame. You could have been capable of such...interesting things... had you grown up in a court that could have taught you how to make use of it..."

The front door burst open, and General Juzo walked in with two guards, looking around quickly to assess what was going on as the two Luminary servants who had run to get him huffed and puffed behind him. The General, seeing Secretary Chisa's wound and her nearness to Prince Kokichi, just huffed, walking over and grabbing her arm. He bowed to Prince Kokichi and said, "Thank you for your hospitality, we apologize for any inconvenience we caused," and then, shouting to the rest of the room, "Pack it up! We're leaving now! Move!"

Every Luminary in there scattered, some of them accidently leaving their prepared meals behind as they rushed at the General's call who, again, bowed to Prince Kokichi before dragging out an annoyed Chisa, who was followed closely by her still ecstatic and eager-looking servant.

And, with the door swinging shut behind them, they were gone.

What the actual fuck was wrong with the secretaries?! Anyone who wanted to die needed some severe help, but someone who wanted to be killed in righteous fury? He didn't even know where to start there. Maybe they were just incredibly nuts. Who knew? Who cared?

...he did. Chisa was not one of his people, but he still cared. Even if she would never plague Dicea for the rest of her life, she was still an official in Luminary. He didn't know enough to guess at what kind of punishment, if any, she'd receive from Kaito's father. Considering how bloodthirsty his husband was...maybe it wouldn't be off to say she'd be just fine.

It didn't sit right with him, but playing into whatever kind of game this was without knowing anything about it? Ouma had a looooot of practice not giving people what they wanted in his life.

That didn't mean he felt okay with Kaito just leaving the room, fear seizing his guts up again. Especially as the crazed woman neared him. He let her talk, soaking up the information all with a bored, slightly disgusted mask on his face, determinedly not leaning away as she reached out. Madness. Interesting. There was a link there, but...

He'd just been about to smack her hand away, dismissing her as a cover for the growing, shaking fear and panic in him, but the door burst open instead. Ouma's breath caught as he noticed General Juzo enter, not sure if he could fend off two nutters at once by himself, but...

But he pulled Chisa away. Made everyone go away. Just...gruffly apologized as much as he was able in his position, and left.

...d...don't break yet... Your people are still around... Don't

"Hey, hey, stay with us here, Kokichi, okay?" Ouma jerked his head up, eyes snapping open, pulled back into reality with the gross scent of some smelling salts shoved under his nose, one of the staff who'd been there getting food "waking" him back up. "You're pretty pale... Hey, someone get the bo--"

"No," he croaked, blinking slowly down at his half-eaten breakfast which would probably stay half-eaten. "I'm alright."

There were unsure murmurs, quiet gossip over that 'disgusting woman' and 'cold-hearted Luminaries', but Ouma blocked it out, breathing slightly unsteadily and just...wishing he hadn't insisted on coming downstairs.

Kaito took a steady breath. Steady breath. Steady breath. Standing by the kitchen door still holding the bloody knife as the kitchen staff all looked at him with wide, frightened eyes.

"P-prince Kaito?" One of the older staff members said, stepping up to mediate as she asked, "Is everything alrig-"

"This is blood," Kaito said, barely able to speak through his anger. Steady breath. Steady breath. He put the knife on a random counter, saying, "Please wash it accordingly. I'm going to take a different knife back in there. Thank you."

Grabbing a similar, clean knife, Kaito went back to the door.

...and stood there.

Breathe. Breathe, Kaito!

If she was still out there when he walked out, he was going to lose it. He knew it. He had barely been able to walk away, and every inch of him wanted to go back. Settle things permanently. Make it done. Make it right! But he couldn't walk out there, because Kokichi didn't like blood, and making everything okay again was going to require so much of it.

Kokichi was still out there though. What if she...

He'd be fine. He was surrounded by his people out there, and all Kaito would do was make it worse. Just breathe. Just breathe.

She was surrounded by her people too though. His people. Luminaries. His people who wouldn't interfere if he went back out there and finished the job. Who would understand him and his decision. Who were leaving him to this place that thought somehow living long lives was worse than a knife to the throat… He didn't understand. It wasn't fair!

Clutching the newly clean knife, Kaito pressed against the door to open it up...and heard the General's voice. There was shuffling now, the familiar, comforting barking of orders as someone who knew better started to organize things, got people moving, ending the conflict. Kaito felt that sting in the back of his eyes as he listened, grateful for his mentor's interference. To do what Kaito had been too overwhelmed, too bloodthirsty to try himself.

...Kokichi was going to be disappointed.

He was going to be mad.

Kaito stood at the kitchen door, feeling the fearful, tense stares of the kitchen staff at his back, hearing just slightly through the door the concerns of the Dicean people as they tried to reorganize after the clusterfuck that was his own people, leaving ruin in their work. Angry at his people’s violent ways, their strict orders, their frighteningly intense personalities...

And it was just going to be Kaito left behind, to deal with the destruction his party had left behind, the impression they had left these people with. The last idiot with his hand in the fire.

Kokichi was going to be so embarrassed...

Taking another steadying breath, Kaito walked out the door, only faltering slightly at the heated looks before going to place the knife down at the table, before returning to his husband, who looked...worse.

Kaito worried his joints, looking down at Kokichi. Wanting to bow and knowing he shouldn't. "I...uh..." he said, trying to apologize and finding it catch in his throat. Unsure what to say or do from here.

How many times had he been reduced to weak tears in the last few days? Enough that that wasn't the first time he'd thought that. He was exhausted. But...going back to bed would only be proving everyone right. That he was weak, unable to stand up for himself, unable to deal with the pressures put upon him. That he was just a sickly little child...

He certainly felt like one right then, even if he was able to keep tears at bay and stay conscious. Even...if he felt cold and weak and dizzy in a way he knew would not be very good for him in the long run.

Among the drone of voices around him, Ouma was able to pick out Kaito's from just a few quiet sounds and he raised dull, purple eyes to his husband. Painting on an unbothered smile that you'd have to be a fool to believe. "Hey, we never did get to go to the observatory that one time--wanna go?"

The sea of murmurs grew around him, wanting to fetch the boss, insisting that Ouma return to bed and get more rest, cursing the foreigners and thanking their permanent departure. He ignored it all, feeling...scarily numb as he waited for Kaito's answer.

Huh? Of all the things Kokichi could have said, Kaito...hadn't been expecting...why wasn't he angry? Kaito had a hard, hard time figuring out how Kokichi was going to respond to anything, but Kaito had just made such a mess of breakfast, so...did he just not have the energy or...

"...we should go get him..."

"...Prince Kokichi, you don't look well..."

"...I can't believe people like that exist..."

"...thank goodness they're all leaving, huh..."

"...well, almost all of them..."

Ah. Okay

The chatter was everywhere, and after a quick glance around, Kaito realized that the Diceans were in the middle of making up their minds about what to do next. Kokichi wanted to get away from others before he got upset. He wanted to get out of here before someone forced him back into his room. Okay. Okay.

"The observatory? Heck yeah!" Kaito said, the lie almost convincing, except he was speaking way too loudly (was that a trait he picked up from Maki and Shuuichi, or a trait they picked up from him? After this long together, who could say), causing some of the nearer common folk to jump, giving him incredulous looks. "Hey, we're gonna...I'm gonna take two of these to-go boxes the party set up and...yeah!" Kaito said, grabbing two of the boxes, and then, looking down at Kokichi--

He looked like he was going to pass out again soon. Would he be able to move quickly enough to walk out of here before someone objected? Someone had to be going to get the king by now, certainly. If the king saw his son like this, there would be consequences...what if he canceled the trip? What would happen then!?

Kokichi's heart would fucking break, is what would happen.

"Also chairs!" Kaito said, gently pushing through the cluster of people as, putting two prepared boxes onto Kokichi's lap, he then lifted up the chair (Kokichi and all) and as the Diceans protested and demanded to know what he was doing, stacked it on top of another chair, which, as Kaito had hoped, looked like they were designed to do that (probably made it easier to accommodate more people quickly as they showed up?). "I think I'll just go ahead and take us some chairs!"

Then, with both chairs stacked, Kokichi sitting on the top chair with the plates in his lap, Kaito picked up the bottom chair (which was heavy, even for him, but still maybe not as heavy as it should have been for holding an entire person in it), backed his way out of the dining room as he gave out a nervous, "Thanks for sharing breakfast with us, sorry for the mess, it was nice meeting everyone!" to the absolutely bewildered crowd of onlookers...

and then fucking RAN for it.

It was a dumb plan, honestly, but all Ouma wanted to do was get out of there, to get away from eyes and mouths and...he didn't know. Pass out. Cry some more. Curl up into a ball so tight he'd pop out of existence for...maybe a decade. That sounded like a good amount of time.

Thankfully his husband was a person that excelled in making dumb plans work. If Ouma had trouble walking to the dining room with a little assistance, now? He wasn't sure he could even attempt to stand up. It was like he could barely even feel his body, the heavy thumping of his heart the only thing reminding him that he had one. But Ouma didn't have to worry about that. Not right now, at least.

He managed a smile that was a little more genuine, sort of sleepily amused as Kaito picked him up in his chair, along with another, and booked it. Ouma coaxed his hands into holding onto the to-go boxes, making sure they wouldn't fall though he couldn't tell if Kaito actually wanted to eat or was just creating a scene to make the others let them go.

Ouma really did try to keep conscious. He hated passing out, for one, and it'd really suck if he fell out of the chair while Kaito was zooming at Mach 10. However, the spots in his vision started thickening into a sort of dark vignette and each slow breath did nothing to invigorate him. He was losing, but he could still hold on for a little longer. A little longer until they made it to safety.

"...you really gonna...do this up...five flights?" he airily murmured, trying to keep his head from lolling.

"Five flights of stairs!?" Kaito shouted, who had been running up the first flight under the general assumption that 'up' was the right way to go. Fuck, he was already breaking a sweat. But..."Sure! I can do it!" Kaito insisted, finishing the run up the first flight and turning the corner to get to the next set, "I'm Kaito Momota, Luminary Prince of the Stars! The impossible is possible!"

He got up two more flights before he had to stop, putting down the chairs, his husband and all, his whole body trembling as he tried to catch his breath.

"M-maybe we could leave the ch-chairs behind..." Kaito decided. The chairs may have been stackable, but the damn things were still made of wood, and wood was heavy. "H-honetly I just didn't want e-everyone to see me p-picking you up. Th...phew...thought it might be the wrong message," Kaito admitted, clutching his chest as he cleared his throat a bit, before cracking his knuckles together, a look of determination on his face. "Okay! Let's go! Here, I got you."

Kaito, making sure Kokichi held onto the food (because fuck his husband weighed nothing he had to eat something), he picked Kokichi up, looking around uncertainly to see if anyone was watching, before hurrying up the stairs.

Two more flights up, and still breathing heavily, Kaito looked around uncertainly. "Uh...which...phew...which way?" Kaito asked, looking down at Kokichi, his heart sinking into his stomach. "Kokichi are...are you sure you don't need to go to the med-wing instead?"

What a ridiculous man. But even if Ouma had the energy to tease him, he wouldn't. Kaito had already done a lot of impossible things in the time they'd known each other--running up five flights of stairs carrying two chairs and a whole-ass person wasn't exactly the most important use of that ability, but it was a funny one.

By the time Kaito had to take a break Ouma had mostly lost the battle of keeping his eyes open, even if he hadn't succumbed to the darkness yet. He stirred slightly when Kaito picked him up, hands twitching to keep a grip on the food containers, but, again, didn't comment.

Like at night, Kaito was warm. How he was holding him was comfortable and secure, something Ouma could easily trust. ...that was why he took a moment to actually consider Kaito's concern.

Forcing his eyes just a sliver open, he paused, his breathing light, but steadier than the times he'd gone from zero to a hundred in this state. "...nmmm..." he softly groaned. "I'll just...take a nap when we get there. You wanted to check it out, right? There are blankets 'n stuff around..."

With a slow blink he nudged his head against Kaito's chest, unsure if he was hearing the prince's heartbeat or his own. Realizing that Kaito had asked for directions he mumbled the way before taking in a deep breath. "I'll take some more medicine later. I'll be okay..."

"...are you?"

"...yeah?" Kaito tried, following the directions quickly, still wanting to be certain they could stay away from other people, from the stares, from the judgement. Honestly, he didn't know how he was. He didn't want to think about it. It seemed way more important (and, maybe, a little easier) to focus on Kokichi right now. So he said, "It's enough if you're fine. If you're sure. I can go get a healer whenever you want me to, just let me know. I can go get the tea too, if you want. The room isn't that far from here..."

Kaito was just talking now, but went quiet and still when he thought he heard footsteps in the distance. The sound disappeared after a moment though, so Kaito kept going, until he finally found a door that, when he opened it (sigh) led up another, slimmer set of stairs.

But those stairs lead directly into the observatory.

It was...beautiful. Someone had clearly put a lot of time into decorating, and also creating a functional system of organization of, just, countless models and maps and other bits and pieces; sky charts hanging from thin wires, a tapestry threaded to the design of the universe hanging from the wall on one side, the other a portrait of a beautiful woman. There was a desk that had clearly been heavily used at one point, binders, journals and books bordering charts covered in notes and half worn down pencils. And in the middle was the telescope, massive in size, covered in what looked like... white chalk? Of someone writing down quick notes on the first available surface without having to leave the telescope to grab paper.

It was an artisan's lab. And also clearly a research lab. And it...clearly belonged to someone. Like, personally belonged to someone. Kaito felt like he had just stepped into somebody's dome-shaped bedroom, only heightened by the small bed, covered in blankets and unmade, in the (metaphorical) corner of the room, clearly a place for the researcher to nap during the long nights stargazing.

Still. It was stunning. Nothing like the observatory back at University, which had been an incredibly large, but otherwise empty metal room that students had been discouraged from lingering in when not specifically using the equipment. Kaito could imagine spending hours in here without noticing.

Noting the bed, but not wanting to, like...put Kokichi to bed, Kaito said, "Any preferences of where you wanna go down?" taking the to-go boxes from Kokichi's hands as he supported him with one arm, continuing on, "Also, we are absolutely eating these when you're up to it. You took, like, three bites before everything exploded, and you have literally no body fat to eat. So...it's happening."

Ouma enjoyed stargazing, liked learning facts and fiction both about the universe. But more than his passing interest in the subject of space, Ouma loved the observatory.

It was the highest point in the castle, so even without the telescope there was plenty to see. Sometimes, when it was particularly clear out, he thought he could see the ocean, despite being miles and miles away from it. He could see the forests, the edges of the city giving way to the larger plots on the outskirts for more serious agriculture and animal rearing. Hills and mountains in the distance, feeding his imagination with plausible stories of what would be going on all the way over there.

It was also personal, cozy. A lovely place to spend the night decidedly not sleeping, but reading and learning all sorts of things--whatever new book Ouma could find in the library, mostly. Sometimes he'd read aloud in not much more than a whisper, the room feeling like it was used to distracted murmurs.

And, probably why he liked it the most, it was empty a lot of the time. People still came up to study the sky, to check out the journals and charts, and sometimes there were even seminars held up there, but...for the most part, not many people who made the trek to the top of the castle went there. Sometimes Ouma would hear his father's voice, late at night, and would quickly run back to his room to avoid being caught. Once a year he knew to avoid it, not wanting to see Hideki like...that. But most of the time...it almost felt like a special secret hideout.

Ouma swayed when Kaito put him down, head dropping forward for a moment before he picked it back up. "Should probably have tea...later."

He nudged himself towards the bed, knowing that he'd likely end up under the blankets, fast asleep probably not too long from now. But...like, not right now. He sighed, not having it in him to argue with Kaito...too much. "I had half my breakfast...'n I'm not hungry now. Told you, 'm just small."

Kaito frowned, watching Kokichi half stumble away from him as the Luminary Prince went to go put the food down on the desk. "Sure," Kaito said, because he didn't want to argue, but at the same time, everything about Kokichi scared him, while he was fighting every instinct a human being had to treating him like some stubborn child who didn't know better, at the same time he just...needed to feel like he was doing something to help. And if that meant keeping food available whenever Kokichi did feel hungry, well, fuck. Guess he'd end up taking those cooking lessons after all, since that was apparently all he could do without scaring the SHIT out of a bunch of pacifists.

Ugh. That was the word, wasn't it. Pacifists. Who would have thought the delusional, violent, suicidal army that his kingdom had faught almost his whole life, was being run by...fucking pacifists.

How the fuck had his kingdom lost the war??

Kaito shook his head, trying to send those frustrated, dark thoughts away from him. They hadn't lost the war. It had come to a peaceful conclusion. And these people were...committed. To their ideals. And that was fine too.

It was fine.

"Well, it's here if you change your mind," Kaito mumbled, putting the food down and glancing up at the portrait again. The painting really was stunning. It seemed a perfect compliment to such a used, loved room. More to distract himself from his own darkening mood, Kaito asked, "Who’s this? Some Dicean scientist?"

Ouma more or less fell onto the bed, weakly pulling blankets over himself to try and recover the warmth he'd lost from parting from Kaito. Fuck, he was freezing... He knew he just needed to rest, to let his heart catch up with actually making sure his blood was flowing correctly--which would be helped with the tea--but...he'd slept so much.

Maki, Shuuichi, and Katsuki were still gone. If he slept more, then... Well, Kaito didn't need a babysitter. There was plenty he could do without Ouma. But, especially after...w-what happened, he didn't want to leave his husband alone. Other than just being a place he felt safe in, that's why the observatory came to mind before. Kaito had seemed so...elated to hear about it that night in the greenhouse. Maybe seeing it for himself would cheer him up.

"Mm?" Humming, Ouma opened his eyes back up and looked over where Kaito was looking, a small smile coming to his face. "Yeah. One of the greatest astronomers we've ever had...Dr. Hoshino. She graduated from the capital university, you know?"

Curling into the blankets more, Ouma looked up at the portrait he'd spent countless hours looking at, speaking to. "You might've heard of her by her lesser-known name-- Miyako Ouma."

The first name meant nothing to him, but the second name...and the way Kokichi said it… Kaito took a closer look at the painting, and, yeah, now that he knew what he was looking for, he could see it all over her. Kokichi's hair, the cheeks, the shape of her eyes.

"Your mom?" he asked, looking curiously at the details in the star-maps she was looking over. The painting wasn't too detailed in that area, but if Kaito had to guess... "Is she measuring the Androda Galaxy? Look," he said, pointing to the yellow in the center of the pages. "You can tell because of the particularly bright center. The Androda Galaxy has, just, an insane amount of stars in the center of it. I mean, the artist might have been just taking liberties, but...yeah, I'd have to guess that's three suns."

He grinned, feeling proud as he took a step backwards, feeling...he didn't know. Just like, in observing the same universe that she had in her frozen in time moment, he was slightly connected to someone who was actually an expert on this stuff, rather than just a barely studied hobbyist like himself. "Your mom was an astronomer… I mean, I think you told me that, but I guess I just didn't realize you meant, like...literally. And not just someone who liked to look through telescopes. Wow...she's really pretty. You look a lot like her."

Kaito looked over at Kokichi, and remembering that Kokichi was half-dead and it was, like, about eighty percent his fault, Kaito felt a spark of guilt, turning away from the portrait. Grabbing one of the to-go boxes for himself, he went to the bed, his mind racing as he walked.

Sitting next to the bed, his back resting on its cornered edges as he popped open the box to see what he had managed to grab (more ham and eggs, with some potatoes. Well, it made sense, Luminary servants had been putting it together), Kaito glanced at Kokichi from the side of his eyes. He looked so pale... "I'll go pick up the tea when you fall asleep," Kaito promised. "It'll be here when you wake up. It'll help, right?"

Taking the fork that had been in the box, he started picking at the potatoes before finally saying, "I'm really sorry. I...I couldn't let her...it wasn't right for her to say that." Kaito gripped the fork tightly. "Especially not in front of your people. I... I couldn't just let her...I'm sorry."

"Mmmhmm," Ouma hummed with something that would've been a smirk had he had the energy. He was wondering when Kaito would realize this was his mother's observatory. Sure, they rarely spoke about her so plainly, but he had told Kaito bits and pieces. He hadn't expected for Kaito to tell him something, though.

For the longest time, Ouma figured the map Miyako was working on was just something the artist put together. If it actually was based on something real...he wondered if she had input in that. Considering the care in so many of the charts in the room, maybe.

He huffed a weak laugh at the compliment, even if it wasn't exactly how Kaito meant it. "Aiichi always says that; how much I look like her. 'pparently she was really short too--always wore high heels that she could barely walk in, I'm told."

"The tea'll help," he yawned, curling up at the foot of the bed just above Kaito. "I'll be okay--you don't have to worry so much, Kai-chan. You've already done..."

He trailed off, but not to sleep. At just the mention of what had happened he could feel his stomach lurch. Pressing his face into the bed, Ouma was quiet for a moment. "...I almost let you. It's...it's not right to just let her...so I... I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at her. A lot."

He swallowed with some difficulty, shivering. "...there's something wrong with her--she wanted you to kill her. And I... I didn't want you to get hurt from some plan I couldn't see... They keep hurting you and I didn't..." With so many of the secretaries' plans, he hadn't been able to protect Kaito at all. If he had killed Chisa, it...it'd be a crime of passion, Kaito would still be charged, but it wouldn't be too horrible. But if he killed her and it was all for some greater plan? A plan that that awful, excited smile begged to happen? He'd never be able to forgive himself if something happened to his husband because of that.

But, that all meant she was still out there. Around Luminary people, able to hurt them too, at the very least for the next three months. And then...

Ouma took a breath, waking himself up a little from starting to doze. "...do you think your dad will...do anything? About them?"

"What? No?" Kaito said, entirely befuddled as he ate away at the potatoes, feeling a little better to be filling himself with something. "For what?" he asked, genuinely uncertain why Kokichi would think that.

Then he remembered the Dicean Secretary stopping by last night (was it last night? The night before? Kaito had lost track of time. He was pretty certain it had only been one night since the wedding), and he said, "Oh, you mean, for the...for what happened to you...?" Kaito asked, moving on to the eggs, "I wish I could say he would care...if at least just because you’re my husband now. But he probably doesn't see it like that. I guess maybe Secretary Chisa could be pretty severely punished. But, everyone knows the Head Secretary favors her. So he'll probably intervene on her behalf. Maybe if all of this had bigger consequences than it did, like, the war starting up again I would think my dad would be compelled to take action, but...if all it did was just...inconvenience Diceans?"

Kaito considered not saying this, but...I mean, Kokichi probably already knew it already. It was understandable. Kaito wouldn't be surprised if King Aiichi felt the same way. If maybe Kokichi had similar memories...

"...dad hates Diceans. He hates this whole kingdom more passionately than I think I've ever felt about anything," Kaito said, working on his food still. "When I was a kid, dad decided he was going to, like, bond? With me and Byakuya? Which was nice of him, since he was always so busy, so, ya know, we were both thrilled. So we all got together to look over the war maps and made a prop model of Dicea with as much of the information as we had available to us, right? We made the castle, the town, the surrounding fields, all of it. We found out later a lot of it wasn't accurate, but we worked with the information we had, to get it as right as we could. I think..." Kaito chuckled, the feeling strangely manic as he felt a hint of nostalgia at the fond family memory. "I was even in charge of making you? Not you-you, obviously, just some little generic figure meant to represent the Dicean heir, and we put you in the castle with King Aiichi and a bunch of other little figures I had made. I gave King Aiichi these big angry eyebrows and this tiny little mouth that made my mother laugh harder than I've ever seen her laugh since. I was really proud of it."

Kaito started to work at the ham. The ham here was really, really good. They put some sort of sugar and molasses on the edges that Kaito thought was amazing. Wow. "And when we were all done, it was big enough to fit in the whole room! So we took it out piece by piece, and we took it to a field outside, mom and me and dad, my bro and the Head Secretary, he came too...and I had my very first sip of wine when we set that thing on fire."

It had been so much fun, watching his brother and father carefully set the Dicean Kingdom model on fire, Kaito being allowed to try it once before the Head Secretary had pointed out Kaito had almost set his sleeve on fire, and Kaito wasn't allowed to hold the torch after that. Then Kaito had sat in between his mother and Master Tengan, the Head Secretary's hand on his shoulder, the three chuckling and cheering as the model really started to blaze, with all of the little figures that Kaito had worked so hard on, burning with it, Kaito feeling on top of the world because for once, for once, no one was mad at him...

Kaito chuckled, food in his mouth. As he swallowed, he said, "Nah." He said, grinning, "Unless King Aiichi's threatening him with something, I don't think he's gonna be upset any of this happened...maybe he'll think it was funny."

Kaito chuckled. "I don't know why I said all of that. I don't know if any of that's true. I mean, the model story is, but him not caring? Or thinking it was funny? I don't know. I think...I'm trying to hurt your feelings?" Kaito laughed. There was a pitch to it. "Isn't that fucked up? What a stupid way to try to poke at you. Why the fuck did you stop me!?"

He started to shake, and what was left of the food fell out of his lap as Kaito held his head. "I-I don't k-know, okay?! W-why would I k-know what he would do!? I barely k-knew him! He was too b-busy obsessing over burning you to let me get to know him! I don't know what he would do!? And now she's gone, and he's gone, and everyone's gone, and maybe Dad will care that they made me rape my husband on our wedding night! Or maybe he w-won't and nothing will h-happen to any of them? Our only chance at justice was downstairs! So why did you stop me!?"

...inconvenience? Nearly killing him was an inconvenience? Having to banish someone was an inconvenience? Making Kaito rape him was an INCONVENIENCE?!

Ouma's eyebrows drew in in confusion, the most the muted disbelief he felt showed on his face. Though, it only grew as Kaito continued. Why... Even if he could somewhat understand King Leon's hatred once the war had started, and even while it was building up, for it to be to that extent? To put the effort into setting effigies of their enemies on fire?

Growing up, he could remember hearing all sorts of insults slung the Luminous King's way. Calling him a power-hungry ravager, a heartless barbarian. How he didn't care for his people at all, how he'd sacrifice thousands of lives just to sneer in Aiichi's face. There was a reason Ouma hadn't been thrilled to meet his future husband.

But...he couldn't remember Aiichi doing anything with that hate and frustration. He still...just ran their country. Did his best to bring their people together amid the horror that was war, even if he kept it going. Would try to comfort anyone who broke down from the stress of it all. Again, Ouma found himself desperately questioning why Luminary hated them so much.

It was...a frightened question, honestly. One that only made the sluggish thumping of his heart hurt, as Kaito...

Ouma's eyes widened, confused and concerned and scared. "K-kai-chan..."

He weakly reached out, just barely touching Kaito's shoulder, scared he'd just...make things worse. "I-I didn't... I thought... I just didn't w-want them to be able to hurt you anymore...I..."

But Kaito was hurting anyway, and it was his fault. Ouma thought he was doing something...right? Ish? But if he'd only messed everything up, then... If only... "...why d-did you listen to me?"

Kaito snorted, chuckling through his tears as he covered his eyes with his hands, his grin wide and just...borderline insane. The stress of the whole week, fuck, the last year, finally just...crashing down around his ears, now that it was all done and there was no one to be strong for, no quest he had to keep it together for. He had been sent away to save the kingdom, stop the war, a heroic sacrifice to a cruel and insane enemy that had pushed the Luminary Kingdom into a corner they just couldn't crawl out of!

...and now he was here, and ever since he had gotten here, the enemy he had mentally prepped to heroically put up with, to stand strong against, for the sake of his family's rule, for his people's safety...were just really nice pacifists?? Literally the least intimidating group you could think of. And the man who had basically raised him because his father was too busy apparently losing to a kingdom of fucking pacifists to do so, had went from being uncomfortable and mean throughout Kaito's life, to cruel and insane over their six month journey, and...and now he was bound to a non-believer from a ceremony that had been frightening and lonely...and his friends were all gone and...and why!? Why!? What had Kaito done!? What had he done to earn all that!? These people would have signed a peace treaty with or without a marriage! That was obvious! So why had his family...

What had it all been for!? What had been the point of him coming here!?

"I-I just..." Kaito said, clutching his hair as he hid his face in his hands, feeling the graze of Kokichi's fingers...the nervousness in his voice… Kaito took several deep breaths. Trying to pull himself together. This wasn't fair on Kokichi, and he knew it. Fuck, he needed more sleep. "I...you remind me so much of my brother...which is stupid, because you're nothing like him...shit, I don't know why I listened. I'm just lashing out. None of this is your fault...I just thought I understood..."

Kaito put his hand on his shoulder, placing his fingers gently on Kokichi's outstretched fingers. "I'm sorry," he said again, giving the hand a gentle squeeze. "I promise I'm not usually like this. I just...this week’s been a lot, huh?" he said with a chuckle.

"...I have to ask..." Kaito said, putting back down his hand and, realizing he had spilt his food, starting to scrape it back into the box. "...my mother told me you all wanted the marriage. Said it was the only way you would agree to the treaty. Said I needed to do this. Was...was that true? Because...based on meeting you all, I'm starting to think she...exaggerated."

When Kaito didn't flinch or lash out, Ouma gently rubbed his shoulder, wishing he could just...scoop Kaito up like he'd done for him, make a space where things would be...okay. A place okay to not be okay in.

But he could barely feel his fingers with how numb and cold they were so... Mess this up too, why don't you?

He...honestly didn't understand the comparison to Kaito's brother, and might not even when he set aside time to consider it. He wouldn't be able to understand his husband's hurt, but he could be there, and maybe one day he'd have a better idea and be able to help.

"...it's been way more than a lot," he agreed quietly, squeezing Kaito's hand back. "You don't have to apologize for...all of this. You're allowed to hurt." Fuck knows Ouma had lost it more than he had in years so many times in the past week. It...really sucked, but maybe there was something to feeling safe enough to do so. Or being pushed to a breaking point.

Ouma breathlessly sighed, eyes fluttering for a moment as he considered his words, not wanting to push Kaito further. But he deserved the truth. "...I was only told about the marriage after Aiichi...sent the initial peace proposal. So...he was the one to suggest it. It's Dicean expectation for...for the leader to marry someone that would c-complement their skills...so you'd be able to lead even better. I think...his thinking was that having a mix of both...Dicean and Luminous leadership would...lead to a better understanding...and help the peace last."

He just breathed for a moment, his hand going lax on Kaito's shoulder. "A-as far as I know...there wasn't any debate over it... That when we got the first response...your parents had agreed to that part..."

Kaito took a steadying breath. Well...at least his mother hadn't straight up lied to him, which had been his fear. Though, it...it certainly didn't feel good to know there hadn't even been a negotiation to try and keep their second son...

...he...he was sure they had their reasons. His parents weren't evil. His kingdom wasn't evil. They were all doing the best they could...

Kaito felt the hand on his shoulder go lax, and Kaito looked over at Kokichi in concern, taking his hand in his, passively checking on his husband's pulse. It wasn't unsteady...but his skin was so cold...

"I'm tired, Kokichi." Kaito said, the truth of that statement a boulder on his back, crushing and unrelenting. "Can I sleep with you?"

Careful not to hurt him, to rush him, in any way, Kaito crawled onto the bed, taking up the space allowed to him, lying on his side as he looked at Kokichi, the paleness of his skin, the dark circles under his eyes. Kaito put a finger on Kokichi's cheek, feeling the chill of it, wanting to bring some heat to him as he leaned in close. To take some of that frightening freeze away. He caressed Kokichi's skin, his heart hurting at seeing the small prince just so...beaten down. Weak. Defeated. Hurt by Kaito's people.

...Kaito stroked Kokichi's cheek, and said, "It's not gonna happen again."

"You're my husband. I have a responsibility to you. Atua gave me to you," he said, something tight in him now. Determined. Furious. "No one gets to use you like that. No one gets to trade you. No one gets to drug you, or frighten you, or hurt you. Not, and ever be able to walk away again. Never again. I swear."

And then he said, the smell of the bonfire, the burning Dicea model from all those years ago, so fresh in his mind that he could almost smell it...almost feel the heat...

"I'll burn them all if they try it again," the Conqueror said, the words barely a murmur. Fierce, but simple. A mere statement of fact.

Luminary.

Dicea.

It didn't matter.

"Any of them," he promised. "No one gets to hurt you again. Not without their whole world burning down. I swear it."

"Sleep," Ouma mumbled, looking just about there himself. He shifted in the blankets a little, opening them up to Kaito, wanting to soak up his husband's warmth. Hopefully being able to provide a little comfort in the...laziest way possible, honestly. It wasn't fair, but...life wasn't fair. He could try to do better. "C'mere..."

Kaito's words washed over him, his quiet but confident words lulling Ouma to sleep, but igniting a promise in his heart. His bullheaded, caring, ridiculous, honorable husband...would never fall prey to someone's callous schemes again. If Kaito was backed into a corner, Ouma would open a new path. If he was cut-off, isolated, Ouma would make sure allies would be able to reach him.

It hurt when enemies got the jump on you. But that was nothing to being backstabbed by someone you thought you could trust. Ouma refused to become a knife, and while he couldn't heal the wounds his husband had already suffered, he could make sure there wouldn't be any more.

Ouma nuzzled against Kaito's chest gently, wondering...was this love?

-

The Head Secretary was waiting in the first caravan as all of his people were setting up, getting ready to go. There had been no talk with the King, no official goodbye, no ceremony. Just a report from some Dicean guards to the General stating that the investigation was closed and very pointedly saying that everyone had been cleared to leave. Which was fine with the Head Secretary. This had all been quite entertaining, but one could not linger and enjoy such bright, beautiful places for too long, indulging in the local delicacies. He had work to do. So much work to do, for much greater things in the future.

A servant had already come by earlier to quickly inform him what had happened, so when Secretary Chisa was led to the caravan by the General, a wound at her neck and a servant close behind her with fresh bandages, the Head Secretary asked for no explanation, just smiling warmly at the General, who huffed, “We’re clearing out soon. For the sake of the party security, I am ordering you both to remain here until we start moving. For everyone’s safety.”

“Certainly, General.” The Head Secretary replied easily, as Chisa took a seat opposite of him in the cabin. “I wouldn’t dare defy the advice of our head security. We will stay right here.”

The General just gave him a hard look before walking away. As the servant moved to leave as well, Chisa called out, “No, no, come in here! You’ll be of assistance with this wound. Come now, it’s alright!”

The servant blushed, clearly surprised as he said, “Yes, of course, Secretary,” before coming in to sit by her, looking pleased if flustered to do so.

Wow. To be invited to sit with the Secretaries at the front cabin of the front caravan…

What luck!

“So…I suppose I should be relieved to see you again?” the Head Secretary said, raising an eyebrow at her now that he was certain they may as well have been alone. After all, one servant wouldn’t be hard to control, or get rid of, if required. “Why did I go through all the effort of negotiating your banishment if you were just going to try to get yourself killed, anyway? Foolish. You took it too far.”

“Did I?” she said, pouting as she motioned for the servant to hold a fresh bandage to her neck, which he did eagerly. “Maybe I did. But Prince Kaito…he was so close to falling to despair. The look on his face…you were right. Such expressions…it’s intoxicating.” She sighed, her cheeks flushing red as she remembered the anger, the intense hatred in the gaze. “I couldn’t help but keep pushing. Besides, if he had killed me, wouldn’t it have worked out in your favor then? So what do you care?”

“I’m old, Chisa,” the Head Secretary said, dropping the title from her name for a moment, a pure intention of affection in the gesture. He really was quite pleased with her development. A lot had been learned in such a short time…but his years of prepping her to accept his recently revealed convictions to her had paid off beautifully. She was a follower of the cause, and an excellent one at that. “I can afford to take such risks with my life for the sake of knowing it would lead to such fun and interesting experiences. But you? You’ve only just started. Giving away your life for the sake of just one intense experience does no justice to all the fun you can participate and inspire in the future. Risk vs Reward. It’s literally the basics, Chisa, and I expect you to be better in the future, if we wish for our Queen’s plans to really come to fruition.”

“So…you were doing it on purpose…” the servant said. He practically jumped out of his skin as he realized he had said this out loud, sputtering as the Secretaries both gave him a hard look, disturbed to hear him speak so casually out of turn. “I-I’m sorry! I just…it was amazing. Secretary Chisa’s actions were so…deliberate. Brave. And her challenges to the Princes…inspired such Hope in them,” the servant said, his eyes shining as he smiled. “Kaito turning away that last moment, abiding the word of Kokichi…the Dicean Prince’s Hope overcoming the Luminary’s Despair…it was an amazing thing to witness. I was so lucky to see it!”

As the servant realized the Secretaries were getting more and more frustrated with every word he said, he laughed. “Sorry…are you going to kill me now?”

“…no.” Secretary Chisa said, after a moment of thinking about it. “Maybe soon, when we’re done with you. But I’ve never been able to hear someone literally capitalize certain words in the way they say them aloud before. What a bizarre little creature you are. I don’t recall seeing you among the servants before?”

“Oh, I’m not!” the servant said, “S-sorry, it was a series of unfortunate incidents…I was visiting the town for the celebrations of the wedding, and I lost my clothes to wildlife when I was using a local waterfall for a shower…so I went looking for clothes and just found these Luminary servant clothes on one of your clotheslines…and when I put them on, one of the others started giving me orders and sent me in to go make to go breakfasts for people…but I was hungry, so I figured I’d just stop to eat, and that’s when the Princes came in…and I guess now you’d want me to leave the cabin, huh?”

“So…you’re a Dicean?” the Head Secretary asked, “and now you just happen to find yourself a servant to banished Luminary officials? What a shame. I’m not sure I feel inclined to just let you leave now and speak about what we’ve said to others. That’s quite unfortunate for you.”

“I guess you could see it like that,” the servant laughed, changing out the bandage again for Secretary Chisa, who seemed amused at his commitment to the bit now. “But I think I’m extremely fortunate. I was just thinking how bored I am here…it’s hard to see real examples of true hope in a utopia, where everyone knows everything’s always going to work out in the end. But getting to see someone rise up against attacks? Plots and conspiracies? And still press on? Move forward?” The servant sighed, fully satisfied, “That’s real Hope. I’m glad I got to experience something like that at least once before I’m killed and thrown in a ditch.”

“Like I said, maybe not yet.” Turning away from the thoroughly strange new man the Secretaries suddenly found themselves with, she said to the Head Secretary, “So…I guess we’re going home then? That will be annoying. The Prince was right, you know. Heir Apparent Byakuya has no doubt been conspiring against you, at the very least, while we were gone. And I’ve gotten the impression from the Diceans that we may have a nasty surprise waiting for us. Could ruin our fun entirely. What a shame.”

She pouted, crossing her legs as she huffed. “Plus, it’s going to be so hot there right now. The Dicean people have no idea how nice their summers are in comparison. It’s like swimming through the air. My hair will go back to being entirely unmanageable again.”

“Yes, yes…” the Head Secretary said, as, with a cry from the General in the distance, the caravans all started to move down the road.

…

“But you know which kingdom’s weather is just lovely this time of year?” he asked.

Secretary Chisa listened…and grinned.

-

Ouma pressed into the warmth in front of him, indulging himself in it. Had he managed to fall asleep with a heating pad for once? Usually it was taken out of his bed beforehand over the worry he'd get burned over the night. But this warmth was comfortable. Soft, like the stuffed animals he hid in his closet. Breathing...

Okay. What?

Ouma opened tired eyes, reality coming back to him as soon as he identified Kaito's chest right in front of his face. Right. That. He sighed softly, nuzzling back in. It was crazy how warm his husband was--was this the strength of 'the flames of passion' or some shit? Or maybe a boon from being a giant.

With a soft hum, he brought his hands against Kaito's abdomen, aiming to warm them up too.

Kaito was dreaming. Not about anything particularly important, he didn't really have dreams like that. No, he and Kaede were arguing about whether or not Shuuichi could fit in a glass bottle. He wasn't a small version of himself or anything, he was just normal Shuuichi, looking nervously between the two of them as they argued over whether, if they really, really tried, he could get into this completely normally sized glass bottle Kaede was holding in her hands.

"I'm telling you, we just have to believe in him!" Kaito argued, pointing at Shuuichi, who was chuckling nervously. "If Shuuichi wants to get in there, he can!"

"But I don't-"

"For fuck sake, Kaito, you need more than belief to bend reality!" Kaede argued, waving the bottle aggressively, her face contorted with heated debate as she said, "Even if we helped him, the best we could get in is maybe a hand! Maybe!"

"You're ruining his life's ambition, Kaede! This is absolutely going to crush him if we don't get him into this bottle!"

"I really don't care-"

"He'll be crushed if we manage to ACTUALLY GET HIM IN IT IDIOT!"

"Guys, please-"

"WE HAVE TO TRY!" Kaito said, "Shuuichi, get ov-GAH!"

Kaito opened his eyes, a shock of cold against his stomach jostling him out of his heated debate with dream Kaede, his heart still racing from the intense argument as he blearily looked around, confused. "Nnrg?" Kaito asked, looking down at Kokichi and, just...convinced. For a second that Kaede had sent his husband to interrupt the argument so he couldn't prove to her that Shuuichi could fit in the bottle. "...ths -ighti~ dirty." Kaito murmured, putting his arm over Kokichi and pulling him close as he just said, "No."

"This is my right," Ouma mumbled, thinking Kaito was objecting to him. Even if he was doing the opposite of pushing him away, but still. "When you married me, you agreed to be my heater for life."

And he was a damn good heater. Ouma nuzzled his chest again as Kaito held him close, enjoying the touch. Had he ever cuddled with someone before? He could vaguely remember falling asleep curled up to Ikuo's side when he was little, but...that was about it. Instead Ouma had always held stuffed animals, then pillows firmly in his arms, taking comfort in having something there. It was rather nice being the one held, he was finding.

He wanted to stay like this, all nestled in Kaito's arms, listening to his husband rest. And...they technically could. He doubted Aiichi would send anyone to track them down to get some work done. Hell, he'd probably be thrilled to hear Ouma was actually taking time to rest. But...there was something that couldn't be put off indefinitely.

He'd missed his morning dose, thinking he'd just have it after breakfast. He...didn't really feel any worse, just kinda cold and tired, but there was no telling if his condition would worsen if he just stopped taking his medicine.

But he was coooooooooooomfortableeeeeeee!!!

"Mmng... Kai-chan? D'ya think I could develop telekinesis through will power?"

Kaito blinked down at Kokichi, the dream fading as sleep left him. "Mmm?" Kaito said, registering the question, "I-unoo? Yes? Anything is possible." Kaito loosened his grip on Kokichi as he yawned, looking around warily in confusion. This...wasn't the room...? "...just gotta make it so...do you need me to get you something?" he asked, untangling himself from Kokichi as he sat up, trying to remember where they were, the pieces coming back slowly.

Right. Right. The observatory. They had hid away in here this morning. This morning...there was still light coming in from the windows, but it wasn't the bright light of morning, or even mid-day. Shoot, how long had they slept? "Shoot, the tea." Kaito suddenly remembered, moving to get out of bed. "I forgot to go get it. Hold on Kokichi-"

As he stood up from the bed, he felt a tinge of a headache and winced, feeling an annoying swelling behind his eyes. Ah, right...he had been crying. Had a total meltdown, really. Damn, that was embarrassing...rubbing his temples self-soothingly, he said to Kokichi, "Hey, do you want to stay up here? How are you feeling?"

"Noo-o-o-o..." Ouma whined as Kaito let him go, pressing against him as much as he could, even when the prince sat up. He was feeling a little selfish. He hated spending days in bed, so he wouldn't begrudge anyone else eager to wake up, but his heater! His cuddle-buddy!

Welp. If Kaito got up, so should he. A little unsteadily, Ouma sat up still wrapped in blankets, hair even more of a disaster than usual. He looked as bleary as he felt, but he still caught that little wince. Kaito probably needed that nap as much as he did. Maybe more.

"I'm...better, I think. Can feel all my fingers, even if my heater had so cruelly left me." He pouted up at his husband before squeaking out a yawn, shaking his head. "If you're interested in this stuff, we could hang out up here, but it's out of the way of everything else, so if not... If you wanted to...explore, or whatever, I'll go back to my room."

It wasn't as loud as that morning, but his stomach took that moment to rumble. "...maybe ask someone to bring up some...lunch? Dinner? Food."

With a sigh, Ouma untangled himself from the blankets and gingerly tried to stand up.

"Look, if I'm a heater to you, it's literally because you're a refrigerator. Your hands felt like you had just dumped them into a bucket of ice...whoa, you good?" Kaito said, watching Kokichi try to push himself up before offering him his arm. "Here, come on. You got this."

Glancing over at the to-go box still on the desk, he said, "We do have some food if you need something right away, but it's, like...really cold now. Probably won't taste that good. I can make a run downstairs and back here with some fresh food with the tea, it'd only take me maybe twenty minutes. I don't really know what time it is, but if it's well past lunch, at least the lunch leftovers would be fresher then breakfast..."

Watching Kokichi carefully, Kaito said, "This place is really cool...I'd enjoy looking through some of those research journals. But, honestly, all that can wait...basically indefinitely? I'd rather do things to help you feel better. Though, you're shaking less! That's gotta be something!"

Ouma took the offered arm, feeling...weirdly okay with Kaito's encouragement. It didn't feel patronizing and Kaito was quite literally not trying to shoo him back to bed. It was unfamiliar, but...he could get used to it, if he had to have these spells at all. It was a nice change.

"I'd say we could trade relief through the seasons, but you said our summers aren't as bad as Luminary's, and our winters are way, way colder. Poor Kai-chan will just have to suffer my cold hands." He cracked a grin, shaking his head softly. "I can wait for some...more proper food, I guess. But...uh."

His grin faded, something different about Kaito's words bothering him. "...you don't have to, like, babysit me. You're your own person, but it kinda feels like I'm makin' you run up and down the castle getting things for me. Kai-chan hasn't had, like, any time for himself, since I got sick right away. You're my husband, not my personal nurse."

Looking at his feet as he carefully flexed his hands, Ouma took a deep breath. "No matter what, it'll take time for me to get back up to 100%, but...I am feeling better! So let's do something Kai-chan wants to do!"

The Luminary Prince took a step back, watching Kokichi's legs. He seemed steady...but food would do more to help that. There was no chance of recovery without nourishment, Kaito was certain about that. Maybe fruit would actually be the best thing for Kokichi right now? Fruit and meat. Hard to stay down when you had some solid protein in you...huh?

"What I want to do...?" Kaito said, feeling uncomfortable with the idea. It wasn't like he didn't want to have fun! He did, like, pretty much all the time. But...there was so much going on still. His friends were missing and there was nothing he could do about that but wait and see what would happen. He still hadn't seen the king since the wedding night and his stomach twisted with nervous energy everytime he thought about what being confronted by him was going to be like. Back at home, uncomfortable things were being told to his parents in an official setting about himself and his brother, which... could potentially cause his brother embarrassment… Just, there was a lot still going on that was outside of Kaito's control.

But Kokichi needing food? That was well within his realm to do something about. It was a comfort, to think he could be helpful at least with this.

"No, of course I'm not your nurse," Kaito said, rubbing his neck awkwardly as he tried to work out how to argue this. "And, yeah, of course there's stuff I'd like to do...oh! Ya know what I'd really like to do!" Kaito said, a flash of inspiration hitting him, taking Kokichi's hands and placing them between his own, a wide grin on his face. "I wanna go back to that pub when you're feeling better! The one with that really nice, kinda grumpy, really muscular woman? We could go get a meal there, and then you can show me more of the town! We can be Koh and Caleb for a day! That would be fun!"

"But!" Kaito said, giving Kokichi a wink, "To do what I want, we gotta get you back to 100 first! So, ya know...whatever you need for that! Even if it means I'm running around the castle for a bit. And if you're really worried about me hovering, then the next time you need some sleep, I'll go do something! Maybe explore the castle? Maybe come back up here and read these journals? I don't know? But I'll do something! Promise!"

Then, searching his expression and uncertain if Kokichi was convinced, Kaito let himself sag just a little, taking Kokichi's hands and bringing them up to kiss his knuckles, which were chilly against his lips. "Don't send me away just yet," Kaito said, a sheepish grin on his face. "I don't know anyone else here. It's literally just you."

It did sound like fun, actually, even if it wouldn't be as covert as when Ouma usually snuck into town. He could somewhat get away with walking around without any of the polished presentation Denji set him up with when he'd attend court, but Kaito? Even if he wore his hair down, it was a little hard to not notice a tall, built ginger and not connect the dots. But it could still be fun.

Ouma sighed a little, smiling at the kiss to his hands. "Okay. I'm not sending you away--that'd be very clear if I was. I just...don't want you to feel obligated to look after me, even if you're better at it than literally everyone else." He rolled his eyes a little, but it was kind. "It's nice knowing you care, but I don't want your life to revolve around me--it's yours to live."

"...if you do wanna stay by me though," he started, a too innocent smile on his face, "maybe you could unpack? I don't really mind having a bunch of suitcases and boxes around, but I did clear space for your stuff. If you don't take advantage of it, I'm just gonna take it back, okay?"

His steps were small and light, but Ouma walked forward a little, giving Kaito's hands a squeeze. "Let's go get the kettle before someone starts freaking out."

As the two made their way downstairs, slowly but surely as Kaito was careful to go at Kokichi's pace, Kaito did what he did best, which was fill the air with inane chatter.

"I really don't know where I'm going to put the gold and silver armor. It's not the sort of thing you hang in the closet, you see? Back at home, we had whole rooms dedicated to storing and displaying decorative armor, which is basically what two out of my three armor sets that I brought here are. I mean, don't let the name fool you, the decorative armor is totally functional, but it's kind of a waste to let it get battered and torn apart by actual combat, ya know? It's really just more for ceremonies and stuff. I doubt I'll have a reason to put either of them on for a long time. All that to say, is there any storage rooms I could put them in or-"

And he went on like that as the two made their way to the room.

Ouma listened to his husband's chatter, wanting to comment more but only managing a word here and there between his increasingly labored breaths. It was...annoyingly difficult, but he was walking, mostly on his own, which was more than he'd managed to do most days of recovery. Maybe he'd actually get a little stronger if he wasn't going to be completely confined to bed all the time now.

Still, he was looking forward to his bed by the time they made it back down to his room, sweaty and panting as he turned the doorknob. Though they'd been gone much longer than he'd expected when they left that morning, Ouma was just doubly glad he'd had the foresight to hide away the vibrator--his bed was made, sheets changed. Likely laundry taken away as well.

Especially in the mess his room usually was, housekeeping tended to be rather unobtrusive. However, this time he did notice an unusual change right away. Again, on his nightstand, there was something new, right next to Iruma's box. It was...some weird type of container? Relatively shallow with a wide opening and grips on the lid. And with another note attached, though Kaito's name on the outside of it in a handwriting Ouma knew very, very well.

(If one were so inclined, the note would read:

My Dear Son-In-Law,

If Ko ends up in the medical wing in the middle of the night again

We'll be having a long conversation, alright? ( ◕▽◕)

Aiichi)

Ouma more or less threw himself on his bed, eyeing the container of lubrication curiously. "D-do you...hah...think anyone w-would'a...left a p-parting gift?"

Eyeing the container suspiciously, recognizing what it was supposed to hold right away, but still wary of what it could actually be, since wine and water had all so very recently betrayed them, Kaito checked the tag, his face paling as he read it.

"...look, I know I don't have room to judge," Kaito said, now extremely uncomfortable as he realized where the lubrication had come from, "But your dad is fucking weird. I think he just tried to give us his blessing and threaten me at the same time? With a weird little emoji on top of that? Here, read this." Kaito took off the tag and handed it to Kokichi on the bed, before going back to the container, poking it uncertainly. "Think it's really from him? We thought the water was from him. Do you think it'd be weird if I just went and...asked?"

Kaito thought about it, trying to imagine that scenario, his face turning from pale to...blue as his eye twitched. "Nah," he said, sounding disturbed. "I'm not gonna do that."

Going to the kettle, Kaito poured some tea, bringing it back to Kokichi as he sat on the edge of the bed. "How are things down there? Has the swelling gone down any?"

As Ouma caught his breath, he wiggled forward on the bed, propping himself up on his elbows as he took the note from Kaito. And...crumpled it quite a bit, a scowl on his face as his cheeks went from pink to red. "That's definitely his handwriting. And his stupid smiley face. God."

He groaned, squishing his face down into the bed. He could put two and two together. Meddling son-of-a-bitch. Probably thought he couldn't even have sex right. Probably fought with himself even acknowledging that Ouma had sex. UGH.

Ouma only lifted his head to accept the teacup, coloring a little more at Kaito's question. "...it's better than it was. Doesn't feel like I'm being stabbed every time I move, so that's a plus. Probably would feel better if I wasn't wearing pants, but it's not too bad and I don't feel like starting our marriage constantly flashing you. Too bad, so sad, if you miss seeing my dick, you'll have to wait."

He took a long drink, hiding his face a little in the...slight embarrassment from saying that.

...pffff. What?

God, Kokichi was too fucking cute. It was easy to not think of him that way, since usually when he talked he was saying something, to Kaito at least, super serious, or was pissed about something, or teasing him. But then he'd go and say something like that, and then just, immediately try to hide his face from him. Which was just...gah.

What an adorable little asshole.

Snickering, Kaito suddenly did a large, theatrical yawn, making an exaggerated stretching motion as he leaned back, lying on his back as he looked up at Kokichi, his shirt stretched up just enough to show the curve of his hips and the muscles of his abdomen, his hand resting on his ribs to push up his shirt 'accidentally' just a little bit more, showing off the tone of his body.

"Oh yeah?" Kaito said, smirking as he gave Kokichi his best 'bedroom' eyes. "Just gonna be suffering all by my lonesome, huh? Just me, sitting here, dreaming about all those fun little noises you make...yeah. That's too bad," he said, running his fingertips up and down his exposed skin, "It's a real shame that you can't be aroused right now, Kokichi...ya know...real shame for me, of course...I'm sure you couldn't care less, right? Not looking forward to it at all, huh?"

...you couldn't blame him. Ouma knew he was being teased, but he couldn't stop his eyes from flicking down and running over Kaito's abs. He was a hot guy! And Ouma was really gay! So sue him for checking out his husband!!

He quickly glanced away when he felt Kaito's suddenly intense gaze on him, each tease doing nothing to help his blush. Cocky asshole. Even if 'fun little noises' made his shoulders hike up, if him not being in the mood would be a shame for Kaito made him squirm a bit.

"Sorry to burst your ego, but having sex with you once didn't turn me into a sex addict, Kai-chan," he shot back, decidedly not looking at Kaito. "If I drive you crazy just by existing, the bathroom's right over there. We just had the sheets changed; I'd rather you not soil them with your desperation."

...he was looking forward to it. He'd like to say he'd had sex properly at least once, and while the last time had felt...f-felt amazing, it still had that piece missing. Kaito had said it was good, but...maybe if he wasn't stuck in a lusty haze, he'd be able to participate more. Put the pointers Kaito had given him to use. Maybe ride him correctly and not just be bounced by--

"Mmph!" Redness coloring him even to his ears, Ouma pressed his face back down onto the bed, flustered by...the whole situation, really.

"Ha. A little me time in the bathroom? Temping, but nah. I can wait," Kaito said, chuckling as he let the act drop, just watching Kokichi hide his face again with an amused grin. "Wouldn't that be so weird if I did that though? Just literally went to the bathroom and rubbed one out? Okay, no shit? That happened to me once? I think I was...fourteen? Maybe? And I had invited this friend from school to spend the night."

Kaito looked up at the ceiling, an embarrassed grin on his face as he continued. "I didn't even really know him that well. He was kind of a weird dude, looking back at it. Really good cook though, I think he was the kid of some well known chef in town. Anyway, he kept dropping all these hints that he wanted to spend the night, and I'm thinking, okay? He just wants to hang out in a castle for a night. Totally understandable, all about it. So I invite him over. And man..."

Kaito blushed, though the blush was less 'aroused' and more 'embarrassed discomfort' as he put a hand over his eyes, chuckling. "Look, I grew up to be a real flirty guy, alright? I'll admit it. But I wasn't having sex at fourteen, and this dude, maaaan. He was not getting the message. He made move after move after move. I tried to be nice about it, but finally I was like, look, it's not happening, let's just go to sleep. I couldn't bring myself to kick him out, but, ya know, I just wanted him to go the next morning already, so I tried to go to bed."

Kaito snickered some more, the uncomfortable blush deepening. "This motherfucker leaves his sleeping bag, goes to the bathroom, and starts fucking going to town on himself! Like, he closed the door, but it was still really, really uncomfortably obvious, right? I think that's the first time I heard anyone nut, and man, I was hiding under my blankets just fiercely pretending to be asleep. I was so freaked out, I had no idea what to do. I mean, in his defense, maybe he thought I had fallen asleep already and hadn't heard any of it? But man...what a goddamn weirdo."

Ouma peeked over at Kaito as he went on to tell a rambling story, flush slowly fading. "...fuck, that's awkward. I take it back; if you need to jack it, never tell me. I never want to know."

He stretched out, just far enough to nudge his empty teacup onto his nightstand, humming curiously about one thing about the story, though. "You could just do that? Invite someone over for a sleepover? Like...not even like a super close friend or anything, just someone you knew from school?"

It was still so shocking how different their lives were. The freedom and harshness of Kaito's, the gentle prison Ouma grew up in.

"...what was it even like?" he questioned, rolling over onto his back, matching Kaito's gaze at the ceiling. "Going to school. Is that where you met Shuu-chan and Maki-chan, or did you know them before? What were you studying at university, actually? I don't think you ever mentioned it."

It was a handful of questions that would probably work better spread out, but that familiar curiosity took over Ouma's mouth, driving him to get as much out of Kaito as possible. To learn about things he'd never experienced.

"Ummm..." Kaito said, trying to work out how to answer the questions as they came, enjoying the comforting feeling of just...lying next to someone and chatting. It was such a low-key way to spend time with someone, and honestly, Kaito was appreciating it, feeling more and more relaxed as they laid there, with nothing pressing to do and nowhere to go.

"I met Maki-Roll when we were ten, and then Shuuichi not long after. Though, we weren't exactly friends right away. Maki and Shuuichi were both doing some of the more practical, hands-on parts of their training, following their mentors around and stuff, which is why I started seeing them around the castle all the time, and got... a little obsessed with them. Maki especially." Kaito chuckled, "She was just so cool! She was cute and like...okay, imagine Maki today, but tiny legs, a round face, and something to prove. She was so cool, I couldn't get enough of trying to get to know her. I don't think she could stand me, but I was a prince, so she couldn't do much to tell me off, and I was too young and thick-headed to take a hint. So what happened, I think, is she tried to shake me off when I was asking to hang out with her one day by saying she was going to go visit her siblings at the orphanage. I guess she thought royalty wouldn't want to spend any time there, since that place is a little scary...but she was going, so I wanted to go. It actually worked out great. I ended up having a lot of fun playing around with all the younger kids, who I remember were getting a real thrill out of trying to wrestle the new big kid their big sister brought around. And then...yeah. After that, Maki was a lot nicer to me." Kaito smiled warmly at the memory, his heart only pinging a little as he said, "She can claim to hate kids all she wants, but she's a total softy, really."

"Shuuichi was a lot easier," Kaito said. "Oh my god, Kokichi, he was such a cute kid, even in the framing of, like, another kid looking at him? Like, I was a kid, looking at this shy, mumbling little future detective, just thinking 'what a cutie'. I could not make friends with him fast enough. And once I knew them both, I stuck to them like glue. They were my best friends, and it didn't matter that their training took them away all the time, I was always happy to just wait for them to come back so we could hang out some more."

"And then...middle school started," Kaito said, sounding a little sadder at this memory. "To put everything into context, I didn't start actually going to a school with other kids until high school. Basically fourteen is when I started. Before that, it was tutoring sessions from specialists. So, the reason I kinda latched onto Maki and Shuuichi so much was because they were kind of the only other kids around for a long time, besides my brother anyway. Then, when we were thirteen, they started going to school on top of their career training, and so for a long time I barely ever saw them."

Kaito started worrying his joints. Pop, pop, pop.

"So, yeah, if Maki and Shuuichi hadn't been sent to school starting in middle school to learn socializing skills for their training, I maybe would have never even thought to go. But they were going, and so I spent the next year basically begging anyone who would hear me out to let me start going with them. It didn't matter how many times I was shot down. I really wanted to go with them."

Kaito frowned, looking over at Kokichi. "Hey, I know I'm rambling. You can tell me to shut up if you're bored. Otherwise I tend to just...kind of keep going," Kaito said, grinning sheepishly.

He had... Well, he hadn't actually known that Maki and Shuuichi had been trained since childhood, but it was...kind of a vibe he got? It wasn't like it was unheard of for kids to have jobs in Dicea, but, like... School was pushed super hard. He'd personally processed more than a few requests for people looking for temp workers to work on farms while their children focused on their studies. Most people did tend to follow whatever their parents did for work, but...there were options. You could be taught practically anything you had an interest in.

...somehow he didn't think that the escorts were just really pumped to learn their trades.

Instead, he hummed, understanding Kaito's interest. "It's exciting to meet new people, especially if they're around your age. And, judging by how they are now, Shuu-chan and Maki-chan especially. I'm guessing you have a lot of stories of messin' around with them, huh." Maybe he'd get a few of those in the future. With full commentary if Maki and Shuuichi decided to chime in too when they returned.

He huffed a soft laugh as Kaito described needling his way into school, a story he actually shared even if the outcome wasn't the same. The way he'd been taught, though...he probably would've been lost if he'd been able to attend school. He'd started his administrative duties at 15, and while he still had the occasional lesson, they'd been more spontaneous, just rushing to the library when he had a question that needed an answer.

Shuffling over to Kaito's side, Ouma poked at his arm. "Uh uh. I like listening. I like how you tell stories too--you're nice to listen to, you know? Kai-chan's life and experiences are interesting to me. Even if the cultural differences are still kinda confusing sometimes, but I think I'm getting enough beats to fill in the blanks."

He could guess at why an orphanage would ever be described as 'scary'.

"I like it when you indulge me," he teased, now tracing his fingers along Kaito's arm.

The feeling of Kokichi's fingers just...casually on him was both weirdly intimate and compellingly casual, and it caused the hairs on his skin to rise up, though Kaito didn't mind. It was nice. Kaito scooted a little closer to Kokichi before settling in. "Give me a big head why don't you. Alright. Though I hope you know you're not getting out of this conversation without sharing some stories yourself. I wanna hear about Kokichi's baby days too."

He wondered what bits had been lost in the culture exchange? He reached back in his memory of what he had said and couldn't find anything unusual. Oh well. Maybe the more he got to know this kingdom, the differences between them would seem more obvious.

"School was a gift from Atua himself," Kaito admitted with a fond smile. "Though, it could be tough sometimes. I had a lot of unearned confidence going into school, just, certain I could make friends now that I had a real chance to, and...I mean. It's like anything. When you really wanna learn how to do something, like make friends with people, you gotta deal with all the pitfalls and missteps first while you're getting your footing. Ya know...like letting a pervert come over to masturbate in your bathroom, and accidentally making a personal enemy out of the scariest person in school." Kaito chuckled at the memory. "Dumb kid stuff. It was a learning experience. Thankfully, with Maki and Shuuichi around, nothing ever went as bad as it maybe could have, and eventually I really started to get people!"

"And yeah, I could just invite people over. I could...kinda do whatever I felt like, during those years," Kaito said, giving Kokichi an uneasy look as he said, "Sorry if it...sucks to hear that. I know your childhood didn't...yeah. But, basically, there was kind of no one around by this point to keep track of what I was doing? Mom was busy sort of running the kingdom, Dad was running the war, and...he--" Kaito said, the pronoun almost spat out of his mouth, still angry over what had happened that morning, which, even though the Head Secretary hadn't been there, Kaito still blamed him for. "--had kinda lost interest in me by that point."

Kaito couldn't help but wonder why the Head Secretary hadn't sought him out before the caravans had left. He had been expecting it all morning...but, maybe whatever the Head Secretary had been trying to get out of Kaito, all the attempts at trying to force him into a conspiracy against the Diceans, maybe when he realized it wasn't going to work, he had just lost interest in him again...

Good. Kaito didn't care.

...Fuck him.

"I think Byakuya was just refusing to have training sessions with me by this point, and so the Head Secretary just focused on training Byakuya alone, along with helping my parents with their various projects. So yeah...just no more time for me. Which was great! Since that was probably why I was allowed to go to school in the first place, ya know?" Kaito said, absentmindedly reaching out his hand to interlock with Kokichi's, the prince's little tracings against his arm starting to tickle his skin and Kaito subconsciously stopping him.

"As for what school was like? I'm not really sure how to answer that. It was a bunch of kids all trying to learn in a building together, just...bouncing against each other as we tried to figure out how to be people. It was weird and uncomfortable sometimes because none of us were super good at it, but honestly...I think I'd be an entirely different person right now without that experience. So it was worth it… Did you never hang out with anyone your own age, Kokichi?" Kaito asked, squeezing his husband's hand. "I'm guessing the king maybe didn't give you a lot of chances, but did the queen ever just...I don't know? Take you on playdates or anything, just to give ya the chance?"

Ouma snickered quietly, happily resigning himself to share as well, even if he didn't think most of his childhood was worth sharing in a story. Kaito probably thought talking about school was kinda boring too though, so he probably couldn't trust his own judgment there.

"Making a personal enemy out of the scariest person in school?" he repeated almost incredulously. "If you hadn't nearly done the same thing with me, I almost wouldn't believe it. And doing it by accident? You gotta tell me that one sometime."

Ouma knew--a little--of what he was getting into when he asked Kaito about school, about his childhood. From what he'd heard indirectly, Kaito had had so much more freedom in his life, had been able to do so many things that made him burn with jealousy. So, he was prepared for that.

He just wasn't prepared for...it to be so sad. He'd had Maki and Shuuichi, but it still sounded lonely for your family to just disregard you. To have better things to do. Ouma squeezed Kaito's hand softly, even if his husband didn't seem to find much of a problem in those times.

He sighed lightly, wracking his memory, and...well, his slightly sobered mood probably fit his stories better. "Not...really?"

"Like, sometimes people would bring their kids when they came to talk to Aiichi, and when I got a little older people my age would come by to go to the library or attend a workshop or whatever. But when I was little...I think kids took 'Kokichi's sick' to mean that I was contagious, so...they never really talked to me."

He brought his free hand up and shuffled his arm behind his head as he continued. "And, like, of course everyone is out during festivals. But most kids are running around, playing, you know? Sometimes kids who'd get tired would come and sit with me for a little while--that was always nice."

Ouma paused at Kaito's follow up, surprised. Why would he... No one had told Kaito, had they. Of course.

"...my mom's dead, Kai-chan. She died in childbirth."

"Ugh, it's a stupid story," Kaito said, rubbing his free hand through his hair. "I'll tell you about it later. As a hint, let's just say you are not the first person I mistook for being way younger? Than they actually were? And that blowing up in my face big time."

Kaito listened to Kokichi talk about the kids in his life, and...yeah. As he had gathered from everything he had ever heard about Kokichi, it all sounded...painfully lonely. He found himself getting annoyed with the kids in Kokichi's story. Why hadn't they played with little Kokichi? Kaito liked to think he would have. He could imagine himself, young and bursting with energy, wanting to impress the cute purple-eyed kid by running circles around him, wanting to draw him out, wanting to play...

Then Kokichi said the thing about his mother.

With prompting, without hesitation or invitation, Kaito rolled onto his side, grabbed Kokichi around his waist, and held him close, burying his face into Kokichi's hair. Just...wanting to be near him.

He didn't say anything. What was there to say? It clearly wasn't a new wound, but still...childbirth? He had figured she had died, but...Kokichi had never got the chance to know her at all?

Kaito was an extremely physical person, which was why his first instinct at hearing bad news was to reach out and grab Kokichi, as if a hug might somehow...physically put a bad situation back together. But, because he was experienced enough to know that just randomly grabbing people wasn't actually that great way to communicate to people, he added in, "Sorry."

And he was sorry. Not because it had happened. Again, childbirth was...a long time ago.

No. He was just sorry because his first, honest reaction had been a relieved 'Oh thank god'.

Because he hadn't wanted to ask how Kokichi's mother might have died.

He didn't want to hear about it...if it had been the war.

If his people had hurt her, hurt Kokichi, in such a way. He hadn't wanted to know. Had been afraid to even think about it.

Childbirth.

Thank god.

"I'm sorry," he said again, slowly untangling him from the hold, leaning back again, feeling embarrassed at his extremely physical reaction, returning to staring at the ceiling, though he kept Kokichi's hand. Glancing over at Kokichi, he said, "I wonder if we would have been friends as kids? If we had gotten a chance to meet, I mean? I bet we would have been. I bet we would have been terrors together. Just total hazards," Kaito said, grinning at his imagination.

Squeezing Kokichi's hand, he said, almost without thinking about it, "Is the Ouma heir thing a...like a strictly one kid thing? I'd hate for our kid to get lonely. If we adopted multiple kids, they could play together. Maybe they'd be friends to each other?"

Ouma startled slightly as he was suddenly pulled against Kaito, awkwardly patting his side before he relaxed into the hug. Was...dying in childbirth a big deal in Luminary? Like...it was a tragedy in Dicea too, but Luminous people seemed, er, more desensitized to death. So for Kaito to react like this... Was it just because it was his mom in particular?

...it was a long time ago. Just over twenty years, in fact. But, if how he would sit on the floor of the observatory and talk to her portrait, pretending she was somehow listening was any indication...he still wished he could've known her. Maybe she would've resented him as much as Aiichi did, but...he still wanted to know. But it was impossible. If she was alive, then he wouldn't exist.

Ouma let go of a tight, shuttered sigh, a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, curling against Kaito's side even as he was let go. Still, he snorted softly at Kaito's idealized scenario. "We would've run everyone through the gamut, but I kind of doubt we'd be friends, unless that alternate universe includes a change where our fathers were never at a risk of starting a war against each other. Aiichi probably would've taken one look at you and decided that you'd be 'too rough' for such a delicate child such as myself. Maybe we would've become friends just to spite them."

It was a possibility. It'd taken dreadfully long for Ouma to figure out how full of shit his dad was, but even from a very young age he'd been unhappy with what he'd been told to do. If some friendly cannonball of a kid offered to be his friend and wreck shit? He'd have jumped at the chance.

"Mmng," he hummed, brought back to reality. "There's one kid that's set to be the heir, yeah, but there's nothing against them having siblings. I'd say we'd have to worry about rivalry, but, ideally, if there's anything really to the adoption tradition, then the kid we choose to be the heir will be the one who'd want it the most."

"It's kinda dumb relying on a gut feeling though." He hadn't missed a beat, the idea of making a big family with Kaito feeling natural. Enough that he didn't really think about it. "Maybe we could just give them all basic education for it and they can choose among themselves who actually would want to be the heir. Or maybe we'll start a new era and they can all work together. There's a lot of possibilities."

"Hmmm," Kaito said, trying to imagine it. "But wouldn't it make people nervous, not knowing who was gonna be the next ruler right away? And if we make them choose among themselves, what if they tried to hurt each other, trying to be the one picked? I mean...maybe if we didn't make it feel like a competition...I don't know. It's worth thinking about."

"Let me think...I answered about Maki and Shuuichi. I answered the school question, though, I guess I could come up with more specific stories if you wanted to still hear them...oh! My degree!" Kaito said, snapping his fingers. "Right, you asked what I was going to school for. I was actually in a Military Officer prep course. I was specializing in National Security. If I had been allowed to finish my last year, I would have joined the Active Guard."

"The ultimate goal was to be General Juzo someday," Kaito explained, "The head of the Active Guard, essentially. I'd do my time in the military, and when I was done, I'd move on someday to being Secretary of War for my brother's counsel. I mean...none of that was guaranteed. The military bit, maybe, but not the counsel thing. I'd have to really impress my brother by the time my contract with the Guard was up before he would let me into such an important position. But I was really ready to try! I was gonna be the best Officer the Guard had ever seen!"

Kaito frowned, closing his eyes. "...I mean. Obviously it's better that it worked out this way instead, ultimately. How better to defend the nation then stopping the war before I ever actually had to join it? But...I didn't really have a plan B. So I don't really know what I'm going to do instead of the military path. I just kind of want to be useful by this point."

"What about you? If you never went to school, and it looks like you're not going to go...I mean, you're the heir," Kaito said, raising an eyebrow as he looked over at Kokichi, "I know you said that the royal family here does a lot of...accounting and problem solving? I mean...did you get tutored in that or...how are you meant to do it when it's your turn without formal training?”

Ouma shrugged a bit. "People will be nervous no matter what. Like, always. It's our job to allay those nerves. You do have a point though... I never really felt like being the heir was a 'prize', but maybe I was too busy being smothered to ever see it as anything but a responsibility."

He was somehow both surprised and not to hear that Kaito was going to go into the military...and that did answer why he seemed a little lost for what to do. It wasn't just adjusting to a different country--it was that there was no need for war officers when there was no war.

...Kaito had been so close to finishing his time at university. If the admins hadn't sent that peace proposal when they had...would Kaito have ended up on the battlefield? Ouma didn't like the idea of any of his people fighting in that war, but his heart lurched at the thought of Kaito being on that battlefield, even with the prowess he had in combat.

He squeezed Kaito's hand as he swallowed that...that feeling down, finding that he preferred having the Luminous Prince next to him in bed.

"I was given a basic education, but instead of choosing my own specialty, I was taught how to handle kingdom affairs," he started, giving a smirk after a thought. "I got pretty good at derailing my lessons, though. Hideki is really easy to distract if you know how to do it--we'd end up researching all sorts of stuff when I was supposed to be learning, like, ugh, math."

What a dumb subject. Even if it was pretty important for him to know. He made something of a face at just the mention before shrugging again. "I'm actually already attending to a chunk of administrative business; have been for a while. I just don't go to court that often so I'm not as front-facing. I respond to the majority of people who write in with their problems, and I process a lot of the economic reports every month from every township and village. Knowing where we should allocate more funds and all that shit."

"When Aiichi steps back, I'm just...gonna be doing more of what I already do, and do more of it in person. Uh..." He hesitated. When Kaito talked about the future...it always seemed like the near future, but he didn't really...talk as if he expected to work on kingdom affairs? And...Ouma had just sort of assumed... "I mean... If you wanted to do something else, I could find other help, w-when the time comes? It's still a long time off!"

Kaito furrowed his brow, letting go of Kokichi's hand as he turned around, getting on his stomach and elbows as he looked down at Kokichi, confused. "What do you mean?" he asked. "If I wanted to do something else?

"...Did you already have a job for me in mind?" Kaito asked. This, he was certain, being the first he had heard of this. "What am I meant to do?"

Ouma mirrored Kaito's look of confusion, though with more apparent worry. "You're...my husband. Prince Consort, in your terminology. I thought..."

It wasn't a forced role or anything. Ouma's parents had only been married a few years before Miyako died, but he knew that she continued on with her work after the marriage, leaving Aiichi most of the work to run Dicea. He'd heard stories of past leaders who'd had spouses that had completely fucked off to live their own lives. But, generally, with the whole reason the leaders had to marry the way they did...

"You're...supposed to lead with me...right?"

It was why he'd been so worried about being overpowered before he knew Kaito. They'd both be speaking, but the only things being enacted would be his husband's ideas whether they were the best option or not. And he'd just...be unable to do anything. Already he had to fight tooth and nail to get the admins to consider his ideas with the same weight as anyone else's; he wouldn't be able to stand having to do that for his entire life.

Ouma chewed on his lip nervously as he looked up at Kaito with wide eyes, worried that he'd just...gotten everything wrong about their marriage.

Lead...with him?

...Kaito stared at him in open shock. "What?" he said, his eyes wide.

Confused.

Talking...slowly. Because he honestly wasn't sure if Kokichi was fucking with him, or...maybe they were just using similar words for different meanings? He honestly just wasn't sure how to say this in a way that didn't suggest that Kokichi obviously, obviously? Also knew this? "Kokichi...only one person can lead?" Kaito said, just...entirely lost as to why they had to even clarify that? "I can fulfill another seat of government if you allow it, like as one of your advisors, like what my brother does for our father right now. Or maybe lead a team on a specific program, like my mother with Public Relations. But...there's only one king?"

"You're going to be my king," Kaito said, brows furrowed, "I can't lead with you. I have to obey you?"

Ouma set his mouth into a thin line, looking slightly uncomfortable and just...lost. "...n...no? That's the whole point of getting married--it's a partnership. You're not... I don't want you to obey me."

"That's...that's why it was so awful that Tengan and the rest were trying to control you, trying to push me out of decision-making. You're here to provide your own, personal insight. We...we're supposed to work together to make sure everyone is okay."

Ouma looked up into Kaito's eyes, searching for what he was missing, why this didn't just...make sense. "If you didn't want to, that's fine, but...you're supposed to stand by my side. Boss and Boss or King and King or whatever people wanna call us."

Kaito couldn't understand what Kokichi was saying. Was he being serious? "Push you out...no? I mean, yes, but...not like you're saying it?" Kaito said. "You're making it sound like I'm...expected to have inputs? But the Secretaries were trying to make sure that your inputs would just reflect my beliefs. What I have to say doesn't matter if you disagree with me. It has to sound like it comes from you for it to matter."

King and King...what??

"You can't have two kings, Kokichi. The king is the ultimate authority. Their word is law. Even if I am involved, you're going to have the last word on everything. That's why they were pushing me so hard to try to beat you down. They wanted me to puppet you. They...were trying to convince me to commit treason?" Kaito said...before his eyes suddenly went wide, sitting up onto his knees. "Is that why no one was using the word 'treason' when that Secretary who came to visit us told me he knew the plan?!"

Kaito ran a hand through his hair, his mind suddenly racing through the conversation that night, a whole new context suddenly making the...'accusations' make way more sense. "You were asleep for a lot of it, but when Secretary Hid...Hideki? I think is his name? When he came by, he started hinting that he knew my Secretaries were trying to convince me to try to puppet you? And I kept asking him to talk plainly, I kept waiting for him to accuse my kingdom of committing treason against your family, and he just...looked at me like I was stupid? And I thought maybe he was just keeping it close to his chest for some reason??"

Kaito looked down at Kokichi, distressed as he found himself...explaining?? One of the most simple concepts in the world? "You're my king. Or, you will be. If I were to force you to listen to me when you didn't ask for my input on something...that would be treason? It would be me trying to puppet the highest court from behind the shadows. It's an extremely corrupt thing to do. It's treason. It would have been a big deal if you all had accused my father of sending someone with the intention of trying to twist your orders. And I...I thought you guys weren't accusing us openly of it to not re-start the war??"

...had Kaito really prepared himself to potentially...never have a say in anything? To not have his thoughts matter? During their fight in the greenhouse, Ouma had been surprised and saddened by the thought that Kaito thought he had been sent away because he was unwanted, but that fear became...much scarier with this new context. Being tossed into a new and unfamiliar place where you'd just be, what, a ghost?

Ouma sat himself up a little, wanting to embrace his husband but it looked like that would be a bad idea...at least while they were both sorting things out. "You... You are supposed to have input on things. Everyone does. We're just the ones who are supposed to be the best at sorting through it. We're supposed to disagree. How else would you find the best answer?"

If everyone just followed what one person said... No one was infallible. No one was free from bias and blind privilege. Without other views to force you to look around... How on earth did Luminary run?!

Something caught in his throat as Kaito explained what he thought was going on, feeling a little sick. "We... We thought that you were going to be a puppet. That they'd push anything happening in Luminary through you to be enacted in Dicea. That be-because you're strong and charismatic, ideas coming from you would sound better and people wouldn't argue, and if they did they'd be brushed off."

"...you're supposed to be my equal..." he murmured, almost sounding heartbroken, reaching out to put a hand over one of Kaito's.

Kaito pulled his hand back, away from Kokichi. The weight of what Kokichi was saying finally...hitting him. He...he was supposed to be, what?

He was supposed to be a king?

He was meant to be the Kingdom Law now?

He...he didn't know how to do that! He wasn't trained for that! He wasn't Byakuya, who was carefully trained to be the last word on all national affairs! He wasn't Kokichi, who had known he was going to lead his whole life. He was...he was just meant to support...that was his purpose...

He had gone from hoping for a place on the counsel someday, maybe...to a Prince Consort where maybe his new husband would find some useful job for him to do...to...to king? One of the...two? Somehow one of the two final words on everything? Just like that?

It was terrifying. Kaito had no idea what to think about it.

...But Kokichi looked worried. He looked upset. Kaito had to pull this together. He had sworn to listen to Kokichi. Had sworn to support him...

"...I'm really trying to understand," Kaito said, feeling so frustrated. Just...so confused as to what he was meant to be doing. What was expected of him. "I really am. And, if I'm meant to help you lead, I...I can do that! Anything is possible, right? If you want my assistance in leading, then...then I'm proud!" Kaito said, his relentless optimism finally cracking through the wall of total, baffled fear that had been surrounding him. "That you would trust me like that! I'm just trying to explain to you...I haven't been trained to do anything like that. It was never a focus of my training. No one's ever expected I would do anything like that."

"But...of course I can try," Kaito said, grinning shakily, "If you want me to have that sort of authority, I can absolutely give it my all!"

...right up until you get frustrated with my decisions and override them, Kaito didn't say. He didn't want to antagonize Kokichi. And, hell, maybe this was another one of those things Kaito was just going to have to fake understanding, hoping one day he actually would?

Just...add it to the list!

It did hurt a little when Kaito pulled his hand away. But...he thought he understood. For someone who wasn't prepared for this, for the responsibility of a kingdom's worth of people on your shoulders, it was...a lot, to say the least. Being a prince, an heir himself, Ouma had, again, just figured that Kaito had been prepared. But apparently that was another difference between their homes.

And...maybe he just needed some time. And that was something they had.

Ouma offered a small smile when Kaito pushed past his confusion, if not fully, then enough to speak past an ever-escalating 'what???'

"Trying is all I'd ask, Kai-chan. It's all any of us are doing, though we've certainly had more practice." He grinned a little wider at the almost joke, trying to soothe his husband. "And like I said, you don't have to! If you find something else you want to pursue, you totally can! If you wanna put your all into becoming the greatest pancake chef in the world, go for it! You're gonna have to deal with me bragging about you to the whole kingdom constantly!"

"But, if it's something you're interested in, I would like your help."

His husband didn't want touch right now, so Ouma just sat himself up properly, crossing his legs, playing with his socks a little. "Sure some things require a bit of technical knowledge, but a lot of it is just...caring. Hearing out what people have to say. Sometimes there's not even something for you to solve, they just needed someone to listen. Kai-chan cares about people, so... I believe in him!"

It was a hopeful smile, the one he gave to Kaito. One that wasn't hiding any other ulterior motive, or was just trying to placate the man in front of him. "Whether you want to help the people of Dicea or you want to go after a personal dream...Kai-chan can do it, and I'll support him. Just like he supports me."

That smile...it was almost...saintly. As awkward as that was to even think (his husband was incredibly kind, in his own ways, but saintly was stretching it), it still was an accurate representation of at least what it looked like. The sort of look he'd see in the loving re-creations of Atua's Saints, in the artwork, statues, glass-work of those strong, beautiful, peaceful women who taught his ways and spread his word. It was a patient, understanding look.

It was...genuinely soothing.

For the second time in as many days, Kaito felt...a spark. Of something that would become love someday, so long as Kaito was willing to let it.

"Thanks," Kaito said, relaxing the tension that had been building steadily in his body for the last fifteen minutes. "I want to help. Of course I want to help. It was just...surprising being told I could, just...off the bat like that. But I really am honored! It's...that sounds like a lot of trust to put into me, for someone just sent to marry you. It's really a lot more than I was expecting..."

Kaito sighed, running his hand through his hair again...before realizing he had been doing that too much already, and sheesh, his hair must be just... "Give me a second," he said, getting up from the bed, his legs only a little wobbly as he got the feeling back into them, going to the vanity desk and fixing his hair real quick.

Good. There we go. He was feeling a little more put together now.

Looking back at Kokichi, Kaito put his hands on his hips, trying to shake off the effects of the conversation. "Okay! Enough of all that! I need to unpack my stuff, and you need...food, probably? By now? It's gotta be getting close to dinner now. I can still run down there and get you something, if you don't feel up to making the trip."

...maybe Aiichi hadn't been mistaken. Now that he knew of Leon's hatred, he wasn't so sure, but they'd all figured that the war could've been prevented with more understanding. That, if the two kingdoms hadn't been practically like different planets, things wouldn't have escalated as they had. So, by uniting a Dicean and a Luminary that would one day run Dicea, they could better understand one another. So nothing like this would happen again.

If Kaito had been under the impression that marrying him was something he "just" did, if he'd thought that he'd be silenced in his new life...they really did need a better understanding. He could only hope that other Luminaries would want to understand one day.

"I'm kinda hoping you're up for helping," Ouma gently laughed. "We have a lot of congratulation letters to respond to."

While he scoffed, rolling his eyes at Kaito fixing his hair in the mirror, things did feel a little better. But that didn't mean the rest of the day hadn't happened. He...physically, could probably make the trip downstairs. But. But there were people down there that knew, without a doubt, that... T-things they had no business knowing! That...he'd been deliberately given a love drug so he could be deflowered by his husband on their wedding night.

...he still wasn't ready to face that public reality.

Looking down, Ouma played with his socks a bit more. "If you don't mind... I think I'm gonna stay up here. Don't wanna make people freak out and send me back to bed."

It was a weak excuse that he knew Kaito would see through, but...he wasn't ready. And...maybe he was a little cruel, since he was worried about facing his dad down there, but would ask it of Kaito.

Kaito was both relieved and suddenly nervous.

On one hand, he was kind of glad that Kokichi wanted to stay up here and away from any more 'excitement' for the day. He knew Kokichi could handle the drama (and it really did seem like literally any time they went downstairs for food, there was new drama. Maybe the dining hall was c-cursed?), but he hated watching him do it, the end of every trip leaving Kokichi looking like he was going to keel over any minute. Kaito absolutely preferred the idea of Kokichi staying up here and just...chilling out. Willingly, of course! But for a while.

But...Kokichi had been right before: he literally hadn't spent any time away from him since their wedding day, with the exception of (funnily enough) their binding ceremony. And while Kaito was really starting to trust in Kokichi's sincerity, despite his husbands self-claimed identity as a liar...well, while Kaito had extremely strong beliefs that once someone had earned your trust, you should give them your belief 100%!...You still had wait to see what they were like alone with you first. Everyone always acted different when you were alone.

So now, Kaito was going to go out into the castle alone...and see what it was like without everyone seeing Kokichi around.

Which was probably fine!

Kaito had to stop feeling so nervous! It was stupid! He was Kaito Momota, Luminary Prince of the Stars! The Hero of the Fifteen-Year War! Even Murder Children adore the-! Oh shit!

That's right, Timothy!

Kaito felt almost, like, a bell in his head as he remembered he wasn't actually the only one left from the party. And while he's been hiding behind Kokichi to not face his scary new reality, an actual nine-year-old who hadn't even had a year to mentally prep for this idea was now alone in the castle.

Where was Tim's room even? Who was watching out for him?? Why the FUCK didn't Kaito know that yet?? The would-be assassin was the only Luminary left in the castle, and his prince had no idea what was going on with him!

Feeling mad at himself (and, also, elated to have someone else to worry about besides his own ever-increasing nerves) that this was the first time the kid had come up in Kaito's radius of priorities, Kaito squared his shoulders and stiffened his jaw, running a hand over his small goatee with a small smile of renewed purpose. "Okay! Got it! I'll go down there, grab some food for us, come back! Um, I might take a small detour though. I wanna check up on Timothy. Ya know, murder kid? I wanna make sure he's been set up alright now that everyone's gone. No one’s happened to tell you where he's staying these days, have they?"

"Oh!" He'd completely forgotten. He'd passed on Shuuichi's note, but hadn't mentioned anything about how he'd gotten it--to be fair, they were uncovering a murder attempt and then had to get married, and then he'd been poisoned, so... There was just a lot on his mind, okay?!

"I saw him while you all were downstairs for the binding ceremony," Ouma started to explain, looking back up. He huffed a light laugh, shaking his head. "He seemed convinced I'd kill him, but he was the one that gave me Shuu-chan's note. Said that Maki-chan left him in charge of looking after us, and that he'd be following us around. He might've seen us already in the meanwhile."

"That said, I have no idea where his room is. I've been pretty unconscious lately, you know?" Ouma's smile didn't have any joy in it, but he shrugged. "I'd just, like...say his name randomly, and he might come out bein' all like, 'aw man, thought I was hidden!' If you can't find him that way, ask someone at dinner."

The first dinner once the Luminary Party had left...the first 'normal' dinner again. While Ouma regularly took dinner to his room or just skipped it entirely...Aiichi didn't always ruin the whole thing. It was nice, eating with everyone, chatting about their days, just a whole mess of an entire castle's staff (practically) being comfortable and eating some good food. He...kind of missed it.

But not enough to actually go down there.

Ouma scooted to the edge of their bed, letting his legs dangle off the edge as he offered Kaito a grin. "Good luck with your treasure hunt."

...Kaito opened up the door, and called out, curiously, "Timothy? Are you out there?"

After a moment of silence, Kaito shrugged. "Maybe he's not taking the 'watching us' thing as, like, a twenty-four hour thing. Probably for the best, actually. And he did a submission bow to you?" Kaito said, and couldn't help but think to himself...what a good boy. Unless done in a joking manner, or as a back-handed insult, Kaito actually couldn't think of a better reason for someone to use it than to apologize for a murder attempt. Hell, it was why Kaito had done his original bow to Kokichi.

Kaito laughed. "Sorta funny, two different people have had to ask your forgiveness for trying to kill you since I got here. Three, if she had any honor in her at all. Heh. I mean...maybe not, funny 'ha-ha' but, like...funny weird. Three times seems like too many times in a week to be almost murdered." Kaito rubbed the back of his neck, before giving Kokichi an awkward smile. "I just wanna apologize for that again. This week was...really tough on you. It's actually really, really impressive how cool under fire you've been this whole time...like, really brave."

"Anyway, yeah. I won't be long. Food, Timothy, you. I'll be back!"

Kaito gave Kokichi a thumbs up real quick before closing the door behind himself, looking around the hallway. He headed left...then remembered for what felt like the thousandth time now that that way didn't really lead anywhere. Heading right, turning the corner, he walked only a bit farther before he started going down the stairs when-

"P...Prince Kaito?" said a small voice from behind him.

Kaito looked back up the stairs to see a small boy with a scar on his face, looking down nervously at him. He was trembling.

"I-I heard you call out, b-but..." Timothy said, his eyes already burning red, clearly terrified, "I was afraid to come out. A-are you out here looking for me?"

Kaito smiled, going back up the stairs. He actually wasn't surprised when the kid stumbled backwards, wanting to keep space between them, and as Kaito got back to the top step, the kid dropped to a submission bow, his whole body trembling.

Kaito didn't know what the kid might have said to Kokichi, but he apparently couldn't bring himself to speak now, just violently shaking. Kaito could understand why. It's not like the kid had to explain what he was apologizing for. Kaito could feel the holes in his back every time he took a breath still.

Taking a quick look around to see if anyone was around to witness the kid’s humiliation, and, satisfied that they were alone and the kid was safe from embarrassment, Kaito put on a serious face. He wasn't going to hurt the kid, the thought never even occurring to him, but Timothy had stabbed him in the back, twice. This was a serious apology for a serious matter. Kaito wasn't going to dismiss that.

"Do you swear fealty to myself?" Kaito said, his voice low, again, not wanting to call any attention to this for Tim's sake. "Loyalty and adherence to myself, as your prince?"

"Y-yes," the kid said, his voice wet with tears that his bow was hiding.

"Do you swear the same for Prince Kokichi?"

"Yes..."

"The Luminary Kingdom?"

"Yes!"

"The Dicea Kingdom?"

There was silence at this. The kid’s small hands bundled into tiny fists, and Kaito could see the muscles in the back of his neck tighten. Apparently, even in the face of a mortal punishment, there were limits to the child's willingness to submit...and Kaito couldn't blame him. He had been raised on the battlefield. Loyalty to the enemy was...asking a lot.

"Are you going to kill me?" the kid asked, the words surprisingly steady.

Kaito thought about pushing the matter. Making the kid swear his loyalty to his new home...and let it go. Baby steps. "Swear loyalty to me. Swear loyalty to Prince Kokichi. Swear to obey Maki. Give me those three things, and you are forgiven."

The kid looked up, confused. "Not...swear to the Luminary Kingdom?"

"If you won't swear to Dicea, I won't ask you to swear to Luminary," Kaito said, kneeling down to get closer to the kid, a soft, pained smile on his face. "I know you don't get it yet, but from now on it's either both or neither. Do you swear by my three conditions?"

After only a moment of hesitation, the boy nodded. "I swear."

Kaito chuckled, reaching out a hand to help the kid up. "Then you're forgiven. Phew, scary huh? I've been in that position a few times myself. Not fun, huh?"

Taking the hand, the kid allowed himself to be pulled up, looking incredulous as he said, "You had to? Who does a prince bow too?"

"Mostly other princes," Kaito said, walking down the stairs. "Come on, I'm going to grab dinner for my husband. Tell me about where you're staying now. Has anyone been keeping tabs on you? If not, you and I gotta talk about some ground rules from now on, at least until Maki gets back. Keep up, I got two stab wounds in my back and one in my leg, if I can walk quickly so can you! Let's go!"

The kid, only surprised to be invited along for a moment, called out, "Y-yes, your grace!" before hopping down the steps two a time to catch up, Kaito chuckling to see him do so.

Ouma giggled a bit as Kaito immediately checked for the assassin-in-training but quickly sobered. "Yeah. At least you doing it prepared me a little; I think I would've freaked him out if I reacted how I did to you...though we didn't have an audience, so I dunno. I just sat in front of him and told him I wasn't gonna kill him until he got up."

Three times was a lot, especially for a place he'd been trapped in for the explicit reason of being safe. A real murder attempt hadn't been something he'd had to deal with in years, probably in part because he'd become increasingly protected by attempted murderers. Excluding Chisa, whom he was quite happy to never see again, it seemed like that pattern would continue in his husband and Timothy.

Such was just his life, he supposed.

Still...it was nice to be recognized for it.

Ouma's cheeks tinted pink at the compliment, even as he scoffed and waved Kaito off. "Sure, sure, see ya later." Brave, huh?

As Ouma had predicted, the residents of the Dicean Capital Castle were quick to get back into the swing of things. Dinner was always an event, people generally preferring to stay rather than to get food and continue on with their duties as what would happen with breakfast.

The atmosphere was completely different from how it had been for the past week or so. It was casual, friendly, comfortable...and kind of relieved. Conversation and gossip was the same as it ever was, though with the added sighs, happy that the 'uptight, cruel Luminaries' were gone. Aiichi was moving comfortably from person to person, checking up on all his friends, and while he did caution that the actions of a few should not reflect their new allies as a whole...he didn't push it as hard as he may have.

At one side of the table, Haneda Kawai was sighing in irritation to her neighbors, mask for once pulled down as she ate the stew served for dinner. "The kid is a damn magician. I searched everywhere for him, but I eventually just yelled that dinner was being served and left. How the fuck does the boss expect me to look after a kid I can't even find?"

The woman got a few laughs, some sympathetic murmurs in return, a few sharing looks and thinking to ask Aiichi to assign someone else to look after Timothy. Haneda wasn't exactly known for being...maternal. Even for a Luminous child, surely someone less, er, explosively ornery would be a better fit. Poor kid was probably hiding from her on purpose.

"Is it really gotta be every morning?" Timothy pouted, both hands behind his head and an annoyed look on his face that, surprisingly enough, actually reminded Kaito a great deal of Kokichi. "Like...what about weekends?"

"Every morning," Kaito said firmly, opening the dining room door for the kid and himself as the two walked in. "That's what 'daily training' means. Come on, where's your enthusiasm! Didn't you train a lot among the Guard?"

"Yeah, but that sucked," Timothy said, not paying a passing glance to anyone else in the room, perfectly fine with ignoring every Dicean in there as he walked over to grab three plates from the table, passing one to his Prince. "No one likes training all the time, except for the Joe's. And Joe's are freaks."

"Well, guess what. You're a joe now. We're training every day, starting tomorrow," Kaito said firmly. He didn't take a seat, instead just using an empty space to start loading up the plates, Timothy standing on a chair to do the same thing next to him. The only difference between the two was that while Timothy was determined to pretend like no one else was there, Kaito looked up and grinned. "Hello! Sorry, just...just stopping by to grab some plates. Gonna be out of your hair in a second, don't mind us!"

There were a few friendly smiles, a few attempts at friendly smiles, and...just suddenly a lot less conversation as the two were watched. It was uncomfortable, but, well, that's why Kaito wasn't sticking around, and wasn't inclined to leave Timothy either as he whispered to him, "Go grab another plate and put some desserts on it too. Not a dumb amount, just a little, I see you trying to get four cake slices for three people then guess who isn't eating that fourth piece."

Timothy grumbled something to himself, but obeyed, taking his full plate and then going to grab another for the dessert. As he did this, Kaito finally noticed the king, who, again, seemed almost unrecognizable in casual clothes.

Just barely managing to keep balancing two plates in his hands, Kaito did a deep bow. "G-good evening, King Aiichi!"

There were a few stifled laughs at Kaito's bow, people trying to hide their faces to not embarrass the prince too much. Still, Aiichi sent the offenders a look before offering his son-on-law a wave.

"Easy there, Kaito. And, again, you can just call me 'Aiichi'--probably more comfortable for the both of us than calling me 'Dad'." Again, there was a round of snorts and tittering, though they went free this time; it was a joke, after all.

"Good evening! I assume you're getting some food for yourself and Ko? And, of course, making sure Timothy gets some food in him as well," Aiichi nodded to the young boy. "Good, good. I'm glad Ko's getting some rest. It's been a tumultuous week for everyone, especially you two. I'm sure he's eager to get back to work, but please take all the time you two need to ease into things--we can hold down the fort for a while yet."

A roll of the eyes from Hideki, but no protests.

Timothy scowled at being addressed, hiding his face behind Kaito as he held his own two plates now. In the distance, there was a woman who was staring at the kid with wide, furious eyes. Timothy was aware of this, but uncertain and unconcerned why. When he had been told who was meant to be looking after him, he hadn't actually been paying attention to the conversation, tuning out entirely in defiance of being addressed by Diceans while he had been introduced to her. He couldn't actually remember what his new babysitter looked like, let alone her name, and hadn't been concerned about correcting this later.

Kaito felt his own ears turn red at the laughter, feeling just a little too exposed for the attempt at a joke to put him at ease. Referring to the king by his name was still far too uncomfortable, and thinking of this strange person as a father at this moment was entirely unthinkable, so Kaito just made a sincere attempt to not refer to him as anything. "Yes, of course! Prince Kokichi really is doing a lot better now, honestly he could have come down himself," Kaito said, the statement not feeling like a lie and Kaito feeling a defensive need to talk up his husband. "We just thought it would be nice to have a quiet meal. We thank you for your consideration though!"

Kaito almost bowed again, but had to stop himself, the chuckles still fresh in his mind.

He wondered what work Kokichi was meant to be doing right now? Kokichi had explained what royalty did here to Kaito a few times now, but he still didn't quite understand. All the work his family did was about supervising and over-seeing teams of other people. Was there a team here waiting for Kokichi's return? Kaito was surprised he hadn't seen any of them come to Kokichi with questions yet. Byakuya, even when he demanded privacy, could rarely get it without a desperate scribe or secretary risking being screamed at to relay a report that needed his attention immediately for the team to continue its work on it. Maybe the teams here were less reliant on Kokichi's final authority to progress.

Kaito felt a thump on his lower back and realized Timothy had progressed from hiding behind him to actively shoving his face into his back, the heated look of the strange woman he didn't recognize making him more and more frustrated with this conversation. Gently moving backwards to indicate to Timothy they were leaving, Kaito, without thinking about it, did another small bow. "Um, I will relay your assurance to Prince Kokichi. Please excuse us, I don't want the food to get cold by the time we get upstairs. Thank you!"

The way Aiichi nodded at being told Ouma could've made it to dinner himself was clear that the leader didn't believe it in the slightest. He'd heard about the incident that morning, of course. Had been ready all over again to throttle that horrible woman, finishing what Kaito started, but it would've been a different case for him to end her as the leader of a different nation than it would've for her own prince. Still, the admins had a hell of a time holding him back.

However, after all that, there was no way Ko would be feeling up to much of anything. It was better for him to stay in bed, let his heart recover. At least it seemed Kaito was a good influence for that--the observatory had a bed, so surely Ko was able to rest while the two were hiding out up there.

"I could guess that," Aiichi laughed kindly. "Ko is pretty fond of quiet meals, I practically have to beg to have him join everyone for dinner. You all have a nice night, and I'm sure Ko will tell you, but if you don't want to make the trek back down to return the dishes, just leave them on the desk or something--you can bring them down in the morning or someone will pick them up later."

A woman with pink braids looked to Kaito nervously before piping up, garnering a few concerned looks from the tentativeness that she never spoke with. "If you could convince Kokichi to actually stack them, um, in a way that won't have them falling over with just a single wrong move, that's...uh...that'd be appreciated!"

Kaito looked over at the woman with the braids, suddenly confused.

Why did she seem...familiar?

Kaito searched his memory, but for the life of him, couldn't recall where he had seen her before, but still his first instinct upon seeing her was that he knew this woman from somewhere. Perhaps it was just seeing her pink braids in the midst of the crowds? Man, this was going to bother him for the rest of the night now. Where had he seen her before??

"Of course!" Kaito said, wondering if...it was...did he do it on purpose or?? "I'll see to it myself! Um, again, thank you for your consideration! Come on, Tim," Kaito said to the drummer boy, who didn't need any further encouragement as the two quickly headed out.

As they got up the first flight of stairs, Timothy said lowly, "They were making fun of you, your grace."

"No they weren't," Kaito said firmly, though the same thought had been running through his head. "They're good people, Timothy, you're just going to have to give them a chance. They're just...different. As guests to their kingdom, we gotta make the extra effort to understand. We're gonna have to give them the benefit of the doubt, understand?"

"I understand they were making fun of you," Timothy mumbled, and Kaito just sighed. Kaito had to remind himself that Timothy was, first and foremost, a soldier, which did not help the fact that he was also a child as well. They taught soldiers obedience, but they didn't teach them tact, at least not the lowest ranking among them, and Timothy was going to have to learn that as they went.

"Look, just..." Kaito tried to get into the head of a soldier, and said, "You had a bunch of squadron leaders, right? First classes? Were they always smart? Competent? Or did they say a bunch of stupid shit all the time?"

Timothy snickered. "Stupid," he said, smirking, delighted at the opportunity to bad talk some of his leadership to even higher leadership. "I had a first class once who never actually learned how to tighten a drum, but kept correcting us on how to do ours anyway? He kept popping the drums and then blaming it on the quality."

"Yeah, stupid shit like that. But you didn't call him stupid, right? Because he was your first class?" Kaito guessed, smirking as Timothy muttered something that he couldn't quite hear but Kaito suspected was something along the lines of 'not to his face'. "It's gonna be like that, here, with everyone. They say something stupid, you just hold your tongue, nod your head, curse them out when no ones listening. Got it?"

"I guess," Timothy said, the two getting close to the room as he looked up curiously at Kaito. "But you're a prince. You don't gotta do that, right?"

Kaito had no idea how to even begin explaining to this kid his own confusion as to his role in this place, so instead he said, in his Prince voice, "I'm a prince, but I'm also a hero, Timothy. Luminary Prince of the Stars, hero of the fifteen year war! Heroes don't have to be snippy with jerks, because we already know we're right. We're above that sort of thing!"

Timothy nodded...thinking to himself, 'Geez. What a fucking Joe.'

Knocking on the door with his foot, Kaito called through the door, "Kokichi, we're back. Could you let us in?"

While he didn't move immediately after Kaito had left, Ouma did get up from bed. What, he wasn't just going to lie there the whole time! He'd slept for practically the whole day, he wanted to do something. Even if it was just gingerly walking over to his desk and pulling out some supplies. The official 'thank you' letters would have their time, but he had a rather personal one to write.

Making sure his pen worked on a scrap piece of paper, Ouma began to write.

Sluttiest Bitch I Know,

Thank you soooo much for your concern, but the wand wasn't necessary, it turns out. I know you will anyway because you have no shame or self-control, but don't jack off to the fact I can confirm that my husband is a big-dicked hunk. Maybe even enough to satisfy your never-ending lust, but too bad! >:o3 He's all mine! I'm not sharing, you whore! Especially not when you couldn't even make it out to my wedding, but that's probably a good thing since you would've creamed your pants constantly with how many jerks came with the Luminary Party.

Though, I might make it out to see you one of these days! Then I can insult Iruma-chan in person! The head bastard is letting me and the hubby take a honeymoon trip to Danganronpa next month, so you can bet your ass I'm gonna get out more. Better actually clean your lab of cum before we stop by!!

Thanks for real ;o)

8====D~

Kokichi Ouma

He'd just finished writing when he heard Kaito through the door, rising carefully and only stumbling a little on the way to the door. However, instead of opening it, Ouma leaned against the door. "What's the password?!"

Timothy looked up at Kaito curiously. "There's a password?" he whispered.

Kaito felt the vein in his forehead tighten as he kicked the door again, this time not quite a knock, "The password is 'open the door before I toss your plate down the stairs!'"

Deciding to lend a hand, Timothy called through the door, "We brought cake, your grace. Can cake be the password?"

"There was cake?!" Ouma opened the door immediately, still having to steady himself on the knob, but looking between Kaito and Tim excitedly, presumably for the cake. "That's absolutely the password. I'll take bribes, not threats--take notes, Kai-chan."

He stuck his tongue out at his husband though allowed entry before carefully walking back to his desk, carefully folding his letter and setting it off to the side. "So, I don't see any new injuries or signs of trauma. A good sign. Was Aiichi just too distracted to bother you?"

Kaito put the two plates he had on the desk before reaching down and taking the dessert plate from Timothy and also putting on the desk, pulling out the desk chair and telling Timothy, "Sit, eat. You're cleaning up anything you spill."

Timothy puffed out his cheeks but didn't say anything as he put himself in the chair, quieter now that Prince Kokichi was around. Timothy still hadn't quite made up his mind about this particular Dicean, though he was willing to protect him as payment for trying to kill him. Also, because his prince and his new mentor seemed to value the enemy prince.

Taking his own plate back, but not wanting to eat in the bed, Kaito went and grabbed the window seat, dragging it closer to the bed before sitting down on it. "It went fine," Kaito said, before admitting, "It was kind of weird. The king wanted me to tell you to take as much time resting as you wanted, that your work could wait? But he said it in that way that made me think maybe he was saying something else." Kaito started digging into his food, then remembered, "Oh, and a servant with pink hair asked us to take more care stacking our plates?"

Ouma took one of the spare chairs for himself, curling up in it with his plate set in his lap as he eagerly started to eat. Present company was much preferable to eating with his father, but he was huuuuungryyyyy. He'd barely eaten the past few days, and while missing a day of meals didn't wreck him too much, this was certainly over his comfortable limit. He'd even eat all of the chili-garlic asparagus on his plate--though he wasn't actually as opposed to vegetables as the act he put on.

He hummed in curiosity through a mouthful, contemplating what Aiichi could've meant. "Writing letters isn't the most strenuous thing--even he admits that. Usually I can get away with working before they let me out of bed if I work in it and just have someone head down to the mailroom for me." He mixed up the thick stew with the rice on his plate, eating another mouthful while tilting his head back and forth. "I mean, any work I don't do someone else will, since it still has to get done, but I dunno what other reason he'd have for having me take a longer break. Anyway. Fuck 'im. I'll do what I want."

...nine was old enough to know swear words, right? And Timothy had been in the military, surely he'd heard worse. Still, Ouma covertly glanced at the assassin trainee, judging if he looked particularly bothered or anything.

However, the addendum had him sitting back with a bit of a snicker. "Pfff, Waku-chan's just mad that I made a puzzle she couldn't solve. Or, though she knows you weren't in your right mind, she might just be worried about you tossing around all the furniture and smashin' them."

"Oh, god damn it, that was her!?" Kaito said, dropping his fork on his plate and running a frustrated hand through his hair, ignoring Timothy's little snickers at his outburst. "No wonder I couldn't place her! Shoot, I still gotta apologize to her for that. Actually, now that I think about it, so do you," Kaito said, shooting Timothy a glare, who looked up, startled, his cheeks full of food.

"-hy I -otta?" Timothy asked, his mouth still full, genuinely confused. He didn't know the pink-haired Dicean. Was pretty sure he had never so much as said a word to her.

"Because your stupid Despair Pollen trick put that girl in serious danger," Kaito said, Timothy looking slightly more shame-faced at this, though no less into his food. "Tomorrow after training we're gonna go find her and apologize, you got it?" Kaito looked at Kokichi just as sternly, now on a roll as he lectured, "And stop adding extra shit to servants' chores. That's rude, man, not cool."

Ouma raised an eyebrow at Kaito's revelation, though...it had been a busy week for them both. He was sure he'd mentioned Waku to Kaito, but they'd been a bit preoccupied, so it wasn't overly surprising that he hadn't even tracked down who the housekeeper was let alone apologized to her. It was more comforting to know he still planned on it, though.

Even if he still called her a 'servant'.

Pouting at his husband, Ouma whined a bit. "I take down my own dishes half the time anyway. No one else indulges my shit so they just stack up until it's pretty gross. That Waku-chan even takes them down to the kitchen means she wants to play my puzzles! No one has to clean up after me, that's not their job."

They ended up doing it anyway a lot of the time, since Ouma liked to mess with public areas. And most of his pranks weren't even that messy! Like the one Kaito would find once he started unpacking--it's just a good ol' fashioned startle!

"Wait, training?" Done defending himself, Ouma's brain caught up with the rest of what Kaito had said. "You two are training together? For what? Since when? Just to lessen Maki-chan's sigh when she comes back?"

"Prince Kaito wants to start a daily training regime tomorrow," Timothy said, sounding just as disappointed as he felt about it. "And he wants to end the training with spars because he wants to teach me how to fight...even though I already know how to fight..." Timothy grumbled that last part, finishing up his food, eagerly going to the dessert plate to put his slice (the biggest one) onto his plate.

"I've seen drummer boy training. You know how to stab people. That's not the same as knowing how to fight," Kaito explained sternly, before looking over at Kokichi, his expression turning from strict to, just, suddenly sheepish, chuckling nervously. "Yeah... I mean, I know he's not, ya know, actually gonna be doing anything violent here...but! Training will add some much needed discipline and structure to his days! And, I've been putting off my training all week for the wedding, so, since I gotta get back onto a regime myself, why not add him to it? Better then just letting him wander the castle with nothing to do til Maki comes back...right?" he asked, feeling less confident in his decision now that he had to sit and explain it to Kokichi.

It had been easy, shockingly so, to get back into his 'Prince' persona when not around either of the Ouma's...but that only made how he felt around the prince and king much more apparent to himself, that easy confidence immediately shaken. It wasn't Kokichi's fault he felt like this. It was just something he was going to have to get over. It'd be easier when his friends came back...

"When is Miss Harukawa coming back?" Timothy asked, his mouth now full of cake. "She didn't say how long she'd be when she left."

Ouma hummed quietly, nodding. "I gotcha. Just try not to bleed this time, either of you? From the bits I've heard, the healers are getting pretty worried about seeing you so often, Kai-chan. Usually when people train and spar 'n stuff, it only ends in, like, scratches and welts."

They'd already talked about how Kaito was kind of lost on what to do in Dicea, so, really, Ouma was pretty happy to hear him taking on something himself. It was a bonus that it'd preoccupy Timothy too.

"And while I'm the least qualified person to talk about it," he sighed with some frustration, "It really would be a good idea to learn how to fight, Timothy. Though, most folks around here know how to do it without injuring their opponent. Might be a bit of a shock if you ever ask anyone else to fight with you."

Ouma savored his food for a moment. He'd answer Tim, yeah, but as for how much...? "Hm. We don't really know either. I'm hoping for within the week, but you'd know better than me, Kai-chan." He looked back up at his husband, shrugging a little. "From the outside, Maki-chan seems real dedicated, and I've seen her put up a fight before. Think it'd take super long?"

Kaito...didn't know how to answer that. He knew what he thought was happening...but he didn't want to put that kind of evil out there. All he could really hope was that Maki had enough wiggle room in the time limit that Shuuichi and the guard that Kokichi had sent would find some way to trick her. But, he didn't really doubt she'd make it to her destination...

Staring at the floor, Kaito shrugged. "Yeah. Maybe."

Already almost done with his cake, Timothy eyed the other cakes with frustration, already wanting more even though he hadn't even finished his. Taking another bite, he said, "I still don't really get why Mr. Saihara went after her. She was trying to give him as much time to run as she could. Why waste the chance?"

The plate in Kaito's hand cracked.

That was...less than the faith Kaito had had in his friends before. In lieu of that doubt, though, that just meant Ouma had to be resolute in his own. That Shuuichi would be able to find a loophole in her orders, and that Katsuki would be able to keep them all safe in that time.

He tried to catch Kaito's eye to convey that, but it was kind of hard when his husband was staring at the floor. And then it sort of felt like he'd fallen against it, though Ouma was still curled up in his chair.

"WHAT?!"

The outburst was one of the loudest volumes Ouma had reached in the past week, his eyes wide with alarm staring at Timothy. Maki had been sent after Ikuo; Shuuichi had nothing to do with her orders! He thought?!

...that son of a bitch.

Just as quickly as Ouma's face had morphed into shock it transitioned into disgusted fury, and then, with a deep breath, into fuming calm. There was still nothing they could do that hadn't already been done. They were days behind in travel, and even if they set out, Shuuichi would still reach her before they could no matter what. The pieces were still the same. The detective would have to think, the hitwoman would have to protect. Just...Shuuichi would be in more danger.

...he doubted it, but maybe Maki's personal feelings would allow her to just...spar with Katsuki for a while? Maybe?

With another deep, measured breath, Ouma tried not to let his sneering grin get too manic. "In that case, I think they'll all be home sooner than we thought."

Kaito stared down at his cracked plate, but he wasn't really seeing it. He heard what Kokichi said, but wasn't really listening. A simple concept was going through his head, over and over, all-consuming in a thought process that was otherwise a loud, static screech.

'I brought them here, I begged them to come, I'm the reason they were here, I abandoned them to rape my husband, I abandoned them to rape my husband, I abandoned them to rape my-'

Kaito stood up, putting his broken plate back on the desk. Taking his piece of cake, he put it on Timothy's plate, who didn't seem displeased by this but was suddenly wary as Kaito gently guided him out of the chair. "Go back to your room. We're gonna put off training off for a while after all. We'll start it when I get back, okay?"

"Wait, back from where?" Timothy said, sounding increasingly nervous as his prince gently put him outside, looking back with worried eyes, "D-did I do something wrong?"

"No. Eat your cake then go to bed," Kaito said sternly, closing the door on the nine-year-old, who just stood outside confused for a bit before wandering away, soothing himself with a few more bites of cake as he went.

Kaito closed the door and then looked around the room. What would he need? What would he need...boots. Riding pants. A cloak in case it rained. Where was his stuff?

Kaito started opening boxes, finding his boots but struggling to find the cloak. He just narrowly missed checking the rigged boxes, pure luck sending him to the right box as he pulled out a dark red cloak, inspecting it only for a second before putting it on.

His sword, his sword, where was his sword...there, right where he had left it, leaning next to the door. Grabbing it, he said, his wording even. Almost blank. "Do you think the stables will just hand me a horse when asked, or should I expect an argument?"

This was just as when Kaito had been threatening to kill Tengan, right after he woke up. This was a problem striking right to the Luminous Prince's core, and him deciding to do something about it. Ouma wanted to argue, to point out that they'd never catch them before Shuuichi found Maki, but... He knew what being a prisoner was like. Never being able to do anything.

...if they couldn't catch up before the groups met each other, then at least they might be able to catch them on the way back. Because Maki wouldn't succeed.

Quickly setting aside his empty plate, Ouma wanted to prepare to leave as well, but...it would just hold Kaito up. If he tried to argue his way into leaving, when it had never worked once in his life. But he could support his husband as much as he could.

Slipping on shoes, Ouma waited by the door for Kaito to finish preparing. "I can argue if need be, you just grab one and go. You're not going to catch up, Kai-chan, so don't do anything stupid, but tell everyone hi when you see them."

"Our spirit guide is literally a horse. Kohtalon is watching out for us. Atua loves us," Kaito said with total conviction, his reasoning pure, simple and utterly insane. Giving Kokichi a smile that was confident, heroic, and just overflowing with despair, he said with equal conviction, "Of course I'm gonna catch up."

Dressed, that insane, confident look still firmly planted on his face, Kaito took Kokichi's hand and started hurrying down the hall, for the first time going the correct direction right off the bat.

Kaito's sense of direction seemed to always become pinpoint accurate when he was extremely, extremely stressed, and so though he had only ever seen the stables once on his way in, he beelined for them, trying to move as quickly as he could without hurting Kokichi in his grip. He just had to hurry. Atua loved him. Atua loved Shuuichi, and Maki too. Kohtalon would guide his horse. Kaito just had to catch up. He just had to hurry. He just had to hurry. He just had to hurry-

As they entered the stables, two stable hands looked over at the princes, clearly surprised to see them. Kaito dismissed them entirely, looking around at the horses. Which one, Kohtalon? Which one, which one could get him there, which one?

There was an all black one. Clearly a different breed, not as large or as thick, from Kohtalon, but his coloring almost identical, the sparkle of white spots simply on its face rather than its back. That one. Of course it would be that one. It was even already saddled, clearly waiting for its owner to come collect it.

Atua be pleased.

Turning to Kokichi, he leaned down, taking Prince Kokichi's face into his hands and kissing his forehead. "I'm gonna come back with them," he said, then tilted Kokichi's head up to kiss him on the mouth. "I'll be back soon."

Then, still ignoring the stable hands, who were doing their best to get their questions in during this exchange, Kaito headed for the black horse, which looked somewhat wary at his quick approach, but otherwise didn't fight him climbing it.

Ouma scowled, hoping he wasn't just sending his idiot husband on his way to be killed. While he stumbled over himself, Ouma was able to keep pace with Kaito though he reached over with his free hand to give the inside of Kaito's wrist (thankfully not the injured one) a pinch.

"You're not going to catch up. You're going to find them and be Maki-chan and Shuu-chan's best friend, signaling that this nightmare is over. You're going to be the person they followed into another country, worth everything for that. And then the four of you are going to take your damn time coming back just to stress me the hell out."

Running a little short on breath, regrettably, Ouma panted a bit but squeezed Kaito's hand. "But then I'll be happy, because everyone will be alright. And that's going to happen because you're not going to do anything dumb!"

He couldn't say anything more after that, coming to a screeching halt in the stables and trying to get his breath back and not look like he was about to fall over to the stable hands absolutely bewildered by this turn of events. But...even if the kisses didn't help his lungs any, Ouma flushed and waved his moron husband off. "You better."

Moving off to the side to not be trampled in Kaito's haste to leave, he motioned to the stable hands and started to explain after a few more breaths.

Kaito looked down at his wrist. His wrist hurt quite a bit, but the one that suddenly had his attention wasn't the one that was supposed to be hurting these days. Just for a moment, just for a moment there, Kaito reflected on his wrist and considered staying. Calming down. Staying with Kokichi.

...but the feeling faded, the white noise that had been cleared by that little pinch filling in again. Hurry. He had to hurry.

Barely conscious of anything else, Kaito kicked into Kohtalon's sides, sending the horse off. It moved quickly, but Kaito insisted it move faster, faster still.

Back the way they came. That was what the note had said. Back the way they came.

Taking the exact route they had come in, Kaito raced down the out-of-the-way dirt roads through the forest that the caravans had first used to get here as quietly as they could, trying to avoid unnecessary attention right up until they got to the capital.

The moon came out and went high, and then low again. His horse was starting to breathe heavily, but didn't slow, designed for long distance runs like this. Still, the horse couldn't keep up this pace forever, and honestly, neither could Kaito, sweating as he held on, his thighs black and blue, wearing his exhaustion like an extra set of clothes.

It didn't matter. He couldn't stop. The sun started to rise and he wasn't even close to closing the gap that would be between him and his friends.

The horse tried to slow down. Its stepping becoming less certain. Kaito pushed it forward, unrelenting.

Hurry, hurry, hurry.

There wasn't much of an issue of navigation. This would be the third time Maki Harukawa and Shuuichi Saihara would travel this path, and Katsuki was familiar with the entire area surrounding the capital city. Still, she led the way, trusting the horse she'd grabbed and mostly paying attention to the two behind her.

Katsuki doubted Maki would disobey a direct order from Kokichi, once she and Shuuichi had convinced her of it, but she still kept vigilant. The mission wasn't over until they had arrived back at the castle, so keeping everyone alive was still the priority.

So far they hadn't run into any external issues. They camped out at the side of the road, mostly because the two towns they'd passed hadn't been at good points for staying without delaying their travel a few days. So, no problem from any Diceans, and other travelers passed by minding their own business. None of them were particularly known faces.

It was looking to be a successful mission! None of the injuries she'd sustained from Maki were particularly bad, nothing she couldn't handle herself while they traveled. But, time willing, Katsuki would definitely request a training session with the assassin. She was a wonderful combatant! And very different from dealing with the powerful punches Lake threw that would often end matches with most of her partners.

Shuuichi and Maki were sharing a horse.

Normally, in a situation like this, Shuuichi was happy to let Maki take the lead on things. In any other situation, he would be hitching a ride with her, the two idly arguing and teasing each other as Maki focused on steering the horse, trusting Shuuichi to keep an eye on both the map and the road, his level of observation easily more advanced than hers, while her reaction time to actual danger would make them a team impossible to take by surprise by muggers, bandits, and the occasional honest-to-god enemy combatant.

That wasn't the case now.

Right now, Shuuichi was holding the reins of the horse, following Miss Katsuki, as Maki, her arms around him, her face buried into his still healing shoulder, said, "Tell me again."

"Prince Kokichi married Prince Kaito," Shuuichi said, keeping his words simple. The logic had to stay simple, otherwise Maki might accidentally think her way around it, accidentally make the order null and void and start the fighting again. "This makes, through marriage, Prince Kokichi an equal authority to Prince Kaito."

"Yes," she said, her face against his wound. Smelling the stale blood in his clothes. "go on."

"Prince Kaito has higher authority over you then Head Secretary Tengan-"

Maki's grip around Shuuichi became tighter. Painful, as it always did during this part. "Head Secretary Tengan speaks for the king-"

"Who is no longer your highest authority now that the marriage is completed," Shuuichi said, swallowing nervously, the injuries on his body flaring up under her tightening grip. "That was part of Dicea/Luminary agreement for allowing us dual-citizenship. Kaito is our highest authority now...and as his spouse, Prince Kokichi is his equal in that authority."

Maki's fevered, furious brain went over this information...and her grip relaxed. "Go on," she said. Her voice insistent. Demanding. Desperate.

"Miss Katsuki is an agent of Prince Kokichi, who has highest authority over you," Shuuichi said. Keep it simple. Not too complicated. She needed it all to be clear and simple. "And she was sent by Prince Kokichi to under strict instruction: to intercept and change your mission, with the extremely specific order of-"

"-No one is allowed to die," Maki said, her face deep into Shuuichi's shoulder. He could feel her sweating. Fighting with herself. Telling herself over and over that this made sense, that she wasn't a traitor, that she was following orders.

"No one is allowed to die," Shuuichi said, exhaustion in every word. It had...been a long few days now. "And now we're going back to confirm the order."

"...confirm it..." Maki said, the words sick and warped on her tongue. As if this last part was the bit she was struggling the most with. Her grip on him tight. Too tight. "...need to confirm Prince Kokichi's order...and if he didn't say it..."

Shuuichi gave her a shaky grin. "Then you're free and clear to fulfill your original order."

"...kill you..." Maki said. The grief in her voice raw.

"Yeah," Shuuichi said, "Basically. But it won't come to that. Just one more day, Maki. Fight through it for one more day. It's almost over."

Maki took a shuddering breath into his shoulder.

...it was another twenty minutes before she whispered, "Tell me again."

Putting aside his utter exhaustion, Shuuichi started again, "Prince Kokichi married Prince Kaito-"

Katsuki had thought about chiming in a few times on Shuuichi's repeats, but since Maki hadn't made a move since they'd relayed the orders, it was probably safer this way. Nothing strange to set her off and potentially fail the mission. Even if it was a strict rule for anyone Aiichi employed that you weren't allowed to kill anyone without the approval of Hideki--who was required to check with Ryouhei and Yuliya beforehand--Mikaku, Aiichi himself, and in more recent years, Kokichi. All of their approval.

So...no one really died at the crown's hands. Directly, anyway.

That logic wouldn't work on Miss Maki, however, judging by the mantra Mr. Shuuichi kept up. Maki wasn't employed by Aiichi, despite now being one of his citizens, and her actual employer, Prince Kaito, did not defer to Aiichi.

Really, the only aid Katsuki could provide was what she'd already done; vehemently repeating Kokichi's orders, and insisting that they were absolute. There was no getting around mission specifications.

"The mission is absolute," the woman hummed to herself, one of the few things she'd spoken since they'd begun the journey back to the castle. "Failure is not an option."

No matter how many times Shuuichi had to repeat it, she would not allow any of them to die.

It was, honestly, an actual miracle Kaito wasn't dead.

Though, Kohtalon was definitely dying.

Kaito stared at the horse, his now useless left arm hanging against his side as his right arm held loosely onto his sword, the handle of the sword now bent and twisted from where he had landed on it with his hip. The horse (not Kohtalon. Not Kohtolan. Just some random, poor fucking horse) was screaming in the dirt, it's shattered front legs bending in terrible positions.

Kaito...Kaito had to put the thing out of its misery. He understood that. But the grief and madness in his brain had frozen him in his spot. Staring at the horse in utter confusion.

It...it had been supposed to take him to his friends. He was still so far behind. He...he hadn't even thought to pack his purse. How was he supposed to get another horse?

How was he supposed to catch up!?

Kaito stared at the worthless, broken, dying horse and felt...spiteful. For a moment...but the moment passed, the screams of the dying animal getting through his own dizzying madness. Gripping the sword in his hand, Kaito whispered a small apology to the horse and a prayer to Atua, and with few swift hacks of his sword, the horse went silent. Its spirit free to reincarnate, until some rebirth of it either turned human, or was chosen as a guide...

Kaito stared at the horse and hated it. Hated everything. He was never going to catch up now. Shuuichi was dead. Maki probably hadn't lived much longer. His sidekicks, his best friends, both dead because he had been so worthless, so incompetent...

There was a noise behind him. Horse steps. Someone called out, "Ey there, you alright?"

Kaito turned around, seeing two men on horseback, wearing common clothes but blades at their hips. Kaito stared at the horses they rode and gripped his own sword tighter.

"I need your horse," Kaito said, almost a whisper.

The men got closer, clearly concerned for him. "Hey, you're pretty busted up there. Your horse throw ya? There's a healer not far from here, let us-"

"I demand your horse!" Kaito said, raising his sword.

All the friendly concern left the two riders, who now looked at him with hard eyes. One of the men leaned towards the other, saying, "That cloak seems like a real specific shade of red to you, or it just me?"

The other man scowled, getting down from his horse, his hand now on his own weapon. "Luminary..."

"I demand your horse," Kaito said again, seeing it so clearly in his head now. He just needed a new horse. He could still catch up. He could still find them. He didn't need his left arm. He just needed to be able to hang on. He needed one of these horses. "You will give me one!"

"Oh, will we?" the man said, his friend now coming down from his own horse. "You're real fucking far from the front lines, soldier. What, you fucking get lost?"

"I heard there's peace talks going on at the capital right now," the other man said, their town not hearing word of the marriage yet, "Maybe he's wandered from the peace party?"

"Ya think so? All I see is a Luminary bandit trying to fucking steal one of our horses," the man said, a veteran in the war himself, gripping his sword tightly as old grudges he had thought he had let go of started to resurface.

His friend frowned. "Pain for one is pain for all," his friend quietly reminded him, though he had his own blade out as well, not wanting to abandon his friend should a fight arise.

"Luminary don't count as one the fucking 'ones', and he sure as fuck ain’t part of the 'all." The other man grinned. "And ain’t that a real fucking shame for him."

Kaito stared blearily at both of them, the pain in his arm, hip and head ringing, but his sword raised and unrelenting, determined to fulfill his quest. He started taking steps forward. So did the man.

Katsuki didn't know what it was or really cared to find out, but she had an almost uncanny ability to sense opportunity. Catching just the right section of rumors that turned out to be true, simply being in the right place at the right time, finding a target just happening to be alone... Half the time, these days, she ignored the little pings in her head, knowing unconsciously to just miss the prince sneaking back in the castle, to leave right before something extremely not meant for her ears was said. Knowing when to listen and when to ignore was another talent, she supposed.

It was the thing that stilled her from killing the young prince when he was but 6, and landed her the best job of her life, after all.

So, when something itched in the back of her mind, Katsuki turned without hesitation, urging her steed a little faster around a bend and--

"In the name of the Dicean Kingdom, on special orders from Heir Apparent Kokichi Momota Ouma himself, no one is allowed to die!"

The woman swung herself off her horse, launching herself between the two parties and kicking their raised swords to the side, arms outstretched on either side holding the dulled blades the guardforce carried while she still wore her usual earnest smile.

Shuuichi watched the woman suddenly trot off, going way ahead of them. Maki, hearing him sigh, lifted her head. "...where's she going?" she asked, both of them slightly too far off to make out what was going on.

"I don't know," Shuuichi said, just annoyed and not quite up to matching her increased pace, already struggling to keep up the pace they had been going for the last few days. "Looks like there's some people up ahead? Maybe she wanted to help?"

"...she's...she's really weird, right?" Maki said, her arms still tight around Shuuichi's waist, but her head now less digging into the wound on his shoulder and just irritatingly resting her cheek against it. "I know I'm a little out of it, but she is weird?"

"They're all kinda weird," Shuuichi muttered. "I thought Prince Kokichi was speaking to his servants in code, but she still talks like that, even when he's not around. So...I think she's just like that."

"Diceans," Maki muttered, putting her face back into his shoulder.

"Right?" Shuuichi chuckled, enjoying the small reprieve in Maki's constant need for the speech.

Then, as they trotted alone, Maki said, "A...are we sure she brought orders straight from Prince Kokichi?"

Shuuichi started the speech again from the top, Maki desperately listening.

Kaito, too, was desperate. Now there were three people.

It didn't matter. He just needed one horse. No one was currently on their horses. He just needed to get himself on one of the horses and start back on his quest. He'd...he'd try to spare them, but if they were going to insist on being in his way...

Kaito didn't think about why the new woman looked familiar. He wasn't really capable of that kind of rational thought right now. He did register that she used Kokichi's name and he could feel the pain in the scar on his wrist flare up in response, trying to tell him something, trying to tell him to pay attention to what she actually said...but instead, deciding that the single rider might be easier to take out then the two riders working together, he charged her with the intent of knocking her swords out of her hand.

Seeing his distraction with the woman as an opportunity to take him out, the veteran also charged in, aiming his blade to strike Kaito's side, hoping to disembowel him in one move.

Hits were so much easier than this. Killing someone was quick, a moment of action before the real challenge of hiding the body or making it look like an accident. If Katsuki were on a mission like that, it would be all too easy to just get out of the way of the two targets, let them take each other out.

Easy, and so boring.

Instead, under her time working with the guardforce, she'd been given real challenges, scenarios where creativity and ingenuity shined.

So it was with a gleam in her eye that Katsuki stabbed her weapons into the ground and kicked out backward while holding onto the small platform she'd made, tripping or at least knocking the target behind her off balance. The prince covered.

She then pulled herself forward by the blades in the ground, keeping low as she summoned all she'd learned from sparring with Lake and made a fist, putting full power into the uppercut aimed, not for his wrist to make him drop his sword, or for his gut, as Prince Kaito was still recovering from a broken rib, but for the brief moment he ran forward, legs parted enough to land a hit right to his balls. Herself covered.

"Violators of this order will be arrested and brought to the capital court! This is a royal affair. Please cease and desist!"

Fuck, FUCK, he couldn't BREATHE.

Kaito was on the ground, his body instinctively curled around himself, his arm, ribs, and leg somehow all taking a backseat to the pain in his nether regions as he gaped, struggling to bring air into himself. His vision was blackening. Was he going to pass out? He was going to pass out. No! He couldn't! He had to get up! he had to keep going! Fuck, fuck, he couldn't breathe, BREATHE KAITO, BREATHE!

Kaito's whole body shook, tears in his eyes as finally he brought some air into his lungs, his vision clearing up. Get up, get up, he wasn't done, he couldn't be done, he needed them, he needed them, Shuuichi! Maki! Atua please, please, please-

"Get away from him!"

There were suddenly a pair of legs on either side of his head, someone standing above him. A familiar voice shouting angrily at someone. Her...her voice? He...he could see her leg. Her boots. But even more then that...a familiar heat was radiating off this person. A blood-lust that Kaito could recognize without even looking to see who was half-considering killing him again...

"M-" Kaito rapsed, tears in his eyes, "Maki-Roll!?"

Above him, Maki had her daggers out, staring with clear, murderous intent at both Katsuki and the two men, the tripped man having been helped up by his friend already, the two of them staring like frozen deer at her. Glaring at Katsuki, Maki's hair radiating with her murderous intent, she said, "Do you wanna die!?"

Shuuichi was still climbing down from the horse in the time Maki had recognized Kaito and hurled herself off the horse, running faster than Shuuichi on horseback could catch up and then slow down enough to keep up with. His own heart was pounding as he ran to Maki's side, taking a knee besides Kaito, stammering out, "K-kaito! Oh my god...his arm..." Shuuichi looked up at Maki, his cap skewed to the side so he could catch her eye. "He needs a healer!"

Standing back up, Katsuki cracked her knuckles and gave the murderous woman in front of her a sweet smile. "No one is allowed to die."

She turned to the shell-shocked men behind her with the same atmosphere, gesturing to the prince she'd sent to the ground. "Please lead the way to the nearest healer. Extend a hand before raising a fist, sirs, and Prince Kaito Ouma Momota is in need of one."

An explanation of his title and another of Aiichi's sayings should get them into gear, regardless of why they had started to fight with the prince. Katsuki cracked the knuckles of her other hand before going over to lead her horse to Prince Kaito, assuming either Miss Maki or Mr. Shuuichi would brace him while they transported him to a healer.

"Oh fuck," the friend said, as the veteran just gaped, the Ouma surname absolutely painting a picture even if nothing else had. "Think we're in trouble?"

"Not if we lead them to a healer and then get the heck out of here," the veteran murmured back, "We never tell anyone this happened."

"Agreed," the friend said, both of them hopping onto their horses, waiting for the Ouma man to be dragged onto the horse, the woman with the pigtails riding with him as the man with the black hat went to their original horse, offering the guard a ride on his horse with him.

Once they were all on, the two men showed them the way to their town healer, dropping them off before, indeed, running off themselves, not at all interested in sticking around to see how this ended.

The healer was... a little taken aback by the sheer amount of damage Kaito had, but after looking him over, determined the broken arm wasn't actually as bad as it could have been, and that it was probably more the overall accumulation of injuries, along with stress, that was causing him to almost pass out over and over again. Giving him some pain-killers and setting his arm, she recommended bedrest, but otherwise Kaito was good to leave within a couple of hours.

"Say it again," Maki said, holding Kaito's hand, who was gripping hers back just as fiercely, a warm, relieved smile on his face.

"You are to stand down. Disregard all previous missions," Kaito said again, as Shuuichi got their new second horse situated, Miss Katsuki having made some sort of deal with someone for the additional horse.

"Even the one to kill me?" Shuuichi asked, his voice teasing. Relieved.

"Especially that one. Could you imagine if the two of us tried to do things without Shuuichi?" Kaito said, his eyes red, bags under them, from the tears he had been shedding in relief. "How soon do you think we'd be dead without him?"

"Two days, maybe," Maki said, her grip still tight. "Day one kills you. Day two kills me… I almost killed him, Kaito. I got him in the shoulder as soon as he caught up with me," she said, her voice low. Grief-stricken. "I only didn't kill him immediately...b-because I was trying to justify prolonging his death somehow...I was going to interrogate him."

Maki's hands were shaking, her grip on Kaito's hand unrelenting. "If Kokichi's guard hadn't showed up when she had...he hadn't known the hit was against him. I...I would have started to hurt him...he might not have been able to think under the pain..."

"Then I owe her my gratitude," Kaito said, unwilling to think too hard about the implications of all that. That could haunt his nightmares later. For now, everything was fine and he was going to damn well be grateful for it. "And you should probably thank Kokichi when we get back...ugh." Kaito looked down at his arm, which was bound now, hanging against his chest. "Do you think we could come up with a lie as to why this happened? The last day's kind of a blur, but I'm almost certain that he called something like this was going to happen before I left."

"It's a relief to hear someone was using their head then," Shuuichi said, having finished setting up, Maki and Shuuichi helping Kaito onto his horse, Maki riding with him and Shuuichi taking the horse by himself. "Do you think you disappearing from the castle for the day is gonna cause any issues?"

Kaito shrugged. "I don't know. Who cares?" As they started riding down the road, he said, "Look, you guys...when we get back, I'm going to make this up to you..."

"You better/You don't need to do that, Kaito."

Shuuichi and Maki looked at each other, annoyed, before the two started to argue whether or not Kaito did need to make things up to them or not. The discussion lasted for awhile, but eventually they settled on that he didn't, technically...but he should anyway. As he had fallen asleep on Maki's back long before they had come to an agreement, they decided to just tell him whenever he woke up, heading home.

He'd anticipated it, so Ouma didn't fuss too much as he was escorted back to his room, ignoring the concerned looks the stable hands gave him at his breathless panting. He'd be fine soon enough...if Kaito didn't come back in a state that'd give him a heart attack.

He'd curled back up in the chair he'd pulled up for dinner, eating the last piece of cake left--couldn't just let it go to waste. So, he did his best to enjoy it, eyes settling on the broken plate on his desk. So much for not making extra work.

...was it really the best idea to not even try to get Kaito to stay? On the outside...no. It was probably really dumb to just say 'okay', even if he had tried to instill some caution in his husband. Kaito obviously wasn't in the best mental state, but...that's why he hadn't said anything.

For one, Kaito had been under the impression, probably for the entire year they'd known this was going to happen, that he had to obey any decision Ouma made. He'd been bound by what other people said and manipulated him into doing for...a long time, at the very least. Ouma didn't want to be another person added to that list. He couldn't make Kaito stay, could only hope that he'd keep his warnings in mind.

And...it was his friends' lives on the line, even if he wouldn't be able to be there for the initial confrontation. Ouma hadn't allowed himself to feel anything when Tengan had said that the hit was on Ikuo. But he knew, now sitting alone in a plush chair in his room, that he would've hated himself if Katsuki had failed. For not being able to do more, for being the person that put him in harm's way.

If intercepting them on the way back would help Kaito's heart any, there was no way Ouma would feel okay trying to prevent that. He just...had to have faith. Even if there was no one to put a show on for. For his own sake...he had to believe in all of them, and hope that they'd all be okay. Because if they weren't?

For the first time in years, Ouma brought an old stuffed rabbit out of a box in his closet, holding it close as he went to bed, alone. And keeping it in his lap through the next day as he did manage to get someone to bring him mail to work through.

"A bath," Shuuichi decided, after considering the question for a little bit, his turn riding with Kaito, who was putting a lot of his weight onto him, Kaito at least resting on the non-injured shoulder. "And, a change of clothes. I never realized blood smelled worse the longer you left it."

"I wasn't going to say you smelled, but yeah," Kaito said,chuckling, "Not that me or anyone else can talk. I think your bath idea is a good one. Can I join you?"

"Kaito!" Shuuichi said, sounding scandalized. "No!"

"Maki-Roll!" Kaito said, calling out to Maki, who was on the original horse, riding alongside Katsuki, the two comfortably not talking to each other. "Shuuichi won't bathe with me! You'd share a bath with me, right?"

"You have a husband, bathe with him if you want to do that so badly," Maki said, having more or less recovered from her own stress from the last few days, now that her training wasn't screaming at her to finish the mission over and over again. "He's even perfect 'share a bathtub' size. Why are you trying to push this responsibility onto us?"

"It's not a responsibility, it's a privilege to share a bath with me," Kaito pouted...then he smirked, "He's the perfect size for a lot of things actually..."

"Ugh, no, I don't want to hear about that," Shuuichi said, lowering his cap in embarrassment. "Keep what you all do to yourself, Kaito."

"I bet they haven't done anything," Maki said, "Kiss at the wedding and that was it, right?"

"Oh, well...that's complicated..." Kaito said, straightening up, seeing the gates of the castle coming up. "The wedding was a whole...thing. I'll explain everything to you guys later, but for now, no 'first time' or 'wedding night' jokes, alright? Seriously, some fucked up shit went down, you definitely need the explanation before you accidentally put your foot in your mouths."

"Noted," Maki said, looking over to Katsuki, the two...well, at the very least, Maki feeling slightly more comfortable around what she was more and more certain was another assassin, which didn't exactly make her a 'comrade' but...at least made her slightly more understandable.

Still...Maki wondered if there was a version of reality where she could have ended up like this person, almost entirely unable to speak outside of the context of orders, one that hadn't managed to make friends during her formative years… Knowing that there probably was, talking to the other woman was almost...personally uncomfortable. She didn't seem unhappy, but...

Anyway. "Thank you again for all of your help. We would have been lost without your assistance. I am in your debt," Maki said, bowing her head respectfully, "We'll likely be going straight to Prince Kokichi once we get inside. Will you be joining us?"

Now, while Katsuki was very good at overhearing gossip, it never really affected her. It was just information that would possibly lead to something she could use in the future. However, at the mention of the princes' wedding night, and specifically that there was 'fucked up shit', Katsuki stiffened. It wasn't much of a reaction, honestly, but for her, it was incredibly telling.

She had given Kokichi a mission to enjoy his wedding, and while the night technically wasn't a part of that...

Her smile tightened as she turned to Maki. "Just doing my job! I look forward to working alongside you in the future, Miss Maki! If the possibility arises, I would like to spar with you sometime--your skill is superb!"

"I have to report back to Kokichi, so I will be joining you all. I also have to assess the mission I gave to him before I left." Whatever had happened...it didn't necessarily mean failure, right? Right... Even if 'fun' was something Kokichi struggled with, despite the great efforts he went to.

"A mission you've given to His Grace?" Maki said, curious what kind of mission a guard could give to the heir apparent. "Interesting. As for a spar, certainly. Your skill was...noteworthy," Maki said, her pride flaring up angrily for a moment. The guard had been eerily efficient, and as much as the assassin would like to say she had been holding back, she hadn't been.

The only factor she could give to how the guard had managed to so thoroughly stop her (other than the guard was clearly another assassin) was she had been slightly distracted both trying to and trying not to kill her childhood best friend...but still. It bothered Maki she hadn't done better in the fight than she had.

"I'd be pleased to take the opportunity to learn how you...move like that," Maki said, puffing out her cheek slightly, embarrassed to admit she wanted to learn from the other woman.

"Oh, maybe you all can spar during one of my training times with Timothy?" Kaito said, the group now past the gates and returning the horses to the stables. Kaito had no idea if the stable hands who had been watching the horse he had stolen were there, as he barely remembered them, having been so intent on stealing the horse. He sort of vaguely hoped they wouldn't get in trouble for losing it. He supposed he should find them at some point and pay for the lost animal. "I told him we'd start working out in the mornings together when I got back."

"You have a broken arm," Shuuichi reminded him.

"So?" Kaito asked, genuinely confused. "Oh yeah, what are we telling Kokichi about my arm, anyway?" Kaito said, readjusting the brace around his neck again uncomfortably. "I wanna tell him it was broken saving a trader's cart from bandits."

"No. We're telling him you broke it accidentally running your horse to death, and then you almost got yourself killed trying to steal Miss Katsuki's," Maki said, "And that was only after failing to steal from two commoners."

"We...we don't have to add that last part, right??" Kaito said, his grin now distinctly nervous. "Katsuki, you wouldn't tell Prince Kokichi I tried to rob you, would you?"

Katsuki's smile became a little more genuine as Maki agreed to train together. For whatever the woman's training was that made her dedication something dangerous, she was exceptionally skilled. Katsuki hadn't been involved in serious combat in a long time, and while it likely wouldn't have much practical use in the future, she was happy to have the chance to sharpen her skills. Never knew when they'd come in handy.

Turning to the prince, she shook her head. "That is irrelevant information. You are all alive, so there is no need to explain anything more."

...she paused, smile fading as she remembered that 'fucked up shit'. "...however, it would be worth mentioning to Kokichi that you succumbed to stress-induced mania, Prince Kaito. Even unintentionally, posing a threat to yourself and others is well within the realm of the standard of safety I am sworn to uphold."

"...if you would hurt him, I will not hesitate to subdue you again."

Maki's gaze darkened at this. "I think you'd find that a more difficult task than you think..."

Shuuichi chuckled awkwardly. "Hey, now, come on. Kaito may have just not made the best impressions on you, Miss Katsuki, considering you've kinda seen him at his worst since he's got here...but he really isn't normally like this..."

"You guys don't have to push so back so hard on what she said, you know." Kaito, in turn, was looking up at the castle, entirely unconcerned as he cheerfully said, "I would hope you'd subdue anyone who would hurt my husband! Especially if it was somehow me hurting him. He's my husband, and our future king. I'd expect all of you to protect him, no matter what." Running his fingers down his chin, painfully aware his hair and goatee needed some gel, he mused, "Stress induced mania, huh? Sounds like something my old psychology teacher would have talked about. Have you taken psychology classes, Katsuki?"

They disembarked the horses, Kaito needing some assistance with the process, passing them over to the stable hands that, with further questioning, definitely were not the same two from before. Oh well. He'd come back to ask about it later.

It would certainly make things easier if the Luminary Prince wasn't normally like this. She knew well-enough that unfamiliar and stressful situations brought out the worst in people, so she would trust that as Prince Kaito got settled in Dicea that he would ease into what his normal was. Also, Kokichi was very good at calming people down, so he would likely be a good influence as well. If there was anyone who would be able to stop a murder rampage at its source, it'd be him.

"Negative. While I have been given the time to pursue further education in my employment, I have been focused on my job from a young age. Aiichi values social prosperity over all else, so you learn how to spot certain things quickly in this line of work." It was never just 'beat up the trouble-maker'. It was 'get them to calm down, first with reason then with force, then solve the issue that made them lash out'. Depending on the severity of the issue, the latter part was given to someone else to sort out, but it was more efficient if the members of the guardforce could solve things themselves.

"That's super cool!" Kaito said, his mood having been on cloud-nine basically since they had left the medical office the previous day. They could have made it back sooner, still only roughly twelve hours away when they had all met up during the horse fiasco, but neither Kaito nor Shuuichi had been able to hold onto the horses trotting above a certain tempo, and so they had slowed down to accommodate. It was now noon the next day, and Kaito was just relieved to be back.

He remembered, vaguely, Kokichi accusing him that he would take his time getting back just to worry him, and not wanting to make that any more true then it already was, Kaito said, "Alright! Let's figure out where our prince is!"

As the group walked into the main entrance hall, there were people out and about, some clearly just getting from one place to another, others caught up in conversations. There were glances as they walked in, and while most of the people were too focused on what they were doing to pay too much attention, a few stared. One person whispered something to someone else and, the other person nodding, ran off.

Whelp. Seemed like King Aiichi was at least going to be aware they were back. Ah well! No harm in that! Kaito was certain the king wouldn't mind his small field trip out of town.

Humming cheerfully, he led the way upstairs, deciding they'd check his room first. "Oh, you guys have to remind me later, they have an observatory here, right? I haven't looked through the telescope yet, but it looks really powerful! I bet we could see all kinds of cool things tonight if you're up to it!"

Maki and Shuuichi, mostly tired by this point, their own adrenaline at their limit, but determined to see Kokichi before they went to rest, both just made non-committal hmm's and okay’s to his rambling, recognizing that Kaito was just...happy right now. Which meant he was just going to be chatty, and that it was best to just let him get it out of his system.

He continued to rave about the observatory, "The previous queen was an astronomer. Like, a real one! How cool is that?!" before getting to his door. Not wanting to just spring a group of people on him if he was indecent or sleeping, Kaito knocked on the door. "Kokichi?"

There wasn't even a second before the door was flung open, Kokichi staring at the one, two, three, four, four of them there, alive, standing in front of him, with wide, worried eyes.

"Oh thank fuck..." he sighed, slumping into himself, his grip around a worn, pink and yellow stuffed rabbit loosening. They were alive. However, his relief didn't have a chance to stick around for long as he took in the state of the four at his door past just that they were there. Katsuki had a bandage just under her jaw, scarily close to her jugular, and there were various tears in her clothes, all in places that made him nervous. Maki and Shuuichi looked exhausted, obviously roughed up themselves, a bit of blood on Shuuichi's jacket that looked like it'd crept around from the back. And Kaito had his arm in a fucking cast.

Shaking his head, Ouma rubbed at the bridge of his nose, walking back into his room. "You did something dumb, didn't you. The others I can understand--oh, and mission accomplished, Katsuki-chan--but really? I just got off bed-rest, don't fuckin' send me back, Kai-chan."

"If you guys wanna rest first, I can wait for the big, in-depth story. Please take care of yourselves first." He turned, offering Maki and Shuuichi a kind smile. "I'm glad to see you guys again."

Shuuichi and Maki looked at each other.

Maki clenched her fists. "Look...we know, okay?"

Shuuichi sighed. "We know you're going to hate this...but..."

And both of them went down on one knee, lowering their heads to Kokichi.

"Prince Kokichi Momota Ouma. You saved my life and I am in debt to you. I pledge my service and loyalty to you and yours, from now until I die," Shuuichi said, hiding his embarrassed expression under his cap, his voice an almost apologetic murmur.

"Prince Kokichi, I am in debt to you. I..." Maki hesitated, a nameless, aimless hatred in her as she admitted, "I almost lost everything. Without your interference… I am indebted to you. Your enemies are my enemies, and I devote myself to your goals. I pledge my loyalty and service until I die."

Kaito just chuckled, rubbing his hand at the back of his neck. "Aw geez...you guys are going to stress him out, you know that right?"

They were right, he did hate it. But...he understood how much it meant for them, so he just sighed again and rubbed a cheek, not totally hiding. And, on his way back to them, he rolled his eyes and punched Kaito on his non-injured arm--though he didn't put much strength into it, and even if he did, he wouldn't have done much damage. "I'm already stressed out, no thanks to you, dingus."

Getting down on his own knees, Ouma set his rabbit down and took one of Shuuichi's and one of Maki's hands in his own. "You two are brilliant morons, and I'm happy to have you here. Please take care of yourselves first and foremost, and stop bowing to me, okay?"

"Maki-chan and Shuu-chan look like they're about to pass out, and I know a thing or two about that. Go rest, and we can talk tomorrow, okie dokie?" Ouma rose, keeping their hands in his and urging them to rise. Kaito seemed alert enough, so he'd get a basic picture of at least the end of things. The nitty-gritty could be put off for now.

"Kokichi," Katsuki spoke up, expression curiously serious, "My assessment of your mission can wait until tomorrow as well. I've been told there is additional information to consider, and now does not seem like the time to discuss it, so I shall bid you all a good day. I must check in with my other duties." With a return of her smile and a wave, she was off.

"What mission does she keep talking about?" Maki said, not actually putting any of her weight into Kokichi's hand, but making the motion as if he were helping her to stand up. Shuuichi tried to do the same thing...but a wave of dizziness hit him on the way up, and both Kaito and Maki reached over to steady him, actually pulling him up. "Do you need help with something, Kokichi?"

"He needs you both to go to bed," Kaito said sternly, worrying over Shuuichi now, who, his sense of honor satisfied, now really did look like he was going to pass out. "I say skip the bath and go to sleep. Do you guys wanna stay here?"

"No, that's alright," Maki said, taking Shuuichi's arm, who looked over at her, ready to let her take the lead. "Your chattering would keep us up. We'll go find an empty room and just rest for now. Maybe the rooms they put aside for us when the party was still here are still empty. Come on, Shuuichi."

"I'm fine, really-" Shuuichi insisted as Maki, still not letting go of his arm, led him away, though there was a clear and prominent sway in his footing as they left.

Closing the door behind them, Kaito sighed, though it wasn't a...sad sound, or anything like that. He was too content for that. His friends were back. They were safe and sound and getting rest.

His actions had absolutely almost made everything worse...but he wasn't letting that get him down! Sometimes the heroes fumbled! That was fine! It simply gave his sidekicks more of a chance to shine!

Turning back with too much of a flourish, Kaito jostled his arm too much and flinched. Ah, well...guess his sidekicks would be getting a lot of opportunities to shine now, with him having banged himself up even worse...but that was alright! He'd be feeling better in no time! A little broken bone wasn't enough to keep Kaito Momota, Legendary Luminary Prince of the stars, down!

Going over to Kokichi (who did look better, at least a little. Some of his color had returned to his face, and he didn't seem to be struggling to stand now. Good. Good.), Kaito grinned down at him before pulling him into a hug, not at all worried about his arm as he kissed the top of Kokichi's head, saying cheerfully, "Honey, I'm h~ome!" Then he stepped back a bit so he could lean down and kiss Kokichi on the forehead. He smelled nice. Like lavender. God Kaito needed a bath. "Did you miss me?"

The worried look that had never really left his face intensified as it was clear that Shuuichi was reaching the end of his limit. "Your rooms are the two at the end of the hall to the left," he called out as the escorts started to leave. The rooms near Ouma's were usually left open unless they were packed with guests, but they'd decided that, for his husband's comfort, his escorts that would be staying in Dicea with him would take some nearby. Apparently no one had told Maki or Shuuichi that, though.

At least they wouldn't have to wander too far.

And, back alone with his husband, irritation bled into his worry. He withstood Kaito's affections before crossing his arms over the bunny back in his arms. "You're going to kill me."

Stepping forward, Ouma pressed his forehead to Kaito's chest, careful to avoid his arm, not caring that he smelled like sweat. "You managed to break your arm, somehow, just running off to meet Shuu-chan and Maki-chan and Katsuki-chan on their way back. I told everyone that you were guiding them back into the city, too impatient to wait and wanting to see them. They missed the wedding, so I think people bought it."

With a shuddering sigh, he nosed the space between Kaito's pecs. "...I think some people thought that you were running away, satisfied that the treaty had been signed so you wouldn't have to be around me anymore. I...I'm the last person who'd want to trap you here, but... Could you stay close to home for a little while? Just...for things to settle."

"...and because I missed you," he murmured in a low whisper, cheeks flushing at the admittance. He'd distracted himself with work while Kaito had been gone, but...it wasn't just the stress of what could happen to them all that had him breaking out a comfort object and curling into himself. After having a friend, it was hard to go back to being alone.

Kaito frowned at this, his good mood dampening every so slightly as he whispered, "Now, who the fuck whispered that shit into your ear?"

Kaito bent over, using his free arm to holster around Kokichi's backside and, only grunting a little bit from the effort, his arm upset with him, he lifted Kokichi up, resting him on his waist so that the two were now face to face. Kaito grinned at his husband before leaning in, giving him a chaste kiss on his mouth before saying, "You didn't think that was true, right? I traveled for six months to come marry you. There is no way you're getting rid of me that easily."

Giving him another kiss, Kaito whispered, "I missed you too."

He then looked down at the doll in Kokichi's arms, raising an eyebrow at it. "Cute...is that a...rabbit or??"

"I know that wasn't true," he pouted. It would be far too convoluted of a plan for even a fraction of it to be true. To get Maki, Shuuichi, and both secretaries involved and to act out in the specific ways they had? No way. It still wasn't a nice thing to hear, though.

Blustering a little, Ouma tried to get out of Kaito's hold but stilled once he was picked up, not wanting to hurt Kaito any more by squirming. Instead, his blush just deepened, holding onto Kaito to try and distribute his weight more and accepting and reciprocating the kisses. It was...weird, this casual affection, but each second of it eased away the worry that had been gnawing at him. Filled his loneliness with something warm and bright.

Still. "You traveled for six months to end the war between our countries and act upon your duty to your people. I was just a condition of that," Ouma rolled his eyes before pressing a quick, nervous kiss of his own to Kaito's cheek. "Or a bonus, depending on how you look at it."

While he tried to not make Kaito strain himself any more than holding him was, Ouma startled a little, glancing down at the stuffed animal as if he'd forgotten he was holding it, his blush deepening even further. "U-uh... Yeah. I...tend to hold onto stuff in my sleep, so...yeah."

"Ah, I see," Kaito said, his tone serious. Even a little dark as he continued. "So...that thing is my competition then."

Kaito gave the thing a dark look before looking back up at Kokichi, his grip on him still strong, staring into those wide, purple eyes. So beautiful. So god damned beautiful. Everything was so beautiful right now, but Kaito still sometimes couldn't believe it, how lucky he had gotten, that Atua had given him to someone so fucking beautiful.

"Well," Kaito said, smirking, going in for another kiss. Then another. Punctuating every other word with another small kiss, then a deeper one, then a longer one after that as he said, "the rabbit. can't do. this right?"

Taking full advantage of the fact that Kokichi had to hold onto him in order not to fall backwards, Kaito let the last kiss linger, breathing in that lavender, that taste of Kokichi, just allowing himself to enjoy him...and then through his happy, content, floating feelings, he remembered...

Right. Right. This was a marriage of convenience.

Kokichi had to be drugged the last time he was this casually physical with him.

The ease with which Kaito physically expressed himself was making him forget that, while he was used to freely giving himself physically in his relationships, not really having had a close, or even not so close, relationship with anyone that hadn't become physical in some way or another...Kokichi was different. Kokichi was always going to be different. The small prince wasn't Kaito's boyfriend...

...he was the result of a business exchange...one that Kokichi barely had any say in...

Kaito had to remember that.

Feeling...humbled, Kaito drew himself away from Kokichi, carefully putting him down. "Sorry," he said, with a sheepish grin, taking a step away from him. "I'm still riding an adrenaline high from the successful trip. You...you were right, by the way. Our friends were on their way back already, and me running around like an idiot just kind of made things harder. I should have listened to what you were saying...I just got a little..." Kaito frowned, twirling a finger around his temple as he said, "Stress mania'd? I don't know, that’s what Katsuki called it. Whatever you call it, I wasn't quite all there."

That line of reasoning was so absurd that Ouma almost forgot to be embarrassed. The bunny had been a handmade birthday gift from Ikuo when he was little, when his birthdays had been more difficult than they'd become. Nights were scary and lonely, so his caretaker had made him a friend to keep bad things at bay. To remind him that, even if he felt completely alone in the world, there were still people that loved and cared about him.

As he'd gotten older, he'd stored the rabbit away, wanting to be able to stand on his own without a childish crutch like that... but when things were particularly bad, when he just wanted a hug, he'd bring it out.

Kaito wasn't a tool, something to just make him feel less lonely, even if he did that anyway, so...there really wasn't any competition. A-and he didn't need to prove it!

Ouma could barely keep up with the kisses, honestly feeling a little overwhelmed, though it was kinda nice. That Kaito wanted to kiss him like this.

Once he was placed back on the ground, Ouma couldn't help covering his mouth bashfully, feeling a little dumb that he was so...nervous about all this when they'd had sex already. It was just kissing! But his heart still fluttered, and his knees felt weak in a way that he had to work to seemingly back up casually to sit back on their bed.

With a few breaths and the change of subject, he was able to pull himself back together. "Stress-induced mania," he confirmed with a nod. "I figured something like that was going on...and, honestly, it was pretty irresponsible of me to not protest more."

Ouma sighed, playing with the bunny's ears idly while a frown twisted his lips. "There's a lot of shit that's been going on, and even if everything went smoothly... You don't have to just...be okay with all of this. Kai-chan's in a new country where everything is different and a chunk of the people hate his home. I'd be really freaked out if you just took it all without batting an eye."

"But... I never want you to feel trapped or useless. It's horrible, believe me," he huffed a joyless laugh. "So...even if I knew that you'd probably get yourself hurt, worried sick over some of the most important people in your life... All I could do was warn you and make sure you wouldn't get into a fight in the stables. And just hope that it wouldn't be the last time I'd see you." Ouma's voice wavered a little and he held the rabbit closer to him, voicing a bit of what had been repeating in his mind over the past day and a half.

Awww… He had been worried about him.

Kaito smiled at this, sitting on the bed next to Kokichi, giving him a warm look before, just...falling backwards onto the bed, chuckling to himself even as his arm and back both protested the movement. Honestly, though, for all the noise his body was making at him, he could barely hear it. He was in too good a mood...well, also he was still on that painkiller the healer gave him. Which was pretty good shit, if he had to be honest. He hadn't gotten the name of it, but ever since he had started taking it the day before, all the little injuries on his body just seemed inconsequential now.

It was lovely. He'd have to check if the castle healers had any too, since the healer had only given him three days worth. She seemed to think it was important he didn't take too much. He couldn't imagine why.

"I don't feel trapped, or useless," Kaito said, because in that exact moment, he didn't. "So you succeeded there. And I didn't get into a fight at the stables! Double success then! ...now, okay...Maki," Kaito said, looking over at Kokichi, "Maki may mention some stuff about me getting into a fight with some commoners...and Katsuki...and also something about running my horse to death...but I'm defending myself now before she can spread stories, she's absolutely exaggerating the whole thing. It was totally under control!"

Still looking at Kokichi, Kaito teased, "You're actually adorable, holding that thing, you get that right? You do it on purpose, don't you."

When it all came down to it, Ouma was just happy everyone had made it through the secretaries' meddling. With the treaty signed and their citizenships secured, there wasn't much anything but a direct letter from Kaito's parents could do to affect them, and even then there was wiggle room. Things would be okay, and in a month Ouma would be able to leave the castle, and when he returned perfectly fine...maybe he'd be able to leave whenever he pleased.

Of course, he still worried about all the little stuff. He'd always had to be concerned about the details. And some of the stuff Kaito said didn't sound like details.

"You what?!" Ouma whirled on his husband, not letting himself be distracted with the teasing. With a groan, he flopped backward himself pressing his head back into the mattress before hitting Kaito's good arm again. "Look, I don't care if it makes me the bad guy or I turn into my father; next time you lose it, I'm not letting you prance off without a fight. You ran someone else's horse to death, no doubt breaking your arm during that, and got in a fight when all you literally had to do was ride a little out of town to meet your friends and come back."

Covering his face with the rabbit, Ouma thrashed a little in a sort of tantrum. "You're not my nurse, and I'm not your babysitter! So can we make it through at least a week without acting like we need one?!"

Kaito kicked the bed a little with the back of his feet, thinking about it before saying, "Well...we're only on week two? Though, based on the last week and a half, the pattern of behavior is noooot in our favor...so..." Kaito laughed, "I think Shuuichi would claim insufficient evidence! No conclusion can be drawn! Let's wait to see how week three goes!"

He chuckled some more to himself...before sighing. Sitting up and giving Kokichi a tired smile. "Hey, come on, don't get angry. I'm promising you, it wasn't all that bad. Now that I can reflect on it, it was even kind of funny. Katsuki fights dirty, by the way. I'll go apologize and pay for the horse tomorrow, right after I apologize to the pink haired lady, which I know I still need to do...and I know I'm not your nurse, but you really do look a lot better today. Are you feeling any better?"

Ouma peeked around the rabbit, half-heartedly glaring at Kaito. Maybe he could find something funny in it, but Ouma sure couldn't yet. Killing some poor animal for no reason, and even to your own detriment... He didn't know the details of the fight so he couldn't judge that, but he had a feeling it wasn't good.

"She takes any opportunity available to her. Unless I specify otherwise, anything's on the table." That's the other reason he knew he could rely on her--she was just good at what she did.

Echoing Kaito's sigh, Ouma sat back up as well and shuffled closer to Kaito, pressing his head against his arm for a moment before sitting back. "I usually only need a couple days to get back in the swing of things, unless I'm suffering from blood loss. I'm alright--turns out I don't have a bladder infection either."

He'd been able to stay awake longer and longer, able to take his medicine regularly, and that meant more bathroom trips. He'd still been sensitive, but it wasn't as painful, and his junk had felt better and better to the point he was basically fine. Of course, he wasn't gonna try and nut as many times as he could any time soon, but, yanno, he could wear pants comfortably.

"You?" he questioned, looking up at Kaito. "Is your arm alright? And you didn't reopen anything, did you? Just with a clean break, you'd normally need over a month of taking it easy to let it heal... Lucky you didn't break a leg, or it'd be you taking bed rest."

"I'm glad..." Kaito said, wanting to reach out and, he didn't know. Put a hand on Kokichi's shoulder or something. But Kokichi was on the wrong side, so instead he said, "I'm glad you seem better. Maybe we'll be able to go out to the pub sooner rather than later, then."

Thinking of the Danganronpa trip, Kaito said, firmly, "I'll heal in under a month. No problem." He was entirely determined to accomplish this, even if all he could really do was try to heal through sheer force of will. "And, honestly, it was kind of amazing that all that happened was my arm broke. The horse threw me clear off when it fell, and I didn't exactly land softly. I did a terrible thing to that horse...but, considering I landed basically around the corner from the others, more or less unharmed barring a broken bone or two...I don't know. I can't help but think Kohtalon was looking out for me anyway."

Kaito felt his eyes drift away from Kokichi and over to the night stand. The abomination sex-toy and the extremely weird lubricant were still there, Kaito had to assume still untouched. Which was kind of funny by itself...but he saw an envelope had been added to the pile now, with his name addressed on it in extremely familiar handwriting.

Sobering up a bit, Kaito reached out to grab it. "When did this get here?" he asked, looking down at the letter with...complicated feelings.

Wouldn't that be a treat. The capital city was probably the safest place outside the castle Ouma could ever be, but that had never swayed Aiichi into letting him go out. Maybe he could talk the leader into...letting them go out for an afternoon, or something, but Ouma had a feeling he'd have to fight for it. At least he had backup now.

Some very dumb backup, but very earnest all the same. "Don't push it," he cautioned with a pointed look to the cast. "Your body can only take so much. Get any more injuries and I might decide to delay our trip. I know you can take a lot, but I really would prefer you healthy. God..." he sighed with a grimace. "Look at what you've done to me. I sound like my dad."

Ouma looked up at the letter Kaito picked up from the nightstand, humming in recognition. "Oh, yesterday. I had someone pick up some work for me from the mailroom, and there was a letter for you. Despite my burning curiosity, I didn't open it or anything."

"...who's it from?" he asked quietly, settling down next to Kaito, but not in a position to read over his shoulder. Depending on what it was...it might be for Kaito's eyes only. They were still getting used to each other, and he wasn't entitled to anything Kaito didn't want to show him. As it was, he probably knew a few things the other prince wished he didn't.

"Just Byakuya," Kaito said, turning the envelope around and opening it up. "My brother," he clarified, in case Kokichi didn't know. "He did say to 'expect timely correspondence,'" Kaito said, the last three words clearly an impression of what his brother had sounded like saying it. There was an even, tempoed, sneering-like quality to the voice...but Kaito didn't mean for it to be mocking. It was just what his brother sounded like.

He opened it up and started reading it, smiling a little, though his eyes were tired. "He wants me to write him a report of the wedding and...well, it's nothing personal or anything. I think he's just checking up on me...in his own way," Kaito said, scratching his chin as he admitted, "He does say some stuff about asking for info on you guys...it's nothing bad...look, you can read it if you want." Kaito shrugged as he passed Kokichi the letter.

The letter goes as follows:

Kaito Ouma,

I trust this letter arrives the day of your wedding. You will confirm in your reply letter if it did, and if it did not, you will relay to me how many days it was delayed, and the system will be handled accordingly. You will, in your return letter, state what day you are mailing out the letter as well, so that I will get a firm idea of how long these letters truly take to transpire. Unfortunately, setting up a quick and reliable postal service across the borders will take some doing, but the process is underway. When completed, you can expect correspondence more frequently.

In your return letter, I expect the following information:

1. The events of the wedding. You may add all the frivolous details I am certain you are incapable of keeping to yourself anyway, but be certain to include details of the treaty, the dowry, and the religious ceremony. I expect all of these events to have gone off without a hitch, and will prepare should you inform me of any far reaching complications. Do not worry about relaying the contents of the peace treaty itself, as I have others in charge of keeping me informed.

2. The conditions of the royal family, largely in how they pertain to you. Spare me general observations or technical details, I have others for that sort of thing. I simply wish you to relay how they've handled themselves in regards to you.

3. Your living conditions. What are your arrangements? What have you been tasked with? If there are any concerns, I expect you to voice them now, while I am still inclined to hear it. Try not to waste my time, but also do not withhold details.

This return letter is a priority, do not delay it any further than this ridiculous postal system gap already will.

Heir Apparent,

Byakuya Momota

Ouma snorted a bit at what he assumed was an impression of Kaito's brother, accepting the letter, and even from just the greeting, he was surprised. The Luminary Party had been pushing for him to take the Momota name, and while the agreement to use middle names was a recent one, Byakuya would've known the initial plan, right? By assuming that Kaito would've taken the Ouma name... Ouma felt a little more credence to the inkling he'd had that Tengan wasn't actually as much of a direct line to Leon as Kaito was sure of.

The letter was...weirdly impersonal, and, like Kaito said, caring in its own way. Still...

Ouma squinted, looking down at the letter and looking up at Kaito a few times before snorting. "Wooow. Your brother sounds like a snooze-fest. A total nerd. I'm sure you've heard stuff like this a lot, but damn. Maybe I got lucky in this arrangement to marry you instead of him."

He handed the letter back, snickering a bit. "You should put off writing the letter for a few days, and put a bogus date on when you're writing it, just to fuck with him."

"He doesn't talk like this," Kaito said, laughing nervously, mostly at the idea of delaying the letter and then lying about it. "Not really, anyway, and definitely not to everyone. You should hear how he gets when he's feeling competitive, or is pissed at you. Then he gets...real creative." Kaito laughed, carefully taking the letter back from Kokichi before folding it neatly as he could with one hand, then carefully putting it back in the envelope.

"He's just very matter-of-fact when he wants something, ya know? Which can be a good thing! Least it means ya don't have to guess, right?" Kaito said, standing up and bringing it over to one of his luggage cases, putting it on top to be dealt with later, when he was ready to start unpacking again.

"And he can actually be really cool, when he wants to be," Kaito said, smiling uneasily as he went back to the bed, trying to think of some good examples of this...

...trying to think harder...

...ah! Right! "Like, you know those picture books I was telling you about? He never said it, but when he was setting up trade agreements with the country of KimiGaShine, on the continent across the ocean, I'm pretty certain he added certain literature companies to the initial agreement, just because I liked those things. I mean, again, he never said as much...but I still think he did it on purpose."

"And, also, I wasn't kidding at the proposal. Our economy has just been getting better and better ever since he started taking on a lot of the projects that my folks had left to the secretaries, and it really seems like things are just going to get better the more involved he gets. And he does all that just as a prince? I mean, he's honestly just amazing?" Kaito said, a small flush in his cheeks as he tried to express the sheer awe he had for his brother, before finally settling on, "He's gonna be an incredible king, when it's his time. I think you'll actually really like him, when you both end up meeting."

Ouma sighed, conceding a little. "Fine, maybe he's not a snooze-fest out of writing, but he still sounds like a nerd." And as Kaito went on to outline his brother's better qualities, nothing discounted that. He did sound like a capable sort of person, which was a good sign, and it seemed like he had a decent relationship with Kaito, which was...good, personally, but with everything Kaito had said about how Luminous royalty treated their people...he'd hold out judgment for now.

But Kaito clearly believed in him, which was a pretty big glowing endorsement. Ouma hummed a bit, getting up to put his rabbit back away in the closet. "Do you think we'll get to? I mean, your whole family are my in-laws now, but... Like, I don't think our fathers have ever met in person? And you know it personally--it's a long trip."

"It would be nice to actually see Luminary, though. Someday. I think I should probably see what the rest of Dicea is like first before I go off touring other countries. We'll get to see a good chunk just getting to the Ronpan border." He was rambling a little, carefully closing up the box and moving it back in its place before he turned back to the rest of the room. "Maybe we'll be able to, like, hold a celebration sometime, as an anniversary of the end of the war? Somewhere along the border, celebrating both Dicean and Luminous culture."

"To be fair, a lot of that trip was going the long way around, though." Kaito pointed out, readjusting the strap around his neck with a small wince, even under the painkillers his arm giving him little, insistent warning signs that he was being too rough with it today. "If we hadn't had to avoid our actual borders, where all the combat was happening-"

And very likely still was. Getting word out was going to be a hectic process for both sides.

"-and go through Danganronpa territory it would have been a way quicker trip. Plus, since we are in peace times, maybe we could try commissioning some more straight-forward roads between the two capitals? It'd make trades easier anyway," Kaito said, his mind humming with his imagination now, trying to imagine a future where travel between the two countries was almost nothing. "Actually, if my brother is trying to streamline the postal service, I wouldn't be surprised if he was actually already trying to proposition that idea to King Aiichi. Though, if I were the king, I'd be worried about having such easy travel paths over the border if times became less then peaceful, so...I don't know. I'm not sure I'd say yes to it in his position. With no standing army, just making this country difficult to get into is the best preliminary defense they could have, so to voluntarily give that up...gotta prepare for the worst case scenario, right? Though, if security on those pathways was established as they were built...Um..." Kaito frowned, his ears catching up with his brain.

He sounded stupid. Why the fuck was he talking about things he had no business in? King Aiichi and his father were going to work out travel agreements, beyond what was already discussed in the treaty, so Kaito was just...talking a lot about nothing. Plus, Kokichi probably already had ideas of how he would handle travel between the two kingdoms in the future when it was his turn to decide, so... "I don't know." Kaito shrugged, feeling embarrassed. "I like the anniversary idea. That sounds like it'd be fun. You could meet my cousin, Kaede! She's really something special, I think you two would get on amazingly. She's actually next in line if something ever happened to Byakuya, so it'd maybe be really helpful for you two to be somewhat familiar with each other. I should send her a letter too. I'll tell her all about you!"

As he finished rambling, his mind now filled with pleased thoughts of raving about his new husband to his cousin, who was definitely going to be so jealous of him (though he'd try to be gentle in his bragging, since Kaede's marriage was still such a sore point for her), he finally registered the 'never met each other' comment.

Kaito frowned. "What do you mean our parents haven't met in person? Like, as adults? Sure, I guess so, but what about when they went to Hope's Peak Academy?"

"Three months is still a long time..." Ouma sighed quietly. At least it was for him. He'd never even been out of the castle for a full day! Going to Danganronpa was still a long, multi-month trip, but...it somehow felt different. Maybe because, for all of the horrifying rumors about the queen, Danganronpa still seemed...less scary than the things he knew for sure about Luminary. Something to get over, he supposed.

Maybe it'd be easier to do so if it wouldn't actually take three months. Ouma settled back on their bed, head gradually tilting to the side as he considered Kaito's ideas. He was right about...pretty much everything, actually. Ideally, they'd all respect the treaty and war wouldn't have even a chance of breaking out for the next hundred years, but...it was naive to leave yourself completely defenseless to betrayal. "Mmm. You should talk to Aiichi about it, especially if he's gotten word about it already. I think you'd be the best person to know what kind of precautions would actually work without being openly hostile. Looks like you've found your first project!"

Ouma giggled a bit, giving his husband a smirk. As long as he was willing, they had plenty for Kaito to do. He may not have prepared for it, but Kaito was more ready than he thought if he had ideas like that right off the dome piece. Even if he tried to play it off--though, if Kaede was the same cousin he'd mentioned before, he would be interested in meeting her.

But any thoughts about the future were stopped fast by a mention of the past. A...past he didn't know. Ouma blinked, smile fading as it gave way to confusion. "Hope's Peak Academy? What are you talking about?"

...uh...uh oh.

This might be a thing.

"I mean...I've only heard a couple things about it, but...maybe you've heard it as The Ultimate Hope Experiment?" Kaito tried, looking for signs of recognition in Kokichi's face and not seeing anything. Ah shit. Well, maybe it wasn't that big a deal... "So, as far as I understand it, when my parents were teenagers, Dad being the Prince of Luminary and Mom being the Princess of Novoselic, they and a bunch of other basically kids of leaders across a bunch of different nations were organized to all go to school together, hosted at a boarding school in Danganronpa. I think the idea was that future leaders who grew up together would be more likely to cooperate? It was a real big deal for our folks' generation. Almost every nation participated. And...I'm certain your dad definitely attended on behalf of the Dicean Kingdom?"

Kaito laughed, running a hand through his hair. "My mom talks about it a lot. I think it was her happiest times, honestly, but I've only ever heard Dad reference it a handful of times. I think he had a harder time with it. Anyway, the heirs did their four years, they graduated, all good, right? The school was going to keep going for the next generation, but...funnily enough, once all those heirs started actually getting into leadership positions, conflicts between nations were suddenly happening, like...all the time? And with really vague reasoning behind. Turns out the school ended up sparking a lot of rivalries and enemies among the heirs that otherwise would have never been there. I think the experiment was declared a failure and wasn't tried again. Though, I think the school still exists. Mom told me she seriously thought once about sending me and Byakuya there, but I think she was overruled."

"...you really don't know anything about this?" Kaito asked, not wanting to be cruel, but just...baffled. Anyone over the age of forty knew all about it. It had been a world-wide endeavor.

Ouma listened carefully to Kaito's explanation, brows furrowing further and further as pieces did connect, but not in the way Kaito was probably expecting. Gritting his teeth, Ouma let out a heavy breath through his nose. "I knew that my dad went to a boarding school sort of unexpectedly. And that there were a lot of problems that came from it."

"You know I'm kinda weird since I'm the heir apparent and the biological son of the current boss, right? Aiichi's an outlier too." Looking contemplatively irritated, Ouma rested his head in a hand. "Most heirs are chosen when they're babies, so they can be taught from birth how to be a leader. Aiichi was 13 when he was chosen as the heir. Apparently, he showed a great talent for organizing people and had the right sort of mindset for the job, so he was taken in."

"Normally he'd stay close to the leader, receive hands-on education, right? But he went to a boarding school for high school instead, said he was already ready so it was fine for him to go off and gain a different perspective." And, apparently, schmooze with the future leaders of other nations. That made a little more sense, at least. "Then, our last leader died when Aiichi was 16, but he didn't come back to Dicea. He corresponded his leadership to Hideki, who had already been hired by the last leader and was working here. I always thought that was super inefficient, but I guess that makes a little more sense now."

Ouma sighed and let go of a bit of his tension. "I guess they never told me so I wouldn't bitch even more about being here when Aiichi fucked off during the start of his term. God, he's such a dick..."

Throwing his arms over his face, Ouma flopped back on the bed with a frustrated groan. "I totally get why your dad would hate mine so viscerally now. He's insufferable to be around."

Kaito shrugged. "He's a little...intense," Kaito admitted, "And the way he carries himself...I don't know. Everything the king does feels very 'practiced', I guess. Which I guess is a good thing, right? A good leader should know what they're going to say before they say it. But he doesn't seem so bad, otherwise. Not that I've had to spend too much time around him yet. Heh." Kaito chuckled, "At least he's not the kind of guy who'd drug us. Atua be pleased."

Kaito yawned, the bed super comfy now he was back and his friends were back and Kokichi didn't look like he was dying. "I gotta imagine my dad was actually pretty hard to get to know. He's sort of an angry dude, with a lot of pride. I can only imagine him as a teenager was even tougher to get to calm down. Teenagers-" Kaito yawned again, "-are the worst."

Stretching his arms up above his head, Ouma let go of another deep breath. "...like...other than landing us in a dumb war, he's a good leader. He's a manipulative shit, but he hasn't, like, brainwashed our people en masse. He really does care about their well-being. There's been a lot of improvements since he took over, I'm told. And can see for myself."

How Ouma felt about his father was...complicated. Most of those feelings being various types of anger, but...not hatred. He respected him as a leader, for how he interacted with their people and valued them. Even if he knew that Aiichi resented him, Aiichi still made him the heir, didn't throw him away. And, even if his protection was smothering, sometimes, like with the Luminary Party, it was something Ouma was happy to have.

"At least there's that," he agreed quietly. The only drugs Aiichi had ever given him were to save his life.

Ouma rolled his head to the side, looking over at Kaito at his yawns. "Hey, you should take a nap. You've been traveling all day with a broken arm on top of all the other dumb shit that's happened to your body. I can bring up some food for you to eat when you wake up?"

Another long yawn. Even if Kokichi hadn't said anything, Kaito wasn't sure how much longer he could have stayed awake now anyway. Sleep was coming at him like a train.

Kicking off his boots, Kaito shook his head. "Ya...aaa..." Kaito blinked stupidly at the wall before shaking his head. "Ya don't have to do that. I think I'm gonna be down for a while, if...if that's okay..."

His clothes were dirty. Literally covered in a layer of dirt. While he wanted to just lie down already, instead, carefully, he pulled off his jacket, and then his shirt, letting those items fall next to his boots (he'd clean it up when he woke up, he decided), before undoing his belt and kicking off his pants.

Sitting back down in nothing but his briefs, not too worried about scandalizing Kokichi by this point, Kaito looked annoyed, staring down at his arm. Honestly, a broken arm was so inconvenient. He already couldn't wait for it to get better. How the fuck was he supposed to hold Kokichi with this thing?

Kaito sighed, looking down at Kokichi...and despite his earlier musings that he needed to stop treating Kokichi like they were in a relationship much closer than they were...he couldn't help it. He leaned down, placing a kiss on his temple.

Ouma nodded a bit, a soft smile on his face as he scooted off the bed. "It's perfectly okay. Still, I'll probably let folks know so we don't freak anyone out if you want, like, a midnight snack or anything."

He'd mostly been hiding out in their room, not trusting himself around people while four people's lives were in question, but, now, they were all fine, getting some much-needed rest. So he could relax. And not do exactly what he'd worried about Kaito doing and hovering around while the prince slept.

Ouma walked over to his desk as Kaito stripped, collecting the letters he'd finished. He'd take them down to be sent out, maybe get some food himself. Spend some time in the library; it'd been ages since he'd felt calm enough to sit down with a good book.

Passing by the bed, Ouma hesitated...a-and definitely wasn't checking Kaito out! The bruises and bandaging around his body were more worrying than anything! And even if his eyes maybe flicked over the still substantial bulge of his underwear...it was just on the way to his heavily bruised thighs, reaffirming that Kaito was better off passing out for a while.

Smiling at the kiss, Ouma quickly leaned in to place a kiss on Kaito's jaw before stepping back with a smile. "Nighty-night, Kai-chan. Sweet dreams."

Kaito's dreams started off peaceful. The usual mishmash of nonsense scenarios featuring familiar faces that he personally didn't put too much stock into. He kept waking up randomly, and each time he did the light of the room was darker, and the pain in his body hurt worse. Each time he woke he would only stay awake for a few minutes before drifting off a bit, each waking leaving him with vague memories of whatever dream had roused him out of his sleep that time.

The first one hadn't been a real memory, but could have been. He was playing hide-and-seek at home, his body small and young. He was alone, no one else in the castle, and he wasn't sure who he was playing hide-and-seek with, exactly, but none of that had made the dream scary. It had just been just him, running around the castle with abandon, not sure where his friends were but knowing in his heart that in the next corner...no, then the next corner...behind this door or that door! They'd be there! He just had to find them!

He awoke out of that feeling pretty good, the room still bright from sunlight out of the window. Nothing hurt too bad. He went back to sleep almost immediately.

The next dream he remembered was tougher.

Maki was trying to interrogate a frog, getting increasingly frustrated with it, but every time she moved to squish the frog Shuuichi would start to cry and she would stop. The problem was, she clearly didn't want to stop, and frankly, Kaito didn't want her to either. The frog was a little shit, and they needed the information. Maki would reach out to hurt the frog, Kaito encouraging her, and then Shuuichi would start to cry again and they both would stop, temporarily stalled, shamed, but no less angry, no less ready to hu-

When Kaito woke up from that one, his heart had been pounding. The light in the room was lower now, sunset. His back and his arm hurt. He had the vague idea that maybe he should take more of the painkiller before going to sleep, but his eyes grew heavy as he was considering it, and soon he was out again.

The last dream to wake him was a memory. It was an exaggerated memory, and if Kaito had to sit down and analyze it, it probably hadn't happened like he had dreamed it at all...but it was still based on a memory.

Her name didn't matter. She had been a friend at that time and differing interests had turned her into an acquaintance, and then a stranger. But she was memorable, in that she had been the one to introduce him to ropes and blind-folds and small, circular vibrators, for the short period of time the two had been willing to try such things with each other. The dream wasn't anything concrete, nothing solid for him to hold onto, nor did it take into account the friendly banter the two had had, the nervous explanations and bashful consent.

No, all the dream was, was the memory of how it had felt, being blind and immobile, trusting someone else to be gentle, and if not gentle, then at least not unkind. That fear and anticipation, the uncertainty, the excitement. The flashes of pain when she had taken it just a little too far out of his comfort range, the good memory turning frantic, desperate as he tried desperately to remember what he was supposed to do to get her to stop, what was he supposed to do, he couldn't remember, sto-!

Kaito woke up, the room almost pitch black, the specifics of the dream already half gone, but its source too clear. His body ached. The painkiller had completely worn off, and he was sweating, his heart pounding, his body uncomfortably aroused by the confusion of the wet dream. He breathed deeply, trying to be quiet, not certain if Kokichi had come back to bed but not wanting to startle him if he was there. He moved the blanket off of him, letting the cool night air calm him down. Determined to get up and take the painkiller as soon as he had his heart under control again.

The rest of the day was weirdly mundane for how hectic the last week had been, but Ouma found he was okay with that. He did as he'd planned, stopping by the mailroom to send out the work he'd done, chatting a bit with other people who'd come by to receive or send their own letters before he headed to the library, fending off Nao's questions of things that were a little too personal.

He'd settled down with a cute little romantic one-off, the struggle of a reserved teen trying to become friends with their crush and the hijinx that went on around them. He'd read it several times before, but it was always a fun read, nothing too heavy but dramatic enough to hold his attention. And because of that he nearly missed dinner, surprised when he finished the book to find that it was much dimmer out than he'd anticipated.

The chaos of dinner really was something he'd missed, and apparently others had missed his presence there too. He smiled through the comments on his health, relaxed a little at the little stories catching him up with the ongoings of life, and deflected Aiichi's questions over the state of the four who'd returned that day and were obviously resting instead of joining the meal. A little awkwardly, he stopped Isabella, telling her that he or Kaito might come by the kitchen at night if the Luminary Prince needed some food and she'd given him a look before looking around covertly and having him promise to be in and out if he needed to get something.

It was...actually a pretty good day.

Normally after a day like that, Ouma would put off sleeping, would just get some more work done or research something that interested him, but...if he was going to get on Kaito's case about letting himself heal, it'd be a little easier if he didn't put his own health at risk at the same time. So, when night came and comfortably took over the land, Ouma changed into his pajamas and crawled into bed, leaving a space between him and Kaito. His husband was asleep and his injured arm was closer to him so...didn't wanna crowd him or anything.

But even if Ouma conceded to sleep, he didn't stay that way for long.

It wasn't much. Just some slightly heavier breathing, a bit of shifting. Honestly, Ouma was barely awake, but he pushed himself up a little, rubbing an eye. "...Kai-chan?"

Kaito closed his eyes, breathing in through his nose...out through his mouth...in through his nose...and then, because that never felt like enough air no matter how many times he tried that method, he breathed in through his nose and then breathed in through his mouth, finally feeling like he was getting enough oxygen as he said, "It's okay...go back to sleep..."

Sitting up, Kaito looked around warily, the demanding stings of the movement making him a little dizzy as he tried to remember where he had left it. The vanity desk. He had taken out of his pocket and put it on the vanity desk. Putting his legs over the bed, the small effort leaving him weirdly out of breath, Kaito tensed for the process of getting up and grabbing it. Just...up and over, Kaito. You got this.

Standing up with a grunt, Kaito felt himself only sway a little at his feet before he got his bearings, ignoring the pain ringing up his shoulders and into his damn brain. There! He did it! No one could keep Kaito Momota down! Or, Kaito Ouma Momota! Yeah!

He took a step that was way too forceful, because he totally misjudged how far away the ground looked, only just now realizing his vision was doing a funny thing where it felt like he was looking on the other side of a telescope. Kaito blinked several times, trying to clear up the vision. "Huh..." he said, mildly taken off guard at this predicament.

He almost did just that, the sleepy haze in his brain not wanting to let go of an easy return to unconsciousness, but Ouma told it to fuck off as he rolled and sat up properly, waking up faster at the 'thump' of Kaito's...single step.

"Wha... You need somethin'?" he yawned, quickly making his way to the other side of the bed. Kaito, even in the meager light of the night sky, didn't...exactly look like he should be getting up. Unsteady, at least. Standing on his less injured side, Ouma put a cold hand on his husband's back. "If you need help getting to the bathroom, I'm not as ripped, but I can still help. Use me to steady yourself?"

Kaito shivered at the sudden chill on his back. Kokichi's hands really were like ice. Still, it was soothing in its own way, and Kaito was almost disappointed at how quickly the chilled feeling warmed being held against him. "No, that's alright...could you just grab that packet of powder on the desk for me? I gotta… Shoot," Kaito said, cursing himself.

He had to put it into water and drink that. He had totally forgotten and hadn't prepped anything for it. He looked around warily. "Do we have any glasses in here?"

Ouma blinked in astonishment for a moment before his brain caught up with him. Pff. No, he hadn't married a tweaker. "Painkillers," he murmured with a nod, moving in front of Kaito. Reaching up and placing his hands on Kaito's shoulders, he pressed the barest pressure down, and only on his non-injured shoulder. "I'll handle it. Sit down."

Quickly walking over to the bathroom anyway, he opened a small cabinet on the wall, pulling out a glass and filling it with water. So often he just forwent the cups and held his head under the tap, but he was glad to have them in his room regardless. Made stuff like this easier.

Returning to the room, Ouma grabbed the packet and shook it into the glass, swirling the water a bit to help it dissolve. He then sat next to Kaito, offering him the cup. "Do you know how often you can take this? I can try and help keep track of your next dose, if you want."

Even sick and injured, it came down to more Kaito letting Kokichi push him down, rather than any actual real pressure. His husband was so tiny. Thin little arms. Pretty… Blinking dumbly as the glass was presented to him, Kaito took it and took the whole thing down in one breath, breathing deeply after finishing the glass.

...there we go. The effect was almost immediate, and such a relief. All the pain, his back, his arm, his head, all became distant background noise, annoying but otherwise not concerning. Taking in a few more deep breaths, his vision steadying out to see Kokichi's look of mild concern, Kaito shrugged. "It's my last dose. The healer didn't want to give me too much. I'll probably have to visit the castle healer sometime soon to get a replacement. Phew."

He felt immediately so much better. Man, he really hoped the castle healers had something as good as this...he felt invulnerable. And wide awake now, giving Kokichi a fond grin as he said, "My hero! Thanks!" leaning over and giving Kokichi a peck on his lips. It was in that movement that he realized his nether regions were uncomfortably soaked. He must have had an exciting dream. Nothing he remembered now. Oh well.

"I'm gonna take a shower and get some food, then I'll come back to bed, alright?" Kaito said, giving Kokichi a wink. "Thanks again. Go back to sleep now, I'm good."

It was nice to see Kaito less...pain hazed, he supposed, but Ouma hummed lowly. "If it's your last dose, they'll probably give you something way weaker to wean you off. The absolute last thing someone like you needs is a painkiller addiction."

And...if taking what he had caused this much of a difference, then that meant Kaito was high as hell right now. He was an adult and able to make his own choices, but Kaito was also kind of a dummy. He'd probably be fine getting food on his own, but...

Ouma sighed at the kiss and rolled his eyes at the wink given to him. "I'm gonna come down with you when you go to get food. I've never been able to sneak in even at night, but you can be my spy to see if there are any leftover cookies from dinner tonight. If you're getting a midnight snack, I want one too."

"Oh, what, noooo," Kaito groaned, immensely disappointed with the idea that he wouldn't be getting any more of the powder. Man, he felt amazing right now. Maybe his arm wasn't actually broken. Maybe he had healed already. Miracles like that happened, right? Atua loved him, after all. But even in the happy numbness of the painkiller, his arm gave him little warning signs that, while didn't seem as urgent anymore, still suggested he needed to be gentle with it. Ah well. Soon, then! He'd be all better soon, and then he'd sweep Kokichi up into his arms, run around the castle with him, the same reckless abandon he had in his first mostly forgotten dream... "Alright, then," Kaito sighed, "But seriously, Kokichi, this shit is amazing. If you ever break a bone, definitely ask for the white powder stuff. I feel great!"

Smiling cheerily, Kaito stood up, the action far more certain now, heading to the bathroom. Taking care of a few things on the side, he eventually got into the shower, needing to be extra careful with the placement of the nozzle to not completely soak his arm bandages...and not doing a great job. He'd probably have to get those replaced. Ah well, his arm could handle a little dampness for the night. He'd get it fixed in the morning. It'd be fine ‘til then.

He enjoyed the heat of the water for a while, letting a day’s travel (and a horse crash's) worth of dirt fall off of him, before taking some of the soap available, scrubbing himself down. His conversation with Shuuichi and Maki kept coming to mind, about Kokichi being perfect bathtub size, and in his chipper mood he didn't banish such thoughts to the netherrealm, instead allowing his imagination to go any way it desired, playing with the scenario in his mind. The idea was...arousing, but not the point where he was physically aroused, and when he stepped out of the shower, clean for the first time in a while, he mostly just felt content, if a little restless.

Walking out in his towel, Kaito looked around for some fresh clothes, opening a random box to- "What the fuck!" he shouted, jumping backwards as a spider lunged out at him, his heart in his throat but, regaining his senses quickly, stamping on the spider as hard as he could with a "Die! Die! Die!"

...only to realize the spider didn't feel right against his foot. Taking a step back, Kaito looked warily at it.

...fake?

Extremely high. Ouma snorted a bit as he waved his husband off to the bathroom. "Sure, sure. I'll make sure they give me the best of the best, and then you can goad me into all sorts of terrible ideas. Happy showering."

There...wasn't really much to do while he waited for Kaito, so Ouma just grabbed his pillow and held it in his lap, resting his chin on top. It was comfortable, though he didn't let himself drift off. Certainly, if Kaito came out and saw him asleep, he'd just let him rest and go off into the night himself. Which would probably be fine, but Ouma wanted to make sure. He could at least try to keep his husband from throwing himself into danger for once.

That said, he did let his eyes rest, and opened just one when he heard Kaito come back. And...maybe the other too, just... Kaito was an attractive guy, alright?! Having a damp, mostly naked, gorgeous guy in his room was once something Ouma only dared to think about in his most private moments. Getting to appreciate it in reality was still a novelty.

Though, the atmosphere was jarred back into a more normal reality as Kaito fell prey to a prank days in waiting.

"snrk Ni-hi-shishishi!!" Ouma snorted through quiet whinnies, squeezing the pillow against himself as he laughed at Kaito's reaction.

Kaito scowled at the fake spider, carefully tipping it over with his toes to confirm that it was, indeed, not alive. How the fuck had...

The snickering coming from the bed told a story by itself, and Kaito rolled his eyes. "Really, man?" Kaito said, kicking the spider away now as he leaned down into the box, picking out a random shirt and some pants, even Kaito not willing to give a midnight kitchen run outfit too much thought as, grabbing some underwear from a different box, he headed to the bathroom to change. "Not cool, man. Don't you sit there feeling smug, I can prank you too, you know. I've done plenty of good pranks in my time! Trust me, that's not a battle you wanna start."

Getting into the bathroom, partially closing the door, Kaito let his towel fall, putting himself into his clothes the best he could, actually struggling with the pants more than the shirt, again just...annoyed by his lack of arm movement. Seriously, he just needed to be better, now. The limited mobility was going to drive him crazy.

Clean, in fresh clothes, and not looking at the fake spider, Kaito came back out of the bathroom. "Alright, let's go. To the forbidden kitchen!" Kaito said, heading to open the door. "You know, I don't think you've ever said. Why is the kitchen forbidden to you again?"

"Oh, if you can actually pull something off, I look forward to it. No one else in the castle plays with me, so I've been the undisputed champion for far too long. Come at me, challenger!" Ouma continued giggling into his pillow, maybe feeling a little giddy from being up so late. But maybe not. It was hard to find anyone who appreciated his pranks, and practically impossible to find anyone who would prank him back. If Kaito actually did start a prank war, that was one that Ouma would participate in with a smile on his face.

He got up and followed after Kaito when he was ready, sighing a bit at his question, though he kept his voice low. Didn't wanna wake anyone else up. "Knives. Everyone's terrified that just being in the same room as them I'm gonna cut myself and bleed out and die."

"...that, and I tried to teach myself how to throw knives when I was a teenager, which just freaked everyone out more. Even if throwing them means they're going away from me, but I don't think anyone appreciated the holes I'd put in walls either." He hummed a little bit and added one more addendum. "Also, I'd totally eat any sweets that are being kept in there, so for the sake of not having to bake everything right before they're meant to be eaten, I'm banned."

"It's not faiiiiiir," he whined quietly. "Catherine makes the best cinnamon rolls and sometimes I get hungry if I'm working through the night. We barely ever have them for breakfast and I can only ever eat one. They're huge."

Kokichi talked like this was all an annoying but normal thing...and Kaito just frowned, the two walking down the stairs. Kokichi was twenty. The guy was an adult, and ate like a bird, for that matter. If he wanted to fucking eat dessert before dinner, what the fucks business was it of anyone else to monitor that? He was twenty.

He would definitely feel differently about it if he were standing in front of King Aiichi himself, but at this moment...he felt like he should maybe have a talk with the guy about this. Kokichi wasn't a child. It was the big, main problem that Kaito was having, trusting his surroundings, these people and their...weird insistence on treating Kokichi like he was some mischievous ten year old. Kaito didn't think it was a coincidence that Kokichi was clutching stuffed animals the one day he was away, and he didn't think that it was Kokichi's fault that that was his coping mechanism either.

Well, no, that wasn't the only reason he felt so regularly uncomfortable in this new place, of course. But it sure as fuck didn't help, and the fact that, even though it pissed Kokichi off when he talked about, everyone treated it like it was a normal thing to do, to treat a twenty-year-old like a child...

It bothered Kaito, okay? He wanted to tell someone off about it. He kinda wanted to punch someone, thinking about it.

But, he didn't necessarily want to burden Kokichi with his own misgivings about it. At least, not right now. So he chuckled instead. "Well, let's see if she's made any tonight. I bet we could get our hands on some...and not, like, sneaking in or any of that shit," Kaito said, an edge in his tone, despite himself. "We live here. We'll tell them we want in, and if anyone has anything to say about it, they can keep it to themselves."

"Maybe..." Ouma hummed. "Everyone knows you guys are back now...so maybe she made some as a treat for tomorrow? The last time she made them was for my birthday, so they are kind of a special thing."

Not that his birthday was particularly special. The kitchen would make his favorite foods, he'd get a few nice letters in the mail, and maybe a gift or two. But it was just a normal day, pretty much. No reason to make a fuss when he was just one person; life didn't stop just because of some little anniversary.

...once, Aiichi had taken him stargazing, but it'd just been awkward for the both of them, even if it was an activity they both enjoyed.

"Ah, but..." For some reason, Ouma felt kind of...ashamed? Kaito was...right, but that wasn't how things worked for him. Rubbing the back of his neck, Ouma carefully kept to his husband's side as they walked down the stairs to the first floor. "I talked with Isabella--she's the head chef--at dinner. She knows that we'd probably show up, so no one should bother us anyway."

...he'd...gotten permission. For something that, for anyone else, would be perfectly fine to just do, but... Nothing about his life was ever normal. And even if this was his normal, it felt...embarrassing to tell Kaito.

"Well, it's nice you gave her a heads up," Kaito said, the grin still firmly on his face. "That way, we won't startle any of the staff. Very polite."

And not fucking needed...

Oof. Kaito needed to breathe. That indestructible feeling was making him confrontational. He knew he wouldn't feel this confident when the light of day was out and the pain was back. But man, he could take on anything right now! King Aiichi didn't want his precious 'baby boy' around knives? Well, maybe King Aiichi just needed a good old fashioned Luminary sparring match to show him who among his 'kids' was actually dangerous with a blade...

...ugh. That had gotten dark. Nevermind, maybe it was a good thing this was his last dose of this stuff.

"Here, would you take my hand?" Kaito asked, even though they were almost halfway down all the stairs now. "It's dark and my leg is hurting like a motherfucker. I'm not expecting you to catch me, but it'd be easier to gauge where I'm stepping if I'm following your lead."

And also he wanted to touch Kokichi. Maybe he'd get to a point soon where he could just be like... 'Hey, give me your hand because your skin is soft and cold and I want you near me'...maybe soon even. Why not? Anything was possible! You just had to make it so!

"Well, I don't know anyone who works in the kitchen as well as the others. I wouldn't expect any of them to barge into my room, so I shouldn't do the same to their place of work?" Terrible reasoning. Ouma barged into everywhere else without a thought.

Actually... Ouma looked up at the dark ceiling in contemplation. "...I hope people will stop doing that. Or at least knock first? It's not just me anymore, and if you usually sleep in your underwear I'm gonna get sick of fending people off of my husband." Waking up to a wolf whistle did not sound like something he wanted to get used to.

Ouma took Kaito's hand without a fuss, actually a little relieved that Kaito admitted to pain...even if it was just a lie to hold his hand. The other prince had just taken a veeery powerful painkiller--nothing should be hurting like a motherfucker. But...he was happy to hold hands. It didn't make his heart pound like the casual kisses did, but it still felt special.

Kaito didn't squeeze the daylights out of him, but didn't act like his hand was made of glass either. It was just...a comfortable hold, somehow fitting together despite their size difference. Ouma gave Kaito's hand a gentle squeeze as they made it down the stairs, not letting go even at the bottom.

...people just...walked in on him? In his bedroom?...without even a knock?

Could Kokichi not lock people out?

...something in Kaito flashed dangerously, and, entirely unprompted and despite himself, Kaito could feel himself grinning...sharply. Predatory. He was a fucking Luminary Prince. And if Luminaries grew up knowing how to do anything, it was to make literally everyone think twice before crossing their boundaries.

Kaito, personally, hadn't used that habit for his own needs growing up, able to coast on his family's frightening reputation to have his privacy mostly respected by everyone (with the exception of...certain individuals). But that didn't mean he hadn't grown up watching his family bark, sneer, and bite to sustain that constant realm of vigilance and respect around them. It was honestly an uncomfortable thing to witness...

...But for Kokichi's privacy? For his respect?

Please, Atua. Let someone give him an excuse.

Enjoying the feeling of Kokichi's hand in his, Kaito gently pulled Kokichi slightly closer to himself as they got to the ground floor, not letting go of his hand now that the stairs were behind them. "Well, maybe we could start spreading a rumor that the scary, foreign Luminary gets real cranky when people just walk in on him and his husband. Though, a knock is really just common courtesy, especially for a couple. Even first thing in the morning...we could be up to anything in there," Kaito said, smirking.

...and then he said, "Oh, you know what? We should drop some food off at Maki and Shuuichi's room on our way back. I bet they'll be hungry when they wake up. Do you think we should drop off a sweet at Timothy's room too? Or maybe we shouldn't be encouraging him to eat sweets first thing..."

Ouma snorted softly, pressing against Kaito's arm for a moment. It really wasn't fair how warm he was. "I don't think we'll need to start a rumor like that, judging by the last couple days. No one came by to even pester me to come to meals. I don't think we'll ever be able to do something that would keep Denji from walking into wherever they please, especially since they're used to dragging me out of bed, but I only have to get all dolled up when I attend court and I don't do that very often."

"A-and, uh, I think people are pretty aware of...uh. Not barging in on couples." Ouma was sure his blush was visible in the dark, but the way he covered his face was more reflexive than purposeful. Sure, he had his fair share of pleasurable mornings just like anyone else, a-and he wouldn't mind doing things with Kaito in the future, but...

Ouma pressed his face against Kaito's arm with a quiet, flustered groan.

"Nngm. Maybe a small one. He's not thrilled to be here, I know, so maybe the occasional treat will make these early days a little more tolerable. He can hate everything else, but from what I can tell Timothy doesn't hate Dicean food."

Kaito chuckled at Kokichi's reaction. Too fucking cute. Seriously, the gods really were going to strike him down at some point, if he kept flustering the younger prince like this. It was just...too much fun, honestly. Kaito was going to miss it when Kokichi eventually became unphased by things like that.

Ah well. More reasons to enjoy it now.

"Oh, he'll get over it," Kaito said, entirely certain as they got to the kitchens, Kaito opening the door for Kokichi as the two let themselves in. "He's nine. He's got plenty of time to learn to love it here. Once he gets used to being here, maybe makes some friends, realizes that you guys aren't just, ya know...he just needs time. He'll get there." Getting into the kitchen, where a few kitchen staff were indeed there, it looked like they were starting the early process of bread-making. "And I'm glad one of us is enjoying Dicean food. Why do you guys cover literally everything in spice? All most things need is, just, like, a shit ton of butter. You can't even taste what the thing originally was underneath all the stuff you guys put on it."

Giving one of the kitchen staff a friendly wave, Kaito said, "Good morning! Anything already made? Just grabbing something to tide us over until breakfast. Oh, and have you guys got any pastries already made? We're gonna grab, um," Kaito did the mental math, "Five of whatever you got in regards to that too."

"You're kidding, right? Spices just bring out the flavor of whatever they're in. And can mask the flavor of something gross, if you're really good at cooking. Without spices things just taste...bland? Boring. Icky." Ouma stuck his tongue out at the thought of having just plain food. "You the type to staunchly divide everything on your plate too? Nothing allowed to touch."

Ouma quieted down after that, though, feeling the stares from the kitchen staff, though no one said anything. Isabella had said 'in and out' and it wasn't like they were gonna fuck around or anything. He was just extra hands to help Kaito carry everything! Especially since he was down one! He wasn't going to cause any trouble to anyone!

A red-haired woman with an intense expression dusted her hands off on her apron, walking up to the two with a brief nod. "Prince Kokichi, Prince Kaito, good morning. Even if it is certainly night for you two." She made a pointed glance down at Ouma's pajamas. "The dough for the morning's pastries is still setting, but I can give you some of the thumbprint cookies from last night. Preferable to waiting for an hour, I presume."

"Yes, please!" Ouma chirped, excited by the prospect of having a cookie now and then having a pastry for breakfast. "And the meal stuff, Kai-chan and Maki-chan and Shuu-chan slept through dinner, so it's just for them. We're acting as room service for the other two."

Understanding lit in the woman's eyes as she nodded once again. "We have potatoes prepped. I will make a hash with the steak from last night." Looking up to Kaito, she raised an eyebrow with something of an amused smile. "I'll hold back on the seasoning for you and yours, Prince Kaito. If you choose to eat plain spuds, then that is your choice to live with, regardless of the outcome." Nothing would stop her from adding salt and pepper though. Sometimes the customer was just plain wrong.

"Please wait outside--your food will be ready in ten minutes."

"We'll wait in here," Kaito said, an easy grin on his face. "I'm thinking of using these kitchens to try to learn how to cook in the future, so it'd be nice to start getting a sense of where everything is. I know you don't mind. Thank you so much!"

Taking Kokichi by the hand, Kaito took him to the other side of the room, next to the ovens where some of the bread had already been put in and was starting to bake. He did this because the spot was relatively out of the way, the bread smelled good, and the ovens were warm.

And because the ovens were still in the kitchen. And not leaving when told felt important to Kaito, right now.

Maybe it was dumb to care about this so much...but honestly, it felt good to be able to care about something this small but this personal right now. Too many issues for the last year had felt too big for Kaito. Ending the war, the marriage, moving to a strange land, asking his friends to give up everything they know and go there with him...then everything that had happened after they had arrived...all of it had been too big. And he had felt like he had less 'succeeded' at those things and more just...'survived' them. He could technically call himself, literally, a hero of the fifteen year war...but it didn't actually feel like he had done anything other than being dicked around by a bunch of other people who were actually influencing what was going on.

So, yes, making a statement that Kokichi could be in the kitchen whenever he damn well felt like it? Totally different kind of problem. One Kaito was way more comfortable with.

Watching the kitchen staff as they worked, ignoring the occasional looks they both kept getting, Kaito said, playing idly with Kokichi's fingers, "You really like cinnamon rolls, huh...maybe that could be my first cooking project then. I could ask Miss Catherine to teach me...then, when you're up late, doing a bunch of that running the kingdom shit, and you're just on your last straw, I could bring you a cinnamon roll and get you all..." Kaito kissed Kokichi's fingertips, "...energized again."

Chako's eye twitched in irritation as she glowered at the princes. "No, I do mind. If you're serious about learning how to cook, then you'll know well enough to not touch anything."

But she left them alone, getting right back to work and starting up their meals. Her issue wasn't so much that they were in the kitchen as that they might be in the way or contaminate something. However, for once, this wasn't something she'd get in trouble for. Isabella had notified all of them about the princes' possible appearance so there was no way this would get back to Aiichi and then to bite them in the ass.

At least they were keeping out of the way.

Ouma felt...strangely touched by the gesture. It would've been fine for them to wait outside, but by staying...maybe he'd be able to convince the kitchen staff to let him in more often. Maybe he'd actually get used to bringing in his dishes.

He sighed happily from the warmth of the ovens, breathing in the scent of fresh bread as he let Kaito play with his hand. Chuckling a bit, Ouma rolled his eyes and traced the bottom of Kaito's lips while his hand was still up there. "I would think you'd start with something more simple first. Like...how to crack an egg. How to boil water. Learn what measuring cups are."

Snickering a little more, he leaned against Kaito's side. "Once you can actually cook, though, that sounds nice. With my own personal pastry chef, your prediction about my weight actually might come true."

The little touch at his lips surprised Kaito: other than a few pecks here and there, usually in response to Kaito being too forward, that was the first time Kokichi had done anything remotely physically sexual back to him...well, not under the effect of a drug, anyway. Feeling encouraged, Kaito smirked down at Kokichi, putting his good arm around his shoulder, letting Kokichi rest against him as the two watched the hustle and bustle of the midnight crew.

"...right. Measuring cups," Kaito said, brow furrowing, "They have to measure all kinds of things, don't they. That's gonna take some learning. Bet I could cook an egg already though! How hard can it be? Ya just make the thing hot and crack the egg, right? Easy-peasy. Maybe I could try it now..." Kaito snickered. "Nah, best not. I know you all are pacifists and such, but I saw Maki in the expression of Miss Chef for a second there. She might actually fight me if I try touching any of her equipment. And somehow, I have a feeling that's a fight I'd lose."

Kaito liked the idea of filling Kokichi out a little more. It was a little...unsettling, being able to outline all the bones in Kokichi's body, whenever he was half-dressed. How tightly Kokichi's skin wrapped around his frame almost looked like it hurt. Kaito tried to imagine Kokichi getting thrown from a horse, and...just pulled Kokichi closer into his side.

He could understand King Aiichi, at least in regards to that protective feeling. He really could...

But. Still.

"You tried to teach yourself how to throw knives, right?" Kaito asked, keeping his voice low so that the kitchen staff couldn't overheard them. "Maki taught me and Shuuichi how to do that, a long time ago. You could get some expert advice from her, or, ya know...you could ask Shuuichi to show you how to do it. He'd probably have to touch your wrists and stuff, guide the movement in your body for the first couple of throws..." Kaito said, snickering. "You did say you thought he was pretty. Could be fun."

Ouma could ever so clearly see all the ways that could go wrong. Kaito getting too excited and just bursting the egg, getting it everywhere. Burning it to charcoal, or even somehow setting it on fire. Trying to flip an egg and smacking himself in the face with burning hot yolk... He should wait for a proper lesson.

But instead of commenting on any of that, Ouma looked up at his husband curiously. "Pacifists? Like...no one's gonna kill you or anything, but what gave you the idea that we're pacifists?"

Kaito was aware they'd fought back in the war, right?

...and, sure, maybe Ouma didn't like actual, purposeful fighting, but that was just him. Most of the others had little problem getting physical if a situation warranted it.

And then confusion turned to embarrassment. Ouma's cheeks flushed as he gave Kaito an unamused look. "We're married, Kai-chan. I'm not gonna goad Shuu-chan into doin' date-like stuff with me under any sort of guise. It doesn't matter how pretty he is." Then, under his breath, "I might still ask them, though. Gotta find somewhere where no one will see."

"Come on, he'd never actually do anything. And it's fun to tease him. He gets real embarrassed real easy," Kaito snickered, a warm affection running through him as he poked fun at his friend. If there was anyone in the world Kaito could trust Kokichi around, it was definitely Shuuichi.

Kaito raised an eyebrow at Kokichi's surprise at his labeling of them 'pacifists'. "Really? You all go around saying things like 'pain for one is pain for all', and you don't think you're pacifists? I mean, sure, with the war...maybe you, as a collective, aren't very good pacifists..." Kaito admitted. The front lines were bloody places. Luminary soldiers died every day, and Kaito knew full well Dicean soldiers could be bloody and cruel, when push came to shove...but all of that was in a different light now, knowing who their leaders were. If King Aiichi really believed things like 'offering a hand before raising a fist' and 'pain for one is pain for all' then...well, all those soldiers sent out to kill were moral sacrifices then. The Ouma family deciding that those beliefs didn't extend to those particular people.

And it made sense. Protecting your home required all sorts of sacrifices. But the Dicean soldiers were still making a different kind of sacrifice than Luminous soldiers were. The Luminous people believed in fighting. They believed in bloodshed, and murdering for the sake of honor. They didn't see anything wrong with it. All those Luminous soldiers would go back home being able to speak proudly and openly about the pain they had caused, the kills they had made. They'd be expected to be proud.

What kind of reception would a place like this give to a returning Dicean soldier?

"...but the way you all think is still pacifism. At least, the way everyone in this castle seems to think definitely is."

Ouma sighed a bit. "Those sayings are to help you think twice before starting a fight, to extend empathy to your enemy. 'Pain for one is pain for all' isn't just about battling, either. It means if someone is struggling, then there's something wrong with the whole system, so you shouldn't just ignore their suffering for your own comfort. In the context of a fight, it forces you to acknowledge that there will be consequences to whatever you do, so what you choose better be worth it."

"Aiichi spread the maxims to make sure that no one would ever be abandoned and to make people look outside themselves. They're idyllic, yeah, but not everyone abides by them, and people can apply meanings that work for them."

He wrinkled his nose a bit, having to agree with his father like this. But...having empathy wasn't a bad thing in his book. Sometimes violence was necessary, but your opponent was a person too. If something could be solved through other means, surely it was better to exhaust those than to end a life. So much could be replaced, but not that.

Leaning his head against the side of Kaito's chest, Ouma huffed softly. "And none of that means people don't still fight. There's a reason all the weapons in our kingdom aren't just decorative."

Kaito smiled down at Kokichi, enjoying his closeness. He honestly thought these were his favorite moments with the younger prince. Just talking about...whatever. Though, admittedly, this 'whatever' was probably a more serious conversation then either of them would want to acknowledge. After all, they were meant to be (at least to some extent, from Kaito's side of it) the next policy makers for the kingdom. It mattered to a lot of people how they viewed these things...

"It's not like Luminaries don't...value empathy. Sort of," Kaito said, not sure how he should word it. He didn't not understand what Kokichi was saying, he was pretty sure, but... "I guess all I'm saying is we have different ideas of what a fight is actually worth. I mean, I know I said I was going to abide by your ideas...and I am. I'm really trying. But...I can't stop the fact that sometimes what you all do seems wrong to me. Immoral."

Kaito frowned, not sure where this was coming from. He had already decided that he wasn't going to have these kinds of confessions to Kokichi, that he would keep those sorts of thoughts to himself. He had a responsibility here to him, after all. Maybe it was just how strong he felt right now...it was hard to think of why he should be afraid to voice them right now. So he said, "I should have killed Secretary Chisa. It was immoral to let her leave. I know you don't think that, and I didn't act on that belief because you don't...but I don't feel differently about it now either way."

Ouma nodded a bit, not surprised. They had extremely different backgrounds, putting it lightly, and the war had become an ideological one as well as a physical one along the way. The way Luminous people and Dicean people thought was completely different, at least on a grand scale. But that was why Aiichi had requested their marriage in the first place.

If he and Kaito could come to understand each other, maybe the people of their countries could too. However difficult it was.

This definitely wasn't a conversation to have in a corner of the castle kitchens, but Ouma didn't want to shelve it either. His eyebrows drew in, lips pressing together. "I don't know if it's your reasoning too, but... I don't feel right about just letting her leave either. It does depend a little on what your father decides to do, but she's still in a position of power. She doesn't regret what she did and it wasn't a moment of desperation--what she did was planned and actively malicious. It's not absurd to think she will just continue to hurt people in the future. It's only that she's not a Dicean citizen that she's basically allowed to go free--banishment is just all we can do, making sure she at least can't hurt any Dicean again. It's not much of a consolation, honestly."

"That's just objectively, though." Ouma crossed his arms around himself, a little doubt entering his expression as he subconsciously pressed even closer to Kaito. "Even with how awful ending someone's life is... I don't think I would've stopped you, if..."

He trailed off, not even really knowing how to explain the feeling he had. If it was something that was really there or just something he'd imagined to justify his morals. Even with how much she and Tengan had hurt him.

"...she...seemed excited that you would kill her. Like...the kind of face you make, watching someone fall into a trap you'd make. I didn't... You told me all about how they'd corner you and... I didn't want you to fall into another one of their traps. And once you'd pulled away, she looked disappointed. I don't know what's going on there if not just pure madness, but..." He sighed, feeling the weight of the decision he wasn't sure about. "Sorry. You never asked for my help."

Kaito didn't remember any of that. He had been too blind in his rage to really see her in that moment, had only been determined to get an apology out of her mouth to Kokichi before silencing her forever. The fact that he had even heard Kokichi in that moment, where everything had felt red, where the blade and the cut and the demand for the apology had been the only real thing among otherwise a haze of of fury...the only thing cutting through that haze being Kokichi, and Kaito's genuine desire to be a worthy spouse...

"If she wanted me to kill her, I wouldn't have ever known it," Kaito murmured. "I don't understand why someone would want to die. There's a worthiness in sacrificing yourself for the right thing, but that shouldn't equal a desire to do it, if that makes any sense...I don't know. If she was trying to trick me then she would have done it if you hadn't spoken out. And I did ask for your help, the night before the wedding. You're right, I did tell you they think around me a lot. And even if I don't feel good about what happened, that doesn't mean without your intervention it wouldn't have been worse, somehow. I just have to have faith that you saw something I didn't. So..."

Kaito buried his head into Kokichi's hair, enjoying the softness of it. The closeness of him. "...I'm sorry I put that decision in your hands," he said...before continuing, his tone steadfast. Serious. "But I did, and I probably would again, if it ever came to that. Not even counting my responsibilities as a spouse in your household, I've still sworn to abide by your ideas...which sucks, because that puts a lot of responsibility on you, and I'm sorry for that. I realize now that you probably never even realized that was what I was agreeing to do..." Kaito said, a sadness coming at the thought. All those extremely important moments...the decision to follow him at the greenhouse, the declaration to his god, the commitments of agreeing to marry someone a higher rank than yourself, which Kaito had spent most of his life never thinking he'd be asked to do...none of that had probably meant to Kokichi what it had meant to Kaito.

What was he supposed to do now? Just...pretend? Like those things didn't matter now?

"I did ask for your help. I asked for your help when I put my belief in you." And then swore to that belief in several extremely official settings. Settings that Kaito valued. "But that's kind of the double-edged sword of belief. It's, ya know...a responsibility to the person being asked to make the decisions..."

"Your food is ready!" said the head chef, all the staff having by this point just ignored the two's huddled whispering. "I'd appreciate you clearing out now. You're in the way of one of the oven doors."

That was the point Ouma had been stuck on. An excited lust for death, the mentions of madness and "fun and interesting things"... There was something there. Something dangerous that he didn't understand. Something he wouldn't be able to understand from scouring the castle library, he figured, but...his world would be opening up soon. Maybe, somewhere, there was something that would guide him in the right direction to what had overcome the secretaries. And then, he could make sure nothing people like that did would hurt anyone again.

Ouma took a deep breath, breathing in Kaito's scent...which smelled like his own lavender soap. He'd ask later if Kaito wanted to shop for anything different. But it was still comforting. "...I'm not used to people wanting my help, relying on me so much. I usually have to fight to be heard, so when you just did what I said...it felt like I was controlling you too. And I don't want that. I want to work together with you. But with a belief like yours..."

He peeked out of the embrace Kaito held him in, smiling up at his husband. "I'll do my best to be worthy of it. To not lead you astray."

Startling a little as the chef called out, Ouma flushed and broke away from Kaito. "Ah, thank you! See you all at breakfast!" He carefully picked up the tray holding three plates of steaming hot hash, three forks, and a bowl holding five thumbprint cookies, and turned to go. "Let's get these to the others before it gets cold, okay, Kai-chan?"

It was his choice to leave this time, not wanting to have an audience anymore, no matter how disinterested it was.

Kaito could feel his shoulders relax at that, an intense sense of relief coming from his husband's understanding. A declaration like that...it was more then he had been hoping for, by this point. Kaito hadn't been sure what he was going to do, if Kokichi had just decided to reject Kaito's commitments to him...

He'd have probably ended up just trying to read Kokichi's mind all the time. And that was a total landmine waiting to happen.

"You sure you got that? I could hold one of the plates if it helps," Kaito said, grabbing the door for him, giving the chef a toothy, somewhat shit-eating grin as he simply waved at her as the door closed behind them.

As they went upstairs, Kaito said, "Sorry, that got really heavy, didn't it. I'm just so awake right now. I feel like I could run a marathon. I mean, I couldn't." Kaito laughed as his body twinged and groaned at the exertion of going up the stairs. "But, like, also maybe I could. Ya know?"

Getting to Shuuichi and Maki's room, Kaito put a finger to his mouth before quietly trying the door, surprised it would be unlocked. He had thought they would have to leave the food outside the door. Peeking in to see to make sure that they were there, and he wasn't intruding on anything, he found the room was dark, and as they got in, he could see a figure curled into the bed...one figure...

A knife came to his throat. Without seeing who it was in the darkness, Kaito said, "It's just me Maki."

The knife immediately disappeared, and Maki, Kaito still unable to see her in the darkness of the room, asked, sounding tired and curious, "What are you doing here? Are you in trouble?"

Kaito smiled. "No, no, we brought food. Kokichi's right behind me. Sorry we woke you."

"Shh," Maki said, her voice much quieter than his. "Don't wake Shuuichi. It took a while to get him to sleep. Just put the food down somewhere. Thank you for your consideration, Kokichi. Kaito, go the fuck back to sleep already," she said, Kaito finally able to see her as she moved, heading back to bed.

I've got it," Ouma patiently said, knowing Kaito enough by now that he didn't have to suppress the urge to snap at him...too much. Sure he wasn't super strong, but the tray wasn't that heavy. He'd toted stacks of books way heavier from the library to his room. "I need someone to open doors for me, after all."

He still wasn't regretting it as they climbed the stairs, though he was glad that the food wasn't anything more...fluid. The hefty piles of potato, meat, vegetables, and egg stayed together pretty dang well.

Ouma rolled his eyes a bit. "It's something we needed to talk about, and while that wasn't the best time or place, it happened. And you're not going to do anything but drop these off with me, eat, then go back to sleep. You're on really heavy-duty painkillers, so even more than the dumb shit you get yourself into, I don't trust you to know the limits of your body right now."

As they came to Maki and Shuuichi's room (though they'd been given a room each, Ouma figured they, at least for tonight, were more comfortable staying together) Ouma stayed out in the hall for a good moment, silently laughing to himself as he heard the exchange inside.

"It was Kai-chan's idea," he whispered, quietly padding in and setting the tray down on a work desk in the room and removing two of the plates, placing a cookie from the bowl on each. "I came to be extra hands. Sleep well."

He picked the tray back up, aiming to leave it at that. Timothy's room was the next hall over, wanting to be close but not too close to the other Luminaries, so it'd be a quick walk over. One Ouma would probably make himself so Kaito could get started eating.

Just as quietly closing the door behind him again, Kaito followed Kokichi down the hall, ‘til they got to their room where the smaller man just stopped, looking at Kaito expectantly. Oh...okay. "I got it," Kaito said, still keeping his voice low as he opened the door before grabbing his own plate, keeping the door open with his foot. "You going to bring Tim his thing? Alright. If he gives you any shit, let me know. I'll pop him on the head for you. Or, I don't know, have a talk with him. Whichever."

Going back into the room, Kaito sighed, the door closing behind him. Going to sit at the desk, he started eating, at first hesitantly...then with renewed vigor as, with each bite, he realized he had been starving. The food actually tasted pretty good too. He appreciated the staff actually trying to make something that tasted more familiar to him. It wasn't quite like home, but, well, that didn't matter. It still tasted good.

Hopefully Timothy should be asleep at this time of night. Or morning. Or whatever entirely too late to be awake time it was. In any case, Ouma didn't plan on waking him up--kids needed their rest!!

It wasn't long at all before he stopped at the door he'd finally gotten someone to tell him was Tim's, though...there already was a cookie on a small dish just to the side of his door. It wasn't one of the thumbprints, but rather a simple sugar cookie, decorated with coarse sugar colored red. Maybe someone else was trying to ease their surprise new resident too...

...Kaito didn't have to know.

Kneeling to the floor, Ouma set the tray down and placed one of the thumbprints next to the sugar cookie. Two cookies instead of one wouldn't ruin a kid's appetite. And. Well. After a moment Ouma picked up the dish and slid the tray under it, taking the bowl they'd gotten from the kitchen with the last two thumbprints. He didn't need it to just carry a bowl.

On the return trip to his room, Ouma finally bit into his cookie, sighing happily. He'd mainly gone to make sure Kaito wouldn't strain himself, but this was a nice bonus too. Slipping into their room, Ouma placed the bowl and the last cookie next to Kaito's plate, nuzzling against his husband's shoulder a bit before heading back to bed.

Kaito grinned at Kokichi's affections, his food basically gone by this point, inhaled, watching Kokichi slip back under the covers, the lines and curves of his body outlined by the blanket on top of him as he settled in to rest. He was probably tired...

Kaito sighed slightly, popping the last bits of vegetable into his mouth a little while later, still feeling, just...wide awake. Going back to bed sounded like a herculean feat right then. He sort of wished he had something to occupy his time for a little bit, or maybe just some task to tire himself out enough to justify crawling back into bed and staring at the ceiling while his body tried to wind down. Maybe he could take out one of his books. Maybe one of his more trashy novels.

The thought of his novels brought to mind the restlessness in his body he had felt waking up from the forgotten wet dream now. The imaginings of Kokichi in the shower, which had been light, harmless things at the time, but now, sitting here in the mostly dark room, the light of the moon outside beaming in through the open curtains, Kokichi just...lying there. With his little soft breathing...it was harder for those imaginings to not affect him now. An itch inside of him, not urgent, necessarily, but...still present. Playfully annoying.

Getting up from his desk, the last of his food eaten, Kaito got back into bed, lying on his side as he looked at Kokichi's still form, turned away from him. Quietly, both trying to and not trying to disturb him, Kaito whispered, "...you still awake?"

Honestly, Ouma wasn't sure if he'd be getting back to sleep. He'd been tired when Kaito initially woke him up, but through preparing his painkiller and getting food, talking about how they would cooperate in their lives...he wasn't exactly sleepy. But he could at least try to relax for a few more hours.

Talking wasn't super lulling, but it did seem like a better way to pass the time.

Ouma rolled over, resting his head on his arm to look up at Kaito. "Usually takes me a bit to fall asleep. What's up? Have any more life conversations bouncing around your head?"

"Or did you just miss having an icicle stealing all your heat at night?" he smirked, shuffling a little closer though still not touching Kaito.

God...did Kokichi even know what he looked like?

It wasn't fair. His hair sprawled against the pillow. Those big, expressive eyes. Best of all, that little smirk that made Kaito's heart skip a beat. He lov-liked! He liked Kokichi best, when he seemed happy. Confident. Which was unfortunate, because so far, Kaito hadn't seen Kokichi look like that too often. Had really only seen the honest version of it when he was, funnily enough, at his most dishonest with Kaito. When he was Koh.

Remembering something Kokichi had said to him when he was Koh, Kaito reached out his hand, grasping Kokichi's own cold digits, squeezing them gently as he said, "I can't sleep."

Scooting in, ever so slightly, Kaito said, his voice a whisper, "Tell me a lie."

Ouma raised an eyebrow for a moment before squeezing Kaito's hand back, humming softly as he thought. A bedtime story...never thought he'd be the one telling them.

"Hmm... Well, no one really plays with me these days, but when I was little and between being sick, sometimes people would indulge me for a little bit."

That part was actually true, but the best lies were always somewhat rooted in reality. Something that feasibly could've happened, but didn't. "Have you ever played Sardines? It's like reverse hide-and-seek, sorta. Instead of one person seeking and everyone else hiding, one person hides and everyone else seeks. Only, when someone finds the hider, they have to hide with them, and it continues until the last seeker finds everyone, and then they're the hider for the next round."

He snickered a little bit, already seeing where this lie would go. "It can get pretty silly. So, anyway, I was, maybe, like six or seven? And even smaller than I am now, so I'm the bane of any adult-seeker's life. I was taking my turn at hiding, and at the time the greenhouse was getting some work done on its roof--some of the glass had cracked, so it was getting replaced."

"But it's on the roof of the castle! Hard to get to. So the contractors we hired to fix it had this, like, little platform they could raise and lower along the side of the castle." Ouma grinned mischievously, figuring now Kaito could see where the story was going. He snuggled a little closer to his husband, pulling Kaito's outstretched arm to his chest. "Don't worry! It was only on the third floor, but, obviously, something like that is the perfect place to hide."

"I climb through a window that happens to be right above the platform and, once I'm on it, crouch down so I can't be seen through the window and the siding of the platform hides me from anyone outside looking up."

"It totally took like an hour for anyone to find me! Waku-chan found me first, and since she's small too we're still all good and hidden. Then Kyuu-chan--you haven't met him--and Ikuo-chan, and they're like, you know, not tiny, but still kinda short? They could still hide alright. Sei-chan--you haven't met him either--was next, but he's kinda tall, so we made him sorta lie down across the platform--and he was not happy about it. Sei-chan is kinda grumpy all the time, but he was pretty pissed. Kyuu-chan kept teasing him that he hadn't found me first too, and when they start fighting it can last hours."

He rolled his eyes a little. That was true too. The two guards always argued over the pettiest things, to the point even Ouma got tired of it. But...he did miss it now. The last he heard they both were fine so...hopefully he'd get to hear it again soon.

"So, we keep gathering people, and though the platform is heavy-duty, it starts groaning a little. People were starting to get a little nervous, but, like, no one wants to give up the game. We'd been up there for around two hours, Sei-chan's legs are starting to fall asleep. And Mukimuki-chan still hasn't found us. She's not bad at hiding, but Lake has alllllways sucked at finding things."

"Another hour goes by. We haven't even heard her shouting about how 'The Hero of Justice can always find those in need!' in ages." Quite enjoying Kaito's warmth and closeness, Ouma pressed himself against Kaito, smirking up at the man. "Turns out, Lake-chan left to go get Nazumi-chan, who, like the total opposite, can find everything. Apparently, once they came back to the castle, it didn't even take ten minutes for Nazumi-chan to poke her head out of the window and see us all out there, crammed into the tiny space."

"Ah, I actually wish that wasn't a lie. Sounds like fun," he giggled.

Kaito grinned through the story, able to picture it easily. A little Kokichi, playing recklessly with all of his caretakers, all the adults in his life who loved him. He could imagine the concern about his chosen hiding space, but that concern overridden by the fun of the chase, the community of everyone piling in, a literal wall of people, all rallying around Kokichi, determined to finish the game.

And that bittersweet ending, the reminder that it hadn't been real...but that was part of the fun of listening to Kokichi tell a story. It was fun, getting wrapped into it, even if it hadn't happened.

"You really are good at that," Kaito said, taking up Kokichi's hand and kissing the fingers. One at a time. The chill of them cooling against his lips. Kaito felt a small uplift in the skin against one digit, a small, healing scab, and, realizing that was the finger that Kokichi had bled from in the binding ceremony, almost entirely healed over now, Kaito kissed that digit twice, lingering on it...before letting go of his hand, freeing up his arm to get up onto his elbow, leaning over to kiss Kokichi, enjoying the small taste of him, once, again, as he said, "You tell beautiful lies."

Kissing Kokichi's cheek, then up at his ear, Kaito said, "Ya know, if we're not gonna sleep...I want you to tell me another lie. But this time it's gonna be kind of a game, okay? If you're up to it." Kaito leaned away to give Kokichi a look in his eyes, brow furrowed slightly in concern. "We don't have to. We can go to sleep. It's up to you."

Getting so close to Kaito might've backfired a little. With each delicate kiss to his fingers Ouma shivered slightly, certainly not helped by the fact that Kaito clearly appreciated the story. Had requested a lie.

And...well, Kaito would have to have more than just his arm broken to miss the shudder that went down Ouma's spine at the proper kiss. But he didn't draw back in embarrassment. In fact, with the kiss to his cheek then ear, Ouma only pressed closer. Barely ghosting his lips against Kaito's jaw.

"What sort of game?" he murmured, equally curious and...excited. It was so foreign to be this close to someone else, to be so affectionate. For worries to feel so far away in the moment. It was just them, a married couple, lying in bed together, talking quietly and exchanging soft touches. "I can't decide if I wanna play or not if I don't know what it is."

Kaito smiled at the small press of lips against his chin, there and then gone again. So soft. So shy. Kaito felt his own need get deeper, getting excited now that he was more certain Kokichi didn't seem entirely against the idea.

Playing with Kokichi's hair, picking up the strands and entwining themselves through his fingers as he leaned, placing a kiss on Kokichi's shoulder, he said, "It's a simple game. You tell me," a small kiss at Kokichi's collarbone, where bruises from an incident that felt like forever ago now still lingered, causing Kaito to pause only a moment before he kissed the little spot of bruises as well, light and gentle, "You tell me a story. About the first time anyone's ever crawled under the covers with you, to touch you up and down, to draw little noises out of you..." Kaito said, kissing at Kokichi's jaw, and then his mouth again, breathing him in a moment before breaking it, "And then at the end of each part of the story, I tell you if it’s a lie or not and try to guess what actually happened."

O-oh

Ouma could feel his cheeks heating up, but...he didn't want to shy away. He liked it when Kaito touched him like this, certainly there but gentle. Not treating him like he'd break, but rather...like he was something special. Something that deserved the proper care when handling.

His breath hitched a little and Ouma tentatively put a hand on Kaito's waist, though he pouted a bit. "That's an easy game for you. You know you're the only person I've ever done anything with."

If what Kaito meant was taking innocent, mundane stories and twisting them into something a little...uh...more like what they were doing now, then... For as much of a liar Ouma was, he wasn't sure he could do that. If he could tell a sensual story, or if he could put anyone else into a story like that without totally ruining the mood for himself.

Drawing up his courage, Ouma leaned in this time to kiss Kaito, trying to copy what his husband did so effortlessly. He wasn't so confident that he could look Kaito in the eye, but he did try to lower his voice into something...fitting. "You're an awful liar, so...why don't we try to work on that?"

"A lie works when all the pieces are things that could've happened, but didn't," he murmured, pressing another, shorter kiss to Kaito's lips, "or just didn't happen the way you're telling it. Maybe even make it something you wish happened--that way your feelings aren't the things you're lying about."

Licking his lips and biting the bottom one nervously, Ouma glanced up at Kaito. "Why don't you tell me a story of your favorite time we were together?"

Kaito grinned. "Alright," he said, chuckling, "As you wish. But you remember, you were the one who pointed out I'm bad at lying. So no getting all judge-y if my lies don't make any sense."

Kaito wanted to touch Kokichi. More than the limits of having to rest on his one good arm could allow. While a part of him was worried that changing their positions would break the alluring atmosphere between them (he had been in far too many situations where something could have happened, but some little thing broke the illusion, either for himself or his intended partner), he needed to get around this particular obstacle first, so it wouldn't come up later.

"Well...my favorite time we were together...hard to pick from all of them...oh. I know," Kaito said, kissing Kokichi on the forehead real quick before drawing away, sitting up against the headboard, moving the pillows around to allow himself to comfortably lean slightly back, his legs loosely criss-crossed. "You remember that festival a little while back? They were having those big fireworks down at the park, all ready to go off as soon as the sun went down? It was just starting to get dark, and even though we were originally going to go early to get a good spot, meeting up with our friends there, whoops," Kaito lightly tapped his forehead, rolling his eyes, "your bonehead husband ended up taking too long to get ready. He just couldn't pick between his black belt or brown belt. Then, wouldn't you know it, the pants he picked didn't even have any belt loops? Total blunder on his part. So, there was just no way we were going to make it down there in time to see the start of the fireworks going off, you know?"

Kaito gave Kokichi a warm look, adoration plain on his face as he continued on.

"So, you got that brilliant idea that, if we couldn't see the fireworks at the park with everyone, we could at least climb up to the roof from one of the balconies and watch the fireworks from there. But it wasn't safe to bring up any kind of chair, so instead your husband so valiantly brought up a blanket to cover you from the cold in, and let you use him as a seat, right?"

He patted his lap with a grin, offering Kokichi his spot.

Ouma giggled quietly. Kaito was better at this than he'd thought. He pushed their blankets down, getting up to sit in Kaito's lap. "I'll never understand how you take a century just to pick out clothes. At this point you'd think I'd have learned to tell you that whatever we're doing is like an hour before it actually is. Maybe then we'd finally be on time for something."

Ouma tipped his head back onto Kaito's collarbone, carefully arching his back so he wasn't leaning onto his injured arm. With just a moment of hesitation, he spoke up again, lightly running his hands down Kaito's legs around him. "Hey, did you ever think I'd already thought of that, though?"

"I like spending time with our f-friends, but sometimes I want some time just with my husband, you know? I could've pointed out that you didn't need a belt at any time, but I didn't. Whoops."

...as a lie, it worked, but for...he didn't know. Creating a mood? Having a little more of an excuse to cuddle and touch? For something like that...was he doing it right? He did like being in Kaito's lap, he found, but... As he kept pointing out, he was horribly inexperienced, and it just kept hitting him harder since there was no aphrodisiac guiding him this time.

"Tsk. Really, you were perfectly content to just sit there and let me make a fool of myself, huh?" Kaito snickered, placing a teasing kiss on Kokichi's neck, slipping his hand underneath Kokichi's shirt. "You're a sneak, you know that? You're lucky you're cute."

Running his fingertips up and down Kokichi's stomach, he continued. "So, we're sitting there, and we can hear the festivities far below. There's music and the laughter of the crowd. We can see the lights on the streets, lanterns being lit as the sun sets, the sky this...beautiful orange and purple, bleeding against each other as black stars start to overtake them. And I feel a little bad, because it does sound like everyone's having a lot of fun down in town, and I wanted to get to see you have fun with a bunch of people, dancing and just being carefree for awhile, like at our wedding..."

Kaito re-thought it, thinking of Kokichi's advice about lying earlier... And...not certain if he should do this, but… Wrapping his arm around Kokichi's waist, pulling him closer to himself, he said quietly, "Actually, I'm getting my memories mixed up. This wasn't the festival. We went to the hill for the festival, right? This...this was the wedding, wasn't it. You should have reminded me, Kokichi. Of course it was..."

"We had been dancing at the wedding, enjoying the crowd. That one guy almost tangoed me to death, but..." Kaito smiled, the feeling a little sadder. Did lying about almost true things, things you wished were true...always make people sad? This was harder than Kokichi made it look...but he kept on. "...but Maki got between us. You know how she gets. She's real protective. So Maki starts trying to argue with the guy, but he's so drunk that he thinks she's offering to dance, and he takes her up on it, and whoosh! Off they went. And...you and me were laughing at her predicament, when a woman came to us with glasses of water...but Shuuichi came up and took her aside. We asked him what was wrong, but he told us not to worry about it. Said he was on it. And we decided to trust him on it, and left it alone. It was our big day after all. Why not enjoy ourselves?"

"So, we danced and partied, but we were getting tired, so we went back up to the castle, and you said you wanted to show me your favorite spot on the roof, to watch the fireworks they were gonna shoot off in celebration of the wedding. Yeah. That's what happened...we were watching our wedding fireworks...and you seemed so happy. You were covered in sweat and I was a little drunk and we were giggling over something you had said, and I was holding you close, like this..."

Kaito kissed at Kokichi's ear, his cheek, running his hand up and down his husband's stomach, before taking his hand out from under his shirt, taking it to grasp Kokichi's chin, tilting Kokichi's head to him, looking at him...remembering what he looked like in that wedding robe thing that Kaito still didn't know the name of.

Beautiful. Almost hauntingly so.

"And we had talked about holding off on doing anything physical after the wedding. Why not? There was no pressure to hurry, and whose business was it anyway, what we did? Fuck that stupid law. But I just...couldn't stop looking at you in the glow of that sunset. I kept thinking: how did I get this lucky? I think I even asked you that, and you gave me this stupid smart-alec response that made me laugh. What did you say again...?"

"I-I've been told once or twice." The smarmy comment didn't really sound like one, not with how Ouma's breath hitched, his stomach quivering for a moment under Kaito's touch. Kaito was always warm, but his fingertips felt like the comforting heat of a fire against his abdomen. He shifted a little in Kaito's lap, hands settling on the larger man's knees.

However, his nerves were distracted for a moment, Ouma looking up at Kaito almost in alarm. The wedding? ...ah. ...maybe it would be nice for a moment, to live in this lie and turn that story into one with a happy ending. Lifting one of his hands, Ouma placed it over Kaito's, tracing his fingers and pausing to rub his wrist for a moment.

Despite being a political marriage, they'd been excited for it. They were still getting used to each other, but it was pleasant, just deciding to let feelings develop naturally rather than rush everything. They'd gotten to have fun, spend the reception with Shuuichi and Maki and just...have a great time.

Ouma pressed his cheek into Kaito's hand, easily craning his neck to look back at his husband with a soft look. "I told you it was pretty rude to say someone else's thoughts aloud, shitty esper. That night might've been the most fun I've ever had, and a whole lot of it was due to you. You didn't have to do anything for our marriage to go through, but you wanted to get to know me anyway. You wanted to be friends. You wanted to hear what I had to hear. Obviously, I'm the lucky one in this arrangement."

And...that part was true.

Ouma leaned in, pressing his lips to Kaito's, breathing his husband in, even if he tasted like the hash he'd eaten.

Kaito chuckled, a warmth of affection blossoming in his stomach. "Yep. That was it," he said, kissing him back, getting warmed up into the lie now that the harder part of it was done. "You said that, and that was it. I had to touch you. I kept waiting for you to tell me to stop. I kept worrying I was rushing you, kissing you over and over, running my hand over your skin..." he said, doing both things, "and you were definitely shy. It was really cute, actually. But you seemed to like it, so I got...really bold. It had become completely dark, us touching each other, exploring each other under the safety of that darkness...but, as soon as the first firework went up, I trailed my hand down your happy trail~"

Petting that little line of hair, Kaito kissed Kokichi, pushing his hand down below the waistband of his PJ's, past his underwear, taking Kokichi's dick into his palm, rubbing his fingers up and down it. Playful and exploring.

"~and did that. I was so nervous you were gonna just push me off the roof right then and there." Kaito chuckled, a flush coming to his face, running his fingers on the underside of Kokichi's shaft, massaging as he looked into Kokichi's eyes, curious. Wanting to see his reactions to slow stimulation, so different from the mad haze of the drug.

"...h-hah..." The sound that came out of him was quiet, stuttered, a fitting accompaniment to how his thighs jolted for just a moment, closing before relaxing. Kaito had touched him there before, but...only once, and under...questionable circumstances, even if Ouma had liked it.

It was soooo different from touching himself. Obviously. Kaito's hand was bigger, rougher, almost...magic in how the heat of his hand sparked a flame in Ouma's belly, one that he was sure would grow the more Kaito touched him, sharing more of that wonderful warmth.

Still. He didn't want to look desperate just from a little cheeky touching. Swallowing, Ouma steadied his breathing, running his hands down Kaito's thighs again. "I'd never had anyone do anything like that with me before; of course I'd be nervous."

He was now too, but without the excuse of not having done anything before. "I liked everything you did, everything you said. I, uh..." he laughed awkwardly, glancing away from Kaito in embarrassment, feeling his dick start to come to life the more Kaito rubbed him. "I think I got a little too excited when you'd...c-compliment me. Every time you did, I'd just...you know. Get more turned on."

He had a fucking praise kink. Maybe a choking one too, but considering the last time...he wasn't going to mention that. Or the pleasure he got from having Kaito cum in his ass. Those were...er, maybe things to talk about...much later.

"...I know we...nuuuum... We talked about it, but I wanna be better about taking care of you than I did that time."

Kaito considered this, trying to think of how it might work into the fantasy, enjoying the fun of watching Kokichi's face go red, watching him try to collect himself, as if Kaito couldn't feel the tremble against his body. Burying his face into the crook of Kokichi's neck, breathing him in, Kaito ran his hand up and down Kokichi's cock, running his fingers teasingly under Kokichi's balls, then back up, pressing his palm down on Kokichi's tip, then back down his shaft again, kissing into Kokichi's neck as he thought about it.

"...you were so beautiful that day. So...good. And so...attentive...willing to listen," Kaito said, breathing into Kokichi's ear before, risking his arm (he knew he was going to pay for this in the morning, and could not bring himself to even kind of care), he maneuvered his cast around Kokichi's waist, grasping Kokichi's shirt with his free hand, changing Kokichi's position slightly to be sitting on his lap at an angle, all so that Kaito could carefully watch Kokichi's expressions.

"I told you to take off your shirt, and you only fussed at me a little bit before you finally did it, letting that cool air touch your skin..." Kaito said, leaning down to kiss Kokichi, darting his tongue in a bit, taking a moment to breathe Kokichi's air, selfishly taking it for himself until he could feel Kokichi's pulse start to race through the vein of his dick, finally pulling back to let him catch his breath back. "Well?" he said, smirking, "That's the truth, right? You started taking off your clothes?"

He knew Kaito probably liked it, but Ouma tried to keep his noises to a minimum; it just flustered him further to hear the little gasps and whimpers coming out of his mouth. But, especially as Kaito began to praise him, a minimum certainly didn't mean zero.

"Mmm...ahh..." W-was it okay that he was starting to get hard already? Kaito just felt so good, made him feel good. Ouma couldn't help shifting more than just how Kaito guided him, inadvertently grinding back against Kaito's crotch a bit. He eagerly kissed back when Kaito leaned down, nipping a bit at his tongue, chasing it with his own as his head went a little dizzy, his dick twitching in Kaito's grasp.

Ouma panted as they parted, gripping his shirt with slightly shaking hands, managing something of a smirk himself back at Kaito. "I did, but I think you're forgetting that I agreed to only if you'd take off your pants too. I tried to bargain for your shirt too, but Kai-chan had a moment of brilliance, knowing that I'd throw it off the roof if it wasn't on his body."

He pulled off his nightshirt at that, hesitating for a moment before sliding his shorts and underwear down his legs, not sure if he was moving too fast for the story since Kaito had only called out his shirt. But...the waistband for both were already stretched and sliding down from the intrusion of Kaito's hand. It wasn't that much of a difference for Ouma to be sitting naked in his lap.

Tentatively, he reached around and slipped a few fingers just barely past Kaito's waistband, looking up at him for the go-ahead.

Kaito felt his grin split his face, excitement fluttering him as he watched Kokichi obey, the Luminary Prince watching Kokichi's movements with wide, predatory eyes, his heart starting to thump in his chest. "Good," Kaito whispered, almost forgetting the game for a moment, letting go of Kokichi's dick to run his hand up Kokichi's front, moving his hand from Kokichi's stomach to his chest, running his hands up Kokichi's neck, letting his fingers rest at Kokichi's jawline, only jealous that the Dicean had to look down, away from Kaito, to get rid of his clothes...Kaito wanting his eyes on him. "Very good."

Then he laughed at Kokichi's adlib, some of the predator pulling back. "I knew my mischievous new husband wasn't above pulling a prank on me for our first time," Kaito said, kissing Kokichi as he let go of his jaw, running his hand up and down Kokichi's inner thigh. "But yeah. I agreed to his terms. After all, I had my own demands I was going to make that night."

Kaito adjusted his shoulder, pushing Kokichi's chest up, exposing more of his neck (Kaito, as was obvious by this point, sort of had a thing for Kokichi's neck. The pulse of his throat against Kaito's kisses was exciting. Intoxicating), kissing gently against Kokichi's jugular, which he could feel bob against him...before moving to his collarbone and, ever so gently, biting it. Kokichi's dick back in his hand, his thickening mass played with around Kaito's fingers.

Satisfied with the new mark, Kaito drew away, looking down at him curiously. Amused by and adoring Kokichi's hesitant attempts to participate. "Well...go on then," Kaito said, smiling, relieved at the idea of his arousal getting some breathing room.

He was already hard enough that when Kaito let go of him, Ouma's cock stayed raised, obviously aroused, as if Kaito couldn't already tell from touching him. He parted his legs a little, giving Kaito free rein to rub between his thighs all he wanted as he laughed against his husband's lips. "Even then you'd figured out that I'd never give up an opportunity for a prank, huh?"

Ouma was already following along with the story Kaito told, but the promise of more demands... He remembered how eager he'd been to do pretty much anything Kaito told him to do last time, how the fire in his belly grew bigger and bigger with the growls and sharp grins. Apparently that wasn't just due to the aphrodisiac.

Ouma shuddered as Kaito kissed along his neck, hitting all sorts of sensitive spots he hadn't known about, even shivering enough to buck into Kaito's hand when he bit him. He'd seen the marks along his neck and chest in the mirror when he'd finally gotten the chance. And was definitely never going to speak about how he'd lit up red and couldn't hide a pleased smile no matter how hard he tried.

...fuck, Kaito wouldn't connect how his dick throbbed with the thought of gaining more marks, right?

Trying to distract himself, Ouma pulled at Kaito's pants, fingers hooked under his boxers too as he slid them down...only to stop not even halfway down his bruised, but still very toned thighs, and not just because seeing Kaito's dick made his mouth water and thighs shake. It was kind of hard to take off pants when you were sitting cross-legged.

Though...not wanting to waste time being even more nervous, Ouma sat himself back down in Kaito's lap, now purposefully pressing his bare backside to Kaito's exposed cock.

"Good job," Kaito whispered, "You're so beautiful. I can't believe I get to have you...I can't believe someone like you is m i n e."

Kaito was...starting to struggle to focus.

Well, no, that was the wrong way of putting it. He was starting to have a hard time focusing on anything else. Anything that wasn't his husband's body against him. It was such a tease. He wanted to grab him. Bend him over the bed, rock against him, let Kokichi gasp and shake beneath him as Kaito took what was his...

Fucking arm.

Pulling his hand away from Kokichi, he used it to readjust his own stiffening dick, laying it upright against Kokichi's back. It was actually funny, feeling it laid against him like that. Kaito had never really felt like his dick was overwhelmingly large before, if maybe just above average, based on his partners over the years. But against Kokichi's frame, it almost seemed like a mismatch. Like it shouldn't fit against him.

Which made him remember… Kaito looked over at the damn tub of lube Kokichi's weird, control-freak father had given them. A part of Kaito had wanted to get rid of it because of how uncomfortable its source had made him...but, fuck it.

Kokichi was his. It didn't matter how involved, how in control, Tengan or Aiichi or anyone else felt they were over this relationship. They weren't here.

Kokichi was h i s.

"First of all," Kaito said, taking two of his fingers, his index and middle finger, and bringing them up to Kokichi's face, talking into his ear. "Suck. Run your tongue as much as you can across them, okay? And while you do that...you can feel me against you, right? ...move your backside up and down me. Just a bit."

He could remember just being in awe of how large Kaito was, eager and greedy and sort of astonished that he'd managed to fit it in him. Now, simply feeling Kaito's cock laid up against his back...how had they managed to make it work?! His rectum was only so big, right? Could only stretch so much. Would be wrapped tight around that cock, straining to fit every inch, his rings unused to such girth, trying to close but being forced to remain open around--

"Nnngggm..." The louder moan escaped him before Ouma could think to stifle it, his length swelling just about to his full size. He wanted to touch himself, but this time he wouldn't be able to keep going after he spilled. And Kaito had teased him almost unbearably the last time he tried to take care of himself...

Shivering in his husband's lap, Ouma took his fingers into his mouth almost before Kaito said anything, wanting to do anything he asked of him, wanting to bring Kaito to the same level of pleasure so he wouldn't have to worry about accidentally cumming early. To distract himself from his heated, throbbing prick, Ouma held Kaito's arm, rubbing his wrist and forearm as he sucked the fingers in his mouth, laving his tongue generously over them and letting saliva pool in his mouth.

It was a bit harder trying to fulfill Kaito's other request. With how he was seated in his lap, Ouma couldn't get much leverage, but, well, he had to try! His husband had asked! Digging his heels into their bed, he managed to, sort of, gently bounce himself in Kaito's lap, feeling the root of his shaft and his balls moving against his butt, but mostly feeling the majority of Kaito's dick rubbing against the back of his hips.

Groaning in frustration, Ouma reached around himself and hefted his bottom up a little, trying to pleasure Kaito properly.

"Hey, hey now, that's okay," Kaito said, taking his hand from Kokichi's eagerly sucking mouth, moving Kokichi's arm and pulling it away from his ass, gently placing it on Kokichi's stomach. "If it's too hard, you don't have to. Thank you for trying. Just let me take care of you. Alright...just trust me, okay...bend over now... Try to stay in my lap, but bend your whole body down. Good boy..."

Kaito, endlessly pleased with Kokichi's compliance, gently pushed at Kokichi's back, his husband now on his stomach, his knees tucked under him, ass high and up, facing Kaito. It looked a little like a submission bow. Kaito wished that he didn't find that thought as arousing as he did… He banished it away. The idea too uncomfortable for him to explore.

And, because he had mostly wanted Kokichi to suck on his fingers because he hadn't been able to resist watching him do it, rather than actually needing the lubricant, Kaito reached over to the nightstand, grabbing the actual lubricant that was left there.

Popping the top, Kaito took a healthy amount onto those same two fingers, tracing them up and down Kokichi's ass, rubbing the lubricant around his hole as he said, a soft hum in his voice, "Remember, you can always tell me to stop. You can tell me to slow down. You can tell me anything you want, really. I don't want to hurt you..."

Kaito pushed the first finger in, feeling around. He couldn't tell if the hole was any looser from the last time. He had heard from plenty of sources, books and such, that the asshole got looser with each sexual experiment...but in Kaito's personal experience, he had never really found that to be notably true, and the pattern held up here as well, Kokichi still feeling tight around his finger.

Kaito leaned and kissed Kokichi's lower back, noting the curve and edges of his spine with a small frown. He really was just going to start feeding Kokichi as much as he could. ...he looked like he would break with one wrong move… Kissing him again, Kaito murmured, "You ready? Next one in."

He pushed the second finger in with the first, running circles around Kokichi's hole. Pushing the fingers in and pulling them out slowly, carefully. Smiling at the trembling in Kokichi's body.

Two had been enough last time, but...last time Kaito was struggling to keep up with the sheer desperation of Kokichi's need. Had rushed this part just because Kokichi had seemed like he was going to lose his mind if he didn't. Now, it was probably better to make sure he would be good. "Next one...tell me if it's too much. Don't be afraid to say stop..."

He pushed in the third finger, and like he had worried, this one came with a lot more resistance. This one took a little doing, and the whole time Kaito frowned, worrying that he was hurting him. Eventually, the fingers started sliding in and out easily, and Kaito took a breath of relief. It wouldn't be perfect prep for Kaito's member, but it would help a great deal.

Removing his fingers, Kaito placed another loving kiss on Kokichi's back...before almost growling, "Your turn."

Kaito's dick was hard. Honestly, it probably didn't need any more attention, and Kokichi would probably feel less pain if Kaito didn't ask for any more... But Kaito couldn't resist seeing Kokichi try to take it into his mouth again. He just had to see it. Just a...Kaito shifted uncomfortably with his need, saliva pooling the back of his jaw...just a little bit.

"Turn around."

He almost wanted to protest, to plead that he could do it! He could make Kaito feel good too! But...even with lust rising, that felt too far. For them both. And, really, it didn't matter too much when Kaito gave him more to do.

It was easy to bend over, contorting himself having never been something Ouma had ever struggled with. Really, the most uncomfortable thing about the ball he was tucked into was how his dick was pressed against his abdomen. Ouma knew what was about to come, but his hips shook even before Kaito started from the struggle to keep from grinding himself against his thighs. As much as he wanted to chase pleasure, what he would get if he was patient was much better.

He hummed eagerly when Kaito started rubbing between his cheeks, shifting himself to spread a little more for him. Ouma wasn't sure if it would be the same now that he'd experienced Kaito's cock, but he'd been rather satisfied with fingers before.

"I trust you... I want this, I want you, Kai-chan," he groaned, his hole twitching as Kaito's fingers swiped past it. "I like being yours, inside and out."

The next thing to come out of his mouth was a pleased moan, his body accepting a finger. He hadn't felt particularly empty or anything, but...having something of Kaito's in him just felt right. Like he belonged there. Or, rather, that Ouma felt right being around his husband. The second finger, though the stretch made him shudder a little, just increased that feeling.

The third, however, was a little bit of a surprise, and was a bit of a different case.

"Mmm!" He shut his eyes tightly, fisting the blanket under him as he struggled to take in the third finger. "Slow--uung!" It was...tight. Ouma could feel his body protest a bit...but also enjoy it. He could feel a bit of wetness on his belly, realizing that he was getting wet over his asshole being stretched. And, as he started to loosen, his strained groans turned pleasured again, pushing back against Kaito's hand as he worked him.

A whine escaped from his ever-laxing control as Kaito pulled out, but Ouma couldn't even really register how quickly he turned around at the command. He needed to be slicked up as well, after all, and Kaito had made such pretty noises the last time Ouma had tried to blow him.

Not bothering to wait to adjust, Ouma laid down on his stomach and lowered his head into Kaito's crotch. He still went slowly, keeping his jaw more relaxed this time, but he didn't stop just past the head. Instead, Ouma filled his mouth with his husband's length until he could feel the tip hit his throat, starting to swallow just as he'd been taught.

Kaito covered his mouth, his face bright red, almost...overwhelmed...at the speed of Kokichi's obedience, his immediate start in trying to take all of Kaito in. Kaito could feel his whole body trembling, wanting, so badly, to do more. He wanted to put Kokichi on his back...wanted to feel him squirm against him, beneath him. He wanted to hear Kokichi beg him to please...

God damn fucking arm.

"Ha...hah..." Kaito huffed, his small gasps coming more from his attempt at controlling himself, from not leaping onto Kokichi. His heart was pounding in his chest. He wanted more...more control...more of Kokichi. His Kokichi...inside and out… It was almost cruel, how much more of Kokichi he wanted, when his husband was clearly already giving him all he could give...

"S...so good...Just like that. Good job," Kaito praised, reaching out, running his hand through Kokichi's hair, entangling his fingers into those uneven strands. "God...I can just...feel inside of you...re..." Kaito swallowed...he shouldn't do this next part. It was unkind. Kokichi was trying so hard, already...but he wanted it so bad... "R-remember what I told you the first time? Just...just pinch me, okay? Pinch me and it stops. I n-never want to hurt you..."

He said this, feeling the hypocrisy of the statement as he curled his fingers around Kokichi's hair, pushing his husband down further, feeling Kokichi start to choke around him. He could feel the saliva building in Kokichi's mouth, as his body tried to take down whatever its dumbass host (or, in this case, its dumbass host’s even more insufferable husband) was trying to shove down it, Kokichi trying to breath through the mass of it. "En~nnngh..." Kaito swallowed, eyes wide, watching Kokichi's expression with lustful anticipation. He imagined just...shooting his load now. Coating Kokichi's throat with it...

It might hurt him, it might hurt him, stop it, listen to that sound. you're hurting him.

Kaito took his hand away from Kokichi's hair like the younger prince’s skull was made of hot iron, his body trembling both from nerves and arousal. "Ar...are you okay?" he asked. "We can slow down if you need a break."

Feeling more focused this time, Ouma stroked whatever of Kaito he couldn't fit in his mouth. Which...was still a good bit, both because Kaito was big and Ouma's mouth wasn't. Still, he sucked the cock in his mouth almost reverently, dipping down as much as he could, natural instinct keeping him from really deepthroating his husband.

But...he was still doing well, he could tell, by the sounds Kaito made, from his quickened pulse throbbing against his lips and tongue. His husband was panting and groaning because of him. Because he wanted him. Because Ouma was doing a good job getting him all hot and bothered.

He couldn't hum without his throat hurting, but Ouma huffed a happy breath when he felt Kaito's fingers card into his hair, just barely bracing himself and slipping a hand against Kaito's thigh before his cock slammed down his throat.

Ouma swallowed frantically, desperately trying to hold on as long as possible. His anus had to stretch significantly to accommodate Kaito's member, and, as he now found, so did his throat. It burned, he couldn't breathe, saliva pooled in his mouth, escaping through the scant space between his lips and Kaito's dick, and Ouma loved every second of it.

He knew Kaito wouldn't like it, but Ouma couldn't help roughly pushing his hips against the mattress, desperate for stimulation as he choked, tears pricking at his eyes as--

He barely even had a chance to pinch Kaito's thigh before the hand disappeared from his head, Ouma popping off of his cock, panting and gasping desperately, drool dripping out of pink lips. Too far. Too far for something they hadn't discussed. Though that thought was far from Ouma's mind.

"Fuuh... fuck me!" he breathlessly keened, still desperately pressing his hips down. "P-please, I can't! I want Kai-chan t-to cum in me! I'm gonna--!"

"Don't you dare!" Kaito said, realizing what Kokichi was doing after wondering over his husband's odd angle for a bit, that possessive jealousy roaring back as Kaito grabbed at Kokichi's arm, gently, but firmly, pulling him up from the mattress. "Greedy," he murmured as he inspected Kokichi's nether regions, seeing how much damage he might have done...but while wet with pre-cum, thankfully his erection seemed unappeased.

And then, because Kokichi was now sitting up on his knees, so close to Kaito (who was also feeling greedy), his body shaking and on the verge of orgasm, that desperate 'please' still on his tongue, Kaito pulled him into his chest, hungrily kissing at his mouth, breathing Kokichi into him.

His lips were so soft, so sweet pressed against him, Kokichi tasting of Kaito's sex now. Kaito's hand moved onto Kokichi's backside now, pressing him against himself, trying to be careful, trying not to provide too much friction. He could feel Kokichi's dick against his stomach, wet and slippery with pre-cum, twitching desperately, could feel Kokichi try to grind against him, and Kaito broke the kiss and, laughing, said, "You're so greedy!" He caught the expression on Kokichi's face and chuckled again. "But that's okay. I like you like that. I know it's hard, but you're doing so good, you're doing so well. Just h-hold on a little longer. I-I'm gonna help, okay? I'm gonna help you, hold on..."

Kaito pushed Kokichi slightly away from himself, looking down at his husband's desperate erection. Taking his thumb and index finger, he grasped both sides of Kokichi's head, squeezing the wet bulb, firmly, but not so much that it would hurt him. "Deep breath...it's not time yet...deep breath..." Kaito instructed, smiling at Kokichi's shuddering, "It'll be better this way, I promise..."

Deep breath. Deep breath...

When he felt the shaking subside, he knew Kokichi had been brought back from the edge of the orgasm. Assured he had bought them at least a little more time, Kaito let go of Kokichi's head, a small sputtering of white leaking out, Kokichi's dick thick and twitching, filled with more to give. Kaito knew Kokichi wasn't going to last much longer regardless, but at least he had put it off long enough to make use of Kokichi's hard work on Kaito's dick.

"Alright, up, up," Kaito said teasingly, his own member still stiff with arousal, though Kaito was much more used to the act of delaying himself. He guided Kokichi up his lap, using his good arm to leverage beneath Kokichi's legs, giving him somewhere to rest his weight as he aligned himself to Kaito's dick, which stood erect and at attention, eager for Kokichi's body. "Alright...and slowly...down."

He really thought he was gonna lose it from kissing. Granted, they had done a lot more than kissing even just moments ago, but Kaito was so overwhelming in everything he did. Ouma reached out, cupping one hand around the back of Kaito's jaw, the other desperately clutching at his back, uselessly trying to ground himself, especially as Kaito pulled him closer.

Almost as soon as his cock touched against Kaito's stomach there was nothing he could do to keep from rocking against his husband, close, so close, fffffuck! H-he was g-gonna--!

"Uuuung!" He whined loudly, face red and screwed up. Unfair! He needed this! He felt like he was gonna explode! But, being called greedy and doing well and that Kaito was going to take care of him... Each comment made his chubby, ready cock pulse, and even more embarrassingly than a kiss, Ouma almost came from words.

But just as he felt himself tipping over, Kaito did help him. He felt like he should be shooting his load, but...

Deep breath.

Ouma followed Kaito's orders, taking in large gulps of air that soon evened out, the heat between his legs drawing back just enough. "Sh-shit! Kai-chan, I'm not gonna - I can't hold out muh-much longer. I need you, please!"

And he was given him. It was a little awkward spreading his legs around Kaito's hips, but Kaito made it easier for him, guiding Ouma each little step of the way. He was slick and loosened, ready to be as greedy as he wanted for once as what he wanted was what Kaito wanted too. His husband was going to take him, claim him, conquer everything that Ouma willingly gave.

"Hah...unmm..." Shivering in anticipation, Ouma reached under himself, holding Kaito's beast steady, not wanting a tease like last time. And, at his husband's mark, Ouma sloooowly sat himself down on a seat he vaunted.

Even stretched with three fingers it felt like Kaito was still too big for him, but Ouma could be patient for this. Ignoring the slight stretching burn--or, really, enjoying it--he sank down on Kaito's dick, insides absolutely quivering, both resisting and welcoming the large insertion.

Focused on the delicious task, Ouma's eyes fluttered and his tongue lolled out of his panting mouth, just looking like he was in Kaito's god's paradise.

"You fit so snug..." Kaito said, chuckling at his own stupid wording. But it was the truth. Kokichi was so damn tight around him. Kaito looked into Kokichi's face and saw that haze of lust, the need in him, and was both relieved and intoxicated by it. There had been such a large part of him that had been afraid that after the aphrodisiac, Kokichi would really struggle to enjoy sex again...but instead, his husband seemed almost desperate for it. Kaito couldn't believe he was the only person who had ever seen Kokichi like this, this open and raw and beautiful...may actually be the only person who'd see him like this ever.

Kokichi Ouma. His own beautiful, private treasure.

Now that Kokichi was securely on him Kaito felt more certain he could move without hurting his arm too much. He had been too uncertain that, if they had started with Kokichi on his back, that Kaito wouldn't have been able to guide himself into him. But as Kokichi's ass slid down, down, the Dicean prince clearly trying to take as much of Kaito in himself as he could, he felt confident he wouldn't be slipping out now.

Taking a moment to unfurl his legs for the first time since this started, kicking off his boxers carefully, not trying to lose his place beneath Kokichi, Kaito was finally free from all of his clothing, throwing the piece off the bed.

Taking a deep breath, bracing for his arm...Kaito threw Kokichi backwards, moving his hips in time to keep up with him, letting Kokichi's body bounce against the mattress. Kaito just managed to catch himself with his own good arm, his patience in keeping his knees underneath Kokichi this whole time rewarded by Kokichi remaining propped up against him.

The moonlight was shining in, and Kokichi was splayed out beneath him, his hair in tangles against the sheets, his body already glistening with sweat as Kokichi stared up at him, his eyes full of eager desire...

Kaito grinned, his own possessive, jealous need causing him to lean down, stretching Kokichi's legs out so that he could get his mouth down to Kokichi's shoulder, kissing the same spot once, twice, before biting down, rolling his hips into Kokichi's backside, keeping himself steady over Kokichi with his one good arm. He didn't go off the bite the more he moved, just readjusting the spot as he sucked at Kokichi's skin, determined to leave a larger bruise there as he felt the thickness of himself slide in and out of his prince. His husband. His future king.

His. His. His!

"Tell me you’re mine," Kaito whispered to Kokichi, adjusting his hips as he felt Kokichi suddenly violently shudder against him. There was the spot. Focusing there, he hit harder, grasping Kokichi's hair, loosely, into his fingers as he kissed into Kokichi's neck. "Te-ll...ha..." He was starting to tremble. He wasn't going to last much longer. "Tell m-me you’re mine. No one else is e-ever allowed to touch you like this. Nnn...fuck...No one else ever gets to see you like this! I need to hear it. Kokichi, tell me you're mine..."

"It's like...I'm only just big enough t-to fit you..." And how lucky he was for that to be so. It was a stretch, but Ouma didn't feel like...like Kaito was tearing him or anything. His husband carefully prepared him, leaving his hole just tight enough for them both to enjoy how his muscles slowly relaxed and drew Kaito in deeper. It was a perfect fit.

Ouma had been focused on trying to take all of Kaito in so he didn't notice much when the larger prince shifted. He was pretty pleased to just be speared on that huge cock, but he did want to move at some point. To feel Kaito rub against every part of him, to feel him squish and pull his insides, for his husband to hit that spot that drove him crazy and made him uselessly clamp around that unyielding dick...

"A-ah!" Ouma's eyes widened and he hurriedly held onto Kaito, feeling like he was falling, falling... Only to feel the press of the mattress against his back though his hips were still raised high, his behind supported by Kaito's thighs and legs still curled around his hips. "Ka-ahhh..."

There it was, Kaito hitting the deepest parts of him, drawing out and moving back in, his body eager and compliant, ready to serve his beloved husband. And yet he still wanted more, ever greedy even as his cock started throbbing with that warning heat again.

"I need you, I need you, please, Kai-chan--" Ouma found himself keeping up a needy stream of consciousness, one hand carding through the back of Kaito's hair as he tried to buck against him, wanting more, wanting it harder, faster--

"Oooh! Uuuh! There!" Right there, right there was where he wanted Kaito's cock forever, pressing and rubbing inside of him, Ouma ready to service him at any moment. He wanted--!

"Yours, I'm yours, I never want anyone but Kai-chan to touch me, I just want him to take what's his, to take care of me and--AAAAAAAAUU~!" He nearly screamed, Kaito hitting that spot over and over, making him tighter and tighter, making it so apparent how he was owning his ass. Finally he spilled, shooting white goo onto his chest, practically bent in half as he was. But there was still more coming, Ouma shaking in excitement even through his orgasm, waiting for that liquid heat to claim him on the inside once more.

Kaito stared at him, trying to memorize every detail, every word shooting through him like lightning, every noise making this too much, too overwhelming, his excitement and lust almost dangerous in this moment, all gentleness in him lost as he pounded into Kokichi, his grin lost but his teeth still showing, his gaze hungry and demanding.

Enjoying the cries, enjoying that yelling gasp, feeling Kokichi's orgasm shake around him, Kaito leaned down and took Kokichi's mouth, wanting all of him, his cries, his breath, his shaking, trembling limbs, every words spoken into Kaito, every shudder of pleasure at Kaito's will.

He wanted to freeze this moment in time. But he couldn't, so instead he pushed harder, faster, his own need pulsing into Kokichi as he felt his legs tighten, the always sputtering shock of his own orgasm filling into Kokichi, Kaito pushing himself farther into Kokichi, as far as he could, and holding still, wanting all of him in there. Not wanting Kokichi to lose a drop.

As the last of his orgasm filled into Kokichi, Kaito took a another steadying breath, opening his eyes (when had he closed them? he had wanted so badly to see every little moment of this, but at some point he had gotten lost in his own pleasure), seeing Kokichi's red, spent expression, his new collection of bruises and bites...and Kaito gently pulled himself out, kissing now, every spot that looked like it might hurt. Gentle, apologetic, soothing kisses, on that bruise, that one, that little red mark.

As he kissed, he whispered words and phrases, whatever came to mind between each kiss. "Thank you," he said. "You were so good," he praised. "So beautiful," he adored. "I want you," he confessed, fully out of Kokichi now, wanting to grasp Kokichi's face into his hands but (fucking arm) unable to, rubbing his fingers through Kokichi's hair instead, kissing his flushed cheeks, his wet forehead, his sex covered mouth, saying over and over again, "I want you. I want you. I want all of you."

He kissed Kokichi's mouth again, the kiss light. Chaste. Listening to Kokichi's breath even out, calm. Feeling his own heart start to slow in the afterglow. What was starting to feel like a thousand little pains were waking up in his body in the aftermath of that excursion. His head throbbed in a slightly intense way. But he didn't care about any of that. He just enjoyed the glow, feeling Kokichi's now warm body beneath him, his lithe frame perfectly molding against his own.

"..." Kaito chuckled. "Yeah," he said, "That's exactly how I remember it happening too."

It was too much, but he still enjoyed it, the lewd, pleased expression on his face when he felt Kaito shoot into him probably something that would send Ouma into the utter depths of embarrassment if he ever saw it. He shuddered as Kaito pulled out, feeling his open hole twitching as if to try and keep all of Kaito's gift inside him, but too blown out to close.

...that was alright. There was always next time.

Ouma's arms fell from around Kaito, his legs dropping too as he pulled back, and he laid there, lax, breathing heavily and looking oh-so satisfied. He managed to focus enough to kiss back every time Kaito leaned in, letting out increasingly sleepy, yet warm, happy hums at each bit of praise and affection.

He patted around for a moment, lethargically finding his shorts and using them to wipe the cum off his chest before uncaringly tossing them off the bed.

"...I coul'n't even be mad at you for...hmm...makin' me tired... At leas' we can sleep...in...tomorrow." He laughed quietly, the sound tired but happy. Ouma's blinks were slowing, their bedtime story having done its job. He wasn't cold, but Ouma still pressed against his husband, not minding their sweaty bodies touching. "Tha's...something I could believe..."

With another few indistinct hums, the soft snuffling of his breaths confirmed what his closed eyes meant.

Kaito listened to the soft sounds of Kokichi sleeping and felt at peace. The intensity of how much Kaito needed him when they were in the middle of sex was a little...surprising, honestly. Sex, traditionally, had been a playful, social thing for Kaito. Just another way to express affection, or accept that desperately needed affection from others.

But with Kokichi? It was the first time he had really felt that jealous need in him. Like he would actually fight the whole damn world, if someone tried to separate them in those moments. It was a little scary, and very exciting, and...

Kaito blushed, feeling incredibly foolish, cursing himself.

Fuck...was he falling in love already? That was...so stupid.

Kaito chuckled to himself, kissing Kokichi's sleeping forehead before curling around him, looking forward to the next day.

-

The next three days were pure misery.

When Kaito finally woke up the next day, his brain was foggy with pain. He could barely breathe. It turned out those painkillers were, indeed, incredibly strong…and that the horse throwing him had done way more damage then he had originally been assured. His head hurt so badly. It hurt so badly…

The pain brought fever, and the fever brought lethargy and nausea. They couldn’t get him to eat. They couldn’t get him to come out of the room, left dark as he begged them to close the curtains to the sun. He told them he's fine and he just needed to sleep, his face white, the circles under his eyes dark. They didn’t believe him, so Maki and Shuuichi brought help to him. A healer, the castle healer, came in, their expression almost cautious (yes. They’re the same one from that night.), but seeing nothing too scandalous, they checked Kaito over, asked him questions, frowned a bit.

They decided, based on the symptoms and the accident, that Kaito probably had a concussion on top of the broken bone that the previous healer hadn’t noticed or had dismissed. The painkiller had made the symptoms invisible, but it’s far more obvious now. They told Kokichi and the escorts that he should be fine in around a week, but to just let him rest. No more activities. They gave him light painkillers and nausea medicine that Kaito, for the next three days, begged them to replace. Saying they did nothing. Grasping Shuuichi’s hand when they're alone, the one most likely to break, and begging him for more help.

Shuuichi found out what Kaito was taking beforehand and, his mouth a tight line, said no. That Kaito needed to make do with what he was being given. When they were alone, Kaito started to cry, but the tears were quickly dried up and hidden when Maki and Kokichi walked in, and Shuuichi decided the tears were more to sway him than anything, (they weren't. Kaito's pride just couldn't allow him to show that much worthless desperation in front of his husband and the strongest person he knew) and he told himself that he wouldn’t be made to feel guilty for looking out for him. Maki made him eat. She only felt a little bad when he threw it up. Forced him to eat again.

After the first three days, he’s better. Not well, but no longer shaking, wincing at all sunlight, begging for stronger medication. He finally ate something on his own, and smiled in apology to everyone. He’s embarrassed. He got better and stronger every day after that. He didn’t ask for the medication anymore.

It's miserable, and to his dismay, Ouma began to understand his father a little more. Seeing Kaito like this was...heartbreaking. Kaito had always been so vivacious, lively, and seeing him look so sickly and pained nearly made Ouma wish he could take his place. At least he's used to it.

He didn't tell anyone about their...antics that night, though he thought people knew anyway. He did his best to cover the bruises, but his limp the day after hadn't exactly been subtle. No one called him out, but Ouma just felt...embarrassed. Guilty. He knew that Kaito was in rough shape, and yet he hadn't protested when he saw where things were heading. It probably hadn't affected too much, but he couldn’t help feeling like Kaito wouldn't be as sick if they hadn't had sex.

He stayed in their room as much as possible, hating himself for hovering, but unable to leave every time he looked back at Kaito's pale, wincing expression. Pretty much erasing the days he'd taken off, Ouma threw himself into his work, not minding the dim conditions or having to stop in the middle of a thought to fetch whatever Kaito asked for that he could actually give him. Usually water when he could keep something down. Sometimes to just hold his hand.

On that fourth day, Ouma found himself staring into space, leaned over his desk and twiddling his pen in his hand. He'd finally started to work through the congratulation letters, Hideki shooing him away from the greatly decreased pile of more serious business matters.

Hearing some shifting from the bed, Ouma set his pen down and turned. "Hey, need anything?"

Kaito sat up, waking up again from another entirely dreamless sleep. The nightmares had been rapid during the worst of it, his subconscious reacting to his pain, but now that everything was kind of getting more under control, his sleep was less troubled, less eventful. The blinding migraines of the last few days were little more than a thump in his temples now, and while Kaito's appetite wasn't quite back yet, at least the feeling of not being able to keep anything down was gone.

Kaito caught his reflection in the vanity desk and frowned. He looked awful...well, that was no good.

Kaito almost jumped in his skin, not having realized Kokichi was there until he had called out to him. Kaito immediately grinned, squaring his shoulders and shaking off sleep. "Nope! Thanks. How long was I asleep this time?" Kaito asked, looking out the now only partially closed curtains, seeing warm sunlight out there. "Is it still Thursday?" he asked, chuckling. "It looks brighter now than when I went to sleep. That's so trippy."

Ouma glanced back at the clock, a little surprised himself to see it was mid-afternoon. He...hadn't been working that long, had he?

"Nine hours or so. Pretty normal, actually, if you hadn't been sleeping through the middle of the day." Ouma snorted a soft laugh and got up from his desk, stretching his arms behind him and cracking his back. Even if Kaito didn't need anything, Ouma could probably use some water himself. It was far past when he'd normally take a break.

Getting himself a glass from the bathroom, Ouma called back, "Maki-chan stopped by not too long ago, said she and Shuu-chan would check in with you before dinner. 'pparently someone from the kitchen was askin' Shuu-chan if he knew any Luminary soup recipes, now that you can eat alright. Might be getting something closer to home."

As he returned, Ouma dragged his chair over to Kaito's bedside, giving his husband a smile. He'd missed hearing him laugh. "I'm gonna guess from the lack of groans you're feeling better?"

"Me? Groan? Never," Kaito said, a warm bout of affection coursing through him at Kokichi's attention. "I hope you guys haven't used this time to start any malicious rumors, like, that the Luminary prince gets all lame and mopey when sick. I totally had everything under control the last three days! You all just like to fuss."

"And awww, they asked on their own? That's real nice actually. Was half worried there I had made an enemy out of...shoot, what was her name?" Kaito asked, brow furrowed. "Did I ever get her name? Angry chef lady?"

Ouma rolled his eyes with a fond grin, reaching over to bop a finger against Kaito's forehead. "How could we ever tell such a horribly untrue lie? You've been perfectly stately and composed these last four days, no one would ever think that you whine and tear up when you're battered all to hell. Even having a perfect reason to, you've been nothing but gracious to us all."

Thank fuck Kaito was feeling up to joking around again. Hearing him beg for any sort of relief almost made him want to ask the healer if it really wasn't okay for him to have just one dose of something a little stronger. Thankfully for Kaito's continued health, they'd both held out.

"Chako Hannuki. She just takes food really seriously. If you are gonna learn to cook, I hope you can brace yourself for ruthless criticism. Or just find out what her shifts are and avoid them." Ouma took a drink of his water, head tilting in consideration. "I think she's just excited for the challenge of making food you actually like, after hearing how much you don't like Dicean cuisine. That, or fighting with herself to not season your food."

He'd considered otherwise, but Ouma had gone to sleep in their bed while Kaito was sick. Just keeping a good distance between them. And...not always going to sleep at all. It had only been a few days, but Ouma found himself missing Kaito's touch, missing curling up against him and being held.

Kaito still wasn't well, and Ouma still felt the guilt from their night together, but...

Trying to be casual, Ouma shrugged a little and held his glass a little too tightly. "Hey, I need a break s-so... Would you mind if I laid down next to you? No pressure if you've been enjoying having the bed to yourself."

"What? Yeah, of course. Come here," Kaito said, opening up the covers for him and patting the empty spot.

As Kokichi curled into the spot next to him, Kaito looked down at his cast. Apparently, at some point someone had rewrapped it, which was nice. The bandage around his binding wound was gone now, the cut healing nicely into a scar. He couldn't feel any wrappings on his leg, so that cut must have closed up by now...he could still feel bandages on his back in two spots, but that was understandable...he couldn't really feel his rib anymore...was he forgetting to check anything?...

Kaito sighed. "Ya know what? I think I get injured too much. I really need to cool it before I do some actual damage to myself." He chuckled, wrapping his good arm around Kokichi's shoulder, pulling him close so he could kiss the top of his skull. "How about this. You never get sick again, and I will never get, uh..." Kaito tried to think of a word that would fit the myriad of stupid injuries he got, finally settling on, "broken anymore. Way less stress on both of us, I think. Deal?"

"What were you working on, anyway? I feel like every time I woke up you were doing paperwork on something… Shoot, the letter. Gotta get that done at some point," Kaito remembered.

Ouma tried not to crawl into bed too eagerly, happily cuddling against Kaito's side, glad that his warmth was just comfortable and not feverish. As much as he sought out heat, seeing Kaito burn up was just worrying.

But he was getting better, and like he'd said, the prince would be back in full form before they knew it. Probably not before the month--which was looking more like about three weeks now--was up, but, for as excited Ouma got every time he thought about getting to leave the castle, he wouldn't mind waiting a little longer for his husband to fully heal.

He nuzzled Kaito's shoulder in thanks for the kiss, snorting a laugh. "So you're finally admitting it, huh? Though, I'd call everything you've been through actual damage already." Sighing a bit, Ouma gave Kaito a kiss of his own on his collarbone. "That's a deal I'll take in a heartbeat. I'll be over the fuckin' moon if neither of us ends up bedridden ever again."

It was unlikely, he knew. Ouma never wanted to be sick, but it happened anyway. But, in the fantasy where they both had a choice over the things that happened to them, he'd definitely make that deal come true.

"Paperwork..." he echoed with a light sigh. "Right now, I've been working on thanking all the people that sent their congratulations on the wedding. Before that, I was cataloging the expected yield for fall crops and cross-referencing them with each other and with this month's market revenue so I can give all of our farmers the expected price their crops should sell for. People can sell their goods for what they want, but we send out a sort of...guideline. Letting people know if something's scarce or plentiful, letting them know what people will actually pay for. Also, by using that we can calculate the expected revenue for the next harvest, so if something goes wrong, like a flood or a pest invasion, we can provide the lost funds so that person won't struggle to live until the next time they can go to market."

...Kaito probably didn't care about any of that. With a shrug, Ouma just repeated, "Paperwork," and snuggled against him a little more. "If you want, once I give my wrists a break, I can transcribe your letter. Need to go down to the mailroom later anyway."

...there it was again. That look.

Byakuya.

Kaito hadn't really known what he was trying to say in the greenhouse that day, when he was trying to explain to Kokichi why he found him so intimidating, but he had had time to think about it since then, to look inside himself a little bit. Still, for all his soul searching, it was only seeing another, clear example of it could Kaito confirm it. There it was.

That easy, almost effortless intelligence.

Kokichi's eyes went far away, slightly disinterested, his thoughts running warm and quickly. Not necessarily bored with what sounded like incredibly complicated issues to Kaito, but somehow...confident in his skill to the point of being apathetic about it. Calm, easy, self-assured intelligence.

He looked just like Byakuya.

And then just like that, the look was gone, and he was Kokichi again, leaning against him and being kind and incredibly charming. Kaito felt his intimidation lessen ever so slightly, and he said, "Well...that sounds like a lot? If it helps, I can take the congratulation letters off your hands. I'm not seeing double anymore, so I could probably write a few 'gee, thanks' postcards over and over again."

Almost as soon as he said it, Kaito's vision blurred a bit, the thump in his skull threatening him slightly. Giving Kokichi an uneasy grin, he said, "Well, maybe I'll help with the cards tomorrow, actually. But I really should do the letter. My brother tends to overreact when things don't go as he expects them to. He might end up giving a bunch of messengers a lot of grief if the letter arrives too late..."

Ouma returned his grin with an understanding, slightly sheepish one. "I was kinda hoping you'd be willing to write a few, actually. I've been...sorta putting off the letters from people who are Atuan believers. Like, the letters are really nice! But I think you'd appreciate them more, and would be better at saying something that would actually mean something to them. I don't think anyone is expecting particularly prompt responses, though, so they can wait."

"I wish you'd told me that about your brother earlier though," he snickered. "I could've sent a note a few days ago telling him to calm his tits and just wait for your letter like a reasonable person. Maybe you should give him some preemptive grief in your letter, just in case. The only person responsible for you breaking your arm and getting a concussion has already been punished enough."

He gave Kaito a soft look at that, leaning up a little to gently kiss his cheek before reluctantly getting back up. Always work to be done. He gathered a new paper and his pen along with a book before returning to bed, sitting up a little more and not quite cuddling against Kaito.

"So. What do you wanna tell him?"

"Atua followers?" Kaito said, his eyes brightening a bit. "Really? I know your dad said that the Atua religion had some followers here, but I didn't think enough that they'd send letters… Yeah, of course I'll respond to them," Kaito said, a wide grin on his face, his thumb running across the healing cut on his wrist.

Seeing Kokichi immediately go get the letter-making tools, he chuckled, realizing this was happening now. "Aw, geez...Um..." Kaito tried to think. What had his brother wanted to know again…?

"Uh...Hey bro..." Kaito said, closing his eyes as his skull twitched. "First of all, I did get the letter the day after the wedding! Or, wait, when did I...three days after the wedding? No, four! Uh, don't put all that, just say it was four days after the wedding. And, I'm sending this letter...whatever today is. I know it's Friday...no, sorry, it's Thursday. I just said it was Thursday, duh... Yeah, I'm sending the letter today," Kaito said, really, genuinely trying to think around the thump.

"But, no one's fault but my own it took so long! I spooked a horse running around with Shuuichi and Maki and it threw me, so I've been recovering from that. Nothing too bad, feeling fine now. Um..." The three questions...wedding, family, and uh, oh yeah, living conditions.

"First of all, the wedding went great! Treaty was signed on time with all the stipulations we talked about. Everyone performed admirably, and the Luminary party started heading back about two days later. Um..." Kaito started seeing the problem with having Kokichi transcribe. There was no, uh...non uncomfortable way to say this. "There were some issues with Secretary Chisa's behavior, but I'm sure you'll have found out about it before you get this letter, so I won't get into it."

"Um..."

"Everything is going really well with the Ouma family. I didn't actually end up taking the last name. I guess it was decided we'd take each other’s names as middle names? It's probably an equality thing, they're really big on that here. I really appreciated them not insisting I take the Ouma name. I was going to miss the Momota name. Um...the king has been very kind, very welcoming, and Prince Kokichi has been wonderful. I couldn't have asked for a better spouse. Atua be pleased."

"Oh! My guide animal is a horse! So that's cool! His name is Kohtalon. The binding ceremony went really well. Very tasteful."

"Mmmm, I'm living in Prince Kokichi's room now and being treated really well! You don't have to worry! Everything's really different now… If you don't have one already, I would recommend maybe getting a copy of Dicean laws and government structure? It's really different from ours. Like, really different. You definitely want a good idea of the differences for your future negotiations."

Kaito rubbed at his joints and, not looking at Kokichi, said, "There were some issues with Head Secretary Tengan...and I think because of that some stuff happened back at home with you? I want to apologize for the inconvenience. I let things get out of hand, and I didn't mean for any of it to affect you. Please let me know if you need me to say anything to Mom and Dad."

"Thanks for checking in on me. Your brother, Kaito Ouma Momota!" Kaito said, grinning cheerfully, feeling much better now that the letter was made, breathing a sigh of relief. Fuck, his head... "Hey, Kokichi? Would you mind passing me some of the painkillers? It's not bad, I just want to try to take some of the edge off."

Ouma got to work writing the letter, feeling no need to clarify that he was transcribing it, as surely Byakuya would see that the letter was definitely not written in his brother's hand.

Hey bro,

First of all, I got the letter four days after the wedding, and I'm sending this letter Thursday [August 27th]. But it's no one's fault but my own it took so long! I spooked a horse running around with Shuuichi and Maki and it threw me, so I've been recovering from that. Nothing too bad, feeling fine now.

Ouma raised an eyebrow...but it wasn't his place to elaborate on what actually happened. But, just like with the date, Ouma added a little comment of his own.

[Kai-chan broke his arm and got a concussion, thus the delay.]

First of all, the wedding went great! Treaty was signed on time with all the stipulations we talked about. Everyone performed admirably, and the Luminary party started heading back about two days later.

There were some issues with Secretary Chisa's behavior, but I'm sure you'll have found out about it before you get this letter, so I won't get into it.

Ouma grit his teeth a little.

[She seems to have been acting upon a strange ideology, if not pure madness. Talking about 'fun and interesting things' seem to be keywords.]

He felt a little bad, intruding upon Kaito's letter like this, and even if sending the warning was important, he really should just send his own letter. But with how Kaito had spoken of his brother...maybe it would be safer to send the message like this, less likely to be intercepted or disregarded. Or maybe he was just trying to justify himself.

Everything is going really well with the Ouma family. I didn't actually end up taking the last name. I guess it was decided we'd take each other's names as middle names? [It was a last-minute meeting] It's probably an equality thing, they're really big on that here. I really appreciated them not insisting I take the Ouma name. I was going to miss the Momota name. Um...the king has been very kind, very welcoming, and Prince Kokichi has been wonderful. I couldn't have asked for a better spouse. Atua be pleased.

He shot a look at Kaito at that, flushing lightly, though he snorted derisively at the next part of the letter.

Oh! My guide animal is a horse! So that's cool! His name is Kohtalon. The binding ceremony went really well. Very tasteful.

I'm living in Prince Kokichi's room now and being treated really well! You don't have to worry! Everything's really different now... If you don't have one already, I would recommend maybe getting a copy of Dicean laws and government structure? It's really different from ours. Like, really different. You definitely want a good idea of the differences for your future negotiations. [As per the treaty agreement, if you cannot procure a copy yourself, I can write one up myself. Simply ask in your next letter to Kai-chan]

There were some issues with Head Secretary Tengan...and I think because of that some stuff happened back at home with you? I want to apologize for the inconvenience. I let things get out of hand, and I didn't mean for any of it to affect you. Please let me know if you need me to say anything to Mom and Dad.

Thanks for checking in on me.

Your brother, Kaito Ouma Momota!

Ouma sighed quietly as he finished the letter, all the issues about the secretaries they couldn't do anything about leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. But dwelling on it wouldn't do anyone any good.

Setting the letter aside to let the ink dry--and to let Kaito read over it if he wished--Ouma got up to refill the glass Kaito had been using. "Sure thing. You're actually pretty past when you could take the next dose, so I'm not surprised things hurt. If you fall asleep again, I'll try to be quiet when I go to drop the mail off."

Kaito looked over the letter...or at least tried to. Every time he tried to focus on the writing, his vision started to blur again. He could catch a few sentences here or there... Oh well, Kokichi was the reliable type. Kaito was certain it was all there.

Putting the letter back down, he took the meds and glass from Kokichi with a relieved smile. "Thanks," he said, taking down the medicine and water as quickly as he could, only realizing once he started drinking that he had actually been pretty thirsty as well. It took a little bit, but afterwards the thumping went back to being a mostly distant nuisance, rather than edging back into migraine territory. "I really appreciate you. I really am feeling a lot better today though. Definitely on the upswing! I still wanna take you on that date to the pub soon."

Just as soon as Kaito could dare himself to actually crawl out of bed. Attempts at walking just to and from the bathroom had resulted in Kaito throwing up from the dizziness of moving several times the last three days. He wasn't quite ready to say he was one hundred percent good to stand or walk around, let alone head out into town.

"I hope Maki and Shuuichi get back before I fall asleep. Now that I'm capable of holding a conversation, I really wanna know more about what happened when they were gone. We didn't really wanna talk about it on the way back, or, well, it seemed like they didn't wanna talk about it just yet and I was maybe a little too high on the trip back to get around to asking… You've been spending a lot of time in here with me, working, right?" Kaito said, grinning unsteadily, his muscles relaxing slightly under the drug, his mind going a little heavier. "That sounds dull. You know, my sidekicks are both really cool people. You should stretch your legs and spend some time with them, instead of your lazy, sleeping husband."

Date... Kaito told him about wanting to go back to the pub together at some point, but for some reason it never clicked in Ouma's head that it could be a date. He'd... He'd never been on a date. Usually people went on dates before they got married, but...it still sounded really nice.

Taking Kaito's glass once he was finished, Ouma brushed some of his hair off his forehead, smiling down at his husband. "I look forward to it, though I think just you being comfortable getting up and getting back in the swing of things would make me happiest."

He felt a little called out, smile turning into a pout. "It's what I usually do, anyway. It has to get done." Though he usually paced himself a little better. "But, while you're awake, I can go get Shuu-chan and Maki-chan. And not, you know, creepily watch you sleep when you drift off again."

"I'm curious about everything myself, actually. There's been some more pressing stuff happening in the meanwhile," he sent a pointed glance at Kaito, "so I don't know any more than you do. Probably less, honestly, even if you were high as a kite during the trip back."

Now stretching his wrists in front of him, Ouma gathered all the finished letters and headed for the door. "If you're kicking me out like this, fine, but I'll be back soon, hopefully with your lovable idiots in tow."

Kaito watched Kokichi leave, feeling weirdly disappointed to watch him go, even though he had been the one encouraging him. Not that he was leaving, leaving. It sounded like he was coming right back. Just...blegh. Kaito wasn't thinking straight. He was still just a little sad to see Kokichi go.

Kaito considered the content of the letter he had sent with him. He hoped that would be enough to not worry Byakuya. He really did tend to overreact to things. Maybe that was the wrong word for it. Over...correct? Byakuya liked things to work. It was his best and worst trait. He really didn't have any patience for failures. Which was good! There were a lot of issues with the kingdom right now, things he'd be embarrassed to tell Kokichi about.

Poverty was already pretty high, and there had been fears about, with the war ending and thus demand going down, there being less resources to allow to recruit younger, impoverished people en masse, which right now was the easiest way for anyone born into poverty to get steady work, meals, and housing. And the nobles were so resistant to putting any sort of formal state sponsored work replacement program to make up for the loss, which was what his mother had been trying to push this year...and Father wasn't willing to make an official order on it, no matter how many time his Princess-Consort asked him to, unless the secretaries were on board, who were listening to the nobles...

Kaito gripped his blanket, scowling, a competitive, defensive pride rolling through his gut. His kingdom wasn't the bad guys. They were doing their best. And Byakuya was the kind of king they needed next, who could take the values they already had and actually make it work. Kaito believed that. He believed in his brother. And with Kaede looking more and more like she was going to take on the heavy social programs that his mother had been wrestling with as much as her influence could allow...together, those two could do anything!

Yeah! By the time Kokichi was ready to meet his family, see his kingdom, Kaito could hold his head up with pride! He was certain of it!

Ugh...his head… Now that he was alone, in the dark quiet of the room, he really did want to go back to sleep again...but he wanted to stay awake. He wanted to be around his friends, who he had worried so much. Honestly, he mostly just wanted to see how the three acted together. Kokichi had basically locked himself in this room for the last three days with his worthless, ailing husband, and in all three of those previous days, Maki and Shuuichi had been in and out, spending time, taking care of him, talking quietly with Kokichi...

...but no one had come to check in on Kokichi himself. No one had come to visit, just to spend time with him in his self-imposed isolation. And that...it just...

Maki and Shuuichi were his best friends. Dedicated friends. And if Kaito could trust anyone to befriend his...apparently genuinely?? Friendless husband, to be good companions, it was them. And he just wanted to start encouraging that as much as he could.

-

Shuuichi and Maki were both down in the courtyard. Shuuichi was writing something in his journal, his brows furrowed with concentration, puzzled, as he sat in the shade. Maki was staring down at Timothy, who was still struggling to stand properly, two daggers in his hand, in the pose she had been trying to teach him.

They weren't real daggers. She had wanted to give him real daggers, and had at first, perfectly willing to ignore all the Looks they were getting...right up until a guard had come up to them, frowning, and said, politely, that people were a little uncomfortable watching a nine-year-old try to spar with real weapons, and could they please not fucking do that anymore...

So Maki, annoyed, had taken the blades off the hilt, and replaced them with wooden replicas, made the best she could one tireless night. It was a piss poor replacement, the weight entirely wrong, and she was determined to visit a blacksmith at some point to find a better alternative, but whatever. It would do for now.

"You're twisting your knee again," she pointed out, shoving his shoulder, the kid falling on his butt immediately. "See. If you don't stabilize your footing, all these poses will do for you is make it easier to disarm you. They either work, or hinder you, there's no in-between Get back up, try again."

"Yes, Miss Harukawa," Timothy pouted, getting back up and trying again. "But I feel like I am doing it. I don't get it. I'm just copying what you showed me..."

Maki tapped his knee. "Bend it this way...right, like that. I know it tightens your muscles in a way you're not used to, but that tightness is why the pose works. If it feels a little uncomfortable and unnatural, then you're closer to getting it right. Now, hold it."

As Timothy did his best to hold it, his legs already shaking under the pressure...he adjusted his other leg for comfort. Maki sighed, and then shoved him on the other shoulder. He went down again.

"Come on, that's not fair!" Timothy frowned, getting frustrated. "Anyone would fall if you shove them!"

"Run a lap for losing your temper. Now," Maki said, staring at Timothy, who, grumbling, started running. Once he was gone, she sighed, going over to Shuuichi. "I hate children."

"He's doing better," Shuuichi said encouragingly. "Even I can see that last pose was perfect. He's just gotta learn stamina now, right? He'll get there."

"He whines too much. He's too used to bantering with other soldiers. If I had tried saying something like that to my mentor at his age..." Maki shook her head. "He's lucky you and Kaito are so soft. I'd take away his bed for a month and see how feisty he feels sleeping on the floor."

"You wouldn't do that to him," Shuuichi said, smiling gently up at her. "You're kind to people weaker than yourself, you know. You always have been. It's why me and Kaito got to grow up to be so soft. We had you looking out for us, after all..."

Maki didn't respond directly to this, just staring at him impassively...before saying, "How's your shoulder?"

Shuuichi frowned. Looking back down at his journal, hiding under his cap. "...It's fine. It's healing. I barely feel it anymore."

Maki nodded. The two of them watched Timothy run.

While he was pretty firmly headed to the mailroom, Ouma did keep an eye out for Maki and Shuuichi. He could pause for a moment to pass on Kaito's current conscious status. At that thought, though...he considered what Kaito had said to him.

Sure, paperwork wasn't the most thrilling thing in the world, and he did do a lot of it, but...it was his job. Communicating with the people of Dicea was how their kingdom kept running. And it wasn't all he did! Ouma had found plenty of time to read for leisure or curiosity, to pull pranks on the castle staff, to sneak out and go mess around town for a while.

...but that was all stuff he did alone. Despite the friendliness of the staff and people in town...Ouma never really...did anything with anyone. Not since Ikuo left for the war, and that had been a decade ago.

He'd told Kaito as much. He didn't have any friends. Not the close-knit group his mother had had, immortalized in the painting in the library, not the comfortable ease his father had with practically every person the leader met. He'd been lonely, but it had rarely felt so...poignant.

...maybe he could use his break time more wisely in the future. Actually make something come of the kindness Shuuichi and Maki had shown him. Make them more than just his husband's best friends.

Not having seen the escorts inside the castle on his way to the mailroom, ignoring the exasperated and worried looks of some of the staff as he sent out his pile, Ouma headed outside and was rewarded for his guess.

He sped up, jogging over to the two, catching sight of Timothy running nearby. Ah...maybe not a good time then. "Heya! Is it training time?"

"It's always training time for young assassins./Yeah, but only for about another ten minutes."

Shuuichi and Maki both looked at each other.

"Why do we keep doing that?" Shuuichi asked, genuinely puzzled.

"I think it's his grace, actually," Maki said, looking suspiciously at Prince Kokichi, raising an eyebrow. "Something about your presence, Kokichi, causes us to talk at the same time...stop it," she said, turning on her murder eyes.

"Miss Harukawa!" Tim shouted, going back to their previous spot, huffing to catch his breath, "I did it!"

"Do it again then!" Maki said.

"What!? Why!?"

"What do you mean why!?"

As Maki went back to scold her young charge, who just pouted at her the whole time, Shuuichi chuckled, looking over at Kokichi with a small shrug. "Well, at this rate, training might go on a little longer then, depending on how much she makes him run now. But it's going to be dinner time in a little while, and I know she'll let him go to take a shower and get dressed for it, so it's really only a matter of time...that's probably why he's trying to waste so much of it arguing with her actually. Probably thinks he can beat out the clock."

Putting a small dash at the end of the page, a way for him to keep track of breaks in his thinking when he looked back at information later, which helped keep track of when he obtained said information, Shuuichi said to Kokichi, "Is everything alright, Kokichi? Is Kaito giving you any trouble?"

Ouma giggled a bit at how the escorts contradicted each other once again. For whatever it was getting them to do so, apparently, it at least gave him a fuller picture of what was going on.

"Why?" he echoed the question with a grin. "Really, I thought that you two just did that all the time. That you'd even speak over each other just to talk to me faster...ah, how flattering!"

He looked over at Timothy when he returned, watching his exchange with Maki for a moment, taking in Shuuichi's comments. Tim looked tired and a little scuffed, but he didn't look hurt. So, he'd assume it was going well. All the Luminaries probably preferred a rougher pace of life, so unless he noticed something actually going wrong, he'd leave it to Maki.

"Mm," he hummed, shaking his head as he turned back to Shuuichi. "Nah, he's actually doing a lot better, and he's actually admitting that he's hurt, so that's a first. But he's coherent and in better spirits. He's awake right now, at least when I left, so I thought I'd let you guys know if you wanted to try and catch him."

"Also, I got kicked out of my own room for so-called hovering." He rolled his eyes a bit. "Because I was totally just simpering over him instead of, you know, doing my job like usual. But! I needed a break and some air anyway."

Shuuichi gave out a little sigh of relief. "He's doing better, huh? That's good… And, yeah, the injury thing...Kaito's prone to that stuff. That's not just a, ya know...here thing. He's got this bad habit of treating his body like it's invincible, right up until it gives up on him. Then-" Shuuichi shrugged, "Well, I mean, you saw. Once it's too much for him, that usually means it's way too much for him. He just falls apart. He's very all or nothing, our Kaito."

Closing his journal, he gave the Dicean Prince a welcoming smile.

"He kicked you out? Really? That's surprising. Usually he hates being by himself. Maybe he just needs some room to recover. Well, you can sit with me until training is over, if you want. It's really nice out," Shuuichi said, peeking up at the sky from the angle of his cap. "Your kingdom really is beautiful this time of year. It even smells nice. All your unusual plants, I guess."

All or nothing--that was a good way to put it. Despite his earlier efforts in the negotiations, Kaito wasn't very subtle in anything he did. Anything he did, he did with 100%! Unless it was something he disagreed with, and then the difference was plainly obvious. It was something Ouma could easily see charming so many of their people. Kaito already had at the wedding.

Ouma blinked in slight surprise as he was invited to join Shuuichi, though the smile he gave the detective was easy and he didn't hesitate to join him in the shade. Despite the worst of the summer being behind them, he still had to worry about burning up.

"From all that I've heard of Luminary, our summers sound like a dream come true. It doesn't really get humid, and while it gets too warm for me, I think you all would be fine in the peak of it." Ouma looked out over the yard with appreciation before laughing. "I'll warn ya to prepare for the winter though. Be sure to make good use of the fireplace in your room, and if you don't already have clothes suited for it, there will be plenty of places in town to get something that won't leave you freezing. Does it snow in Luminary?"

"Ah...Kai-chan did mention that he'd never seen anything like it when I showed him the community garden. Is the flora here really all that different? I'll have to see if any native Luminous plants will grow here--you're all free to choose a plant to add to the garden, by the way! You're citizens, after all. Actually planting them will have to wait for a bit, though. Don't want a bulb or sapling to die right away."

"Oh, and Kai-chan and I talked about it, but do you like the food here? If they're already making totally bland food for him, I'm sure that Maki-chan and Shuu-chan can get some too if Dicean food is too explosively delicious for your sensitive palettes."

With all the major stressors taken care of and a comfortable setting around him, Ouma's motor-mouth revved up once again, eager to discover more about his husband's home and the detective's preferences. To have a casual conversation with someone who would listen again.

"Hmmm...I mean, we do occasionally get snow...I don't know. Every couple of years? In certain parts of the kingdom anyway, never really at the capital. At least not while I've been alive. Every time I've seen snow before, it was visiting somewhere else. I suppose it'll be interesting, actually living in it for awhile," Shuuichi mused.

"And yeah, it is pretty different. I don't think a lot of your flora would actually survive in our climate. It's too hot for too long, I think. All of our flora is sort of smaller than yours? And more bulky. I don't know what you would call that, but we don't get the kind of plants that just spread everywhere, like I've been seeing here..."

"A community garden?" Shuuichi asked, not having seen this for himself yet. He had just been commenting on the flora that just seemed to be everywhere around here. "That's interesting...though, um, I don't actually know much about plants...I don't really know what I could plant here." Shuuichi shrugged, bringing up his cap a little to get a better view of the prince, who seemed in better spirits now.

Shuuichi had found himself worrying about the Dicean Prince, for a little there. A lot had been going on...and Shuuichi had been hearing some...well. He supposed they were rumors. But it sounded more and more like those rumors were true, about his and Kaito's wedding night, and then the day the Luminary party left...

It all sounded...stressful. Shuuichi knew he would ask Kaito about it all at some point, but, well, it wasn't just Kaito who had been affected by it. And Shuuichi just...hoped that someone was talking to Kokichi about it, since he didn't think it'd be appropriate for himself to bring up. It just seemed like the sort of thing you'd need to talk to someone about.

But, Shuuichi was probably making too many presumptions. Just because he hadn't seen any evidence of Kokichi having a confidant yet, didn't necessarily mean that was the reality. Insufficient evidence, really. He was probably worrying too much. He did that sometimes.

"I actually don't mind the food," Shuuichi said with a shrug, "I grew up tasting a lot of different poisons for my career, and after awhile, you kind of get desensitized to weird flavors. I did appreciate that food you brought us back when we first got here though, since I'm not sure I've said so yet. The cookie was good."

"Oh, wow, yeah, you guys totally need to prepare. We get snow that lingers for months--last year we had a ton of people staying in the castle since we got, like, seven feet that didn't melt even a little for two weeks." Despite being just as cooped up as usual, Ouma had enjoyed that time quite a bit. People often came and went, but having a fifth of the city staying there made things way more lively.

Hearing about the sort of plants common to Luminary, he nodded with a contemplative hum. "I bet there are Luminous succulents that would survive here, then. They're really good at retaining water, but can survive in cooler climates too." Huh, he probably seemed like a big plant nerd to Kaito and Shuuichi. He probably knew a little more than the average person--there were tons of botany journals in the library.

Chuckling sheepishly, Ouma twirled a longer piece of his hair around a finger. "It's just an offer. A lot of people don't put a ton of thought into it, just requesting something they find pretty or useful. It's a way to be a part of something, you know? To put your mark on the world and have evidence to say that you were here. And it's something anyone can do, not just artists leaving their legacy behind in their work."

He'd never really thought about how plant-focused Dicean culture was until he'd met Kaito and other Luminaries. It just...was how life was! Valuing the things that gave them food, appreciating beauty and sustainability. Knowing that no matter how dark and miserable the winter was, spring would come and bring life back into the world. Knowing that there was always hope up ahead if you could make it through.

...huh. Maybe all their festivals really were worth something.

Ouma's eyes widened in interest as he leaned toward Shuuichi a bit. "No shit?! Did you, like, micro-dose on anything? Like in stories, cool rogues planning years in advance and becoming immune to the exact poison their enemies use against them. So cool..."

His eyes were practically glittering in admiration for the older boy before he pulled himself back a little. "Ah, yeah, like I told Maki-chan, it was Kai-chan's idea. He was hungry and there was no way I was gonna let him go down to the kitchens on his own while loopy on painkillers, and he figured while we were there we could get food for you guys too. I was behind the cookies, though. I wanted something for my trouble." He rolled his eyes good-naturedly with a grin.

Shuuichi was...this close. To asking about Kokichi's limp the next day. Had he fallen or...? But Maki had a theory on the limp, and on the off chance her theory was correct, Shuuichi was too embarrassed to ask after it. He had seemed to heal quickly, so at least if he had been injured on the stairwell or...doing...something else, at least it hadn't been too bad.

Shuuichi chuckled quietly at the prince's sudden excitement, lowering his cap slightly in mild embarrassment. "N-no, nothing like that. A lethal dose of poison would hurt me, like it would anyone. But I was taught how to identify certain poisons by taste, since getting access to the original container of a poison with useful things on it, like, say, labels, is actually pretty rare for poison cases. Surprisingly enough, people who use things like strychnine to get rid of their competition don't tend to keep a bottle of it in their kitchen to be found later. So it helps to just know what it tastes like off the bat."

"Actually, when the party had all gotten sick on the despair pollen, even though I was originally spared from it, I ended up getting myself sick too trying to learn what it tasted like. I didn't think it was going to become so relevant so soon, but I figured, well, if we had a new poison available to us, why not?" Shuuichi closed his eyes. "It actually doesn't taste bad. It tasted a bit like a really dark red wine that's been in oak too long. The sort of thing you could miss in wine if you weren't looking for it, but once you get a taste for it, it'd only make most wine too bitter to be natural. Once they get the word out to the poison tasters back home, I doubt it's the sort of thing that would get through again..."

Shuuichi suddenly flushed, embarrassed. "Sorry. I don't mean to just go on like that..."

Eh, still cool. Ouma still had his guess about how Shuuichi and Maki ended up in their professions, but... Detectives were just cool, and Shuuichi didn't seem to mind talking about it.

Though, Ouma did make a face at the particular poison Shuuichi mentioned. He'd never been a victim of it, but it was a weapon in one of Nao's stories that he'd read. From how she described it...it seemed like such a horrific way to go. Writhing in pain as your body uncontrollably contorted, slowly suffocating as your lungs stopped working, foaming at the mouth...hurg. Gave him the creeps.

Despair pollen was pretty bad too, but sort of...a little less scary since he'd seen it in person, maybe. He hummed in interest at hearing some of the analysis of the poison--other than first-hand observation, he likely wouldn't be able to find any research on it. No reason for any Dicean to experiment on a plant that few knew existed let alone could get their hands on. Maybe he'd do some snooping in Danganronpa, see if there were accounts of despair pollen poisonings and the measures to counteract it.

"So Timothy probably just lucked into spiking Kai-chan's wine. He did say it tasted a little weird, but we both figured it was a cuisine difference. Damn." He'd been relatively serious in his musing, but in the face of Shuuichi's embarrassment, a wide grin spread across Ouma's face. Cute... "No way! Please just go on like that--if I can run my mouth all about shit I don't know anything about, then Shuu-chan can totally explain all about things he's an expert in! I've decided not to "borrow" your journal, so the only way I can get that amazing Shuu-chan knowledge is if you tell me yourself."

"Mostly luck, yes, but spiking Kaito's glass was the only reasonable way he could be certain that only Kaito would be infected, so he had other reasons to pick that particular method. But you're right, he had no way of knowing that the wine would hide the taste so well. If Kaito's glass had been filled with water, or white wine even, the plan would have been ruined the second Kaito's tongue tasted the bitter. It's funny," Shuuichi said, looking at the little prince-killer with something bordering on morbid curiosity, his voice a sweet picture of wonder as he mused. "A group of seven- to ten-year-old commoners almost killed the second son of the king and restarted a war older than all of them. Luck had a hand in their near success, but it was luck that kept them from succeeding as well, for the most part. What an interesting note in history books that could have been..."

He blinked, and just like that the curious, musing look was gone, and Shuuichi sighed. "Well, thankfully you and Kaito were spared."

Shuuichi gave Kokichi a meek smile as the smaller man gushed in excitement, until he mentioned his journal, which surprised him. "This?" he asked, looking down into his hands. "It's nothing particularly noteworthy. I just find it easier to analyze things if I write them down. I'm certain half of it would read like gibberish without the context around it, but none of it is terribly personal...though, I suppose thinking about it, there are observations and things about other people in here that maybe they'd prefer not to have common knowledge… Actually, yeah, maybe I shouldn't let you read it. Sorry, Kokichi."

Most of the people in this book were from the Luminary Party, heading back home, but Shuuichi was more concerned about Kokichi reading the notes and observations based on the Dicean Prince himself. Shuuichi tended to write down observations as they came to him, without much internal censorship or even compassion, which was useful for solving cases and less useful for sparing feelings. So...some of it could be considered...insensitive.

For instance, the limp. Shuuichi had a whole page dedicated to the limp, including a series of drawings mapping out how the limp looked, its foot patterns, its girth, and other observations. Maki's theory was one of the first observations written into it.

Yeah. Definitely keep the journal.

"Well, expert might be too generous...well educated, at best," Shuuichi mused, before looking over at Kokichi curiously. "Oh, Kokichi, could I ask you...do you speak to all your servants in code? I mean, if you'd rather not talk about it, I'd understand. I just got a bit confused by Miss Katsuki and the maid that Kaito frightened. They both seemed to have very particular speaking styles. I didn't know if that was for security reasons, or something like that?"

It was ridiculous, the whole thing, and if it had ended up in history books in any outcome that might've happened, future scholars would have a fuckin' field day trying to sort it all out. Thankfully, they'd truncated it a bit. While Ouma knew his father and the admins didn't buy the story Kaito and the others told, it was the story that would be recorded. Timothy would simply be remembered as an assassin that won his spot in an odd contest Prince Kaito started in concern for the safety of them all. At least, he'd be remembered that way just for the beginning of his new career.

Snorting a bit, Ouma raised an eyebrow and made a show of peering over the journal. "Wow, saying something like that just makes me more curious. An unfiltered record of how Shuu-chan's mind works with alllll sorts of secrets people don't want aired? You're just trying to break my resolve. Boooo."

He would still rather hear Shuuichi's thoughts from the man himself, though.

"What?" The question caught him so off guard that Ouma couldn't speak for a moment, simply blinking at Shuuichi. Before his expression turned serious. "If Shuu-chan knows what's good for him, he'll stop his efforts trying to figure this out. You don't know what you're getting into, and you shouldn't."

His presence was intense, devoid of cheer as he leaned into Shuuichi's space.

"Pfff."

Before rocking back and snickering wildly. "Nah, nah, we don't use any codes. That's just how Katsuki-chan and Waku-chan talk. Katsuki-chan and I pretend that she's a super-secret spy I give orders to, and Waku-chan thinks that she's cracked the code of the human psyche by way of some sort of heart language." He shook his head with a shrug and a smile. "Honestly, I don't really get it, but I get how she thinks of it so I can talk to her about it. We have a lot of weirdos around here, if you haven't noticed, and I've found that it's easier for everyone if I just learn how they communicate. That way there's less confusion."

The prince's eyes went dark. Stern. When he leaned in, the warning on his lips, Shuuichi felt a small shiver of apprehension go through his spine as it occurred to him that perhaps he had misjudged the boundaries of their new relationship...

And then the younger man started to cackle, and Shuuichi blanched at him a bit. "O-oh! Okay!" he said, a new flush of embarrassment coating his face as he glanced away awkwardly, still surprised by the quickness and ease of the prince's vastly differing moods. That had been alarming, for a moment there. Though, the prince seemed in genuinely good spirits, so... "I see. Heart language?"

Without even really being conscious of it, Shuuichi opened up his journal again, going to the page he knew Waku was already drawn on, with several notes about her already, and added in a small dash with the words 'Heart Language?' next to a previous line already written, which said 'Thoughts were messages?? Kokichi responds the message is not real, scrambled, corrupted=drugged? thought=intentions? difference??'.

Shuuichi puzzled over it for a moment, before writing next to 'Heart Language? =body language?? logi conc - sufficient evidence.'

Then he turned the page over, where Katsuki was, and added the note 'kokichi says language game of pretend. why keep it up when alone with us? lifetime order conditioning, like Maki?? similar training? to what possible extent. who conditioned? who authorizes orders? dangerous, or still some semblance of will power? too many presumptions - maki's personal history= insufficient evidence.'

Deciding that was as far as he was going to get with that for now, Shuuichi sighed, closing the book again.

Diceans. So weird.

"Oh," Shuuichi said, watching Timothy bow low to Maki, arms to his side, from his hips. "Looks like they're wrapping up. Guess he got what he wanted. She didn't get to make him run more before time was up."

"Yeah, like she can decode people's purest intentions, is what I gather. Whether she actually can?" Ouma shrugged, having let go of the question long ago. Waku wasn't immune to being tricked, but she did find out some funky stuff sometimes. She probably was just observant with good intuition to back it up. Which sometimes would be put to the wayside when she felt threatened, but... Well. They tried to keep things peaceful.

While Ouma had decided to keep his hands off of Shuuichi's journal, if he was gonna write in it right in front of him, could you blame him for taking a peek?

It really was a stream of consciousness in the purest sense, pulled together with cute little drawings. He'd seen Shuuichi's work when they were narrowing down the suspects of Kaito's poisoning, and the detective wasn't, like, some grand artisan or anything, but the drawings really captured the air of people. Something just detailed and expressive enough that, simply seeing the drawing, you could recognize a person right away.

He could provide some answers to Shuuichi's questions, but... It was more fun to let him figure it out himself, wasn't it? There was nothing dire to address, so Shuuichi could have fun discovering all sorts of things about his new peers at his own pace.

Though... Ouma frowned a bit when Shuuichi turned to Katsuki's page. 'Lifetime order conditioning?' He'd figured something was up with Maki...but...

He looked up, seeing the end of training--for now--and started to get up himself. "You think she's gonna make him regret running out the clock tomorrow?"

Shuuichi shrugged. "Honestly, considering she didn't even get around to making him run now? I'm not actually certain how seriously Maki is taking this training. Mentors are usually incredibly tough on their youngest charges, because they know their charges' lives will someday depend on that training. But Timothy may never use his new skill sets here, so..." Another shrug. "...and honestly, he is a little old to start... I can't really guess. It's just speculation," he admitted, getting up and stretching a little.

Maki said one last word to Timothy, who responded with a clear, "Yes, Miss Harukawa," before running off, his speed and footing way quicker and more certain now that he wasn't bored running the track. Maki watched him leave with a furious eye before, her charge gone, she relaxed...slightly. Relaxed for Maki, anyway.

Coming back to the guys, mumbling to herself, "...gonna need to commission weight bands too...swimming could potentially be the answer to the stamina issue...worth doing fire training by this point?..." Getting to them, she huffed, "Shuuichi, you take him. He's your charge now."

Shuuichi smiled kindly. "Absolutely not," he said, "He in no way has the patience for it. At least with your training he burns through some of that pent up energy."

"Fine. But Kaito's taking some of the bulk of the training then, since this is all his fault anyway. The kid’s just doing basic strength and sparring exercises anyway, he doesn't have to only learn from an assassin for that." Maki looked over to Kokichi, raising an eyebrow. "Is he awake? I'm assuming by the fact that you're here and not upstairs that if he is, Kaito's at least stopped whining. Good. I need to ask him some things."

Really, once things calmed down more, Timothy could probably be free to set his sights on whatever he wanted, though, considering the Luminary values he seemed to hold dear... He wouldn't mention school yet. The kid was still horribly uncomfortable whenever he was in the same room as Ouma, let alone any other Dicean. And...giving him more options might be taken as him being fired from one of the only ties he had left to his old life.

Ouma waved a bit to Maki as she came up to them, snorting at her disgruntlement before nodding. "At least when I left, but he took another painkiller so by now he might've gone back to sleep. He did wanna see you guys, though, so he might be fighting it."

"He's pretty coherent, so if he's still awake Maki-chan can probably get her questions answered. From when I was talking with him, Kai-chan's accepted that he needs time to heal, so...I'd call that progress." He shrugged and turned, starting to head back to their room. Even if Shuuichi and Maki didn't want to see Kaito right away--which he doubted--he did say he'd be back soon. Ouma was a liar, but the last thing he wanted to do right now was to worry his husband.

"Looks like his concussion is still giving him headaches, but I helped him write a letter back to his brother and he could keep up a solid narrative. Had trouble remembering what day it was, though, for a second." More rest. Rest and slowly easing him back into things--certainly not letting him go full throttle training Tim no matter how much Maki wanted to get out of it. Kaito just needed time.

Both the escorts followed Kokichi without thinking about it too much, visiting Kaito feeling like the next logical step of the day anyway, especially if he was coherent enough to send a letter to Prince Byakuya. Shuuichi supposed if Kaito was asleep, he could just go back to organizing his new room. Shuuichi hadn't brought a lot on the trip, only one piece of luggage of personal items and two of various 'detective' things, but he still found himself struggling to get it all out and put away. Perhaps after traveling so long, it was hard to get back into the mindframe that they were really here to stay, and that made it harder to think seriously about where things ought to go. Oh well. It still needed to be done, either way.

Maki nodded at Kokichi's update on Kaito's health, her stern expression...somehow even more stern than usual. Though she kept the pace Kokichi set, there was a stiffness in her shoulders and a curl to her fingers that made Shuuichi think that her frustration with Tim might have less to do with him and more to do with Maki being distracted by something else. She had been tense for a few days now, which Shuuichi had dismissed as due to being concerned about the concussion, but now that Kaito was in recovery...hmm...

Shuuichi opened up his journal, and because her old page was already full, started a new one for her, just putting a large M in the corner to indicate it was another page for Maki.

As Shuuichi jotted down some notes, lagging behind, Maki took this as an opportunity to come up to Kokichi's side. Without looking at him, that tense expression still on her face, she said, "Are you well?"

"Huh?"

Ouma blinked over at Maki for a moment. Even if the way she phrased it was pretty formal, that was a fairly normal thing to ask a person. But, even in the short time he'd known her, Maki didn't seem one for small talk. So...why would she be concerned?

"Yeah? Lost track of time a little, but I'm not in danger of, like, tendonitis or anything. It happens every now and then." He knew that, well, practically everyone saw his limp the other day, but no one had asked about it to his face, and he'd gotten over it quickly. It was something to keep in mind if he and Kaito got physical in the future.

Ouma didn't even notice he thought about it as an 'if'.

"...are you doin' alright? I was talking with Shuu-chan about it, but people would be fine making different food for you if you don't like the regular stuff. And I know you're bummed about the lack of weaponry here, but I've heard one of the blacksmiths in town is really good, if Maki-chan wants to increase her collection."

Maki glanced over at Kokichi, her face blank, but a violent energy radiating off her. "...sure," she said, looking ahead again. "That's fine."

She gave literally no indication which suggestion she was agreeing to.

As the three headed upstairs, Shuuichi somehow easily managing to navigate the stairs without once looking up from his journal, Maki furrowed her brows before saying, "Do you have a preferred weapon?"

...something was up. But until he got more clues, or she spat it out herself, trying to interrogate Maki would get them nowhere. Worse than nowhere, actually, since he really doubted she'd appreciate it any.

Even with the absolutely boggling questions she was asking. Ouma covertly glanced around, noting everyone who was bustling about the castle near them, then shook his head ever so slightly at Maki. That wasn't a conversation they could have truthfully right now. He did still want to ask about learning how to throw knives correctly, more just because it seemed cool, but if he expressed interest--again--in combat or weaponry around someone that would tell Aiichi? Then heading out once Kaito recovered would be a pipe dream.

"Hmmm, maybe my sharp wit or adorable face? They do seem to do the trick." Daring to provide a little more explanation...this wouldn't get him in trouble, no. "I'm not allowed to handle weapons. Or anything that could possibly turn into a weapon easily. Thankfully I can still use pillows--that'd make sleeping a bit awkward, huh."

Glancing back at Shuuichi, who seemed tuned out, Ouma shrugged a bit, though there was a dulled, old anger in his eyes. "I dunno if Kai-chan told you, or you found out on your own, but you know about my health stuff, right?"

Maki raised an eyebrow. "Health stuff?" she asked.

"Confirmed Anemia, Hemophilia, Malnutrition, general respiratory issues," Shuuichi said absentmindedly, the information spilling out of him upon 'request', still writing about something else entirely as he walked in their shadows. He continued on in that same matter-of-fact way, "Also, prone to dizziness, lethargy, fainting spells, nosebleeds, all suspected to be secondary symptoms of the confirmed issues. Undiagnosed but discussed is mood swings, episodes of paranoia, persecution compl-"

"Shuuichi!" Maki said, recognizing the warning sign of him getting lost in a data dump. "Enough!"

Shuuichi looked up, briefly confused...before his brain caught up with itself, and he sputtered. "O-oh! I'm sorry, I didn't… I-it's… Sorry, your medical records we-were requested by Secretary Ch...by one of the secretaries, during our first day here, and one of my jobs was to scrub… I… Sorry," Shuuichi said, ducking under his cap, closing his journal.

Maki's eye was twitching, her fists clenched. Finally she said, "...no. I hadn't known about your health issues." She gave Shuuichi a Look. "It hadn't come up."

"...didn't think it was my place to say..." Shuuichi mumbled.

Ouma couldn't keep a sneer off his face as Shuuichi went through his medical laundry list, and it was fine to do so. Not everyone knew exactly what was wrong with him, but they knew that he was fragile, sickly, weak, and useless, and--

His neck cracked with how quickly he turned on Shuuichi, eyes blazing as he heard...'mood swings, episodes of paranoia, persecution complex'? WHAT? It wasn't helped by the fact that the rancid bitch had snooped through it all, making frightened disgust swirl through his stomach.

"Discussed by who?" he growled, hands clenched into fists, his frame starting to quiver in rage, stopping in the middle of the hallway. One of the countless healers that Aiichi had brought to look over him over the years? One of the admins? Someone visiting the castle that had an armchair degree in psychology?

Red-faced and starting to heave, it seemed like, whoever it was, had hit at least some of the nails on the head.

Shuuichi's face turned bright red, taking a step backwards that was just shy of stumble before he caught himself, sputtering out, "I-I don't know, I apologize, your grace, there were names at the end of each report b-but I don't think I could, u-uh, Secretary Hadilk Brawn, Healer Alisa Miller, Professor Aleq Shadquen."

Shuuichi's eyes twitched as more names came to him, compelled by the request as he continued on, breathless, "Professor Lee Yoo, King Aiichi, Dr. Yasuke Matsuda, Dr. Seiko Kimura, Secretary-"

As Shuuichi spilled out every name that he had seen credited in the record, Maki simply watched the both of them, tight lipped. Waiting to see how this transpired.

...no wonder no one had ever taken him seriously. Practically every medical community in Dicea figured he was some irrational child, how would they ever expect someone like him to be able to lead the country? They didn't even trust him enough to tell him this.

And, even if it was expected at this point, it still hurt to hear his dad's name listed among the...many others.

The rage was gone in an instant, replaced by an expression devoid of all feeling, though his shaking persisted. No one... No one had ever...

"Please excuse me." Stiffly turning, Ouma headed back down the stairs in almost a despairing haze, feeling like all his organs had dropped out of him, feeling like he was drowning. He...couldn't be around anyone right now. Not like they wanted him around in the first place. A disappointment, a burden...

He barely even noticed as his nose began to drip.

"-Alkin..." Shuuichi took a breath as Kokichi turned away from him, clearly no longer interested in the information. Shuuichi felt a bead of sweat fall from under his cap, and desperately he looked over at Maki. "I...Maki?"

"It's fine," Maki said quietly to him, watching the prince leave, putting a steadying hand on Shuuichi's shoulder, "Breathe in...hold it..."

Shuuichi complied, the need to spill the information asked of him to the requesting authority easing...easing...

"...and out," she said, keeping a firm grip on him.

He let the breath out, his head cleared.

"Good?" she asked.

"Yeah..." Shuuichi said, guilt setting into him as, the next time he looked up, Kokichi was gone. "...I think that was a mistake..."

"Maybe," Maki said, forcing an air of indifference, also fairly certain that the whole exchange actually probably couldn't have gone any worse. That was what she got for probing. She should have just kept to herself, and the whole conversation would have never come up in the first place.

...but...

Her princes had been raped.

She had literally sworn a life-debt to one of them three days ago.

She had to convince one of them to use her services, and soon. Every day she delayed, Secretary Chisa got farther and farther away. She didn't understand why she hadn't been sent already. Why hadn't Kaito told her? Why was this something she was finding out listening in on people doing their fucking laundry?

She had been wanting to discuss it with Kaito, demand the order from him, since she had overheard the gossip on it. Unfortunately, the only time she had been relatively alone with him to bring it up since she had heard about it, he had been going through one of the worst parts of the symptoms, and his reactions to her accusations had been rambling at best, entirely incoherent at worst. And even among that confusion, he had still refused to send her away, mumbling something about his husband...

...and that was the crux of the issue, wasn't it. It wasn't Kaito she had to convince to make use of her, to get back at this terrible offense, this direct attack to her fucking friends. It was Kokichi who was ultimately going to be the final say in the matter. And Maki...didn't really even know where to begin approaching Kokichi about such a difficult, personal topic.

...which is probably why it had ended up like this to begin with. Damn it.

"Come on," she said to Shuuichi, "Let's let him cool down. We can visit Kaito later. Let's go to the library, it'll calm you."

"I'm so sorry..." Shuuichi murmured, his face flushed red, allowing her to lead him away.

-

Kaito was lying back down again, lazily looking at the curtains away next to the window seat. Kaito wasn't sure when someone had cracked open the window, but he found the small breeze and the gentle heat of the late day outside relaxing. The painkiller had kicked in, and while it was by no means the joyful, invincible high of the old stuff, Kaito appreciated how it took the edges of the headaches away and left his head in a sort of heavy, slow glow.

He had wondered for a while when everyone was coming back, but time had passed, and he wasn't thinking about much anymore. He thought he heard birds. That was nice...

He hadn't even made it down to the first floor before he was stopped, Lake and Denji having been chatting together and both having a double-take at him after their initial glances. Ouma and blood were never, ever a good combination.

Denji had shoved a handkerchief under his nose, coaxing his head forward as Lake guided them both to the nearest empty room she could think of. And...he hadn't handled it well. He'd first tried to squirm away from the stylist, telling the two to get lost and leave him alone, and then when they ignored that, he started shoving, shouting that he was fine just go away!

And, worried that he'd hurt himself, Lake set her jaw and jabbed down on the pressure points in his neck, the distraught prince falling limp in Denji's arms. Keeping the handkerchief against his nose, Lake scooped the small boy up, keeping his head braced against her shoulder, listening carefully to his breathing. And the two shared a look, pitying, but not surprised. With everything that had happened, it was a miracle that Kokichi hadn't had another episode sooner.

So that was how, maybe fifteen minutes after Ouma had fled, trying to keep a grip on himself and failing, like always, the royal stylist knocked on the princes' door and let Lake in to set Ouma down to rest. Again. Thankfully, this wasn't a matter of him collapsing because his heart couldn't keep up with the demands of his body, so he'd wake up before too long, and would probably only need to rest the remainder of the day, no medicine, before he'd be up tomorrow morning. Still...they'd warn everyone to be careful with him.

"Sorry for the barge-in, Prince Kai," the guard murmured, expression somber as she brought Ouma in.

There had been a knock at the door, and before Kaito had really had a chance to wonder who it could be, the door opened (that was...strange. Kaito wasn't sure why he thought it was strange. Kokichi must have left it unlocked when he left. That made sense...why didn't it make sense?), Kaito watching in bashful confusion as two people, one whom he vaguely recognized, suddenly let themselves in. He was under the covers, but Kaito was suddenly hyper aware of just how little clothing he was wearing, just in his boxers, and-

Kokichi!

His lack of clothes now the furthest thing from his mind, Kaito shot up from the bed, fighting through sheer grit through the haze of the painkiller as he demanded, "What happened!?"

He moved to get off the bed, but the woman (what had her name been again? Something...something with a W, he was sure. Wazo? Was that right?) was clearly moving to lay Kokichi down, so Kaito rested on his knees, waiting impatiently and then reaching out as soon as Kokichi was mostly free from her grip, pulling him closer, holding him in his arms as he inspected him, doing inventory.

Though it had clearly been attempted to wipe it away, there were the tell-tale stains of blood against Kokichi's face, centered around his nose. Kaito's first instinct was that it looked like a sucker punch. Something predatory and defensive rolled inside of Kaito, and he turned a borderline accusatory look at the guard (no, no, Wacko was the pink haired lady. Who was this again? Kaito knew he knew. Who was she?) and what looked like a servant, demanding again, "What happened!? Did someone hit him!?"

Lake and Denji looked shocked even at the insinuation that someone would ever hit Ouma. Lake quickly shook her head as Denji huffed incredulously. "No way. You think anyone would be able to land a face shot on him?"

"That's not the point, Den!" Lake ran a gloved hand through her hair with a sigh, holding out a placating hand to the Luminary Prince. "First of all, he's alright, he'll wake up in a little bit. Maybe...ten more minutes or so? I had to knock him out so he wouldn't hurt himself."

"He came down the stairs with a nosebleed, and..." Denji sighed, thinking of all that they had to explain to their new resident. "He gets this look sometimes, that's actually just an absence of a look. When he gets like that, it means Kokichi is super upset but doesn't want anyone to know. We weren't going to mention anything about it, but he didn't let us help him with the nosebleed either."

Lake looked down at her prince, a sad frown on her face. "He said he wanted to be alone, but he wasn't doin' anything about the nosebleed, and if it kept up for too long... He just got out of bed, man. It's too sad, especially if you both were on bed rest."

Lake.

That was her name.

She had been the nice servant lady (or, he realized now, a guard he had mistaken for a servant his first day here) who had shown him the way to his guest room. She had complimented his cape, and had talked in her own 'hero persona'. He had found himself immediately liking her, had even lamented that it wasn't someone like her that he had been sent to marry...

...she did what?

Kaito looked down at Kokichi in his arms, who was completely out. He was breathing gently, the cheeks on his face still red from his earlier exertion.

He had been...upset.

He looked calm now. Peaceful, even. Extremely different from, say, the night at the greenhouse, where he had shouted himself dizzy, kneeling in the dirt, so furious that his cheeks had spotted white, his whole body shaking, after days of keeping himself awake, ripping into Kaito, telling him off in a fight that Kaito had been both dreading and desperate for...

Kaito tried to imagine greenhouse-Kokichi.

Then he tried to imagine himself just...shutting him up as the response.

"Get out," Kaito said, staring at Lake. The lady he had liked so much. Bloodlust dripping out of every word, his fingers tight on his grip on Kokichi. Suddenly hyper-aware of where his sword was in this room. "Don't come back here."

Lake blinked, looked up at Denji, who shrugged, and then nodded to Kaito. "Alright. I'll go." Moving smoothly, without any sudden movements--as nice as he was, Kaito's hairpin trigger was now well-documented among the castle staff--she headed for the door. Denji turned to follow her, figuring their presence wouldn't be appreciated either, but they paused for a moment.

"...he'll need to rest when he wakes up, regardless. If you two need anything, just holler."

And, with a quiet click of the door closing, they were gone.

--

He was getting better at kissing, he thought. Kaito seemed pleased at least. Felt pleased.

"Kokichi... You're doing so well..."

He groaned, thighs shaking as he got out his need to touch himself by stroking Kaito instead, getting him nice and hard to fill his wet, prepared hole. It was only a few more strokes before Kaito grasped his wrists and pushed Ouma down on his back, the smaller prince instinctually spreading his legs and tilting his hips up in anticipation.

Kaito laughed with that predatory grin. "Greedy as ever. Good thing I'm here to give you everything you want."

Ouma's moans pitched higher as Kaito's length filled him and--

"Aww, what a cute little phallus! I don't think I've ever seen a penis that small!" The cheery voice made his eyes pop open, horror coming out as a gasp as Kaito slammed into him. Peering over Kaito's shoulder was Secretary Chisa, clasping her hands together as she cheerily observed his dick. "You get erect so easily, I probably didn't need to give you love juice at all. Still, maybe I did," she sighed, reaching over Kaito to help guide him into Ouma, digging the nails of her other hand into his neck in warning.

"You'd never be able to satisfy the prince on your own."

Ouma whimpered, the only sound he could make, and tried to scoot away, but there were suddenly old, gnarled hands on his shoulders, keeping him firmly in place. Tengan leaned over into Ouma's field of view, looking over his body like it was a banquet laid before him. "Now, now, don't be unfair. A pretty little thing like Prince Ouma is arousing enough."

He tried to get away even still, tried to scream, but only moans and gasps fell from his lips, Kaito continually pounding away into his backside.

"See, look at this." Ouma frantically shook his head, only keening as the Head Secretary reached over and touched his penis, cumming as soon as the old bastard touched him. "A supple, virile, delicate body like this? It's even enough to almost get me hot and bothered," Tengan laughed.

And continued to touch him, squeezing his dick and coaxing more juice out.

"So excited!" Chisa squealed.

"I-I'm sorry, Kokichi..." Kaito grunted, furious tears pooling in his eyes. "If I don't, they'll..."

Stop stop stop NO!

"Ahh Aaah aaaaaHHH!" he moaned, cumming over and over.

Desperately clawing the ground, Ouma came again, hearing the disgusted murmurs all around him. The castle staff, the townspeople, Maki and Shuuichi, his father... All there, watching, calling him a whore, not good for anything more than lying in a bed, a pity he couldn't even carry a Luminary child, though Kaito was slowly filling him with enough seed to bulge his belly out.

Useless

Weak

Disgusting

"HKK-AHH" Ouma gasped out a scream as he jolted awake, his underwear soaked and dick tender. His stomach roiled, and Ouma practically flew towards the bathroom, just making it to the toilet as he vomited, shaking and sobbing.

It was longer than ten minutes. Way longer than ten minutes. Long enough for Kaito to lay Kokichi down comfortably and sit next to him, his hips pressed against Kokichi's side, Kaito's knees tucked against his own chest as he tried hard to think through the ever increasing thump of his head.

He'd tell the king.

No, no, the king had to already know, there was no way that his son was being so casually manhandled without the king being aware of it already, approving it already; it was a king’s job to know and a father’s responsibility...

Kaito sighed. Okay. Fine. He'd go to the king and demand that they stop. He had a right, as Kokichi's husband, to say something like that, even to the king...

...but what if it made things worse??

Now that his initial fury had passed, Kaito kept sitting there, thinking about how...casually. They had said it. Like knocking Kokichi out and moving him around because he wasn't cooperating was common. Expected. Kaito kept going over the explanation in his head, trying to find some missing justification that he simply wasn't comprehending yet.

Kokichi had a look on his face that suggested he was extremely upset. He had a nosebleed that he hadn't been willing to let them help with. So they...knocked him out and brought him to his room?

And when Kaito had barked at them (and it really had only been a bark. He would have tried, but he wasn't actually physically capable of a bite right now), they had seemed just...mildly surprised at his fury, at best. Walking in with his husband in their arms, looking at Kaito's concern and fury with them with the sort of patient exasperation Maki and Shuuichi might use on him if he was doing something reckless, like wanting to jump from a waterfall. If Shuuichi was genuinely worried, he'd argue with Kaito. Persuade him, even aggressively, if he was that upset. If Maki was worried, she'd yell, threaten, maybe even give him a knick with her dagger or a bump on the head.

Kaito couldn't imagine either of them knocking him out...for any reason short of being crazy on Despair Pollen. A last case scenario.

And those two people had just walked in, talking about manhandling and restraining his husband, their heir apparent, like it was nothing, and...something still bothered Kaito about the fact he hadn't had to let them in. Kaito stared at the door in the dark, trying to think through the thump, thump, thump, trying to figure out what was bothering him about it...

...how...how did you lock this door?

Kaito hadn't been doing it himself, since so far he and Kokichi had spent a (kind of depressing, actually) majority of their time either stuck in here on bedrest or hiding. But he had just been assuming Kokichi had been managing the lock. When Kokichi had said earlier that he hoped people stopped walking in, Kaito had immediately assumed that some staff had a spare key somewhere...but...

He couldn't see a notch, or a hole, or a lever, or...

How did Kokichi keep people out?

He felt Kokichi start to shift beside him, not quite waking up, but restless in his sleep. Gently, Kaito ran a soothing hand through Kokichi's hair, smiling gently down at him, though the smile felt strained and insincere in the face of Kaito's growing nerves.

He'd go to the king. He'd demand a practice like this stop. The king would listen. He had approved a cross-kingdom trip, right? If Kaito brought this issue to light, told the king that his husband didn't need to be treated like this, that Kaito wouldn't allow Kokichi to be treated like this, then the king would have to...

You're a prince consort he's a king he's the highest authority in the land if Kaito pissed him off he was going to retaliate he'd make things worse he'd put Maki and Shuuichi in danger he'd put Kokichi in danger-

Kaito closed his eyes. No, no. It didn't work that way here. They did things different here.

...didn't they? If anyone had asked Kaito thirty minutes ago if the servants were allowed to fucking attack Kokichi because he was ignoring them...

What were the rules here!?

Kokichi had kept telling him, over and over, that he was confined to the castle and not allowed to do anything. But Kaito realized he hadn't actually believed him until now. For literally the very first time since he had gotten here, Kaito wondered...would? Kaito be allowed to take Kokichi out on a date in town? It was such a small, simple thing to do...and if the answer was no, how realistic was that trip going to actually be? What if the king had lied to Kaito to make him stop asking? And if the trip was a lie, and town was out of reach...

Was Kokichi actually expected to just live between these walls forever?

Kaito...Kaito had a responsibility. He'd...he'd demand...he'd ask the king to reconsider all this… It would be fine. It was different here. It wouldn't make things worse...

Kokichi's shuffling was getting worse. His small husband's breath was now coming out funny, his chest rising and falling with more weight. Kaito checked his forehead. Some heat, but not a fever, and really, it was only heat in comparison to Kokichi's usual ice-pack temperature. There was a little gasp from Kokichi, and his face leaned into Kaito's touch, and Kaito felt himself blush. Cute...

...and then it became less cute and more flustering as Kaito started to recognize some of the sounds, putting Kokichi's small shifts into a different context. Ah. Well...

Kaito kept running his hand through Kokichi's hair, feeling like a pervert as he watched what was becoming increasingly clear was Kokichi having some sort of wet dream. Untangling his hands from the Dicean’s hair, Kaito reached down and reassuringly squeezed Kokichi's shoulder, hoping to gently rouse him.

At the squeeze, the little noises slowed, and Kokichi seemed to settle back into sleep for a moment...before Kaito could suddenly feel him trembling.

"Kokichi?" he whispered, squeezing his shoulder again, frowning at the sudden change in body language. "Hey...Kokichi, wake up..."

"HKK-AHH"

Kaito couldn't have let go and backed up faster, staring wide eyed as his husband seemed to wake up all at once, his gentle breathing and trembling body suddenly heaving, a gasping, shaking mess. His eyes wide, wild, Kokichi threw himself out of bed, running for the bathroom with a speed Kaito hadn't seen since he was Caleb.

His head did a few heavy, warning thumps in his head as his heart rate went up, but Kaito didn't care, pushed forward by concern and responsibility as he got out of bed, following behind Kokichi. "Sh-shit! Hey, man, are you okay!?" he asked, about to walk in but then hearing Kokichi vomit. What the fuck... "Kokichi?" he asked, concerned, hovering at the doorway, not wanting to embarrass Kokichi by hovering behind him while he was being sick against the toilet...but concern winning out over that as he listened to Kokichi gasp between spews, coming and kneeling down beside him, reaching to put a hand on Kokichi's back. "Should I go get someone?" he asked.

It was mostly bile and acid since Ouma hadn't eaten since breakfast, but he kept heaving, needing it all out out out OUT! It was disgusting, he was disgusting, what sort of person came from a nightmare.

But it wasn't just a nightmare, was it. Those looks from Tengan had been real, the way Chisa played with him like a doll was real, as ignorant and unwilling as he'd been, Kaito had still raped him, and Ouma had loved it. The way everyone knew that, knew he was a weak, dirty, crazy disappointment was...real.

He sobbed, tears falling into the toilet along with the bile from his mouth. Why? WHY? Why did he just...have to be him? His birth bringing nothing but death, being something to tiptoe around and care for his entire life, unable to simply survive on his own, something practically anyone could do. And even when he wasn't confined to a bed, what? Everyone expected him to keel over at any moment, the slightest thing going wrong sending him back to the ground. And...they were right. He couldn't handle anything.

Ouma flinched violently as he felt a hand on his back, shaking, expecting the gentle touch to turn rough and reach around to his front, seeing his shame, getting him going into another round...

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Kaito took his hand back like he had touched fire, clutching it to his cast as he stood up, backing away as he looked down at Kokichi with wide, surprised eyes. Kokichi looked feral in that moment. A sick, cornered animal...with teeth and claws and all the things that made sick, cornered animals so dangerous to go near.

Kaito wasn't sure what to do. Was this just Kokichi being, ya know...sick? Was this from the nosebleed thing? Did nosebleeds lead to vomiting, crying, and frightening rage? Kaito felt like maybe they didn't, but fuck, what did he know!?

As Kaito looked down at Kokichi, it occurred to him that he was too big right now. He didn't feel good about standing over Kokichi while he was like this. Should he leave? No...there was no part of Kaito that could leave Kokichi like this, even if it was just to the next room over. Not without being told to first. But still...too big. He was too big right now.

So he sat down at the farthest corner of the bathroom from Kokichi, tucking his legs under himself, resting on his knees and ankles. "Okay," Kaito said, quietly. Not wanting to startle Kokichi any more than he already had. "Okay. I won't."

The tears kept coming, though he stopped vomiting--there was only so much he could, after all. Instead it turned into coughing, ensuring that his chest and stomach would be in agony the next day. But he was nowhere even near to starting to calm down. Maybe if it had just been a dream he could, but it wasn't. His nightmare had only been all of reality shoved in his face at once, making his stupid, stubborn brain finally accept that...if this is how things were, he really shouldn't have been born at all.

That was what would be best for everyone, but...it still hurt. He was scared. Why wasn't he allowed to be someone worth living? By the virtue of being alive everyone deserved that base amount of respect and freedom, but he'd never been given any of that, had only caused problems for everyone around him. Was hurting someone even right now.

He...he couldn't... Kaito didn't deserve this. Deserve him. He deserved a spouse that would actually be able to support him, wouldn't have let all those horrible things happen. Wouldn't have torn him from his home. Wasn't a dirty, disgusting freak.

Grabbing blindly at the toilet paper, Ouma hastily wiped his face even as tears kept spilling from his eyes, sobs right from his heart shaking his form. And, quickly, so as not to ruin Kaito's presence with his own a moment longer, he sped out of the bathroom and opened the closet, closing himself in. With shaking hands, he nestled himself into a corner, getting the stuffed rabbit back out and clutching it to his chest, stifling his sobs into sharp breaths.

He wanted Ikuo. He wanted his daddy.

Kaito knelt there, wishing he understood what was going on as Kokichi sobbed, utterly hysterical about...something?? He was so fucking lost, wanting to reach out, to comfort Kokichi, but entirely in the dark of what this could possibly be. It was scary. Kokichi looked like he was going to shake apart, vomiting and sobbing turning into a raspy, choked coughing that left Kaito wondering if Kokichi couldn't breathe, if he should be running for a healer right now, if he should do something other than fucking sit here-

Kaito flinched. "Kokich-" he started to ask, as his husband suddenly stood up, running out of the bathroom with a cry, not out of Kaito's sight for more than a second when a door suddenly slammed shut. Increasingly baffled and nervous, Kaito had to work to stand up himself again, managing to untangle himself from his kneeling, one armed pose several seconds later, going out of the bedroom and looking to the bedroom door. Had Kokichi left? Where could he have gone? Maybe the obser-

Kaito paused, listening. There. Muffled, heated sobbing, coming from the closet. Kokichi had thrown himself in the closet. Trying to put distance between himself and Kaito.

Kaito considered opening the door, checking on him...then remembered the lack of a lock on their bedroom door. And instead, he sat in front of the closet door, feeling overwhelmed and stupid in the face of Kokichi's obvious breakdown. Should he leave Kokichi alone? The prince had isolated himself from him, maybe silence would be a kindness...but Kaito couldn't get over that miserable, sobbing look on his face. What was Kaito supposed to do, go downstairs and get a sandwich while Kokichi sobbed himself to death up here? Kaito had to do something.

Curling his knees into his chest, Kaito called through the door. "K-kokichi? Talk to me, please. W-what's happening right now?"

Ouma flinched as he heard Kaito's voice through the door, trying to stifle his cries further but not having the energy to keep himself from breathing. He clutched the rabbit desperately, trying to keep quiet, trying not to bother Kaito even more, but...

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm s-sorry, I-I--"

"W-why are you h-here? I only h-hurt you a-and-- I-I only hurt everyone! I c-can't do anything, I-I'm kept in this stupid place s-so I d-do-don't up and die, buh-but I-I'd be better off tha-that way. Ev-everyone here has to d-deal with a b-broken burden, I-I almost got Shu-shuu-chan and M-maki-chan killed, I k-killed my mom, my d-dad hates me, I r-ripped you awah-away from your home a-and made the se-secretaries hurt you and m-made them make y-you r-ra-rape me, I-I'm horrible and dirty and ev-everyone thinks I'm a whore, a-and--"

He cut off into rough, bubbling coughs, shaking horribly and too much of a fucking coward to end himself and save everyone the trouble.

Kaito stared at the door, listening in quiet, shocked disbelief. His hands trembling. His husband was losing his mind in there, and Kaito's heart was breaking. He could hear it. Kokichi was losing it, and Kaito...Kaito didn't know what to do...

Kokichi sounded suicidal.

Kaito worried his fingers on his cast hand, ignoring the pings of pain each popped joint spread up his broken arm. Using that pain. Focus. He needed to breathe. Breathe in...out.

Kaito looked at his boxes of possessions, and suddenly went to them. Taking each box, he upended them, looking for the right one, dumping all the contents on the floor. Another fake spider jumped out at him and Kaito ignored it, moving on to the next box when it didn't have what it was looking for. Where, where...

There. There it was.

With trembling hands, moving on...it wasn't instinct, but...obeying the orders of a side of himself that he was too overwhelmed to actually hear, whispering advice in his ears, Kaito grabbed it, unfolding it and letting it spread out. Yeah. Yeah, of course. The purple was slightly too dark, and it was so long that it would probably end up falling to just above Kokichi's feet, if it didn't touch the ground entirely, but, yeah...

It was Kokichi's. Of course it was.

Taking it into his arms, Kaito went back to the closet, reached out for the knob...remembered the bedroom door. And stopped.

"Kokichi," he said quietly, his voice surprisingly steady for how frightened he felt. "Can I come in? I have a present for you."

At least he didn't start throwing up again, for how nauseous he felt, but Ouma was heaving his coughs, letting them wrack him, unable to do anything to prevent them. Maybe he'd actually die anyway, his body finally winning the battle it'd been waging his entire, stupid, meaningless life.

And yet, still...he could hear Kaito's voice. ...Kaito didn't have a problem killing for what was right, maybe he'd put him out of his misery.

Even lost in the throes of despair, there was still a little voice in him, scared beyond belief of what was happening and desperately wanted to cling to life. That wanted a hug, somewhere safe to hide, a space where he felt special and loved. The voice wanted to win.

So Ouma leaned forward a little, coughs keeping him from speaking, and batted at the doorknob, trying to get a grip on it though he was shaking so much that he didn't do much more than rattle it.

...Okay. Kokichi had clearly tried to let him in. Good enough.

Opening the door, Kaito saw Kokichi on the floor, the smaller prince scooting away from him a bit now that the door was open, and Kaito's stomach dripped cold, panicked acid at the sight of him, his heart racing. Kokichi looked...on the verge of passing out. Eyes bloodshot red, bags already thick under them from the strain of his sobbing and coughing. He was clutching the rabbit. Looking just...miserable.

Kaito looked down at him...and grinned brightly. If he now clutched the present a little too tightly, well, it was made of sturdy material. It'd be fine.

There was a gas light in the closet, and Kaito lifted up the switch that would turn it on, filling the closet with warm light. Closing the door behind himself, Kaito said, "Let's stay here for a bit. It's cozy." And there was no chance of any nosy person letting themselves in and seeing Kokichi like this. Kaito never wanted anyone to see Kokichi like this. He looked so small… Kaito grinned through his heartache, taking the few steps it would take to get to him.

He kneeled down, and with a flourish, put a large, heavy cape around Kokichi.

The outside of the cape was black, but the inside was a dark, deep purple color, just slightly darker than Kokichi's beautiful purple eyes. The bottom edge of the cape was all in strips, carefully cut ribbons that looked as purposefully uneven and chaotic as Kokichi's hair. The collar, when clasped by the silver buckle, was high and thick, the kind you could hide you face from the wind in (or, in theory, from other people's gazes), and the cape, which fit Kaito normally, was huge enough on Kokichi that it could completely surround him, armor from all sides.

Kaito put this thick, heavy, protective cape around Kokichi's shoulders, clasping the buckle closed. Then, certain their skin wouldn't touch, Kokichi entirely covered in the cape, Kaito scooped him up, holding him against him, his body shivering, but the grin never leaving his face, his voice cheerful and steadfast.

"I know, I know," Kaito said. "A cape. Wow, shocker from Kaito Ouma Momota, Luminary of the Stars, obsessor of capes. But, you know...I really love this one, even though I've never found a good excuse to wear it," Kaito said cheerfully, pulling Kokichi closer to his chest, feeling Kokichi cough against him, his small body shaking in a way that terrified Kaito. But he fought through the fear, continuing on.

"See, when I first saw it, I thought it was a little weird looking. Like...it looks like something out of a storybook, right? Something some, I don't know...an eldritch wizard would wear. Or some evil supreme leader, leading an army of darkness. Something cheesy like that. And I decided to try it on for a laugh...but the second I put it on, I felt so...powerful in it. Untouchable. Look at it. Look at how casually menacing it is. When someone's wearing it, it's like...you'd have to be out of your mind to mess with someone bold and daring enough to wear this fucking thing. Even if they were small...and skinny...and sick. Well, that's just even more intimidating, because someone like that wearing something like this? That's someone you don't fuck with. That's a person with a plan. "

"And it is insane how much it suits you. It looks like it was made for you."

Kaito chuckled, gripping Kokichi tightly...before the chuckle became a sob. Kaito hid his face in Kokichi's hair. Afraid to let him go.

"P-please don't say things like that..." Kaito said, "You're not...any of those things...actually, no, no. Do say those things." Kaito realized, not wanting to shut Kokichi down. Not wanting him to keep Kaito out of his head, not when it was clearly spiraling so badly. "T-talk to me, please. Tell me where all this is coming from, b-because I'm not that smart, alright, we know this, and, and I don't know why you would s-say any of that stuff, but I wanna hear it. Okay? I wanna stay right here and hear everything you have to say, I wanna hear it, b-but...you're scaring me...please don't talk like you're gonna..." Kaito swallowed. Unable to say it out loud. "L-like you're gonna leave me. I've sworn myself to you. I'm counting on you. You c-can't leave me..."

...It was heavy. The cape was more like a weighted blanket than a fashion statement but...it was comforting. Maybe that was why Luminaries liked wearing armor; it was hard to feel vulnerable when you had metal encasing you. And then Kaito scooped him up, not in a way that would encourage wandering hands or a cheeky slip of a grip. His arm was around him, another layer of protection, and Ouma pressed himself against his husband's chest, still crying, but gasping through his coughs now, his breathing still ragged, but happening.

He listened. The fun, light stuff that Kaito tended to ramble on about, and then...the serious stuff. A necessary heartache. But Kaito's words actually made it through the dark miasma in his mind.

"I'm s-sor-ry," Ouma breathlessly sniffled, apologizing again. But this time, not for his existence. Not for being undesirable. He was apologizing for scaring the man he so dearly wanted to protect.

It took a little bit for Ouma's coughs to slow and even out enough for him to be able to speak, but Kaito was patient, there, kept his word and stayed to hear what Ouma had to say.

"I...I only make things worse f-for everyone. I killed m-my mom! I'm a m-murderer and Aiich-chi hates me for it, f-for taking her away. H-half the people in this fuh-fucking castle are only h-here because they t-tried to kill me. A-and I can't even make it up t-to anyone, since I collapse at the, the first sign of anything going bad. I-I'm stuck in bed and they have t-to take care of me."

"Ap-apparently I don't j-just have a shitty body too--apparently e-every doctor in the country thinks I-I'm a nutjob, a-and I scared Shuu-ch-chan when he told me. I keep h-hurting them, y-your friends..."

"I t-took you away from your home, e-everything you knew, I k-keep getting you hurt and l-letting people take advantage of you! A-and everyone knows tha-that we were tricked into our first time, a-and they think I'm a freak and you're a m-monster when K-Kai-chan is really sweet and d-doesn't deserve any of this. Not me, who had a f-fucking nightmare about them v-violating me and f-forcing you and I came from it!"

He had to stop there, sobs taking over his voice again though he only pressed closer to Kaito.

Kaito stayed quiet, just holding Kokichi close, listening to him talk. Listening to him vent. He had something to say to every line, every word...but didn't want to interrupt, to not break the flow of thought as Kokichi spilled his guts to him. Was afraid that if he spoke, the illusion would burst and Kokichi would shut him out, unwilling to confide in him anymore.

But then Kokichi's words stalled, apparently the last thing, the last wound, still freshest, still painful to even speak aloud. A nightmare...

Oh. The wet dream.

Right, that made sense. Kokichi had woken up practically already in the middle of his hysteria...it made sense that something he had seen in his dream had inspired that. And, and, Kokichi screaming at him not to touch him in the bathroom...Kaito had just thought he wanted space in general...and maybe that was still true, to an extent, b-but maybe it also wasn't...maybe the fury aimed directly at Kaito...for...forcing him...

Kaito had wanted to talk about this ages ago. Had tried to, in his own, roundabout way, bring it up that first night after, when Kaito had sat by the bath with Kokichi, hoping the warm water would soothe his pains...but Kokichi had shut it down quickly, and Kaito had a hard time even thinking about all of that now, not without the fury nipping at him, the desire to just...to just find them...to restore his own honor. Restore Kokichi's dignity!

...But none of that would help...

Kaito listened to Kokichi's guilt, his self hatred, his confession...and started whispering.

"You didn't bring me here..." Kaito whispered into Kokichi's hair. "You didn't. Your dad did. My dad did. A war neither of us ever had any say in did. You can't blame yourself for that. And everything that's happened here, since I arrived? None of that was your fault either. On the contrary, you've been amazing. You've been really strong and patient and kind in the face of people, my people, who gave you every reason in the world to hurt them. And you just...kept saying no. Timothy is alive because you said no, along with a bunch of other kids--you could have easily overruled me if you had wanted. I'm not in jail right now because you said no to my bloodlust. The war didn't restart, when it really could have, since I came at you crazy with a fucking sword. But you stayed strong, the whole time... Which...is amazing."

Kaito frowned. "And I know they're your people...and I respect that...but fuck what everyone downstairs thinks of me. Of us. Let them talk. Fuck 'em. Everyone working here is really starting to piss me off anyway."

Kokichi's hair smelled good. Kaito took a deep breath, taking comfort from that. Fear chilling him. Not because of the content of Kokichi's nightmare...but because of the...pressure he now felt. To be honest...which he had never felt himself wanting to do less in his entire life.

"As for...your nightmare..."

He went quiet. Staring into the dark corners of the closet.

"Can I..." Kaito whispered, swallowing. Fear squeezing in his guts. He should stop. He shouldn't say this. This was stupid. He had only ever told two people this before in his whole life, and one had used the information to be incredibly kind, and the other had used it to hurt him. Badly.

And he believed in Kokichi. He wanted to trust him. But...b-but...

"Can I tell you about something...and you'll never, ever tell anyone?" Kaito asked. "And I mean it. Like, really mean it. It'll never leave this closet? You'll never tell anyone? If you don't think you can, please just tell me, it's fine, I just...I just need to trust you won't tell anyone if I...told you about my own nightmares..."

Ouma just sniffled against Kaito's chest, not having the energy to argue, and because of that, he had to listen. To absorb a different version of events than the ones in his head. To gain a new perspective.

They weren't magic words, Ouma didn't magically stop hurting, didn't immediately stop crying and feeling like his existence was a mistake. But...they were soothing, in a way. Knowing that, at the very least, there was someone who didn't think poorly of him. That his brand of pacifism wasn't leading to more pain in the future, that he wasn't ruining the place Kaito had to live in now. There were still...so many things wrong with everything, but there were some things that were a little okay, and he clung to them.

He clung to Kaito.

Ouma was quiet for a moment, his tears slowing down into soft weeping, but...he nuzzled his prince gently. "I-I'm good at keeping secrets. I'll never say a word i-if Kai-chan doesn't want me to."

He wasn't in any state to provide comfort to anyone else. But he still wanted to.

Kaito nodded.

...he could still take it back. Say nevermind. Kokichi seemed like maybe he was calming down anyway. That any more from Kaito's end might be unnecessary by this point...

...but...but Kaito hated the idea of trying to tell Kokichi that his dream didn't matter. That it didn't define him, or hurt Kaito in any way, didn't say anything about either of them...when he was so defensive of his own, similar nightmares...

But he remembered the words of his very first lover, who he dared to confide in, and he remembered it really had been such a comfort...such a genuine relief, to tell someone, and have them assure you it was normal. To not just say it, but show it, a genuine action expressed with the express purpose of showing 'You're not evil'.

How could Kaito not try to do for Kokichi what had been done for him?

"Okay...I just...look, none of this matters anymore. It was a long time ago, and I just don't want you to tell anyone because i-it's not anyone else's business. Dreams are, you know...nonsense things. Reactions to the things we're dealing with and stuff, ya know? Just because a dream shows you a thing, doesn't mean, like, that's your deep dark secret desire or anything. It's just..." Kaito sighed. "Sorry, I'm just trying to say I relate, I guess."

"Anyway...when I was younger, I did all these, like...private training sessions. With my brother and Ma-" Kaito sighed. If he never made that slip up again in his life, he'd be thankful. It was so frustrating. "-and Head Secretary Tengan. Tengan. That fucker. Let's just call him that fucker. Anyway, that fucker would put me and my brother through all this really specific kind of training, meant to teach Byakuya how to mani-" Kaito frowned. Tried again. "How to be a leader. And I was kind of a guinea pig for that training. I don't know. It was a thing."

"Anyway...I was, I don't know...maybe eleven? Eleven going on twelve? And we had been doing this for years now, but I...I think what happened was I started going through puberty...and my body got really...really confused," Kaito said, closing his eyes. "I don't really wanna go into it too much, but, I mean...I s-started having all these dreams...about my brother. A-and for a long time I thought that meant th-there was something wrong with me? Like, maybe I was just...sick. Fundamentally wrong, somehow," Kaito chuckled, a hint of nausea at the memories. Fuck his head hurt. "Like, I was having all these fucking weird, sexual dreams about our training sessions, and I'd wake up, all, you know, compromised, and if that didn't mean I was fucked up, if I wasn't fucking, I don't...evil or some shit? Some evil fucking pervert...it really fucked me up for a long time."

"And then, an insufferable amount of time later, I met...someone really important to me, for awhile," Kaito said, a soft smile at the memory. "And he got me to tell him about the nightmares he saw I was having, and I thought...whelp, this is it. This is where my life ends. He's gonna be disgusted by me, and he's going to tell everyone what a fucking creep I am, and my family’s going to disown me, and by the time I got around to finding the courage to kill myself, no one was gonna care anyway."

Kaito stared at the walls, holding Kokichi close to himself.

He shrugged. Grinning. "Yeah...obviously that didn't happen," Kaito chuckled. "He got me to realize I was putting way too much weight on these dreams. That probably the only reason I had even had them for so long was because I obsessed over how guilty they made me feel. And like...it was something I really needed to hear, ya know?"

"So, all that to say, this is me, telling you...your dream doesn't say anything about you. It's, ya know...stress mixing with hormones and your brain not knowing what to do with all of it. It doesn't matter." Kaito frowned. Looking down at Kokichi...looking into his face. Worried he'd see disgust. Rejection. All the things he had feared he'd see in his first love.

"Right?"

Normally, Ouma would be inclined to agree with Kaito right away--he never really put much stock into dreams. But it wasn't just a dream. Even if it was all exaggerated, it had happened. Even if Kaito had assured him before, Ouma still felt embarrassed and ashamed of what happened that night, couldn't erase the fear and disgust he felt whenever he remembered how the secretaries looked at him.

But he listened. In promising not to tell anyone, that was also a promise to hear him out without judgment.

So, he kept quiet and listened. Even without how the mention of the 'training' made him curl into Kaito more, unable to properly process it but hurting for his husband all the same. And more as he mentioned some of the feelings Ouma had just been feeling.

As he finished, Ouma squished his cheek against Kaito's chest, sniffling once, twice, before his tears slowed to a stop. His arms uncurled from around the bunny and he pulled Kaito into a weak, but genuine hug. "...that fucker's really fucked up. I'm sorry that happened to you..." he whispered.

And then, uncertainty creeping into his voice, "...I don't want anyone else to ever touch me."

Another pause before he let out a loud, shaky sigh, taking his arms back. "Sorry for forcing you out of bed... You need to rest... I need to change my pants, but...I'll join you in a sec."

If...if Kaito was disappointed by Kokichi's choice, he was never going to show it.

Instead he gave him a bright grin. "S-sure! I mean, if...if you're sure you don't want to talk more..."

Kokichi had said a LOT of things that worried Kaito. That he was definitely going to ask about later, or at least wanted to ask about badly. Honestly, it really only seemed like they had scratched the surface of everything going on in his husband's head. But Kokichi seemed tired of the conversation, and Kaito didn't want to push.

Getting up (Phew. Vertigo. Wow.), Kaito looked down at Kokichi...giving him a shaky grin. "The cape really does look awesome on you. If I never get another opportunity to see you wear it, at least I got you in it once. Call me back if you need me, okay?"

And he walked out of the closet, closing the door behind him.

...That...that was okay! A lot of healthy relationships were sexless! And it totally made sense for Kokichi to decide after everything that happened that he didn't want to do it anymore. Kaito was here to support him! Sure, cutting off sex entirely was going to be...one hell of a habit to break, especially for someone who's been...promiscuous was maybe a fair word for it. All of his adulthood and most of his teen years...

But Kaito was Kokichi's husband, first and foremost! If that was what Kokichi wanted, Kaito would make it work! He was determined!

God he felt sick. Had enough time passed to take more of the painkiller yet? Crawling into bed, it occurred to him probably not. It'd only been a few hours since his last dose.

...what if Kokichi didn't want him to touch him again because of his childhood dreams?

Kaito closed his eyes and put the blanket over his head. It didn't matter. He wasn't ashamed. He wasn't going to think about it.

Ouma took a few moments to breathe once Kaito left the closet before swaying his way upward himself. Fuck...his stomach hurt. But...well, nothing to do but wait it out, he supposed.

Reluctantly unclasping the cape, Ouma stripped, cleaning himself up with his already soiled pants before throwing the whole outfit in his laundry basket. Thankfully he'd cleared out the dresser in the room to make space for Kaito's things, so he didn't have to leave the closet just yet. New underwear, new pajamas since he definitely didn't want to leave their room until...not tomorrow. Maybe the next day. He paused for a moment before re-clasping the cape on and picking up his bunny, opening the door and peeking out.

Maybe the universe was taking pity on him, because Ouma didn't fall on his way to their bed, climbing in and shuffling under the covers. It...wasn't that late, but he didn't want to do anything else.

"..."

He could feel another apology forming on his lips, but...would that just stress Kaito out more?

"...are you okay? I...c-can probably get you some more water if you want it..." Doubtful. Now that he was in bed...Ouma was exhausted, his fit of desperation taking nearly everything he had. But Kaito had put his own pain on the backburner to pull him back. Ouma put a gentle hand on his husband's arm, unsure if he even had the right to be concerned after what had just happened.

Definitely not now reluctantly obsessing that his confession of his old nightmares had potentially disgusted Kokichi to the point where he would immediately declare he never wanted to have sex again, because he had just said he wasn't going to think about it anymore, thank you very much! ...Kaito peeked out from under the blankets.

...fuck. This was going to be a hard vow to honor.

Kaito blushed, chuckling at Kokichi's outfit. "When I said I hoped I'd get to see you in that again, I wasn't expecting to see it again so soon. That fabric is pretty heavy. You sure you're okay sleeping in that?" And to his question, Kaito just grinned tiredly. "Would you tell on me if I went against healer orders and had some more painkillers early? I know, I know, something about my liver not liking it and all that...but liver problems sound like a tomorrow-Kaito's problem. And who cares about that guy?"

Ouma pouted a little, drawing the cape tighter around him. "Munna take it off before I sleep-sleep. 's just. Comfy." As much as he liked it because it was heavy, Kaito had a point in not sleeping in it. He didn't need anything else choking him while he slept, his body had that down on lock. But for just resting in bed? It was basically the same as just wrapping up in a blanket.

He sighed, glancing at the clock. Kaito had taken his last dose around...4:30 and it was about four hours later... He was only supposed to take painkillers every six hours at a minimum, but...wouldn't this count as an emergency situation?

"I care about that guy. A lot. But I care about this one too," he poked the bunny's arm into Kaito's, "So... If you take a half dose, I won't say anything. But you can't cheat on any more until you're okay again, alright? If you're ever going to convince the kitchen staff that you can handle alcohol, you're gonna need your liver running at full performance."

He managed a small, shaking smile, looking at Kaito affectionately, even with a tear-streaked face.

"I knew it!" Kaito said, running a hand over his face. "I knew they were watering down my drinks! ...Fine. Half dose. Deal."

Letting his hand fall, Kaito forced his body to sit up, planning to go to the vanity desk to grab the half dose...but he couldn't help but look at Kokichi. His face, run ragged from such an intense crying session...it hurt to see him like that. Kaito wished he could just...make everything better. Just make it so that Kokichi never hurt again...

...but that was King Aiichi thinking.

It'd have to be enough to just support him.

Kaito smiled at Kokichi, the gesture only slightly strained as, trying to work out where their boundaries were now, he asked, "Uh...is it alright if I kiss you on the forehead?" Kaito smiled. "It's okay if it's not."

Considering how rarely Ouma drank himself it was hard to empathize, but, well. Kaito liked booze. In moderation! Even with the few meals they'd been able to have together, Kaito never even seemed like he intended to drink enough to get even the slightest buzz. But, it still was a little funny to know how the kitchen staff thought he was a lightweight.

He blinked in slow surprise at the question as Kaito had never seen the need to ask for any of his other kisses, but... Considering what Ouma had just told him it was...really sweet of him to.

"Mhmm," he hummed positively. "It's something to adjust to, but...I really like it when you kiss me, you know? I'm not used to being so...affectionate, I guess, but I appreciate Kai-chan's affection."

Very different from the loveless, if not discreetly hostile marriage he'd been preparing for.

Kaito grinned, relieved. Kaito loved to kiss, those brief, intimate moments of contact one of his favorite ways of expressing himself. So, if kisses were allowed, he was pretty sure he could live on those alone. Fuck, Kaito could live just on Kokichi's smile, if that was what was asked of him. Kaito could change for Kokichi. He was happy to do it.

Leaning over, Kaito smiled through the kiss on Kokichi's forehead, enjoying the brief heat, the smell of him, before quickly breaking away. "Alright," he said, "You look as tired as I feel. I'm gonna go get my dose, and then we're going to sleep, I guess? Because honestly I could probably pass out on command by this point."

Taking a deep breath before he willed himself to stand up, Kaito went to get his glass, taking it to the bathroom and filling it with water, going back to the vanity desk and, carefully, snapping the small tablet in half, before swallowing it, the water coming right after.

After he drank, he sighed, and said, the thought on his mind, "You said you frightened Shuuichi? ...I won't ask you to go into it right now, but you don't have to worry about hurting those two. Maki and Shuuichi are...really strong. Incredibly so. Shuuichi can be a bit skittish and Maki can get into her own head a little too much, but seriously, they're steadfast to a fault. If you got into some sort of a fight with them, I bet you anything they've already, like...moved past it by now." Kaito grinned at Kokichi, putting down his cup before crawling back into bed, letting his head hit the pillow, leaning on his good arm in relief. He already felt a little better... "So, I wouldn't worry yourself too much about that. I'm sure you guys are fine."

Ouma sighed softly when Kaito kissed his forehead, comforted by the brief contact. Ever since that kiss the night before their wedding, the little reassuring kiss against his hand after the binding ceremony, bopping him out of his head to make Ouma's first, proper kiss something fun instead of daunting... He felt a bit bad that gestures of affection didn't come naturally to him, left Ouma only reacting to whatever Kaito did so he was always one step behind in giving back the comfort his husband provided to him, but...that was something to worry about another time. He had too much to think about right now that he was trying not to think about.

As Kaito took his painkillers, Ouma propped himself up and unclasped the cape, hanging it off the knob of the drawer in his nightstand though the bottom of the cape pooled on the floor. He'd fix it later. Or not. Kaito's belongings were scattered all over the floor, and it actually felt a little more like home in the mess.

He sighed more heavily as Kaito talked about his friends, burying his face in his rabbit. He hadn't been in any state to confront it, but Shuuichi had sounded so...panicked. Listing off everything like it was an accident, something he couldn't control. ...maybe it wasn't. And, even unintentionally, Ouma had exploited that.

"...I hope so." He had a big apology to make tomorrow. Even if he didn't understand everything he had to apologize for, it at least wasn't right of him to treat Shuuichi like that. None of what happened was the detective's fault, and it hadn't been fair to direct his anger at him. "If they come by tomorrow and I'm still asleep...can you ask if they can stick around until I wake up? I-I...don't really wanna...go out tomorrow."

Ouma sunk down under the blankets, looking away as he cuddled up against Kaito, keeping the bunny against himself.

Kaito nodded, feeling the call of sleep now that he was down and drugged with Kokichi comfortably pressed against him. Well, Kokichi and Kaito's little competition, the rabbit. Hmmm. Cooould he ask a stuffed animal to spar him for his husband’s honor? Maybe if Maki was controlling the rabbit… Kaito chuckled at himself, the loopy thought fading off into a fun image of Maki taping little daggers onto the rabbit’s arms and just throwing it at Kaito.

"I can do that," Kaito said, before frowning. He might just want to keep this to himself, but...well, what was he going to do? Sneak out and hope Kokichi just didn't notice? "I may try to step out a little tomorrow, when I can. Not for long, I just...I have a whole laundry list of conversations I need to have with people here that I've not been able to get to, and, like, I need to have a conversation with the king that can't just be added to the list and forgotten. It shouldn't take me long. I'll go find him, we'll talk, I'll come back here and go right back to bedrest. No problem."

He had to talk to him about the incident with the guard while it was still fresh, while Kaito was still confident in his memory of the exchange. If too many days went by, with Kaito fuzzy on painkillers and sleeping most of the time, if he went to the king after all that and declared the guard had attacked his husband and that Kaito wasn't going to stand for it, anyone could tell him he wasn't remembering the incident correctly and he'd probably end up believing them.

He couldn't allow that to happen. Kaito had a responsibility. He needed to talk to him as soon as he was awake and could stand.

Ouma huffed a little. "Mmmkay. Just be prepared for people to insist that you come back and rest, though. If it was just your arm maybe people would be more lenient, but concussions are scary." Snuggling against Kaito a little more, he hummed, "I'll be here waitin' for ya. Maybe messing with your things, but not too much. Getting Luminary replacements for anything would take a while. Not to mention...personal items...can't replace..."

Exhaustion caught up with him fast and Ouma drifted off in the middle of his sentence, words replaced by his soft snuffling almost immediately. He wouldn't be bedridden the next day, but...that had been intense, so if he wanted to sleep in more than usual, that was understandable.

...hopefully not too late. If he could get someone to bring breakfast up, that'd be ideal since he missed dinner. A-and lunch, working through it. ...he really needed to stop skipping meals so much...

Kaito watched Kokichi with sleepy eyes, smiling slightly to himself. Between the two of them, it always seemed like Kokichi had a harder time fending off sleep (or maybe an easier time getting to it?) once they were down. Kaito, in turn, even as heavily exhausted as he was, spent a while just listening to him breathe, blinking slower and slower, and when he fell asleep, he didn't notice.

Kaito didn't put any stock into dreams. He didn't put any stock into dreams specifically because he had, for way too long, put way too much stock into his dreams. Obsessing as a tween and young teen that his dreams somehow made him a monster or a freak. Praying to Atua constantly to fix him. And if not fix him, then to at least not let it get any worse.

Ultimately, he understood now as an adult that weird, stressful dreams were usually because you went to bed stressed, and dreams were always fucking weird, and there wasn't much you could do about either of those things. If you asked him now, he would have a hard time even quantifying what younger-him had thought would happen when he had been afraid his dreams would get 'worse'.

But as he knelt across a knee high table from Kokichi, who was also, at the same time, his brother, Kaito would have to admit: yep. This was worse.

Kokichi did that weird little hissing laugh of his, his eyes brimming with intelligent mischief, as he told Kaito again, "I don't understand why you're struggling so much with this, Kai-chan~. It's a simple game." Kokichi was holding up a slip of paper folded between his fingers. "I picked an image. You pick an image. If our images are the same, then you lose. If you pick something different from me, I lose. What's so hard about that?"

Kaito stared nervously down at the table. It was covered in small slips of paper, each covered in an image. Some of the images were people Kaito recognized: there was Shuuichi, peeking from under his cap. Where was Maki? Oh, there, next to the picture of the horse. Most of the slips were items though. A wine glass, a sword, a half-eaten meal. There had to be a hundred slips of paper on the table, each one different. The odds of Kaito winning was 99 to 1. It would be extremely difficult to lose on purpose.

...but this was the third time they had played this game, and Kaito had three heavy bruises on his back now. One had split open on the impact. And Kaito stared down at the images...reaching out to pick one...before dropping his hand back into his lap. Afraid to touch any of them.

Kokichi sighed, the little huff of breath morphing into a whine. "Kai-chaaaan-"

"I don't get it," Kaito said again, staring nervously at the slip of paper in Kokichi's hand. "I don't understand how I keep losing. W-what's the trick?"

"There is no trick," said a familiar, old voice, coming out from somewhere in the gray void that this exchange was happening in. The voice sounding amused. "Perhaps Atua simply prefers him."

Kaito grit his teeth, determined to ignore the old man, looking to Kokichi intently. "Please. Why do I keep losing?"

Kokichi rolled his eyes, tsking, the sound clearly in Byakuya's voice, before it returned to his own usual, lilting, sing-song voice. "Look, I'll make it real easy for you, okay," Kokichi said, pointing to a slit of paper with a small rabbit drawn onto it. "I'm not holding that one, so pick that one. Easy-peasy, right?"

Seeing the doubt on Kaito's face, Kokichi rolled his eyes again, more annoyed this time as he insisted, "Come on! Just pick it. You'll win! No punishment this time!"

Kaito looked into Kokichi's eyes, trying to find the lie in them. But as always, Kokichi only showed him that the Dicean prince wanted him to see. Still...Kokichi was his (brother) husband...Kaito could trust him...right? He reached out to take the slip that Kokichi had pointed out...

The old man in the fog chuckled.

Kaito changed his mind at the absolute last second, grabbing the image of the Dicean King next to the slip instead. Shame-faced, Kaito handed Kokichi the paper he picked, already knowing it was a mistake based on the long, exasperated sigh his husband let out.

Kokichi opened up his own slip, and there it was: King Aiichi.

Kaito stared at his knees, frustrated and ashamed. He should have trusted him. He should have believed him. He swallowed hard as he gripped his knees, feeling Kokichi behind him, feeling his breath in his ear as he said, disappointed, "I did try to tell you, Kai-chan."

And Kaito heard the wind of the stick before waking up with the smallest little gasp, his heart thumping into his neck. His back tense, still waiting for the impact.

The room was dark, but there was a hint of orange light peeking through the curtains. Was it sunrise or sunset? Had they slept through both the afternoon and the night?

There was a knock at the door. He heard Shuuichi call through it. "Kaito?"

Luckily for Ouma this time, he didn't have any dreams. He usually didn't, but considering he'd slipped off to sleep via exhaustion, pretty much anyone would have a dreamless sleep. When he woke up, though, he didn't want to have done so.

With a groan, Ouma pulled a blanket over his head, pressing his face into his rabbit and his head into Kaito's chest. ...he hadn't just woken up on his own, did he? There...there was a knock. Someone in the castle having manners. Shuuichi. Shuuichi had manners; that was the voice he'd heard.

...he had to apologize. But he was still soooooo tiiiiiiiired. Maybe he'd wake up a little more if Shuuichi stuck around... Well. The detective could come in anyway, whether Ouma really woke up or not.

"C'm'in..." he croaked, just loud enough to be heard through the door before turning over onto his stomach and pressing his face into a pillow. Too sleepy...

Kaito sat up, blinking tiredly at the door. Just as he had gotten the willpower to go open it for Shuuichi, Kokichi murmured something loudly, before the smaller prince turned over, snuggling deeper into his blankets, disturbed but clearly not actually awake. Kaito gave his husband a small, tired grin, rolling his eyes as he called to Shuuichi, quietly so as not to disturb Kokichi too much, "Hold on, man, one second."

Kaito had put pants on the night before, not feeling comfortable sleeping in his boxers anymore now that the lock situation was more obvious to him, but he went to put a shirt on too before opening the door for Shuuichi. Shuuichi had seen him in various stages of undress before, of course. Kaito was actually pretty certain Shuuichi had seen him naked a few times. A drunk, hazy skinny dipping memory came to mind, for instance. But Kaito was pretty battered up right then, and he didn't wanna worry his meeker sidekick, so on went the shirt, his cast arm just staying on the inside of it as Kaito went to the door.

Opening it up quietly, Kaito realized it was, indeed, the next day, both Shuuichi and Maki fresh-faced, their hair done and their clothes clearly newly pressed. Maki was leaning against the opposite wall, staring sternly at Kaito, while Shuuichi gave him a gentle smile, holding something in his hands.

"Morning, Kaito," Shuuichi said, confirming the prince's suspicion. "You look better. That's good. How do you feel?" He then glanced over Kaito's shoulder, and asked, "Is Prince Kokichi awake?"

"Morning, guys. And yeah, of course I'm feeling better. I'm Kaito Momota. Can't keep me down for long," the Luminary prince said with a cocky grin, ignoring his two escorts’ obvious skeptical faces. At the question, Kaito glanced backwards, Kokichi still buried in the bed, and shrugged. "Not really, I don't think. It was a...tough day yesterday. I'd rather not wake him if we can help it."

"That's fine," Maki said from the wall. "Me and Shuuichi have to go train Timothy soon anyway. You know, the kid you saddled on me?"

Kaito grinned sheepishly. "I'm gonna help with that, soon, I promise! Let me just shake off this whole concussion thing and then I am all about training! Promise Maki-Roll!"

"Have you eaten?" Shuuichi asked. "We'll have breakfast sent up when we go downstairs. Um, it's fine Kokichi's not awake. Just...give him this when he gets up," Shuuichi said, handing Kaito a thick manila folder. Kokichi's name was on the tab, with the word CLASSIFIED stamped in red on the front. "Don't open it yourself, okay? We had a small incident ourselves, over these documents, yesterday, and I, well, me and Maki thought..." Shuuichi shrugged. "If I got to read it, he should too, right?"

"It's stolen, so don't go letting anyone know you have it," Maki said, entirely nonchalant about it. "Tell Kokichi when he's done with it I'll put it back. Security here is a joke, so it's no big deal."

Kaito took the documents, giving his friends a warm look. "Thanks guys. I'm sure he'll-" Kaito was going to say 'appreciate it', but he honestly had no idea how Kokichi was going to react to anything before the smaller prince did, so he shrugged instead. "Well, thanks. I appreciate you guys thinking of him."

"Alright, let's go," Maki said, Shuuichi nodding before giving Kaito a little wave, following her down the hall.

Kaito waved back, before closing the door. Taking the folder (man. It was thick. How much could you write down about a person?), Kaito put it on the nightstand next to Kokichi, before going back to his own side of the bed. He wasn't sure if he was actually good to go back to sleep though. The nightmare, while, again, just a nightmare, and not indicative of anything important, Kaito knew this...had still left him adrenaline fueled, sleep all but entirely gone now...

He'd take a bath. Use the hot water to unknot his muscles. Use the smell to relax. Just get all the sweat from sleeping constantly for the last few days off of himself. Get dressed, maybe pick up the mess he had made...talk to the king.

Yeah. That was the plan.

He headed to the bathroom, getting started on just that.

Aiichi sat in his office, breakfast finished a bit ago, working on some more simple concerns his friends had sent to the castle while he thought. He'd had to talk Yuliya down from going after Miss Harukawa, which wasn't so difficult, but it did beg the question why the young assassin needed Ko's medical records. Mr. Saihara had already read them over; surely anything she'd need to know she could ask her companion. It didn't fit the profile of the detective, but...perhaps he needed to reconfirm something? A detail he hadn't bothered to write down or remember.

...maybe. But they weren't going to use that information to hurt Ko, obviously. He did hope they were familiarizing themselves with his condition to better recognize the signs of him overdoing things, to be able to judge the situation appropriately when he inevitably had a tantrum in front of them. He did hear of an altercation the day before, leading to Lake and Denji taking care of things--perhaps that was the spur.

Ah well. As long as Ko was taken care of, unharmed. It had been concerning that he hadn't come down for breakfast, but...perhaps he had decided to spend the morning with Kaito. In that case, he would probably send someone to fetch them both breakfast. For how often his son skipped meals, surely he wouldn't starve his husband.

Not a big deal, the leader decided, focusing back on his work.

The bath had been perfect, to the point of maybe actually being overkill, once he had dragged himself out of the cooling water, his body so relaxed that he almost wanted to abandon the whole quest. Ah well...at least he had managed to keep his cast dry this time, shaking himself in the bathroom for a moment before actually grabbing a towel, wiping down the last of the water off himself.

Towel around his waist, Kaito quietly left the bathroom before feeling reassured Kokichi was well back to sleep. Getting dressed as quickly he could, Kaito made a very, very meager attempt to clean up his things, throwing them back into random boxes before getting about half-way done and deciding, eh, good enough for now. There was a knock at the door, and before Kaito could say anything, the knob started to turn-

Kaito ran at the door, grabbing the knob and turning it the opposite direction, glaring at the wood, all the relaxation from before gone. He heard a small startled gasp from the other side...and took a breath. Plastering a grin onto his face, Kaito opened the door himself, peeking out and leaning on the frame, a servant he didn't recognize holding a covered, silver tray in his arms.

"Sorry if I scared ya. Was getting dressed. Wouldn't have wanted you to see me all...compromised," Kaito said, tilting his head slightly at the man, his grin a touch wolfish as he leaned his whole weight into the frame. When the man's cheeks went a little red, Kaito laughed good-naturally, saying with a wink, "Gotta be more careful, ya know?"

"R-right, uh..." the man said, forgetting himself for a moment before remembering he was there for a reason, handing the platter to Kaito, who just stared at it, before pointedly looking down at his cast arm, raising an amused eyebrow at the servant. Flustered, the man went on, "I was going to just come in and drop this off-"

"Which you can now," Kaito said, that easy grin back on his face, "Now that I've come to let you in. I appreciate that!" Kaito put a finger to his own mouth though, giving a small shhh, the grin pressing against the tip of his finger as he said, in a hushed tone, "Try to be quiet though, okay? Your prince is still asleep. In an’ out."

The man nodded, and then Kaito let him in, the servant scrambling in under the Luminary Prince’s quiet, pointed gaze, the tall red-head’s body language, words, and expressions giving such wildly contradicting messages that the man would frankly be glad to be done with this whole thing as soon as possible. As soon as he found an available surface (the vanity desk), the man put the platter down, quickly shuffling back out of the room, not even looking to see Kokichi curled into the bed.

Kaito watched all this, a pleased grin on his face, bowing his head at the man as he said, quietly, a look of genuine friendliness now replacing all the...stuff. From before. "I appreciate ya, man! Was afraid you'd wake him up. Hey, what's your name?"

"Ha..." the man hesitated, just so confused now, Kaito's weird, almost suggestive hostility now entirely replaced with an almost radiation of warmth."Hajime..."

Kaito grinned brightly at him, raising a thumbs up at him. "Awesome, thanks Hajime! Hey, from now on, if you're on shift and something needs to be sent up here, I'd appreciate it being you. Okay? I know I can count on ya!" the foriegn prince said cheerfully, before giving him a wave, closing the door on him.

...what the...heck was all that??

Hajime shook his head, heading back downstairs. Luminaries, man. The whole kingdom just produced nothing but weirdos. Honestly, he didn't get paid enough for this...

Back inside, Kaito sighed, feeling like he had managed to mask his fury fairly well, for how defensive he had felt. Opening up the platter, Kaito grabbed an apple that had been brought up with the plates, before leaving the rest for later, and for Kokichi, whenever he was actually ready to wake up. Going to Kokichi real quick, Kaito smiled down at him for a moment, before leaning down, gently kissing against his hair. "Be right back," Kaito whispered as quietly as he could, before heading out.

Downstairs, Kaito finished his apple, his heart beating too fast for the little physical activity of just getting downstairs, sweat starting to wet his forehead. Having only the other half of the painkiller from the night before was going to hurt, no doubt, but it was a mixed blessing. Kaito really wanted to be clear headed for this. Getting rid of the apple core before getting to what he was fairly certain was the king's office, Kaito took a steadying breath, reminding himself that it was different here...before knocking on the door.

Aiichi looked up in surprise when he heard a knock at his door. Most people just walked in... Getting up, he opened the door before offering a warm smile to the person on the other side, opening the door more and gesturing inside. "Ah, Kaito, good morning! I'm glad to see you up and about, though, if you came to speak with me, please sit down. No need to strain yourself."

He'd been angry before, certainly. Raging, actually. It had been mostly directed at the Luminary Secretaries, but there had been some undeserved anger sent Kaito's way as well, simply for participating in the incident. However, his son-in-law had been tricked as well, and had immediately gotten help as soon as he noticed something wrong, staying by Ko's side the whole time. And...after hearing a bit of the boy's history, that helped ebb away the rest of Aiichi's anger.

He still wasn't happy to acknowledge that his son had a sexual life, but Ko was a married adult. It wasn't Aiichi's lane to be in...apart from making sure that they'd at least be safe.

The Dicean King's office was as warm and friendly as the man himself, curtains open around large windows to let natural light in, his work desk placed off to the side and an arrangement of comfortable chairs and a couch given the focus of the room instead. The bookcases in the room were packed with tomes of all sorts of subjects; agriculture, architecture, waste treatment, economics, as well as copies of countless records from Dicean history. The paintings on the empty space available were clearly portraits of the country, each plainly done in a different style and hand.

It was a place of reassurance and conversations, of knowledge and action. And one of the places Ouma hated the most just from the fact of who spent the most time there.

Aiichi sat down in one of the chairs with a kind laugh. "I apologize, I hadn't thought to get any beverages yet; I hope you've had breakfast? How are you doing?"

Kaito grinned, squaring his shoulders and ignoring the warning thumps of his brain and his ever increasing nerves. He was Kaito Ouma Momota, Luminary Prince of the Stars! Hero of the fifteen year war! Even crying, murder children loved the Luminary Prince!

Okay. Good. Pep talk over, Kaito gave an appreciative nod of his head to the king, resisting the urge to dip lower, before going to take the offered seat. "Thank you-" Kaito's brain fuzzed a bit, unable to settle on a name, before settling on, "Sir. And, I've eaten, yes. And, please, don't apologize, I know it's early still."

At the question of his well being, Kaito gave a triumphant laugh, saying in the Luminary Prince voice, "Excellent! Couldn't be better, honestly. Just shaking off the last bits of this headache, and eager to get back to things!"

What things? Well...there were the congratulation letters. And Timothy's training! And, just, a whole line of people to apologize to. Whatever! He was eager to get back to it!

"Um," Kaito said, the first hint of doubt bleeding through him as he tried to think of how to start this conversation. The king seemed to be in good spirits. That was probably a good thing, right? This room was bright. Cheerful. Like the man himself, really. Even if the king unsettled Kaito, a little bit...still. This was an honest concern! Kokichi had been knocked out by one of his own guards. It was a legitimate issue to bring up!

"Uh," he said again, grinning through his inner rationalization. "I had something I wanted to talk to you about, if you have time. Concerning Prince Kokichi and something that occurred yesterday."

It would take a long time for the kid to relax. Continuing to insist that it was fine--preferable in most cases, actually--to be casual and familiar would only stress Kaito out more, so, this was simply a case of being kind and understanding until Kaito could relax.

"I'm glad to hear it!" the leader chirped, genuinely happy to hear about Kaito's recovery. "It's a little scary how often you end up in the medical wing, you know. Accidents happen, of course, but I hope luck turns your way more, Kaito."

And in the case you had to make your own luck, he hoped the Luminary Prince would exact a little more caution going forward. He was young, resilient, but there was only so much a body could take, never mind the toll on his mind.

Aiichi nodded at Kaito, entirely unsurprised. "Ah, about his nosebleed? It does happen time to time, more common in spring and early summer. Something about the pollen in the air agitating what is already prone to happening, I believe. Despite being common, we still have to be wary of them, but you know all about that."

"Is he alright? I noticed he didn't come to breakfast." A bit of worry entered Aiichi's expression. "Unless he bleeds for more than twenty minutes he's usually fine the next day, and Lake and Denji have already told me that they stopped the bleeding within ten."

Kaito's self confidence became more strained. Twenty minutes...that wasn't a lot of wiggle room...the kind of time limit that might make desperate measures more reasonable...

Kaito gripped his fists. No. He couldn't think like that. He believed in Kokichi. If his husband had refused help, it was because he would have been fine. He'd have muscled through. Or, if not, would have recovered just fine. That was a decision his husband could make for himself. Kaito had faith in him. Kaito just had to hold onto that thought.

"Er, uh, yes!" Kaito said, raising his chin, frowning. "Miss Lake is actually what I most want to talk to you about. Sir, I understand that Kokichi has...limits. But how Miss Lake forced her assistance on him was unprofessional, and frankly, more than a little alarming. Kokichi was brought back to our room unconscious, with the guard informing me that he had been knocked out due to refusing assistance. That..." Kaito jabbed a nail into his palm, feeling the pulse of his brain behind his eyes the more worked up he got, trying to use the nail digging into his skin to refocus himself. "...I understand that she was trying to be of assistance, which is admirable, but how she went about it was entirely uncalled for!"

Aiichi regarded Kaito with mild surprise before a considering look crossed his face. "I see... First of all, Lake was acting upon my request, so I would ask you shift at least some of your ire. Ko often puts himself in situations that can turn fatal, which would've been just annoying if he had accepted help. As such, I have asked all the staff here to put a priority on Ko's safety above his wishes."

"From their testimonies, Lake and Denji said that Ko almost seemed unaware of his nosebleed and seemed to be in a state of great distress, which he's never been very good at thinking through in the past. Denji had placed a handkerchief under his nose to try and stem the bleeding, and tipped his head forward to avoid him swallowing any blood and potentially causing him to vomit. Lake had tried to lead them to somewhere Ko could rest and recover in peace, but he had started fighting them. Physically. Which he never does." Aiichi sighed a bit. "In that situation, there was a good chance he would injure himself, or, if he left them, he likely would've fainted from his nosebleed and would've had to be placed on bedrest again. He's never been hardy, but three times in less than two weeks is dangerously worrying."

The leader went quiet, tapping out a rhythm on his leg before looking back at Kaito. "In that situation, it seems appropriate and in line with what I have asked of our friends to subdue Ko and assure his safety. However, if you find a problem with it, then there surely is a better answer. May I ask what actions seem more appropriate to you?"

Kaito swallowed. Right, that was...that all sounded reasonable… Maybe Kaito was wrong here...

Involuntarily, a memory, more accurate than the dream, came to mind: the game was easy, Kaito. Just pick a slip of paper, and if it's different from the one I've procured, then you win. You have a 99:1 ratio of success. You should basically always win.

It's honestly baffling how you keep messing this up.

Kaito's dig of his fingernails into his skin turned into a worrying of his joints, uncertainty sparking hotly in him now as Kaito broke his eye contact with King Aiichi. He was being ridiculous, wasn't he. He was overreacting. When it came right down to it, he barely knew Kokichi. Hadn't spent a month with him yet. Who was he to come here and suggest their methods were wrong? Even if it had felt wrong...why did it feel wrong again...?

Kokichi's furious, sobbing face in the greenhouse flashed next. Kaito grit his teeth.

"Kokichi doesn't like it," Kaito insisted, not quite meeting Aiichi's eyes, but feeling better to be back on more sure footing. Even if Aiichi's logic was entirely reasonable, that didn't change the reality that his son hated this, and Kaito had a responsibility. If the staff was ordered to prioritize his safety, then it was up to Kaito to prioritize his wishes!

"He doesn't like it, all these...all the safety stuff. The never-ending quarantine and being handled like some toddler." That last gripe was more Kaito projecting his concerns for Kokichi more than something that his husband had griped about, but Kaito felt like it needed to be said anyway. "The more time I spend with him, the more obvious the sheer toll of all this is taking on him! S-so, he would have ended up needing more bed rest if they had let him run off. Fine! Kokichi's an adult, if h-he wants to take that risk, it's not anyone else's authority to force him into avoiding the consequences of his own actions. B-besides, how the fuck is he supposed to figure out where his limits actually are if you guys knock him out every time he tries!"

He was getting worked up. And, uh, cursing at the king. Kaito took a steadying breath, fighting the nervous rage that was boiling up inside of him, Kaito back to staring at the ground, his brow furrowed as he said, "I mean...you know...since you asked and all..."

Well, Aiichi knew that. Ko made it very clear that he didn't want to stay in the castle, that he thought it was ridiculous that he couldn't hold any sort of blade. And it wasn't fair, but it wasn't fair how little had to happen for Ko to never be able to complain ever again.

"It is someone else's authority if the consequence of his actions is death," the leader quietly said, expression somber. He could remember it too easily. That both cursed and blessed machine Ko had to spend the first year of his life attached to. It had been a miracle that the midwife had found the baby's pulse as he'd been forcibly delivered, the light already gone from Miyako's eyes. Every time Kokichi cried he had felt so relieved, because it meant that his son was still alive.

In that nursery that he and Miyako had so excitedly decorated, now looking more like a hospital room or a laboratory, Aiichi had looked at the still form of his infant son, watching that machine force his lungs to breathe, and vowed that he would not lose another member of his family due to negligence.

As his toddler barely played and constantly fell asleep, he swore it. As Ko had a cut from the old fencing around the castle and it had kept bleeding, the small boy panicking before he fell unconscious, he swore it. As Ko would spend days, weeks in bed, barely able to finish a conversation, he swore it.

It wasn't fair to stifle his son, but he'd never have the chance to do anything if he died.

"I understand your concern, Kaito." There was an old sadness in his eyes--he did understand. Not the actual toll that had been taken on Ouma, but the horrible situation he was in. "But until we can actually come up with a better plan, I will not allow Ko to kill himself. As far as we've discovered, the limits we have set upon him are his limits."

With a small sigh, the leader stowed that hurt away. "However, once both of you seem well at the same time, if you and, I would prefer, at least one other accompany him, I will allow Ko to spend time in town. He is an adult, and if he can acclimate to being outside before your honeymoon--which, actually, I will also caution that you both are in good health before you set out--that would probably be better for him."

Was...was that a win?

Maybe… Kokichi did seem less than certain his father would ever let him out into town...and the trip was still in the works! That was huge, even Kaito could recognize that.

But as he murmured, "Yes, sir, thank you," he couldn't help but feel like he was being placated more than anything.

There had been a finality to the king's speech that made Kaito think that if he pressed forward on his original concern, on the staff's ease and casualness at manhandling Kokichi, that Kaito wasn't really going to get anywhere...this time. Yeah, that was the way to think about this. This was just a...a negotiation. And sometimes you didn't demand all the things you wanted in the first negotiation, because that gave you more room for the second. Kaito was certain that was how that worked. Okay, so...in that sense, he had accomplished at least some of his goal.

Town and a trip.

...and, honestly, once they were on the trip...would it matter what kind of restrictions the king wanted to put on Kokichi? Like, honestly, how far could his influence reach? On the backroads through random small towns? All the way to Danganronpa Kingdom? Kaito just needed to be patient by this point. Kokichi would just need to be patient. Once they were gone...

...Kaito took a steadying breath. Once they were gone, Kokichi would seriously be tested on how much he could actually survive without those restrictions. Even if Kaito had wanted to, he knew he didn't have the headspace to enforce this kind of lifestyle on his husband, if Kokichi didn't want him to. It would genuinely be up to Kokichi, if he was going to...if he was going to make it.

Kaito grinned, excitement running through him.

Just wait until the king saw what his son could do!

Kaito nodded, a burst of sudden, honest optimism escaping his still extremely damaged body. "Okay! That's...that's fine! That's perfect, really! Thank you, sir," Kaito said again, bowing his head. "It's going to be okay, I promise! Kokichi's gonna surprise everyone someday!"

Kaito stood up, excited to go back to Kokichi and ask him when he wanted to go out to town for their date, but stopped. "May I go?" he asked the king. Entirely sincere.

If nothing else, Kaito was much more understanding about the situation than Ko was. Perhaps it was different when it was your own body not matching up with your mind.

Kaito's excitement was infectious, and Aiichi found himself laughing lightly. "I really hope so, Kaito. I honestly do." The laugh got...er, a little less kind and a little incredulous despite his efforts, however.

"Yes? You are free to come and go as you please, Kaito--with the current stipulations of healers orders." He raised a knowing eyebrow but he wasn't going to tell the young man off too much. He was likely going back to their room anyway. "I hope to see you both back at meals in the near future, but please don't strain yourselves. Your health is more important than a little socializing."

Aiichi then stood as well, giving the foreign prince a wave. "If you need anything else, you know where to find me. Here or the courtroom, I mean." Another, again kind, little laugh.

Ouma stirred, still not really feeling like bouncing off the walls, but now actually awake. "Kai...?"

No extra weight on the bed--and no warmth either, much to his dismay--, all the chairs empty, he couldn't hear anything from the bathroom... Probably out on his talk expedition, then.

Stretching with a squeaky yawn, Ouma noticed two things as he looked around the room. A record folder on his nightstand, and a tray full of food. He had a moment of indecision before his hunger won out over his curiosity. Drawing over a chair to the vanity desk, Ouma started sleepily working through the orange wedges on the tray, bunny comfortably settled in his lap.

Kaito practically raced upstairs, excited about the sort of pseudo-victory of the conversation, getting up two floors...before he took a deep breath, blinking through the dizzy spell as he held onto the rail.

He walked up the rest, but not feeling any less excited.

The more he thought about it, the more certain this trip was going to be the key to Kokichi's happiness. If his husband could survive the trip and come back unscathed, no one would have a leg to stand on trying to say he couldn't handle a fucking nosebleed on his own. Kokichi just needed the chance to prove himself, and this trip was going to be it! It was perfect.

Getting into the room, Kaito saw the bed was unmade and empty now, but it was just a quick glance around before he saw his small husband, sleepily getting through breakfast. A grin splitting his face, Kaito leaned down to Kokichi, catching his chin in his hand and lifting it up, not at all concerned if he had caught Kokichi in between bites as he kissed him, enjoying the taste of breakfast on Kokichi's bottom lip as Kaito stole Kokichi's breath for himself with a deep inhale from his nose.

Breaking the kiss, Kaito then kissed Kokichi's forehead next. "Good morning, beautiful!" Kaito said, all cheer. "How'd you sleep?"

Ouma looked up when he heard the door open, not even getting to think through how he'd feel depending on who it was before Kaito burst in. Best case scenario, honestly. He offered his husband a smile, but didn't get to greet him before his mouth was occupied with something other than food.

"Mmph?" He really needed to get used to Kaito just...kissing him all the time. As a greeting, as a parting, just because he wanted to... Maybe one day he wouldn't be surprised by it. Luckily the kiss lasted long enough for Ouma to reciprocate, nipping Kaito's upper lip gently when his lungs started to burn.

Rolling his eyes a bit when they parted, he breathed heavily, putting a hand against his chest, unable to hide a slight wince. "It was...hoo. I slept fine. Missed my heater when I woke up, but what can ya do?"

Readjusting his rabbit in his lap, Ouma ate another spoonful of the yogurt/oat/fruit mixture he'd been working on, tilting his head side to side. "...Did Shuu-chan and Maki-chan come by earlier? I think I remember hearing them, but I was probably still too asleep if they did. Should I thank them for breakfast later? Or you?"

"Ya know, I'm more than a source of heat for you to leech off of, ya weird little icicle," Kaito teased, brushing some of the hair off of Kokichi's forehead before glaring at the rabbit.

Your days are numbered, sadness comfort rabbit. Kokichi was going to be happy again soon. Kaito was going to ensure it.

"Them. They were just stopping by before they had to go start Timothy's training this morning. Well, before Maki started training him anyway, I'm not sure what Shuuichi's doing with his time right now," Kaito mused, grabbing his own plate over Kokichi's shoulder, leaning on the edge of the desk as he started swallowing down potato slices, dipping them into the yoke of the the runny eggs that had been added to his plate. "A nice servant named Hajime? I think? Brought them up. I liked him, so I asked that if he was available to let him be the one to bring stuff to our room when it's needed, so, you may see a lot of the guy in the future. So, if he's, I don't know, rude or anything," Kaito shrugged, practically inhaling his food between sentences, "you should let me know. Since I'm the one who asked for him anyway, I mean."

"Oh! Shuuichi brought that stuff by," Kaito said, nodding his head towards the documents on the nightstand. "Said it had something to do with a conversation you all had yesterday? Maki said to let her know when you were done with it and she'd put it back."

Cheerfully eating his food way too fast, Kaito worked in his head how to bring up to Kokichi that he was allowed to go into town now. Sure, with two other people, but in Kaito's head that was merely a temporary stipulation. Again, he couldn't fathom anyone putting any restrictions on Kokichi's movement once the trip was done.

Ouma snickered up at Kaito. "Unfortunately I can't argue that. It'd be a disservice for how good of a cuddle buddy you are. And I don't have to climb to reach things really high up if I don't wanna anymore. Kai-chan truly serves his purposes well."

...he did wonder what Shuuichi was up to. If Kaito had been lost on what to do, then what about his escorts? For now, Maki had Timothy to fuss over, but if he decided to go into any other sort of training or education, or if she got too fed up with him? There was only so much time personal training could occupy.

And for a detective...well, there were plenty of things to learn about. Most of the guesswork would be taken out if he decided to scour the records room, but maybe Shuuichi would be looking for the things that weren't recorded. That...all kinda sounded like a personal hobby though, which, if it kept him stimulated and occupied, great! If not...they'd come to it when they came to it.

"Nm!" Ouma hummed in recognition, nodding before he swallowed his latest spoonful. "Oh, yeah, Hajime-chan's cool. His sarcasm is legendary, but he's pretty chill most of the time. He'd probably appreciate not being called a servant, though." Ouma sent Kaito a look, not reprimanding, but... It was a habit to break, if he didn't want to offend the whole castle staff.

At the indication, Ouma looked back and...ah. Seemed Shuuichi had been making use of their records after all. But this one... Ouma felt his chest tighten, his expression doing the same, but he held it together. "...I'll...take a look at it after I'm done eating..." Which seemed sooner than just moments ago.

Digging into his ham (the kitchen staff had apparently decided to play it safe with his meals while he was bed-ridden, only sending up things they'd seen him eat before) with gusto, Kaito snorted. "You're such a brat," he said, tone warm with affection as he listened to Kokichi's review of Hajime. Kaito thought it was impressive how Kokichi, for being as socially isolated as he was, seemed to know the name and a little bit about every servant Kaito brought up...but... "Why shouldn't I call them servants?" Kaito asked, genuinely confused. "What are servants called here?"

"Sure. Maki seemed pretty confident nobody noticed she took it, so whatever it is, you can probably take your time with it." Taking a break from his food, mostly because he needed a second to breathe, Kaito gave a small, contented sigh...before his eyes went bright, an excited grin on his face. "Hey. It's Friday, right? Does downtown here get really busy during the weekends, like it does back in Luminary? What do you think about wandering around, I don't know, tomorrow or Sunday with Maki and Shuuichi?"

-

Meanwhile, downstairs...

"When...are we...gonna stop...running!?" Timothy gasped, alarmed as his mentor showed no signs of slowing down despite this being their fourth lap around the courtyard.

"When I get tired," Maki said.

"I...is this becau...ha...because of yesterday!?"

"Talking’s just going to make regulating your breathing harder," Maki said, a glisten of sweat on her skin but otherwise entirely undisturbed. "Keep up, or I'm telling the staff you don't get dessert for dinner anymore."

Timothy seriously considered his options..."For how long?"

"Forever."

"Gah!"

As the two ran around, Shuuichi was back at his spot underneath the tree, writing into his journal. Every now and again, he'd mutter and murmur to himself, lost in his thoughts. Occasionally, he'd scratch his shoulder and wince, forgetting that it was bad to touch the healing wound, but the itch of the scab being constant.

...but still...the fact that it had scabbed over already...

Shuuichi looked down at his writing, his handwriting even tinier, tighter, then it usually was, Shuuichi doing his absolute best to record as much as he could in as little space as he could, feeling like his thoughts were being rudely interrupted every time he turned the page to a new, maddening blank side. Shuuichi liked to have the information all in front of him all at once, if he could help it, and if he couldn't, to at least keep it nearby. Thus the journal.

As he stared down at his musings, which were more rambling and disjointed than he was used to, the topic he was writing on so foreign and unfamiliar to him that it felt like he was re-inventing the wheel trying to teach himself it, Shuuichi sighed, feeling that ever-present weight of doubt again.

What...what was he even doing?

When he had first noticed the effect and thought of the experiment, back in the caravans all the way back in the Danganronpa Kingdom, it had been an idle idea, more of a passing whim than anything else. But as they traveled and Shuuichi learned more about Danganronpa in the few border towns they had had to pass through, the observation plus the strange circumstances and culture of the towns had all equaled out to...not a theory, maybe. Just a...a hunch.

Why did Danganronpa classify their medical research so heavily? It was one of those weird, random quirks that Shuuichi had heard Secretaries and the Royal Family mention off hand every now and again, the practice unique to the Danganronpan people. Most countries' medical communities talked to each other, using each other as research resources. Not Danganronpa's. Why?

What about the story of their queen? The rumor of her death several years ago had been widespread, sent out as fact to all the kingdom’s neighbors...and when Luminary had sent out a representative to take stock of the situation and offer the royal family’s official consolation to her surviving family, the queen herself had taken in the messenger, apparently extremely amused to be informed of her own death.

Just a rumor that had spiraled out of control? Sure, Shuuichi had been willing to accept that before. But...

Shuuichi touched the wound on his shoulder with a small wince. Maki had stabbed him from behind, turning the blade inside him, ripping him full of agony and almost knocking him out from shock right then and there. The first day had been agony. Shuuichi had madly wanted to cut his own arm off, because his pained, shocked brain had somehow convinced himself that it would make the stab wound no longer an issue. He had cried. A lot.

And in that moment, he had had a desperate idea. Remembering how he had felt the first time...how strong he had felt...

And now it was five days later, and Shuuichi, using his shoulder with ease, was staring at the journal with a furrowed brow.

Side effects. That was the issue. What were the side effects? The long term effects? Shuuichi didn't feel different...but that was the danger of being both the experiment and the observer. He was biased. A frog sitting in slowly boiling water. He needed more information. The evidence was insufficient.

But then who...

...

Kaito...

Kaito had a broken bone.

Shuuichi closed his eyes, frustrated. No. Absolutely not. Doing this to himself was one thing, but Kaito? It was irresponsible. It could hurt him. What was Shuuichi even doing!? This wasn't his area of expertise...

But for personality side effects, Kaito was perfect too. Afterall, Shuuichi already knew how it affected him in large doses...

Shuuichi shut the journal, frustrated with himself. It was unacceptable. A stupid, dangerous idea that he shouldn't even consider.

...

He opened the journal again. Got back to writing.

"They're not servants," Ouma insisted once again. "Technically they're government staff, since the castle is our main government building...and community center. And like...house and hotel in one? Aiichi hired them just like he hired anyone else, and like, because he's their boss, I guess there's a little overlap? But everyone is paid fairly, given housing if they don't want to live in town, we all eat together, they have vacation days they can use at any time and can request more of... Sure, there are some guidelines for various jobs and general ones my dad set, but, like, they're not laws. And people can quit for any reason at any time and, when it's happened before, Aiichi has given them personal recommendations for whatever they'd planned to do in the future."

"Servants are...basically just paid slaves, right?" He looked up to Kaito with a slight frown, trying to understand more where his husband was coming from. "Have to do anything their employer says or risk punishment, can't speak poorly of them, don't have any other options..."

He sighed quietly before raising an eyebrow, leveling an unamused look up at Kaito. "It does, but you have a concussion, Kai-chan. I really doubt going out during the busiest times of the week would help any. Plus, I think people would recognize me if I was with you. I need to figure out a better way to sneak out..."

Kaito frowned. "Uh..." Kaito rubbed the back of his head, not even sure how to begin unraveling the extreme implications that apparently the word had here. It would have been easy if he could have just said, no, of course not, but... "Not...entirely?" Kaito tried, scratching his goatee as he stared at the ceiling, looking for answers there. "That? I mean, I just meant, ya know...people who serve. And, like, while no one should trash talk someone who had authority over them in any official setting," say, hypothetically, like accusing the direct representation of the king of drugging your husband in private, but suddenly backtracking and being vague when a different authority figure suddenly shows up throwing a bunch of legal terms around, "Anyone can trash talk their bosses, like, unofficially...I guess so long as the person they're talking about doesn't hear about it...um. But that just sounds like anything anyone with an authority figure in their lives should do, not just servants."

"As for all the rest of that stuff… Uh… No? Servants can quit and do other jobs if they want to. They'd just stop being paid."

Kaito bit his tongue for a second...before finally admitting, "Um… What you're talking about sounds more like indentured citizens to me. Like Maki and Shuuichi were." Kaito attempted to shrug nonchalantly, finally going for some of the fruit, which he ate willingly but less enthusiastically, since he was pretty certain this was going to be another one of those...culture things... "But you can't just make anyone an indentured citizen. It's usually orphans, or kids being sold by their parents anyway, criminals, um, people who are trying to erase their financial debts. Stuff like that. They gotta belong to the government to be considered indentured, and to justify possession of them, we have to pay for their living conditions, food, education, all that stuff. And it's not forever. Indentured contracts last usually ten to twenty years, and then they’re full citizens again. Again, using Maki and Shuuichi as an example, since their contracts both started at five, and orphans are automatically enrolled into the twenty year contract, um, they would have had...three years left a piece, roughly, had Byakuya not gotten them out of their contracts early to come out here with me."

Kaito said all of this very fast, as if maybe Kokichi just wouldn't hear any of it and he wouldn't have another one of those 'Your kingdom does WHAT?' moments, Kaito grinning uneasily as he tried to push through, "Well, then, next week, when I'm totally healed! And, it won't matter if anyone sees you. The king told me this morning he thought you were good to go, so it's no one else's fucking business if you and I go out there."

That was more relieving. With how Kaito referred to people in the Luminary Party and then talking to the Dicean staff...he'd been worried. But it was (mostly) just a matter of differing connotations. With a sigh, his shoulders relaxing, Ouma snorted a soft laugh. "Hideki was right--you all are too polite for us. I was almost expecting someone to call out and call Aiichi a nutty cunt at the wedding, but I guess with your whole party there..." He shrugged.

His ease disappeared at what Kaito sped through next, though. His eyes widened with every new fact (fuck, he'd hoped he was wrong about his hunch about Maki and Shuuichi), mouth falling open and expression set in open horror.

Orphans weren't given a chance for adoption, were just set into work at FIVE? People SOLD their KIDS? Criminals weren't helped out of their circumstances, didn't have any reform programs or were given therapy? Wasn't there debt forgiveness? People...belonged to the government? Treated as possessions?

Ouma didn't even know what to say to that, his heart aching for all the people he'd never know and didn't have a reason to feel for, and especially for the two he did. Even being told that he could freely go into town, which would normally blow the socks off him, did little to break through the numb horror he felt and Ouma just nodded distractedly.

Kaito chuckled nervously, noting the sudden, long silence.

"I mean...I get that doesn't...sound great..." Kaito said, moving from being fascinated with the ceiling to fascinated with the floor. To be honest, Kaito's own feelings on the indentured citizen program were...mixed. Really, really important career tracks were filled through the program, like assassins and spies and treasurers, and the program made everyone who went through it amazing at their job.

But there was also the whole...mental conditioning system that came along with it, which was...uncomfortable at best. And, ya know, not everyone survived to the end of their contracts...oh, right. Timothy.

"I guess Timothy isn't one now, now that he's a Dicean citizen," Kaito mused, worrying his joints. "I wonder if he knows that yet. With everything that happened, probably no one’s sat down and talked to him about it yet. Actually, now that he's not being sent home, like, officially, it's maybe kind of pointless to keep him appointed to the assassination career, since that's pretty much exclusively indentureds'. Though, I'm not sure what else we can do with him then… What do you guys do with orphans?"

Oh god, was Timothy on that track? It was pretty horrible already that a child was conscripted into the military, but Ouma hadn't thought... He swallowed, gaze still distracted as he held the rabbit tight against him.

"They're given housing at an orphanage if they don't have any living relatives or declared guardians that can or want to take them in. They're free to live there until they turn twenty, and then they're expected to move out. Some don't and choose to work at the orphanage, usually because they've grown fond of the environment or younger kids. Most children don't even age out, though. The adoption rate is pretty high across the whole country..."

Ouma paused, but...it wasn't just something that was common knowledge across countries, apparently. "While... Um. While kids live in an orphanage, they go to school just like any other kid. Participate in the community if they want to. Some take up vocational training early on if they really know what they wanna do, but we emphasize at least sticking with school through middle school, in case they discover something else that catches their interest."

Kids were...just allowed to be kids. To learn about the world, to have fun and play with their friends, to not have to worry about the full breadth of the world.

"...Kai-chan... I think we should put off me meeting your family until...stuff like this stops catching me so off guard."

"School, huh?" Kaito said, trying to imagine Timothy in school. "I mean...I don't see why that couldn't work. He might not be super used to the atmosphere of, like, a school building, but indentured kids got their own education, and the military has a good track record for keeping citizens on grade level. So...yeah. That could work! And he'd still be allowed to live here, right? Even if he's not working for the government anymore?"

To the comment on his family, Kaito winced.

"Yeah..." Kaito said. "My bad. I mean, this isn't like all the other stuff...I know the indentured citizen program is unique to our kingdom. It's not even actually all that old. Like, to put it into context, I think it was Head Secretary Tengan's mentor who put it into effect. I don't remember her name, but I know he told me once it was her crowning achievement. And, ya know, I'm sure it made sense at the time. My people aren't evil," Kaito insisted again, not because Kokichi had suggested they were, but because Kaito always felt like he was evil whenever he saw that look on Kokichi's face. "There was a famine going on, society was still recovering from the change in government, ya know. It was kinda desperate times..."

Kaito shrugged, pulling a leg up onto his chair, resting his arm on top of his knee. "I don't know. Maybe Byakuya will decide to retire it when it's his turn."

Probably not though. The program was one of the most efficient things the government had. His brother wasn't likely to throw away one of their most well used operations.

"Um..." Kaito glanced over at Kokichi, frowning in concern. "Sorry...I don't really know what to say."

Ouma took a deep breath. It was...horrible, to hear about the indentured citizen program, but he couldn't let it shut him down. And, even if he had to look through his medical file... Kaito believed in him, said he was amazing. If he was going to be the kind of person others could look up to, he couldn't keep breaking down like this.

He nodded again with another breath. "I thought about bringing it up to him before, but I didn't know how to bring it up without making it seem like...I was firing him, or whatever. We can talk to Maki-chan and find the best way to ask if he'd like to go to school, or pursue any other type of training, or continue on with assassin training. And of course he'd be allowed to live here; we wouldn't separate him from the only people he knows. Pretty much anyone can live here if they need to. Most people just prefer having their own space, is all."

Ouma looked down for a moment before offering out his rabbit. Kaito looked like he could use something to hold. "Your people aren't evil," he agreed. "Even if I've studied a whole lot like a big nerd, I'm still pretty sheltered, so when I hear about some of the policies in Luminary, it's shocking to me. Sometimes, it seems wrong to me. But I don't live there, and I am not affected by Luminary's history. Every person that made a law or a practice had a reason to, and none of them did it while rubbing their hands together and laughing at their evil plan. Now, whether they did it for a flawed reason, that's up for debate," he rolled his eyes, "but it's not my place to be in that debate. Even as your husband. I can't control, and I won't stifle my personal reactions, but, unless I was planning on taking over Luminary, which I'm decidedly not, it's not my place to criticize how your people live."

Standing up from his chair, Ouma placed a kiss on Kaito's forehead. "We come from really different places, huh. But as long as we try to understand one another, I think we'll be okay."

"And..." Ouma took another breath, looking back at the thick folder on his nightstand. "You don't have to, but... Shuu-chan and Maki-chan brought up my medical file because...apparently there's stuff in there I don't know about. I know you won't... Like, treat me different because of anything," he hoped, "but if you wanna read it with me...?"

"Oh man, that'd be a crazy story though, wouldn't it?" Kaito said, laughing a tad nervously. "The second born son gets sent away to the enemy kingdom to end the war, only to return at his husband's side, ready to take the kingdom for the Ouma name...that'd be wild..."

Kokichi, taking pity on his husband, handed Kaito his rabbit. Slightly baffled, Kaito took it from him, looking down at it wondering what he was meant to do with it. Had Kokichi wanted him to put it away for him or...well, Kaito didn't actually know where it went. The closet? It was soft, and heavier then it looked. Its beady little eyes looked mischievous, maybe even Kaito would go so far as to say it looked smug. Like it knew damn well that it was Kaito's competition for snuggling Kokichi time. You just wait, rabbit. One day your stitching's going to come loose, and you'll be regulated to top shelf so you don't break any further, just like a small cowboy doll in a old kids’ story-oh.

Kaito grinned widely at the kiss, feeling himself relax slightly as butterflies filled his stomach. Perhaps it was naive to place so much faith on physical affection, but Kaito had always felt like how gently a person touched you was a pretty good indication of their mood, and Kokichi had felt kind in that moment. Understanding.

"That's a medical jacket?" Kaito asked, glancing over at the file with renewed confusion. Wait, Shuuichi and Kokichi's argument had involved his medical history? In the short time Kaito had known him, Kokichi's venom against being treated as an invalid had been hotly demonstrated several times now, so if Shuuichi had said something insensitive about it...

...Was that why the hysteria yesterday had happened?

Kaito smiled. "Of course I will, if you're okay with it. And I don't care what it says: I'll treat you however it is you want to be treated," Kaito said, thinking of his morning conversation. "I have a responsibility as your husband. I'm gonna prioritize what you want, not what-" Kaito vaguely motioned towards the jacket, "-'they' want."

Kaito's smile grew a tad flirtatious (because even though he had sworn off sex for Kokichi, that didn't mean he could break all his lifetime habits overnight) as he said, "Wanna read it on my lap? It's a little chilly this morning. I make a pretty good heated seat," he said with a wink.

"...yeah," he sighed. "He had been given a request to look through it when you all got here. Maki-chan was asking about weapons in public, and I tried to tell her that I couldn't say anything where other people could hear, and it kinda got...like. She didn't know about my health stuff, and Shuu-chan kinda...rattled it all off without a thought. There was stuff he said that I had no idea about, and...I got pissed."

He deflated a bit, still feeling bad about how he'd treated Shuuichi. He didn't deserve that. Ouma walked over to his nightstand and hefted up the file, looking at it apprehensively for a moment before weakly smirking at Kaito. "I thought you weren't just a personal heating pack? With an offer like that, you're gonna lose that argument, you know."

Returning to his husband, Ouma settled himself in Kaito's lap, sitting mostly sideways, his legs over the arm of the chair but his head resting on Kaito's uninjured shoulder. And, with a steadying breath, he opened the folder.

The first document was a recipe for his medicine, the steps to synthesize it and how often he was allowed to take it. Nothing special. The second was one page of many logging every time he fell ill and had to be put on bedrest, occasionally with comments on what led to it this time. Already his latest bouts had been documented, 'aphrodisiac overdose/exertion' and 'stress from assassination attempt' written in a cramped hand. He had to flip through...quite a few pages to get to the next item, feeling increasingly self-conscious with every flip.

Kaito wouldn't treat him differently.

The next item was a compilation of all his ailments and their symptoms, something he knew Aiichi went over with each new hire, at least just the symptoms. That way, when he'd started wheezing in the library, Nao had scooped him up and carried him to the medical wing without batting an eye. That he knew a lot of the staff carried smelling salts on them, just in case they saw his face drain of color in an instant, or saw him fall against a wall as if he simply was unable to stand any longer. Sometimes it was enough to keep him going, others it just roused him long enough to get more help.

Anemia: Fatigue, Weakness, Pale Complexion, Irregular Heartbeat, Respiratory Difficulties, Dizziness, Lightheadedness, Chest Pain, Cool Temperature, Headache

Hemophilia: Excess Bleeding, Prolonged Bleeding

Malnutrition: Lack of Growth/Low Body Weight (current and juvenile), Fatigue, Irritability, Lack of Appetite, Cool Temperature, High Risk of Contraction, Extended Healing Time for Injuries, Respiratory Difficulties, Risk of Heart Failure

Respiratory Difficulties May Result On Their Own

Fainting as a Result of Illness Interaction

Nosebleeds as a Result of Illness Interaction

Other than the reports of malnutrition, that was all stuff he'd known for years.

And on the next page,

Past Conditions:

Premature Birth Due to Trauma

Infantile Lung Failure

Infantile Heart Failure

Juvenile Heart Failure

Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Bronchitis

Pneumonia

Chicken Pox

Again, nothing surprising there. He knew it'd been a stressful time for everyone when he was a baby. Apparently he'd been hooked up to some weird breathing machine and kept in, essentially, a sort of incubation for the first year of his life. Everyone had gone through each day expecting that he would die. Honestly...he didn't know why his father hadn't just disconnected the machine.

...don't think like that.

The next page was...was titled, Hypothesized Conditions.

Kaito held Kokichi close to him, comfortably snaking his good arm around Kokichi's waist to accommodate his lean, reading the file idly over Kokichi's head as he rested his cheek against his skull. He didn't know what some of these words meant, like contraction (contraction...contract? Maybe it just meant Kokichi could catch ill easily?) or syncytial (couldn't even guess). Either way, it didn't seem to be the crux of Kokichi's problems, which seemed to be...his lungs and heart? If Kaito was reading it right.

Okay. No weight gain, breathing problems, heart problems, fainting spells, and cuts led to bad things. Got it. Easy. So Kaito would just have to learn how to help with those symptoms then. He'd ask Kokichi about it when he was done reading through.

The childhood stuff was...more scary sounding. The word 'failure' was used a frightening amount of times. Kaito tried to imagine a baby going through a heart attack and couldn't. Very briefly, Kaito had an incredibly shitty thought:

Man. It's a good thing we're adopting.

He closed his eyes and chased that away. That wasn't fair to Kokichi. Kaito would have loved to have biological kids with Kokichi, had nature allowed. Kaito found himself imagining a little girl with fiery red hair and Kokichi's intense, purple eyes, and a mean right hook her Aunt Maki had taught her. Or, maybe, a little boy with long dark purple hair and a squared, serious face, already showing signs that he was gonna be taller than Kaito himself, with a cool, easy intelligence that Shuuichi was nurturing.

Yeah. It would have been nice.

(...but still. Probably for the best.)

Kaito got to the end of the document...and chuckled. "God, didn't the chicken pox suck?" he asked, idly placing a kiss against Kokichi's head as he chuckled again, memories of Byakuya teasing him mercilessly over the red bumps and itchiness Kaito had come down with, only to catch it the very next day himself. "What a bullshit disease that shit is. It's like it specifically evolved just to make us look stupid."

"It was the woooorst," Ouma groaned, squishing his face against Kaito's shoulder. "They had to put mittens on me so I'd stop scratching myself. And there were only so many baths I could take--I thought I was gonna lose my damn mind."

...if they could joke and complain about chicken pox... It'd be okay. No matter what was in the file.

Hypothesized Conditions:

Anxiety

Depression

Mood Swings

Paranoia

Persecution Complex

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Oppositional Defiant Disorder

Hysteria

Hemophobia

Entomophobia

Arachnophobia

Ouma's breathing got a bit heavier as he felt himself rearing up for a fight, but... He let go of a deep breath. Hypothesized meant that they weren't necessarily true. Even if he definitely was scared of blood, bugs, and spiders.

After that were pages of medical reports from all of the healers he'd seen over the years, accounts of their examinations. Starting from when he was born--a report how the damage to Miyako's organs that caused the internal bleeding that led to her death likely was at the root cause of Ouma's health problems, not to mention being born two months too early--and going up through the years. An explanation of the incubation machine, observations of how inattentive a toddler he was, an attempt to explain that his dissatisfaction with his treatment was due to a psychological need to defy authority (what a load of crap), a...

Hold on.

There was a report by Dr. Seiko Kimura. He remembered her, and not just from the list Shuuichi had sputtered out the day before. She was around a lot when he was little, had been the healer to discover the medicine he'd been using ever since, actually. He remembered talking to her, and how she'd actually listened, instead of outright ignoring anything he had to say like other healers. He'd commented that her hair was like his; much lighter in color, but curled the same way. She'd laughed quietly and wondered aloud if that meant she'd be able to understand him better.

She was still a doctor, but he'd liked her.

Reading through the report, Ouma's eyes widened. The hypothesis of PTSD came from her, apparently. That, though he was often told to rest to not stress himself out and cause himself damage, the measures meant to keep him safe stressed him out more than if he had been allowed more freedom. That he was actively getting sicker from how his father declared he'd be treated. That, if it kept up, he was likely to develop learned helplessness and major depression.

...he'd always wondered why she never came back. Dr. Kimura lived in the capital city.

Ouma didn't even realize he was crying until one of his tears hit the bottom of the page, and he quickly moved the folder away with a small gasp, scrubbing at his eyes.

Oh, PTSD. The 'fake' disease that his psychiatry teacher had told the class was a made up disease to excuse cowardice on the battlefield...before explaining to the class, in detail, with a bunch of pointed looks, what it looked like, the effects on the brain and the body, side-effects and theoretical treatments. "Take notes you idiots this is the only time I'm allowed to bring this up."

Kaito had called that one.

Perhaps that was a lackluster, maybe even callous observation to make as Kokichi's, at the same part of his reading that Kaito was, breath started to hitch in a worrying way, sniffling to himself before almost shoving the folder away from himself, wiping away at his eyes with his arms. But the truth was, Kokichi had asked him, basically told him, that Kaito wouldn't view him any different after reading the files...and as he read the reports over Kokichi's head and felt himself become more and more furious and concerned, he had to tap into a cold, indifferent part of himself that every Momota family member was born with. It was that or go fight someone, and since the only person around who could take responsibility was the king...

An entire jacket filled with documents calling his husband weak. Crazy. Irrational and hysterical.

...fuck them.

So, instead of getting angry at the (king) folder, Kaito just frowned at Kokichi's tears, shifting Kokichi's body gently to lay him against his chest to free up his good arm, which he used to grab the smug rabbit, which he had placed beside them.

Taking the stuffed competition (fuck you rabbit, we're working together this one time), Kaito used its stupid little face to gently wipe off the tears on Kokichi's much cuter little face, before placing the rabbit on his chest, Kaito holding the two of them in a hug as he said, "Hmmm...ya know what I noticed? While we were going through those? Notice how all those reports have a list of collaborators in their reference page at the end of each of them? King Aiichi's listed as a reference for almost all of them...except for this PTSD person."

Kissing Kokichi's hair, Kaito said, "Now, I know things are different here. I get that...but at home, if someone was making a report on something, and, say, my dad was looking over their shoulder while they did their research...they'd keep in mind what he wanted them to say. Maybe they wouldn't mean to...but they would. Because they want to keep him happy..." and then a growl edging his words despite his genuine attempt to feel indifferent, "Fuck, man, I don't know. I'm just saying it’s real fucking hard to make unbiased theories when the guy in charge already has his mind made up. That's all I'm fucking saying."

Ouma hugged his rabbit as Kaito brought it back to him, one of his hands placed over Kaito's. He continued to sniffle, too aware of his tears now though he wasn't sobbing like yesterday. They were mostly silent, big and warm and slowly rolling down his cheeks.

"I know," he whispered. He did know, maybe in not so many words, but he did. It was why he'd continued to fight for all these years, why he snuck out with conviction that refused to be swayed every time he got sick. In some part of him, he knew that being stuck was bad for him. And seeing that someone knew that...was both comforting and heartbreaking. Because it meant that there was someone that believed him from years past and that his father had ignored them.

"He hates me. He's a control-freak. If he could feel justified keeping me here, he'd take any opportunity. I don't know why he didn't just let me die..."

"..."

Ouma tensed, hiding his face in the bunny, biting his lips. He...hadn't meant to say that. It was one thing for it to pop up in his thoughts, but...Kaito didn't need to hear that.

Closing the folder, certainly having enough of that, Ouma tried to get out of Kaito's lap, wanting to escape. "I-I think I'll go take this back to the record room, Yuliya-chan's pro-probably freaking out..."

The next movement was all instinct, Kaito's nerves flashing hot in alarm as, for the second day in a row, the 'd' word was brought up. It just kept happening. It was scary. Kaito didn't know what to do about it, but he needed to do something.

So, the Luminary Prince reached his arm back around Kokichi, putting his face into the back of Kokichi's hair. His hand around Kokichi's waist hardened in its grip around his hip bone for a moment, every muscle in the prince's body tensing up...

"...I won't make you stay..."

...before relaxing, Kaito moving his hand to Kokichi's upper thigh instead, just letting it rest there, no longer an obstacle. Kaito kept his face where it was though, breathing Kokichi in as he continued,

"...but please don't go."

Ouma was still, silent apart from his sniffles for a long moment. And then he gradually relaxed back against Kaito, reaching over to set the folder on the vanity desk. "...Maki-chan said she'd take it back... Okay. I'll stay."

He shifted around a little, curling his legs up so he could brace himself against the arms of the chair instead of Kaito having to hold him, and pressed his face against his shoulder again, the rabbit squished between them. He'd pretty much just woken up, but already Ouma felt like going back to bed. To just...sleep until everything went away. The documents in his folder, the hatred and lack of faith his father had in him, all the people in the kingdom that thought he would never be anything. And, if not all those, then just until his feelings went away.

That was pretty dumb though.

Taking a deep breath of Kaito--same soap, still--Ouma nuzzled his face against him even more. "...when we go out next weekend, we could get you some of your own toiletries, if you want. And any other stuff you need."

"...I'll have to plan a route for our trip so we'll be near a major town when fall starts to hit. Wanna make sure you an' Shuu-chan an' Maki-chan will be able to keep warm this winter. It won't be so bad when we're down south, but if we're heading back in winter it'll be a shock for you all."

Kaito smiled, relief falling over him like a blanket as Kokichi seemed to decide not to make a run for it, to not leave Kaito and be by himself in his feelings, which Kaito was now realizing got real dark real fast for Kokichi. But he seemed to be pulling himself back from it...

"Okay, but I have to warn you: I am an impulsive shopper," Kaito said, running his free hand in soothing circles around Kokichi's back, a chuckle deep in his throat. "And I have, frankly, gone through most of my purse on the way here. I don't know how it works here, but unless I'm on some sort of allowance, I might end up looking at you going 'can you get me this big, stupid gaudy thing' before the day’s over. Seriously, I have no self control."

"How bad could the winter be?" Kaito asked, genuinely uncertain, before saying, a tad cocky, "Ya know, one time, when I was sixteen, I visited a town farther north than the capital, and it snowed literally all the way past my ankles. It was wild. It was really, really cold...nothing I couldn't handle though," Kaito finished bravely.

He kept up the soothing circles, wanting to end on this lighter note, but... "Does your dad really feel that way about you?" Kaito asked, concern growing in him. The king did a lot of things that Kaito really disliked, so far, and that was surprising considering he'd only spent maybe collectively five hours in total with the guy, and most of that had been during the wedding, the king and the secretaries supervising Kokichi and Kaito respectively. He didn't like the way the king both did and didn't tease, and Kaito personally didn't trust the almost religion-like devotion people around here had to his words. He despised what the king had done with Kokichi...

But even still. Kaito had a hard time imagining the king actively hating his son.

"You'll probably have the same basic income we all have, but you'll have to get used to me telling you no. If you want really fancy stuff, then save for it. Or get a job that's not an administrative duty." With a soft, barely-there laugh, Ouma nosed against Kaito's pec. "Or get me to break my self-control. I haven't spent much money so I have a decent amount saved. But Kai-chan's gonna have to make a really good case for me to buy him, like, a gold-embroidered cape or somethin'."

He then snorted, peeking up at his husband with a raised eyebrow, eyes red but drier than they had been. "If the snow only gets above your ankles, that's a warm winter for us. We usually get a few feet at least, and it stays in the negatives for months. I'm the only one who gets to be an icicle in this relationship, ya hear? I want to make sure Kai-chan will be all cozy and warm during the winter so when I complain about being cold he can scoop me up and let me steal his warmth."

It wasn't something he'd ever really gotten to think about before, but cuddling during the winter sounded lovely. Bringing out his heavy blankets, curling up together in front of their fireplace, mugs of hot chocolate in their hands, the nice kind that Chako had perfected and would put extra marshmallows in, maybe getting a little heated themselves...

Ouma's face started to heat up and he tucked his face back down, though the mood was immediately erased from him. He was almost thankful for it. Almost. With a stuttered sigh, Ouma tried not to let his voice crack. "...I killed my mom. His wife. Even if they got married for the sake of the country...h-he really loved her. And I murdered her. O-of course he'd hate me f-for that..."

Kaito frowned. There were so many things wrong with that thinking that he didn't even really know where to start with it...

"...I could see how you would feel that way...and I don't know how your dad feels about you. I'm too new here to say that you're wrong," Kaito murmured, those soothing circles on Kokichi's back mindlessly turning into pushes of pressure against his husband's muscles, mindlessly attempting to knead the pressure out of them. "...but you know that you didn't actually kill her, right? She died when you were born, but that's not your fault...I mean, you do know that, right?"

Ouma shook his head, taking a few more shaky breaths. He didn't want to talk about it. It was just another item on the list of reasons why he was weak and useless. But he had to make Kaito understand. He was a murderer.

"I'm weird. I'm an heir but the biological son of the leader. It's happened before, but not often. And after the last heir being weird too...p-people really like tradition, y-you know?" That was something Kaito could definitely understand.

"Aiichi got the feeling that I would be the next heir as soon as my mom got pregnant. They were s-so excited about it... P-pretty much everyone in the kingdom knew they were expecting right away. And...people were angry. Thinking Aiichi was trying to start a lineage. There were...a lot of protests."

"Then...one day my mom was in town, going to teach a class at the university. And a riot b-broke out. I...I don't know what really happened, but she started bleeding really badly. From...you know. People rushed her to the nearest healer, got my dad, but... It was too late. I wasn't supposed to be born for another two months, but they had to get me out. She d-died of internal bleeding before I was even born."

There was a sniffle from him, tucked against Kaito, tears started back up again. "It's because of me she got hurt! A-and people weren't even satisfied with that! Katsuki-chan, Waku-chan, Fuyuji-chan, Kyuu-chan, Sayuu-chan, Nazumi-chan...they were all sent to kill me by people who wanted a 'proper' heir. They were all c-convinced not to, obviously, b-but...they could've had lives having nothing to do with politics and war and the castle if I hadn't existed!"

"And I'm happy about it!" he sobbed. "Because if dad had gotten a proper heir, everyone would've just completely ignored me! The only reason I have what I still have is because my dad kept me the heir out of spite! Even at the risk of handing leadership to someone who's sick all the time and weak and useless and a disappointment to everyone who makes things worse, he's doing this for his own stupid pride, just like with the war!"

Kaito stared down at Kokichi, eyes wide with shock.

Kokichi had said something, while they were in the closet the night before, about half the serva-staff only being here because they had tried to kill him, but honestly, Kaito had had no idea what that was meant to mean, and had been too overwhelmed at the time to ask. Admittedly, if he had been pressed to explain it, he would have assumed it was some sort of metaphor...

...Aiichi had literally surrounded Kokichi with people who had tried to kill him?

Kaito felt a wave of nausea at the idea. He had thought Kokichi was making a huge, personal sacrifice, choosing to trust and live with Kaito and Timothy, who had both tried to kill him, so close by. Had told Kokichi twice already now how monumentally impressive he thought that sort of generosity was, that level of forgiveness...it was a lot to ask of an adult.

Kokichi had been trained to do it as a child.

And...these people were sent by Diceans? The idea of things being different here, of people being different here, had become almost a mantra to Kaito by this point. He had been convinced that pacifism was the default practice of everyone in this kingdom, soldiers being asked to make the exception...and they had rioted on a pregnant woman and sent assassins after her child...

And then the king had made those assassins that same child's wardens.

Kaito clutched Kokichi close to himself, true, baffled shock on his expression. Listening to him tell his story. Tell Aiichi's story. Listened to Kokichi...explain how he saw himself in this scenario...

...and then the rage started.

Kaito drew his legs up, putting his feet on the edge of the chair, pressing Kokichi's body between his knees and his lap. He put a protective hand over Kokichi's face, pressing his hand against the upper part of Kokichi's forehead, Kokichi's hair between his fingers as Kaito bent forward, his body both a semi-circle around Kokichi's form, a defensive posture over him...and at the same time a perfect pose to suddenly move quickly, if he so desired. Kaito glared at the opposite wall, his body tense, wanting to fight, to hit something, to lash out...but feeling more protective, defensive, over Kokichi instead, keeping him still as he said...

"Enough," Kaito growled, turning his heated, angry glare from the wall down to Kokichi, completely walled in by his body. "Enough of that, forever. No more of that shit. You're not weak, or useless, and you're sure as fuck not a disappointment!" Kaito gripped Kokichi tighter, just a tad too tightly, lost in his frustration. "And fuck ANY of those bastards that convinced them you were. It's not true, and I'm tired of hearing you say it! No more of any of that shit, got it?! I didn't marry a coward!"

The resistance to his position had stopped years ago, maybe when he was about ten or eleven. The general consensus was that the war was a bigger deal, and that they all had to band together as Diceans, inner conflicts meaningless in the face of an outside enemy. Ouma personally thought that they got discouraged when all of their mercs and contracts and poor people they'd fooled had failed to kill a child and instead took up vows to protect him. It was a big spit in the face to those hypocrites.

The adoption practices were meant to constantly remind everyone that greatness could come from anywhere. That no one was inherently better than anyone else. It was a reminder of freedom. And the people that had gotten so angry over it had instead forced and manipulated others to try and keep that symbol along a sense of purity that they'd personally decided.

He wasn't the only hurt person in the castle. There was a reason he'd been able to talk so many of his assailants into lowering their weapons before guards even arrived. There was a reason they'd been offered jobs at the castle, protection from the people who'd sent them there, instead of going through a public court and sent back home with punitive measures to follow. A reason why so much of the leadership across Dicea had been changed over the years.

All of the murderous hires were happy in their new home, most eager to make things up to Ouma and Aiichi, loyal to a fault in defending their home. But, sometimes, like right then, Ouma could only see more people he'd ripped from their lives.

As Kaito curled around him, Ouma just tucked himself tighter, feeling protected and craving that with all the words he'd never been able to tell anyone spilling out of him. All of the doubt and hurt and self-hatred that'd had nowhere to go but bounce around the inside of his head.

But then the protection started to feel...stifling. Ouma tried to make some space but was held tight in Kaito's grasp. That kept getting tighter. Sniffling, Ouma grunted a little, trying again, but...the words thrown at him were reassuring, but not how they were said. Ouma frowned, now feeling trapped, a small squeak escaping him as Kaito's grip kept tightening.

"K-Kai-chan... Y-you're hurting me..."

Kaito felt the red in his gaze, the sheer frustration at being stuck in this place, surrounded by people who made him so angry...he wanted to fight everyone. Challenge the whole damn fucking castle to a sparring match, and once he was done fighting everyone, they could all fucking take turns asking Kokichi for forgiveness...

The squeak got his attention, but it was the words that pulled Kaito rapidly out of his own head, all at once realizing that his fingers were digging into Kokichi. He forcibly relaxed his body, keeping his legs where they were but loosening his grip around Kokichi and allowing his back and shoulders to move backwards a bit, giving Kokichi more space, the ability to move around.

"S...sorry," Kaito apologized, the red fading entirely, the rage gone, muted into nothing but mild frustration, more with himself than anything now. "Sorry. I gotta...that's been happening a lot lately. I don't mean to get so angry. I just...it's really hard to hear you say things like that about yourself. You're too good for it. You're brave, and patient, and resilient, and fucking smart, and you're kind and good...and you're going to be an amazing king. I already know it!" Kaito insisted, staring down at Kokichi with nothing but honest, open sincerity.

"What happened to your mom was...really, really horrible," Kaito said, pulling Kokichi into a far more gentle hug now. "And I think this doesn't bother you as much as it does me, but I hate that your childhood was surrounded by people who tried to kill you. Maybe that sort of forgiveness is a Dicean thing, but to me, that's a lot to ask of a kid. And, and, I don't fucking care why King Aiichi picked you," Kaito growled, breathing in deeply to keep himself calm, to not hurt Kokichi. "If it was spite, well then fucking lucky for him, that he managed to accidentally pick the best choice. History's never going to know how little he had to do with your successes as king. So good for him, I guess."

Kaito felt that anger towards the king...and then let it go. As nice as it would be, you couldn't punch most problems away. It'd be nice if you could, but things didn't work that way, and all Kaito could do with that anger was end up accidently embarrassing Kokichi with it. There was nothing to be done, as far as the king was concerned. Honestly, he just wanted to be here for Kokichi, now that the anger was gone.

"Sorry, I'm sorry, I know I went from nothing to intense real fast...I just...I hate hearing bad things get said about the people I lov-"

Kaito stopped, his brain catching up with his mouth at light speed. He stumbled slightly, trying to recover, before settling on, "..the people that I'm sworn too. Ya know? Gotta...got a responsibility and all."

Ouma let out a breath as Kaito let him go, rolling his shoulders a little and rubbing his arms to ease out the pain of the tight grip he'd been in. His chest still ached something fierce, and crying hadn't helped that, but...there wasn't much to do.

...m-maybe there was a little, since the pain faded with every kind thing Kaito said. Along with how his face redded in correlation. He mumbled something indistinctly, embarrassed, though extremely flattered. A-and...proud. Genuinely.

Sometimes he fell into the trap of believing what people said about him, but what was arguably just as dangerous, was that instead of being proud of himself, Ouma simply focused on defying those horrible labels. Trying so hard not to be bad that he didn't have space to be good. Feeling good about himself was...novel. Made the butterflies flutter in him a bit.

The difference in Kaito's mood was plain enough that Ouma didn't flinch when he was pulled back into a hug and he returned the affection freely. ...Kaito believed him, and believed in him. Even when he saw Ouma at his worst, had all the reason in the world to doubt him. Was urged into doubting him. But Kaito, in all of his belief and sincerity, had refused. He'd made his decision to stand by Ouma, and nothing in the world, it seemed like, would sway him from that place.

Ouma felt that delicate warmth in him once again, that desire to protect Kaito, his wonderful, incredible husband, from everything. From the people who would use his kind heart against him, from his passion that could burn him, from his desire to protect even at his own peril.

Ouma laid a kiss on Kaito's neck, then his jaw, then his cheek, before scooting back a bit and kissing him properly on the lips, more than just a peck.

"Thank you," he grinned up at Kaito, eyes irritated and puffy, face a little pale, but his smile true. "You know I'm a liar, but I'll do better to not say lies about myself so much. Gotta look out for the people who care about me, you know?"

He giggled a bit at the stumble in Kaito's words, leaning in to kiss him again. "You're a ferocious fighter, I know. Even when you're fighting to save people from themselves."

Every little kiss sent a little jolt of surprise and affection through Kaito, grinning as Kokichi made his way bit by bit up from his neck (which had sent a shiver up his spine), to his mouth, the kiss deep, Kaito unable to help grinning like an idiot through it, his face a deep scarlet when it was done.

Then Kokichi kissed him again and...fuck.

Kaito felt something hot deep in him, and he had to shift his legs a bit as certain parts of him started to nod. No, no, nope. Kokichi had said kissing was okay, which was great! But he had also specifically said he never wanted to be touched by anyone else ever again, and Kaito understood that meant sex. Kaito had made a vow. He couldn't put himself in a position where he was tempted to push Kokichi into anything he had already said he didn't want to do.

As he leaned into the kiss though, capturing Kokichi's lower lip between his own, his hand on Kokichi's back...fuck.

God he loved him.

Haha, that was so dumb. Why did Kaito always fall in love so fast? But he did, fuck, he loved him. He loved Kokichi and he wanted to tell him...but couldn't bring himself to do it. It would hurt, if Kokichi didn't love him back, and honestly there was no good reason for him to do so yet. Sure, they were married...but for them, that didn't mean the same thing as it did to other people. Kaito was just this person put upon Kokichi, their marriage a thing of convenience for other people. Kokichi was kind, and sharp-tongued, and told beautiful stories, and was brave and forgiving, and on top of all of that a damn good lay...but just because he was all those things towards Kaito didn't mean Kokichi loved him. There was no way he felt the same way...

So Kaito wasn't going to push Kokichi into saying he did by doing anything as overwhelming as a 'confession'. And, also, he seriously needed to pull himself together, because fuck, Kokichi was quickly picking up kissing and Kaito was going to lose his damn mind if he kept pressing up against Kokichi like this.

"I, uh..." Kaito swallowed between kisses, finally managing to get a word in, "I think I need to...go take a sh-shower or something..."

A cold one.

Ouma snorted something of a laugh, not quite back to being happy-happy, not quite stable, but nearer to it. He just...felt so much lighter, telling someone everything, even if there was a part of him that didn't want to burden Kaito with all this. With him.

STOP!

He wasn't a burden! Not to Kaito.

Rolling his eyes, a little at Kaito, a little at himself, Ouma found the floor and got out of Kaito's lap, the rabbit slumped over in his relaxed grip. "Honestly, I probably should too. Didn't get to shower last night. I'm not sayin' you smell or anything, but do you wanna go first?"

A foreign thought popped into his head. If they both had to, why not just shower together? Ouma had been enjoying being in his husband's lap, snuggling against him, kissing... He didn't really want to part from him, even just for a shower.

"Or..." he slowly started, rubbing his thumbs down the ears of the rabbit, a red tint covering his face. "We could shower together? It's not like we're short on time for anything, but... Yanno. An option." He shrugged, trying to seem more nonchalant than he felt.

Oh god Atua who loves him smite him down.

Kaito lifted his good hand, and in an extremely familiar motion now, dug his palm into one of his closed sockets, as if somehow he could apply pressure to his traitorous brain. Unfortunately, this effect didn't work like it usually did in calming Kaito down, because one eye was still free due to his broken, useless arm.

Which meant there was nothing stopping him from looking down at Kokichi, who was staring up at him with this...look on his face. Something in between daring and bashful, and god damn it.

Why would Kokichi even ask him something like that?? Was it a test? Was he making a joke???

No, wait, okay, think about this. Kokichi's never been in a relationship before. Maybe, to the Dicean prince, showering together was just a comfortable, common, totally not sexual thing couples did. And it could be! Kaito could get himself into that mindframe...i-if he just had more time. But right now, while he was all bothered in the first place??

Just say no. Just say no, Kaito, you know it's going to be too much of a test. Say no, say no, say n-

"Y-yeah, sure?" Kaito said, talking between a shit-eating grin. "Why not?"

God damn it, Kaito, Atua was going to add another level to your trials just for this shit alone.

Ah...good. Ouma felt something in him relax, reassured that he wouldn't be separated from Kaito so soon. Smiling gratefully at his husband, Ouma started over to the closet. "Wanna go get the water started? I'm gonna put this," he lifted the rabbit, "away and actually get some clothes. No reason I wouldn't be able to spend the whole day in pajamas, but if I'm gonna shower I kinda wanna change into something clean too."

Finding the bunny's box, Ouma bent over and carefully placed the stuffed friend back away, adjusting all its limbs and giving it an affectionate pat, saying a silent thanks. He was...he was okay. Yeah. And if he wasn't, he had help now. Help that was also warm and affectionate and funny and sweet and...

Ouma blushed a little more as he gathered his clothes. Geez. Write him a poem if you're gonna be that sappy. Shaking his head at himself, he headed over to the bathroom.

Ha. Yes, smug rabbit. Back to your cage.

Kaito got to the bathroom, opened up the shower curtain, and turned the handles, running his fingers under the water as he waited for the temperature to change, making little tiny adjustments to the handles when the water stayed cold for too long, and then went dramatically the other way as it came down boiling hot. At least that appeared to be one universal constant between kingdoms: shower temperature was finicky as fuck.

Take a deep breath, Kaito. Good, another. Calm yourself. Man, it had been a long time now since he had showered with someone else. Who had that been...oh right, Sahara. Nice girl, had liked to sleep over a lot even though the two of them never actually started 'dating'. She had been a fun friend, and, again, had been nice in almost every context you could ask for...but, when it came to sex, she couldn't understand the difference between being 'playful' and being 'mean', and hadn't been willing to learn, so Kaito could never bring himself to actually try to make them official.

She had also tried to wash him with her breasts, and that had been sorta weird. He wondered if he should tell Kokichi that story, if he would think it was as funny and uncomfortable as Kaito had.

No, probably not. Kokichi had just sworn off sex; probably the last thing he wanted to hear about was stories from Kaito's own varied sexual history.

...you still haven't undressed, Kaito.

He was getting to it! He just...wanted to be a little less obviously aroused first before he risked being naked where Kokichi could see. Come on, Kaito! You know how to do this! Think about sad puppies! Think about a sad Shuuichi holding a sad puppy! Think about an extremely uncomfortable Shuuichi holding an oblivious puppy while Sahara tried to wash her boobs up and down hi-pfffff, haha, okay, that was pretty funny.

Kaito grinned to himself, feeling himself relax a little. Good. That was easier. Taking off his sweatpants (he hadn't gone to sleep wearing a shirt, mostly because he never did, but also because the cast made it tough to do), Kaito briefly considered telling Kokichi he just had to shower with boxers on for...reasons.

But he rolled his eyes at himself and just took them off. It wasn't like he was showing that much. Kokichi probably wouldn't even notice.

Ouma knocked briefly before coming in, just to give Kaito a bit of warning. Mostly just to alert him not to be standing right behind the door, since Kaito knew he was right behind. ...a-and because he wouldn't be right behind the door, Ouma kept his gaze ahead as he dumped his clothes in a corner.

He'd seen Kaito naked before, even if it had only ever been in a sexual situation, and he wasn't gonna...like, close his eyes the entire shower. If he was that bothered he wouldn't have suggested showering together in the first place. But, like...he could ease into it and not just get an eyeful of a naked Kaito right away.

Tugging off his own clothes, Ouma hummed. "You have to keep your cast dry, right? If there's anything I can do to help with that, lemme know--if I can't engage Kai-chan in a water fight, I may as well do a full swing the other way."

Many of the marks Kaito had left on him during their last romp had faded, but there were a few that still looked almost fresh. The one on his shoulder, for instance, bruised with discolored marks surrounding the epicenter that looked remarkably like teeth marks. And...unfortunately, those weren't his only bruises. There were a few large bruises bleeding into each other over the front of Ouma's chest, no doubt caused by his violent vomiting and coughing the night before.

Once he'd pulled down his shorts and underwear, Ouma finally looked up, trying to keep himself from obviously ogling Kaito's body. He was covered in scars and healing injuries, which wasn't, you know, something that'd ever get him going, but, still, Kaito was hot. Buff and sculpted but not unnervingly so. His muscle was practical. Ouma found his gaze lingering a moment too long on Kaito's chest, still baffled that his defined pecs could be so soft and comfortable when he pressed against them.

Okay. That's enough.

Even with his abs and still large

ENOUGH.

Ouma forced himself to look past Kaito as he got into the tub.

...God, Kokichi was thin.

Beautiful. Adorable. But fuck...so god damned skinny that it was a little scary to look at. Even in his blinding haze of lust during the last time the two had slept together, Kaito remembered worrying over how thin Kokichi was. Had felt uncomfortable as he counted his rib cage and saw the edges of his spine.

He ate so little, and not often enough. Even when he had been throwing up yesterday, all Kaito had heard was the splash of water. Nothing solid leftover from the last meal...

Food. Kaito had to learn how to cook, and then he'd make nothing but Kokichi's favorite foods. And he'd make sure it was just...always around, so that Kokichi could just reach out and grab it whenever he felt his appetite come back. There. That was the plan.

Feeling on slightly better footing, Kato followed Kokichi in, openly looking Kokichi over now that his initial concern with Kokichi's weight had been eased a bit. God, he was too cute. He was so small, which was a different feeling from the weight thing. Even standing full height, the very top of Kokichi's head barely came up to Kaito's chest, which was an exciting prospect for a whole bunch of reasons. In a different world, if they were in a different situation, Kaito would fantasize about being able to throw Kokichi around, hurling him onto the bed to hear the shocked gasp of flight and excited giggles of landing on the soft mattress...

Damn it. Uncomfortable Shuuichi with a sad puppy, Uncomfortable Shuuichi with a sad puppy.

"Well, what I've been doing is just taking the nozzle off the stand, since the hose is so long," Kaito said, reaching above Kokichi to grab the nozzle, taking it off his stand, focused on his task enough that he wasn't thinking about how this knocked his stomach and chest against Kokichi's side and head. "Then I've just been hosing down individual parts of me, ya know? But, it's not a big deal if I get it wet today. I'm pretty sure I got to go get it replaced soon anyway. But, here, since I've got it anyway-"

Kaito backed away from Kokichi a bit, grinning down at him. "Let me know if it's too hot, okay?" Kaito said, turned the water down on the back of Kokichi's head, letting the warm water fall down his back.

Ouma looked up in surprise as Kaito took the head of the shower off the wall, having to readjust his footing briefly to avoid falling over when Kaito pressed against him. ...even if he kind of wanted to press back. They were here to shower, not to...a-anything else!

"That comes off?!" Instead of lingering on any kind of thought, he indulged what had surprised him in the first place. Ouma wasn't a stranger to climbing up on all sorts of surfaces to reach things out of his reach, but it never occurred to him to try it in the bathtub. He just assumed that it was a quirk of construction.

While his eyes were wide with astonishment, they quickly closed as he noticed Kaito aiming the nozzle at him, bracing for the water. Which...only rained down on his back, his hair slowly succumbing to gravity's hold for once. Peeking an eye open, he sighed up at his husband. "It's good, but, what, you just wanted to hose me down? I didn't ask for a shower just at a different angle."

Rolling his eyes, Ouma tipped his head back into the spray, wetting the rest of his hair and quickly slicking it back, trying not to get water in his eyes. Then, he reached over to grab his bottle of shampoo, pouring a bit into his hand and then raking it through his hair, offering the bottle up to Kaito. "Or do you want me to do you? A real royal spa experience."

"Or do you want me to do you?" was all Kaito heard before the white noise came in, Kaito's face turning bright red. Kaito dropped the nozzle to throw his palm into his eye again, praying to Atua again to just strike him down, that would be easier than this, this was madness, what was he doing!?

Eventually the smothered part of his brain that was actually paying attention to what was happening and was at least mildly intelligent poked at him and said, "Dude, he's asking if you need help with your hair."

"Yep, yes!" Kaito said, chuckling to himself because fuck this was a terrible idea he needed to get out of here. "Yeah, that'd be great. Um, because of the arm and stuff," Kaito lied, like a filthy liar. It definitely wasn't because Kaito found the idea of Kokichi running his hands through his hair, having to get closer to him to do it, enticing. Nope. Only...celibate...thoughts...

He looked down then, genuinely curious, "Can you reach...like, do you need me to kneel or-?"

Ouma startled a bit as Kaito just. Dropped the showerhead. He raised a concerned eyebrow up at his husband, who looked like he was about to have a conniption fit. Looking back through what he said--ah.

Snickering, Ouma wiped his hand off on his hair and picked up the nozzle, fitting it in between the temperature knobs--a place he could actually reach to retrieve it. And the snickers got a little louder as Kaito seemingly recovered

Really. As if Kaito didn't intimately know how submissive Ouma became when they got going. It was honestly a little embarrassing, but he didn't mind if just Kaito knew. And he enjoyed himself more than enough to not actually be bothered by it.

Ouma sighed as he turned back around. "Just sit on that seat and lean forward." He gestured to a ledge jutting out from the side of the tub, obviously a built-in seat for lounging in longer baths or resting in the middle of a shower. "You really think I can reach over all six foot-whatever of you?" He smirked a little, throwing Kaito's words back at him.

Kaito chuckled, watching with perhaps a tad too much attention as Kokichi bent down to grab the dropped hose, feeling just...far too excited. For a situation which, again, NOTHING was going to happen in. "It's just six foot even, actually," Kaito said, his tone an air of modesty as he sat down in the instructed place, only mildly startled as the seat was still cold, not having quite been hit by the hot water yet.

This was actually a blessing in disguise though, as his upcoming and annoyingly persistent lust was cooled ever so slightly as Kaito shook his head, amused. "Don't get all heightest on me, Kokichi. You're the one who didn't know until three minutes ago that your shower head could be moved."

"Damn," Ouma shook his head, pouring more shampoo into his hand and starting to lather it up. "We're seriously like a foot apart? Ridiculous. Maybe that's why my mom always wore heels..."

As he approached Kaito and began gently but thoroughly running his hands through his hair, Ouma mused a little more over their height difference. His dad was about Kaito's height, but he'd always felt...far off, even when Aiichi was right next to him. Like he belonged on some stage, talking out to a huge crowd. It wasn't even a matter of height at that point.

With Kaito, he was obviously taller, but it felt more...natural. Like he'd lean down if Ouma asked, or would reach up with only friendly teasing. He was the perfect size for enveloping him, making Ouma feel safe and loved. And...er...overwhelmed in the best way, at certain times.

"Tch." Ouma started rubbing in the shampoo a little more roughly. "That's my point, yanno. It's pretty heightest of you to just assume that I can reach everything. I know I'm a resourceful genius, but, surprise, there are things I haven't thought to try, and disassembling my shower is one of them."

He shuffled a little closer to Kaito, nudging his head forward just a tad more to make sure he lathed up everything down Kaito's nape.

"Well, after this we should take a look at all the things literally above anyone else's waist-height and see if we can't make more fun, new discoveries for ya then. Oh my god," Kaito said, a genuine thought coming into his mind as he said, "I bet you have books and items on the top shelf of your bookcases that you forgot you even owned. We should definitely look through those. I bet you anything there's a dusty, dog-eared copy of Touko's trash supernatural series up there." Kaito considered this for a moment before saying, "Which would be good. I couldn't bring all of mine."

Kaito enjoyed the feeling of Kokichi's small, thin fingers running through his hair, the shampoo smelling floral and clean as Kaito closed his eyes in defense of its suds. Kokichi was so close to him now...it'd be so easy...to just reach out and pull him in...pull him down...

Kaito frowned at himself, opening his eyes to look at Kokichi. Just remember why you're doing this. You are a good husband! Stay strong!

...and then, because Kaito literally had no self control, he said, "I could...I could put soap on you...while you work on my hair...if you wanted the extra help, I mean..."

"Nah, all her books are on lower shelves. Except for the, like, two that obviously still have stuff on them, we emptied out all the upper shelves for your stuff." He paused for a moment, more massaging in how he rubbed the shampoo in now. "You said you had figurines? I think I remember you saying that..."

"...we could swing by a bookshop when we go out, if you wanted. I know it's not the same, and I might already own what you'd want if we don't have it in the library, but...there's something fun about having your own copies, right? And not just because you can write in them without anyone else bitching."

Kaito was determined to...well. He was determined. About everything. But it was still something grandly difficult to move to a new country. Sometimes the small things, like getting a copy of a book you liked, helped a lot.

Ouma was hit by an urge to pull his husband close, kiss him again and promise to do whatever he could to make this place more of a home. To fix anything that gave his husband doubt. But. They were in the middle of a shower.

He'd just been about to turn away to rinse his hands off and start washing the shampoo out of Kaito's hair, but...well. Again. They had nowhere to be. They could indulge a little. Ouma could give Kaito a head massage while the Luminary Prince got to run his hand over his body...i-in a non-sexual way! For once.

"Sure. Fair trade and all that, even if you're an arm down and I'm helping my dear husband out of the goodness of my heart." Grinning at the melodrama, Ouma scooted his soap closer to Kaito along the edge of the tub before returning his hands to his head. "Go wild. Live out your most salubrious dreams."

Palm back in the eye.

"Hey, come on now, be nice." Kaito muttered, an embarrassed blush starting on Kaito's face and spreading down his neck. "I'm just, ya know...trying to do my part here. You help me, I help you. Serendipitous...I think?" Kaito said, briefly confused. "I may be using that word wrong. What the heck does salubrious mean?"

The soap was in liquid format, and, thankfully for the one-armed prince, was a push down. Kaito had been using it for himself for the last couple of days, and while he did enjoy the lavender smell, he honestly was sort of missing his old warm-oak scents. Maybe it was vain to care about that sort of stuff, but, well...Kaito was a little vain. He enjoyed being attractive to other people and, usually, liked the way other people treated him because of it. He enjoyed some people’s honest, bold attempts at flirting, and the way some shyer people had a hard time looking him directly in the eye when they tried to talk to him. He thought it was all cute. He liked the way it felt exploring someone, finding their limits, guiding them through yours. It was fun and exciting and made Kaito feel wanted. Sought after.

And, honestly...he was maybe a tad addicted to the feeling.

Which was why this was so tough. Because Kaito wanted to turn on the charm right now. Wanted to make himself difficult to resist. Wanted to see that open desire in Kokichi, looking up at him, needing him...gah!

He'd get used to it. He would. This was all just a matter of mind over matter!

Kaito started at Kokichi's sides, running the soap up and down his hips, watching the soap lather against Kokichi's pale skin with wonder. Refilling his hand, he moved onto Kokichi's stomach, taking the time to trace the lines, the dip of his hips inward, narrowing down to Kokichi's small, chubby dick (don't touch it that's a no-go area hard rule) and going up, broadening out ever so slightly into Kokichi's chest.

His nipples were small and pink, and Kaito, 'cleaning' Kokichi's chest, ran a thumb over them, just the tips of his fingers. Satisfied to feel the nipple stiffen under his attention.

Ouma huffed a small laugh. Probably not how Kaito meant it, but this was a little serendipitous in a way. He hadn't planned on showering with Kaito, and he was having a good time so...yeah, it fit.

"Clean. Sanitary. What soap and showers are usually meant to be. Read it in some purple prose-y novel and it was so absurd that it stuck in my memory." He rubbed his thumbs in small circles around Kaito's temples, careful to keep soap away from his face proper. "I think that's how I ended up remembering most of the more needlessly obtuse words I know. Thought they were so dumb I couldn't forget them."

For once Ouma wasn't surprised by Kaito's touch. It was gentle as always and...pleasant. They were just cleaning each other, but it felt sort of...nicely intimate to do this. For him to massage Kaito's scalp, hopefully helping his headaches at least a little, for Kaito to run his hand over his body with care. Kaito went slower than Ouma ever did, but it was nice, like he paid each inch of his body special attention.

Except for his dick, which made Ouma roll his eyes a little, but it was probably for the best. The last time Kaito had touched him there he'd gotten excited pretty quickly and...well, Kaito knew his short history, but it'd still be embarrassing to get hard when they weren't even doing anything. He could clean himself later.

(And he definitely didn't think about how he felt disappointed that Kaito didn't touch him; that he wanted to feel his larger hands wrap around his dick, working the soap along his shaft, under his balls...

NOPE. Definitely didn't think about that at all.)

Ouma's hands slowed in his distraction, cheeks heating up as he told those nonexistent thoughts to fuck off. As he told the slow warmth in his belly to take a hike. As he

"Aaah..."

The small gasp escaped him, sneaking by while he was preoccupied. And Ouma's blush deepened as he realized how sensitive his chest had become, nipples perked to attention just from being washed.

Just...don't mention it. That sound could've been anything, his nipples c-could've hardened from ANYTHING. It didn't mean he was starting to get a little turned on just from a little innocent touching, hah, nooooo.

Honestly, Kaito felt great right now. His painkillers were doing their job, and the now familiar aches of his back and his arms was distant background noise, the constant thump in his head maybe no better, per-se, but not getting any worse either, which Kaito was always thankful for. Kaito felt okay, so of course, to the Luminary Prince, this was the equivalent of basically being totally healed, never mind the fact that in a few hours when the medicine wore off, he'd be back to being constantly reminded how painfully mortal he was, his body probably keeping receipts of the fact that he had had an argument with the king that morning, tried to run up the stairs, had a really tense conversation with the Dicean Prince, and then blue-balled his way through a shower.

Yeah, all of that was probably going to equal bad things later...but fuck it, that was future-Kaito's problem. Present-Kaito was just enjoying the feeling of Kokichi's hands on him.

Kaito grinned wide at the little noise, feeling a small thrill of victory, of accomplishment, as Kokichi's pale body started to turn ever so slightly red, Kaito's senses ever so slightly fogging over in the face of someone else's arousal...

And then he felt bad. God damn it.

He wasn't being fair. He was trying to turn Kokichi on, he knew it. Trying to get Kokichi to change his mind about the celibacy thing. That wasn't a fair thing for Kaito to do to him. Sure, this wasn't bad by itself; Kaito really could see himself in the future just comfortably taking showers with 'Kichi without feeling bogged down and stupid with lust...but that wasn't what was happening right now. Right now the desire to touch Kokichi was like a swarm of ants underneath Kaito's skin, and whether 'kichi recognized it or not, Kaito was absolutely trying to seduce him.

Which, again...wasn't fair.

Reluctantly, Kaito pulled his hand away from Kokichi, placing his arm over his own lap, very purposefully over his own betraying cock. "Hey, 'Kichi, uh...I know it's literally only the next day and this is kind of pathetic...b-but I'm already really struggling with the no-sex thing. Don't get me wrong, I'm here for it!" Kaito said, looking up at Kokichi earnestly. "I fully support the decision! Like, I totally get it, ya know? I-I just... may need some space for a while."

"...no-sex thing?" Ouma blinked down at Kaito in utter bafflement. When had that become a thing? And how Kaito said it seemed like it was Ouma's decision. 'Literally only the next day' so...

Ouma thought back to...probably while they were in the closet. What had he said to make Kaito think...

And then Ouma's present mind caught up to him, and he flushed deeper, a flattered smile playing at his lips. 'Kichi'. It wasn't a new nickname, but Kaito had called him by a nickname.

With a little bashful giggle, Ouma shook his head, tenderly running a hand through Kaito's red hair. "You're too sweet, you know? You were seriously going to give up sex for me?"

"When I said that I didn't want anyone else to touch me, 'anyone else' meant 'anyone but Kai-chan'." His smile sobered a little, soapy hands returning to his sides. "I don't want anyone but Kai-chan to ever touch me. I want to be yours alone. No one ever even, like, watching or knowing enough to fantasize about it. I don't want anyone to look at me like..."

His voice trailed off, something uncomfortable and pained in his expression. He never wanted someone to look at him like the secretaries had. Feeling that exposed and vulnerable...

With a sigh, Ouma shook that off. He didn't need to think about it anymore. Instead, he gave Kaito a shit-eating grin and trailed a hand down his shoulder. "In any case... It's pretty rude of you to offer to clean me and then not even touch a part of my body, you know?"

...and even if he shifted nervously and lit up at his words, he didn't take them back.

Kaito blinked slowly at Kokichi.

"So...you didn't decide to swear off sex?" Kaito repeated back, his brain quietly whirring away as he looked back at that memory with this new information and...ah, fuck.

He was so fucking stupid. He had gotten so hung up on the 'I told him the Byakuya dream and now he thinks I'm some gross pervert' idea that he had specifically told himself to not even consider that he had just...assumed that any slightly negative comment was going to be linked directly to that...

"So I just misunderstood..." Kaito said...before a wide grin split his face, excited. Predatory. As he reached out and grabbed around Kokichi's waist, gently pulling him close, "Thank God!"

He kissed the bruises on Kokichi's chest, which he had been wanting to do since he had first saw them, praying to Atua with every kiss that his husband would heal quickly, that he wouldn't hurt anymore, Please Atua, who loves me, I love him, I love him...and then Kaito blanched, pulling back, sticking out his tongue in defense against the surprisingly bitter taste. "Ugh. Oh no. I think I just ate soap."

And then he laughed loudly, blushing red, feeling stupid and happy and in love.

At the little touch on his shoulder, Kaito looked up at Kokichi and saw a brand new expression on the little prince: something in between bashful and smug. The expression of a new lover, but a confident one, one that knew, without a shadow of a doubt, how fucking attractive they were to Kaito...

It was his favorite expression so far, and Kaito grinned wolfishly back. "As you please, your grace."

Taking more soap into his hand, Kaito lathered it up against 'Kichi's abdomen first, taking some of the cold out of it before moving down to Kokichi's groin, running his fingers underneath Kokichi's balls, massaging them there for a moment before running his palm over them, bringing his whole hand up the smaller prince's shaft, then back down again, the loose skin slick against the spread of the soap. He didn't watch this process at all, instead staring steadfast at Kokichi, just totally open in his lust for the Dicean Prince, specifically.

Ouma giggled as he was pulled closer, going along with Kaito's pressure willingly and not just because he probably would've slipped if he put up any resistance. Up against his husband was his favorite place to be, he'd decided.

His hands returned to Kaito's hair, showing his appreciation for each soft kiss, happy sighs leaving him until he burst out with snickers. "That's what happens when you kiss something covered in soap, dummy. Maybe try kissing me before you wash me next time."

He wouldn't mind doing this again. Especially without the misunderstanding. Being able to openly appreciate Kaito and show his pleasure when he was sure that Kaito was actually trying to woo him sounded a lot nicer than beating around the bush.

Ouma moved his hands down to Kaito's neck as the other prince started "washing" him again, affectionately massaging the tension out of it and his shoulders, though half of it was touching just to touch. Even when they stilled for a moment, Ouma sighing happily again and widening his stance a little, allowing Kaito to easily touch where he liked.

That warmth in him was fanned by each second Kaito touched him, going from spreading through his whole body to finding a home in his belly. Especially with the look in Kaito's eyes, trained on him the whole time. That look was wanting.

Ouma's hands dropped to Kaito's chest, exploring just as much as they were affectionate, and he leaned in more, bringing a knee up to rest on the remaining area on the bath-seat.

"It's alright," Kaito decided, leaning in to gently kiss, then run his tongue over one of Kokichi's nipples, playing with it between his lips. "Even a bitter, soapy 'Kichi tastes good..."

Kaito growled, deep in the back of his throat, as he felt Kokichi get closer to him, Kaito once again feeling the limits of his single arm, now also hindered by the care he had to put into not accidentally sending Kokichi into the ground of the tub with one wrong pull to his body. Okay, so what could he do from this position...

Well, it was maybe a little quick, but...

Kaito kept working on Kokichi's cock, enjoying the feeling of it stiffening against his hand, the look on his face getting sharper, more hungry, as Kokichi touched him, those thin, chilled fingers pressing between the lines of his muscles, running down the lines of his pecs. Kaito swallowed hard, wanting to pick 'Kichi up, fuck him against the wall...but he'd absolutely fall, so instead, once he felt like 'Kichi had been properly started up, he rubbed his hand back down Kokichi's shaft, over his balls, and then kept going, taking advantage of Kokichi's widened stance and raised knee to find the rough skin of his hole, leaning in to kiss a (relatively) less soapy part of Kokichi's chest as he rubbed the outside of him for a moment before, taking his middle finger, pushing in.

As he pushed, being careful not to actually hurt him, Kaito bit Kokichi's nipple, trying to send a jolt through him.

"I don't know if I should be afraid of the big bad wolf gobbling me up when you say stuff like that," he teasingly scoffed. It wasn't as composed as he'd intended, not when his voice caught, feeling Kaito take one of his nipples into his mouth. And with how his breathing got heavier, more audible as Kaito worked him, any teasing could surely be disregarded.

Kaito just stoked his fire and Ouma couldn't feel too embarrassed over how quickly he started to get hard, his dick starting to stand up out of the flurry of bubbles now lathered over his crotch. And continuing to raise as he felt Kaito move back to his hole. Ouma barely even registered tilting his hips just so to make penetration easier from this angle.

Humming contentedly, Ouma circled his fingers around Kaito's nipples, figuring to go tit for tat. And...yeah, he could understand the appeal, feeling the little nubs harden from the stimulation. While a pleased smile crossed Ouma's face, he still needed to give Kaito a heads up. "You left me limping last time, you know. We gotta be careful if I'm not just gonna be hangin' out in my room all the--AH~!"

A jolt was certainly achieved, if the lusty squeak and the way his dick jumped was any indication. Or the way his hole briefly tightened around Kaito's finger before loosening, drawing him in.

Kaito snickered at the reaction, releasing the bite as another layer of arousal hit him at Kokichi's cry...but that didn't mean he hadn't heard what Kokichi was trying to tell him before he bit. He had hurt him last time? Kaito had been entirely out the next day, the memory of that first day nothing but a haze of blinding pain and a constant, desperate need for his friends, who had all bore his endless whining like champs. Even the memory of that day sent a small, warning thump through Kaito's head. The message being clear.

Kaito losing control of himself had hurt both of them. Kokichi with a limp, Kaito worsening his own still very much present condition. Though he wanted to lose his mind right now more than anything, he had to take responsibility, especially knowing that pretty soon, 'Kichi wasn't going to be capable of thinking on his own behalf that well.

He left Kokichi's nipple alone, leaning back, looking up at Kokichi with a strange mixture of hazy lust and genuine concern. It didn't help that Kokichi looked so good right now...so willing...

God, but Kaito could barely think right now...no, no, this conversation was overdue. Long overdue now, especially if Kaito had managed to hurt his husband without realizing it.

"We..." Kaito growled, his voice, his desire, fighting him... before sighing. "W-we should have a conversation real quick. Bo..." Kaito swallowed, his own dick demanding his attention, wanting Kaito to touch it, Kaito wanting Kokichi to touch it. Almost mindlessly, he kept fingering Kokichi's asshole, loosening it gently. Focus. Focus!

Unable to focus while he was still working Kokichi, Kaito, with a severe amount of regret, pulled his hand out, resting his hand on Kokichi's lower back, resting his forehead on Kokichi's chest as he collected himself, his back tense and his breath heavy as he tried to control himself. "-bout boundaries. And, ya know, stuff like that. I know you don't h-have a lot of experience yet, s-so maybe you don't know what your boundaries are yet...or, like, your kinks even. Y-you're learning this as you go, so it's okay if you're not sure what to say when I ask you about those things...but if we don't talk about it, I'm worried you're just gonna accept whatever I do to you, even if you don't end up liking it, or it hurts you. So...so we gotta talk about it."

Kaito looked back up at Kokichi, now looking determined. Ready to be what his husband needed him to be. "So, just, whatever you've figured out about yourself by this point. Tell me. I n-need to know!"

It was...difficult to focus enough to have a proper conversation, honestly. Not with Kaito still in his butt, getting him prepared, though there was still a bit to go. I-if Kaito wanted to fuck him. If they were keeping things to hands, that was all good and fine by him too! Then one finger was perfect! He didn't want to just assume that--

"Mmmnn..." Ouma whined when he felt Kaito pull out, but it did allow his head to clear a bit. And...it was important. He took a few slow breaths, trying not to think about his dick, which was...a little harder to do when Kaito was asking him his sexual preferences.

Biting his lip, Ouma tried to think if he should...stand up or sit down or what, but Kaito's hand was firmly on his back, and sitting on him was...a very bad idea for what they were trying to do. So he just adjusted his knee a little and braced himself against the bathroom wall behind Kaito.

"I... I don't like it when you strain yourself. After you got so sick last time... I mean, I knew you were injured, and I still agreed to...you know. You were gonna be sick no matter what, but it wouldn't have been as bad if we just...went to sleep, I think."

Ouma looked down with a bit of shame before taking another breath. "I told you about the compliments, and...I, uh, like it when you order me around?" He flushed deeply, redder than he had been even just moments before. "It feels like I'm making Kai-chan happy."

"And...I like how big you feel in me. I really like it when you cum in me, though I've already been pretty spent by the time you do." A horrible thing to mention, if only from how it made his dick throb. Adjusting his footing, Ouma continued. "Also, when I blow you, I, uh, kinda...likehowIcan'tbreathe."

"But, considering that that's pretty dangerous for me...maybe only a second or two at most." He crossed his arms over the ledge of the tub behind Kaito, resting his cheek in the curve of his shoulder and neck, too embarrassed to look right at Kaito while he talked about this. "I did like everything last time, and it didn't hurt! But I just was really sore and tender the next morning..."

When Kokichi leaned his head against his shoulder, Kaito moved his hand up, rubbing soothing little circles on his husband's back, doing his best to keep quiet and just listen, really take in what he was saying. It...it didn't help how exciting some of the things Kokichi said were. Like Kokichi had said, Kaito already knew about the compliment kink, but an 'orders' kink? Fuck, Kaito could absolutely do some stuff with that...and a choking kink. Surprising, but Kaito was glad to know about it, and kept the limit in mind. A few seconds of not being able to breathe excited Kokichi...got it. Kaito could work with that too.

Kaito smirked at the cum part, though that also made him feel a little guilty, as he enjoyed cumming inside of people and hadn't even thought to ask 'Kichi if it was okay or not. Thankfully, it appeared to have made a good impression on him.

As for the tenderness... "That's my bad," Kaito admitted, still rubbing those circles. "I got too excited our first two times, and didn't spend as long opening you up as I should have. It's something I know better about; I just...when I really get started, I sometimes have a hard time...slowing down. W-which kind of ties into the straining thing... I may need your help with that stuff. I mean, before sex, I can manage to stop, slow down, all of that. I-I mean, I think we're doing a pretty good job of it right now, huh?" Kaito chuckled, though even as he said this, his dick was pulsing in his lap, demanding his attention. "But there's a certain point where that becomes...less easy. And i-it would help me a lot if you spoke up if you realized that was happening. I might not listen to my own brain telling me to stop, but I'd listen to you in a heartbeat."

As another, heavy warning thump went through Kaito's brain, which Kaito had been perfectly willing to ignore moments before when he had been lost in the lust...he said, admitting, "A-and now might be one of those moments actually. I-I think if we don't do this, like, as gently as possible, I'm probably gonna end up back in bed tomorrow with another series of m-migraines. Sorry..." Kaito said, frustrated, angry at his own current limitations. He wanted to be strong for his husband, invincible and powerful... but he just couldn't be right now.

"As for me, uh...I mean...I have a lot more history then you do. I've found there's not a lot that doesn't get me excited, so if you ever wanted to try something new or that you think is embarrassing, just ask me, because chances are I've already tried it and have an opinion on it. You don't have to ever be afraid of freaking me out, okay? Though..." Kaito frowned, not really thinking Kokichi would ever do it. He didn't seem the type. But, just in case... "I...I don't like to be hit during sex, okay? And, while it's totally fine to tease me, calling me really bad things for too long can really get into my head, so... I mean, you've seen a couple of examples of it already; I take things a little too literally and a little too seriously, ya know? So just...keep it in mind, please?"

And then, it suddenly occurring to Kaito, he gently pushed Kokichi off his shoulder to look him in the eyes, brow concerned as he said, "Hey, no judgment if you do, there's nothing wrong with you and I can absolutely make it work, but...do you have a murder kink?"

"I'll try," Ouma hummed. "You just...are really overwhelming sometimes, and I like it! I really don't mind if you wanna be a little rough with me. But it makes it hard to speak up." It was difficult to remind Kaito to slow down and watch himself when Ouma was on the verge of orgasm. But he'd definitely try.

Nuzzling his husband a little, Ouma ran his thumb down the side of Kaito's spine. "Just because I wanna do stuff with you doesn't mean we have to do it now." Even if they were both already aroused. "We can stop, actually wash up, and just...chill." He'd never want to pressure Kaito into anything.

Not caring about the soap himself now, Ouma pressed a soft, chaste kiss to Kaito's neck. "Okay, no hitting, no just being an asshole. I wasn't planning on it anyway, but thanks for telling me--if I'm being too much of a brat, let me know, okay? I'll always be happy to remind Kai-chan how wonderful he is, truly."

A little mushy, but he didn't mind. Though that loving feeling was replaced by utter bewilderment as Kaito pulled him up. "A...murder kink?"

...how would something like that even work? Just read horror novels to get in the mood? Ouma gave Kaito a look. "...you do remember that I don't do well with blood, right? And I've done pretty well to avoid being murdered my whole life. So...no? Why would you think so?"

Kaito grinned sheepishly, taking his hand off Kokichi's back to rub the back of his head in embarrassment. "I, uh...I don't know? The day after I almost killed you while on the Despair Pollen, you were...nicer to me? Flirtatious, I thought, for a little bit there? Like, you started footsieing me underneath the table, and I thought, well, what's the last thing I did? And it was between almost murdering you and doing a Submission Bow, which would have given you legal permission to murder me, so, either way...I didn't really know what to make of it?"

Though, thinking about it, Kokichi hadn't done anything after the footsie thing to suggest it had been flirtatious...Kaito just hadn't been able to fully let go of the idea though, despite the lack of supporting evidence.

"And then, I mean, okay, looking back at it, this was probably actually just exactly when the aphrodisiac started kicking in, but I got really confused when you started to get aroused when we talked about Maki maybe going off to kill people...I don't know! I thought, well, maybe getting excited by the idea of being attacked was, like, maybe just a coping, cathartic thing to the blood thing? I didn't wanna judge!"

Kaito sighed, annoyed. "Ya know, before I moved here, I really thought I was good at reading people. Turns out it's way easier when everyone's grown up in the same kind of environment."

Had he? Been nicer? At least that morning, he couldn't think of anything... And he definitely hadn't been playing footsie. Where had Kaito even gotten...oh. Ouma stopped just short of facepalming himself, remembering the suds on his hand just in time. "I was trying to cover for you, since any of your advisors or the Dicean admins figuring out that something had happened, or that we openly hated each other would've been grounds for rethinking the treaty. At breakfast that day, I'd tapped you to let you know I was leaving. Since I was going to talk with Shuu-chan while you sparred, we'd be ending up in the same place anyway."

The second point of evidence made him sigh, shame and embarrassment forcing his gaze away. "That was all the aphrodisiac." His voice softened, shoulders hunching in a bit. "When I realized I was getting turned on, even with a discussion like that, I thought... Those things you don't like hearing about me. That's why I started getting so upset over it."

And then, even thinking Ouma had some freaky weird fetish, Kaito had still tried to cheer him up, had taken care of him, had been attracted to him.

Relaxing at the utter truth of his husband's affection, Ouma giggled a bit. "You don't say? Well, you'll get better at it--we have a long time ahead of us of being together."

Unfettered by Kaito's hands, Ouma stood up again, trying not to think about how, though he'd cooled a little, his erection still stood out from the bubbles. "So...wanna actually wash up?"

Kaito listened to the explanation, all of it putting his memories of the early days into new context. Ooooh. Right. So...Maki had been right. Kokichi really had hated him in those early days. Kaito had sort of been afraid he did, but...he had held out hope that maybe it wasn't as bad as she thought it was, using the footsie incident and Kokichi's patience at the dinner tables as examples that maybe it wasn't all that bad.

But 'Kichi had just been covering for him. Just...pretending to not hate him in public as much as he did when they were alone. The thought made Kaito swallow, uncomfortable with how thoroughly he had misled himself about the situation.

...That was okay, though. Kaito was used to people treating him differently when they thought no one was watching. It was a natural thing to do. He couldn't hold that against him.

Besides! Kokichi was genuinely nice to him now! If anything, that was just more impressive, to start from such a low place in 'Kichi's standards and get to such a high point! Kaito could be proud of that!

So, Kaito didn't let it worry him.

Kokichi's face when he started talking about the drug again though... "I'm sorry I didn't realize at the time," Kaito whispered, reaching out to put his fingertips on Kokichi's hip, just wanting to put a comforting hand on him. "I just thought you were so cool and put together...I mean, I remember you saying some scary things at the greenhouse, but it just never occurred to me… You don't ever have to be embarrassed around me if something weird turns you on. We'll just work with it, ya know? It's gonna be fun finding out new things about each other!" Kaito said, an excited grin splitting his face.

The grin dampened a bit, the look on his face considering, almost blank for a moment...before a sharp little smirk appeared. "What?" Kaito chuckled, the sound...dark. Full of intent. "Come back here. I didn't say you were done."

Nodding his head towards both spots, each spot a tile on either side of Kaito's head. "Put your hands here, and here. Don't move them away, not for any reason," Kaito said, all the shyness and uncertainty from before completely gone as the Luminary Prince ordered, "Now."

Ouma shivered a bit under that sharp gaze, promptly fitting his knee back on the bench and placing his hands on the wall. Even if he started to slip...Kaito would catch him. He could trust him, so he wouldn't move his hands. Even if he wanted to touch back.

"You certainly don't waste time," he sighed, though his smile was obvious in his voice. "Clean up's gonna be real easy, hm? Just gotta move a little to the left, and for once I'm not gonna get jizz on my pants. What a world."

He had a feeling they were going to get into things rather quickly, so Ouma was taking the time to tease while he had the mind to. Before Kaito turned his body into desperate putty. He couldn't move his hands, but there were plenty of other things to use. Just a bit, trying not to lose his balance already, Ouma pressed his hips forward, touching their dicks together teasingly.

Kaito noted Kokichi's unsteady movement, remembering the soap that was now pooling at the bottom of the tub. They really should get some sort of bath mat for this thing. Kaito would grab one when they went to town. One that, in theory, could be comfortable if someone laid you down on it, for any reason.

That was alright. Kaito would keep an eye on Kokichi's legs, watch out for when they started to get too weak, too shaky, then work from there. For now...Kaito covered his hand in more soap, not necessarily...'smiling', when Kokichi's dick slid playfully over the tip of his own.

But definitely showing his teeth.

Taking advantage of the closeness that this position put Kokichi in, Kaito captured his lips, kissing him gently, first, as he grabbed 'Kichi's dick, going back to massaging it, just small pecks, Kaito briefly closing his eyes during each kiss, just enjoying the heat, the softness on him as his fingers, purposefully, moved up and down Kokichi's shaft, running his thumb over his tip whenever his hand was in a position too. At first slowly, then harder, Kaito's kiss going from a peck to entirely deeper, pushing his tongue past the Dicean prince’s defenses, tasting the warm, wet inside before, counting in his head, he breathed in.

One second...two seconds...

Breaking the kiss, letting Kokichi catch his breath again, Kaito took his expressions in intently as he worked his dick harder, waiting until he was certain 'Kichi had his breath back...before moving in to do it again.

One...two...

Break.

Ouma enthusiastically kissed back when Kaito captured his lips, relaxing back into the mood as his cock started being worked again. He hadn't gone flaccid during their conversation, but Kaito would definitely be able to feel him growing in interest once again.

...If Kaito didn't want Ouma to touch him, was he just planning on making Ouma finish? That didn't seem like what this was, though. He still wasn't sure, on the other hand, if they would fuck. Kaito did say they should take it easy this time, and while he always started out gentle, their pace always ramped up significantly. 'Always' in the two cases they had, anyway.

...was he gonna push him to the brink, only to squeeze him again, not allowing Ouma to cum but keeping him absolutely ready so that he could--

"Mmmm..." Ouma moaned into Kaito's mouth, feeling himself swelling a bit in the other prince's grasp, unable to tell if he was going too far too fast since he was already wet, covered in soap and water.

He pressed against his husband eagerly, feeling his breath stolen, but just as quickly he felt Kaito pulling back, allowing his lungs air again. "A-ah...mmm...hah." An aroused blush colored Ouma's cheeks with every satisfied little gasp, and it wasn't long before he started rocking into Kaito's hand.

These were Kaito's favorite moments, honestly. Watching the awareness, the self control, start leaving his partners’ eyes. Kaito had found that even the most dignified, put together, intelligent person had something primal in them, a side to them that was purely, helplessly physical...and Kaito loved drawing it out of people. Watching them let go of the masks...and just indulge in a different, carefully controlled side of themselves...

Kaito loved seeing it.

"Hey, hey now, shhh," Kaito whispered, chuckling to himself as Kokichi started to try to push the issue, thrusting his hips in an effort to get more traction. Which was funny, since Kaito hadn't even started to deny him anything yet. Kaito felt a warm affection run through him, getting past the lust; his little Dicean prince, always racing to get to the next part, always wanting more.

So greedy.

Giving him a loving, almost apologetic kiss...Kaito let go, moving his head back onto the tile, smiling at Kokichi as he said in a chuckling, sing-song voice, "You're getting ahead of me~"

Ouma tried to follow Kaito back but had to stop, feeling himself slip a little though he quickly righted himself. So, instead he just pouted at his husband, thighs trembling a little as he tried to keep himself from doing anything too embarrassing. "Maybe if you'd hurry up I wouldn't be ahead."

"If I can't touch you, what else am I supposed to do? Just stand here as Kai-chan makes my heart pound and jacks me off? You try and tell me how it goes." He stuck his tongue out and shifted his weight a bit, trying to keep his hands from slipping down the wall. This was...a harder position to keep than he'd thought, especially since it kept his legs parted, giving him literally nothing he could do himself to indulge the hot throbbing in his crotch.

Pausing for a moment, Ouma gave Kaito an almost pleading look, if not for the note of a whine in his voice. "What should I be doing to match Kai-chan's pace, then?"

Kokichi looked genuinely annoyed, a frustrated pout on his face as he shook, his cock still hanging in the air there, high and thick, reaching out towards Kaito insistently. Kaito was probably being too mean...but fuck, it was such a pretty sight. Because Kokichi, for all his whining and pleading, still hadn't moved his hands, and that was what Kaito was looking for.

Obedience.

Kaito was ready to give his life to Kokichi. In a very real way, already had. He had been sent to this place (Kaito had believed, until Ma-that bastard had informed him otherwise) believing he was expected to obey Kokichi, adhere to his will as his husband and his future king, for the rest of Kaito's life. And he had been ready to do it. Had mentally prepared for it for a year.

Now...things were different. A little more confusing. Kokichi seeming to genuinely view him as a partner equal to him in status. Which was...hard. As someone raised under a strict, harshly enforced chain of command...it was a difficult concept to get his head around. If he were honest with himself, he didn't really believe Kokichi yet. Not if they ever had a real, honest disagreement, something in which the results would result in actions rather than just theorizing. Kaito didn't hold this fear against Kokichi. It was just...how things were.

But here? During these moments?

Kaito reveled in this control.

Taking Kokichi's chin in his hand, Kaito smiled at him, his grin all teeth, his eyes hungry and gleeful. "I just want you to trust me," Kaito said, pulling his fuming husband in for a gentle kiss. "I'm gonna take care of you, 'Kichi."

Taking his husband's cock into his hand, Kaito started massaging again, coaxing the stiffness back, going slower this time, knowing that Kokichi was more sensitive by this point and that if Kaito wasn't careful, he'd accidentally make him cum before he was ready for him to.

Ouma groaned a little but sighed. "I just wanna make Kai-chan feel good too. I know you s-said I'm not doing nothing, but it still feels like it. Especially when--hahhh..."

A breathier sigh left him as Kaito took his cock back, giving him the pressure he craved. And proving his point immediately. "Mmph... When you drive me nuts and make me feel like I'm gonna finish way too early... ah... when I haven't even touched you..."

A confused part of him wondered if he was only so insistent on reciprocating more because he loved it when Kaito took care of him. Riled him up to the point he couldn't do anything, couldn't even think of anything other than his husband's touch. When Kaito told him to keep his hands up and lifted his legs high and out, filling Ouma with nothing but pleasure and a long, thick cock that drove him crazy.

Already it seemed that Kaito was doing a fine job of banishing any other sort of thought from his mind, Ouma starting to lightly pant, glancing down at Kaito's lap and remembering how he felt inside him. And, even if Kaito's hand was too slow, Ouma couldn't keep his hips from twitching back against that pressure.

Kaito hummed as he listened to Kokichi talk, thinking, for a moment...okay. Letting go of Kokichi's cock, Kaito put his hand around the back of Kokichi's neck for a moment, pulling him in for another long kiss, nipping at Kokichi's bottom lip before moving lower, kissing at Kokichi's neck, being gentle with his adam’s apple and rough with the meat just above his collarbone, getting his fill of the taste of Kokichi (soap and all) before forcing himself to break away, getting too lost in handling him, wanting to grab, to lead, to take...

But already, as his heart raced, Kaito could feel the THUMP. THUMP.

Strain. He couldn't strain himself. He didn't want to end up stuck in bed again tomorrow, didn't want to spend another few days scaring his sidekicks. Pull it together...

"You want to touch me back..." Kaito mused, kissing Kokichi on the side of his lip again, brief, chaste. Running his thumb across Kokichi's bottom lip. "Alright. You know how." Spreading his legs a little, his smile teasing. Challenging. "Go ahead. No me grabbing your hair this time, no facefucking." Because if he tried either of those things, he'd fucking lose it, concussion or no concussion. "Take care of me too, 'Kichi." Kaito said, winking.

Again, Ouma whined at being let go, though the sound was quickly swallowed by Kaito's mouth. He had to shift more just not to break the kiss, and then to keep from falling as Kaito had his way with his neck, tipping his head back and not stifling the little sounds that left him from the feel of teeth and tongue.

He had to be careful to cover such marks up, though there was a part of him that wanted to flaunt them a little, so passively declare that he was Kaito's. But that didn't override the majority of him that would die if anyone saw the dark hickeys Kaito liked to leave. And that Ouma liked him leaving.

Ouma's eyes were hazy when Kaito pulled back, his mouth parting open just a little, the tip of his tongue touching against Kaito's thumb, though his face screwed up a little at the bitter taste of soap, clearing his mind enough to raise an eyebrow at his husband...even if it was pretty obvious how his thighs shook.

"You keep forgetting how short I am, Kai-chan. Even with how big you are, there's no way I can reach your cock while keeping my hands on the wall," he stated matter-of-fact, though a teasing, cocky grin took over his expression. "Are you gonna go back on your orders to see me get a mouthful of you? Let my hands free, maybe even to pleasure myself, because feeling Kai-chan swell in my mouth makes me wanna swell too."

Kaito was listening to Kokichi in idle amusement, smirking at this sharp-tongued, teasing little brat that Kaito was excited to see Kokichi start to become, such a difference from the first two times, where Kokichi had barely been able to get a word in...

Right up until Kokichi suggested he might touch himself if Kaito let him go.

Possessive. Jealous. Hopelessly turned on in his fury, Kaito growled, sweeping out his arm and scooping Kokichi up, pulling him onto his lap, adjusting them both so that Kokichi's knees were on either side of Kaito, on the ledge, and his ankles were beneath himself, on top of Kaito's lap. Then, while Kokichi was still getting adjusted, Kaito reached up and grabbed one of Kokichi's wrists, taking Kaito's hand off the wall and guiding his arm to hang around Kaito's neck. "Fine," Kaito said, the word a snarl before he chuckled, some of the anger leaving him in his amusement of the look on Kokichi's face. "Best hang on then."

Certain Kokichi had his grip, Kaito let go, snaking his arm underneath Kokichi, past his dick and balls, his arm just long enough to get a good grip at the bottom part of Kokichi's ass, feeling a cheek for a moment before, taking two fingers now, he shoved them inside, playing with the walls inside Kokichi, biting onto his husbands shoulder, his own erection throbbing now against Kokichi's thigh.

God, tomorrow was gonna suck.

He'd meant to make it a hard decision, was all. Something to get more of a reaction than a roll of the eyes and telling him that he could take his hands off the wall. And...well! It was more of a reaction!

Ouma gasped as he was pulled up and forward, hands scrabbling against the wall to try and steady him, more instinctual than thinking Kaito would let him fall. Perched in Kaito's lap, his knees falling onto the ledge, gravity and the angle had him spread wide, feeling a slight burn in his thighs but not caring much about it as he felt Kaito's member push against him. While Ouma's own wasn't quite touching anything of Kaito's, left lonely and twitching for attention in the air between them.

He couldn't complain though, as Kaito groped him for a moment before, "O-OH! Nnng-ohhh~"

It was sudden, not like how Kaito would massage his hole before adding any additional fingers. It was tight before his body adjusted, but he couldn't quite say he was loose either, not with how he could feel himself pulsing around Kaito's fingers, endlessly horny for the movement in his behind, the bite on his shoulder.

In his position, it was easier to bear down than forward so Ouma found himself leaning into Kaito's fingers, cock--which was visibly starting to wetten now--ignored for the time being. He held on around Kaito firmly, mewling softly and placing soft, wet kisses against his husband's opposite shoulder. "C-can't wait for...ung! For Kai-chan t-to....mm, get inside me..."

Kaito trembled as 'Kichi cried out for him, his own soft, sweet kisses and beckoning sounds such a contrast to Kaito's own possessive, aggressive need, Kokichi's small, pale body fitting beautifully against Kaito's own hard, looming presence. Perfect, perfect, his husband was so perfect-

"Anything you want," Kaito said, releasing the bite (he had a brief, frightened moment where he was worried he had broken skin, but a quick, tasting kiss assured him he hadn't), "Anything for you."

He moved his fingers in and out of Kokichi, deeper than he otherwise would have been able to as Kokichi put his weight into the grip, his pace quick, aggressive, coaxing more out of Kokichi, his small body squirming against him, his breath coming in heavier. Every little thing set Kaito off, made him want to go more, go harder. To take everything Kokichi had to offer. To give Kokichi anything he desired.

This time, being more careful, he pushed the third finger in, his grip slowing, not wanting to tear him. Even in his haze of angry, possessive lust, Kaito whispered, the conversation fresh in their minds, "Tell me when...tell me when you feel ready..."

"I want Kai-chan to feel good," he panted. "I wanna make him feel good, please, fuck!" Kokichi spasmed in Kaito's grasp for a moment, the older prince hitting his sweet spot with just his fingers. And, not being able to take care of his need from the front, he just leaned into Kaito's fingers even more, moaning when he felt himself stretching more to fit another finger.

"You...y-you said it... hah... Wasn't enough before?" Kokichi couldn't imagine it. It already felt amazing to have his husband widening him up, and the stretch to fit his cock was something that made him wanna cum on the spot. But...the soreness the day after he could've done without. And, maybe, if he was loose enough, then Kaito wouldn't have to work as hard and wouldn't hurt himself...

Pressing down into the almost massage of his insides, Kokichi nodded against Kaito's shoulder. "O-okay, okay, okay, don't hurt yourself, okay, I'll tell you."

Kokichi resumed his little kisses against Kaito's skin, rubbing his thumb against the muscles in his opposite shoulder, his other hand pressed firmly against the wall as he bounced and rocked in his husband's lap. Making sure he'd be nice and wet and open for Kaito. Making sure that he'd--

"A-aAH!" Kokichi's hips shook, the moan taking him off guard as he felt something rocket through him, far past just building up, just about to-- "C-cumming!"

"Damnitfuckinggod" Kaito swore, quickly starting to pull out his fingers, hoping to grab Kokichi's dick in time...but the position the two were in made it too difficult to untangle himself quickly, not without risking accidentally pushing Kokichi off of him or hurting his insides on the way out.

Kaito felt Kokichi tremble and shake against him, something wet shooting out with force against his stomach, well before Kaito had even really pulled his hand away...and Kaito sighed, forcibly relaxing himself, taking two deep breaths, holding both of them, and then letting them out, calming himself.

Because as much as he enjoyed the game of control while they were going, the absolute last thing Kaito wanted to do was make Kokichi actually feel bad for 'losing'. So instead, Kaito put his hand around Kokichi's waist, rubbing his hand soothingly up and down his back as the younger prince trembled and shook against him, gently kissing Kokichi's neck and shoulder as he whispered, "That's fine, you're fine, you did so good. As long as it felt good, everything's good. You're so beautiful..."

How Kaito tried to quickly pull his fingers out only made Kokichi shudder, his insides clinging and wanting to pull his husband back in. But it was too late. It all felt too good, and Kokichi could do nothing to stop his orgasm from ripping through him, moaning his lover's name into his shoulder.

...he'd... He'd done what he'd feared the last time they were together, feeling everything too intensely and cumming early. Apologies were fast in the queue, once his gasps left him enough room to speak, but Kaito beat him to it. The kind words made him weakly squirm, pressing his face harder against Kaito's shoulder.

"I-I... I can still take care of you..." Even if the exhaustion of a damn good orgasm (not to mention the emotional exhaustion that he'd pushed to the wayside earlier) was quickly washing over him. Even if his legs felt weak and wiggly, entirely held up in Kaito's lap. "S-sorry... I can..."

Using the wall, he tried to push himself up, even his arms shaking.

Realizing 'Kichi was struggling, Kaito carefully pushed against his shoulder, helping Kokichi sit up. He could feel Kokichi's legs shaking against him, see the sweat on his brow, no doubt not helped at all by the steam from the hot water that they had just thoughtlessly let run this whole time, filling the room with heat.

"Don't be sorry, there's nothing to be sorry about. This is just you and me, having fun together," Kaito said, his smile kind. Insistent. "I still enjoyed myself. Don't let yourself think I didn't. I love-" Kaito saved himself last minute, swallowing, "-doing this with you. You're so good..."

It would be an absolute lie to say that Kaito didn't ache. That he didn't want release...but even as he thought this, pulling himself so rapidly under control out of fear that if he slipped up at this point, that he'd leave Kokichi with some sort of complex about finishing before him...he was finally just calm enough to admit reluctantly to himself that even the act of orgasm was probably more strain on the veins in his head than he could handle. Already his head ached, even through the painkiller and his good night's rest, and honestly he hadn't done much yet...

Holding Kokichi steady, Kaito just kissed him, through each one trying to radiate a sense of finality, a sense of calm, kissing Kokichi's cheek in affection, his ear in sensual devotion, before whispering into it. "Seriously, it's okay. I'm okay. Let me wash the soap off of you. Hold onto me, don't let go until you feel steadier, okay?" he said, pulling Kokichi back onto himself, making sure Kokichi got a grip around him before scooting over as far on the ledge as he could, grabbing the nozzle again.

Kaito grinned once he had it, the water pressure soft as he ran it over Kokichi's shoulder, watching the water fall down his chest and stomach, taking the soap and cum with it, Kokichi holding onto his arm as he did so. Determined to ignore his own erection by this point, Kaito's words were only slightly hitched. "Man, we are kinda insabtio...insatia? How do you say it?" Kaito asked, his skull pulsing. "You know what I'm trying to say, right? We just can't seem to get enough," Kaito chuckled.

Kokichi pressed his lips together, not quite believing that it was just okay to leave Kaito hanging, but...if he insisted, it wasn't fair of Kokichi to keep prodding. And...maybe they'd let things get a little out of control. Again. Maybe if he could properly ride Kaito, then that'd be relaxed enough to get him off without straining him, but...

With an unsteady sigh, Kokichi looped his arms around Kaito, a little embarrassed over how weak his legs felt right then. No way he'd be able to get the right leverage. If Kaito said he was okay, he was okay. ...he could make it up to him next time. "Thank you," he whispered back, both for the wash down and for the good time.

Kokichi let himself relax into the water, blinks going slow for a moment before he caught himself. Don't relax that much. Kaito's strong an' all, but he's still injured, and making him carry him back into their room because Kokichi decided on an impromptu nap was just mean.

"Mmm... Insatiable. You were close." Kokichi took a few deeper breaths, trying to wake himself back up. And though his sex drive had certainly been pumped up since their wedding night, he didn't think they were particularly unusual. They were a young, new couple. Wasn't it pretty normal to have sex every few days?

But instead he stifled a yawn and grinned at Kaito. "Hey, you're hot, what can I say. I'd be a huge dummy not to indulge in my cutie-patootie husband who likes to indulge in me just as much."

Shifting a little, trying to get the feeling back into his legs, Kokichi tipped his head into the spray, freeing one arm to wash his hair out. "D'ya want me to hold the nozzle so you can wash your hair out? I'm sure I rubbed the shampoo in more than enough."

Kaito laughed. "Oh, right, I'm still covered in shampoo, aren't I? Sure, just give me a second to wash some of, heh, 'you' off of me," Kaito said, referring to the cum on his stomach. Turning the nozzle on himself, he let the water run down, the hot water pooling into his lap and around his dick, which whined at him. Maybe he could just take a minute to finish himself...no, no, he had to think of his head. Blue balls sucked, but the migraines were genuinely scary. Kaito had healed from a variety of injuries his whole life, but nothing had ever made him want to jump out the window just to escape it before. Kaito would like to never feel that way again, if he could help it.

Kaito looked up at Kokichi, chuckling at the sleep already weighing heavy on his husband. "Maybe we could take a nap after this? I know it's still pretty early, but fuck it, we don't have anywhere to be, and frankly I think we're both still technically on bed rest? Might as well enjoy the total lack of expectations of us while we can still get away with it. Here," Kaito said, passing the nozzle to Kokichi, leaning his head down as accommodatingly low as he could go.

Kokichi flushed and glared at Kaito without any bite, just flustered. So much for actually taking a shower. Though...they were both clean enough, considering they'd covered each other in soap. It was just a more unconventional way.

He sighed softly at the water running along his thighs, the slow blinks returning for a moment. Getting out of the shower was gonna suck, everything feeling cold after this. The clothes he'd picked out were just...normal clothes, comfortable, but not particularly cozy. Luckily he was a hoarder of blankets, among other things.

Kokichi woke himself back up as he was called out, offering Kaito a sheepish smile. "That sounds nice. For once, I'm actually not, but I don't mind keeping my poor, bedridden husband company. Whatever would you do without me clinging to your side like a limpet and pressing my face against your chest?"

Arm steadier this time, Kokichi took the showerhead and carefully aimed it at Kaito's head, trying to angle it just so so that the soap wouldn't run into Kaito's eyes. "I think the secretaries and postal workers are getting tired of seeing me anyway. I couldn't even tell you how many letters I've sent out in the past few days."

...maybe Kaito wouldn't even notice it, as small a reference as it was. Kokichi took his work seriously normally, but he'd thrown himself into it while Kaito had been sick and miserable. He'd skipped, though not on purpose, all the breaks he was used to taking, working all the way through the night most nights. He'd been worried and guilty, but there was nothing he could do for Kaito, so he'd worked instead.

It was a habit that made everyone nervous, and what usually led to Kokichi overexerting himself. If something bothered him that he couldn't fix, he focused far too hard on the things he could do.

Feeling a little too tempted, Kokichi carefully perched himself in Kaito's lap and used his free hand to gently help wash the shampoo out of Kaito's hair, internally giggling at how weird he looked with his hair down, though Kokichi bet it looked weird on himself as well, the neatest his hair ever looked without being pinned all to hell, the longest tips of his hair gently laying against the where his neck met his shoulders.

Kaito frowned, trying to think. "I thought you were on bed rest for something...a nosebleed yesterday? That had been yesterday, right? I'm not getting myself mixed up?" Kaito asked, genuinely unsure. The whole week was becoming an extremely confused mess by this point.

That was when he remembered the guard, Kokichi being brought in in her arms, entirely knocked out...and Kaito drew Kokichi into a hug, remembering his rage. He didn't feel it right now. Not with Kokichi safe and sleepy in his lap… But if anything, that just sparked some fear in Kaito. Had he talked to Kokichi about this yet? His head pulsed. He had talked to someone about it...

The king! He had talked to the king. And the king had said they could go into town, which was good. But he had refused to say it wouldn't happen again...

"Hey..." Kaito said, feeling Kokichi breathe against him, his body warm and wet and comforting against Kaito. "...you know that if anyone's hurting you, and I mean it. Anyone. You can tell me right? Anyone puts a hand on you that you don't like...you can say the word. I won't kill them. I know you don't like that. But I can make them think twice about ever so much as looking at you again… You always have that option, from now on, okay?"

"That was yesterday," Kokichi quickly reassured. "But unless I start hemorrhaging, I'm not put on bed-rest for nosebleeds. Sometimes they only happen for, like, a minute, and even my dad can see that it'd be dumb to make me lie down for that. I...just..."

He trailed off, voice going unsure. He'd had a complete breakdown and hadn't wanted to face anyone after that. No one but Kaito, at least, who had been the person to bring him down. And then he'd lost it again. He could play pretend pretty well, but when it felt like the entire weight of the universe was crushing him, there was no way he could go out and smile at everyone like everything was fine.

Lowering the nozzle off to the side, Kaito's ginger hair free of suds anyway, Kokichi went easily into the hug, holding his husband back and letting his eyes close. Just for a moment. Just for a warm, comfortable, safe moment...

"Mm?" Kokichi forced his eyes back open, confused by the change in subject. There were...a surprising number of people that promised that, actually. And while he didn't like when things had to come to blows, he knew it was sometimes necessary, and in light of everything that had happened...he appreciated it. "M'okay. I know I can trust Kai-chan, so, thanks."

"...in that vein, though... If Kai-chan has a problem that he's having trouble with...I'll do my best to help him with it. Whatever it is. We're sworn to each other...after all..." His voice got softer as he spoke, eyes slipping shut as sleep tugged at him again.

"Sworn and bonded," Kaito reminded him cheerily, though he knew that last part didn't really mean much to Kokichi. Still, Kaito liked to think of it. The cut on his wrist was healing nicely. It was going to be a beautiful scar. His sign of Kokichi...well, that and the ring too. "And yeah, of course. I'm counting on you," he said. Entirely sincere.

Kaito chuckled as Kokichi's weight got heavier against him. He thought, briefly, about just trying to pick Kokichi up and head out of the tub...but was fairly certain he'd slip and fall in the attempt. So instead he nudged Kokichi a little. "Come on, let's go get dry and get to bed before you're completely out, huh? Up, up."

"M'up, I'm up..." Kokichi lied in protest, prying his eyes back open and lifting his head. There was a bit of awkwardness as he unfolded his legs, wobbling a bit as he tried to stand back up, but thankfully he didn't slip. Carefully making his way to the taps, Kokichi turned the water off and set the nozzle between the knobs again to be dealt with later. By a taller person.

Moving the curtain aside, he stepped onto the plush bath mat and pulled out towels for the two of them, gently holding his to his bruised chest while Kaito took his. It was...a rather sloppy pat-down he did, just throwing the towel over his head and ruffling it, leaving his hair even more of a mess than usual. But that was a problem for probably tomorrow's Kokichi if he decided to brush his hair out. Then came clothes haphazardly put on, and then!

Then he didn't have to pretend to be super awake anymore.

Letting himself yawn, Kokichi rubbed one of his eyes, dreading opening the door and facing the relative chill of his room. So...that was why he waited for Kaito at all instead of beelining for their bed.

Kaito accepted the towel offered, rubbing himself down casually, ignoring his dick, which was starting to cool down, but man, was taking its sweet time with it. Still, it didn't feel like he needed to hyperfocus on it anymore, which was a relief. Finally he took the towel to his hair, rubbing it down as well as he could, and once he took it off, his hair stuck up at all ends, just a mess without his usual mess of conditioner and hair-gel to tame it upwards.

Then, Kaito's face went blank for a second, brow slightly furrowed...and a shiver went up his spine, the last of the water shaking off of him as his back and head rippled under the effect.

That always happened when he was trying to dry off. Kaito had stopped fighting it a long time ago, though he grinned a little sheepishly as Kokichi, who was now covered in some of the droplets. "My bad."

Kaito hadn't brought a change of clothes into the bathroom, having just planned to dig into his still unpacked boxes. Putting the towel around himself, Kaito didn't blink when he opened the door, the chill indeed rushing in, but Kaito unphased as he reached back for Kokichi, saying without thinking about it too much, "Come on, I already know you're gonna be shivering now. Walk with me." He pulled Kokichi into his side, hoping his own natural radiating heat would help, walking Kokichi to bed.

Grabbing the blanket, Kaito opened it up for Kokichi, letting him crawl in before dropping the blanket on him. There. That should help some. Yawning, sleep creeping up on him now, Kaito went back to the box that he was starting to recognize as the one that, probably, had more of his pajama pants in them. Finding them (ahhhh, yeah. The fuzzy ones. Was almost afraid he had left these at home... er...back in Luminary, he meant) pulling them on, not worried about finding any underwear. It'd be uncomfortable to wear while he was like this anyway.

He briefly considered holding off on taking more painkillers...but the thumps in his head, while not bad, were still worse than they had been this morning, and frankly Kaito wasn't up to fighting it. Making a deal with himself, Kaito just took another half tablet, swallowing it dry. It'd be worth it, to not wake up hurting.

"Scoot, let me in," Kaito said, opening up the blanket again, crawling in, immediately pulling Kokichi close to him, ready to fulfil his most sacred duty so far: designated personal heater. Kaito kissed the top of Kokichi's head, yawning as he said, "You good? need 'nythin'?"

Kokichi's face screwed up when Kaito opened up the door, hugging himself and quickly coming to his husband's side, not fighting the completely true comment. The warm water had been lovely, but was it worth feeling so cold at room temperature? Probably.

The bed wasn't any warmer--well. It probably was, but not enough to warm him up--but Kokichi still dove under the covers eagerly, huddling in the blankets. They'd warm up soon. Not from him, of course. When he'd had to, it took hours before Kokichi started feeling warm; that was why they'd taken to putting heating packs under his covers before Kokichi went to bed. Not anymore, though maybe during winter after they'd returned. The fireplace kept his room pretty warm, but if they'd both shy away from the cold, then it would be good to take every opportunity they could. Hmm...he'd have to recommend it to Shuu-chan and Maki-chan too...

He'd started to doze already, startling just a bit before scooting back at Kaito's request. Nuzzling against his husband's body, Kokichi returned a sleepy kiss to his collarbone. "Nmm. Jus' you. Lucky me you're here..."

He wasn't able to fight sleep off for long after that.

-

Timothy bowed to Maki, the training finished up for the day. He had managed to hold onto his dessert privileges, despite several times seriously considering to just forsake all sweets forever and just lie down, but now that he was done, had gotten his second wind, he was hopping from foot to foot as he waited to be dismissed. Clearly excited to go do whatever he was planning next.

Maki raised her eyebrow at this sudden burst of new energy before shaking her head. Honestly. Kids. "What are you doing with the rest of your day?" she asked him, not really sure why. She didn't know who else besides herself by this point was keeping tabs on him. She knew Kaito intended to do it when he was well, but he hadn't left his room in five days, including, it looked like, today. And she never saw the kid with anyone else, so...she guessed it was just her.

How annoying.

Timothy pouted (neither he nor Maki realized the pout was starting to become an imitation of hers), shrugging. "I don't know. Nothing?"

"What do you do when you're doing nothing?"

Another, deeper pout. Timothy was now staring at the grass in frustration.

"Timothy..."

Timothy sighed, tapping one of his feet in the grass. "IIIIII've been pranking the Diceans."

Maki could feel her temple twitch. "What?" she said, crossing her arms, a stern look on her face. "Pranking how?"

Timothy put his hands behind his back, looking both annoyed and worried. "Nothing bad. Just, like, when I see someone put something down, I'll go move it to the other side of the room before they come back for it, and then watch them look around like, whaaa, oh no, where it'd go?" Timothy said, his voice mocking as he giggled. "And, yesterday, there was a horse, just, right outside the main doors, waiting for its owner to come back, right? So, I just took some sugar cubes and led it inside to the main hall and left it there." Another little giggle, this one covered behind Timothy's hands. "I just watched upstairs as everyone got really confused as to why there was a horse in the building, and watched, like, three different adults try and fail to lead it back out before someone worked out the sugar cube trick."

His face went dark, more sinister, as he snickered. "I've got one I've been thinking about playing on the stupid king-OW!" Timothy cried, putting his hand on his arm, where faster than he could even see, Maki had made a small knick with one of her daggers, the cut bleeding down his arm now. "Why?!"

"Do you wanna die? Do you have any comprehension of the danger you might put yourself in here, messing with a royal family we know almost nothing about!? They could send you back to Luminary, and I have no idea what the Momota Family would do with you once you got back. Is that what you want!?" Maki whispered, looking around with some level of paranoia now, though of course they were alone in the field with just Shuuichi sitting nearby, people usually giving them a wide berth during their training sessions. "No pranking the king. And stop pranking other people too. Luminary people already have bad enough reputations among these people, and you childishly lashing out at everyone will just make that worse, do you understand?"

"Everything okay, Maki?" Shuuichi called out, noting the cut with alarm.

"He's fine!" Maki called back, before turning her attention back to Timothy. "No prank on the king?"

Timothy had tears in his eyes, though he was clearly trying to fight them off, Maki's anger at him and fear for him clearly making the intended impression. "K-kay...no more p-pranks..."

Maki sighed, feeling some of the tension leave her shoulders. "Mr. Saihara has bandages. Have him wrap that cut up and then the rest of the day is yours. Don't forget to check in with one of us after dinner."

Timothy nodded, bowing again, before running off to Shuuichi, who greeted him with a sympathetic smile and some kind words, wrapping his bandage as he complimented how well Tim had done during training that day. Timothy just muttered a few thank-you's before running off after Shuuichi was done.

As Maki came to Shuuichi, the detective sighed. "I don't know what you all were talking about, but that looked like it got a little rough there, Maki."

"He's an ex-soldier and an assassin-trainee now. He can handle it," Maki said, reaching down to help Shuuichi up from his spot under the tree. "He's not taking his situation here seriously enough. So long as he's here, he has our protection, but if the Diceans decide he's not worth the trouble and send him back home, a failed assassin-trainee and a retired drummer at nine? Best case scenario he winds back at the orphanage, and..."

Shuuichi sighed. "Yeah, okay, I get it. That wouldn't be...great. Still, try to be more patient with him, Maki. He's adjusting. We all are." Stretching, his journal in his hands, Shuuichi said, "If anything, we should probably try to find more stuff to occupy his time. He'd have less wiggle room to cause trouble then. Should we go try checking on the princes again?"

"They'll come down when they're ready," Maki said, still remembering the incident on the stairs, not wanting to cause another meltdown with her needling...though her original concerns that had led to the whole conversation in the first place were still bothering her. It didn't matter. Secretary Chisa could run as far as she wanted. Maki would eventually catch up. "We could go to the library again? You made a lot of use of it last time. Hey...why were you reading nothing but medical texts, now that I think about it?"

Shuuichi yawned, the two walking back towards the castle. "Investigating lethal poisons secondary medical properties. I don't have anything else to do, so I figured, why not refine some of my poison knowledge?" he said, the explanation only being half a lie. "We can do something you wanna do instead though. You only fell asleep in there last time."

"I like sleep," Maki said, running her hands through her long hair absentmindedly. "Especially after an annoying training session. Also, I like observing the weirdo librarian. She radiates a pseudo-dark energy. Reminds me of your mentor, a little."

"Really?" Shuuichi said, trying to make the same comparison, and not seeing it, shrugged. "Alright. Library it is."

It was a relatively quiet day in the library, the few scattered people in it all minding their own businesses. Just how Haneda liked it. She'd finished morning clean-up and was taking advantage of her moment of free time to continue the project she'd started.

The Luminaries were foreign, obviously. Used to a different climate entirely. With plants giving their last hurrah in fall, and then winter being colder than anywhere in Luminary got, it wouldn't be surprising if they got sick. And if they got sick, she was gonna make sure as hell they wouldn't spread it needlessly to anyone else.

So the housekeeper had sewed them all face masks, much like the one she constantly wore. That part was simple and she had them all done in a day. What was taking her extra time, were the patterns she was embroidering on each one.

The one for the prince was a deep purple on which she'd sewn constellations on with golden thread. Not actual gold, of course, it would need to be washed, but the thread looked damn close. The one for Mr. Saihara was a dark blue, almost the color of his hair, the one for Tim was as close to the Luminary Guard's red as she could find, and the one for Miss Harukawa, which she was working on now, was a deeper crimson red. The design Haneda had chosen for her was simple, large black x's covering the whole mask, but she thought it'd fit the young woman well.

It was a good day for embroidering.

Until she heard Nao quietly greeting the next people who came in, and she looked up, barely pausing for a moment in comprehension before she gathered her things and sprinted out of the library.

"Motherfucker!"

If training time was over, then that meant her charge was left to his own devices somewhere in the castle. Fuck.

The thing that kind of sucked, was that not that long ago, Timothy was considered a model kid.

The military career track for orphans wasn't like the other career tracks, which scouted orphanages' physical and mental test results to see which kids might be suited for it; you had to volunteer yourself for the military path. This was because, unlike the other career tracks, there was barely an initial education process, no mentorship program that allowed you to learn the craft over a period of years before you were ever expected to actually participate in it. Once you were in the military track, the job started immediately, and it was up to the kid to learn as they went, or fail out and end up ruining all their chances for any other career field, since failures were usually never picked up again. It was also an extremely dangerous field to go into, especially in the middle of the war.

Timothy hadn't minded any of that. He had been passed up for all the highly desired career tracks at age five, and had until age ten to get into any really good ones before he aged out of the program, but one day two soldiers had come to visit the orphanage to spend time with the kids and answer any questions they may have about the military track, and Timothy had been hooked by the idea by word one. He had volunteered immediately and been sent out as a recruit, where he had taken everything thrown at him seriously, with diligence and determination.

They only picked the best kids to be drummers. Drummer was too important a position in the middle of a heated battle to put anyone less than your best on it, and Timothy had been the best of all, which was why he had been given the 'honor' of being sent out to officially end the war. As a treat for all his hard work and dedication.

And...he fucking hated it.

He hated all of this. All of them. He couldn't understand why this was happening, why he was even here, having to pretend to fit in among all these potato slits and fucking dirt jumpers. He didn't want to be an assassin, who were all weirdos and freaks who hid in the shadows, not killing like honorable people. He didn't want to try to 'make it work' like Miss Harukawa and Prince Kaito kept saying. He wanted to go home, to where his family was. He wanted to go back to his unit.

But he couldn't because he was an idiot and now he had to stay here and...!

Timothy hit a wall. The nearest wall to him. Which was bad, because it was made of stone, which was seriously a bad choice. Like, there was a wooden door right next to it, why couldn't he have hit that instead? Ouch...Timothy looked at his bruised, bleeding fist and felt more tears start to well up. Stupid wall! Stupid Miss Harukawa! Stupid Prince Kaito and his stupid wedding!!

"You want some help with that, or just gonna sit with it?"

For once Haneda had actually been able to find Tim. A grand feat, surely, since she could only manage to get a glimpse of him here and there if he wasn't training or quickly getting food. And now he was lashing out, no doubt against the shitty situation he was in.

For a kid who took on an assassination challenge, she would've thought he'd be more into it, but since he wasn't, then that wasn't what happened. The details didn't matter, but the matter of it all meant that a nine-year-old was stuck in a foreign country he hated.

Tough. You reap what you sow.

Rooting around in her bag, Haneda pulled out a roll of bandages and a pair of small fabric scissors, handing them out to Timothy. "Or if you wanna handle it yourself, here."

Ah, fuck. It was the weird lady again...

On top of his pranks, a lot of Timothy's time was being spent just avoiding this lady. He didn't know why she kept calling out his name or running after him. He hadn't seen her at all in the last two days, avoiding her entirely, but he had been distracted with his tantrum, and she had come up right behind him.

Timothy gave her a wary look and considered just running for it again. He was faster than her, he knew he could shake her...but two of his knuckles were bleeding kinda bad… He moved slowly towards her before grabbing the offered items all at once, backing away immediately in case she tried to grab him or something. When she didn't immediately try to do so, Timothy scrunched up his mouth, staring at her as he tried to figure out what her game was...

...it sucked to be polite to a Dicean, but you always had to be polite with civilians. Yes ma'am, no ma'am, please and thank you. Otherwise you gave your squadron, your unit, and the whole branch a reputation as a bunch of dumb hired thugs, and no one would take us seriously. That was what his squad leader had told him... Timothy supposed it was still true. "Thank you, ma'am," Timothy murmured, before saying defensively, "I can do it. I'm not a baby."

With a practiced ease, Timothy undid the bandage, rolling it tightly around his hand, forgetting about the scissors entirely as he bit into the fabric's edge and tore it cleanly, letting the adhesive of the fabric grip itself. Experimentally, he opened and closed his hand. Yeah...that would work...

Taking the bandage and scissors, Timothy considered just throwing them back at her rather than risk being in grabbing range again...but grit his teeth and brought them back to her, holding them out to take as he said, "What do you want? Why won't you leave me alone?"

Haneda rolled her eyes a bit but didn't say anything. Army kid. But, even if it would be harder, it was better to do things by yourself if you didn't trust anyone around you. So she stayed put, not making a move to approach Tim or anything.

She intentionally only touched the items as Tim handed them back, cutting the end of the bandage off before returning them to her bag with a beleaguered sigh. "I'm assigned to look after you. So even though you can obviously look after yourself and I have things I'd rather be doing than chasing after an escape artist, this is the situation we're both stuck in."

The cute cat face on her mask did nothing to hide the tired glower of her eyes, despite what she made the mask for.

"Hate it all you want, but I'm going to be following you around. So, you can keep hiding and add more steps to both of our days, or just ignore me and go on normally."

Normally?

Normally right about now he'd be looking around to cause some mischief. But Miss Harukawa said he shouldn't do that...but what did she know? Maybe it'd be good if the Diceans sent him back home. So what if maybe they executed him over the assassination attempt!? Maybe that'd be fine! Who cared!? What did she know anyway!? What did anyone know!?

Whatever. What she didn't know couldn't hurt him. And he'd never get any of his pranks done with this old bat hovering around him.

Timothy's face scrunched up, his tiny hands curling into fists as his arms shook...and then he put a finger under his eyes to show the gross, pink stuff beneath it, stuck out his tongue at her, and then BOOKED IT.

Deep breath. Deep breath. Count backward from ten. Don't hit a kid, Haneda, don't you do it.

After she got to one, the former delinquent took off after her reluctant ward.

Nao giggled a bit, watching Haneda take off. She did hope she and Tim actually made contact one of these days--watching a ticking time bomb of rage and an irreverent kid play off each other would be endlessly entertaining. Maybe that would be a good plot for a short story...

Turning back to Shuuichi and Maki, Nao gave them a bright smile. "Just like yesterday, if you need help finding anything, let me know! And the chairs in the romance section are the most comfortable for sleeping in, by the way."

Shuuichi and Maki both slightly bowed their heads, both quieter and more reserved around the new person, though Shuuichi at least attempted a smile. "Thank you so much, Miss Nao. Isn't that nice, Maki?" he asked, hoping his leading question might entice Maki to talk to her, since she had said she enjoyed the librarian's presence...or at least thought she was interesting.

To his disappointment, Maki had gone entirely stoic again, which was her default around people she didn't know, blinking once before saying indifferently, "Sure." Though, immediately afterwards, she clapped Shuuichi on the shoulder before wandering towards the romance section.

"Sorry," Shuuichi said with a nervous laugh, "She's a little shy. She does appreciate it though. Um, actually, I tried looking around myself yesterday, but wasn't able to find a lot of information I was looking for. You would probably know better than me...do you have any texts that go into Despair Pollen at any length? That you know of?"

Nao watched the young woman go with amusement. Steadfast, stoic, such an intimidating aura that could be repressed...how interesting. She waved off Shuuichi's apology, taking no offense to Maki's behavior. Though her mood soon dipped, showing personal disappointment.

"Unfortunately, no. I've tried requesting any sort of accounts about Despair Pollen, but apparently everything is covered under Danganronpa's classified medical embargo. In some of the journals you were looking at yesterday, there were notes about the poppies and data about how the poison works on a base level, as I'm sure you read, but other than those, the best text we have is a dramatized re-telling of an event that happened in Danganronpa years ago that involved several Despair Pollen poisonings. It's a good read, but hard to judge whether how the poison is described is played up for drama or narrative."

Moving from around the front desk, the librarian offered one of her bandaged hands out. "I could still get it for you, if you like."

She seemed to consider something for a moment before smiling curiously down at Shuuichi. "You all traveled through the Dead Forest on your way here, right? If you're up for it, I'd love it if you could log your own experience. With such a large sample size... How it could affect every person would give you a pretty good idea of what it can do..." Nao trailed off a little, eyes going distant in the way someone considering something deeply would.

"Um, certainly. That shouldn't be too difficult," Shuuichi said, thinking of the dozens of pages he had already written on the experience. It'd need to be translated into something...coherent to more than just himself, but he could manage that. "Would you like it in any particular format? Is it okay to give it to you on loose-leaf paper, or did you want me to directly transcribe it into an already established journal? Um, and I will take that book, actually. Considering how recently it was an issue, I'm trying to become as familiar with the subject as I can, and, well, you know what they say. Every fiction starts on a foundation of truth."

Looking at her hands, Shuuichi at first tried to ignore his own need to collect information...before giving up. "Um...sorry to be nosy, but are you alright? Those bandages seem new..."

"Thank you so much!" Nao beamed from cheek to freckled cheek, excited at the prospect of gathering more information, of adding another piece to the library. "Any format will do--we try to make it as easy as possible for anyone to add their own work, so I've gotten pretty good at bookbinding if I do say so myself."

As she moved to get Shuuichi the novel, it was clear that it wasn't just bandages. There were old scars of varying shapes and sizes all over her forearms, and though her skirt more than fell below where her boots started, it could be assumed that her legs looked much the same.

So the librarian just laughed softly, holding her bandaged hand up to show it off. "Aren't you a dear? Thank you for the concern, Mr. Shuuichi, but I'm fine. Along with binding, I have a bit of a hobby building, hmm...how should I put it... Decorations? Props? The theater takes advantage of my little projects, but Aiichi also has commissioned me to make decorations for the various events we have in town. Accidents happen in a workshop."

A pause then a little mischievous giggle. "And when scaredy-cats don't know what they're getting into when they enter a haunted house. 'Fight' is an extremely common fear response for those in the city, it turns out."

That seemed like a lot of damage for home arts projects... but who was Shuuichi to judge? The most physical workout he got these days was getting roped into Kaito's training sessions, and he hadn't had to deal with that in a few weeks now. And he'd definitely never built anything before. Well, other than cases, he guessed.

"O-oh, I see," Shuuichi said, following her politely as she went down the shelves, keeping a few feet behind her out of respect for her space. "That's very interesting. A haunted house?" Shuuichi thought about going to visit one...the potential jumpscares...and spooky ambiance...Kaito, who handled supernatural things the way oil handled fire, absolutely losing his mind in terror...

Shuuichi felt a little excited patter in his chest and a blush crossed his face. Embarrassed, Shuuichi lowered his hat as he said, "Th-that sounds interesting. Is that something you're running right now or...?"

Nao knew, at least generally, where everything was in the library, but she was still just human. She walked them down the Historical Fiction section, keeping an eye on the authors and keeping track of where the book she was looking for would be. "Not right now, no--we put a lot of things on hold for the wedding. But fall is our big season for it, especially during the Harvest Festival, so it'll be up and running soon enough."

Ah, to the right letter, and then to the right book... "We also set up over-night stays in the theater, if you're interested in that sort of stuff. We keep things peaceful for the most part, but Aiichi lets me lead one or two ghost hunts every year. One year, we even had someone end up under the stage! They were super disoriented and didn't know how they got there, only remembering following beautiful singing... Super romantic, don't you think?"

Finding the novel, Nao took it from the shelf and handed it out to Shuuichi. "Here you are! I hope you find what you're looking for, Mr. Shuuichi, and if we get any works containing information about Despair Pollen, I'll be sure to let you know. Maybe after I scour it for myself, though."

She laughed a bit, starting to head back to the front desk. "Happy reading!"

Shuuichi gave her a little wave and a small, "Thank you." Clutching the book tight to himself as he thought about what she had said.

After a moment of consideration, Shuuichi went to a nearby table, sat down, put the book aside, and took out his own journal, opening it to the 'Experiment' page and writing down quickly:

heightened sense of arousal. >then 0, anyway. delayed puberty? biologically unlikely, not impossible. fear=thrill=arousal?? might be unrelated. always in me?? uncertain, observer too biased to make call. haunted house+kaito=arousal. wtf??? side effect or new info on observer? observer too biased to make call. others fear=thrill=arousal? experiment insufficient, can't trust own observs. need to stop exp

Shuuichi stopped, having been writing stream of consciousness style, but frowned at what that had led to. Stop the experiment? ...he...he couldn't do that. He was onto something, he was sure of it. And he was being careful. Small, carefully measured doses, during times where he knew he would be alone for an extended period. And he felt fine. He felt great, actually.

He lined out the last line until he couldn't even see it anymore, then wrote: adding title "An Eve of Despair" to resource list. Fiction=unreliable? too early to call.

Taking a deep breath, Shuuichi closed the journal, putting it aside before starting to read the book provided to him.

Kokichi woke up feeling...good. Still kind of drowsy, but like he'd had a good rest. A satisfying rest. Made sense since he'd been pre~tty satisfied.

...

He covered his face, already blushing, and snuggled closer to Kaito, taking a few deep breaths. Maybe Kaito had a point with the insatiable comment; he was starting to feel a little like a pervert. A super unfair one since his husband hadn't finished.

Once he'd calmed down a little, Kokichi peeked out at their room, squinting at the clock. Late afternoon. Looking around told that no one had been by to deliver lunch, or even to take the breakfast dishes away. ...no one had come in while they were sleeping. That was...weird, but Kokichi found he liked it. He'd just grown to accept people tidying his room while he was asleep, but acceptance hadn't been happy.

Maybe Kaito had something to do with that? Maybe he'd asked Hajime for them not to be disturbed today?

Whatever. He'd just be happy for it.

They still had a good chunk of time before dinner, or before asking someone to bring up dinner, so...

Kokichi didn't think he'd really be able to go back to sleep, but it was comfortable just being in bed with Kaito. ...maybe he could use a book, though.

Trying not to wake his husband--Kaito needed all the rest he could get--Kokichi tried to skooch out of bed, planning to get something from his bookcase and come right back.

Kaito didn't wake up, but he opened his eyes for a second, wondering where his pillow was going as it crawled out his arms, his body comfortably numb, the room warm. He was sweating ever so slightly at his hairline, but that wasn't from the heat as he blinked, the blink sending him back to the dream he was having.

Going to sleep on painkillers with a chub was an entirely unique experience for Kaito, and his dreams were...weird.

His friends had taken him to a puppet show for his birthday. And by his friends, he meant all of them: Shuuichi and Maki, Kokichi, Kaede, along with friends from school, from university, bar mates. He didn't see them all individually or anything, just knew in that dream logic that they were all there, audience members for the puppet show that was being put on in his honor.

And Kaito was sitting there, in the front row, Kokichi leaning against him comfortably, chewing on some candy, Maki on the other side of him, sharing popcorn with Shuuichi. And everyone seemed entirely calm, which Kaito couldn't understand, because the puppet show was just so...disturbing. To the point where Kaito was watching the show from in between his fingers, just deeply uncomfortable as the massive puppets, way too big to be on anyone's hand, all screamed and cursed at each other, beating each other senseless, actual blood and organs exploding from one particularly unfortunate puppet. And then, the puppets would just start having sex with each other, for like...an unreasonably long time. Long enough for Kaito to squirm in his seat, looking to his friends to see if he was the only one freaked out, and if not, why not?

But no one else reacted, except the occasional small laugh and, remarkably enough, a small 'awww' from Shuuichi at one point, as if what they were watching was adorable.

"Guys," Kaito whispered, afraid of catching the murder/sex puppets attentions, as if the only thing keeping the audience safe was their lack of recognition from the increasingly massive puppets. "Can we get out of here?"

"Shhh, Kai-chan, it's your birthday present," Kokichi whispered back, bringing his hand up and kissing it sweetly. "Just enjoy it."

Kaito looked to Maki for help, but it wasn't Maki anymore, but Byakuya, who at least looked annoyed at the performance, his hands across his chest as he sneered at the puppets, which were now the size of giants. "Why do you like this garbage, Kaito? Did you pick this just to spite me? What a waste of my time."

"Sorry," Kaito murmured, ears red with embarrassment as one of the giant puppets moaned in orgasm. "Can you get them to stop?"

Byakuya never answered, apparently done with the conversation, and the puppets did finally look into the audience. "Can we get a volunteer for the next scene?" The massive puppet’s voice boomed. "None of us wanna do it."

"Oh, oh!" Kokichi said, raising his hand excitedly. "Me, me! I'll do it!"

"Kokichi, no!" Kaito said, grabbing his hand and trying to lower Kokichi's arm, fear erupting out of him, not wanting the massive puppets anywhere near his small husband, who just looked annoyed at him. "Please, be quiet!"

Kokichi just sneered, and suddenly started getting thinner and thinner. "Too late, Kai-chan~. I already volunteered. Nothing to be done now, right?" he asked, Kaito looking at him in horror as his skin just seemed to shrink in on itself, unable to do anything as Kokichi collapsed internally. He heard Shuuichi say something about it, but he couldn't understand what he was trying to say, the words coming out disjointed and rambling as Kaito tried to shift through the bag of skin that Kokichi had left behind, trying to find his husband among it.

"Shame," Byakuya said, his tone somewhat mocking as he said, "Guess you'll just have to do it, Kaito."

And before Kaito could say anything about it, a big, plush hand circled around his waist and started to lift him up...

-

Some time after Kokichi had started reading, Kaito woke up, his body tense...before it relaxed. Kaito stared up at the ceiling warily, taking a few deep breaths. "...'Kichi?"

"Mhmm?" Kokichi answered before he even really registered Kaito's voice, folding down the corner of the page he was on and closing the book before he looked over at his husband. "You doin' okay? It's too soon to take another painkiller, sorry."

He sort of remembered Kaito doing that before they went to sleep. He'd been too enamored with having a warm bed to really focus on much, but...he was pretty sure.

Kaito looked...a little out of it. More than just the 'just woke up' out of it. Maybe a weird dream? Maybe projecting his own experience with weird, uncomfortable dreams, Kokichi scooted back down so he was lying next to Kaito again and he gently ran a hand down Kaito's good arm, just barely locking his fingers on top of Kaito's much larger hand.

"Do you need anything? It'll still be a bit before dinner but I... I can ask someone to bring a snack up if you want." He still didn't really want to see anyone, but one person was...okay. He could handle that for Kaito's sake.

Kaito still felt numb, which was good. That was real good. He was pretty happy with that...but he sorta felt nauseous too, and wasn't sure why. He blinked, before looking over at Kokichi...oh. That was why. He hadn't been able to tell looking at the white ceiling, but his vision was swimming. Why was...ah. Okay. He had taken more painkillers only a few hours from each other...was told not to do that… Hmmm...probably...probably best to keep that to himself. Didn't wanna worry Kokichi.

Despite his dizzy state, Kaito actually thought maybe food was a good idea. Maybe it would steady his vision. He nodded, his breathing slow, heavy, as he ran a thumb up and down Kokichi's hand. "Yeah...that'd be nice..."

Kaito blinked at Kokichi, his mind working slowly. At least he couldn't feel it anymore. That was good.

Kaito tried to focus on Kokichi, and found it too difficult, so he closed his eyes. Everything was so quiet. That was nice.

"...'m worried about Maki," Kaito admitted, squeezing Kokichi's hand as he kept his eyes closed. "...'ink I should go after her?"

Kokichi frowned a bit, internally trying to pep himself up. You're okay, you're okay! You're good now, and you can totally go out and show people how okay you are! Yesterday didn't mean anything, and you need to talk to Shuuichi and Maki anyway. You can do this!

"Do I think you should track Maki-chan down? No way." Kokichi took an imperceptible bolstering breath and gently squeezed Kaito's hand back. "While I ask about food, I'll go find her and ask if she wants to hang out with us for a while, okay? That's what I meant to do yesterday, but things got kinda busy."

He'd kept Kaito's friends from him, that wasn't fair, but he could make it up. He could find them and they could chill in their room until dinner. It'd be fun! Great!

He didn't really want to let go of Kaito's hand, but...he couldn't exactly leave without doing so. So, as a compromise, he lifted Kaito's hand a little and placed a kiss against his fingers before slowly letting go and getting out of bed.

"I'll be as quick as I can," he promised. "If you need something while I'm gone, there's usually someone nearby. But I'll be fast." Maybe it was just seeing Kaito this bleary again--after they'd gone too hard, again, fuck--but...he was worried. Hopefully food and friends would make him feel better though.

Kokichi paused by the door, casting a worried look back at his husband. "Keep safe."

Kaito stared blearily at Kokichi, confused.

...Kokichi was going to go after her?

...to the border??

That was too far, probably. Kokichi shouldn't volunteer for stuff like that. Kaito was pretty sure. He should...he should stop him, right? Yeah, he should probably stop him. Well, Kokichi didn't like being stopped though. He'd get mad. Kaito sighed. Kokichi was always so mad...

...go with him? Yeah. Kaito should probably go with him...had to go stop Maki. Maki was going to...

Kaito frowned. No, no. That wasn't right. Maki wasn't going to kill Shuuichi anymore. Wasn't going to kill the other guy either. What was his name? Wet nurse? Master Tengan called him daddy. Was she going to kill the king? No, that didn't sound right either...it didn't matter. He had already told her not to, right? When had he...he should ask Kokichi. Kokichi would know.

Kaito looked around, alone in the room.

"...Kichi?"

-

Maki and Shuuichi were still at the library, Maki having woken up from her nap and now sitting at the table with Shuuichi, who was idly giving her the play by play of what he had read so far, which she only half listened to as she sharpened her dagger against a wooden block she kept with her for such idle moments.

"Hm?"

"So, based on our experience, some of the events, at least that I've read so far, are clearly exaggerated, right?" Shuuichi said, the book and his journal both splayed open in front him. "The book says that people's eyes actually had little, black-purple swirls inside of them, and that when the people infected got really excited, their eyes would turn pink. Obviously, that didn't happen to any one of us, but I think what that is is just the author exaggerating how wide and circular everyone's eyes got under the effect, and then maybe, if we had allowed the drug to linger in us longer, it would have given us pinkeye? Not, like, the color, like the book said, but made us go bloodshot, ya know?"

"Hmm."

"And if that is a direct comparison, then if all the other details of the book follow that logic, then it's actually not that terrible of an indication of what events actually transpired, since all it'd take is to just take all the information given as exaggerations, rather than entirely fake. So that's extremely helpful actually, though-"

"Mmhm," Maki said every now and again, letting her best friend ramble to his heart's content. She didn't know why he was suddenly so obsessed with this topic, but whatever. Everyone had to have a hobby.

Kokichi had found someone pretty quickly to pass a message onto the kitchens to send up a snack. After a moment of consideration, he asked that it be enough for four people--he was only looking for Maki, but she and Shuuichi could usually be found together, and...he did need to talk with the detective.

Finding the duo was a little harder. He'd first peeked into the courtyard to see if training was still going on, but a guard told him that they'd stopped for the day a few hours ago. So...that left him a little lost. They might be in their rooms, but that was right by his room, so it'd be the last place to check before he returned to Kaito.

The worst-case scenario was if they went into town, but he hadn't heard anything about them leaving the castle since they'd come back and...he doubted they would want to be particularly far away while Kaito was still healing. So then...

He sped through various places in the castle, ignoring any looks he might've gotten and just focusing on whether Maki and Shuuichi were there or not. He'd just peeked into the library, taking a glance around before Nao cleared her throat, getting his attention. With a smile, she pointed over to an area, and he gave her a grateful look.

Finding the two escorts, Kokichi sighed a little in relief--no need to check through the whole castle then--waiting for a pause in Shuuichi's rambling. Which...didn't come, which was kind of understandable once Kokichi recognized what book he was talking about. So instead Kokichi slid over to the edge of the table and placed his head on it, joining Maki in her hums.

"So, if the book is an exaggeration of events rather than just a fiction, that's still pretty alarming. I'm only in chapter five, but the book referenced this event as the 'The Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History', like, each word capitalized, and it always spells out the whole thing, which is frustrating, you think at some point the writer would have just made it an acronym, but the way they write it is like if the whole Danganronpa Kingdom was infected at some point. It describes riots in the streets, people performing bizarre acts of violence against each other, mass suicides. Like, okay, even if that's an exaggeration, even a toned down version of that event sounds like it would be hugely influential, like, the sort of thing we'd be taught in history books."

"Hmmm." Two voices hummed back. Maki raised an eyebrow as she glanced at Prince Kokichi. When had he...?

"So maybe I should dismiss this as entirely fiction? That makes more sense right? Like, it makes way more sense than just believing that our next door neighbors had basically an apocalyptic event and no one heard about it. But I don't know, I just...something feels off about it. Off as in it doesn't feel off, if that makes any sense. The writing is so textbook, so matter of fact. Why go through all the trouble of documenting a fake history like that? I mean, I guess it could just be a creative decision, but, look, here, page 91, the author specifically references the Luminary's Kingdom's uprising, when the Momota Family took over, right? According to the dates, that would have been happening at the same time as this event, so that would be accurate, but it's such a random thing to do, to just casually add in accurate historical events in your fictional one...oh! But that's even the weirder thing. It could just be a lineage thing, but if the book really was written only a few years after the events, like the publishing text claims, then they referred to the queen as...Oh," Shuuichi said, broken out of his trance as he suddenly noticed wide, purple eyes on him. "P-prince Kokichi!"

"Hello!" Kokichi chirped, grinning up at the escorts. "Neat story, huh? Real freaky. Even more since it's based on true events."

Standing back up, he chuckled a bit. "Didn't mean to break up your book club so much, but I was wondering if you guys wanted to hang out with me and Kai-chan for a bit? He was kinda hungry so I've asked someone to bring up snacks."

His voice lowered a little, though he kept at least some of his smile in place. "He seemed kinda disoriented, but he said he was worried about Maki-chan. Didn't want him to get out of bed so I came on this treasure hunt, but, yanno." He shrugged a little bit, fighting even with himself on how much to downplay everything. Not wanting to make it sound like Kaito had, like...ordered them to come up, but wanting to make them welcome enough to come since they were friends.

"And..." he took a breath, the last of the smile fading as he turned to Shuuichi. "I wanted to apologize to you about yesterday. It wasn't right to direct my anger at you, and...like, I could be off base here? But, looking back, it sorta felt like I made you tell me everything, and that's really shitty."

"My health...is kind of a sore spot for me." Kind of? Yeah, sure. Kokichi rubbed the back of his neck a bit though he kept his eyes up on Shuuichi. "That's no reason to lash out at you, even if Shuu-chan had actually done anything. It's even worse since you were just saying what other people did. So...I'm sorry. None of that was fair to you."

Shuuichi put his hands up, a small smile on his face as he said, "N-no, please, there's no need to apologize. Honestly, It was wrong of me to bring any of that up in the first place, it was a total violation of privacy. A-and you didn't make me-"

"Yes, he did," Maki said, blowing on her dagger slightly to get the shards off before concealing it in her skirt again.

"Maki!" Shuuichi said, giving her a concerned look from beneath the brim of his hat, "That's not fai-"

"He didn't do it on purpose," Maki agreed, looking over pointedly at the young prince, her eyes stoic. Indifferent. "But he did make you. We both swore ourselves to him, Shuuichi. We need to be honest with him about what that means for us, or accidents like that will keep happening. It won't help anything to lie in the name of 'sparing his feeling'."

"I-I wasn't going to do that," Shuuichi argued, embarrassed. "I just...he didn't do it on purpose so..."

"Let's not talk about this here," Maki decided, getting up, expecting the others to follow suit. "If Kaito's worried about me, I'd rather not keep him waiting. Thank you for coming to get us, Kokichi. We didn't want to come up and disturb you both if he was just resting."

...he thought so... Something pained flashed across Kokichi's face before he hid it away, nodding and heading out back to his room.

"Probably a good idea, unless you two wanted to be bored out of your minds. I pretty much just woke up myself," which was easy to see, considering his run around the castle had done nothing to fix his bedhead, "since Kai-chan and I were taking a nap. I can't imagine watching us sleep would do anything but make you guys feel like creepers."

There was only a slight pause in his voice, and if someone were particularly perceptive they might be able to catch how the casualness of Kokichi's voice was a little more practiced than it had just been. "Ah, I finished reading what you brought up earlier, Maki-chan. Thanks!"

There were documents he hadn't read through, but he could guess it was more of the same. Things he'd heard enough throughout his life to not want to read. Other than the small piece of comfort he got from Dr. Kimura's solidarity, or even just confirmation, the whole folder just made him pissed and sick.

There was that tone of voice again. Kokichi had used it on the stairwell too. Like he was certain there were people listening in on him. Maki looked around the hallway, at various servants walking to and fro...them? Was the prince worried about being overheard by his own staff? Why?

"Of course," she said, the lie easy on her lips now, tone even and steady unlike her last few direct lying attempts, because she wasn't already panicked that she had failed to keep it already. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. It's one of my favorites, so I'll be happy to take it back if you're done with it."

The three made their way up the stairs, Maki and Shuuichi quiet as they headed towards and past that point of the stairwell where everything had gone to shit before, the silence awkward. Shuuichi had the book and his journal clutched to him, clearly feeling guilty about whatever it was he was convincing himself was his fault now, Maki keeping one step behind Kokichi out of habit more than anything else.

"...you said he was disorientated?" Maki asked, glancing over at the prince. "Yesterday you said he was doing better. He's regressed?"

"...he was better this morning, so I'm not sure if it was just him bein' bleary from just waking up. I think he might've had a weird dream too? He seemed kinda tense when he woke up." That was all true, and a plausible reason for Kaito's behavior...but it wasn't all of it. But the 'all of it' wasn't...really something he wanted to say, at all, really, but especially within the earshot of others.

Chewing on his lip, Kokichi glanced around, failing to keep his cheeks from going rosy. "Um. But. There may be...other. Reasons. Why he might be...tired?"

It was painfully obvious, but since it affected Kaito's health, he had to let them know. Even if he couldn't say anything more specific than that. Like he told Kaito earlier, he didn't want anyone to know details about their sex life, and it just got more awkward when it concerned his husband's two best friends. Who were...too smart for their own good and habitually murderous.

Kokichi knocked on his door as they came up to it, voice soft but clear as he called through it. "Kai-chan? Maki-chan and Shuu-chan are with me; we're coming in." And, after waiting a beat or two, he opened the door.

Maki raised an eyebrow...before rolling her eyes. Really? That idiot. He had been doing so well for a while there too. Their trip down here for the last six months had almost been entirely without incident, Kaito trying to be better about it now that he was 'promised' to someone. Maki had almost been convinced he had broken the habit for good.

But no, now he couldn't keep it in his fucking pants again in the middle of a concussion?

God, she couldn't wait for him to get better, so she could fucking kill him.

-

Kaito was asleep again, but this time he was laying his head down on the vanity dresser, pants and shirt on, one boot on. At some point his slow, rambling thoughts had gone full circle, ending with him remembering that he needed to go find his friends. They had left to go somewhere. Maki was on a job? It was a bad job too.

So Kaito had forced himself to get up, and started to get dressed. He had been briefly confused by the cast, then remembered that he had broken it in a fall on Koh. Which he had ridden to go get Maki. Wait, he had already gone to get Maki. So where was he going? Kokichi. Kokichi said he was going to the border. Why?

Did it matter? His husband needed him. So he finished putting on a shirt and pants, and started to put his boots on, but hadn't been able to keep his balance. So he went to sit on the vanity desk, and he had looked at the tablets on the desk, and there was something wrong there. He had...he had taken half a tablet before bed last night. No, not last night, this morning. He had, hadn't he? He had fucked, well, no, but kinda, had fucked Kokichi, and took an extra half tablet after the full tablet...no, that was wrong. Another half tablet. Half tablet in the morning, half a tablet later that morning, because he had taken a half tablet extra last night...so that was...one and a half tablets already...that was a no-no, right? But it wasn't terrible, he didn't think.

...so...what was wrong with the setup on the vanity desk?

Kaito looked at it hard. His doses were already laid out, each tablet laid out in rows, ready for the next two days. They were done that way so that Kaito could keep track of what dose he was on. Which he could. There was the half tablet he had left after the shower...okay...that was good, right?

...where was the...where was the full tablet that was supposed to be next to it?

Kaito blinked slowly at it...there was a little space in between the half tablet and the tablet he was supposed to take tomorrow morning. Where did it go?

Kaito blinked, and had a sudden, brief memory of waking up with his good arm around Kokichi, lying on his bad arm. Even though he was pretty numb already, his bad arm still ached slightly under the pressure, and Kaito, already a little dumb and dazed under the extra doses he was on, had thought to himself, getting up real quick, careful not to wake Kokichi...'what could it hurt?'.

...that was...probably not good...for reasons? Right? What reasons...

Kaito had sighed, giving up thinking about it. He was so dizzy. He felt like throwing up, but somehow that seemed like it would be too much effort. Instead, he laid his head down, going back to sleep on the desk, forgetting why he had gotten up in the first place.

Kokichi looked at the man slumped over on the vanity desk with confusion, his head gradually tilting to the side as he took everything in. Kaito hadn't exactly...acknowledged that he was going to go get Shuuichi and Maki, so...was he getting ready to go get them himself? And then got tired?

...it definitely wasn't just half-asleep bleariness.

Again Kokichi felt guilt sit heavy in his chest. He should've just let Kaito think he decided to be celibate. Or, really, just said no at any point. Instead he'd let his stupid hormones and attraction to his idiot cloud his mind, and now Kaito was sicker than he had been. Maybe he was a sexual deviant.

But he couldn't let his feelings affect the situation at hand. Maybe if the three of them worked together they'd be able to move Kaito back to bed, but that was a little...awkward. Waking him up, though, seemed too mean; Kaito needed all the rest he could get.

So... Kokichi sighed, walking over to his husband and moved a few things around so they wouldn't bother Kaito. "Well... He was awake," he murmured to the other two.

Maki and Shuuichi both walked in, looking curiously around the room which was now much messier than the last time they had seen it. The vision of their daring and noble prince drooling onto his desk was funny, in its own way, but Maki would have felt better to actually talk to him, especially coherently, for the first time in five days. "What a moron," she said, shaking her head. "Here, move aside, I can move hi-"

There was a knock at the door.

"Uh...hey..." the voice outside said uncertainly. "I don't know...room service? Someone ordered snacks?"

If Kokichi made a move towards the door, Maki put a hand up, not trusting the uncertainty of the call as she said, "I'm on it."

Opening the door was a tall, thin man with spiky eyes and a wary look at his face, which morphed into surprise at the sight of her, as he said, "Um...I got the right room, right? This is Prince Kokichi's room?"

"And Prince Kaito's, yes," Maki said, her eyes pointed. Intense. "You're meant to be the one bringing up food?" she said, her intensity level rising, her whole body challenging his story.

Hajime just stared at her awkwardly. This was twice now the trip up here had ended in weirdness now. This was her, right? The chick everyone said was a secret assassin? Why did she look so pissed off? What the fuck was wrong with Luminaries. "Yes? That's why I brought up this tray full of food?" Hajime said, like it was obvious, because it was. "Are they home? I've tried knocking a couple of times this morning to do cleanup, but no one’s been answering, and...uh..." Hajime didn't know how to say that the Luminary Prince had creeped him the fuck out. So he just shrugged instead.

As Maki handled the door, Shuuichi went to inspect his prince, putting a hand on his forehead, and then against his pulse. His temperature seemed back under control, which was good, but the pulse was slow...weirdly slow. Shuuichi looked Kaito over, looked at the bed, then looked at the tablets. The tablets were the clue. There was something off about their order.

As Shuuichi did his mental investigating, Maki was getting more and more irritated, a violent energy starting to radiate off of her as she grew more skeptical of this 'Hajime', if that was his real name. "Really, then. You don't sound confident. Maybe you and I should have a private conversation..."

Kokichi snorted a bit at Maki's interrogating, hopping through the mess on the floor with the ease of someone who'd done it for his whole life, even if it wasn't his things for once scattered about.

"Hajime-chan! Thanks for bringing food up! Maki-chan, he's cool, ya don't have to blow a gasket." Making his way to the door, Kokichi held up an arm to wave to the taller man. Hajime was fun to tease, but when it wasn't toward Kaito or Shuuichi, Maki's teasing was...pointy. Stabby. If he could prevent any more of the castle staff getting freaked out by the Luminaries, he'd do that.

"Sorry about the clean up--we'll bring dishes back down later, so don't worry about it!" He stood on his toes, trying to see Hajime over Maki's shoulder. "Kai-chan told me he asked you if you could bring stuff up if you had the chance? I appreciate it, but you don't have to go out of your way for anything. Or," he giggled, "if you do, I could mark you down for a raise? If you're taking on extra duties, then that totally qualifies."

Hajime could be a little awkward, yeah, but he looked...uncomfortable. More than just what being under Maki's violent gaze would provoke. Maybe Kaito had said something weird to him? That'd be...not something to ask about right now, so he could just give him an out.

"Maki-chaaaaan," he whined, not quite bold enough to stick his arms around her than he might've for others. "Lemme get the food if you're not gonna take it."