While Maki was downstairs, getting, in fact, quite a few breakfasts put together, both for herself, the princes, and Shuuichi, Hajime was making his way upstairs, just...not looking forward to this mildly embarrassing conversation and wanting to get it over with right in the beginning of his shift.

Taking a moment to remember which one was Maki's room and which one was Shuuichi's, the housekeeper knocked on his door, saying, "Uh...I really don't know how you guys want me to announce myself. It's Hajime? The, ya know...the guy who brings you all stuff. Housekeeping. Shuuichi, may I speak with you?"

There was silence for a moment...then there was a murmuring sound from a distance behind the door. The guy trying to say something to him and not quite managing to speak loud enough to be heard. "Uh, sorry, could you say it again? Did you say I could come in?" Hajime guessed, placing his hand on the knob.

There was a more urgent sound from behind the door now, and Hajime had a feeling he was saying no, that wasn't what he said...but was alarmed when he heard a heavy crashing sound. Like someone collapsing against the wood flooring heavily, and concerned, Hajime opened the door (left unlocked by the doctor on her way out, to allow Maki access), the housekeeper walked in quickly as he said, "Is everything alright--holy fuck."

He immediately covered up his nose, looking around the room in concern. He had no way of knowing that it was way less pungent than it had been the night before, but the room smelled...well, it smelled of stale sex, honestly. That, and sweat. And the broody, dark-wearing escort was...on the floor right beside his bed. Like he had tried to get up and walk and--

"Hey, whoa, hold on, I got you," Hajime said, rushing forward, taking the man into his arms (he was trembling?) and, with the ease of broad shoulders and a natural strength to him that had made Kaito pick him for his and Kokichi's escape night, easily picked him up, putting him back on the bed.

The escort was breathing heavily, not looking at Hajime but clutching his arm, saying, "Please go away, please don't tell, go away."

Hajime looked around in concern, the room a mess, the guy in his arms...a mess, and the smell of the place...but still. "Don't tell...what?" he asked, confused. "Do you need a healer? You're shaking, and you look like shit."

Shuuichi flinched at this, before shaking his head. "No, no, no one can see me like this, please. Everything's dirty. Everyone's going to be able to tell...please lock the door behind you. Please don't tell anyone."

Hajime, still keeping a grip on Shuuichi to keep him steadily sitting up, looked around the room, what was...what was he so worried about? It was definitely dirty in here, but...okay, what the fuck was that on the floor? Was that the source of the smell? And his mirror...there was definitely...okay, yeah, now that Hajime was looking at it, that was definitely cum smeared all over his mirror. There were open cuffs just on the floor. His bed looked wet and stained, a glass cup was on the floor, there was clearly a bottom piece of one of those trophy things they gave to kids on the floor...hmm.

Shuuichi had either had a really good or a really bad time in here recently. Either way, the guy seemed like he could barely move now, and was clearly freaking out at the idea of anyone else knowing about it.

Hm. Okay. So, what should Hajime d-

There was knock at the, a female voice calling though, "Shuuichi, I've got food. I'm coming in!"

And in response, Hajime heard a small, choked sob come from the detective...and that decided it for him.

Hajime moved quickly, as quickly as Kaito had ever moved to stop someone from coming in right after they had knocked to announce themselves, going to the door and catching it just as Maki had started to open it. Again, in a move that was almost beat for beat what Kaito had done to Hajime when they had first met, Hajime leaned against the door frame, smiling at Maki, blocking her way in as he said, "Ah, Maki. Sorry, could you just pass that to me? I'll bring it to him."

It was almost funny, how...extremely surprised Maki was to see him at her friend’s door...but that surprise quickly turned into low-level fury, her eyes burning bright with murderous intent that, had Hajime not seen this a few times now already, would have actually had him give up this idea right then and there as she said darkly to him, "What are you doing here?"

"Shuuichi asked for housekeeping," Hajime lied easily, glancing over his shoulder to see if Shuuichi was going to call over any corrections from where Hajime had left him on the bed. When nothing was said, he leaned in conspiratorially to her. "I think, at some point last night, he just gave up going to the bathroom. The room is covered in vomit and...maybe other stuff."

Maki glowered at him, the murderous energy upticking in her as she said, "He's sick, so that's fine. I don't care if his room’s a mess. I'm coming in to see him-"

"Look, this isn't coming from me," Hajime interrupted, thumbing over his shoulder to Shuuichi's general direction. "He's the one begging me to get this cleaned up before any of you see it. Give me, like, two...three hours at the most to get this place back looking good, alright? Then I'll get out of your hair, okay? It's literally my job, I'm happy to do it."

Maki seemed to be arguing with herself...before saying loudly, "Shuuichi? You sure you don't want me to come in? I'm worried about you."

Behind Hajime, he could hear the detective take a few, preparatory breaths...and then say loudly back, "I'm sure, Maki...sorry."

The assassin frowned at this, biting her lip...before saying, "Fine. Make sure he eats this, or I'll kill you." She passed Hajime the broth with an annoyed look. "I'm coming back in three hours. The room better be spotless, so he'll let me in."

Hajime raised an eyebrow at her, saying sarcastically, "Oh, yes, your grace, right away. Look, I'll get it done. You can count on me."

Maki scowled at him, before turning to leave towards the princes’ room, picking up a tray of food she had placed on the floor beside her (pff. amateur housekeeper move) and heading towards them.

Taking the broth, closing (and locking) the door behind him, Hajime brought it back to the detective, who was looking up at him warily. "...thanks," the detective muttered, hugging himself a little. Ducking his head in a way that suggested that if he was currently wearing the hat Hajime always saw him in, he'd be avoiding his gaze with it. "...so what do you want then?" he muttered.

"What? Uh...to clean your room I guess," Hajime said, shrugging, putting the broth in his lap, Shuuichi forced to stop hugging himself to catch and steady the bowl. "And for you to eat this so that your friend doesn't kill me...oh, and, uh...fitting measurements? So that we can re-sew your clothes to your new measurements. The pants you're literally wearing right now look like they're strangling you. But that can wait until after I finish cleaning all of...this."

"Then what?" Shuuichi said quietly.

Hajime gave the detective a hard look...before looking at the mirror again, and then looking at the immobile golden-eyed boy. "Then nothing," Hajime said, wanting to know, but not wanting to ask. Maybe he would later. But not right now. "Clean up, measurements, new clothes. Then I'll go, okay? Eat your broth."

The detective didn't say anything to this...but did take the spoon and the bowl, his hands shaking, and started to eat.

Hajime got to work.

-

Kokichi gave his husband a dry look. "Kai-chan is still bad at lies... This sucks ass." Then, he gave his own hands a withering glare, bitter of their betrayal--and with no chance of redemption today, since he could feel the encroaching ache in them already.

"...hopefully Shuu-chan gets the gist though," he sighed, nudging his card over to Kaito, about as finished as he'd be able to get it. "Once I'm better, I wanna do something special for all of you. You guys really don't have to look after me like this, and I feel bad that Shuu-chan did it even while he was sick, so...I want to thank you!"

Sitting back to let himself rest, Kokichi nuzzled Kaito's arm a bit. "Have any suggestions? The first thing that came to mind was getting some fancy treat...but I know you guys don't like sweets as much as I do."

Taking both their cards in hand, Kaito put his good arm around Kokichi, kissing the top of his head as he hummed to himself, trying to think. "...I can't speak for the others, but ya know what I want, when you get better? I'd really like for us to go on a night hike."

"Back when we were all kids, even before they started going to school, Maki and Shuuichi were always way busier during the day than I ever was, you know? My tutoring sessions only lasted three hours in the morning, and then after that, I kinda just had the day to myself, if Byakuya didn't have any training sessions I needed to fill in for. But Maki and Shuuichi? They were constantly busy, learning how to do all the cool things they know how to do now. So, it didn't give us a lot of time during the day to hang out...so, what we started doing, a whole lot, was we'd sneak out of our rooms at night to meet up, and we'd go to random places in the middle of the night. Sometimes in the castle, sometimes out of it. We called them night hikes."

Kaito smiled, closing his eyes, remembering what was honestly one of the fondest activities he had as a child. "We were all just kids, so it probably all felt more exciting than it was, but, man, the world looked so different at midnight in comparison to the day, ya know? All quiet and dark and the moon shining. It was always a little intimidating, and I loved it. I'd love to go on a night hike with you. Not to and from going somewhere, like we did with the party. Just wandering around."

Kokichi happily cuddled against his husband as Kaito put an arm around him, though...he'd never been hiking before. He could walk and run around all goddamned day, but...he'd always heard hiking was a bigger deal. That, when people took vacations to the mountains for some good hiking, it was always some sort of special event that you needed to prepare for. So...he'd just need to prepare! He could handle something like that!

...o-or just to walk around normally. Kokichi huffed a small laugh under his breath after Kaito's explanation, feeling silly for his misunderstanding. "We can definitely do that. And I still wanna spend the night in the observatory with you at some point! If we stay in the castle...like, Fuyuji-chan might ask us what we're doing, or if we need anything, but it's not like we have a curfew or anything. He'll just wanna make sure we're doin' okay."

"...if you wanna walk around town, though, I'll have to sneak out but you were right before. If you just walk in and out of the castle yourself, I don't think people will ask questions."

Leaning up to kiss at Kaito's neck, Kokichi chuckled sheepishly. "I know I keep talking about it, but the garden is really nice at night. And now I'll have my big, strong, always brave husband to save me from the creepy crawlies. And in return, I'll make sure no mean ghosts come to spook ya."

"Hey, hey, who’s talking about ghosts? Ghosts aren't real anyway...are there supposed to be ghosts in the garden?" Kaito asked, his face going a little pale.

There was a knock at the door. "I've brought food," Maki said from the other side, opening the door without asking, hefting a silver tray covered in a variety of plates. "I checked on Shuuichi...sort of. He asked Hajime to come clean his room for him, and neither of them will let me in until it’s done. I get the impression Shuuichi had some sort of accident that he's embarrassed about. Honestly, like I haven't seen worse or something... Ha. Aren't you two cozy," Maki teased, glad to see that the mood in the room had gotten better while she was gone, Kaito giving her a small smile.

"Thanks for breakfast, Maki, I appreciate ya. Did Shuuichi at least take the soup or broth or whatever you got him? The doc said it was important that he eat and rest, ya know?"

"Hajime brought it to him, but I'll make certain he ate it when I see him in a couple of hours," Maki assured them, placing the tray down on the vanity desk and grabbing a bowl, bringing it to Kokichi's nightstand. "Here. It's porridge and fruit. You're eating all of it. You can't live on nothing but tea and broth," she said, her voice stern, giving Kokichi a hard look that suggested she was taking no argument on this. "How long did it take for her to leave after I left to grab the food? Did you two end up talking to her about the coast trip after all?" Maki asked, referring to Seiko, who had still been there when she left.

Kokichi snickered a bit. "I dunno...but I have heard a few stories of strange, floating lights in the garden~" Which were probably fireflies in the summer, and just the lights that they decorated the garden with in the winter. But it was fun to tease Kaito a bit.

Looking up when Maki returned, Kokichi was a little surprised to hear that Shuuichi had asked for Hajime...but not that surprised. While it had just started as Kaito asking for Hajime when he was available, Maki and Shuuichi had started following suit as well. When Kokichi had briefly talked to Aiichi about it, his father had whole-heartedly agreed that Hajime deserved a nice raise for being the preferred set of helping hands for the Luminaries.

So, while Kokichi was still worried about him, it was comforting to hear that at least Hajime was there to help out.

And so Kokichi was able to give Maki a smug grin as he nuzzled Kaito a bit more before sitting back up to eat. "Thanks, Maki-chaaaaan! And, geez, okay, I'm hungry anyway." He actually could live on tea and broth for quite a while, but that wouldn't make Maki feel any better. And he was kinda looking forward to more solid food.

Taking a breath, Kokichi carefully picked up the bowl and set it in his lap, thankfully not spilling it on himself. The ache in his hands could be ignored for a meal. Kokichi blew on a spoonful of porridge and took a bite before...uncomfortably averting his eyes at Maki's question.

...he'd felt too nervous and shy to say a word. Or, anything more than just thanking her for coming over to check on Shuuichi, and even that was mumbled and quiet. There was something in her gaze when she looked at him that made him want to hide...but...it hadn't been hatred, so at least there had been that.

"...nnmm."

"It felt inappropriate to bring it up right now." Kaito stepped in, having been waiting the entire time the doctor had been debriefing them on Shuuichi's condition for Kokichi to speak up, and then, when realizing his husband actually wasn't going to, just kept the conversation on Shuuichi. Kaito still didn't...really understand why Kokichi was clearly so reserved around her (as Kaito still didn't really understand the history between the two, other than knowing her report had been dismissed by the king), but he could understand wanting to avoid an uncomfortable topic, and didn't want to push Kokichi into one with her.

So, Kaito had thanked her for her help and had asked her to keep seeing Shuuichi if she could, and to keep updating them on his condition when she did. When he had brought up the conversation of paying her, intending to find out what she would want and then going to the king to ask for it, she had, to his surprise, shut down that conversation entirely, saying she was doing it as a favor to Shuuichi.

Kaito had been shocked at this. Apparently, the few times the two had met together to discuss Shuuichi's research project had...apparently actually evolved into a friendship? That was probably the reason Shuuichi had asked for her specifically. Kaito was really proud of him! Out of the three Luminaries (four, including Timothy), Shuuichi had been the first one to make a real, actual connection with a Dicean (outside of Kokichi)!

He had added his pride at this in another line in Shuuichi's get-well card. Grinning as he did so.

"But she's coming back, she said, so...we have time to bring it up in the future. And we will! Me and 'Kichi were talking about it, and we were thinking of heading to the coast in a week, being out there for a week, and then getting back just a few days before the front-line fighters return. What do you think, Maki?"

"A week for Kokichi and Shuuichi to get better, get a healer on board, and prepare to go on a week-long trip...sure, sounds like plenty of time," Maki said, entirely sincere. She was extremely used to taking long trips with short prep times. She could get everything they'd need together by then, no issue.

"Good! Good...so I'll just...go ask the king about it today, right?" Kaito said, looking over at Kokichi for confirmation.

...maybe by the next time she came by, he'd gather enough courage to talk with her. Just...how did you talk to the person whose life you ruined, especially after so many years of no contact? And when they came around for a totally unrelated reason? He...he just needed to get it together already!

...and, maybe, she'd feel more inclined to supervise their trip to keep an eye on Shuuichi too. And to...you know, actually have someone to talk to and not be totally the odd one out in their group.

Kokichi slowly worked on his porridge and fruit as Kaito explained everything though his nose wrinkled at the mention of Aiichi. Ugh. "I guess we should let him know when we're not gonna be here, huh?"

It had sounded like Aiichi already approved the trip so...after their trip to the kitchen, Kokichi just felt embarrassed when he had to ask permission for things. Especially in front of Kaito. But...for leaving the capital for the first time in his life...they did need to arrange for a carriage anyway. And that was a normal thing to ask about. ...yeah.

"...you should ask about your pay cycle too, if you guys haven't been paid yet," he realized, looking back up. "I have a safebox that my income just gets put into, so I never thought about it...but you guys should've been paid last week...actually..."

Maki nodded. "We were. Our pay was put into our safety deposit boxes down in the post office. I went to go collect mine a few days ago. Thank you though, Kokichi."

Kaito stared at her, entirely bewildered by what she was talking about...before an embarrassed tint of red came to his face, his eyes suddenly staring down at his casted hand, worrying the joints in the tip of his broken arm’s finger a little. They had been paid last week, so...Kaito had just been dumb to go down to the pastry shop with no money yesterday then. And...wait, did that mean Shuuichi and Maki did have jobs with the castle? Their negotiated dual-citizenship had specified that the king couldn't be considered part of their chain of command, but...maybe they were employed by the castle in some other way then? Or maybe their boss was legally Kokichi? Or Hideki even? As far as Kaito could tell, the man seemed to work essentially in the role of Head Secretary here, if with maybe not as much authority as Master Tengan had...

...Kaito couldn't bring himself to ask any of those questions though. He felt stupid and just stayed quiet, nodding along with what Maki said as if he had known that all along. Yeah. Security deposit boxes in the post office...obviously.

Maki sighed. "Alright. If no one needs anything else, I'm going to get some rest in my room before I check on Shuuichi again. I'm here if you need me, but don't need me. It's going to be a long couple of days as it is."

"Thanks, Maki. Get some sleep," Kaito said, waving to her as she just sighed again, leaving the room.

"...I'll go pay back the pastry lady when I have some time," Kaito murmured. Still embarrassed.

"Bye, Maki-chan! Sweet dreams!" Kokichi waved her off, taking a break from his porridge for a moment (to let his hands rest) before turning to Kaito, considering him for a moment.

"...you'll definitely have enough to pay her," he gently said, thinking that Kaito was nervous about budgeting again. "The basic income pay cycle is every other week, and in a month people have enough to get groceries, pay community tax and utility taxes, licensing fees for continued businesses, enough to care for pets if you have them... And usually people have enough left over to save up for bigger things."

He gave Kaito a soft look. "I know it's probably not what you're used to...but Kai-chan will be okay. I'll help you get in the swing of things, and then, i-if you still wanted to get a non-government job, I can help you budget with that pay too, and...it'll be okay."

Kaito nodded, wondering if now was a good time to ask what...exactly his job was again? Should he be going to collect those letters Kokichi answers while Kokichi's down and out? Has he been fucking up this whole time if he hasn't? What was he supposed to say in those letters? He didn't even know how to budget his own life, let alone advise other people’s financial problems...god, he was just going to mess all this up, wasn't he...Kokichi was about to find out just how fucking stupid Kaito actually was...Kaito would embarrass him...

Kaito closed his eyes, gripping his fist. Nope, no. We don't think like that! You are Kaito Ouma Momota, Luminary Prince of the Stars! He could learn how to do this! If he was being paid to do it, then damn it, he needed to start doing this job! He could do this! He would! Hell yeah, he'd go get those letters today even, after talking to the king! He'd get the letters, start answering them, and make Kokichi proud!

Yeah!

Determined now, feeling excitement start to run through his veins, Kaito grinned at Kokichi, giving him a small thumbs-up as he said, "Yeah, of course it will be! Thanks, 'Kichi. Besides, I'm just glad to know that Shuuichi and Maki actually have paychecks. I'm glad the, king, I'm assuming? Decided to take them on after all. They really are both amazing at their jobs, 'Kichi, seriously, everyone at home was always saying that it was looking like they'd end up being the best of their fields. Like, they're an amazing investment, is what I'm saying!"

Kokichi blinked. Then tilted his head. ...Aiichi hadn't said anything about hiring Shuuichi and Maki--wasn't really supposed to, as per the treaty, though he was still allowed to hire them as an outside contractor and not as The Leader. And...Aiichi wouldn't have any use for an assassin...and from how Maki had spoken, it didn't sound like she'd gone to him about Luminary issues either. As for a detective, there were plenty of things Shuuichi would be able to look into, but...Shuuichi had been mainlining his own interests pretty hard before he fell ill...and he didn't seem the type to put a job on the backburner. Even when he'd gotten drunk with Itch and the others, he'd still found Byakuya's informants in a day...

"...of course they have paychecks?" Kokichi half asked, confused where Kaito had gotten this information. "Everyone has a paycheck. A-and, like, from everything you guys have told me, I'm sure they're great at their jobs! But...I don't think they've been hired to do anything?"

Idly massaging his hand a bit, Kokichi's brow furrowed in confusion. "...we've all just sort of been settling in, right? ...and, like, I've been working a bit, and Maki training Tim has basically been a self-made job but...I don't think you guys have really worked while you've been here?"

Kaito frowned...okay. He was clearly missing something here. There was some basic miscommunication happening. That was fine. This happened between them every now and again. The issue was only...was it one of those misunderstandings that would hurt or not?

...Okay. Kaito just needed to be clear. Even if he sounded stupid, he'd just...he didn't know where the issue was causing the confusion, so he'd just... speak really simply, and hopefully Kokichi could fill in the blanks. With himself, he was willing to keep quiet, but Maki and Shuuichi deserved him being willing to ask questions. And he just...didn't understand what their roles here were then, if they weren't hired for their trained careers.

"Okay, but...so, I'm getting paid to do the prince consort job, right? Because the royal family doesn't have a lot of private wealth to draw from, so the prince consort position is, like, an actual job sort of thing that I signed up for when I married you, right? Totally fine, I'm ready to do it, I've got this! But, if Maki and Shuuichi are also getting paid, but they haven't been given jobs here...then what are they being paid for? Like, what are they being tasked with?"

...people weren't paid without performing labor in Luminary. Right. Obviously. It was such a natural part of Dicean life that Kokichi barely thought about it, but he knew it was something unique to the country. And he'd heard that debt was a big deal in Luminary...he'd assumed so just for the job, but Kaito said that "servants" would stop being paid if they quit.

So much for explaining everything. Whoops.

Kokichi shook his head a bit. "Administrative jobs don't pay--since we handle budgeting and national funds, getting a wage from our work is a conflict of interest. You do have a job as my husband here, but only if you want to do it!" he quickly assured, all their previous conversations on the matter fresh in his mind.

"So far, Maki-chan and Shuu-chan haven't been tasked with anything. No one has to work unless they want to, so until they talk to me or Aiichi about getting a job or about advertising their expertise...they're not working right now."

He'd mentioned basic income...several times now, he was sure, but...he obviously needed to make it more clear. How to explain it...

Kokichi tapped on his lips for a moment before he started speaking again. "...what we're all being paid right now, what I mentioned that comes every other week? Dicea has a basic income for all its citizens--that means that everyone is paid enough to cover living necessities without having any employment. Just, most people like working or selling what they're passionate about doing, so they have jobs on top of that."

"When you turn 18, you get the full amount, but children get a lowered amount once a month, partly to start teaching them how to handle money, and also because...they're still people?" He shrugged a bit, not knowing how to explain that part better. "Sorry...I should've explained that better to you...like, when you first came to Dicea, practically. As soon as I met them, I should've assumed those assholes wouldn't've told you anything."

Kokichi huffed a bit, mouth twisting in distaste just faintly thinking about the secretaries.

The first thought.

The literal very first thought Kaito had, as he listened to this explanation with wide, surprised eyes, was...

...how do you get people into debt then?

Kaito COULDN'T have choked on his words fast enough, literally pulling a Shuuichi and physically covering his own mouth, so that those words couldn't escape him, a nervous, anxious guilt dripping through his stomach for even thinking it. He...well, it was obvious. Dicea didn't...need a portion of their population to end up in debt. That wasn't useful for them.

Not that Luminary did either!

No, well, not in a way that...that suggested that they did it on purpose, didn't it, and they...it was just a...it was the Momota family taking an unfortunate, bad situation and making it a good one.

Kaito remembered Master Tengan explaining it to Byakuya when they were kids. The conversation had been cruel and full of laughter and Kaito had listened in on it (what else could he do? He wasn't exactly allowed to leave the room) with growing nerves and confusion, it not sounding...like a good thing that they were doing. But it had to be a good thing, because Byakuya had nodded along and asked intelligent questions and had seemed genuinely fascinated with the whole process in a way that was...different, than how Kaito had felt listening to it.

Byakuya had looked like he thought it was funny.

Then later, when Kaito had gone to their mother and asked for further explanation, she had explained it a little more gently to him than Tengan had to his brother. That, when the Luminary citizens mismanaged themselves so poorly that they ended up in lifelong debt, that instead of leaving them to die and be the drains on society they were, the Momota family had found new uses for them in the Indentured Citizen Program...and wasn't it a good thing they did so, huh? Since so much money was saved in the long term now, selling and using contracted people, and "Due to people being foolish and irresponsible, we never run out of contracts, my sweet boy...so long as we don't run out of them, the program continues to thrive, and society with it." His mother had said to him, smiling at him as a young Kaito had worried his joints, the earliest he had started the habit.

And Kaito, who hadn't learned to stop asking questions by that point, and was too young to have met Maki or Shuuichi by this point, everyone in the indentured program all frightening strangers that everyone talked differently to, said shyly. "...but what about the people actually in the program? If it's meant to be a punishment...aren't they unhappy in it?"

His mother had laughed, in a good mood that day, running her hands through his hair, enjoying for a moment admiring her handsome child. "Kaito, you don't have to worry about them. Anyone in the program made a mistake, and people have to pay for their mistakes. Besides, when their contracts are up, they can rejoin society and benefit from the program as well! And if they never get out of the program? Well...they did it themselves, darling. There's no point in trying to help people like that. Don't even worry about them."

That memory flashed through Kaito like lightning. He thought about literally any trail of conversation that could lead to Kaito even hinting that this was how he had been taught to think about the finances of the average person, their wellbeing...and yeah.

He...he shouldn't ask questions. He kind of wanted to know how Dicea was capable of doing something like this, where the money came from, how do you convince people to do the hard work that no one wants to do then, if they don't need to to survive...but if he asked things like that, he'd inevitably fuck up and say something that would make Kokichi get that particular look on his face. Best to...leave it alone and just accept that it all worked.

So, in response, Kaito grinned wide, and said, "That's...wow! That's amazing, 'Kichi! I...yeah, sorry, I didn't know anything about any of that. So...that's great! I'm relieved. I was actually worried for a bit there that Maki and Shuuichi...okay, to clarify. Government jobs don't get paid anything. You work a government job, and I...can? But don't have to. Okay. I think I understand that," Kaito said...so...he wasn't supposed to answer the letters then? Thank goodness, he was totally running on hot air before, he had no idea what Kokichi was talking about when he explained the content of the letters to him. "And Maki and Shuuichi don't have jobs...but that doesn't matter, because everyone gets paid a living wage anyway. So...that's amazing! I can't believe something like that exists! That's so cool, 'Kichi!"

...there was more here. About all the scary stuff about financial classes that Kokichi couldn't even fathom, about people getting into debt they couldn't pay off, about the most vulnerable people in society being forced into slavery...being brainwashed...never being given a real way to ever get out...

But, with a breath, Kokichi gave Kaito a smile back. Talking about it would just upset them both and...it wasn't ignoring the problem, not anymore. He'd talk to Kaede, find out her plans...and things would be okay.

"You got it!" he chirped with a nod. "That's why I brought up classes 'n stuff before--I was worried about Shuu-chan and Maki-chan bein' bored here. They can still have the jobs they had before, but...I have a feeling it'd go real differently here than in Luminary." Especially for Maki. And, for the both of them, that they'd have to advertise their own labor, be their own bosses, really...that was another thing to worry about...later.

Going back to his breakfast, trying to finish it lest it get back to Maki that he hadn't eaten everything and she'd cut Kaito a new one, Kokichi carefully picked his spoon back up. "We've had a basic income system for a few generations now--makes our poverty level almost nothing. The biggest problem when it comes to economic stimulation is people who live off-grid and runaways. Though...at least people who live off-grid are usually self-sufficient, so I don't think they're struggling. A lot of the time we find runaways too, can either bring them back home or help them set up a new home, but for the ones we don't..." He sighed softly.

"I hope they're okay."

...Kaito was never going to be the prince these people needed. Not if Kokichi was the standard they were used to.

...but that's okay. He didn't need to be. Just needed to be whatever Kokichi needed him to be. That was way easier than what Kokichi had to be, which was...someone who legitimately cared about everyone, apparently. Kaito couldn't even fathom trying to think of a whole country, trying to actually consider all the people in it as...individuals. Who, individually, needed to be taken care of. Looked out for.

"I don't know how you do that," Kaito murmured, lying down next to Kokichi, pressing his head against his side, watching his husband’s hands carefully, wondering if he should offer to feed him or leave him to do it himself. "I don't get how you have space in you, for all of that. Like...you actually sound like you care about the runaways. You sound that way when you talk about any group in Dicea. Like everyone actually matters. I feel like I'd just be..constantly overwhelmed, if I had to think about people like you do," Kaito admitted.

...Kokichi got what Kaito meant, but...

"...everyone does matter."

He let that sit for a moment, taking a mouthful of porridge and eating before he continued. "Maybe not to you or me, if we weren't in charge of them, but...they matter to themselves, at the very least. And beyond that? Friends and family...the people around that grow used to seeing them around... Maybe there's a grocer that has a favorite customer, someone that they like talking to and enjoy seeing every week. Maybe there's someone who plays music on a particular corner, and people change the route of their walks to be able to listen for a little while."

"Everyone matters to someone, and through that web...I'd think it gets pretty damn close to everyone mattering to everyone else in some way," he sighed softly. "And I have to lead everyone one day, so I have to care. If I stop caring about even just one person, then...there's no reason for me to care about anyone. And at that point, I wouldn't have the capability to properly lead anyone. Leadership relies on cooperation, and cooperation requires trust. Trust can't happen if one person isn't invested."

Turning to Kaito with a soft, shaky smile...for a moment, it was almost like you could actually see the weight on Kokichi's small, thin shoulders. "Kai-chan...I stop breathing when I'm too stressed out. If I can't call that not having enough space or being overwhelmed, then I don't know what to tell you."

"Yeah, but...you're breathing right now, and thinking about them. So...that's pretty impressive to me," Kaito said. Entirely sincere. "They're lucky to have you."

In Kaito's world, leadership required fear. The fact that Kaito had grown up being assured he was never actually going to lead anything was the reason he had never had to learn to use it. And he had been relieved, once he had understood it, that he was never going to be a leader (and then, as an adult, had decided to maybe at least try to learn how to be one through the military, and even then, it'd be years and years before they let him really start making decisions on his own) because shit being a leader had seemed cruel...

And then he had come here and his husband had looked up at him and said, "We're supposed to lead together," and Kaito hadn't...hadn't...

And Dicea's way of leading was like nothing Kaito had ever seen growing up. He listened to Kokichi and just...didn't understand how his husband could say all that with any level of sincerity. It felt like something his mother would say when mocking someone naive. But Kokichi clearly meant it all...and Dicea showed that it worked...

...and Kokichi was counting on Kaito to help him with this?

It suddenly occurred to Kaito that the Dicean King couldn't have literally picked a worse candidate for helping his son do this. Dicean marriages were meant to make leadership better, if Kaito understood it right. The king had picked Kaito to do this. Bought him for Kokichi. And Kaito...was just flummoxed. At what a poor choice he had made. His son stopped breathing when stressed...and the person King Aiichi had picked to help him lead was the guy the Luminary nobles and secretaries had literally pressured into giving up his claim to the throne because Kaito was that unsuited for it.

What the FUCK King Aiichi??!

Kaito watched Kokichi's fingers start to go red, trembling harder, the bowl leaning more than it had before... and said suddenly, grinning, "Hey, let me help you finish that. I've got you, 'Kichi."

Kaito sat up, gently taking the bowl and spoon from his thin husband, filling up the spoon and offering it to Kokichi.

"...hey, 'Kichi. All Dicean royal marriages are to, like, make the king better, right? Essentially?...what was the advantage of King Aiichi marrying your mom?" Kaito asked, wondering if there was something in that marriage that would act as a clue to Kaito for why the king could have possibly thought Kaito would be the right choice. "She was an astronomer, right? That's super cool, but... what was the political benefit to him marrying her, then?"

Kokichi felt his cheeks warm as his smile sweetened, and...god, he couldn't look at Kaito when he said things like that. He didn't think he'd ever felt so...genuinely confident in his life before Kaito came along. With all the things his husband said, completely sincerely, Kokichi...felt like he could believe the lies he'd told himself to stay sane. The quiet promises he ran through when he'd have doubts and think about running away and having Aiichi pick a new heir. Kaito made him feel like those things were possible. Like he could actually be a good leader for his people.

...even when he was stuck in bed and unable to feed himself.

With a quiet sigh, Kokichi abdicated his spoon and let Kaito feed him. He put his hands in his lap, gently stretching them with each other.

"Mm?" Swallowing quickly, Kokichi nodded. "The leader, yeah; doesn't have to be a boy."

As for his parents, though... "Aiichi is a people person, and he's clever, but...not really smart, you know?" Kokichi shrugged a little, something of a smirk on his face. "Apparently he's grown up a lot since he was a teenager, thank fuck, but Hideki and I tend to take on the more...logistic side of problem-solving. My mom was a genius though. Graduated at the top of her class, helped others do way better than they otherwise would've."

"Boiled down...my mom was logic and my father was emotion. And...I guess, through getting to know my mom in the first place, Aiichi learned how to...not let people slip through the cracks?" Kokichi paused to think, accepting another mouthful in the meanwhile. "Like... This is all stuff I've been told, since I never knew my mom, but, apparently she was really meek and shy an' stuff? She did stand out for bein' a super cool scientist but...that's not how things were for a long time."

He frowned a bit, looking out over their blankets as he recalled the stories Hideki had once told him. "...she would always let people take credit for her work, or would just have them speak over her...even if they were wrong. It drove Hideki nuts when they were younger since he'll literally explode if he doesn't correct everything he comes across. But even if she knew she was right...she never spoke up."

"...no matter what, she would've become the scientist she was, but...Aiichi came across her tutoring some of her friends, I guess before he went to Hope's Peak." Blinking slowly, Kokichi shifted his gaze to the ceiling. "...it's not just about helping anyone who asks for it. It's about looking around you and realizing that every person is a million things. Sometimes, some of those things are things they need help with, so, you should help them! Other times, you'll find amazing things that can be spread to the world if allowed to flourish...so you should encourage them!"

"When Aiichi looked at Miyako, he saw both. He saw someone who would help others any way she could, who would use her understanding of the world to help others, who would patiently explain something a hundred different ways until it made sense to everyone. And he saw someone who didn't believe their own voice made any difference."

Kokichi went quiet again, eating the last of the porridge before he shakily grabbed one of their spare pillows and hugged it, resting his chin on top. "...I really wish I could've met her..."

Kaito listened to this, patiently feeding Kokichi until his husband was finished before putting the bowl aside. Imagining, analyzing, what that moment listening in on that tutoring session must have been like, for the king...

...it sounded to Kaito like the king had just fallen in love.

Not that Kokchi's mother wasn't suited to be a queen. Kaito wasn't trying to suggest that. She sounded amazing, at least by the stories passed onto Kokichi about her...but marrying someone because you thought they were smart and composed and amazing, which is what it sounded like the king had done...wasn't a political choice. That was an emotional one. He had met a woman and fallen in love, and eventually married her.

...and then had made his son marry an enemy prince the king had never even met himself who hadn't even been good enough for his own people.

The guy really was a hypocrite.

"You will, eventually," Kaito said easily. "Someone as smart as her is probably getting through her trials just fine. I can't wait to meet her myself. I'm really looking forward to being able to tell her how amazing her baby turned out to be," Kaito said, kissing Kokichi's temple, before resting his own head against Kokichi's forehead, feeling his own heat combat Kokichi's constant chill. "He grew up just as smart as her, and he cared about people with just... all of himself. To the point where he worried his poor, selfish husband, who just wanted him to be okay. But even when I was worried about him, Queen Ouma, I was still always so blown away by him. Just how incredible he was. It was really humbling, being around him, my queen. He was so fucking cool. He proved all those assholes who scared you wrong. He was an incredible king. I was so lucky Atua gave me to him...I was grateful every single day..."

Ah, right...the Atuan trials. Taken apart from the whole rest of the religion...getting to see everyone you had ever loved again was a comforting thing to believe in. It was probably why most religions he'd heard of had some form of afterlife like that, if not just constant reincarnation.

However, with what Kaito went on to say, musing about religions wasn't really something Kokichi was able to do.

With every word Kokichi grew redder--as much as he could, which wasn't quite up to tomato levels yet, but certainly flushed--and his eyes grew wide with wonder and flustered embarrassment. He... Most of the time, if Kaito went on to compliment him like this, Kokichi didn't know what to do with praise he didn't think he deserved, but... If Kaito thought he was so amazing, then...

With a little whine in the back of his throat, Kokichi pressed his lips to Kaito's, conveying his love and appreciation for a good few moments before covering his face with the pillow. And just sort of...half-screaming as he weakly wiggled, unable to deal with being so flustered.

It was getting more and more regular, but Kaito was always a little surprised whenever Kokichi kissed him first, and like usual, Kaito found himself trying to smile through it despite himself, laughing in delight when his husband finally lost his composure in the attempt, hiding from him and...squealing?

"You're too cute, you know that?" Kaito said, watching his husband with open affection, pulling his flustered husband into a hug, kissing him on the top of his ear, as that was the only part of his face available from Kokichi's hiding place in his pillow. "I'll tell her that too. I'm sure she'll get a kick out of it. Hey, you seem wide awake and stuff still. I still have that stuff from the pastry shop. I know you're probably full from the porridge, but none of that stuff looked particularly filling anyway. Did you want me to grab any of it?

Kokichi couldn't hide forever in his pillow, unfortunately for the part of him that couldn't handle how bright Kaito was sometimes. But quite fortunately for the rest of him. He really couldn't breathe with his face pressed in it.

"Kai-chaaaaan," he whined, lifting his head from the pillow, exposing his reddened cheeks, though he still hugged it to his chest. "Don't embarrass me in front of my mooooom."

Rolling over onto his side a little, Kokichi butted his head against Kaito's arm. "Mmm...you're sweet enough for me...though that cotton candy sounds pretty good, actually. And, like always, you can have some too--especially since you're the one who got it--and, yeah, I know you don't like sweets that much, but still. I like sharing sweets, and you're my favorite person to share things with now. Deal with it."

Kokichi was sharing his life with Kaito, after all. Something with slightly more stakes and weight than some candy.

Kaito smirked at that, rolling his eyes as he said, "Alright, alright. I don't dislike sweets. I just don't, like, look like I'm about to nut when I'm eating them, unlike a certain other prince I can think of."

Kaito got up to go get the bag, looking through it before grabbing the three different wraps of cotton candy, one blue, one pink, and one purple. He had no idea what flavors they were, just mindlessly agreeing with whatever the pastry lady had offered by that point, but he was sure Kokichi would like whatever it was.

Bringing the packets over, Kaito held the three up. "Pick one."

When Kokichi did so, Kaito nodded, opening it up and grabbing a bit between his thumb and his finger. Taking the small puff, he considered it for a moment...before smirking. "You want me to share it, huh?" he said, grinning at Kokichi.

He put the puff on his own tongue.

Then, before it had a chance to melt, Kaito reached over to Kokichi, steadying his face with his now free hand, leaning into his husband, and kissed him, pushing both his tongue and the cotton candy into his mouth, running his sugary sweet tongue over Kokichi's. Enjoying the feeling of Kokichi's tongue against his own as he breathed him in.

Kokichi snorted a bit off to the side, that not helping his cheeks cool in the slightest. "Sor-ry that I can appreciate things to the fullest extent. I shudder to think of what a life devoid of that sort of happiness would feel like."

Letting go of the pillow with an eye-roll of his own, Kokichi adjusted himself in bed a little, his squirming having landed him in an uncomfortable position. He...did feel pretty awake still, not like he was about to just crash at any moment. And that was an awesome feeling that he appreciated every time he got back to it.

That said, Kokichi didn't think he was really up to, like, bouncing off the walls or anything. His hands were still aching from his earlier efforts, and he just...kind of wanted to stretch out in bed and...he didn't know. Cuddle with Kaito while he read or som--

Kokichi gasped lightly as Kaito stole a kiss, not expecting his husband to share like that. ...but it wasn't unpleasant or anything. It was easy to relax into the kiss, and...more than relax.

Getting a taste of the grape cotton candy, Kokichi got a little bolder in the kiss, indulging in the candy as he closed his eyes and slung an arm around Kaito's neck, just thinking about how lucky he was to have two of his favorite sweet things come to him at once.

Kaito enjoyed the kiss for a while (and felt a small thrill of excitement when Kokichi put his arm around him)...before breaking the kiss, laughing a little at Kokichi and a little at himself as he blushed, giving Kokichi a wink as he said, "Sorry. I couldn't help myself. Once I had that idea in my head, it was too cute not to try."

Kissing Kokichi on the side of his mouth, he said, "You're too much for me sometimes, you know that? I always wanna eat you up a little, just...all the time. You make me so needy..." Kaito sighed, pulling back and actually offering Kokichi the packet itself now for his husband to eat to his heart’s content. "Here. If you wanna chill and eat candy, I only have some of my book left to read. Or, if you want, there's that Circleworld book you got. I could read it to you, while you're still wide awake. It'd be fun, reading it together."

Kokichi was left panting lightly by the time Kaito pulled back, out of breath, and already his tongue was starting to stain purple. "It's...ah. It's pretty cliche, huh? Nice to know that's not just something dumb and fake in stories though; so many romance scenes have been saved."

Taking the packet of cotton candy, Kokichi greedily took another pinch to pop in his mouth. What, now that he had it in his hands, it wasn't like he'd just set it off to the side. Though, he wasn't completely gone in Candyland, and he gave his husband an amused look. "Glad to know I'm doing something right in my first relationship. And Kai-chan gracefully suffers me clinging to him all the freakin' time, so if he feels kissy, that's a fair trade."

Really...both options Kaito brought forward sounded nice. Kokichi just wanted to spend time with his friend and husband. Though...

"If...you really wouldn't mind reading it aloud...I'd like to read that Circleworld book together." Kokichi looked away bashfully. Just...curling up against Kaito's side, able to see the words if he wanted but mostly just listening to Kaito's enthusiastic, friendly voice... "Most of the time while I'm sick...a lot of the people who've watched me read to me. Usually I can't stay awake for decent chunks, but...it's better than getting a headache from the pages or not being able to hold onto it so..."

Curling on his side, Kokichi gave Kaito's side of the bed (though they changed practically every day) a little pat.

Kaito nodded, grinning broadly. "Wouldn't have offered if I minded. Let me go grab it."

He did so, and after a little bit, the two were settled in, Kaito sort of half lying, half sitting against the headboard and a barrage of pillows, running his hand through Kokichi's hair, his smaller husband’s head resting against in the space between Kaito's chest and stomach, his arm around Kaito's waist as Kaito started on the first page, where the good Commander Vimes informed the reader that the city was like a woman...a woman you needed to always be smart around, less she stomp your head into the curb...

And that was what the two did for the rest of Kaito's shift, well into the afternoon, before eventually the healer that both princes were familiar with, whose name neither of them knew, came to relieve Kaito.

Kaito kissed Kokichi on his forehead, told him quietly that he loved him, and took their get well cards with him as he went to go start his shift with Shuuichi next, his body rested and his heart full.

There was an ease and comfort in that late morning and afternoon that Kokichi had rarely felt in his life. There were some serious issues going on around him, but...he'd done what he could for the time being. He could let himself relax, and he did. Lying half on top of Kaito, finishing off the packet of cotton candy pretty quickly (and he put the empty packet on a nightstand to deal with later), and just...being drawn so fully back into the world of fiction.

Kokichi had managed to stay awake throughout the rest of Kaito's shift, but by the time he left the young prince's blinks were getting longer, his breathing a little more drawn out.

He felt a little bad, starting to fall asleep right when the healer started their shift, but...they just rolled their eyes and waved him off when he started to apologize. He needed his rest to get better.

He hoped Shuuichi was resting up too.

Alright. Kokichi was safe and happy, and very likely asleep as soon as Kaito had gotten down the hall, based on how heavy his breathing had started to get near the end of their time together. Being a good husband achieved!

Now...to be a good best friend!

Kaito knocked on Shuuichi's door and waited patiently to hear the sound of it unlocking, Maki stepping out and greeting him with a tired wave. Feeling like she might need it, Kaito took a look around (because she hated physical displays of affection in public) to make sure no one was around to see, before drawing her into a hug.

"Rough shift?" he asked as she sighed again into his shoulder, hugging him back.

"No. Yes? I don't know," Maki said, her voice quiet. Almost...guilty sounding as she said, "He doesn't want to talk. When he's not actually asleep, he faking it. The only reason I know he's faking it is because he's...making noises in his actual sleep. Like...sometimes he sounds like he's having wet dreams, and sometimes he sounds like he's having really intense nightmares. I don't know. It's freaking me out. He hasn't thrown up once, but he looks exhausted, and every conversation I try to start with him dwindles to nothing."

Breaking the hug to look up at Kaito, pulling at her hair a little, Maki said, "...there's something wrong. I just...beyond a stomachache. He's always been prone to...you know...being sad a lot, and with the move and what happened during the wedding, I thought maybe he just needed time to adjust, but...something is wrong with him Kaito. I've never seen him..."

"Hey, hey, come on," Kaito said, pulling in Maki's face and giving her a soft kiss on her forehead, seeing her starting to frustrate herself, pulling on her hair harder. "I know, okay, I've been seeing it too. But let's not...I don't want to overreact, okay? This is Shuuichi. He's shy, and it'll only get worse if we try to force the issue. If we start calling him out every time he acts different, saying 'what’s wrong with you', then he's not gonna feel comfortable acting different around us. We don't want to do that to him, right?"

Maki bit her lip...before shaking her head. "No..."

"Right. It's okay. It's Shuuichi! When he's ready to talk to us, he will. Just have faith in him, Maki," Kaito said, kissing her on the forehead again, before saying, "Go, get some rest."

Maki sighed, nodding, before heading to her room.

Kaito walked into the room (huh. It smelled really nice. Like lemon and flowers. Hajime did a great job), calling out quietly, "Shuuichi? It's Kaito! I'm gonna stick around for the rest of the afternoon, bud. You awake?"

Shuuichi didn't move, not even to flinch, his back to the door. Maki had told him that Kaito would be taking a shift to watch over him--his friends were incredible he didn't deserve them--but he just...sort of hoped? That he wouldn't? That Kaito would stay by Kokichi's side instead, since Shuuichi was just sleeping the whole time and wouldn't need to be watched?

Dumb, dumb idiot hope, since they'd all insisted on watching over the Dicean Prince when it was him just sleeping all the time. Snoozing away, his body too weak to even be awake...there for just anyone to--

Shuuichi stopped just short of biting the inside of his cheek, remembering Se - Dr. Kimura's warnings. Biting meant blood which meant people would see and that meant -

The whole long list of things he couldn't let happen.

...besides...he didn't need anything making him harder. It'd felt like he'd been rock hard for hours and he couldn't... He'd hidden it from Maki, lying on his side and curling around his erection, keeping his blanket on the whole time. Even though he could feel how his sweat had seeped into his clothes...

W-would She clean him again? He'd been good! Really good! She'd let him cum, right?! She...she'd come back today...right?

Shuuichi felt his stomach turn at the thought of Miss Nao coming back to take care of him...and felt his cock throb, the ring having felt like it was strangling him for hours.

Letting out a little huff, he just curled into himself more.

No response...but according to Maki, Shuuichi was either sleeping or faking sleeping. Hmm...coming in, Kaito glanced over his friend. He was still, but he was curled into himself in a way that worried Kaito. Shuuichi only slept in a position like that when he was feeling uncomfortable or afraid...the last time Kaito had seen him do it, he had been sleeping next to Maki in a bed full of children that had tried to kill Kaito...but this pose was still a little too tight into the curl.

He was probably awake.

Kaito plastered a grin on his face, as he said brightly, "So, this is a little goofy, but me and Kokichi went ahead and made you get-well cards, Shuuichi. Kokichi's is really cute, and before you see it, I have to tell you, he tried to draw you a cactus...and dude, I'm sorry, but all I see is a hairy, weirdly bent dick. It's so funny, man. But its the thought that counts, right?"

Kaito put the cards on Shuuichi's nightstand, next to his journal, as he said, "They're here when you want to to read them...hey, how's your stomach feeling? I know you had some broth this morning, but when I go get us dinner, do you want me to get you anything more solid?"

Shuuichi swallowed and kept his eyes shut, just hearing Kaito's voice making him want to... cry. Sob and beg Kaito to help him, to tell him everything and beg for his friend to not hate him, for Kaito to scoop him up in one of those spine-cracking hugs and then trail his hands over his hips and lift his legs and--

FUCK he needed to cum!!! This wouldn't be an issue if he could just cum!

And even if Kaito wasn't married...had never been picky with his bedmates...he'd never touch Shuuichi. Not now. Not with his hole blown wide and his cock...maybe even thicker and longer than Kaito's now...

A slight shiver went down his spine, and Shuuichi could feel a bit of liquid squirt between his cheeks--something else he hid beneath the blanket. Kokichi...sniveling little thing he was...had drawn him a dick? ...there was no way he could know. Hadn't suspected anything when Shuuichi told him stories...didn't look at him with anything but fear and desperation as his face turned red and his eyes unfocused...

"...not picky..." he whispered, trying to appease Kaito's questions, hoping he'd just...settle down and not notice a thing. Kaito was good at that.

"Hey! There's my guy!" Kaito said, sitting on the edge of Shuuichi's bed and reaching out to run a hand through his hair, using the physical display of affection as a chance to feel Shuuichi's forehead for signs of fever...and he did feel a little warm, but not crazy so. Also, damn, he was sweating a lot...and shivering...

Yeah. Definitely sick. Not that Kaito had doubted it, but it was one thing to hear it from Maki and the doctor, and another thing to confirm it for himself. Hmmm...

Okay. What to do for a sick Shuuichi. Probably letting him sleep would be for the best, but if he was sweating and shivering that badly, it might actually be a little tough for the detective to sleep like that. Hmmmm...well, just take it one thing at a time. He was covered in sweat. Getting some of that off him would probably make him less shivery. Yeah!

As Kaito headed to the bathroom to grab a hand towel, actually feeling pretty competent in this situation right now (taking care of a frequently sick husband was giving him new skills! Hell yeah!), Kaito rambled cheerfully, "Hey, man, we've picked a date to go to the coast! I know you don't feel super good right now, but what do you think about taking that trip to the coast a week from now? According to 'Kichi, it's only a couple days’ journey. We'll take a carriage, take it slow, and when we get there, enjoy a few days with some beach and some sun. You remember that school trip we took in...what was it? Freshman year? Sophomore? Sophomore! Right, I had just started dating Togami at the time, right? So it had to be sophomore year. Anyway, you got real obsessed with making, like, a structurally sound sandcastle, and you got me and...oh, no, what was her name? Shit, I actually can't remember her name...the girl with the braids? You know who I mean. Anyway, you got us all roped into being your construction workers on it, telling us 'hold that wall up' and 'we need more water! Quick, hurry!'...ha!"

Kaito chuckled, sitting down next to Shuuichi with the hand towel, patting the towel against the parts of Shuuichi's face and neck that were available, getting the sweat off him as he said, "That shit was the best, dude. I can't wait to do another beach day with you."

Oh no. Shuuichi should've known better. Encouraging Kaito like that...would only make him come closer. He shivered again at the feeling of his bed dipping, of the hand in his hair...but it was only that. Kaito wouldn't touch him. Of course he had standards...

...at least he didn't smell like sex. Rod and ring or no, Shuuichi seriously thought there was a chance that he might've cum through all of that if he'd smelled Kaito's (Kokichi's) sex on him right now.

That had been...something of a saving grace. Shuuichi didn't know how Hajime had managed it (he'd gone back to sulking and hiding once it was clear that the housekeeper wouldn't fuck him), but his room smelled...clean. Like he hadn't spilled all over the floor as he had object after object shoved in his ass...

God, he was so gross. He needed another bath...or not...just deserved to stink like the filthy whore he was...

...was he still better like this than the weak, simpering, worthless wimp he'd been before? Making a sandcastle. As a teenager. What a loser...how could Kaito even pretend that there was anything redeemable in that? And, instead of going to Danganronpa, letting him make sure he'd never run out of pollen like that bitch who had stolen his jar was making sure of...they were going to the fucking beach.

Shuuichi swallowed a giggle, just wanting to laugh and fucking laugh at how badly he'd messed everything up. And was continuing to, as he couldn't help pressing into Kaito's touch, the interaction already enough to just burn him up further.

Shuuichi still wasn't saying anything...but the way he leaned into the cleaning made Kaito think that his friend at least seemed to appreciate the sweat being taken off of him. He was starting to understand what had disturbed Maki so much though...Shuuichi was straight up giving Kaito the silent treatment. Shuuichi was normally quiet, sure, especially when he was upset, but...this was different.

...was Shuuichi mad at them?

That could explain his unwillingness to talk to them, maybe. He and the blue-haired man didn't have real big fights very often, and they virtually never lasted more than a day, but if something had been bothering Shuuichi for a while now...something building, maybe? That Kaito hadn't noticed because of everything else going on?

Maybe he should leave it alone. Follow his own advice to Maki. He trusted Shuuichi. If there was something bothering him, his friend would eventually tell him about it. He wasn't the kind of guy who'd just hold something against Kaito without at least trying to reconcile eventually...but maybe it was just too hard these days for Shuuichi to find time to bring it up? That would also be really understandable. Kaito loved Kokichi, but...he was also giving Kokichi the bulk of Kaito's time and attention. Which wasn't fair on his friends, who had crossed a continent for him...

Kaito had to be better. He needed to pay attention.

"Hey, man...look, I know things have been kind of crazy lately," Kaito said softly, finishing wiping the sweat off his face before putting the handtowel down on the pillow next to Shuuichi, looking around for...there was a glass. Deciding to grab it, going to the bathroom to fill it with water for Shuuichi, he continued on, bringing it back, "And I'm sorry if I haven’t been super available lately...but you know I love you, right? If there's, you know...if there's anything you want to talk about,"

If you're mad at me for, say, hypothetically, not chasing after you when you went to go fight an assassin and our friend alone, Kaito didn't say...but thought about guiltily.

"Then, I'm here for you, man. Maki too. Like, if you're...look, if you're pissed at me for any reason? I'm not saying you are, just, if you are...you can tell me about it. I'd understand."

Good thing his eyes were already closed, because Shuuichi could feel them stinging. Again, he was so tempted to just...bare everything to Kaito. Tell him about the pollen and the experiment and his wound and just...how much better he'd felt, taking the pollen. Kaito loved him--he'd be happy for him, right?! Kaito would want him to feel better!

The prince had always been gushing about how amazing he thought Shuuichi was, about how he should proudly hold his head high and speak his mind because he had amazing things to say, and...while on the pollen, Shuuichi felt like he could actually do that. Wouldn't Kaito be happy?...

...but both Miss Nao and Dr. Kimura didn't listen to him at all when he said that the pollen made people better. Both had looked at him with such disgust in their eyes... Maybe...if he told Kaito...he'd get to see it on him too...

Shuuichi couldn't hold in the next giggle, and he uncurled, just the slightest bit, to look over at his friend. "N-no, no...I'm not mad at you, Kaito."

"I just..." A breath. A slight tremble, the blanket laxing enough to lay over his bulge. "Sorry... I just...really don't feel well right now..."

...hm?

...ah.

...Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

Kaito wasn't even sure why he looked down that direction in the first place when Shuuichi moved, just wanting to offer the glass of water to his sick friend who was...apparently a little compromised in other ways as well right now. Huh. Hm.

Hm.

Don't embarrass him. Don't look at it again. Don't...was Shuuichi horny?? Shuuichi 'nodded off in boredom during the skinny dipping party that Kaito had begged him to come to' Saihara???

What!???????

Don't! Call attention to it! Do not do that to your childhood friend Kaito! You do NOT see it. A-and if you DID see it, you didn't recognize what it was! Nothing is wrong! Do NOT call attention to it.

Why would he...while he's sick?? Well, Maki had said it sounded like he was having wet dreams. Kaito had thought even that was strange, though not unheard of for Shuuichi (the three of them had plenty of conversations in their life discussing Shuuichi's unique predicament. They didn't know the word for what he was, but he was definitely something different, and when he had told them that he didn't find people all that attractive but still had wet dreams, they had thrown it under the 'different' umbrella he was already under with them). Maybe Kaito had just woken him up from a wet dream?

Fuck he suddenly felt like an asshole. He wanted to give Shuuichi some privacy with this, but at the same time, he had spent all day vomiting onto his floor yesterday. Kaito needed to be available for him!

Just...don't call attention to it.

So Kaito laughed, just a tad too loudly, and said, "W-well, that's good! Great! I thought that maybe...but that's not the case, which is both good, and great! Um, here's some water if you want it. I'll put it on the nightstand," Kaito said, putting it down accordingly before backing up from the bed a bit, just...wondering what he should do now.

Should he...offer to leave for a little bit so Shuuichi could take care of it or...no, no, that's literally calling attention to it! He had already decided he wasn't going to do that! Did Shuuichi know how to take care of it?? Oh, come on, Kaito, give him more credit than that! Just because you've never seen Shuuichi Saihara so much as consider sex your entire lives doesn't mean he doesn't know how it works. He knows how to masturbate, Kaito! Leave it alone!

"Well...I'll give you some space, man. Don't want to hover. I know you've been sleeping on and off all day, but try to get some more rest. That doctor you're friends with said it was important for you. I'll wake you up for dinner once I go get it, man," Kaito promised, going to sit at Shuuichi's desk, pulling out his book from the inner pocket of his jacket.

Shuuichi blinked hazily at his friend, noting his discomfort and...feeling something gurgle in his gut, somewhere within the boil that had been going for hours. Kaito always tried too hard to set off his discomfort; spoke loudly, laughed a lot, grinned and backed up like nothing was wrong...that's why he always broke so beautifully...

Realizing that he'd been squeezing his thighs together again, one of his hands trailing closer to his crotch...Shuuichi swallowed the pool of saliva in his mouth. He couldn't touch himself. ...even in front of Kaito, who wouldn't tell. Who might even help out...just a bit...

Giving Kaito one last strained smile, Shuuichi laid himself back down into his curl, hugging himself to keep his hands occupied. Closing his eyes, he tried not to think about the...mucus? seeping into his pants, each thought that made his cock throb causing a small, responding flood in his backside.

Sleep. Just...don't do anything. Sleep.

Somehow, Shuuichi got there.

-

Miss Nao still had Shuuichi's key, which, admittedly, had been a risk. She had counted on the idea that, so long as he remained in the room, no one would have any reason to ask him for it or expect to see it, and while she was correct, she still didn't know she was correct when she moved her way up the stairs, it later into the night now.

She was also just taking a risk coming up at all, honestly. Now that his friends were clued in that at the very least something was wrong with him, she noted that the Luminaries, for all their barbaric ways, seemed to have a very hands on, borderline paranoid view of taking care of a person. Ever since Kokichi had fallen, they had shifted rotations watching him personally, almost as if they were afraid that he'd be attacked if they turned their backs for even a moment or allowed others to pick up the slack (she wondered, idly, if that was just a 'them' thing, or a reaction to growing up in a place like Luminary. She wondered if there were consequences to falling ill and becoming helpless there...nothing she had heard about herself, but it was an interesting thought to explore), and there were signs already that they were planning a similar schedule for Shuuichi.

So, when Nao quietly knocked on Shuuichi's door, she did so knowing there was a possibility that either the Luminary Prince or the assassin would answer the door, and that she would have to think up some excuse as to why the castle librarian was visiting their sickly friend so late...but when no one came to the door, Nao smirked to herself in satisfaction, opening up the door and closing it behind her.

As she walked in, she noted that, not only had the room been cleaned, but it had been cleaned professionally...interesting. That meant there was a potential fourth person who now knew what was happening in here, at least to some extent. Nao would interrogate Shuuichi about it at some point tonight, along with her other plans for tonight.

The doctor's notes about Shuuichi had been...informative. Interesting.

Walking into the room, still looking around (spotless. Entirely spotless. There wasn't even a stain where the pool of mucus had been.), Nao dropped her bag onto Shuuichi's bed before, not even looking at him, she said, "Why do you still have clothes on? What, did you think I wanted to take the time to undress you?"

The rest of the day Shuuichi had spent in and out of sleep, being around Kaito...too dangerous. It was awkward and tempting and Shuuichi actually did have to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself in line at one point, even if the slight sting and taste of blood provoked...er...the sound from his rear had been quiet, and Kaito was on the other side of the room, so he didn't think Kaito had heard it.

For dinner, Kaito had brought up a more hearty soup than the broth he'd had that morning and...he hadn't realized how hungry he'd been, though he'd forced himself to slow down when he dribbled down his front, Kaito getting far too close to clean him off...

It had been a tough day, to say the least.

And now, well into night...he was almost giving up hope that Miss Nao would return at all. Was he just...not allowed to cum for the rest of his life?! He could NOT handle that. Maybe...if she wasn't coming back anyway, he could just...no one would have to know!

Shuuichi had been rolling the idea around in his head when he heard a knock on the door, and went still, fear making him throb and drip. And then, hearing thick heels softly tap against wood...

He sprung into action, haphazardly grabbing at his clothes and ripping them off any way he could. "Please, please, PLEASE, Miss Nao, I've been good! I've been good! I didn't touch myself--please!"

"Ugh." Nao sighed, rubbing her temples, looking over at the desperate escort with disdain as he literally threw and kicked the clothes off of himself, completely naked in less than a minute. "I shouldn't have come up here. You're going to be such a hassle today, I can already tell."

His children's swim trophy was even put back together. So, either he had managed to make his way out of bed today, which felt unlikely, and screwed the trophy back onto its base himself, or whoever had cleaned the room had cleaned off the item as well and restored it. How...sweet, if disturbing, that someone had been willing to touch the soiled thing on his behalf. Could it perhaps be one of his friends? Hmm.

Picking the trophy up from the bookshelf, she brought it to Shuuichi, showing it to him. "Who fixed this?"

There wasn't any relief in getting out of his clothes. There might've been something nice in getting out of the sweat-soaked (and...other-soaked) clothes, in releasing some of the pressure on his crotch, but it wasn't enough. His cock was completely reddened, almost purple around his head, and he was thick and constantly twitching, up high against his abdomen.

She was here but he still couldn't touch himself, not unless she said so. So Shuuichi dug his fingers into his bed, his whole body trembling as he watched her walk away in dismay.

"I-I I don't - Hajime? He was cleaning - are you going to put it in me again?" He hated the excited lilt of his voice, but, even if he had a filthy, gaping hole--he hadn't been able to check himself, but he assumed he was still gaping; a loose, well-fucked hole...--he still desperately wanted to be fucked. Kaito or Hajime or Maki or Seiko o-or anyone but Miss Nao had made him feel so good, soooo good...

There was another small, wet, gurgling sound from his ass, and Shuuichi burned, knowing he wasn't going to be lucky this time.

Hajime Hinata? Interesting. He worked the day shift, she was certain. She had thought she'd have to be a bit more reserved for their sessions, considering one of his friends would likely check on him first thing in the morning, but if she could convince the housekeeper to come in earlier to clean the room before they could see the damage...not tonight, obviously. She still had to be careful tonight. But in the future...hm.

"No, I don't think so," she said, going to put the trophy back on the shelf, hearing...ugh. While she exaggerated her disgust with him for effect, knowing that making him feel ashamed of himself stimulated him, there were still certain aspects of Shuuichi that were...genuinely disturbing to her. For instance, his self lubricating ass, which still felt impossible...but no more impossible than...pink blood?

She'd have to check that out tonight too. But for now.

Going into her bag, she took out a small, empty vial. She had a few in there, and had promised the good doctor that she would collect some samples of things that Dr. Kimura had been too uncomfortable to obtain for herself. This first one being the easiest and more available.

With the ease of someone who was not at all concerned about the person they were handling, Nao grabbed Shuuichi's ankle and pulled it up, lifting his leg high and pulling it awkwardly to the left, opening up his backside to her. Yep. There it was. Already, a pool of the mucus, spilling out of him. There was plenty for the vial to take, but the sheets below him were bunching up between his legs, catching too much of it.

Frustrated, Nao grabbed Shuuichi's arm and leg, flipping him over onto his stomach. She then grabbed his hair, pulling it backwards so far that Shuuichi had to scramble to get onto his elbows and knees, just to move his head backward quickly enough that the hair wouldn't tear from his skull. Once he was on his knees and elbows, she pushed his head down, angling his head to expose his ass to the air.

Once that was done, she went to collect her sample, placing the vial against his still wide, red asshole, leaking freely of what was inside him, pooling into the vial as she asked, idly, "So. You say you've been good. Why do you think that?"

Shuuichi felt a warble bubble out of his throat as he suddenly found himself on his back, Miss Nao lifting his leg up and out and he spread eagerly. He wanted her to fuck him just as much as he wanted to cum, oddly enough. But obviously that position wasn't satisfactory, and...god... She wasn't even touching him where he wanted, but how she pushed and pulled his body...

"Mm-m-m..." he whined, pressing his cheek into sticky sheets as he held his plump, bruising ass in the air, spreading wide and...ooh...shivering at just the slight touch of something against his hole, the sphincter twitching and releasing another gush of mucus.

"I didn't touch myself all day!!! Like you said!" he insisted. "A-and I took everything S-s - Dr. Kimura gave me, I-I was good. It hurts, it hurts, I have to cum! No one fucked me, they have standards, but pleeeeease I have to cuuuuuum!" He'd been waiting all day. He...he couldn't handle her if he couldn't cum. He was going to die.

With a giggle and another thick gush, Shuuichi pressed back into the slight touch.

"Oh?" Nao said, finishing collecting the sample, sealing up the vial and wiping off the edges on a dry part of Shuuichi's backside before tossing it into her bag. "Really now?"

Shuuichi had almost been entirely unable to move when she had left this morning, for good reason. But the way he moved now, even just twisting and turning on the bed...was he healed already? His anus was still gaping, but the wounds inside of him that the objects had left, that had made putting any sort of pressure onto his hips unbearable...was it possible those had sealed up already?

Done with this position, she pushed him onto his side, letting him roll onto his back, taking a knee in her hand and flipping his legs open so that she could take a look at the ring. The head of his dick was...losing circulation. The ring tighter against him then it had been just that morning, when she had pushed it on. Was it the pressure of his arousal, or additional growth in the last twelve hours?

As she took the ring in her hand, spinning it slightly against his cock, feeling how much give there was (almost none) in the movement, she theorized...maybe a little of both. So, some growth in the last twelve hours to eighteen hours. Hmm.

"That's funny, Shuu," Nao said, considering the ring. "Because Dr. Kimura gave me the impression that you were actually quite rude to her. And gosh, you know...I'm certain I said something about being a good patient? I could swear I did. Didn't I, Shuu?"

Without taking the ring off, she stepped back from the bed, grabbing her bag. Walking halfway across the room, she turned to him, ready to observe his hips, where he put the pressure, how much pressure they could take right now.

"On your hands and knees," she ordered, a small smile on her face, "Crawl to the tub."

Yes, yes, yesyesyes, now??? Shuuichi started panting, feeling like he could shoot right then and there when Miss Nao touched his cock. She took the ring and-?

"Uunnfffffff!! Ngah! Ah!" He spasmed, the pain shooting through him unbearable, and just soooo delicious! It was almost like he could feel his heartbeat in his dick, and?! He just?!

"PLEASE!!" he screamed, his voice choked. "You did, but I did everything she said! I'll, I'll be nicer, just, ple-he-hease!!"

Already Shuuichi could feel himself starting to cry, unable to take any sort of teasing or denial when he'd been waiting all day for this. God, he could've cum, what, twenty times by now? Fifty?

Sniffling, he rolled off the bed at the librarian's word, landing on his hands and knees, and desperately, he tried to scramble as quickly as possible to the bathroom. And, for the beginning, it worked, the twinges from his crotch and rear pretty much what he'd been dealing with for the whole day. Then, his thighs began to shake, mucus starting to drip down their inner sides. Then he started to splay himself more outwards, his hips unable to deal with the pressure of 90 degrees.

And then...so close to the tub, he slipped, Shuuichi's back curving down as his hips fell, the growing ache making him huff moans as he dragged himself the rest of the way just with his arms, pulling his body into the tub. And quickly turning on his back, holding his cock out for, please, Miss Nao, please.

Well, that was certainly interesting. He wasn't healed, but he was definitely willing to push through the pain of an injury that absolutely should have immobilized him. So, like Seiko had told her, the drug, along with all its other properties, acted as a sort of...would it be correct to call it a pain suppressant? By watching the way he pulled himself into the tub by only the strength of his arms, it felt more right to say that he was just...dealing with the pain differently. Not avoiding it, which fit everything else he had done so far.

As he looked up at her, tears rolling down his wide, rolling eyes, clearly half-crazed by his need to release himself, she sighed. She wasn't so much mad that he wasn't nice to Seiko. She had a feeling that, as a 'recovering' addict, there were going to be plenty of moments in the future where Shuuichi would find it difficult to be nice to anyone.

No, what Nao hadn't appreciated were the implications, at least from Seiko's description, that Shuuichi seemed to believe that he knew better than them in regards to handling this poison. Which made her believe that he still had the willpower to try to work out ways of getting around Nao's rules, even with the threat of being returned to Luminary hanging over his head.

He could be sassy all he wanted, so long as he was willing to deal with the consequences of that, but rebellious? Nao had to take deliberate measures to get this idea out of his head that his opinions when it came to taking despair pollen had any value anymore. She needed him to acknowledge to himself that he didn't have a choice anymore.

But they had all night to work on that. And honestly, he seemed too out of it to really comprehend any lessons she could give him right now anyway. It would be best to clear his head a bit first.

Besides, she needed another sample.

So, taking another empty vile out of her pocket, she sat on the edge of the tub, Shuuichi's legs hanging over the edges as he looked up at her like she was his whole damn world. Nao wouldn't lie, at least to herself, and say she didn't get some thrill out of a look like that. The complete and total sexual madness to it. It was fascinating and horrifying and beautiful, in its own ways. "You really don't deserve release, you know," she said, watching the desperation in his face with a sort of excited glee. Placing the vile against the edge of his head, turning the ring a little, she said, "You're lucky I'm so generous."

Then, with a small yank, she popped the ring over his inflated head, holding the dick and the vile in place with both hands.

Shuuichi would've worried (reveled) about waking up the whole castle with his screams if not for the fact that his throat only made a few strained clicking sounds as his world exploded. It felt like his dick was exploding, like he'd be left with nothing but a bloody hole in its place, and he would've desperately checked that his penis was still there if he'd been able to move any part of his body.

Shuuichi's entire body was violently shaking and his vision was entirely whited out, as...god, it hurt so much it was amazing. Despite the rod still stuck in him, Shuuichi came thickly, the waves of cum even managing to push the rod out of him a little, and the little, excruciating movement only shocked him to his core. On his other side, Shuuichi was heavily leaking mucus, almost a mirror to his mouth, open with his tongue hanging out and drool dripping down his chin as he just...kept cumming.

It was more and more and more, an entire day's worth of orgasms hitting him at once, and Shuuichi could only weakly writhe in its grasp, not even able to breathe. To the point that, much later when he'd finally finished, his head lolled against the edge of the tub, and Shuuichi could only gasp and shiver with closed eyes.

It took literally a second for the vial to overflow, and Nao pulled it away quickly, letting go of his dick as she watched this reaction, fascinated and...a little concerned.

Two...two times a day may have been drastically low-balling it.

She put her chin in her hands, resting her elbow against her knee, as she watched him as he...she had made the right move to take him to the tub. It was almost like he was deflating. His body was now covered in a thick sheen of sweat, the mucus in his backside was pooling into the bottom of the tub, and he was heavily drooling, crying, and cumming more in one single gush than Nao had ever seen anyone do in their lives.

At some point he stopped taking in breaths and Nao thought to herself: if he dies, I need to make sure there's no trace I was ever here.

But after what felt like a minute and hopefully wasn't, for the sake of his brain, Shuuichi took in a sudden, gasping breath, and though each breath after that seemed pained and shaky and desperate, at least he was breathing again.

This lasted a while, and by the time he was done, Nao was seriously considering the possibility that, even if he didn't die, this...this moment right here might have done some serious, actual damage to his brain or nervous system. The closest thing she had ever witnessed to anything like what he had just done was seeing people put their hands onto electricity and not be able to let go, their body tensing and shaking and spasming long after they themselves had died.

She let him sit and breathe in the tub for a while, still sitting on the edge, before putting one of her own legs over, straddling the edge of the tub as, lightly, she kicked his side to get his attention.

"What's your name?" she asked, before continuing on, "And what's mine?"

He felt...drowned...and heavy. It felt like...he was hearing someone speak very, very far away...but he had to answer. He had to. He couldn't open his eyes, but he had to answer.

"Shluuminguh..." he said, more feeling like he'd just mouthed around a bubble than anything resembling speech. But he had to answer... Okay. He was... "...Shuu...Shuui-shi...Aha...da..."

...try again.

"...Sh-shuuichi...Saih-hara..." There we go. Not so hard.

...ow... His dick really hurt... Shuuichi sucked in another shuddering breath, trying to get the other answer out. "M-ma..."

No. This person was scary, but not Maki. Maki loved him, wouldn't...but she had hurt him. So much he felt like he was going to die...and this person had too, but...

"N-nao..." ...what was her last name? Had she ever told him? She had, right? He couldn't for the life of him remember... "...Miss Nao..."

Shuuichi shivered, feeling sticky and wet and cold and...disgusting. He was disgusting...

...hmmmm.

She...okay, yes. She may have misunderstood exactly how much his body was forcing him to arouse itself.

She had known, of course. Objectively. Everything in his biology right now was being morphed to keep him constantly seeking stimulus and capable of remaining aroused...apparently indefinitely. She had roughly worked that out yesterday...but having never seen or heard or read about anyone actually experiencing something like that, she had underestimated the sheer toll it would take on his body to try to maintain that level of arousal without any sort of reprieve.

It occurred to Nao that if she had made him wait another night, this could have actually killed him.

...Okay. She had to change her gameplan, both for tonight and tomorrow. This wasn't like yesterday, where she had caught him after he had fulfilled himself as many times as he wanted to. If she was going to insist that she take control of his ability to cum, then she needed to be more aware of the consequences of him holding back, and adjust accordingly.

And trying to teach him any lessons tonight would be pointless. He was barely coherent.

So, what did she have to work with? A doctor who was willing to keep her experiments secret...but only barely. And when Nao had accidentally starved and dehydrated him by keeping him cuffed and hidden in his room for, essentially, an entire day’s worth of time, and then had found herself explaining what he had possibly meant by 'eating himself' as nourishment...the doctor was still only barely on board for keeping this a secret. If she had seen what had just happened to him with her own eyes, Nao had no doubt she'd have gone to Aiichi the very second she could confirm that Shuuichi was still breathing.

She could also consider the housekeeper a resource, but...convincing him to keep quiet if he had to deal with Shuuichi's inevitable mood swings between desperate for sex and terrified of his caretakers, Nao had no way of confirming that Hajime would decide Nao was doing more damage then good, and could also go to the boss.

Nao had, very carefully, not done anything illegal...but that didn't mean there weren't possible consequences for doing all of this to herself. Again, even if not on the Dicean side of things, the Luminaries were...extreme personalities. Nao couldn't guarantee her own safety if either of them knew.

This would have all been simpler if she could count on releasing him only twice a day, but after this...

...this was more complicated than she maybe had anticipated.

"You've really become a pain in the ass, Shuu," Nao sighed, reaching over to the faucets and turning on the water, making sure only the bath portion was on. She didn't plug the bathtub yet, allowing the water to get to a not difficult temperature first, before plugging it up. "You make things so difficult. I'm half tempted to abandon you," she said...sort of meaning it.

...abandon him...? What did that...

A cold shock of fear made Shuuichi shudder, one of his legs spasming and banging his heel against the side of the tub. It was enough for him to open his tear-locked, dazed eyes.

"Nnnno, no, I d-did wha'chu said! Don' send me back! Pleas'!" He coughed around his slurred words, another mouthful of drool dripping onto his chest as he couldn't swallow it down. He'd followed all the rules! She couldn't send him back...b-back... there! He was so dirty, even if they sent him to a brothel, no one would touch him and he still wouldn't be able to cum. God he was such a freak, they'd just shut him in a closet, only open it up to gawk and laugh...

Shuuichi's mind was spiraling and a fresh wave of tears started rolling down his cheeks as his dick started twitching back to life, just enamored with the scenario playing out in his head. And with the rod that made every little thing hurt...

Especially the flood of urine that, with no warning at all, started to spray out around the rod, the pain from his bladder having been overshadowed by his need to cum all day. And Shuuichi just coughed and cried as he pissed on himself.

Nao just stared at the boy in the tub for a moment, taking in his slurred, slow speech, his tear-stained face, the flush of his cheeks, the round daze of his eyes... Shuuichi had been messing with things he didn't understand, and now... he was splayed out in a bathtub with a relative stranger looking over him, his body turning into a sex machine...and now he was pissing himself.

...he wouldn't have been able to use the bathroom all day either.

This wasn't... He wasn't...

...Shuuichi wasn't Wakame.

With a soft sigh, Nao gently lifted Shuuichi's legs and laid him out in the filling tub properly, waiting a few moments for him to empty his bladder before pulling the plug of the drain for a few moments to make sure he'd actually be surrounded by clean water.

Shuuichi was older than they had been at the time, but he was still just a kid. One that had had a lot of horrible things happen to him. And, while pain made him hard, Shuuichi wasn't...openly delighting in every form of misery. There was still some of him left. And, if she continued treating him like she had, it might be her, rather than the pollen, that would crush that little bit.

Taking up a washcloth and lathering it with soap as she had early that morning, Nao gently, almost tenderly, started washing Shuuichi down. She shushed him for a few moments before speaking softly. "You're nothing but trouble...but that's why I have to take care of you, hm? Come on, Shuu. We're going to wash you up, and I'll take the sounding rod out of your pee-pee, and then I want you to relax while I change your sheets, alright? You've made quite a mess of them, and you weren't even cumming."

Trick, trick, this was a trick, she was fucking with him.

...at least, that's kind of what he thought. It was kind of hard to think about anything right now, honestly. There was a buzzing in between his ears, and though he kept opening his eyes to look at her, afraid of what she might decide to do next, eagerly anticipating whatever she might decide to do next, his body (why, WHY, please, stop, please he just needed a break, a real break, just a few moments where he didn't feel like this) already starting to rev itself up again, he couldn't really maintain that vision, each blink lasting longer and longer.

He wasn't falling asleep. He just...couldn't function right now in any meaningful way.

Couldn't do much more then allow her to maneuver his body as she saw fit, Shuuichi feeling dizzy, this weird idea in his head that if he didn't brace his hands on the side of the tub as the water rose, that somehow the tub might tip over any second and spill both himself and the water out everywhere. Spill out all over Her. Make Her angry...

She was going to take the rod out?

But...but the rod made everything feel amazing...

...and also constantly, constantly made him think of his dick. He could constantly feel it inside of him, shifting, turning, pinching and burning. And she was going to take it out? A burn of excitement flipped through his stomach as he imagined what it would feel like to be taken out, especially with how badly his dick hurt right now, and a part of him wanted to leave it in forever, and a part of him really, really wanted it gone please please I need a b r e a k!

As Shuuichi flinched and twitched under her touches, he tried to explain to her what he wanted, even if he didn't understand what he wanted himself, and could even hear himself how crazy he sounded as he said to her, urgently, "-ut rod feels gh~ughd. G'rd? G-ood. Good. Feels good. Feels 'ike Miss Nao's inside me, allll the time, all the time, all the time, Miss Nao, tired, 'm so tired..."

Shuuichi wiggled under her touches, especially when the washcloth went lower on his body, everything overstimulated and yet his body was ready, ready for round two, round three, hurt me, hurt me, please I need a break, "I didn't! I didn't cum!" Shuuichi said, looking up at her urgently, trying to convey to her how much restraint he had shown, how good he had been. "I wanted to, I wanted to soooo bad, I waited for you all day, I waited, I did, I waited, but my 'ody won' stop LEAKING!" Shuuichi said, that last part high and stressed, his body starting to shake as he thought about how his ass hadn't stopped all day, not once, how badly he had wanted everyone who had seen him to touch him, take his gross, dirty body and use him, hurt him, hurt me, Maki, Kaito, hurt me, hurt me, please?

If his body was already seeking out stimulation, making itself completely open to that stimulation, then the rod had probably just made everything worse today. Without it, Shuuichi likely would've been squirming and desperate anyway--that's how she'd found him in the library in the first place.

Nao tsked, and mostly gave his rear a cursory wash, as he'd likely be quick to soil himself again. "Ew, if that's how you think of it, then I'm definitely taking that thing out. I'll only touch you when I decide to, and never at any other time, got it?"

Her frown deepened at his outburst, noting it to let Seiko know. He'd been producing the weird mucus all day? Considering how it seemed linked to his arousal, that made sense, since he'd been turned on all day, but still... She'd give him some water before she changed his sheets.

"So you're just constantly having an accident? Good thing you were in bed all day then--if a whore like you actually got up and walked around, everyone would be able to see how soaked you are." She smirked down at him, tossing the washcloth to the ledge of the tub and moving to lather some shampoo into her hands. His hair really needed a wash. "Do you think we should get you a diaper to catch all your mutant ass juice? And you wouldn't stain your pants when you cum!"

She'd probably wrap him up in a towel to sleep. Not the best thing, but...she really had no idea what to do about the liquid.

Shuuichi looked blearily up at her. Terrible words...but the feeling of his hair being washed was actually kinda nice...

He's not sure if his mentor had ever touched him like this. If she had when he was very young, he couldn't remember it. Maki and Kaito both had though. They had done it with leave-in conditioner, when the three had gotten into the habit over their six month journey to help each other get ready for the day, making up for a lack of available mirrors and making use of their close quarters.

Maki liked to push her hands in from the front, her fingertips gliding across the top of his head as she stared intently at his hair, her movement purposeful. Gentle and full of intent. She'd use the time to go over with Shuuichi the plan of the day. Thinking of his schedule, her schedule, Kaito's. Always thinking about them. Always taking steps to make sure they were secure, that they felt safe. Making Shuuichi feel safe.

Kaito liked to play with his hair a little before getting it settled down. He'd laugh and put his hands through it and floof it up, chuckling at making it stand as Shuuichi would just smile at him, letting him have his fun. Then, when Kaito was done playing, he'd settle down, gently combing through Shuuichi's hair and telling his sidekick how cool he looked. Telling him it was a shame he was going to hide all of Kaito's hard work under a hat. Making Shuuichi feel handsome. Making him feel loved.

Now Nao could be added to the list of people who had worked through his hair and made him feel certain ways.

Whore. Dirty. Childish. Helpless.

Shuuichi giggled.

"-'our stupid, ugly whore can't stop wetting himself, Miss Nao," Shuuichi admitted, giggling, looking up at her, adoring and full of lust and need and tired.

As he felt her hands in his hair, he closed his eyes, feeling some semblance of calm rush over him. His arousal flaring...but only just a tad, as he focused on the feeling of her fingers in his hair. On the way she made him feel. "I just want to be around you all the time. You hurt me best. And...I can't...it's hard to think of bad things happening to you. Too big. Too scary," Shuuichi muttered, opening his eyes, looking at her. Admiration plain on his face.

Then that admiration turned to guilt as he admitted, "It's...so hard not to hurt them...they'd make it so easy..."

...maybe he really would need something like a diaper. Hopefully not for long if Seiko could start undoing all the harm the pollen had done to Shuuichi's body, but...he really wouldn't be able to go around as normal if he was going to be leaking the entire time.

Sighing softly, Nao worked the soap into sweaty, greasy dark-blue tresses, actually only slightly darker than her own shade. Not the most uncommon color, but it was something her mind idly noted. Something easier than accepting that Shuuichi wanted to be hurt...but how he worried about bad things happening to his friends? That's who she assumed the "them" was, anyway.

"It's easy to hurt people that trust you--with that trust, they gave you all the ammo, of course. They showed you all the ways they could hurt, and then trust that you won't use that information against them. Unfortunately, Prince Kaito and Miss Harukawa, and even Prince Kokichi to a point, they placed their trust in dumb little Shuu, who'll give that information up in a heartbeat if someone says they'll jerk him off for it. Or if they just order him to."

"You're already hurting them with what you've done to yourself, but, no, it's really better this way, worrying your friends, selling them out to people who would kill them in a second. I bet you truly believe that, if only by how that future makes you wet." Annoyed, Nao let her nails scrape against Shuuichi's scalp for a moment before reining herself back in and starting to cup water to wash the shampoo off, cautioning Shuuichi to close his eyes.

And, maybe because it was very late at night, and Shuuichi was very overexposed, but Nao found herself trying for something she said she wouldn't.

"...Bad things did happen to me, once. Because of someone who you remind me a lot of, right now. You even both have gold eyes..." Though, in her memories, Wakame's eyes seemed brighter than Shuuichi's. Her friend had never shied away from anyone's gaze, instead confronting them head-on until they burned from her sun. "Though, she's been dead a long time. The world didn't need someone like her, and she didn't go down as a hero or a villain, a martyr or a monster... The world forgot all about her. Like she never existed at all."

"No...it'd make them better..." Shuuichi tried to insist, though he flinched and closed his eyes when he felt her nails threaten to cut against his skull, a shiver of anticipation running through his body.

He wanted to explain to her that he would have done it, would have dosed all of them, if he hadn't found out it would kill Kokichi. That he hadn't pursued that train of thought because Kaito wouldn't want to become RoD if Kokichi couldn't do it, sworn to his husband as he was...and Maki wouldn't do it if Kaito didn't want to. Kokichi's chronic illness was a domino effect, keeping happiness from his friends...

...he sighed and shivered and kept that all to himself. It didn't matter anymore. He had messed everything up. He didn't have any more ideas.

(...that wasn't true. He had one idea...but it would only work on Kaito. Maki would have to be left behind. It would, in fact, likely destroy Shuuichi's relationship with her entirely, not to mention Kaito and her relationship, eventually. Shuuichi couldn't make a sacrifice like that.

And besides, it was cruel. Too cruel to seriously consider. It would badly hurt both of them. It was so easy to hurt them...)

So, she knew about the conditioning, huh. He...he supposed it was just a matter of time before the Diceans worked that out. Even if it was triggered randomly, it had still been nice, people around him not knowing explicitly something that intimate and vulnerable about himself. He wondered how long it would take before strangers, hearing rumors of how poorly trained he had been, started to try triggering it on purpose...that had happened plenty, back in Luminary...

Heh...the guy whose career was to uncover secrets couldn't keep any himself, unless specifically ordered to by the highest authorities, and even then it was always iffy. There was something poetic in that...probably.

"...she sounds like a Remnant," Shuuichi murmured, afraid to say anything about the woman that Miss Nao clearly missed, and too enticed by his fear to keep quiet. "Burn and burn and burn and then quiet. They want-" we want? "-everyone to be forgotten. One last burst of joy, then silence...sounds peaceful..."

Nao snorted. "I really doubt they'd think flying into a constant, uncontrollable, paranoid rage, or becoming, as you put it, meek and helpless are things that they'd consider 'better'. Or becoming dead, in Kokichi's case."

The way Seiko had explained it, is that it wasn't just a case of parts of your personality being flipped around. It was that you were put on a path to bring yourself as much misery as possible. For Shuuichi...Nao couldn't say for sure, since she hadn't really known him before he started taking the pollen, but...it seemed that he had lost all faith in his friends, unable to trust them. A truly horrible thing for someone who was so alone in the world otherwise.

Keeping a hand on his forehead to keep soap from running into his eyes, Nao washed out Shuuichi's hair, gently combing through it as she did. And she hummed. "No...she wasn't a Remnant."

"Wakame wanted people to live as truthfully as possible, to embrace their ugliness. And there are rotten people out there who match her perspective--from what I've heard, the rest of the Momota family fit in quite well. I'd guess who really is behind the Remnants too. But, on the whole...she would've been pissed to know how intrinsically caring most people are at their cores."

"Meanwhile," she sighed dismissively, "the Remnants are handing out masks like party favors. They can't get people to agree normally, so they have to drug all but a few bad apples. I'd even hazard a guess Mr. Tengan and Miss Yukizome are of that camp."

Finished with his hair, Nao reached down Shuuichi's body, giving his cock a few gentle squeezes down his length before taking a hold of the rod.

"And of course you'd conflate orgasm with joy, you stupid little nympho. And even if it was, that's not their call to make."

And with that, she started to pull.

"Ha! Eh-ha, Haaa-HHHNNNN!!!"

Shuuichi hadn't understood what she was doing at first. He had looked up at her, chest suddenly lighting up with hope when she had reached down to massage his dick a little, the detective hoping that maybe she wanted to touch him (hurt him) after all...and she did, but-

"Ah, AHH! F-fuck, oww, ow, ahhHHHHHHHHHH!!"

It hurt, it HURT, i-it felt amazing, please, please, it burned, it burned so much, his whole fucking lower body burned he w-was gonna vomit, fuck, FUCK!

He stared down at his dick in the water like he had no idea what the fuck it even was, but found himself quickly, eagerly spreading his legs, slipping and struggling to move in the tub, but getting one of his legs over the side of the tub (accidentally splashing Miss Nao in the process) and just barely managed to brace his other one on the lip of the other edge.

This of course made him less steady, and he slipped down a bit, his face closer to the water, Shuuichi only managing to keep his head above water by clutching the side of the tub with one hand and putting an extremely precarious elbow at the bottom of the tub to prop himself up.

All the chill he had been struggling to hold onto. All the calm that was finally, finally coming to him after days of constantly feeling horny? All gone in an instant.

It was like his brain was on fire, and looking up from the water and towards Miss Nao with wide, needing eyes as he panted, "Please, please, please, oh god, hurt me, h-hurt me, ha-AA-A!" His toes curled as felt the thing inside of him move more, that precarious elbow already slipping under him, his face splashing against the water as Shuuichi stared at the ceiling, face red, struggling to catch his breath as he said, "Please, please be good to your whore, p-please, I'll do anything, hurt me, kill me, I w-wanna die, please, please-"

It was important to keep his dick steady as she pulled the rod out--no matter how big his hole had gotten, it wasn't big enough for the rod to just slip out, and Nao was not about to be so careless as to rip something inside of Shuuichi's penis. However...he really was being no help at all. Shuuichi was actively making it more difficult for himself to stay above the water and...

"Not today, you suicidal fool," the librarian grunted, letting go of his dick with one hand and gripping around the back of Shuuichi's neck, keeping him above the water level. Not moving the rod any, she glared coldly at him. "Hold your dick steady. If I see you trying to move it, to split yourself open, I will stop."

She'd barely pulled anything out, and he was already losing his mind. Shuuichi...might actually pass out from this. He was no doubt still hypersensitive from being delayed all day, but if she left the rod in, then...then he'd just keep getting horny anyway. And there would never be a "good time" to take it out.

So it had to happen now.

She put her hand around his neck and-fuck he might love her.

Shuuichi gave her a wide, adoring smile, wanting her to grip him harder, to dig her nails in and squeeze...but he whined at her threat to stop entirely, uncertain what he had done wrong. Didn't she want him to hurt? Wasn't that why she kept doing it? He understood she was trying to, what was the word for it...the closest thing he could think of was 'recondition' him. He knew she was trying to condition him off the pollen, but certainly she kept hurting him because she enjoyed it, right?

So what had he done wrong?

He wanted her to keep doing it, to keep hurting him, to let him keep enjoying her painful, terrible touches...b-but he would listen to her. He both did and didn't want to upset her. He never knew what she was going to do when she was upset. Sometimes it felt good. Sometimes all it did was scare him in a way that wasn't fun. He couldn't guess her (or even his) reactions to things.

So...o-okay! He'd be good! He'd be good!

Shuuichi shivered and trembled in anticipation, grabbing at his dick, wincing as he felt that stinging, burning shock again at it being touched...and then running his thumb over the bits that ached the most, the arousal inside of him burning and jumping with the pain.

"O-okay, okay, Miss Nao, okay, o-kay," Shuuichi murmured, his skin tingling with excitement at the feeling of her hand on the back of his throat, but already missing the water. It had felt so nice, that brief moment when his air had thinned while his lower half ached and screamed at him, his already spent and overstimulated dick sincerely unable to handle any kind of touch gracefully.

Between the water and her and his own body, Shuuichi felt like he could die any second...and it was amazing.

She just watched him for a moment, making sure that he was going to hold himself steady, and when she was...more or less sure, Nao started pulling the rod again. She still thought that putting it in was the more painful action, but...it couldn't be in any way pleasant. Or...it couldn't be pleasant for anyone who still felt pain properly and didn't become aroused from it.

Ignoring his cries of pain and pleasure, his trembles and shivers, Nao focused on the slow movement of removing the sounding rod, looking at the thing in disgust as globs of old semen came out with it, but...no blood. No blood yet, and she was hoping for the whole thing to go that way, despite her curiosity over his changed hue. Right now, a UTI would be just as bad as the rod for him.

And, ever firm and steady, she held the back of Shuuichi's neck and propped up his head, refusing to let him drown.

And...eventually...

Nao sighed, tossing the rod into the water to...get a little cleaner, at least.

At some point, he started to see big, black spots in his vision, and he had found himself fighting her grip on his neck. Not really trying to...go anywhere, not to get away from her or go into the water. He just...hadn't been able to not move. Going back and forth between grinding his teeth as he struggled to breathe and panting as fast as his chest would let him.

When it was finally done, Shuuichi had gone back to staring at the ceiling, just let himself rest in her grip, feeling...tired and satisfied, a thin line of drool going down the side of his mouth as his body twitched and shuddered in the 'afterglow'.

He had no idea if he came again or not, during all that. He didn't know if there was any cum left inside of him to give. He just knew that he felt emptier and spent and warm and pleased as he looked up at the terrifying woman, just...every endorphin in his body assuring him that he loved her.

Wife? Who cared about a wife. Shuuichi would be her whore too. Miss Nao always made him feel so good...his body ached to return the favor. He never made her feel good. He wanted to thank her so much. There was so much of him to play with. Certainly her dirty fuckhole could make her feel good a little!? Certainly he was good for that!

He couldn't form the words to convey that to her though. He tried to though. All he managed to get out was, "...l...love 'ou...'ours, be y'er 'uck-ole 'ish Nao..." and then a high, mad giggle as he smiled up at her.

His hole had certainly been enlarged when she first put the sounding rod in him, but, fuck. It would probably be uncomfortable, but it looked like his dick could be fingered now. If she'd allow him to touch himself at all, Shuuichi would probably be elated.

Carefully, Nao grabbed Shuuichi under his arms to sit him up a little more. Originally, she'd planned on having him relax in the bath for a little bit while she made his bed actually habitable, but... She looked over the dazed, drooling boy. Even if he didn't try on purpose, he might end up drowning himself by accident.

Thinking about what to do, Nao wasn't going to really listen to whatever crazed rambling came out of Shuuichi's mouth, but...

Nao blinked at the younger man before gritting her teeth and rolling her eyes, pulling the plug and grabbing a towel. "That stuff has really fucked with your brain, huh, Shuu? Too bad sending you in for a lobotomy would be extremely illegal. Even if you'd agree to it, huh? Letting people violate even your brain. No part of Shuu's slutty body untouched."

"You're absolutely wretched," she murmured tenderly as she pulled him out of the tub and into a sort of hug with the towel, drying him off gently before wrapping his pelvic area in...well. It did sort of look like a towel-diaper. But he needed a layer to catch his gross, smelly mucus.

Picking him up bridal-style, Nao walked them back into his room. "Think you can stay still while I fix up your bed? I'm going to get you a glass of water, and I want you to sip on it, Shuu. Is that simple enough for you?"

Shuuichi nuzzled into her chest when she picked him up, echoing happily, "...'retche...", feeling, just so tired and mindless and euphoric. Today had been too much. Too much for poor Shuuichi. If this was what a lobotomy felt like, this numb, simple emptiness, then she was right. He'd happily sit in a chair and let them literally fuck his brain.

He was an idiot, worthless slut now anyway. He didn't need it anymore.

Shuuichi nodded his head at her, giggling softly as he said, "'esh?" He swallowed hard, staring up at her bleary eyed as he nodded again. "'s M-ss Nao...'imple..."

Shuuichi giggled mindlessly to himself as he stayed where she put him, his brain seriously pushed to its limit. Like before, once he had some time and could calm down and get some oxygen into his brain again, his thoughts would eventually come back under control. He'd eventually be himself again. But at this moment he was helpless, every half-coherent thought purposefully being disregarded with no further analysis because of just how fucking tired he was.

He had forgotten she said she was going to bring him water right up till and a little after she had done so, and Shuuichi held the glass in his hand, staring at it dumbly for a while before taking a sip. Giggling and humming cheerfully to himself, his body occasionally, randomly violently shivering as a random nerve in his body tried to recover from what had happened to it.

...at the very least, she knew Prince Kaito believed in the god Atua, so she gave her skeptic's prayer up to the hypothetical being, asking them to give Kaito and Maki and Kokichi strength in the future to help heal Shuuichi. Because...despite all the danger with it, Nao knew she had it easy to...hm.

Let's say taking the pollen had been Shuuichi stabbing a knife into himself. Continuing to take the pollen, his lust for pain and despair, that was Shuuichi pressing the knife deeper, wiggling it around, making the wound sloppy and big. What Nao, with Seiko's help, was doing, was trying to bat Shuuichi's hands away long enough to pull the knife out. However, the young man had stabbed himself so severely that if they just yanked the knife out, he'd bleed out and die. They had to pull carefully, and maybe they would make mistakes and cut him a little on the way out, but it was better than leaving the knife in for him to play with.

What Shuuichi's friends would have to do would be to heal the stab wound. And that...would be an absolute nightmare. Because where Nao accidentally hurting Shuuichi was a necessary evil (though, remembering Seiko's anger...maybe she'd added a few unnecessary wounds anyway...), the others hurting Shuuichi would just be more injuries they'd have to heal.

They'd need all the luck they could get.

Keeping an eye on Shuuichi, Nao got to work, first stripping his bed and tossing the covers into his closet, then taking fresh sheets and, while she was no Mr. Hinata, housekeeper professional, Nao could certainly make a bed. She'd only found one spare clean blanket, but it was better than nothing.

"Time for bed, Shuu," she gently cooed, walking back over to the boy she'd left on the floor, moving to pick him up again.

Shuuichi's whole body flinched as she reached down towards him again, a sudden, vivid memory of being turned around to face the mirror, a leash tight around his neck, told to look at himself, look you slut... and his body tensed...but she just picked him up, incredibly strong. Shuuichi wasn't small. She was just so big...

Shuuichi lost his grip on the glass, but he had found he was incredibly thirsty after he had had those first few sips, and the water was gone now anyway. The glass fell, the short impact onto the wood enough to crack its side, but not shatter it. Shuuichi forgot about the glass as soon as he lost his grip on it, putting his arm around Nao's shoulders, nuzzling into her again, just wanting to be close to her, loved her, loved her, was terrified of her, hated her...but also loved her. All those emotions sitting comfortable next to each other in the gaping void that was his heart right now.

"'ank 'ou," Shuuichi mumbled sleepily, so tired...but as she put him into the bed, a frightened thought came to mind, and he looked up at her, desperately, "...'et a 'ose t'morrow? 'lease?"

Nao grimaced at the nuzzle, not from the gesture itself, but what it meant coming from him. Maybe in another life it would've been sweet, if, entirely in his own right mind, Shuuichi had come to her for some fun, and she'd (compassionately and safely) tired him out to this point, and he found himself craving sweeter affection... But as it was, Nao was holding a lunatic that had had his brain so twisted that he wanted to be closer to the person who had gotten as close to torture as she could without crossing serious lines.

"It would be so easy to commit you, nutter-butter," she sighed in exasperation. Just make him someone else's problem. But she couldn't do that to him, not now.

Nao settled him in bed as best she could, moving his now soft and clean hair out of his face and tucking him in, making sure the towel was snug around his hips... and she snorted, straightening and taking the flower clip out of her hair, letting the brighter blue fall from its bun. "Yeah, yeah, you'll get your poison. I don't have it on me now," she lied, now loosening her belt and dropping her skirt, "so don't get any funny ideas.

She was quick to unbutton her shirt, unzip her boots, revealing her heavily scarred body to the boy who looked like he was about to doze off at any second... And then Nao put a knee on the bed, swinging herself around to big spoon Shuuichi, putting a firm arm around his middle.

Shuuichi had the sudden, irrational idea that he had done something wrong. Like, genuinely wrong, something to enrage her, and she was going to hurt him. Like, really, really, hurt him, in some new way that he couldn't guess. That this was all leading to something really, really bad. He stared, transfixed, as piece by piece suddenly all of her clothes fell away, and she crawled over him, on top of him...

And he laid there, wide eyed and trembling, as she settled in behind him, her whole body leaning into him, arms around him.

She wasn't going to leave him? She wasn't leaving. She was going to be there all night. He felt...so conflicted by that idea. Was he going to be allowed to sleep? She never stayed longer than it took to clean him out. To hurt him. Was she done? Was she not finished yet?

...but she wasn't doing anything. Just lying there. Holding him.

...carefully, trembling, Shuuichi leaned back into her. Trying to let himself relax in her grip. All of his happy, buzzed feelings muted as his frightened, paranoid brain tried to figure out what was happening, what was going to happen next, what was he being set up for??

...but nothing continued to happen...and Shuuichi giggled. Then covered his mouth, not wanting to disturb her.

Eventually his trembling died down, and so did his need to laugh, and he felt that loopy exhaustion come back to him, his thoughts floating and spiraling and fading into nothing as his body calmed down in her grip. Occasionally he'd feel her breath on his neck in a way that brought a previous session back to the front of his mind and he'd tense a little...but eventually even that eased, and, after awhile, finally relaxed enough to fall asleep.

She knew this was pretty stupid. But...after what she'd done to him last time, Nao didn't want...she didn't want to overcorrect. Kindness would lead to him destroying himself, and cruelty would just have her destroying him. So...there had to be a middle ground. There had to be a right way to handle people like this that wouldn't leave them lying in bloody pieces in the dirt.

So, instead of coming back early in the morning, Nao was going to keep watch over Shuuichi all night. If he roused, she’d get him more water, and if he needed to pee, then she'd carry him to the bathroom. If he leaked through the towel, she'd get a new one. Then, before she left in the morning, she'd empty him out again, give him a bigger cock ring, and...how the hell was she going to empty him throughout the day?

Letting her eyes rest as she held the soft, slightly feverish body in her arms, Nao thought. There was...no way she'd be able to get Maki or Kaito out during their shifts. Nothing short of Kokichi having another attack would do that, and that wasn't something Nao was willing to do. So...maybe she could set it up as a test? Shuuichi had to keep the ring on, but he could relieve himself once during the day. He'd have to choose wisely when to spend it. ...maybe. Without the rod (which she'd clean and collect before she left), maybe he wouldn't be as pent up?

...hm. She might have to play the next day by ear. She could get the samples to Seiko in the morning, and then...continue to hope the doctor's work paid dividends.

Shuuichi was losing it.

-

With everything happening with Kokichi and Shuuichi, Timothy found he was suddenly being left on his own again and was...fine. With that.

He didn't care that training was cancelled. He was glad! He didn't wanna go running around and doing stupid sit-ups and squats with Miss Harukawa and Kaito anyway. He was FINE on his own! He was almost ten years old! He didn't need ANYONE.

Which was why he found himself on one of the outside parts of the castle, near the dumpsters where the kitchen staff got rid of waste that couldn't be recycled, using a knife that he had stolen to carve dicks and curse words into the stone wall.

Why was Prince Kokichi almost always dying anyway? Why was he so small and weak and needed so much attention anyway? He was lucky he was royalty. Princes had it so fucking easy. Imagine Prince Kokichi, trying to grow up in the orphanage. He'd have collapsed and died during their first physical requirements test. No one would have ever picked him for a career.

Kaito too! He was weak too! Miss Harukawa ran circles around him, and he was also, just, always injured. If he didn't have Miss Harukawa and Mr. Saihara watching out for him, he'd probably be dead too. They were both weak and stupid and always hogging everyone's attention!

Not that Timothy cared! He didn't! He wasn't a weak, worthless baby like they were! He was a soldier! An Indentured Soldier! He was stronger than anyone! He didn't need anyone to take care of him!

Thinking this, gritting his teeth, Timothy drew stickman figures of both the princes into the stone wall, among the curse words and dicks, and then hotly started to strike them out.

Haneda had learned a few things in her endless, useless chase after Timothy. The first was that, if she somehow ended up finding him, that she should just stay quiet. Honestly, she preferred that, and it was certainly better than trying to ask him to stop running. The second was linked to the first. If she didn't want to spend nearly all day every day running around the castle like a maniac, then...she just had to make him think he wasn't being chased.

There was something funny, about hiding from an assassin-in-training, but...it could just be another part of his training, in a way. It was one thing to be able to hide in the shadows, but another to sense people doing the same thing.

And for Haneda, who had spent practically her entire childhood hiding from community watch members, it was pretty easy to keep out of sight from a single nine-year-old.

...even if it was pretty boring. Just squatting on the upper lip of a window, watching Tim vandalize a wall no one looked at except for when they needed to do repairs.

...against her better judgment, Haneda spat in the face of her first lesson. "...wanna go to town, Tim?"

"Ahh!" Timothy shouted, backing up a few steps and holding his knife up in front of him, looking wildly around to see who had just spoken to him and seeing...no one?

He looked side to side, then behind himself, and then finally looked up...tilting his head in confusion. It was the crazy lady, the one always trying to follow him. He hadn't seen her in a few days...what was she doing up there?

...town?

"...what do you mean?" Timothy said warily, lowering his knife and looking at her in concern, the crazy chasing lady having never said anything like this to him before. "...we can go into town?" he asked, genuinely confused. He had only ever been down there once, when Miss Harukawa had taken him to get a swimsuit, and it sorta felt like...town might be off limits to him in some way.

"It's pretty boring watching you vandalize stuff no one will see just to get your pisses out. Nothing's happening here today, especially with all the sick folk, so, to hell with it, wanna go to town?"

With a sigh, Haneda jumped down from the lip, shaking out her heavy boots for a moment before straightening her jacket and giving her ward a firm nod. "You live here, so, yeah. I got the feeling Miss Harukawa didn't want you running around town without her to supervise, but fuck it, I'm your supervisor too. I just gotta make sure you're not gonna pick fights with every person you see, but then at least I'm doing something."

She wasn't an idiot. She knew why Maki didn't want Tim going into town without her. But, aside from a nod or wave here and there, the kid didn't talk to anyone other than the other Luminaries. She'd heard talk of sending him to school next term and, shit, how did they expect him to do that when he never left the castle? When he was never really around anyone? Even if he was gonna hate everyone, Tim needed to get out more.

And for the people who would really hurt Tim if they found out who he was...well, that's why Haneda was going.

Taking a step towards the front gate, Haneda jerked her head in that direction, affixing her tired, dual-colored gaze on Tim. "So, you wanna go or not?"

Timothy looked at the crazy lady warily. Maybe he should...go ask Miss Harukawa...

...Fuck it! What did it matter if he was inside the castle or outside of it! She wouldn't want to know where he was until he was supposed to check in with her before dinner! That gave him all day to be anywhere. So where did it matter where he was?

B-besides, Miss Harukawa had said he should try to learn something from the crazy chasing lady anyway. So...this was just him following her advice! Right??

"...can I bring my knife?" Timothy asked, looking over at the gate nervously, taking a few steps forward to follow her.

In a twitch of a movement that was likely becoming familiar to Tim, Haneda flashed him the image of a collapsible knife palmed in her hand before it disappeared again. "If you can hide it, you can have it. Never leave home without it. The person who sleeps with a machete under their pillow is a fool every night but one, as they say."

Things did tend to be peaceful, but you never knew when the day would come that things spiraled out of control and you'd need every advantage you could get. Unlike some of the others, it didn't bother Haneda to see Tim handling weapons. She had probably been pocketing blades at his age as well.

Hands in her pockets, Haneda started a comfortable pace, knowing intimately how fast Tim could move, so she wasn't worried about him catching up. "You have your allowance on you?"

Timothy looked down at the throwing dagger that he had stolen from Miss Harukawa, remembering how she hid hers in special seams in her skirts. He didn't have that, but...it'd fit securely in the waistband on his underwear. Putting the knife there, Timothy followed after the crazy chasing woman, saying simply, "Miss Harukawa told me to keep it in that metal box in the post office for now..."

And the two headed out into town.

"Ah, responsibility. Better not mess with that lesson--I like all my fingers where they are." Haneda nodded a bit to herself. The younger woman often looked like she could do with chilling out, but the housekeeper respected her intensity on the whole. Dealing with other people's bullshit got at least a little easier if you didn't have any patience for it. "Let me know if you want to get food, then."

The trip into town was pretty quiet between them. For the month or so Haneda had been chasing after Timothy, her offering bandages had been the most they had ever talked. She knew he at least took the cookies she'd sometimes leave out for him, and...well?! That was it. Nothing to overthink or dwell on. They were just two strangers that, by duty and circumstance, had to occasionally see each other.

Still, Haneda avoided the busier parts of town as they started to walk around. For both of their comforts.

It was a more or less quiet trip, and if Timothy had been in a different headspace, he might have whined, at least to himself, that his 'grand escape' from the castle was actually pretty boring...if literally every nerve in his body wasn't screaming fight or flight to him while they walked around.

He was among the enemy.

Sure, he knew he...technically wasn't now, he guessed. Kaito said that was just how things went, that enemies just stopped being enemies once a bunch of rich people got around and decided it was so. Though he knew this, and had started kind of coming to terms with the idea at least with the Diceans in the castle, here, a bunch of fresh, new, ever changing sets of them? They were enemies!

And certainly some of these people had to know they were enemies too.

Having no one else, Timothy found himself walking close to Crazy Chasing Lady, keeping his arms crossed around his chest with a scowl defiantly, but mostly just staring at the ground, a bundle of nerves. He knew they were all Diceans, but could they tell he was Luminary? He knew, physically, there wasn't any difference between the two kinds of people, but...it felt like it was written on his face.

And, it would be proven in a second, it kind of was.

"Awwwww, baby!" said a white-haired woman that seemed really, really old to Timothy, but who we know as the college-aged student, Aba, appear out of nowhere. Leaning down in front of him and, with no prompt or hesitation, reached down to put a hand on his face, her thumb tracing a part of where the long scar that went from the top left corner of his face down to the bottom right rested there. "What happened to you??"

Timothy had asked Crazy Chasing Lady if they could get ice cream at a stand they had come across, and she had agreed, so they were currently waiting together in the middle of that line to that stand. Aba was also enjoying a day at the market, and had seen the boy with the long scar on his face and, a flush to her cheeks and her eyes just a tad wide, couldn't help but go up to him, curious how a small child had gotten such a large wound like that.

Her curiosity doubled when he opened his mouth and she heard the strong consonants in his 'have to be just the right kind of nationalist shithead to listen for it' accent.

Huh. Interesting.

"Say it again, baby, I didn't hear you?" Aba said, too fascinated by the accent to hear what the Luminary child had actually said.

"...got it...in a fight..." Timothy murmured, her thumb still tracing his scar, which made him more and more unsettled.

A few of the other people in the line looked at this exchange curiously, one or two of them wondering if they should intervene. Was it okay for that woman to just...that seemed a bit rude, didn't it? Should someone...? But no one was quite sure if this odd exchange was worth intervening over, not yet.

Aba pouted sadly at him, saying dramatically, "Oh no! Not a fight? With who, baby?"

Timothy looked up at her at this question, almost on the verge of saying 'Dicean Soldier'...and lost his nerve, turning to Crazy Chasing Lady and burying his face into her hip. Hiding.

Haneda twitched, and it was only through self-control that most people would struggle with that she didn't take this woman's arm and hurl her twenty feet back. Probably saying something like, "Oi, hands to yourself, bitchwad!!"

Unfortunately, suppressing that reaction made her just a tad slow, and while Hadeba glared with the fury and intensity of hell itself (her kinda pissed face), she could only put a hand on Timothy's shoulder and turn them just so to put herself between her ward and the woman.

"Ma'am," the housekeeper said with only the barest amount of politeness, "I would advise you against going up to strangers and touching them--especially children. Please," she spat out the word like a threat, "leave us alone."

Some drunk college kid getting too handsy and too nosy wasn't the kind of thing Haneda had thought she'd need to protect Tim from, but, god, some people were just infuriating.

Aba looked up at the masked woman and felt a twirl of delight shift inside of her, staring into the fury of a threatened caretaker. So, this person was looking after a Luminary child, huh. Interesting! She wondered if he was a refugee, like Itch and Tom! Or could he possibly have been left behind by the Luminary Party when they came to town?

...Or...wait...

...hadn't there been a rumor that some kid had stabbed the Luminary Prince???

Aba laughed sweetly, staring down at the boy with even more interest, her face full of delight. Was this the kid!? They had literally had a party in his honor when word of that had gotten around! How exciting!!

Tom and Itch had to meet him!

Giving the caretaker a wink, she said to the boy, "Aww, I'm sorry, baby, I didn't mean to scare you. I just saw a boy with such a cool battle scar that I thought..." what had been the kid's name again? They had all commented how close to Tom it was...Right! "maybe he was the famous Tim?"

Timothy looked out from Crazy Chase Lady's coat, looking at the old white-haired woman in surprise. How did she...?

Famous? Seemed like 'infamous' would be a better fit. Being known for a stabbing wasn't the sort of thing Diceans looked at with awe, even if it had been against a Luminous person...but that person had been, at the time, their future leader's future husband, and one of the people that kinda had to stay alive for the war to end. For Luminary to go away and stop harassing them so their friends and family could come home.

...there had been mixed reactions, as far as Haneda had heard, but they all seemed to boil down to one thing--the attacker was a child. And, for as horrifying as that was, any true anger was more directed at Luminary than the child.

But from how the woman spoke...maybe she was one of the loons that wanted the war to have continued in the hopes of Dicea breaking out in a win, making Luminary back down for good. If that was the case, then there was even more reason for her to get the fuck away from Timothy.

Keeping herself between Tim and the woman, Haneda moved up in line as it moved forward, gently coaxing Tim along as well, though she wasn't able to fully suppress a low growl in her throat. Aside from any intentions, this woman's voice and demeanor pissed her off.

Aba snickered, knowing by the growl that she was pushing her luck already...that was alright. The look on the kid’s face and the reaction of his caretaker was all the confirmation she needed. So, now she knew what the would-be assassin looked like. Not only that, but he was easy to identify via description. Just find the kid with the giant scar across his face!

The kid himself was clearly shy and stand-offish, but the look of curiosity on his face when she had recognized him...

Ha! This could end up being so much fun!

But later. Not now. If the kid had been left behind by the Luminary Party, chances were he lived in the castle now. The castle was extremely simple to walk in and out of. If the boys wanted to meet him, and Aba suspected they would, it would be a simple thing to do in the future, without this particularly furious woman around to interfere. They had been talking about going to talk to the emo detective boy who they were pretty certain was hiding from them now up there too, soon, so they were even already making the trip!

It was nice, when things all fell together like that.

"Alright, alright, I think someone's grumpy. I'll leave you alone. It was nice meeting you, Tim! My name is Aba, so now we know each other! Don't be afraid next time I come say hi, okay!? Byeeeee!"

With a giggle, and another malicious little wink to the caretaker, the woman walked off.

As she did so, a man who was with his young daughter ahead of them in line, who had been watching this whole thing with concerned expressions, turned to the masked woman. "Hey...me and my kid are just walking around town. If you don't feel safe, I can walk you and your son home, miss."

His daughter, roughly Timothy's age, gave him a big grin as she said quietly to him, "That lady was weeeeird...your scar is cool though. I have a scar too! Do you wanna see it!?"

Without any prompting, she rolled up the sleeve of her shirt a bit, showing a long, thick burn scar. "The frying pan fell on me. It hurt a lot! Cool, right!?"

Timothy looked at the grinning, excited girl in open bafflement. "Uh...yeah?"

Don't get an assault charge. Don't do it, Hane. You've managed to hold on to your job this long, don't you dare blow it now. You're in charge of a kid, and even if the kid was a solider, you still have to set an example that's not going off on strangers that are just being a little creepy.

You good? Good.

God, her next therapy session couldn't come soon enough.

Haneda turned to the man in front of them, about to correct that, no, Tim wasn't her son (geez, like, teenage pregnancies happened, but she would've been, like, 15 when Tim was born!), but... Some of her hackles lowered as she saw Tim and the little girl just...talk.

"Thank you, but...Timothy? Do you want to head home after this?" The kid barely ever got out, and while things like what had just happened could certainly be cause for just heading home...like, she could just ask where his mind was at. Not make any assumptions about what would be best. A lot of his life was being decided by other people, and, while, yeah, some of that was just par for the course being a kid with people who cared about him, he was certainly old enough to start to enact some of his own agency.

Timothy looked up at Crazy Chase Lady nervously. "Uh...ye-"

"Oh! You should come with us! We're gonna go look at the cats and dogs down at FurrFriends!" the girl said, bouncing on her toes, her soft green eyes practically beaming with joy as she said urgently to Tim. "They just got a new litter of brown puppies! My friend Liz told me she saw them and they're amaziiing!"

The girl’s father, who immediately looked more tired, said, "But we're just going to look Cali...we've talked about this-"

"...there's going to be dogs?" Timothy said, his eyes widening.

The girl, Cali, looked seriously at him, hands balled into fists as she whispered back conspiratorially to him, "Oh yeah. So many dogs."

Timothy felt a wave of excitement run through him...he had always really liked dogs. They weren't supposed to, but a lot of the military dog trainers had been fine with letting Timothy pet their dogs. And the excitable pink-haired girl was going to go pet baby dogs...??

Timothy looked up at Crazy Chasing Lady, already looking a tad defensive, waiting for a hard no as he said, "...can we?"

"Yeah! Can he!?" Cali cried, literally jumping in excitement next to him as she stared up excitedly at the adults, "Let's go see the dogs!!"

There was something uncharacteristically soft in Haneda's eyes at the mention of the pet shelter. She wondered if they were still housing the Groenendaels she saw the last time she was there, or if they had been adopted yet...

Looking down at the kids, Haneda gave a nod. "Let's finish the ice cream first, though. Bringing in food isn't allowed anyway, but it's mean to taunt the animals with food that would make them sick."

Moving up in the line again, Haneda gave the man another nod. "Apologies for crashing your day, but thank you." Going to see some new puppies sounded like a perfect way to make, like, any day better, but even more to make up for that uncomfortable situation.

...and it was nice to see Tim around someone his own age that was excited to talk with him.

-

Kaito had woken up early that morning. Very early, for no particular reason. He just...hadn't been able to get back to sleep.

He had ended up catching Maki's attention, and the two had chatted quietly for a while, about nothing in particular. Maki reminded Kaito that he had to go tell the king what days they were trying to leave and be back by. Kaito talked excitedly about maybe getting his hands on a big, inflatable tire? Something that would let him float on the water a bit, even with the cast? They wondered if Tim knew how to swim and if maybe they should make some effort to teach him in a local water hole before taking him to an ocean. Kaito suddenly wondered if Kokichi knew how to swim, and shoot, maybe they should??

Then, as the morning sun started to rise and Kokichi still wasn't up, Kaito asked Maki if she would watch him for an additional hour so he could try something.

That hour had come and gone, and Maki was still waiting, somewhat concerned, when she heard a quiet voice outside say, "Maki! My hands are full, can you let me in?"

Maki went to open the door for him...and sighed. "Really?"

Kaito gave her a nervous grin. "I...I tried my best," he said, over the tray of...well...it was definitely supposed to have been breakfast. Maki looked over it, and could tell just by looking that the two pancakes were somehow both burnt and underdone, the bread was charcoal, what was that supposed to be?? And...well, at least the two eggs, sunny side up, looked relatively normal, if a little over done.

More importantly, on the side of the tray was a bowl of porridge and fruit that Kaito clearly had nothing to do with its creation, and a fresh pot of Kokichi's tea.

"Why did you even bring the rest of this stuff up here?" Maki asked, as she moved aside to let him in.

Kaito laughed, "I thought he might get a kick out of seeing attempt number one. It's okay, they gave me more of the porridge you fed him too. Plus, I think some of this stuff might still be edible, so I'll eat it after he's done laughing at me. Has he stirred at all?"

Stirred...was maybe a description of what Kokichi had been doing. For a while he'd been just kissing the surface of consciousness before slipping back under, his body healing but still needing a great deal of rest. After most of his attacks in recent history, he'd usually be able to at least move around his room alright by this point, but after this one...he'd probably still have difficulties sitting up by himself.

However, during a cycle where he was close to consciousness, Kokichi caught a whiff of...something that demanded his attention. His nose wrinkled and his brow furrowed as that scent permeated his brain, dragging him up over the surface and...

"Mmmrg...furah..." he grumbled, pressing into the bed before giving a few sniffs, squinting his eyes open. It smelled...like...burning? But also sort of like food? And his room in general, so...not urgent?

Stretching out a bit in bed, Kokichi patted around for Kaito, incoherently mumbling things about a fire or a kitchen accident or...stinkbugs? He was getting there, but not totally awake.

"Did he just call my lovingly made breakfast a stinkbug?" Kaito grumbled, glancing over at Maki with a raised eyebrow, "You heard that too, right?"

Maki just chuckled. "Look, I gotta go check on Shuuichi. And get him a non-burnt version of breakfast. That's why the kitchen servants are there, Kaito."

"Staff," Kaito corrected, "Servant’s, like, an offensive word here."

"Sure. That's why the kitchen staff is there then. To make edible food." Maki yawned, before waving to him. "Have fun showing off your disaster meal," she said, before walking out the door.

Kaito placed the tray down on the vanity desk before going to sit down next to Kokichi, leaning over and brushing his hair aside, placing a kiss against his temple. "Morning, babe. I have tea and porridge ready...sorry about the smell," Kaito apologized sheepishly.

"G'mmrugh..." Kokichi mumbled before curling over on his side around Kaito, reaching out his arms and making vague grabby-hands before encircling them around Kaito's waist, pressing his face against Kaito's leg. He stayed there for a few moments before sleepily blinking his eyes open more properly and looking up at Kaito.

"...smells like burnt stuff?" It happened time to time, but, for anyone taking meals in their room, no one usually sent the burnt stuff up. So... Kokichi squished a cheek against Kaito's hip, looking his husband over for new injuries or any sign of pain. "...you've started cooking lessons? Are you okay?"

He...couldn't really remember the last meal he had. He remembered Maki bringing him porridge the day before, Shuuichi being sick... Did he have dinner? He couldn't remember...

But, he was hungry, and that was the important thing.

Reluctantly letting Kaito go, Kokichi flopped back onto his back and, shakily and painstakingly, sat himself up, resting against his pillows as he got his breath back.

Kaito felt his grin at Kokichi's half awoken nuzzling strain a little. That...wasn't the reaction he had been hoping for...

...but that was okay! Ever since Kokichi had known him, Kaito's track record for trying to do things on his own and...not hurting himself in some way wasn't exactly high, now was it. It made sense that would be Kokichi's first concern! It was sweet that he cared, really!

Yeah!

So Kaito turned back on his thirty-watt grin, watching Kokichi sit up, full of pride, as he said, "I'm fine! No disasters! I just wanted to show you the results is all, but, let's forget about that for now. Let me get you your tea first, kay?"

Kaito went and started the extremely familiar process of setting Kokichi up to drink now, pouring the tea, having a clean, dry handtowel ready and nearby for spillage as Kaito, testingly, tried to gauge how much weight Kokichi's wrists could take that morning, deciding to hold most of the weight of the cup as he let Kokichi guide the drink to his lips whenever he was ready.

As he did this, he chatted idly. "Yeah, I just...I woke up a little early, so I thought, why not go try to learn how to cook eggs? And it turns out eggs are super quick to cook, so I tried my hands out on other things, but those were a little trickier...and I think I may have been a little in the way, so I couldn't really ask questions...but I'll get it right next time! I think most of it was just leaving stuff on too long? So, the answer must be to leave the heat on for a shorter period of time, right? Easy! No problem! Nothing Kaito Ouma Momota can't handle!"

Kokichi hummed, happy that Kaito's first proper culinary foray had been without incident, and gave his husband a grateful smile as he gave him his tea. He could...sort of see the food on the vanity and...yeah, most of it looked overdone. The eggs weren't black, though, so...

"If you try your next attempt when it's not mealtime, there will probably be someone around who could answer your questions." Kokichi sipped at his tea, a smile coming to his face at Kaito's enthusiasm. He was happy to hear that Kaito's idea about learning how to cook was something he was getting around to doing. Something Kaito could focus on that wasn't worrying about his friends. There was certainly plenty to worry about, but...life continued. And you had to move with it.

Laughing softly, Kokichi gave his husband a nod. "I'll look forward to seeing how you improve next time. Ah...I'm blessed to be a part of Master Chef Kaito Ouma Momota's backstory. Here to see his somehow burnt toast in the days before he can whip out brioche like it's nothing." With a more teasing giggle, he gave a nod to the food tray. "The eggs at least look like they're fine? If you weren't super excited to gobble down your own creation, could I try a bite?"

Kaito lit up at the request. "You want to try some? Really??"

As Kokichi finished up his tea, Kaito put the cup aside, genuinely thrilled to go get the small plate of eggs, a little fork beside them, bringing it back to Kokichi. "Hey, come on, it's actually really easy to burn toast! It was, in fact, the first thing to burn! I just didn't notice when it started burning, because I was trying to season the hashbrowns with some of those seasonings you all like, but then one of the kitchen staff saw what I was doing and said that it wasn't seasoning I was covering them in, so...that got a little confusing," Kaito admitted, still...not entirely certain what the hashbrowns were covered in?

Probably best not to try eating that particular side dish, anyway.

"But the eggs are probably fine! I put salt on them! I was gonna put pepper on them too, but I couldn't find it, so..." Kaito shrugged, "How different could it taste? There's never a lot of the pepper on the eggs anyway, right?"

Grinning wide, careful not to spill on Kokichi, Kaito cut a small piece of the egg with his fork, dipping it in the semi-hard yellow middle, before offering his husband the bite with a wide, proud grin.

In an entirely metaphorical manner, his health not taking another dip or anything, Kokichi felt his heart flutter at that smile. It wasn't like he never saw that smile on Kaito, the sort of personal pride that wasn't bluster, but...it was sweet all the same, and he loved seeing it.

"Of course I wanna try some," Kokichi said matter of factly with a soft smile. "Kai-chan worked hard to cook something, so I wanna see how it turned out. Even if it's not good, I wanna appreciate your effort. And then when you get real good at cooking, I'll know exactly how far you've come."

Though...he was a little worried about what Kaito put on the hashbrowns that wasn't seasoning...

Opening his mouth, Kokichi ate the piece of egg and...honestly, it wasn't bad. A little bland, but the crunchiness around the edge was by no means bad. Nodding lightly, Kokichi gave his husband a bright smile as he swallowed. "And you're off to a good start! That was good! Like, personally I'd like more seasoning, but there's a matter that I don't think our palettes will ever agree on."

"Go on, try it yourself!"

Kaito grinned wider, a small flush creeping into his face as Kokichi ate something Kaito had made, and actually even seemed happy with it! Of course, Kaito knew that he could eventually make actually good food, if he practiced at it...but honestly he had gone into this fairly certain the first couple meals, at least, would be good for little more than getting laughs out of his friends.

But, as Kaito cut himself a larger piece of egg, trying it after Kokichi...hell yeah! That was totally edible!! Not great, but edible! Fuck yeah!!

Kaito laughed, genuinely pleased with how they had come out. "Yeah, alright! Kaito Ouma Momota, Luminary Prince of the Stars, egg-master!! That's awesome! Just you wait, 'Kichi, I'm gonna learn how to make those, what were they again...cinnamon buns? Those pastries you like so much...gonna be making those before ya know it!" Kaito boasted, before giving Kokichi a grateful kiss on the forehead as he said, "Thanks, babe. But, there's actual food for you here too. Porridge! Just give me a minute, I'll bring it over."

As Kaito brought his half eaten eggs back to the desk, collecting Kokichi's porridge, he asked cheerfully, "So, did you sleep alright? Maki wake you up with more paper balls?"

Kokichi giggled along with Kaito, his excitement and pride contagious. "By the time I'm out of bed you're already gonna be a five-star, huh? You're gonna have to make Miss Catherine and Miss Andou step up their pastry games--they need their experience advantages if they wanna combat that anything my Kai-chan makes has a plus 10% yumminess bonus."

Hopefully he'd be able to be out of bed before then. There was still...just...such an annoying weakness and numbness in his body that Kokichi could still ever so presently feel. He was able to at least adjust himself in bed now, but...

Kokichi gave Kaito a grateful smile as he brought the bowl of porridge over. He'd get better. He would.

Making a show of looking around him, Kokichi shrugged. "If she did, Maki-chan magicked them away. I think I pretty much only woke up when you came back. I was out." He laughed lightly, trying to find more fun in his situation, trying not to get frustrated. "After you were reading out loud, I don't really remember if I was even awake after that. I probably was, like someone waking me up just enough to take my meds, but it was all snoozy-time in my head."

Settling the bowl in his lap, Kokichi started to eat, setting a goal to actually be able to eat the whole thing by himself this time. "You said you woke up early, but, before that, you sleep alright?"

Kaito shrugged non-committedly. "I slept okay," he kinda lied.

It wasn't like his sleep had been bad. He just kept waking up over and over, and had been doing that for the last few nights now. It was probably just a reaction to Maki walking around the room more than anything else (or maybe because he had started exercising and now was suddenly stopped? Or maybe just his general concern about Shuuichi lately? Or maybe the returning front line fighters? Or...??), but that feeling of low-key nervousness he had felt most of the day yesterday had carried over to today as well.

He didn't feel bad! He just felt a little tired, and a little...'buzzy'. Restless.

"Well, to be fair, you were up for basically eight hours straight yesterday by the time I left. Like, considering you're usually in and out every couple of hours, I'd say that's a hell of a push, right?" Kaito said, breaking apart some of his burnt toast and pushing it into the semi-soft yoke before eating it and...making a face.

...eh. Whatever. Charcoal wasn't the worst tasting thing to eat.

Kokichi barely kept his considering gaze on Kaito for more than an additional moment before going in for another spoonful of porridge, but it was there. Okay. Probably along the lines of not good not bad.

He...well, okay, he loved sleeping with Kaito, both euphemistically and literally. His husband was warm and comfortable, and just...Kokichi found a certain comfort he hadn't known he'd craved in falling asleep listening to someone breathe or the sound of their heartbeat. In being held, and holding in return.

But, especially with Byakuya's letter, even if it'd mostly been dumb bullshit...he worried about Kaito having his own space. Their room wasn't small, and...Kaito had chosen to be there...but he worried. Kaito said he liked supporting him, but Kokichi couldn't help feeling like...like...a burden. A leash. Like he was somehow manipulating Kaito into choosing to stay around.

But that wasn't fair to Kaito, and Kokichi knew that he looked after Shuuichi too. Being there to care for his friends was just a Kaito thing to do.

...even caring for someone who could barely be awake for eight hours. Nudging a piece of cherry into his spoon, Kokichi shrugged a bit. "...I guess..."

He ate quietly for a few more moments before an idea prodded at his mind. "...Hey, Kai-chan? Like...I probably can't take a walk or anything right now...but would you wanna hang out outside today? I wanna be able to enjoy nice weather while we still have it."

Kaito looked up from his plate, his mouth full (with everything except the hashbrowns) of his half-burnt breakfast, genuinely surprised. "Y'awf?" he frowned, tried to swallow it down again, and finally managed to actually get it down the third swallow before clearing his throat with a firm thump to his chest, trying again. "Yeah? Sure, that'd be awesome! A bit of sun's probably just what you need, 'Kichi! Bit of vitamin D, some fresh air, and I always thought getting some grass between your toes was nice. I might wear those slippers that you got me down there just so I can do that."

Kaito thought about it for a moment, trying to eat the parts of the pancake that had come out more burnt and less undercooked, before realizing, "Unless you didn't mean, like, outside outside, but, like, some patio somewhere? Either way, yeah, I'd be up for that! After you're done eating?"

Kokichi couldn't help snickering at catching Kaito with a full mouth, feeling a bit better about everything. Kaito was really good at that sometimes. Being the star he was and lighting up wherever he went.

He didn't really know how much going outside would help his recovery, but if he ended up being bedridden for more than a few days and it wasn't the cold dead of winter, it was usually around this point that he whined for someone to help him go outside. If nothing else, it helped his mood to be out in the sun--or, more realistically, the shade but close to the sun--and out among the relative amount of nature in the courtyard. The mums he'd gotten were lovely, no doubt! But...it wasn't the same as being outside.

"Mmhm," Kokichi hummed with a nod. "I don't think anyone's gonna worry too much about me just sitting down in the courtyard. Should probably put on real pants though." He had been pretty much out for the whole day after his attack, but by the time he woke up the day after, someone had changed him into his pajamas. Comfortable and perfect for lying in bed for days on end, but not good for the outdoors.

Giving his husband a wink, Kokichi nodded towards his closet. "Pick me out something cute?"

Kaito rolled his eyes. "Please, like you could wear something and not be cute. You know your own super powers, 'Kichi, don't sit there acting like you don't."

But for all his teasing, Kaito nodded, putting aside what was left of his food, which he probably wasn't going to finish, heading over to the closet and opening it up. Pfff, there was Smug Rabbit’s box, in the back of the closet. Not so smug now, are we? He hasn't needed you in, what...a week? Maybe a little more?

Ha! Victory!

Feeling bolstered by his superiority in taking care of Kokichi over a literal childhood stuffed animal, Kaito looked around the closet, trying to view the clothes through Kokichi's eyes. His first thoughts of 'cute' was the stuff that showed off his husband's shoulders and neck, or formed around his waistline...but Kokichi was probably looking more for comfy and brightly colored. So...

Alright, this one has big, yellow stripes...nice for a sunny day outside...plus that wide, circle neckline would be nice...and yeah, these blue shorts looked comfy, and the color was still pastel without being in-your-face bright...yeah, these were cute together. Plus, it was a simple enough outfit for just sitting outside. Yeah!

"Boom! What do you think? This is cute, right?" Kaito asked, laying the clothes down on the bed for Kokichi's inspection.

Giggling a bit, Kokichi just shrugged with a shit-eating grin and a faint blush. For some reason, still, every time Kaito said he was cute or pretty or whatever, it still felt special. Kokichi knew that plenty of other people certainly meant it, and he knew he was good-looking, but, when compliments like those came from Kaito? He didn't know, but it felt nice.

As Kaito picked out clothes for him, Kokichi focused on finishing up his breakfast, his hand aching a bit, but not as bad as it had the day before. He...he could do this. He had the appetite and just barely enough fortitude to...eat breakfast, but...sometimes he couldn't even do that. So, it was still a step forward, and no one could deny that.

Kokichi looked over the clothes Kaito brought out, giving them a critical eye before giving an overly serious nod of approval. "Hm, the proposition by Prince-Consort Momota is favorable to the members of administration. Motion passed!" Then, with a little giggle, "Thanks, sweets. 'ppreciate it."

With one last spoonful, Kokichi set his bowl on a nightstand--totally not dropping it--and tugged his shirt over his head to start getting changed. Most of his hickeys were in the process of fading by this point, but...there was a trail of them down his back that were still rather dark.

Kaito felt a flush heat up the top of his ears and the back of his neck at Kokichi's fake...'authority' voice as he went to grab his porridge bowl and teacup, wanting to put all of the breakfast stuff together in a relatively neat pile to take downstairs later. He didn't really know how official meetings and stuff worked or sounded like in Dicea...couldn't really imagine Kokichi passing judgement on a serious proposition with that serious sort of tone, or taking control of a meeting full of intimidating people with a few sharp words, the way he had grown up seeing his brother do it...if only because Kaito couldn't even imagine King Aiichi doing that here, let alone Kokichi. Leadership didn't talk the same way across borders, it seemed.

...still...Kaito felt himself turn a bit red trying to imagine  it...

...and then felt all of that building energy get soaked under a flood of bitter memories and sudden, intense regret as Kaito glanced back just in time to see Kokichi turn just a little bit while putting on his shirt, a telling dark bruise on the base of his nape...

Right! Right.

Okay.

Kaito, at some point in the last few days, watching over Kokichi while he slept and...just...reminding himself over and over and over that he needed to take real, solid steps to never let his head get to where he ever thought it would be okay to do something like that to Kokichi again, had at some point decided that maybe the best way to go about that was to just...tryyyyy not to think about sex at all, maybe? Like, he clearly thought about sex too much! That wasn't even a new problem! Kaito always thought about sex too much, and had since sophomore year. But now, his husband was the only person around whom he could vent that endless desire on, and that was...well, that had turned toxic. Clearly! So...??

He just needed to re-train his brain! That was the answer! Probably?

Stop thinking about it!

...okay, sure, he was already failing, because he had literally just stolen a kiss yesterday, but, like, okay, beside that!

...and it had occurred to Kaito by this point that maybe he had misunderstood what was happening to Shuuichi yesterday and was just projecting onto his poor, stomach-bug ridden friend who had just needed sleep...

Besides that!

Okay, he was literally just blushing over a fake authoritative courtroom setting for his husband who he had just purposefully picked a wide collar shirt for because he thought both those things were hot!

Besides that!!

Fuck!!!

Kaito, slightly frustrated with himself, pressed a palm against his eye, took a small breath, and then said to Kokichi, "You need to use the bathroom before we go, 'Kichi? Better now, than needing to go in the courtyard. Though, I mean, there are a lot of real big bushes down near the edges...I mean, they'd definitely work in a pinch."

Like the first time Kaito had picked out clothes for him, the shirt wasn't much of a problem. The pants, however... Kokichi had a bit of trouble lifting his hips long enough to pull his shorts up. What he had ended up doing was rocking back and forth on his back and just pulling until they were up, but...

Kokichi panted on the bed, tired and out of breath already, his fingers aching and a slight tremble going through his legs. But...like...there was no difference to sitting in bed and sitting outside, really. He was going to be resting either way.

He just didn't want people to see him like this. As weak as they thought he was.

Tilting his head up when Kaito spoke-- "Uggggggh..."

Bathroom. Just when he'd gotten his shorts on. But fussing with that was leagues better than pissing in public when he couldn't stand on his own. Shakily sliding himself to the edge of the bed, Kokichi held an arm out. "Yeah, yeah. Help me over?"

"Yeah, I've got you," Kaito said, going over and picking Kokichi up. He knew his husband had meant just to give him an arm to help stand with, but Kaito didn't like the way his husband seemed winded already, and already had it set in his head that he was probably going to carry Kokichi everywhere today unless his husband fussed at him for it.

So, picking Kokichi up and giving him a small peck on the top of his head, Kaito brought him to the bathroom, just putting him down on the toilet and saying cheerfully, "Call me if you need me, I'm gonna put some clothes on real quick," before kissing him on the top of his head again, heading out to leave Kokichi to it.

Kaito headed out of the bathroom, leaving the door partially open so he could hear him if Kokichi, like...fell or anything. Throwing on some clothes real quick as he said loudly, trying to make Kokichi feel less awkward by talking over whatever was going on in there as he said, "So, does the castle keep a horse and carriage on standby for, like, royal trips or anything, or should I be trying to go rent a carriage somewhere for the week? Our timeline is so strict that I honestly don't want to leave anything to the last minute, you know? So I think I might, once the healer stops by this afternoon to look out for you, ask Maki to look after Shuuichi for another hour before I start and just start setting things up for us to go. I gotta talk to the king about it anyway, so, why not get all of that done at once, ya know?"

Knowing better than to push his limit when he still had to contend with the bathroom, Kokichi didn't say anything when Kaito picked him up, just sighed internally about how he wished he was well enough to walk already. Before Kaito set him down, Kokichi gave him a thankful kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, hun."

...alright.

With soft sounds of grunts and heavy breathing, Kokichi did his best to take care of his business, finding the time to answer Kaito when he needed breaks.

"The castle owns a few horses for government use--we can...hah...definitely sign one out for the trip. The carriage we own, though, unph, was given for the amb-ah...ambassadors' trip. S-so we'll have to rent one..." There was silence for a little bit, just the sound of liquid hitting water before Kokichi spoke up again.

"H-how is Shuu-chan doing? Since yesterday morning, I mean. Has he been able to...to eat?" He had sent over the get-well card, but Kokichi still felt bad that he couldn't check in on the detective. Hell, he hadn't even been awake during Shuuichi's first shift watching him, so he couldn't thank him for jumping into action when he collapsed. That was how the others described it, anyway--Kokichi could remember some of the conversation he'd been having with Shuuichi under that tree, but...things got hazy around when he had collapsed.

There were a few thumps from the bathroom, Kokichi huffing in exertion, then a quiet, shy, "...Kai-chan...? I can't get up..."

"I got you babe, just give me one second!" Kaito said, throwing on his shirt quicker before heading to the bathroom. Kokichi had managed to get himself more or less put back together, but was just sitting on top of the toilet, looking a little shame-faced.

Kaito felt a little bad, and thought about telling Kokichi that he was fine, that Kaito didn't mind this part of Kokichi's recovery process, that he didn't need to be embarrassed...but drawing attention to it would probably go against that sentiment entirely.

So instead he said, brightly, as if there was nothing unusual in the idea at all, "Alright, let me take you to the sink, get your hands all washed, and let's head downstairs! I just took a peek outside the curtains, and it's gorgeous out there, 'Kichi. Perfect day for sitting outside!"

As Kaito picked Kokichi up, taking him over to the sink, he could admit to himself, at least privately in his head, that...well, this aspect of being in a relationship with someone wasn't something he had ever really seriously considered before. Sure, in theory, any relationship he had been in where he had thought they would potentially really go the distance would have eventually had moments like this. Everyone got older, got sick. Spend a lifetime with someone, it was inevitable you saw them at their most vulnerable. Realistically.

Kaito just...hadn't thought it would be something he'd have to do in his early twenties.

But, well...you make plans, and Atua laughs, right? And Kaito really didn't mind this aspect of his and Kokichi's relationship. If anything, the only really bad parts of Kokichi's illnesses were the times when Kaito felt kind of...helpless to do anything to make Kokichi feel better. Helping him get around, keeping him clean, keeping him fed, and trying to be upbeat while doing all of that? That was the easy part, in comparison to that helpless, frightened feeling of being forced to stand by while a bunch of healers surrounded his little body, Kaito wondering in paralyzed anticipation if his husband was going to make it through...

...yeah. In comparison, helping Kokichi out in the bathroom was nothing.

"Alright! Good to go?" Kaito asked, tucking his arm under Kokichi's butt and letting him rest against his chest, adjusting his own sling a little bit beneath Kokichi's body before grinning down at him. "Let's go!'

...it was honestly incredible that he had managed to get his shorts off and back on, and though Kokichi felt mortified that he couldn't get to the sink himself...it was more than anyone, including himself, would expect. He'd been told that, under the stress he'd felt, his heart had, essentially, started to hiccup, and if Shuuichi had been too startled to call out when he did...this might've been the time they couldn't pull him back.

That was...really scary, even if similar things had happened in the past to wear down the shock. Kokichi didn't want to die. Not right now at least, for once. He had friends that believed in him and a world to explore, people to protect and care for. He had a husband to be devoted to, and...leaving him as a widower would be kind of the opposite of taking care of Kaito. Kokichi couldn't do that to him, and while maybe his mind would tell him otherwise later...life was something that Kokichi wanted to hold onto.

But, all that to say, Kokichi was recovering really well, and he knew that. But...it was still embarrassing to not be able to complete basic tasks on his own. Damned internalized ableism, he knew, but still.

After washing his hands, Kokichi was thankful to be tucked against Kaito's chest, exhausted already. He knew it wasn't the most comforting thing, for Kaito to hear his pants and feel the tremble in his body, to feel Kokichi rest his head on his shoulder, but...he just hoped Kaito wouldn't want to send him back to bed if he dozed off. Taking a nap in the courtyard was basically the same thing...and wouldn't leave him feeling helpless and broken.

"Let's...!" Kokichi breathlessly echoed, weakly nuzzling his husband's shoulder.

Kaito did worry about the clear exhaustion radiating off of Kokichi, before they had even left the room...and filled that worry with mindless, inane chatter.

It didn't matter what he talked about. Kaito just was trying to fill the space between all the unsaid things between them. He talked about talking to Shuuichi the day before, realizing he hadn't answered Kokichi's question before fetching him. And because he couldn't say anything about Shuuichi's condition that wasn't profoundly uncomfortable (and, just, had to have just been in Kaito's head, right?), he said that Shuuichi had eaten some soup and been kinda quiet and so Kaito had mostly read, though, they did talk about a beach trip their class took in sophomore year! He talked about the girl in glasses whose name he couldn't remember and how he felt really bad about that, because she had been really nice and they had hung out during a lot of the school outings when they shared a class. He talked about how determined Shuuichi had been to make a really good sand castle, and how caught up in it Kaito had gotten.

"Seriously, it became a whole thing! He was ordering us around, we were making bucket chains of water, he was soooo into it, Kokichi, it was so funny." Kaito laughed, holding his husband close and avoiding everyone's gaze as they walked down. He didn't know how Kokichi felt about people seeing him like this, but Kaito kept his eyes down, because...if he saw someone so much as look at Kokchi funny...

Eventually they did make it downstairs and outside. And it was a beautiful, sunny day. Kaito saw the tree that Kokichi and Shuuichi liked to hang out under during their training sessions...and where Kokichi had collapsed...and said, "Let's go up and out a bit, yeah?"

So Kaito took them farther out into the yards, so that they could look up at the castle, found a tall flower bush that was real pretty and offered plenty of shade, and Kaito sat down with Kokichi, looking at the entrance of the castle and people coming and going, some of them glancing over at the distant princes, a few of them waving when they caught sight of them and saying something that was too far away to be clear but was probably something like 'Morning Kokichi!" or something like that.

Kaito ignored them, not interested in any of those people as he positioned Kokichi in between his legs, letting him rest against him as he asked, "Is here okay? We can move?"

Once he'd gotten his breath back, Kokichi commented here and there within Kaito's chatter--it was good that Shuuichi had been able to hold some food down, lamenting how frustrating it was when you couldn't remember someone's name, chuckling softly at what must've been Shuuichi's sand masterpiece, with dedication like that! And, as they made their way downstairs, Kokichi offered small smiles and waves to the people they passed, taking small comforts in the bright smiles and excited thumbs-ups he was getting.

He hated that it was an achievement for him to even be able to leave his room, but...it was nice to see people excited for his recovery. To even see the relieved expressions, no matter how painful their meaning was. He saw a few people with worried expressions, but...they also returned any smiles he gave them, so he didn't think anyone was going to stop him and Kaito.

And, fuck, he was glad over more than just the humiliation of being sent back. The start of Fall always just felt like a comfortable extended summer, and, carefully, Kokichi took a deep breath as he and Kaito came into the yard, the air clear and sweet and floral. Their room wasn't stuffy or anything and they did open up the windows, but...there was just something about actually being outside that lifted Kokichi's spirits, even when he was experiencing all the same things he did inside.

Kokichi was a little surprised that Kaito wanted to chill so close to the entrance, but...maybe he wanted to do some people-watching. Have something to do when Kokichi inevitably fell asleep. Maybe someone would come over and strike up a conversation with Kaito...that'd be nice.

Giving a few waves back to people he recognized, Kokichi settled back against Kaito once the older prince was settled himself, taking a deep breath of the Viburnum Kaito had sat them under. "I like it. Maybe next Spring we can have a snowball plant fight..." he mused, gesturing up to the orbular clumps of flowers above them.

Kaito looked up, raising an eyebrow as he realized Kokichi meant the little balls of flowers. Stretching a little, Kaito pulled one said cluster down, pulling it from the bush's branches, remembering Maki's lecture and checking it for bugs first before passing it to Kokichi. "What, with these guys? Does that work?" Kaito asked curiously.

Holding the ball of flowers in cupped hands, Kokichi laughed softly. "Sort of. They don't travel that far, and they break apart after a few good hits, but it's still fun. I haven't done it in a long time, but I used to get people together when I was little to spend a bit of an afternoon away in a snowball-flower fight."

He'd never been able to have a snowball fight proper, but tossing around clusters of flowers? No long-distance running since they couldn't travel far, dodging was fun to do if you could, but not that big of a deal since getting hit felt like nothing. It was an alternative to something that Kokichi had grown fond of in his childhood. Even if you could only do it once or twice a year to not hurt the plant too much.

With a playful smile, Kokichi leaned a bit to the side before tossing the flower ball at Kaito's chest, giving something of a demonstration. "You just keep going until the flowers fall apart. And, because they're flowers and you're playing outside, no clean-up!"

Kaito smirked down at Kokichi, picking up the ball and crumbling it above Kokichi's head, watching the small petals fall down on top of him as he said, "Pff. Brat."

He had done so as a joke, but Kokichi looked really nice with flowers in his hair and on his shoulders, and Kaito enjoyed admiring him for a moment before pulling him in for a hug, holding him close as he asked, "You and your dad used to do that? Or, like...that guard lady and stuff?" Kaito murmured...tryyyying to make an effort to see her in a different light. Sort of. "What else did you guys used to do when you were little?"

Kokichi giggled a bit, not shying away from this localized "snowfall", though he embraced the hug that followed even if he didn't need it to warm back up. "Mhmm. Ikuo, and Lake-chan, and Katsuki-chan...Kyuu-chan 'n Sei-chan too sometimes."

"...Lake always tried to throw the flowers, like, full-force all the time, so she'd miss all the time. Sei try-hards, like, everything he does, and while Kyuu-chan started out just playin' all fun 'n stuff, he gets serious whenever it looks like Sei-chan's gonna beat him. Ikuo was the master at dodging...and Katsuki-chan probably could be too, but she'd always lunge in front of me when she could to block shots. And I mean, like, full commitment to the lunge," he giggled, remembering such times.

He had been lonely a lot of the time...but when they could, all the people he'd grown up around had done their best to make his childhood bright and happy. Playing around with people a good chunk older than him always made it feel like they were just humoring him...but that was okay. He'd still had fun.

Leaning back into Kaito's chest, Kokichi tipped his head against Kaito's collarbone, looking up at...well, just the edges of Kaito's face in his vision, but it was still nice. "Mm...a lot of clapping and word games, then a lot of card games when I was a little older. And, even after I learned to read, people read to me a lot. Mostly when I was on bedrest, to help me stave off boredom, but sometimes just whenever it was a slow afternoon."

Kokichi laughed a bit, remembering something. "Oh, and, god, she got in so much trouble for it, but Lake-chan used to carry me on her back and run around the castle, having me give her 'intel' as to where monsters were, and calling out weaknesses as she'd battle them." He shook his head fondly. "We mostly started doing that as an excuse when she tried to sneak me out of the castle, but then we just did it because it was fun. For a long time, she was the youngest person in the castle, so she tried to be sort of a big sister or aunty to me while I grew up, when she wasn't in training."

His smile calmed a bit. "...that wasn't a lot of time, but it was still fun whenever we got to play."

Kaito's eyes narrowed, considering this new information. So...maybe she hadn't made Kokichi stifled...his entire life then...

...not that it was ever really her fault. Not really.

Kaito understood that. Or, he sort of did. He just...it was so nice to...hate people. To have that ability to look at a situation and say, 'no, really, this is unacceptable. We can't do this. This can't be allowed!' To feel like that if Kaito put up a fight, a real fight, then maybe something would actually change...

...it didn't matter. Kaito didn't understand this place. He hadn't understood home either. It was better to not fight. Easier to let things happen. Every time Kaito fought back, he realized he was fighting the wrong person...or that he had misunderstood and...or even if he did understand, that he didn't have the ability to actually...

Kaito closed his eyes, resting his cheek against the top of Kokichi's hair, breathing him in. Enjoying the comfort of holding him, the scent of him. It didn't matter. He needed to stop trying to find enemies. Stop trying to fight people. He wasn't even good at fighting, honestly. The best thing he could be was comforting and positive. And that...that was what people wanted him to be anyway. What Kokichi wanted him to be. So...

Kaito grinned, saying simply, "That sounds really nice...I'm glad she was looking out for you like that. Lake seems nice...she's got a thing for capes, you know?" Kaito idly watched the people come and go from the gates. There really were a lot of them. He wondered what all of them had to do in the castle that day. Were they all there to see the...the 'boss'? "We actually had a conversation about it the first day we met. Well, sort of a conversation. She complimented my cape, my heart leapt into my throat, ya know. She was cool. I like her," Kaito murmured.

Kokichi snorted. "You don't say?"

He...wasn't sure why Kaito had decided to even begrudgingly talk about Lake in any way that wasn't just raging at her...but he was glad for it. Both for Kaito having his world here expand even a little, and for the undeserved ire to finally be let go. What had happened that day...Lake and Denji had just done what they needed to ensure Kokichi's safety, like they had always done. It wasn't their fault he just...exploded sometimes.

"The Guardforce doesn't really have a uniform, just standards so that they can be ready for anything while on duty, but she totally wears that superhero get-up on purpose," he snickered. "Cape and all."

Though...

"...do you?" Kokichi asked, tilting his head back to look more at Kaito. "You snap at her whenever you see her...and other than Hajime-chan...you kind of just ignore everyone? I'd like to say I know you enough by now to say that's not how Kai-chan usually treats people he likes."

Relaxing his neck back into a more natural position, Kokichi sighed softly, putting his hand on top of Kaito's. "...it's not like I expect you to be besties with everyone in Dicea, but... A-and I know you said it's not...my prerogative, to keep you happy all the time..." But it felt like that whenever Kaito wasn't with Kokichi, any interaction with a Dicean just seemed to go wrong.

"...I just worry about you. Congratulations, you've made it into that very long list." Kokichi huffed at the...sort of joke. "...at the very least, Kai-chan's home should be somewhere he feels safe."

Kaito stared at all the people coming and going...with their own lives going on...this trip to or from the castle part of the plans for their days. He wondered how many of them were having good mornings. Hopefully most of them. It was a nice day out, after all, and they lived in a nice place.

"Course I feel safe," Kaito said, yawning slightly. Enjoying the heat of the day. It really was, just, super nice out. "And I do like Lake. Or, I did, when I met her. And I should like her. I get that. I should like Lake. I should like all of them... I do like all of them," Kaito said, sounding more firm as he said it. Holding Kokichi tighter as he said, determined, "You like them, so I like them."

"I just get confused sometimes. Like...sometimes I get...paranoid? Maybe?" Kaito admitted, a little shame-faced at this, his brow furrowing. "Like...sometimes I think things are worse than they are. Doubts, you know? And when I'm convinced something is bad, I get...really, really caught up on it? Like...oh! Do you remember, in the fourth Circleworld novel...okay, sorry, this is really obscure, but I never forgot it." Kaito laughed, loosening his grip on Kokichi so that he could look down at him, the two having an actual conversation. "So, Vimes was observing that guard during that trip to the past, right? And...I'll never forget it, it really resonated with me...he observed that the guard was so bad at everything, that when he found he was good at something, it didn't matter how pointless or small the action was, he treated it like the most important thing in the world?"

"When I read that, I was at a point in my life where...that made so much sense to me. Like, I was getting into all these fights, and lashing out at people, and everything was just...sooooo important," Kaito said, rolling his eyes. "My first boyfriend had just left me and I was taking it out on everyone, it was so fucking stupid, just...total high school drama, right? But, like...I was mad at everyone. Everyone was part of some dumb fucking conspiracy I had in my head...but my boyfriend leaving me had opened up this floodgate of like...shoot, the analogy felt right in my head, but now I'm having a hard time explaining it..."

Kaito closed his eyes, trying to work out what he was feeling in a way that made any sort of sense to anyone, before trying again. "I was like that guard, because I have a hard time doubting people...so when I finally felt like I was justified to dislike someone, I...went, just, all in on it, ya know? Regardless if it was warranted or not. Like the guard with his jobs that he thought were really important, just because he could do it...does that make sense?" Kaito said, giving his husband a sheepish grin. "All that to say that I got real fixated on her, even if she didn't deserve it. Ya know?"

Kokichi hummed softly, his lips turning into a bit of a frown. "...personal opinions on people aren't something you "should" have one way or another...I'd think. It's just what you feel. Just because I feel a certain way about something doesn't mean you have to hold the same opinion..."

By now, Kokichi knew how important hierarchy was in Luminary culture. And...it was just so hard to accept that about Kaito because...Kokichi didn't feel like his superior. Or that he should be in any way. They were husbands--they were equal. But...it didn't always feel like Kaito felt that way, and it scared Kokichi so much thinking he was manipulating Kaito...about everything. Out of all the people who had done that in Kaito's life...Kokichi didn't want to be among them.

However, when it came to just being around people that weren't Luminary or him...

Kokichi listened to Kaito's analogy, humming softly at points and rubbing Kaito's hand, frowning at the utter fool that would ever leave Kaito. And...he thought he did get it, to an extent. It was frustrating when you saw or felt that something was wrong, but there was nothing to do about it. So...when Kaito heard that Lake knocked him out, no matter the reasoning or history...it must've felt like Kaito had finally found an enemy to stand against in the issue of Kokichi's health and healthcare. Kokichi had probably done a similar thing with Aiichi over the years.

"I...think I understand. And it does make me happy to hear that you'd want to get to know her more, but...if you don't like someone...you can just not like them." Kokichi felt his expression screw up a bit and he tilted his head. "...I'm not even really sure what I'm trying to say... But I just want Kai-chan to be happy, and I'll do whatever I can to help with that."

He nodded once, firmly, affirming that, before turning a little to place a kiss on Kaito's shoulder. "For bad and good, I want to be the kind of person Kai-chan can rely on."

Kaito felt his heart flutter a little at this. "Of course you are, 'Kichi," the Luminary assured him, hugging him tightly again. "I know you're looking after us. This is actually probably the safest me and my friends have ever been? Like, we were safe at home too, but...just because we understood how to be safe, ya know? But here, people actually are safe, which is...it's nice," Kaito said, once again looking over at the flow of traffic of the Diceans. "I have a hard time believing it sometimes, but that's my own fault. Doubts, ya know? They're a weakness."

Kaito kissed the top of Kokichi's forehead, his increasingly favorite way of showing comfortable affection towards his husband, enjoying the feeling of Kokichi's hand against his. Small, thin fingers...soft against Kaito's own rough calluses, his palm and fingers hardened from the manual labor of long travel and his training with swords. Kaito suddenly found himself hoping those rough edges in his skin didn't hurt Kokichi when he touched him. He didn't want to hurt Kokichi... "And I'm fine. Honestly, I cause most of my own problems anyway. Um...don't be mad? It wasn't a big deal, but...I maaaaaay have fought Lake the other day," Kaito admitted, figuring this was something that was going to get back to Kokichi eventually anyway.

Then he clarified quickly, "It was barely even a fight! We sparred a little, and I basically immediately lost because I fell on my arm and she backed off as soon as I was down. It all literally lasted maybe twenty seconds. And, I don't know...you can tell a lot about a person when you fight them, at least in regards to how they feel about you. And I got the sense that..."

Kaito shrugged.

"She wasn't taking the fight seriously. She literally tied one hand to herself. I mean...she clearly didn't think I was an actual threat to her. And she was right, I wasn't. It was dumb of me to try and fight her for, I don't know...your honor or something, whatever. I don't know. But, anyway, we talked it out a little after that and..." Kaito shrugged again. "...she said something to me that made me realize that maybe I need to stop...I came to this kingdom thinking things were a certain way, and they're not. And even though I know this place isn't evil, and this kingdom isn't full of crazy manipulative villains, and King Aiichi is...well, he's not the kind of person I thought he was going to be, based on watching my father fight him growing up. This place isn't that. I need to stop, ya know...looking for signs of it. And the best way to do that is seeing the place through your eyes!" Kaito exclaimed brightly, not realizing he was getting to that point until he got there, but feeling accomplished to have found a reason behind his own mentality, which often felt just as difficult to explain to himself as to others.

"Because...you know this place better than me, and you're intelligent, and compassionate, and actually raised to lead these people...trying to see them the way you do is probably more accurate than trying to see things the way I do. Since my own perspective isn't super reliable right now. That's all I mean when I say I should like them because you like them. That's all," Kaito said, feeling satisfied that this was probably actually the case. It made sense to him, anyway.

There was...something of a conflict of feelings in Kokichi. Having Kaito and Maki and Shuuichi (and Tim) be safe and at ease was wonderful. The sort of glowing feeling he had whenever he heard back from people after a problem had been solved, and life was better than ever. But...they had only been safe--and Kokichi doubted how safe that actually was--in Luminary, because, as Kaito said, they knew how to be...but also because they had lucked into positions that allowed them that. There were so many Luminous citizens that weren't safe in the slightest, through no fault of their own. And even those that had put themselves at risk weren't given the safety net the government was supposed to ensure for its citizens.

Even if Maki said there was no rush, Kokichi felt the pressure to talk with Kaede as soon as possible.

But that wasn't right now.

Kokichi smiled up at the sun, feeling Kaito kiss his forehead, and he relaxed further against his husband, holding his hand in that backward way. For now, the best thing he could do was to focus on getting better. Everything else would come after.

...though there were still a few things he could do while sick. Kokichi sighed as deeply as he could, figuring he'd hear about something like this sooner or later. "...if it was a spar, it wasn't a fight, and knowing Lake...she was probably excited to spar you. She loves that stuff."

She wasn't an instigator or anything--she was a guard! Of course not!--but Lake loved to have friendly spars with people, both to hone their skills and to show off a bit. And...tying a hand to herself? Sounded exactly like the sort of thing she'd do to even the playing field in a spar. Kokichi shook his head fondly, but stilled at the rest of what Kaito said.

Slowly, Kokichi turned to nuzzle Kaito's chest a bit. "That's...really sweet of you. It's really hard to recognize your own bias, and then to learn from someone else..." He laughed softly, nervously. "That's why I'm so nervous about my own bias coloring you too. Having someone with fresh eyes that is able to see the problems in Dicea...that's invaluable, you know? But also a ton of labor to give someone, to always be looking for problems..."

Sighing, Kokichi shook his head again. "Sorry. Work-me's comin' out again. I'm happy Kai-chan's giving us all a chance here, but if there is something that bothers you, don't hide it away. Ignoring problems won't help anyone."

"I like work-you," Kaito said idly, smirking somewhat as he added, "I actually...kind of got a thing for people who are good at leading? Like, it's a little intimidating to hear you talk about work stuff, but at the same time...look, someone who can solve problems and lead large groups of people? Super hot."

Kaito laughed at himself, remembered at the last second that he was trying to not think about stuff like that, and just...he really had to fix that.

Shuuichi had told him that part of his conditioning training, when he had grown up being taught that information didn't belong to him, was that he had first been harmed every time he tried to withhold information when he was super young, and then as he got older, was taught to actually harm himself every time the idea occurred to him to try to keep information to himself. Eventually, as Shuuichi grew up, all that had all led to Shuuichi feeling like he didn't have ownership to his own thoughts and he didn't need the reminders to offer the information anymore by the time he was a pre-teen...which all sounded...extremely uncomfortable to Kaito.

But also, it had worked, right?

Maybe Kaito could do something like that to himself, but with sex?

He'd ask Shuuichi about it his next shift, if the detective seemed more up to talking today. Just to pick his brain to see if it was possible to condition yourself to think certain ways using similar techniques. He couldn't ask Maki, because she had always refused to talk about her own conditioning lessons, and, also, she'd probably disapprove of the idea. She'd no doubt think it was unsafe...but if Kaito was the one in charge of his own conditioning, it wouldn't get bad, right? If he felt like it was too much, he'd just stop.

Easy peasy!

"There is one thing that still bothers me..." Kaito admitted, looking down at his feet in the grass, having kicked his slippers aside for now. "...but it's the same thing that bothers you, so I doubt it's super revolutionary for me to point it out. I hate how they treat you like you're going to accidentally kill yourself any second. The kitchen thing, the knives thing...I know your body is fragile, but you're not stupid. You can regulate your own limits. Right?"

Blushing faintly, Kokichi snickered a bit and gave Kaito's shoulder another kiss, squeezing his hand gently. No one was around them, but Kokichi was still careful to speak quietly as he teased, "Maybe that's something new we can do, then? I'm not really sure how to bring that sort of stuff into the bedroom...but we could figure something out."

He wasn't sure if it was surprising or not, hearing Kaito liked leader-types. On one hand, it was probably very Luminary of him, and on the other...considering how much they both enjoyed Kaito ordering him around in bed, it was surprising that Kaito would like the opposite too. But, that too was something for another time.

Especially since Kokichi would just frustrate himself if he got too excited about having sex later, only to remember that he wouldn't be able to handle...pretty much anything, at the moment. Maybe the slow, warm orgasm Kaito had given him with that blowjob...but that might still be pushing it.

Realizing his cheeks still felt warm, Kokichi tried to push all that out of his mind. NOT NOW!

...and what Kaito brought up helped that.

Kokichi sighed softly, anger and regret filling the space interest had left. "...now, I think I can. And I would really fuckin' appreciate some more agency, but...I've done a lot of dumb shit in my life, Kai-chan. And people, Aiichi least of all, aren’t going to forget that any time soon."

He tipped his head back onto Kaito's chest, frowning at the sky and feeling the grass tickle his legs. He was nowhere as littered as the Luminaries, and most of his scars had faded, but there were still one or two visible just on his legs.

"...I told you I liked getting places I shouldn't when I was younger, right? I never cared about the risks of what I'd find there, or how I'd get back--I just let my curiosity take me away. And, a lot of the time...I'd get hurt." He looked idly out over the people coming and going from the castle, some figures he recognized. Some that had even been around long enough to experience some of the incidents he described. "Falling off bookcases or out of alcoves, getting my hands all cut up trying to climb something not made for climbing...I split my head open once, stepping on a loose floorboard when we were getting some of the rooms on the fourth floor redone."

That had been a particularly bad one. He'd had to stay in bed for nearly a month.

"...and then...there are times where it's not an accident..."

Kokichi swallowed and closed his eyes, remembering all the notes in his medical jacket all too painfully. He wasn't crazy! But...he was someone who'd needed help but hadn't known what to ask for help with. How did you recognize those signs in a child? And how would they recognize it themself?

Kaito's face went red at Kokichi's quiet comment. He hadn't really meant it like that...he had just meant that effective leadership was a personality trait he found attractive in people. One personality trait out of many that he was drawn to.

He also liked people who were good with kids. And people who were nice when they could be. He liked intelligence, and an inability to be intimidated, even if you weren't very strong...Okay, and yes, strong fighters were also very attractive to him...

But he wouldn't know how to incorporate any of those ideas into a sexual experience.

...Okay, well, no, some of them could be. Like that Sakura chick at the pub? Man, if Kaito had met her when he was single, he would absolutely asked her to spar him, hoping it would lead to something more...what an absolute unit that woman was...

...and he found himself remembering that librarian woman as being much more attractive-looking now than he had probably found her to be when he first met her, knowing she had gone out of her way to help Shuuichi...

...Hideki had an authoritative calm to him that, if Kaito hadn't been as emotionally compromised as he was when he had heard it, would have also probably gotten the Luminary Prince's attention...

...look, it didn't take much, okay? Almost everyone was always a little attractive to Kaito, and their best traits always drew Kaito in towards them, often in very physical ways. Even if he hadn't been betrothed to Kokichi when he met him, he probably would have found Kokichi's cool under the pressures of the wedding and the treaty incredibly sexy just by itself, not to mention the fight they had at the greenhouse had done WONDERS for Kaito's attraction to him, which became legitimate after that day, rather than just this thing Kaito had to develop someday if he wanted to stay sane in an otherwise loveless political marriage...

Ugh. It was a busy place, Kaito's heart. There was a lot of ways into it, if you wanted it for yourself, and Kaito had never felt any real need to put any major roadblocks in its entrances, having long decided Togami was probably as heartbroken as he could get, so any future heartache wasn't worth worrying about.

And now it was Kokichi's.

And Kaito found himself just wanting to...change it. Make sure it was something Kokichi could keep and treasure without ever being harmed by it. Because...Kokichi was so easy to hurt...

...and that last comment, which immediately put Kaito back in the closet, Kokichi desperately clutching Smug Rabbit, was another example as to why Kaito had to be, just...sooo careful...

"...Was that a lot?" Kaito found himself asking, not sure if it was smart to ask. If Kokichi had another attack out here, it would take more time to get him inside to the healers. Kaito couldn't move as quickly as Shuuichi or Maki with his arm. He supposed he could call for help from the people at the entrance... "I mean...you don't have to talk about it. I just...you...it's come up a few times since we've met and...it's okay if this is something that will come up a lot. I'm here for you, I wanna hear about it. I just...does it happen a lot?"

"...no. It doesn't happen a lot."

Kokichi opened his eyes and tilted his head back to look at Kaito, a small, mirthless smile on his face. "Sorry it seems like it is...it's just been really stressful lately...you know that." They'd both had outbursts over the last month that, normally, probably wouldn't have happened, but everything was just...it'd been a lot.

"Sometimes... Things would happen, and I'd get really upset, and I wouldn't know how to deal with it. Sometimes I still don't know how to deal with it..." he murmured in almost a whisper. Something that he hated, and was the root reason, he figured, that Aiichi had never loosened the restrictions as he'd grown up. "It'll just feel...like everything's going wrong and the world is crumbling to pieces. And then I'll start thinking about why it's like that, and...I always just come back to me being the problem."

For Aiichi's paranoia, for his mother's death, for Ikuo going to war, for the riots in town, for everyone who now lived in the castle who lived with the weight that they could've easily killed him, and now for displacing the Luminaries.

Kokichi took a careful deep breath and rubbed Kaito's hand a bit. "...I know some of it is just my brain being bad...but sometimes it's too hard to be reasonable, and I lose it. But..."

There was a nervous tremble in his stomach, but a lightness in his chest as Kokichi brought up Kaito's hand to place a soft kiss on his wrist. "...I'm happy I'm alive. That I existed so I had the chance to meet you. That we're going to have years and years together to see the world and protect the people in it. I love you, Kaito, and I'm sorry I say such mean things about someone you care about...but know that, deep down, I am happy to be here."

Kaito closed his eyes, listening to this. He...he believed Kokichi. He hoped it wasn't going to always be like this, and knew the last month had been...really, really hard. On Kokichi especially. Kaito couldn't even imagine having his body fail on him, over and over like this...for as helpless as he had felt in the wake of Kokichi's crashes, it had to be even worse on his husband, actually going through it first hand.

Not that that made hearing about his 'brain being bad' any easier to handle, but, well...there was nothing to do about that other than be available to Kokichi when he needed him to be. Even if hearing about that stuff was terrifying, Kaito knew it was better to let Kokichi speak his piece and vent on Kaito, rather than somehow convince him to just...stop thinking it. Especially when all the reasons he felt that way were always so prevalent.

So Kaito was ready for more closet moments. More greenhouse moments.

...but moments like these were appreciated too, and Kaito smiled, his heart melting as Kokichi kissed against his bonding scar. Taking Kokichi's hand too, he brought it up to his own mouth, kissing against his pinky, which wasn't scarred, but Kaito didn't mind that. He knew the bond had been there, and that was enough for him.

"I love you too, 'Kichi. I love you because you're unbelievably kind, and responsible, and intelligent, and you're going to be an amazing king someday...and you're really nice to me and my friends, who can sometimes be difficult to be nice to..." Kaito admitted, snickering to himself a little...before continuing on sadly, "And...you can always talk to me about that stuff, when it's happening, you know? When it's hard to be reasonable? I'll be reasonable for you! I don't...I don't want you to go anywhere, you know? I know that’s a selfish way to look at it, but that's how I feel. I just want you to stay."

Kaito didn't know what he'd do if Kokichi ever, like, seriously wanted to die...like, if he was put in a position where he really, genuinely believed Kokichi wanted to go. He'd like to think he could find some way to talk his husband out of it...maybe just be there for him...or scare him somehow? Or...he didn't know. He didn't know what he would do, or what the right answer would be...

...but he had a feeling if Kokichi succeeded, Kaito probably wouldn't be far behind. Would feel wrong to keep living after that.

Which he would never tell Kokichi! That was...just way too much pressure to put on a person. Especially when he had never been in that position before, and didn't actually know how he'd react.

But still.

It was definitely a scenario Kaito wanted to avoid.

"Sorry, we ended up talking about a lot of serious things again, huh," Kaito said, laughing at himself. "I don't know how we got from 'flower fights' to 'suicide', but that was probably my bad. Do you want to talk about anything lighter? Or we could just sit for a while. I know I tend to fill silences too much."

Unlike whenever he started ranting at someone...Kokichi actually felt better having told Kaito all that. He'd...never had anyone to talk to like this, not since Ikuo left, and, as a ten-year-old, he hadn't had the words or understanding to explain anything. Getting that history out...didn't feel like admitting to some big awful thing he could do nothing about, even if it kind of was. Instead...it was just comforting to let someone else know.

"I want to stay too... I couldn't bear leaving Kai-chan on his own like that..." he murmured, feeling an ache just at the idea of putting Kaito through that sort of pain. So much of the time he convinced himself that people would be better off if he was gone, but, at least in this moment, that was something concrete that he could believe in, that, to Kaito, Kokichi leaving would only bring pain.

Kokichi took a deep breath and nuzzled Kaito again, trying to shake off the mood, and yet thankful to have had it. "Thank you, Kai-chan. I really appreciate you being here. And I like that we can talk about serious things, and also, like, fiction tropes and silly drama and just...everything. I like talking with you, and I love hearing you talk about any and everything. Kai-chan's thoughts are special to me."

Though, during that, Kokichi has turned himself to sit on his side, still resting his head against Kaito's chest, but more resting his cheek against one of his pecs. It was a sort of position that allowed Kokichi to more properly cuddle his husband...and to doze off while doing so.

"...mm... Tell me how cooking went? Like, in more detail. I bet there's more of a story than what you told me."

When Kaito felt Kokichi relax, he also allowed himself to do so. It was still early, and they had all morning together, and though Kaito suspected Kokichi might fall asleep soon, that was okay. It was a nice day out, Kaito had the entrance to watch for something to do, and it was many hours still before he had to think about the king, the trip, and Shuuichi.

He could just be here, in this moment, with Kokichi.

"Well, okay, so, I realized basically as soon as I got down there that the kitchen staff wasn't actually, you know...'thrilled' to have the six foot, clumsy Luminary Prince barge into their kitchen and start using their counters and equipment to try his hand at his first meal...whiiiile they were trying to get breakfast made for everyone in the castle. Like, okay, I'll admit, looking back at it, that was a dick move on my part. But, I was down there anyway, right? So I grabbed a corner for myself and just did my best to stay out of the way, and I got my hands on two eggs-"

Kaito continued on with his story, going into detail about trying to negotiate with the kitchen staff, who very much wanted him out of the room, while also trying to learn by watching what they were doing as he tried cooking himself. One of the staff, taking pity on him, had shown him how to make it so food didn't stick on his pan, another staff member, just personally offended by Kaito's entire lack of thought in seasonings, had brought him a spare salt shaker and some orange stuff that Kaito hadn't known how to use and left alone. And then, when he had stolen some previously made hashbrowns from another pan to fill out the plate, and decided to at least try to season it himself, he was...okay, somehow he may have gotten his hands on a bag of wood shavings? Why was that even in the kitchen, he wondered? Maybe it was a decorating thing??

And he kept talking, even when he was certain Kokichi was out, just in case he wasn't.

Kokichi found himself giggling here and there throughout the tale of Kaito's inaugural kitchen hijinx, absolutely correct in thinking there was a bigger story. Maybe next time, if Kaito didn't go in during a meal rush, the staff would recognize they weren't getting rid of the man on a mission to learn how to cook, and someone would be generous with pointers. Or maybe they'd just put ingredients and spices in Kaito's path and see what he did with them. At least they'd intervene if he was about to make something poisonous.

Comforted by the easy sound of Kaito's voice and the warm day, Kokichi did end up falling asleep, painting a pretty picture for everyone who happened to look off to the side as they entered or exited the castle. The two princes under a flower bush, Kokichi curled up against Kaito and the Luminary Prince tenderly holding him.

Tomomi got a lot of new comments to send Byakuya's way, all cooing over how sweet the princes were.

And, he only had time to watch for a moment, but Aiichi caught sight of the two from a window, smiling to himself as he saw young love in action. He'd made a lot of mistakes in dealing with Luminary...but Kaito really was the best fit for Ko. They would do great things together, he knew it.

-

It had been a long night.

He’d had to go to the bathroom twice, which was fine by itself...but the second time, he had hurt and strained himself trying to take a shit through the wounds inside of himself, and by the time he was done, he had been hard again. Nao had ended up throwing him in the bath again, tired and annoyed, and told him to work it out himself.

She had left him to it, exploring his room again as she waited for him to finish...only for fifteen minutes to go by, and to suddenly hear him crying.

Apparently, he was seriously struggling to get himself off, and he had started biting himself, trying to stimulate himself through pain enough to do so. So, Nao had finally gotten to see the rumored pink blood...but also had to stop him from trying to, it looked like, rip his wrists to shreds with his teeth, bandaging the arm.

She then had to spend a half hour telling him what a worthless piece of shit he was, trying to destroy himself to get off, until he finally came, settling down for the rest of the night, while Nao had to deal with the new reality of...this idea that Shuuichi might not be capable of getting himself to orgasm now without outside help...Nao having desensitized him by this point.

Fuck.

So in the morning, (and of fucking course he had woken up hard) she did it again, emptying him out before getting the ring on, telling him that he was allowed to take it off once, if the hard-on started feeling like too much, and if no one else was around to see, and he had thanked her and said he would and said he lo...

...ugh.

And now she was finishing up the morning shift at the library, wondering if he was actually managing to relieve himself on his own, with his friends constantly with him, and if not, fuck, would the lack of rod at least keep him from basically having a seizure tonight?? And...she just wasn't honestly sure if she was making the right decisions here and...was that little druggy idiot okay up there?

And, despite herself, she found herself wandering upstairs. With no plan in mind. Just...'hi, it's me, the librarian, just coming to check on him...no, don't mind the fact that this idiot spends half his time looking at me like he's waiting for me hit him, and the other half looking at me like he adores me, nothing weird about that, just checking on an acquaintance, little miss extremely paranoid and high strung assassin!'

...ugh. What was she doing...

But, to Nao's bafflement, as she was heading up, little miss assassin was, in fact, heading down, a stressed look on her face...and before Nao could even say anything, Maki had looked at her with these narrow, suspicious eyes and said, sounding almost...sheepish?

"Are you free for an hour?" the assassin said, her hands curled into fists. "Shuuichi needs someone to watch him for an hour, before Kaito can start looking after him, but I...a housekeeper stopped by and told me...a fucking dog...what was he doing out in town??" Maki's words spiraled and stumbled there, fury clearly on her face as she grappled with something, before remembering she was talking to someone, saying, "You're the one who got Shuuichi upstairs the first day his stomach thing got bad, right? Would you mind? I'd understand if it's too short notice..."

Nao had wondered, mostly as a joke, if maybe the Luminaries’ god really was looking out for his extremely damaged people, and nodded. "Not at all, dear! Of course I can! You and the prince take all the time you need!"

And then Nao had quickly climbed the stairs.

An hour. She could get it done in an hour.

It had been a lot like yesterday...at least, after Miss Nao left. Waking up with a large, warm body next to him, holding him had been...new. And had made Shuuichi so nervous and scared (she really spent the night...to keep him from running? Had she done anything to him in his sleep? ...god, he hoped so) that he'd been hard not even counting the ache in his wrists and rear.

And it had been even better once Miss Nao had given him his dose, the fear clawing up his throat reversing into a roil low in his belly. He had tried to give back again, sucking on her fingers as she pressed the little slip against his tongue, pressing against those sharp nails and hoping they'd cut...but she'd yanked her hand away and almost immediately went to wash his spoiled spit off, calling him all sorts of terrible things that made him wish she'd stuck around for another...

But, after that, once Maki came by to watch him, it was much like the day before. He'd slept as much as he could, pretended to sleep when he couldn't... Kaito had said he thought Shuuichi was mad at him...did Maki think that too? He wasn't, he wasn't, he loved his friends, but...Maki got scary when she was hurt. Even if she never touched him, hurt him like she did Kaito...if Shuuichi kept this up, would she get so worried she'd last out at him? More than just hurting Kokichi's wrist...maybe even enough to break--

He knew he could never get away with touching himself while Maki was watching him. And, if he could only touch himself once without Miss Nao--it was still morning! If he was already desperate and leaking--fuck, he was still leaking--then...o-oh god it would hurt so good again...

Maki had left for just a moment, she'd said, but almost as soon as the door was closed Shuuichi had shoved his hands down to his erection, touching himself but not taking the ring off just yet. He had to save it. Even if, fuck, he wanted to cum, he wanted Miss Nao to grab him and rake her claws through him, making him show off that pretty new color that made something wonderful pulse through him at the sight, to--

"Uun...umf...nnn..." Shuuichi moaned and huffed, furiously touching himself

The door was unlocked and Nao came in without a knock and without announcing herself...and sighed. Already hearing it.

It was actually unreasonable, how annoyed she felt, realizing she was catching him in the act of trying to please himself. She had told him he could do so, after all. Still...there was something frustrating in hearing him make use of that freedom.

Good. She could use that frustration to get this done quicker. But how to go about it?

This was the main complication, with keeping up a...hmmm...she supposed, extremely loosely, this could be considered a BDSM...'arrangement', anyway. The person inflicting pain and fear always had to keep it fresh, keep new ideas coming, or present them in new ways, or the predictability of the experience resulted in the whole thing losing its effect. Her arrangement with Shuuichi also needed to change from session to session, or he would become further desensitized.

She had started this process not worrying about that too much, assuming she could just plain torture him, as uninspired as pain for pain’s sake could be, and rely on the drug to turn it into a pleasurable experience...but now her concerns for his future were more...pronounced. If she did nothing but cause him endless pain until he orgasmed, it'd work for now, but in the future, when he had to mentally recover from all this...

So...how to keep raising the stakes to keep his stress levels heightened, without destroying his ability to mentally or physically get past this in the future?

And she only had an hour...

and she couldn't leave any signs of anything happening either...

Hmmm...

"You seem excited," Nao said, looking around the room for anything Maki might have left behind, things she couldn't disturb. There weren't really many signs of anything though, other than the desk chair being faced towards the desk. "You know, I thought for a moment, when I walked in, that somehow a dog had gotten in here and was trying to hump the floor...you can imagine how disappointed I am to see it's still just you though..."

Shuuichi's eyes popped open when he heard Her voice, that bored, dissatisfied tone that sent shivers down his spine. I-it...it wasn't night yet! He could very clearly see light coming through the curtains. So how...?

Oh fuck he didn't care--Miss Nao was here!

Tossing his blankets off, Shuuichi showed off his still-ringed cock, almost reflexively parting his legs. "Look, look--I haven't cummed! I haven't used it yet, I've been good! Are you going to hurt me?"

He...couldn't figure out if he should be pleading for some sort of punishment or reward from this. He'd done what she said, but he'd been touching himself...did that count? If Miss Nao was here, would that count for his one freebie? Even if she'd specified that it was for him to touch himself...oh, did she want to watch?

Reaching out, Shuuichi tried to pull himself onto the floor. "I-I can be a dog if you want! If that's what you want, your dirty whore will be anything, Miss Nao!"

Oh fuck this kid was already going to need sooo much therapy already...

Nao managed to catch him by his hair before he had managed to literally throw himself onto the floor, yanking those blue locks back to glare into his eyes as she fiercely hissed, "Did I tell you to leave the bed??! Did I tell you to do anything yet!? Time out!"

Then, keeping her grip on him firm, she shoved his face into the mattress, in a way that she knew it would be almost impossible for him to breathe.

As she held him there, giving herself another minute to think about things, she actually considered the dog route. The fact that Shuuichi had been so excited by the idea probably meant it would stress him to be treated that way. After all, the drug was doing its work in leading him towards those situations. Not taking advantage of the boy's own 'desires' presented wouldn't do Nao any favors...but she couldn't have him cumming and leaking all over the floor. The smell would be too noticeable in the room for Prince Kaito to not comment on, and Nao wasn't up to trying to fully clean it up. She supposed she could just have Shuuichi eat it all...but couldn't trust he'd get it all, and he just...he leaked an awful lot...

Feeling Shuuichi's struggles start to get weaker, Nao pulled him back up, letting him catch his breath again as she said, "Really, Shuu? You want to leave stains of yourself for them to find? Be honest with me, Shuu. Do you want your friends to know about this filthy, dirty side of you? Maybe that's a stupid question. You've probably convinced yourself by now that once they're done being horrified, they'd want to join in. After all, you're a very willing slut now. Certainly they'd be tempted?"

She forced Shuuichi to look up at him, giving him a look of plain disinterest as she said, simply, "But, they wouldn't, would they. They'd be disgusted by you. They'd hate seeing you like this...so I think, the logical conclusion they'd come to, is they wouldn't want to see you like this at all. Poor Shuuichi...maybe he'd be better off back in Luminary, living in a brothel...Kaito gave you freedom for five whole minutes, and look how you squandered it."

Ah. Shit. That was...she had told herself she wouldn't do low blows like that. It was the sort of thing that might stick with him. It was hard to hold back when she knew such things would actually affect him though...

...she had to be more careful. The dog thing. That would hurt, probably, but not in the same way the slave thing did. And not here.

"Can you walk yet? For someone who claims the drug makes you 'heal' faster, you're taking an awful long time recovering. Are you faking for my attention? Get to the tub. Now."

Shuuichi grunted as his head was jerked back, the sharp pain making a tingle shoot down his spine. Looking right at her fierce orange eyes was less...tingly, and Shuuichi quickly backtracked, looking to the side to avoid her gaze. "N-no, sorry, I thought... No, you didn't. I'll st--anph?!"

Getting a mouthful of mattress, god, he was tempted to rut himself on the bed instead. Better than a slut like him deserved, to be bounced against a soft mattress... Maybe that was punishment-worthy too, trying to be better than he was... By the time he'd settled on that, though, trying to do anything was...er...

"Hh--HAH!" Shuuichi gasped in air as he was let up, drool already dripping out of his open mouth, a gush leaving his rear, now exposed. He'd been given a clean towel to hide under his blanket, but in his twisting, it'd fallen away and exposed the heavy scent of his filthy sex to the air.

And the fear of having his friends see him like this only made him shiver even more. "No, nonono, you said you wouldn't tell!"

Kokichi couldn't take the pollen. And because of that, nothing Shuuichi could say would convince Kaito and Maki to take it. Even...even if the fantasy of having them all join in, the four of them wet and swollen and just, fucking over and over and over...

A bit of drool dripped from his tongue, but Shuuichi was quickly brought back to reality, forced to look up at Miss Nao again. Realistically...his friends would be horrified and disgusted if they saw him, saw his dirty, slutty body... Enough to...? Shuuichi's eyes widened as he looked up at Nao, true fear making him tremble, making his stomach turn, and Shuuichi slurped in some of his drool before pleading to the woman he desperately loved. "Please...no..."

Before he could say anything else...Miss Nao had plans for her wretched whore--she was amazing like that.

"It does," he muttered, but Shuuichi twisted around to get to his feet, standing on his own...even his hips and rear flared in pain. And did so with every step. So good... He wobbled his way to the bathroom, leaking down his legs and hazily touching his body on the trip. Once he got to the tub, Shuuichi sat on his knees, spreading his cheeks under him with his feet while he massaged his still plump nipples, waiting as eagerly as his twitching cock for what Miss Nao was going to do to him.

Hmmm...his footing was unsteady, but being able to stand upright when yesterday he had ended up barely pulling himself into the tub on the strength of his arms alone? She'd have to report that to Seiko. It really was fascinating.

Now...she wondered where he kept his belts when he wasn't wearing them...

She eventually found them hanging on a spare hanger in his closet, three belts of various different black hues, one noticeably thicker than the others. She recognized the one she had already made the additional hole in, and grabbed the thick one as well, leaving the third one behind this time.

As she walked out of the closet, she noticed the get well soon cards on his nightstand, two of them, stood up on display for him, his friends wishing him well...awww. That was cute...she grabbed the cards as well, before, curious, she picked up the small black journal that the cards had been propped on.

Opening up the journal, she read a random page...and felt herself smirk a little. Well...interesting...

Pocketing the journal, she headed into the bathroom with the cards and the belts.

"Awww, Shuu! Look at the cards that were made for you? Aren't these very cute...I can recognize Kokichi's handwriting, even at its worst, so I'm guessing this one is from him. And, since somehow I can't imagine Maki would make a card with big, rainbow block letters, I'm going to assume this other one is Prince Kaito's. How very sweet. Have you read them yet?" Nao asked...tossing the paper cards into the sink.

She left them there, waiting beneath the faucet. Turning back to Shuuichi with a smile.

"You did very well to get over here, Shuu. I just knew you had to be faking it. So desperate for my attention, that you so quickly offered to be my dog. Such an eager little bitch..." Nao cooed, reaching down and taking Shuuichi's neck in her hands, pulling him up to kneel on the front end of his knees, lifting himself taller so that Nao had an easier time slipping the thin belt around his neck again, securing it.

"Well, you know, all good dogs can perform tricks on command. And if you want to be Miss Nao's good little whore, so can you. So..." Pulling at the leash a little, holding the other belt folded in her other hand, she smiled down at him. "Show me your tricks, Shuu. On your hand and knees, jump over the edge of the bath and land on the other side. It's a shame you were so quick to touch all over your disgusting, slick sex. That might make landing on your hands and knees a bit more difficult, huh? And there's only one way to teach a stupid, worthless whore like you new tricks..."

And, pulling up on his leash so that more of his midsection stretched and was exposed to her, she whipped the belt across his stomach.

"Hurry, Shuu."

Cards...? Kaito had said something about him and Kokichi making get-well cards for him, Kokichi's being cute but also...had a picture of a dick? He hadn't read them over, too busy ignoring Kaito and then...sleeping. Trying not to think about how badly he needed to cum except that was all that was on his mind. ...maybe he was getting so pent up that cum was replacing his brain? Good riddance, honestly.

Shuuichi looked over at the sweet cards from his friends sitting in the sink...and giggled a bit, enjoying the swoop of fear in his stomach.

He leaned into Miss Nao's grasp, adoringly echoing, "I'm your little bitch," as she gave him a collar, a little disappointed that it wasn't tighter. But that hadn't been a problem the last time she leashed him up, and Shuuichi found himself shaking from more than just the strain on his knees.

Tricks? He'd do everything she asked, of course, but...he wasn't talented. The only thing he was good at...no. Not anymore. Shuuichi was just good for being Miss Nao's whore, spreading his legs and letting (begging) her hurt him. He was a good bitch, and he'd show off his tricks!

"A-ah! Maahh..." Shuuichi moaned as his stomach flinched, delighting in the sting. Even if he had to be taught over and over.

As soon as the leash laxed enough for him to do so, Shuuichi dropped down onto his hands and knees, his hands already slipping a little as he could feel the steady drip of his wet down his legs. A dirty bitch in heat that couldn't stop leaking~

And, awkwardly tensing himself, Shuuichi tried to jump over the side of the bathtub. While he cleared it--Miss Nao had been right. As soon as he touched down, Shuuichi's slick arms and legs slid out from under him, dropping him onto the tile...which he couldn't help rutting against a bit, the idea not leaving him alone since Nao had said it.

Nao spent a second looking him over, making sure he hadn't seriously hurt himself landing on the tile...and then scowled, pulling at the leash and raising her other arm.

"Bad dog."

She brought the belt down, hard, against his back, again, and then again after that. Each shot against his skin made a loud THWACK sound, and the belt moving through the air made a high hiss. She did this several times, each time leaving a new, red mark on his back, and she focused on his back for a reason.

Once she was done, she observed him again, before saying softly, "Roll over, Shuu. Legs wide. That's a good whore."

Shuuichi didn't really care how his jaw had hurt from thunking against the ground--though, if he'd just had his tongue out even a little bit...he humped the ground a little more, his rear just aching to be fucked--but he got his treat anyway. Whimpering and groaning, fuck, he wished he'd gotten the cock ring off before Nao came into his room. He could just cum right here, Miss Nao whipping his back as he fucked the ground.

Each strike made him squeal, his skin stinging and sending waves of heat through him, and, god, the sounds. He could anticipate each smack, his body instinctively tensing and making the pain worse! O-oh...he was making a mess...

Panting, Shuuichi rolled over before he'd even really registered Nao's words. And, owowowow, his back stung! He writhed a bit on his back, but the hazy delight on his face was no lie. A good whore...that's what he was, all he was good for. A disgusting body to touch and violate and hurt it hurt!

Shuuichi spread his legs as wide as they'd go, his lower back sliding a bit in the pool of mucus he'd already made. "I-I'm sorry, I slipped, Miss Nao just makes me feel sooo gooood I can't help it! I'm so wet!" he giggled. "Am I your breeding bitch? Do I still need to know tricks if I am?"

Nao used this opportunity to inspect the cock ring again. She had given him an updated size since last night, and it had really only been half a day since then...there was no need to be really concerned he had grown more by this point. Still.

Kneeling down on one knee, she took his cock into her hand, looking over the head. Not as much swelling this time, and the swelling there was probably more due to the pressure of his arousal more than anything. So, no additional note-worthy growth since this morning. Okay...

"No. I still want you to know one trick," Nao mused to herself, considering the length of his member. It really was ridiculous, how large the boy had become. If Shuu was very lucky, whatever Seiko ended up giving him would decrease the length of his dick someday. Long, firm dicks were nice...up to a point. And once that point was passed, it just resulted in a lot of extremely uncomfortable partners in the future, all who had to decide if it was worth adjusting their bodies to the new fit...however, there was one very interesting thing a long dick could do.

Standing up, letting go of his cock, ring still on, but grabbing his ankles on the way up, Nao put a heavy foot on his shoulder, pinning him down. Pulling at his legs, she said cheerfully, "Every dog, good or bad, knows how to lick themselves Shuu...certainly a disgusting whore like yourself is capable of even that much..."

Pulling his legs up and over his head as far as she could, his stomach bending and twisting over itself, she felt him slip a little and used her other foot to pin his other shoulder down too, kneeling down and pulling his legs down with her over his head. To her delight, she was correct. He could absolutely reach.

"Go ahead, Shuu," she said, smiling down at him, putting both of his legs together now that he was fully bent, holding his legs with one arm and taking his dick in her other hand, rubbing it against his mouth. "When you're swallowing everything down, don't forget to spit out the ring. They're expensive."

Shuuichi shivered and felt his panting grow heavier in excitement when Nao - aaaaah Miss Nao was touching his dick!!! His asshole made that embarrassing gurgling sound again, a noticeable gush coming out of him with his legs spread as they were, and, and, she could surely feel him throbbing, right? He was her good little whore, and she treated him right. She'd let him cum, ri--o-oh?

He made a small sound of confusion as she grabbed his ankles and lifted them over him...and then kept going. Feeling the sole of her boot crush his shoulder a little made his legs shake, but for the most part, Shuuichi was pliant, just curiously watching her pull his body as she liked.

And then, just as the stretch was starting to become uncomfortable, she told him the trick and-- Another gurgle from his hole, now pointing to the ceiling, another slurp from his mouth that didn't catch all the drool pooling out of his mouth.

Instead of watching Nao, Shuuichi now found his gaze affixed to his nearing cock, wondering...could he really do it? Wasn't it impossible to suck your own cock? But...he was so big now. Bigger than Kaito, he was sure by this point. The pollen and all its silly secondary effects, giving him a gift like this...a freakishly large penis with a big hole, something for people to stare and gawk at...

Was now touching his lips.

Shuuichi felt his muscles burning from the stretch he'd never done before, his knees close to touching his head, his ass to the sky, and his cock...

With a longing moan, Shuuichi opened his mouth and surged up to gobble up his dick, immediately poking his tongue into his hole, able to squeeze a decent amount in, especially as he sucked indulgently.

It was fascinating to watch, honestly. Shuuichi practically bent in half, his ass leaking the mucus the pollen had given him, dripping down his legs and over his dick, dripping onto his face as Shuuichi ignored it, focused entirely on devouring himself. It was a difficult position to hold him in, and she could feel his body already trying to push against the hold, protesting the stress position she had put it in...but if any of that translated into anything like pain for Shuuichi, it was impossible to tell by the look of ecstasy on his face, though sweat was starting to drip from his hairline.

Curious to see how much of himself he could take in, Nao pushed harder against his legs, bending his abdominal muscles even further against themselves. She wondered if he was this flexible now because his muscles were in better shape, or because he was willing to ignore the pain of his body trying to do this. She didn't think he'd ever be capable of it at all without her holding him in it, but the fact that his back had allowed it was still fascinating on its own.

"Aren't you lucky, Shuu? This is the only way anyone would ever put their tongue against you. You're the only person with standards low enough to touch you like this. What a gift that you're actually capable of violating yourself like this." As she thought about it, she added in, "For that matter, you're probably also the only person with standards low enough that you'd let that gross mouth of yours anywhere near you. I'd never let you lick or suck me. I doubt anyone ever would. We'd all probably catch something from that deformed body of yours."

As she watched Shuuichi clearly indulging himself, she remembered her time limit. Her time limit that was, in no way shape or form, set in stone. Anyone could come in literally any minute...

"...as much fun as I'm sure you're having, forcing me to watch you like this, Shuu...if you don't hurry, I'm going to let go, leave you, and I won't care if you somehow manage to finish yourself off without my help..." She smiled down at him, grabbing the thick belt again now that she didn't need to guide his dick anymore, readying to hit him again, as she said gently, "Though, I'll be sure to wash my hands before I go."

Then, she brought the belt down on his ass.

This...this felt amazing... He could remember wanting to fuck his own ass, and while he'd thought it was as impossible as sucking himself off...god, he wished he could move his hips in any way, he wanted to fuck his mouth... There was still so much of his big cock he couldn't reach, and he had a perfectly good throat...

Or...no. He had a dirty whore's mouth, one that made gross expressions when he came. ...Kaito's breath had smelled so heavily of sex that one day... Would his do the same? Would Kaito be able to tell that it was his own scent? ...would he ask to see Shuuichi suck himself? ...would he help? Force his legs over his head like Miss Nao was doing, helping him feel this wonderful pleasure that he'd only ever get like this...

Whimpering, Shuuichi sucked a bit more of himself in before sliding back, letting his teeth scrape deliciously along his cock before hooking on the cock ring and pulling. It did nothing but tug at his dick--which was just sooooo good--but Shuuichi was determined. He wanted Nao to make him cum, wanted her to stay, to hit him and say horrible things, to coo at her sloppy whore and make his insides twist and turn.

Keeping his teeth around the cock ring, Shuuichi prodded at his head with his tongue, completely forgetting at this point that he had arms, trying to squeeze himself through. It hurt and he was pulling and he felt so swollen and "hhAHHKK!"

Shuuichi's eyes went wide as he practically inhaled his dick, everything in his body tingling from the whip to his ass, able to see the rivulets of liquid running over his thighs as he-- "Hic!"

The engorged cock popped out from Shuuichi's mouth, ring-free and, immediately, a grand gush of thick cum splattered onto his face.

Nao almost sighed in relief when he finally came, his body shuddering and his cum splashing against himself, but she held it in. There we go. That...none of that seemed terribly traumatizing. Nothing that she could imagine would leave too many more mental scars his friends would have to patch up someday. She had called him a dog, made him hurt himself a little bit, and then let him suck himself to completion. She had added the cards in the sink just in case she needed a little extra hurt to really push him through, but had no intentions of ruining the cards.

If only because his friends would likely ask what had happened to them, anyway.

So, yes...another session done, and hopefully not one that would end up featuring itself in his nightmares someday. Nao was actually rather proud of herself.

Alright, time for clean up.

"Dogs also have the decent habit of eating up the messes they leave behind, Shuu, so get started on that," she said, letting go of his legs and letting them fall against the tile with a thud. She then opened Shuuichi's mouth with one hand and dug the ring out from the back of his tongue with the other, seeing there was some cum still on the insides of it and saying simply, "Stick out your tongue, bitch."

When he did so, she ran the inside of the cock ring around the tip of his tongue, cleaning it, before reaching down to his dick and, with minimal fuss, pushing it back on again. "That should hold you over until tonight. I hope you understand that was your free one for the day. Also, don't expect me to always come around in the middle of the day to help you. You're my whore, I'm not yours. I'm not here at your beck and call. I only come when I feel like making you hurt. It's up to you to take care of yourself when I'm not in the mood."

And when she, just, physically couldn't get here. Though, as he was starting to recover to the point where he could walk again, hopefully he'd have the freedom to start coming to her soon.

While he cleaned the floor, she went to go get two more towels, throwing the one he had spent the morning in in the hamper, and putting one of the clean towels on his bed. Going back to the bathroom, deciding he was basically done with the floor, she picked him up and put him in the bath, flipping the switch on the faucet to turn on the shower portion and taking down the nozzle.

Knowing she had to be quick, that her vague time limit was still in effect, she washed him down, getting the cum and mucus off of him, as she said, "Honestly, I'm far too good to you. I put in all this time and effort. Who knew taking care of a needy whore was such a full time job? Shouldn't you be working for me? Maybe I should start taking you to local bars and selling you to anyone who wants a piece...finally start getting some worth out of you. Ugh, but who would be willing to pay for something like you..."

When she was done, she turned off the shower and picked him up again, forcing him to stand. Getting the second dry towel, she rubbed him down quickly, getting him as dry as possible, cleaning off any mucus or cum the shower had missed, before dropping the towel and, with her foot, cleaning off the floor anything he had missed there as well.

Grabbing him by the leash, she pulled him to the sink, and told him simply, "Brush your teeth, you don't want to be gross when Prince Kaito gets here."...almost forgetting for a second the cards were in the sink.

Taking them out, she put them aside, and as he brushed his teeth, she undid the leash, leaving him to it as she took the cards back to where she had found them, put the belts back, and...decided to keep the journal to read more of.

When she was done, she went to collect him again, picking him up (she knew he could walk, but considering he had just cum and it wasn't like he could walk well yet...) she put him back down on the bed, where she had laid the towel, wrapping it around him and putting the blanket over him.

Looking around, she gave both him, the bedroom, and the bathroom a second look...beyond the shower being wet...yeah.

No signs anything had happened at all.

And almost right on cue, there was a knock at the door.

Shuuichi had only managed to catch a bit of his mess in his mouth but...i-it was his first blowjob! He'd get better, especially since he could practice on himself...really, he just had to practice bending over on himself. The feeling of his legs falling to the floor was nothing compared to the lingering burn in his back and thighs...aaah...

Trying to catch his breath, he stared up at Miss Nao lovingly, letting her play with his mouth and, oh? Obligingly sticking his tongue out...she just wanted him to clean... He almost groaned when he felt her push the ring back on, wanting her to stick around for another punishment, but... Shuuichi just swiped his tongue around his face, lapping up his mess. She'd already been so good to him.

Though he did groan when she said that that had been his freebie. It was better than jerking himself off, which was...getting harder to do, but now he had to hold out until night?! If Miss Nao even decided to come back.

It was...a weird mix of feelings at that thought, and Shuuichi found himself spreading his legs as he licked up the fluids on the floor like a good bitch, hoping that exposing his sex would make her stay... But she always called him ugly and disgusting...sneered at his junk... He could feel the heat returning already.

"M-miss Nao is s-so nice..." he pleaded, not above squirming as she washed him to try and get her to touch the areas that felt so great... Especially as she threatened to really whore him out. Ending up as a brothel bitch anyway...having any and everyone touch and penetrate him... A shiver went through Shuuichi's body as Nao washed over his reddened back, the rough sting making his cock not as flaccid as it'd been just moments before.

Shuuichi giggled tiredly as his legs shook, Nao roughly drying him off. "Your needy whore is already getting hard again..." But he didn't do anything else as he obediently brushed his teeth, shuddering at the thought of Kaito sensing what he'd done.

And before he knew it, he was all wrapped up in bed again, like nothing had ever happened. The towel around him was drier than it had been by the time Nao arrived, and he was merely getting hard and not ready to go as he had been...but...no one would notice anything.

Blinking sleepily, Shuuichi gave Nao a dopey smile. "I love you...see you tonight."

...ergh...

She...she really had to fix that...

She couldn't even work out if that was an effect of the emotional twisting of the drug, or if it was his mind trying to rationalize what was happening to him. Either way, it was the part of all of this that worried her the most. If the detective left these sessions clean of the drug but convinced either way that this was what a sexual relationship, let alone one that developed into 'love', actually looked like? She could very easily see him in the future just...finding someone who acted like her to replace her, thinking that was what he wanted. Just continuing his own torture...

Not to mention that she needed to be certain the Luminaries had no reason to think she was getting anything out of this sexual relationship outside of helping their friend. That was the main reason she couldn't allow him to ever touch her, beyond just not finding the idea all that attractive. Calling him a whore was one thing, but allowing herself to get off at his expense, when he was this compromised?

It was such a balancing act, this whole thing. Lean too far one way, Shuuichi was lost to the drug. Lean too far the other, the Luminaries would kill her for 'taking advantage'. Not to mention she had to stay carefully on the correct side of Dicean law.

...in a way, Nao's own predicament had become just as messy and extreme as Shuuichi's, if only because she was this deep into it now. If she was an outsider to her own life, she imagined she'd have gotten quite a thrill to watch this all play out, the 'hubris experiment' of the 'arrogant librarian'...

...Nao found herself frowning at that thought.

There was another knock, and she heard whoever was outside try to open the door, which she had firmly locked behind her. Time's up. Turning to Shuuichi to give him a hard look, she said simply, "Quiet, Shuu. Good whores don't call attention to themselves when everyone else is done fucking them, and I am clearly more than done with you right now. Stop wasting my time."

Nao then smoothed down her hair a bit and got to the door, unlocking it and opening it up with a smile. "Oh, sorry about that, Prince Kaito! I could have sworn I left this unlocked. Was sitting there wondering why you weren't just walking in!"

The prince, his face a little red from sitting outside most of the day, gave her a small smile and a little wave. "Ah, that's alright...Nao, right? Maki-Roll told me you'd be up here. Thank you so much for looking after Shuuichi for me! Sorry I took so long. I did my best to hurry," he said with a laugh, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck as he grinned sheepishly at her.

Honestly, for someone as loud and boisterous as she knew this person was capable of being, he was honestly very meek sometimes. It made all the rumors surrounding him so much funnier to her because of that. Oh, sure, some of them were...absolutely valid. She wouldn't be genuinely worried about him killing her someday if they weren't. But these rumors often left out that when he wasn't debating with himself the merits of beating someone to death then and there, the man's first reaction to anything seemed to be just to plaster a grin to his face and try to placate the people around him. At least by Nao's observations.

The only times this didn't seem to be the case was watching his interactions at the dining hall, where he always seemed to be the most uncomfortable, especially if the other Luminaries hadn't shown up yet. She had noticed that there he even had the same habit as Shuuichi--steadfastly avoiding people's eyes and talking into his plate when he said anything. She'd assume it was a Luminary thing, to do that, as Timothy also was showing strong signs of finding people's gazes frightening, but Maki didn't seem to have this problem. In fact, she seemed to find it to be some personal prerogative to try to stare into people's very souls whenever she could...though perhaps she was just an outlier to the rule...hmm...

Honestly, Nao wished she could get each of the Luminaries in some sort of therapy session...if only because she would absolutely adore reading the transcripts.

Ah well. Maybe when her and Shuuichi's sessions were less physical someday, she could fill the time picking his brain. It's not like he could hide anything from her anyway.

...she should go home for awhile. She could feel herself needing an hour or so of...stabilizing. These sessions with Shuuichi were a two way street; it was easy to feel powerful and untouchable when you had someone helpless at your touch. That was a dangerous way for anyone to feel, and it wasn't like she didn't have a history of being burned by that sentiment.

She could feel herself getting careless again. Cocky. Yasu would know what to say to ground her to reality again.

"He was no trouble at all," Nao said, smiling warmly at Kaito. "Mostly just slept," she said loudly, so Shuuichi understood. "If you all need any more help in the future, feel free to throw my name in the hat again, I don't mind any. You have a good one now, Kaito!"

The prince gave her another small grin and a quick 'Thanks!' as she left, before heading into the bedroom, closing the door behind him and sighing.

"Shuuichi, bud, you awake?" Kaito said quietly, walking to Shuuichi's bedside.

His sidekick seemed pretty curled up into his blankets, though he wasn't as curled up this time as he had been yesterday, and he wasn't sweating like a fiend today. That was probably good...hopefully they were close to the end of whatever bug had knocked him out so badly.

Feeling tired, and it being far from uncommon for the two to share a bed together, especially during their six month trip down here, Kaito said quietly, "Hey, you mind if I crawl in next to you?"

Oh boy. Oh man. That...

Shuuichi's kneejerk response was to, of course Kaito, let me make room... Beneath the pollen's influence, Shuuichi simply enjoyed his friend's company, even when they were asleep. A-and...with the pollen's influence...being next to a warm body...Kaito's broken arm would be right there, and he couldn't blame him for shifting in his sleep? Rolling on top of Kaito, trapping his arm between them, pressing and grinding...

But if Kaito got close, then...he'd know. He'd notice the towel, and Shuuichi would have to come up with something, and the stress would make him leak enough to seep through, or at least for Kaito to smell it, and then...

...maybe he'd fuck him?

Shuuichi perked a little at that possibility.

Shuffling back a little, a warm blush on his face, Shuuichi nodded sleepily. "I don't mind, Kaito."

Kaito gave a small breath of relief. He had been prepared to take it back if Shuuichi seemed uncomfortable with the idea, but his friend seemed to be in a much better mood than yesterday. Which Kaito was glad for. He was finding himself really missing just...being around the detective. Talking and stuff.

Not that hanging out with Kokichi during the day and chatting with Maki at night both weren't great! They were! But Kaito and Shuuichi's friendship...all of Kaito's relationships were, of course, different when stripped apart. That had been true back at home too. But especially here...Kokichi made Kaito feel warm and cared about, but also basically always a little nervous and, even longer than recent events, but ESPECIALLY because of recent events, constantly a little ashamed of himself. Maki, in turn, made Kaito feel protected and looked after...with everyone besides Maki herself, who could go off on him at literally any minute, for any reason.

Shuuichi, though? It was a relief, hanging out with someone who...just Kaito could actually, genuinely relax around. Who barely expected anything from Kaito, and definitely wouldn't shout at him or cut him if Kaito didn't meet those shallow expectations to begin with. He just...was fun to hang out with. A bro.

Kaito had missed him.

So, again, relieved, Kaito shoved himself under the covers on the other side of the bed, giving his friend plenty of space, carefully leaning against the safe side of his cast as he looked over at Shuuichi, saying with a small grin and an exasperated sigh, "So...Timothy got a dog. Maki is...not thrilled."

Shuuichi was a little disappointed at the space between them, both craving and dreading Kaito finding him out. Wanting him to be scared and horrified, and also enthusiastic and loving. It was...confusing, and, honestly, the constant contradiction made his head hurt, and Shuuichi actually was sleepy now, so...

"Seriously?" he amusedly laughed. "Where did he even get one--just found a stray and coaxed it back?" There was still a thrill that went through him, the time just passed of Miss Nao treating him like a naughty breeding bitch, but...it was a slower heat in his crotch, more like something just in the back of his mind rather than something that demanded his attention.

"Think she's going to have him get rid of it? Or maybe she'll take after Mr. Nidai and let Timothy keep the impromptu gift," Shuuichi yawned, idly wondering how things would go down.

Kaito chuckled, shaking his head, leaning comfortably into one of Shuuichi's spare pillows as he said, "Nah, of course she's going to let him keep it. Honestly, I think she was less pissed he got a dog and more annoyed that he went off to town on his own and got one without telling any of us. Ya know, we're..." Kaito didn't know how to explain his and Maki's relationship with Timothy now. Maki was absolutely taking on the workload of looking after him, but Kaito had promised himself that he was going to start taking on some of that load once Kaito had gotten off of bed rest, and then after that once Kokichi was well. He was the reason Timothy was still here, and why he was Maki's problem now...the prince had a responsibility to them both...

Kaito sighed, shrugging. "We're the ones looking after him, and I think it freaked her out that no one had any idea he had left the castle to begin with. Well, in his defense, he didn't go alone. That Dicean lady the king assigned to him went with him. So, like, he wasn't alone or anything...the dog is pretty cute. I think it's a black lab? He named her Chase, after 'crazy chasing lady'." Kaito chuckled. His eyes brightened as he added in, "Oh! But there was a little kid with him. Some cute little girl who of course immediately went gaga for Maki once she came down. So...I mean, yes, okay, he left the castle without telling anyone, but he got two friends out of the deal, right? I think that Kawai lady made a good choice there. Maki will see that too once she’s calmed down."

"So, that's what's going on outside. What about in here?" Kaito asked, giving his friend a concerned look, "How are you feeling, dude?"

For as rightfully scary she was, Maki really was a big softy for the people she cared about. Not just looking after him and Kaito, but all her (their) siblings too, as much as she could. Bringing all the things they'd made for her over the years across country borders, even if she called them garbage. And while she was training Tim properly, she was far, far kinder to him than the sort of treatment he'd have in Luminary. Perhaps because she could afford to be kinder here.

"As long as he's not just leaving the castle on his own..." Shuuichi shrugged a bit. Really, there were far worse places for a kid to wander off into...even if there were people that really hated Luminary in town.

He laughed a bit at the dog's name and Maki's "curse" with children rearing its head again, and Shuuichi just shrugged again when Kaito's smile faded into worry. "I've mostly been sleeping--nothing too interesting in here. Whatever Seiko gave me has been working, though," more likely it was the pollen healing him from the intense sessions Miss Nao was giving him, "and I feel better than yesterday."

Giving Kaito a shy smile, Shuuichi pressed into his pillow, feeling his dick raised against his stomach. "Don't worry about it, Kaito. I'll be back up and about before you know it."

God, it really was nice to just...talk to Shuuichi about stuff again...

...Kaito thought about asking him questions about the conditioning program again. Thought about trying to explain his idea to Shuuichi...but honestly, now that he was here, just lying around with him, everything outside of this room feeling far away, he didn't want to ruin that peace. Maybe later? Maybe never. Kaito didn't know. How hard could it be, really? He just had to retrain himself to...god, he didn't even really know what he was trying to train himself into. Only want sex when Kokichi brought it up first? Just think about sex less often?

...he just wanted whatever part of himself that had convinced him that shoving his dick down his sleeping husband’s throat was okay out of him...that was all...he just...

Didn't know what part of his personality that had come from?

The whole memory felt strange and foreign to him now. It wasn't like he wasn't the person who had done that to Kokichi. He was. He just...he just couldn't imagine doing something like that to Kokichi now, and so couldn't understand how he had been willing to do so then. What had he been...

Well, okay, no, he had known what he was thinking. He had thought...that he owned Kokichi. That he had some sort of power over him that made...using him okay, somehow...

...he had looked at Kokichi like his family looked at Indentureds.

But Kaito had NEVER struggled with anything like that before! Never! Even when he was young and had only had his family's example of how to treat indentured citizens, it had still never occurred to him that Indentureds weren't people. He had found Maki and Shuuichi both endlessly impressive, had desperately wanted their approval and friendship growing up, and it had never once occurred to him to treat them like objects!

...so why had he done it to his husband??

Kaito frowned. He...he really wanted to talk this out to someone. Maki had helped, during that training day, but that still wasn't the kind of cathartic ranting he wanted to do with someone. He wanted to confess to someone the incredibly shitty thing he did and then...he didn't know. Have them agree that, yeah, wow, that was incredibly shitty? And then they would know how to take that part of him out and throw it in the garbage and Kaito would never, ever have to be afraid of slipping up like that again...

...maybe he'd talk to Shuuichi about it someday.

"I'm glad, man. I was worried about you for a good minute there. You can tell me if you need anything though, ya know? That's why I'm here."

-

Kokichi had fallen asleep for a good few hours out in the garden, enough for his bare legs, which had been stretched out in the grass, to turn deep pink...which the healer taking the afternoon shift wasn't too pleased about, mostly griping at the princes to please wear sunscreen if they were going to be out for a long time. He'd been given his next dose of tea and a rub-down of aloe, sighing at the irony. Getting a sunburn before he'd even gone on vacation. Wonderful.

But, after that nap, Kokichi had found himself unable to go back to sleep, even if he knew he'd be napping again that day. Instead, a whole bucket-load of questions kept circling in his mind.

What 'devotion training' was. What Maki had meant by lumping Kaito in with his father in terms of thinking Kokichi would explode at any little thing. How deeply coded his letters to Kaede would have to be. If there was anything he had to worry about specifically for Maki if she did end up going to Luminary...

The questions didn't make his pulse race, and they didn't make him tired, but...he was feeling antsy. So, when the healer went to ask someone to bring something up for his lunch, he asked for someone to let Maki know that if she had the time, he wanted to hang out.

...he knew she likely hadn't had any rest and this was her time to do so, but...maybe they'd talk for a little bit, then she could take a nap or something. He could totally make sure no one would disturb her for a good while.

Maki was not, in fact, resting, but was instead watching Miss Kawai show Timothy how to start training his new dog, a dark black lab puppy named Chase, to recognize her name. And beside her, a wide eyed, fascinated little girl who had followed her charge home was asking Maki a million questions.

"You have really long hair! Does your mom not let you cut it?"

"I don't have a mom."

"Lucky! My friend has really long hair too, but that's because her mom likes it like that and wont let her cut it. She hates it," Cali said, looking brightly at Maki as she said suddenly, "Do you wanna see me do a handstand?!"

Maki said nothing...but obligingly watched as the little girl did her best to do a handstand, only kind of holding it for a couple of seconds before tumbling backwards.

"I did it! Liz can't do that because her hair is too long and she keeps accidentally trying to handstand on it. It's dumb," Cali said, adding in sternly, "When my mom gets back from the war, I'm gonna shave off my entire head, just so she knows she can't push me around!"

Maki didn't say anything to that, but noted it away. It may not be a good idea to let Timothy hang out with this girl...

After a moment of Cali talking for, what seemed like ages, about the dangers of long hair, Timothy called out to her, saying urgently, "Hey! Cali! I think she knows her name now! Come test it out!!"

"Okay!" the little girl said brightly, running to Timothy and, at his prompting, calling to Chase, who looked over at her curiously...before immediately running off, the two kids after her with a yell.

As Maki watched all this, a housekeeper came up behind her and whispered something in her ear...and Maki nodded. "Thank you," she said, getting up, brushing the grass off of her, and with one last concerned look back at Timothy, heading upstairs.

She knocked on Kokichi's door. "It's me. May I come in?" she asked, now that Kokichi was more consistently awake, trying to respect Kaito's desires about privacy for him.

Lunch today was ginger congee with a bunch of stewed vegetables--which he'd convinced Nell to let him eat himself. She was still sitting close by, ready to jump into action if he spilled the hot--but not that hot--porridge on himself, but...she was keeping her hands to herself, and he appreciated that.

He looked up at the knock at the door and quickly swallowed his latest mouthful to answer before Nell could get up. "Yupp! Maki-chan's an esteemed guest!!" And then he sent a pleading look to the healer, who, after a moment, heaved a tired sigh and nodded, getting up.

Waiting until Maki had opened the door herself and stepped inside, not wanting to startle the woman who regularly pulled knives out of who knew where, Nell nodded to Maki. "Miss Harukawa. I'll be in the hall if either of you need anything, but I'll give you two privacy for your...hang out."

Waving the healer goodbye with a bright, "Bye, Nell!" Kokichi gave Maki a grin and nodded to a small bowl of cubed fruit on his nightstand. "You can have some if you want--I really don't think I can eat everything. And...is the puppy staying?"

Tim and Haneda had returned just when Kokichi had been waking up from his nap, and his annoyance at his sunburn had been delayed for a good while in favor of cooing over the adorable little black puppy.

"If I had any sense in my head, she wouldn't be," Maki muttered, grabbing the desk chair and pulling it beside Kokichi, sitting in it with a huff before taking a few of the fruit cubes he had offered, popping them into her mouth one after another, saying in between bites, "I don't know what I'm doing. You think you start getting a grasp of what being a mentor is all about, and suddenly your charge is wandering around a town full of adversa-" Maki coughed, remembering who she was talking to, making a show of needing to chew through her fruit all of the sudden before continuing on, "-strangers, with someone whose name I barely know, and comes back with this huge new responsibility...I don't know. I've heard about assassins having battle pets before. Maybe 'Chase' can be trained to do that...not that I have any idea how to train battlefield dogs...ugh..."

Maki was so conflicted about the whole thing. She mostly just felt...blindsided. She didn't know how she should react to what was...honestly probably a good idea. Timothy had seemed happy enough, which was a rare enough thing on its own...

Wiping her hand off on her skirt, tugging at her hair a bit, she said, "I think the actual answer is that I need to make more of an effort to get to know this Kawai woman. It was fine not knowing anything about her when she was just the lady he was running from all the time. If they're actually going to start spending time together? I have to vet her. I should have done it ages ago."

Having said her piece, venting properly, Maki turned those fierce, blood-red eyes on Kokichi, her expression deadly to anyone who wasn't familiar with her, but Kokichi would recognize by this point as her just looking slightly curious. "Not to imply you'd need a reason to want to hang out with me, as clearly out of all of our friends I am easily the most fun and low-key of us to 'chill' with" she said, putting quotation marks in the air around the word, entirely self-aware, "but did you...?"

Kokichi smiled gently, a little sadly, but...he knew what she meant. "...Haneda-chan wouldn't let anything happen to Tim, Maki-chan. And...well, he is less visible than Kai-chan. There are a lot of kids in town--Tim's just another one in their eyes." He wanted to say that, in the first place, no one would harm him, but... He hadn't thought anyone in town would try to brain Kaito with a roof tile either. Hopefully relations with Luminary would improve and people would be less...overtly hostile, but for now...it was a long road.

With a soft giggle, he gave Maki a wink, almost going to lean over towards her before he remembered the bowl in his lap. "Maki-chan is a lot of fun to hang out with! And you're right--I don't need a reason."

"...and, because of that, we could just relax for a while. Maki-chan could even take a nap if she wants, let me prove myself as her sentry. You're under absolutely no obligation, but..." He smiled a little guiltily. "...with everything that's happened...I have some questions, and I think you'd be the best person to ask."

Shuuichi, had he not fallen ill, might've been the actual best person, but Kokichi felt...worried that he'd end up triggering his...conditioning with his questions. It was important for him to learn how to talk around it, but, considering the content of what he was wondering about...tact might not be at the forefront of his mind.

Maki smiled a little at the offer of the nap. She was far from exhausted, but...her radically shifting sleep schedule lately had put small lines under her eyes the last few days. Nothing she couldn't handle, but...it was still sweet for him to recognize that the ability to get some sleep might be something that would actually appeal to her.

"You and Kaito do make napping together look like a good time," she admitted, laughing lightly to herself, her smile turning a little mean. "It'd almost be worth it just to fluster that healer outside. She seemed skittish. The skittish ones can be a lot of fun," Maki said, smirking slightly.

There weren't a ton of social advantages to being a trained killer and everyone knowing about it...but seeing the way random people reacted to just her presence could be morbidly fun, in its own right.

The humor went out of her face though as she considered the prince more seriously...before squaring her shoulders, nodding, her demeanor more overtly professional as she said, "If I can, I'd be happy to...though, allow me to say again that...there's no hurry to decide on my proposed hits..."

Maki was, in a very real way, growing increasingly nervous, every time she thought about that conversation. She had felt fairly confident in the moment, but as she analyzed the discussion to death in her head, she was less and less certain it had all been leading to an approval. And...she just wasn't looking forward to having to re-think her future plans, in the wake of a 'no'.

...it's not like she could just give up.

They were counting on her.

Kokichi blushed lightly with an unapologetic grin, giving a shrug. He used to despise how much he slept...but taking naps with Kaito or just taking naps around the Luminaries? It just felt...comfortable. Something he'd enjoy doing even when he wasn't ill.

Though, his humor faded right along with hers. "...I believe you," he started, just holding the bowl in his lap. "But I still don't want to keep you waiting forever. It's not fair to you or anyone in Luminary."

"So, I guess...the biggest question about that would be...how likely would letters from me to Kaede be intercepted? Both diverted and having other people read them, if you know. Would addressing them as Kai-chan change any of that?"

His brow furrowed, Kokichi tapped his fingers against the bowl. "I just... I want things to change in Luminary. When Kai-chan and I first talked about our homes...I always felt bad when things seemed so horrible to me. I didn't grow up there; it's not my right to judge other people for how they live. But...with everything new that I learn...there's a difference between peaceful coexistence and passively allowing slaughter."

Anger peaked into his voice and Kokichi forced himself to take a breath, to not work himself up about this again. "If I knew that everything would be alright if...I gave you the okay to go to Luminary...I would've done it in a heartbeat." Even knowing that he'd be, though through second-hand, ending people's lives. People who his husband loved. Kokichi closed his eyes. "But I don't know that. I don't know Kaede, and I don't know that things won't just be the same but with her in charge."

Opening his eyes again, Kokichi gave Maki a baleful frown. "...so that's why I can't say yes yet. I need to know that things will be better for sure. ...I'm sorry that means Maki-chan has to wait to help her family."

Maki listened to all of this, carefully watching Kokichi's eyes, always looking for those little tells of...well, dismissal. Disregard. Eyes that suggested the person behind them didn't really consider Maki, and those like her, as little more than objects with some semblance of value...like they weren't talking to a person...

...and felt foolish when, of course, she didn't see any of that in Kokichi. He had no reason to think of her like that. His 'maybe' wasn't a soft but irreversible 'no', like an adult might give to a small fussing child, or how a citizen might talk to an indentured who requested something and the citizen didn't really feel like addressing it.

His 'maybe' wasn't a no. It was a maybe.

...it didn't hurt any less. But Maki hardened herself to that feeling and nodded. "Of course...I knew when I was making my presentation to you that once I got into the details of 'why' the plan would work, I'd...unfortunately have to reveal my ignorance to some of the finer details. I've done my best to understand our government structure and politics and how it affects indentureds growing up, out of personal passion...but this is still Kaede's plan. And I can't pretend to understand how Luminary would look or work once she was Queen Law. I don't know what her final plans are for the kingdom."

All Maki knew was that Kaede had sworn to her that the program would be dismantled...that her people would be freed. It was all Maki had cared about. She had never even thought to ask about how Kaede would actually achieve it, or what else she would do with that power.

...and, frankly, so long as it worked? Maki still didn't care what became of everything else.

...but she still understood Kokichi's concerns. And as a prince raised in politics, who was expected to lead, Maki following his lead on this mentality might actually be the best call for her siblings. For now, anyway.

Maki would...try to put her trust in him.

So she answered, as clearly as she could (though, honestly, a part of her wished Shuuichi was part of this conversation), "Byakuya absolutely regularly has Kaede's mail intercepted. The heir-apparent is in no way ignorant to Kaede's personal ambitions, and honestly, I think it's only the fact that she's so well loved among all the classes and competent in the political tasks she takes on is the only thing that's kept her alive for all these years. She's too valuable to kill, too dangerous to leave on her own. You can expect all mail directed to her to be read and reported to him."

Maki gave Kokichi a small smile, as she continued, "But, if you wanted mail to get to her with any degree of anonymity, a fairly simple but surprisingly effective method would be to send a message to a member of her household whose mail could be reasonably expected to be left alone, but could be trusted to deliver it to its actual intended reader. I happen to be familiar with an indentured housekeeper contracted to her family that I believe could be trusted to deliver it. His name is Rantarou Amami, and he practically helped raise Kaede growing up. If you sent the letter to him, I believe he could be trusted with it."

Kokichi wrinkled his nose a bit, but he had to concede that Byakuya intercepting Kaede's mail wasn't...just a complete dick move. He was on the hit list, and if he knew that in any degree, then knowing what was coming was just...smart. A good play in political espionage that Kokichi had to admit was needed in certain places.

But one that he could thankfully work around. Kokichi nodded a bit before humming. "If you believe in him, then that's the route we'll take...though...mail coming from me would be weird enough to look into. Are any of you guys close enough with Mr. Amami that it wouldn't be bizarre for him to receive a letter?"

Suddenly, Kokichi was regretting that first letter to Byakuya. Now he knew his hand-writing, but...hopefully if one of the Luminaries just wrote the address on the envelope, that would be enough to brush away any curiosity, and Kokichi would still be able to write the letters himself. If not...he might just make up a different handwriting from the start, just to disconnect himself from any prying Byakuya might stumble into.

Sighing softly, Kokichi thought of the other direct point to...Maki's presentation that he needed to ask about. "...and...if I did give you a way to fight without being stopped... Are there any... Fuck, I hate that I have to ask this," he huffed. "If someone were to try and stop you in Luminary, are there any ways I'd be able to cut that off at the head? Really, I'd just like to say that Maki-chan can do whatever she thinks is right, but...I'm assuming they'd thought of that..."

He grimaced, trying to hold down his fury at the whole...conditioning thing. Getting angry was what had hurt him last time. He needed to be the person Maki could depend on, no breakdowns.

"All three of us are familiar with Rantarou, so, in theory, there could potentially be a reason for any of us to send him a message...but Shuuichi would probably be the least noteworthy to an informant. Any mail sent by Kaito intercepted by an informant would probably be read and reported to Byakuya just on principal, and I'm not known for getting in touch with people just to catch up. So mail from me would raise eyebrows, regardless of who I sent it to."

Maki considered this some more, before adding, "Especially if Shuuichi sent an entirely clean letter first, just saying that he was thinking of Rantarou and wanted to catch up, and you started adding in your letters in all letters sent afterwards? I'm not saying its impossible they wouldn't figure it out, but it'd be less likely."

Maki squared her shoulders, saying with something that was almost grotesquely...prideful? "My conditioner was exceptional at his work. I'm not like Shuuichi, there's no holes in logic for me to stumble into every time my mind wanders or anxiety levels spike. I have a chain of command, and I follow the last order given by the highest person in that chain. And right now, you are the highest person in my chain of command. If you give me an order, there is nothing I, or anyone else, could reasonably say to dissuade me from it...with the exception of convincing me that your orders had changed, for any reason," Maki admitted, her shoulders sinking a little, thinking of how Shuuichi and Katsuki had managed to drag her back to the castle. "But, honestly, the only reason that worked was because I knew my chain of command was meant to have changed by that point, and I wanted to believe it. So long as your orders are clear and concise, there shouldn't be any fear of my old chain of command still having influence over me."

Kokichi nodded a bit, his eyes wandering as he thought, tapping on the bowl again. Kaito had said that Maki and Shuuichi talked about "political" stuff a lot, and Shuuichi had told him straight out that he had no love for the state of Luminary. Kokichi didn't want to keep having Kaito in the dark for so long...but he could talk with Shuuichi first. Get things moving at least a little.

So...once Shuuichi was better, he'd ask him if he'd join in on the plan. Send a regular letter to Mr. Amami, then, if it was alright, to have him address the envelopes for Kokichi's letters in the future. Considering who Shuuichi was, he might be able to catch anything else that might be too telling.

"Alright... Once Shuu-chan feels better, I'll ask him about it. Or, I mean you can. Either of us?" He shrugged a little, rubbing the back of his neck before half-heartedly eating a little more of his lunch. "Whatever works, as long as we're all in the loop."

...and he ate a little more, just to give him a moment to deal with the sorrow and anger that, at this point...he wasn't sure would ever really leave. He nodded and murmured understanding of Maki's...capabilities, but was still quiet for a long moment, something obviously bothering him. And, managing not to spill the bowl though his arms trembled as he placed it on his nightstand, Kokichi chewed his lip before speaking.

"...Kai-chan told me that, whenever something about Luminary would seem plainly awful to me, that...he just wasn't explaining it right. And, how he talks about his family...I can understand them acting different towards him, but... And you said that...he wouldn't expect me to handle stuff? When that's literally what we fought about when we met and we settled it! And just--!"

Kokichi cut off his disjointed, worried rambling with a frustrated huff, his eyes looking over the bed before meeting Maki's again, something concerned and scared in his expression. "...Shuu-chan mentioned it, but... What's devotion training?"

"I said that?" Maki asked, looking surprised at Kokichi, trying to remember...when had she...

Ah, right. At the very beginning of her presentation. She had been pent up and nervous about starting the conversation, and had gotten frustrated at the implication that she, as an assassin, would have to somehow talk around the reality of what she did to one of the only two people left who had any real influence in what she did anymore. What had she said exactly again?

Right. That Kaito and the king were the ones who held back for him. That Maki couldn't be expected to behave that way.

And Shuuichi had mentioned devotion training? Why would he...

Maki wondered what she should say...she didn't want to hurt Kaito by revealing things about him that he wasn't ready to share. But, honestly, when it came to this matter...it's not like he even could...

Maki sighed. "First of all, if you don't mind my answering your questions one at a time... I feel like I should clarify that when I made that comment, it was out of a moment of frustration. Kaito and I had just had a conversation that same day about...your husband has a lot of faith in you, Kokichi. It could be argued...blind faith," she said, keeping her gaze on him steady. Not willing to back down, though the awkwardness of this was present on her mind.

"I can understand both yourself and him wanting to combat the, honestly, sometimes perplexingly strict restrictions on you through tests of competence. That's healthy. But myself and Kaito have had disagreements in the past about the difference between supporting you testing your limits and willfully ignoring the fact that you have any. Please understand that my concerns for Kaito's complete support of your decisions doesn't stem from me wanting you to stop testing those limits. I just...want Kaito to recognize that if he recognizes you're coming across a limit that you aren't willing to acknowledge, for any reason, then he needs to at least be willing to argue with you."

Maki clenched both her fists, saying quietly, "I'm sorry if this belief strains our relationship, Kokichi. But I want to protect those I care about, and very often, it feels like I have to protect them from their own bad decisions. I won't pretend that I don't feel the same way about you, despite your personal history."

Blind faith...Kaito had said pretty much the same thing about him that night before his attack. But...it hadn't felt like blind faith to Kokichi. Kaito had proven himself over and over to be someone Kokichi could trust...but maybe some of that was him smoothing things over in his mind because Kaito agreed with him so often. He'd told Kaito over and over that he wanted Kaito to be able to hold his own, differing opinions. But, when Kaito kept agreeing with him...was it just ignorance to believe that Kaito had taken his words in stride and that he really believed those things?

...but they had had at least one talk about what Maki was saying. And that was a start.

Perhaps straying from what she expected, Kokichi smiled at his friend. "I actually really appreciate that, Maki-chan. Kai-chan and I...actually just had a talk about this--I guess something about your talk got him thinking?"

"...I like it when people disagree with me because it forces me to really think about why I think I'm right. And, in that process, hey, sometimes I'm actually wrong. It's just...frustrating when you prove yourself, and then people still say no." He glowered a bit off to the side, his actual problem with his father rearing its head. But his expression softened into something vulnerable, his voice taking on that same quiet tone that he'd told Kaito the same thing in. "But...if people always said yes...I'd be dead. As much as I hate it...there are some things I can't do. There are things I'll do that I shouldn't, and I won't listen to anyone. And so...it's important for people to say no. I...think Kai-chan understands that more now."

"...it's important to say no..." he echoed in a murmur, that vulnerability shining through as he held his blankets, not really noticing that he was speaking aloud. "...and because I didn't...maybe he thinks he needs to say yes..."

Maki listened to him, surprised at his understanding...though maybe not as surprised as she could have been. She didn't say things to be cruel, or thinking that it would spark more heart attacks. She said things because she had her own sort of confidence in Kokichi. A confidence that could change, if he did, and was only based on a month's worth of knowing him, but...

It helped that the first thing she had ever really seen Kokichi do was stand up to a raging, drugged enemy prince, holding a sword, who had just thrown his own assassin headfirst into a wall.

Maki had good reason to believe Kokichi could handle the things said to him. Until he proved that belief wrong, she was happy to keep giving him the benefit of the doubt, and to continue to be honest and upfront with him.

Though...as she saw him clearly go away somewhere in his head...right. The 'Chad' conversation. Maki still didn't really know what all that was about, but it had clearly been bothering Kaito before Kokichi's heart attack, and...if she had to guess, whatever had distracted him had something to do with that.

If Maki could put both Kaito's analogy and Kokichi's musing together to form an idea of what had happened...Chad had never raped Kaito, but to say he hadn't put Kaito in a position where saying no was borderline impossible...along with Kokichi's little 'it's important to say no'...

And she had a feeling they weren't both referring to the wedding.

Maki closed her eyes, considered letting it go...and said, "Kokichi. I'd like to be a closer friend to you. Someone you could trust with...truly difficult things about yourself...sorry. That's probably a weird way of putting that. I don't have Kaito's gift for...warmth." She tugged at her hair a bit, before looking at him seriously. "But I do care. If there was ever anything you wanted to talk to me about...even if it's things about your and Kaito's relationship. I'd hear you out. I can swear it wouldn't get back to Kaito, anything you said, if that made talking to me about things any easier."

Maki gripped her hands over her lap, subconsciously taking her 'child caregiver' pose as she said, somewhat tensely, "I just wanted to say that. You can take me up on that whenever you'd like to. That's all I'm saying."

Feeling embarrassed at her attempt to reach out, she said suddenly, "Let me get you some water."

Getting up and grabbing a glass, she filled it with water from the faucet in the bathroom, collecting herself with a frustrated sigh (in many ways, Maki wasn't confident in her ability to be close to people. Her attempts always felt...off), before bringing it back to Kokichi, placing it down beside him and sitting back in her seat.

Having felt like an appropriate amount of time went by between her offer and now, she started pulling at her hair a bit as she said, "...why do you want to know about devotion training? What did Shuuichi say exactly?"

That was...Kokichi felt stinging in his eyes, but they didn't start to water. Not yet. That Maki would offer something like that...

At this point, Kokichi did consider Maki and Shuuichi his friends. Not just his husband's friends. But, just like when he'd start to feel that warmth around members of the castle staff that were more than just professional to him...the doubt crept in. About power imbalances and loyalties and a whole mess of insecurities that had made Kokichi completely sincere when he called Kaito his first friend.

So, for Maki to bridge that gap too...it meant a lot.

...and...he sort of wanted to tell her. About what actually happened on their wedding night, about the guilt Kokichi had about their times while Kaito was injured, about that night he'd been woken up... There was so much he didn't understand or couldn't process yet, and, while talking with Kaito helped...it was a lot to dump on one person, especially the other person involved with everything.

And if Maki could still look at him like a person, could still trust him with something as big as revolution and the lives of her siblings having seen Kokichi collapse from nothing but words...then...maybe she wouldn't stop looking at him like that if he told her...

Kokichi tentatively opened his mouth, but shut it right away as Maki offered to get water, just nodding as he gently pressed his palms against his eyes and rubbed away the stinging.

And the moment had passed.

"...he told me about...why the people of Luminary haven't rebelled. And he said that neither he nor you had devotion training, and that you didn't have any love for the state of Luminary." Kokichi realized the leap in his logic there, and something uncomfortable crossed over his face. "He never said anything about it in relation to Kai-chan, but...with how Kai-chan talks about Luminary and his family...he's not stupid. And...whenever we've talked about stuff before he gets really uncomfortable...says over and over that Luminary isn't evil, even when I don't bring anything even close to that up."

Kokichi chewed on his lip, wondering if he should keep talking. If he should've brought any of this up. "...you don't have to tell me. But...I know Tengan was really, horribly shitty to Kai-chan growing up. And I guess... The specifics don't matter but...Kai-chan isn't...just... He doesn't really believe that things are okay in Luminary...right?"

Ah.

Right.

...that.

Maki kept quiet for a moment, running her hands through her hair, seriously thinking about what to say. She had been afraid that Shuuichi, maybe in a moment of exposition, had given Kokichi their theory of what had happened to Kaito...but it was actually quite comforting, to hear that Kokichi, with his limited interactions with all of them, with his limited understanding of what conditioning even was, would come to that conclusion himself.

...still. She had to be honest.

"I don't think I can claim to answer this with one hundred percent clarity, because I don't actually...know the answer to that. In regards to Kaito and Tengan, I mean...though if you're willing to hear me out anyway, I can give you what's always been my best guess."

"First of all, devotion training is in the name of the package: it's training to keep you devoted to something. This isn't, necessarily, devotion to the Luminary Kingdom, though that just usually falls in naturally with a well-trained indentured...okay, I think I need to clarify first that conditioning isn't an exact science," Maki sighed, not really sure how to explain this to someone who didn't grow up around it.

"A lot of conditioning relies on an indentured being willing and capable of filling in the holes in logic for ourselves. For example, if you're told growing up that, say, the sky is...I don't know. Say the sky is always pink? Even when it's blue. Part of conditioning you to believe its pink is, one, always getting you to say it, regardless of how you feel. Honestly, that's the most important bit. If you can be convinced to always say it's pink, then who cares if you actually know that it's blue?"

Maki put up two fingers. "The second part? Is basically giving you the space and motivation you need to convince yourself it’s pink. Sure, I see the color blue when I look up...but that's probably me having issues with my eyes. Or maybe I've misunderstood what the color blue is. Or maybe it doesn't matter if the sky is blue, so it might as well be pink, or any other color really, but definitely pink especially, since that's what they want me to say. Without proper guidance, it could even get as outrageous as an indentured telling themselves, sure, I can say the sky is pink, because there is no sky. The sky is a myth. And if there is a sky up there, I'll just never look up at it. I don't believe it's there. So, who's to say it isn't pink, instead of blue?"

Maki, once again, considered if she should say any of this...but Kaito was Kokichi's husband. The Dicean Prince probably deserved to know what he was up against. So she said, "I can't say for certain if Kaito was ever given devotion conditioning specifically for Luminary. I can't even really say Kaito's ever received conditioning training at all. I strongly suspect he has, and he's told me stories of his youth that sound almost beat for beat like training...but Kaito refuses to ever specifically admit that's what it was. I suspect, based on the way he was trained, that Kaito refusing to admit it happened, and his obsession with ignoring the darker aspects of our kingdom, are all secondary effects of his training, him having to convince himself there is no sky, so therefore, the sky might as well be pink."

Maki shrugged, looking tired as she said, "All that to say, I'd stake my life on the theory that Byakuya and Tengan gave him devotion training to love Byakuya, specifically."

Kokichi's brow furrowed as he finally got a proper explanation of what conditioning was, more than just his guesses from the things he'd been told. And...he couldn't even say if it was worse than he'd figured, but as Kokichi took in Maki's explanation...he felt sick.

Because they did have words in Dicea for what Luminary conditioning was. Torture and psychological abuse. He'd known that Luminary was doing that to its citizens...but having understanding of a specific example...

Kokichi felt himself gag, and he quickly put a hand over his mouth, closing his eyes as his skin paled.

And that feeling just worsened at Maki's theory.

He'd never tell her. He'd promised Kaito that he'd never tell another soul. But...if it hadn't just been that those dreams were confused hormones being freaky...that Tengan and his fucking brother had primed Kaito's psychological state into unconditional love... No wonder.

...honestly, it was amazing that Kaito had been able to be upset with Byakuya after his letter, if that really was the case. Kokichi was no psychologist, and he wouldn't play at one, his friends’ psyches too important for him to mess around with in the cloudy name of helping them, not when they had adapted their lives around it already.

Kokichi's eyes burned, and he felt a few hot tears start rolling down his cheeks, though they weren't touched tears of joy this time. These tears were from rage.

But the damage had already been done. So Kokichi just coughed a few times, trying to right himself, and swallowed his bile, shaking as he wiped the tears away. "...I really fuckin' hope Kaede has a plan..."

Maki was quick to grab the handtowel, wiping away the few tears and the spittle from the side of his lips with a calm, unattached air and quickness, putting the towel down almost just as quickly as she had picked it up. Embarrassed at her own reaction to his wet expression. She guessed she was just...used to moving quickly to keep him clean, these days. It had felt like second nature to do so, in that moment.

"Sorry," she murmured. More for her reaction to wiping away his tears than for making him cry in the first place, the act of wiping them feeling...maybe a tad too intimate. Invasive, coming from her.

Though, she smiled at his almost furious demand of Kaede. There was a true, honest faith in her expression as she said, "She does. I know she does. She's not...she's not perfect. But I really, really believe she could do it. Most importantly, she wants to do it...though, of course, I understand you want to confirm this for yourself with her. That's the responsible thing to do." Maki admitted to that, sighing slightly. "And even once you do give me the order...and you do have to give me the order to, Kokichi. It won't be enough to tell me to do what I feel like. Anything less and Kaito will be able to get me to stop..." Maki said darkly, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back into the chair. "...but even when you do give me the order, a hit this big, with this many well protected, powerful people...it'll take time. I'm good, but I'm not 'kill off the entire functioning head of government in a weekend alone' good. I'll need to recruit out for allies, establish secure information channels, bribe, blackmail, dispose of people who could stand in the way..." Maki murmured, clearly lost in her head as she continued on, somewhat to herself.

"...Shuuichi will be extremely helpful for that last bit, thankfully. Honestly, as a personal friend and partner, a detective raised and trained by Kyouko Kirigiri, the Momota family’s royal detective, is probably the best accomplice I could have possibly asked for, since getting past her observation skills would be an otherwise impossible task." Hopefully they'd be able to let her live so that Kaede could use her once the takeover was done... Maki's own mentor, though... when the time came... "Not to mention both myself and Shuuichi were raised in the castle, due to our mentors’ positions... between us, Kaito, and Kaede, I have the benefit of being extremely familiar with the servants, guards, and friends of a good chunk of people on the list. We know who can be trusted, who's on the fence, who will need to be dealt with beforehand. Plus we're not legally tied to their chain of command anymore, and may potentially have the additional resources of the Dicean government and the Kuzuryuu Clan, if Fuyuhiko could be convinced...I'm in an extremely unique position, Kokichi. No other indentured’s ever had benefits like these before...I have to try to take advantage..."

Maki's eyes had gone wide and far away, clearly having started to ramble to herself, reaffirming to herself all the reasons she had to take this risk, to make these sacrifices...but she closed her eyes, shaking her head as she warily got back on track.

"All that is to say, that my current circumstances will make it easier...but it won't be quick," Maki said, already sounding tired.

"Thankfully, it should be fairly simple to keep all of this from Kaito for a long time. Like you said, he's not stupid, but...he's very practiced at ignoring things that make him uncomfortable. He'll probably do half the work of keeping it secret from him for us."

It was a little shocking to feel the towel against his face, but Kokichi found his fury...not ebbed, but cooled for the moment by the kind gesture. He wasn't alone or helpless in his outrage, not this time.

...though, the solution...

Kokichi sighed softly, a pained expression on his face as Maki affirmed that he'd have to order her. He knew it was basically just allowing Maki to do what she wanted without interference, but...he worried about saying something wrong and getting her hurt. Or, if something could be solved peacefully, but she wouldn't be able to let it go.

Not to mention that even just traveling to and from Luminary would take months. Maki would be gone for...a long time. All in the midst of espionage and revolution and crazed cult riots... They would have no idea if she was alright at any moment...

But, just like Kaito's feelings...Maki was one person. And it was cruel and selfish to keep her from helping Luminary just because he was worried about her in particular. Not even to mention the people suffering under social pressures or poverty, just the people in the indentured citizen program had people that were worried about them! But they didn't have a choice in their exploitation, no one that could refuse on their behalf.

His expression only crumpled further, though. "...I don't want to keep this from Kai-chan."

"I know he won't agree, that, if your theory is right, he can't agree, but keeping him in the dark when it's his people and his family...not to mention you. Not telling him anything and Maki-chan just disappears one day? You know how much that would hurt him." Kokichi chewed on his lip a bit more, his conflict clear. "...once I can get confirmation from Kaede, I want to tell him. I trust Kai-chan, and I'm sick of hearing stories of people ignoring him and pushing him around. We're supposed to lead Dicea together one day, and i-if I'm going to be backing revolution in Luminary...that's something he should be a part of too, even if it's just knowing about it."

Backing revolution...yeah, that's what it would be, wouldn't it. A Dicea backed revolution...though, the Dicean royal backing it wasn't the highest authority in this land, so that hardly made it a fool proof endeavor, but...between having a successor already in mind and on board with the plan, and another royal officially authorizing it...

She could do this. Maki could actually do this.

That rising warmth of hope bubbling inside of her dampened a little at Kokichi's decision regarding Kaito, though.

"...I...understand why you would feel that way...but Kaito would probably be happier never knowing for certain it was me that killed his family. And so long as we never confirmed it or were caught planning it, he could pretend that he didn't know, even if it was obvious..." Maki murmured, something...guilty, flashing across her face as she wondered aloud, "If he'd be happier ignorant, shouldn't we let him have that? It's not like him knowing a bunch of terrible truths would change anything about them. It wouldn't change the reality of the situation..."

Maki closed her eyes, pulling at her hair...and then sighed. "Sorry, ignore all that. I don't even believe that. It's an...extremely tempting argument to make, as someone who will likely be the source of a lot of pain in his near future...but I already made these decisions knowing they would hurt him. And at least they're my own decisions, and not something I'm being made to do. I might as well own up to them."

The words were brave, and her expression was, for the most part, impassive and stern...but there was a clear, thick sadness radiating off of her at the idea. Not looking forward at all to the day that Kaito would look at her and recognize her ability to betray him on such a fundamental level. That was going to be...difficult.

Maki looked at the other side of Kokichi's bed, where Kaito would usually curl up into him, her prince trusting her to look after him and his husband while Kokichi was at his most vulnerable and Kaito needed to sleep...and said, "Is that offer for a nap still available?"

Kokichi wanted to say that even if you tried to ignore it, if you knew, then that would always eat away at you. However, with the things he'd just learned about his husband...would Kaito actually be happier pretending? Could he actually disconnect himself that much? Part of Kokichi wanted to say that there was no way that was healthy in the slightest, but it was the same problem with him wanting to undo the conditioning on his friends. He wasn't a psychologist. Messing around with things like that would only hurt everyone.

Kokichi sighed sadly, looking over Maki. A type of strength and bravery that would seem over-exaggerated in stories. He would never be able to understand how difficult this was going to be for her...but he could support his friend the whole way and beyond. Make sure she wouldn't be making a mistake, could ensure safety when she returned home.

...and, hopefully, when this was all done...Maki would never have to kill another person again.

"...I'm not telling him anything yet. And, when it comes down to it...we'll see. We'll see." He sighed again, but the corners of his mouth twitched up at Maki's question. Scooting down and tugging at the covers, Kokichi made room for her (not that there wasn't already, but the gesture was nice) and patted the bed.

"Always, Maki-chan. Get some rest."

It felt awkward, crawling into bed beside Kokichi. Not touching him, but curled towards him in a way that was...companionable. Sleeping near him, rather than just around him. She took a random pillow and smelled Kaito in it. The hair gel that he never washed out properly before bed, that artificial oak soap he favored. She couldn't smell the lavender that usually hung around Kokichi, and wondered when the last time anyone had helped him shower was. She thought about offering to help with that, but it'd probably be better to poke Kaito and get him to offer. It was good to be clean. It was good to feel safe.

And as she curled into the pillow, allowing herself to relax a little, she said quietly, "When you're better, we should practice throwing knives again...did you know it's really hard to kill anyone, doing that? Even if you have perfect aim, when someone is trying not to die and knows you're there, it's hard to get them in a spot that would kill them quickly. All throwing knives usually accomplishes is slowing someone down enough to get close to them or away from them, really...and if I were to do this, to go join the revolution, and not be here to protect you and Kaito and Shuuichi anymore...it'd be comforting to know that you can throw knives..."

Maki felt her eyes grow heavy as she continued to quietly ramble. "...Timothy will want to come with me, when he discovers I'm going...but I'm not going to let him. He's gonna stay here and go to school and grow up to be a Dicean. It's a better life for an indentured here. Him and Shuuichi...two of my brothers are safe already...two down, many, many to go..."

Maki closed her eyes, angry and disappointed with herself. Feeling herself become slightly emotional at the thought. That wonderful hope mixed with bitter impatience. She wanted to help them all now. She had to be patient. This wasn't going to happen overnight. It'd be months before she could even leave, not if she wanted the plan to succeed. She had to be patient.

All her little brothers and sisters would be older by the time she got to them. Some of them wouldn't survive by the time she was done. But if she wanted to succeed...she had to be patient.

"...thank you for hearing me out, Kokichi..." Maki murmured.

And, eventually, she fell asleep, feeling hopeful and impatient.

Kaito was asleep too, trusting that he'd wake up if Shuuichi called out to him.

Shuuichi fell asleep, proud of himself that he hadn't given into his temptations with his sleeping friend beside him.

And Timothy ran around outside with his friend, happily chasing a dog.

Somehow, it was comforting to know that. Kokichi didn't want to kill anyone. He didn't even want to sign off on all those Luminaries' deaths...but by doing nothing, he would be giving his approval for all the people currently tortured and dying in Luminary.

...maybe...there really were situations that couldn't end with the right words. Not with...evil. People who didn't care about others in the slightest. Barely cared about their own.

But slowing people down? ...he could do that.

"Maki-chan's a good teacher..." Kokichi hummed, settling down in bed. "And I want to learn. If I can better protect my friends, then I'll take every opportunity I can."

Timothy probably wouldn't be happy to be a Dicean...but it was safer to be one right now. It surely couldn't compare to how the others felt, but Kokichi never wanted him to see another battlefield in his life. Ideally, that would be because there would be no war...but protecting him from one he didn't need to join was...some consolation. He would be able to grow up in a place that gave him options and opportunities.

And while Maki and Shuuichi were adults...the same thing applied to them. They could choose how to live their lives going forward.

Kokichi turned his head and smiled softly at Maki, feeling peaceful at seeing her get some rest. "Of course, Maki-chan. Sleep well."

And he stayed awake, mostly just looking out the window as he kept watch over his friend. Even when Nell returned, slightly exasperated at seeing the sleeping woman, Kokichi just held a finger to his lips...even if Maki had probably woken up anyway.

If nothing else, he could let his friend rest for now.

-

When Shuuichi woke up, it was because Kaito had gently shaken him awake, and...his hand had felt like a furnace against Shuuichi's shoulder, the detective blearily looking up at the prince, his face blushing red as he saw Kaito smile gently down at him. Beautiful...

"Hey, dude, it's getting late. I'm going to head to my room. Do you need anything from me before I go? You feeling full from dinner? You never ask for help going to the bathroom or anything...I don't mind, dude, I've got you if you need help..."

'I'm going to kill Kokichi,' Shuuichi thought idly, staring up at the red-headed prince, 'and take you for myself.'

Then he blinked at the thought, and sighed...no he wouldn't. Of course he wouldn't. He had...just been kidding to himself. But that joke had been dark, and not particularly tingly, and...it occurred to Shuuichi that when he slept, the pollen maybe went through his body faster? He never felt quite as...happy, after waking up from a long sleep.

He wanted another dose.

Maybe if he asked Miss Nao, just...really nicely...if she planned to spend the night again (would she??), maybe she'd let him have some more. He felt tired and down. Sleeping around Kaito had been calming, in its own way, Shuuichi finding it easier to control himself once he had really, genuinely decided he wasn't going to make a move, and Kaito's casual, friendly conversations with him around dinner had eased and distracted him from the ever present need in his groin...but with that calm came reflection, and with that reflection came sadness...

He just needed a little bit of pollen...just to make the sadness go away...

But Kaito couldn't get him that (could he?), so Shuuichi smiled back up at him and shook his head and said, "No, Kaito...I'm alright. I just haven't felt the need. Honestly, I'm feeling better today than I did yesterday anyway, so I...don't think I'd need help anyway, even if I did...thanks though."

"If you're sure, dude. Remember, Maki's just next door, and I'm right down the hall. If you need her, bang on the wall, and if you need me, just get your front door open and shout, and I'll come running, okay? Maki will be by first thing in the morning to check on you. You took all your pills with dinner, right?"

Shuuichi nodded, and Kaito gave him a wink and thumbs up. "You're gonna be one hundred percent in no time, dude! Just keep your head up, this'll all be over soon!"

"Thanks, Kaito," Shuuichi murmured, watching with warm affection as the Luminary Prince of the Stars gave him another once-over, reached over to squeeze his shoulder companionably (fuck...grip harder, please...), before heading out, taking all of his warmth and sun and optimism with him.

And Shuuichi's room was cold and dark again.

...was she...was she coming back?

Having the afternoon off, after Nao had checked in on Shuuichi, she'd gone to Yasu's office. And, after a long while of just draping herself over her wife, Nao had told Yasu the absolute shit-fest she'd gotten herself into, and Yasu had given a long, looooong sigh before talking some sense back into her. Kissing her scars and brushing her hair and calling her a reckless daredevil that was going to give her a heart attack one day.

All cute Yasu stuff.

They'd gotten dinner together, and Nao had worked on a few of her projects, and Yasu had given her a Look as she left to do Shuuichi's night check.

Just to be safe, it wasn't until just before midnight that Nao silently returned to Shuuichi's room, the handling of his lock a familiar routine at this point. "I don't know if you realize how lucky you are, Shuu," she murmured into the dark room. "I really should've just stayed home--I had such a lovely evening with my wife, you know? I could've had a lovely night too, but, no, I'm here to watch a drug addict beg me to slap him so he can cum. Ridiculous."

With a huffing sigh, she dropped herself onto his bed, crossing a leg over the opposite knee as she did so, looking over the lump of man beside her with distaste.

Shuuichi felt his heart rate tic up, clutching at his pillow and curling his knees instinctively around him when he heard the quiet sound of his door unlocking, the tapping of heels against the wood...he had honestly thought She wasn't coming tonight, and he had kept trying to convince himself to to take off the ring himself, do his best to rub one out, and just go back to sleep. She wouldn't know, not if he cleaned up and kept his mouth shut, not if he acted appropriately desperate tomorrow, and she didn't ask him, and his stupid words didn't spill out of his stupid, whore mouth...

He was suddenly so relieved he hadn't done it now. He didn't know how she'd react if he had...if she had come all the way to his bedside, leaving behind her wife, and he had already finished himself off...?

Shuuichi felt a shiver run up his spine, imagining her reaction.

But, for the first time in many days, he didn't feel...crazed. Like if he didn't cum, then he was going to lose his mind. Being allowed to get off earlier, and nothing happening in the afternoon to turn him on any more than normal, had both been extremely stabilizing. He didn't feel desperate...not to cum, anyway.

...fuck he was sad though.

Just a little?

Just a taste.

He just needed a small pick me up and he'd feel better. Maybe he'd get painfully hard and aroused again, but that was okay. That was...so much better than the sadness. He wanted to stop feeling bad. He just had to convince her.

Keeping his towel onto himself, he crawled out from under his blankets, hesitating for only a second at a...sudden jolt of fear that lovingly spiked through his stomach at the sight of her, before pushing through it, crawling over to her side and, not looking at her face as he laid his head on her lap, laying a trembling hand on her hip as he said softly, "I know I'm lucky, Miss Nao...I know, I know, I'm sorry..."

Shuuichi took a risk, sliding the hand on her hip underneath her blouse, pressing the top of his fingers gently into her skin as he kissed at her skirt, saying quietly, "I'm feeling better, Miss Nao...you could take your whore home with you...Miss Nao and her wife could use me...I could definitely make the trip if I had just a little more... "

Nao raised a curious eyebrow as Shuuichi started moving of his own volition to...lie in her lap? However, the way he was acting, the way he was speaking...she could just see him doing this to a partner in the future, an almost tender moment amid the abuse he'd welcome.

Quick as a flash, Nao grabbed Shuuichi's hand by the wrist, squeezing his bandages just a bit, and held it away from her. "You think I'd ever want to bring garbage into my home?! It's bad enough that I have to smell you here--you really should be kept in the stables, with the way you stink. That's a more proper place to rent animals out, anyway."

Flinging his hand away, she grabbed his cheeks, squeezing them as she turned his head to face her. "You know, when people understand their luck, they don't immediately try to push it. I'm not going to expose my wife to something so freakish and obscene, I'm not giving you any more pollen until your next dose, and I'm just about thinking that I'm not going to empty you until the morning either!"

He couldn't think that this was a relationship. And she couldn't hurt him badly enough for him to fully realize that.

...come on, Seiko! Be the amazing doctor you are! He doesn't have much time!

"a-ah...ha..." Shuuichi's heart fell into his stomach, the back of his eyes starting to burn...and almost immediately, could feel his mouth start to water as he was forced to look up at her. To look at that anger and disgust at his suggestion. Despite himself, there was a small, desperate whine humming at the back of his throat as his wrist ached and stung at her treatment, and...w-why couldn't he meet her wife? He could make them both happy. He...he could...!

"No, please, Miss Nao, d-don't leave me," Shuuichi begged, eyes growing wide and wet, as electricity shot through his veins, his body starting to get really worked up by her treatment... "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, of course not, Miss Nao's w-wife deserves b-better than garbage! I'm sorry, don't be angry, don't leave me..."

Miss Nao wasn't cruel to her whore. She wasn't, she took care of him, she made him feel better than anyone else. If he told her, she'd take care of him, he knew it, he was c-certain of it. So, with tears in his eyes, he put his hands over hers, pulling at the skin on his face, and said, "I'm sorry, I love you, I'm sorry. I d-don't...I want to be your good whore! I do! I can wait for the pollen! I a-am getting some tomorrow, right? I can wait! Please don't...please don't leave me..."

It was a good thing Nao hadn't ever been particularly swayed by tears. Shuuichi looked so...distraught. Over not being fucked and given drugs, but also the very human fear of being alone. Of being vulnerable and being hurt.

...he still looked like he was getting aroused over it, but...less so gleefully partaking in the despair. Lowering his doses seemed to be working. He was already taking less than he had been when he'd started taking the pollen.

"Tsk," she scoffed, giving his cheeks a jiggle before letting go of his face. "It's the pollen you love. And, yes, you're getting some tomorrow, little addict. On my schedule and not yours. You're still taking everything Seiko's given you, correct?"

Now taking him under his arms, Nao yanked Shuuichi across her lap, keeping the towel as a barrier between his bare skin and her skirt--it at least wasn't totally soaked through yet--and exposed his, yes, aroused, nethers. "If you so badly don't want me to leave, then convince me why I should bother touching this horrid thing, Shuu." She pointed down to his erect penis, the point of one of her nails ever so close to making contact.

God, she was strong.

Shuuichi didn't know why it hit him right then and there, since she had proven over and over in their short time together that she could deadlift him whenever she felt like it, but her grip around his arms and the ease that she moved him from one spot to another... Tall and strong and so fucking scary...and with the movement of his towel, once again he was naked and exposed to her, her dirty, desperate whore, that she was so close to touching...

...or denying, which was...no, no, she wouldn't, she wouldn't? She wouldn't? Shuuichi felt another whine run up and through his throat, another stab of fear that made his heart pound in a way that just...felt so exhilarating. He wanted her to hurt him so much. To brutalize him. Cut him open and pull his chest apart and rip out his bones and take his heart...it was hers anyway...

But all the stupid poetic waxing in the world wasn't going to convince her to touch him if he didn't say anything, and he stared dumbly up at her, entirely lost on what she might want from him. She didn't want him to help her get off, that was painfully clear...he was too dirty for her to get anything out of him...she was probably going home to her wife, to let someone good and clean touch her and make her moan, make her feel good, to send shocks of pleasure up her spine...

Shuuichi felt a spark of hatred. Of bitter jealousy at the idea. Both of those feelings turning through his stomach, pressing hotly into his groin. He could do that! If she'd just give him a chance...

Shuuichi put his arm over his eyes, trying to collect himself, and subconsciously his other free hand immediately went to his nipples, edging on that warm tingling that the hatred and the jealousy were sparking inside of him...he was her whore. He wanted to please her...

"I...I took my medication. I took it at dinner. And...and I was good, I was, Miss Nao! Kaito slept right next to me, and I could have touched him at any time, and I didn't, I didn't, because I wanted to be Miss Nao's whore. I was good, I followed the rules, I did! All I think about when Miss Nao is away is how much I want her to come back and hurt me...it was all I could think about and I was still good even though he was right there...!" Shuuichi gasped, frustration high and fierce in his voice as he finally acknowledged to himself how barely in control he had been around Kaito...

Nao narrowed her eyes a little. It was...good that he didn't come onto his firmly married to preserve peace friend, but...he'd done it because he was waiting for her. Which was, well, okay, she'd told him to, you've really dug yourself into this hole, Nao, but, fuck. She still had to take care of him.

"Did I say you could touch yourself, Shuu? If you're so good, as you keep saying, when not touching someone is the most basic thing anyone can do, then why do you keep trying to pleasure yourself? You can't pleasure anyone, you helpless idiot, and it's about time you stop deluding yourself otherwise," she growled, reaching into her bag.

She had better things to do than to make sexual torture devices for the young man she was trying to force clean, but, well, she'd just seen these laying around. Why not use them? Nao set the thick, glass spherical cups on the bed, and pulled out a matchbox.

"If you can't keep your wandering, lecherous hands off your nipples, let's give them some constant attention then, hm?"

She struck the match and picked up a cup, starting to heat up the inside of the glass.

Shuuichi shuddered in relief at her tone of voice, at the way she reached for her bag. She was staying, she was staying, she was going to touch him, she was staying. He felt another swell of love for her, of sheer desire for her, blossom in his stomach, and he looked up at her adoringly, starting to sweat as his body trembled, starting to feel the chill against his soaked backside and thighs as his body started to warm itself up in anticipation for her, and...

...what the fuck was that?

Shuuichi looked, genuinely confused, as Miss Nao pulled...glasses and matches? Out of her bag. W-was she going to burn him? That...that was an exciting idea, but...what about the...

Shuuichi's confusion only grew, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched her heat up the glass. What?

"W-what's that for, Miss Nao?" Shuuichi asked her, a small spittle amount of drool spilling out of the edge of his mouth as his stomach flipped nervously.

"Normally, these are used for a massage technique I found out about in northeastern Dicea. They release muscle tension in localized areas, though you can move them around--usually the back--for a gentler massage." The glass was thick enough that it wouldn't burn her holding it from just using a match, but Nao was soon able to feel the warmth seep through, seeing steam start to fog it. Bringing the cup closer for Shuuichi to observe, she gave him a sweet smile.

"By heating up the inside with an open flame, you can create a vacuum that sucks the skin and muscles underneath up, releasing the lactic acid and forcing out knots." The smile got a bit bigger. "But I've found it works well for stimulation on other body parts too."

Quickly, Nao removed the match and stuck the heated cup over one of Shuuichi's nipples, watching as the perked, puffy thing surged up into the cup, the rest of his areola and some of his pec getting sucked into the vacuum, the whole thing turning red after just a few moments.

Shaking out the match, she set it in one of the lined pockets of her bag, not wanting to start a fire, before smirking down at Shuuichi as she struck a new one for the next cup. "Too bad your cock is too freakishly large to fit into one of these. Feeling every little atom of the skin inside stimulated at once...you'd never take it off, would you, whore?"

"Ah-ahhh! ~hmmmmmMMM??"

The sweat on Shuuichi's face immediately intensified as he stared down at his now red, ball-like nipple area with something in between baffled confusion and an open, desperate desire, putting both of his arms on his forehead as he gasped and panted, just staring at his skin in shock. "No, wait, Miss Nao, wait, wait-!"

He wasn't asking her to stop because it hurt; it DID, but that felt amazing, and his cock, which had already been high and pressed into his stomach, throbbed and twitched with every breath he tried to take around the tightened, aching skin on his chest. It was good, it was fantastic...and it was scary because no, no, no, what was that!?

As Shuuichi whimpered and whined, staring down at himself in horror, he saw that under the pressure and heat of the vacuum, something was...coming out of his nipple...a clear, thick liquid.

No, no, no, no, his body, his body, what had he done to himself??

"What is that, what is, hnnnnn, oh my god, hah...hah...! M-miss Nao, wait, please, h-have to write it down, new symptoms, new- what is happening to me??" Shuuichi said...and then started laughing. Giggling madly to himself as he stared down at himself, wild eyed, sweating heavily, a coat of drool rushing down his cheeks as his cock ached for release as he whispered madly to himself, "Freak, freak, garbage freak, look, look what I did, look what I did, oh no, oh no-"

...what the fuck?

Nao looked down at Shuuichi's suctioned nipple in open morbid fascination. He didn't have mammaries, he shouldn't have anything coming out...well. He wasn't supposed to have mucus dripping out of his ass either. However, while the mucus was easy enough to place, the pollen lubricating for penetration, his nipples? ...she still had spare vials. She'd collect another sample for Seiko.

After Shuuichi was taken care of.

During her ogling, the other cup had been appropriately heated, and Nao shrugged a little to herself. "New symptoms... Seiko did say you started this as an experiment, not that you can keep that weak excuse up now. But that doesn't mean other people can't observe you. Let's see what happens with number two!"

Repeating the same actions, Nao put the other cup on Shuuichi's other nipple, not bothering to watch it puff up this time as she put out the match and put it with the other to throw out later. And, sure enough, by the time she looked back up, that same--probably--liquid was coming out of that nipple too.

"You see, Shuu?" she cooed, running her nails down his abdomen, watching the bizarre happenings of his body. "This isn't the body of a good, normal person anymore. This is the body of a stupid freak who messed with things he didn't know anything about, and will now have nothing in his brain but a memory of how to spread his legs and beg for sex."

"Not that any sane person would ever fuck a monstrosity like you. Maybe we really could sell you as a breeding animal--with all the new things happening to you, who knows?"

Breeding animal? Breeding animal. Breeding animal, breeding animal, breeding animal, breeding, breeding, oh no what if???

It was impossible it was fucking impossible, it was impossible, nothing could do that, nothing could make that possible, s-sure his hips were widening and SURE his ass was fucking prepping itself for sex all the time and fuck, his nipples, his nipples, his - they were circling and puffy all the time these days and and and but it was IMPOSSIBLE and and no no no-

Something rocketed through his groin, and Shuuichi squealed, his whole body curling around itself as his dick desperately tried to cum through the ring, his absolute fear and horror at the possibility (no, no, not possible, SPECIFICALLY not possible!) of what she had just implied, no no no, he wasn't, he couldn't.

Oh fuck his nipples felt amazing!

Whatever was coming of them was starting to drip down the sides of the ball of his skin, pooling at the bottom of the glass as his body trembled and shivered, squirming at the feeling of liquid flowing down his sensitive nipples now. Again, he felt that pressure in his dick, his balls pressing tightly and squeezing against itself, trying to shoot his load, and all that was coming out was just the slightest dribble out of his head, unsatisfying and yet still managing to sting based on its treatment yesterday when he had managed to lick into it.

"Please, please let me cum, Miss Nao, please, please, I-I I'm so full, so full, please." He begged, grasping at her blouse with one hand and getting a fistful of her skirt with the other, spreading his legs wide for her touch and just looking up at her, red faced and desperate and panting as he said, "D-don't wanna fuck animals, please, please, just wanna be your animal, Miss Nao's whore, wanna be your whore, please-"

Alright, alright, that's enough playtime for now. If she waited much longer then they'd have a tub incident all over again. Though, she was glad for this--finding every symptom they could would make it easier to find a way to fully combat Despair Pollen.

"Don't be silly, Shuu--it'd be the animals fucking you, of course. We can't let that monster of yours hurt any valuable livestock." Taking his long, girthy cock in hand (no swelling from growth, as far as she could tell--maybe this was as big as he could get?), Nao gave him a sque~eze before tugging the ring off, knowing to be quick to get the side of the towel up to protect her clothes from what would surely be a--

Yupp. A thick flood of cum, shooting up all over his chest and stomach.

Through the towel, she gave his ass a firm groping, easing him through his orgasm even as she could start to feel him leak through the towel. Gross.

Shuuichi's vision spotted, opening his mouth to shout and feeling his throat constrict instead, struggling to get the yell out as his body spasmed and shook violently...but thankfully that only lasted a few seconds this time, and his vision cleared and Shuuichi took a deep breath before squirming in her lap.

"Haa! Ahhh! O~o-oh, mmmnnnnnnNN thankyouthankyouthankyou-" Shuuichi sputtered out, still clutching at the pieces of clothes he had managed to get his fists around, feeling his own hot sperm spray against himself. His brain turned to mush as he turned his head, trying to press his face against the mattress, trying to hide his expression, but keeping his hand on her blouse, just wanting to be closer to her, to feel the warmth of her, as he came. He felt her grip on his backside and felt another warm rush of endorphins hit him, desperate for her touch. Wishing hopelessly that it was skin on skin.

Close to her, he just wanted to be close to her, oh fuck, oh no, h-he didn't want to be given to something with coarse fur and and sharp claws and empty, hungry, cruel eyes, why would he want that, he already had all that in Her.

Groaning from deep in the back of his throat, as the painful heat of orgasm calmed into the warm afterglow, Shuuichi stopped trying to hide into the mattress, looking up at her with adoration as he said breathily, trying to speak through the thick layer of drool around his tongue that he hadn't managed to swallow down through his orgasm "...'hank you, 'ss Nao...always take such good 'are of me...'ove you..."

Outside, standing on an extremely thin ledge with a shocking amount of ease, crisp night air blowing through his hair, Tomo wondered how he should continue on with this, blowing some of his waving bangs out of his face with some annoyance.

Ichiro had been very clear. Get in the room, scare the guy a bit, get him to agree to come down and go to the brewery with him. That was Tom's whole mission. It was clear.

...so...whaaaat was he supposed to do about the fact that dudebro definitely had a lady friend in there right now?

Tom had only gotten a glimpse inside, but he had recognized quickly that, well, sexy times were definitely going on in there. Well, good for the emo detective, Tom was glad to see the skittish loser was getting some in the world. Bad for Tom, though, because the mission had been clear and, like...he couldn't just leave...

...fuck it was windy up here. Were they done yet??

Kneeling down, again, at what should have reasonably been an impossible not to fall angle for him, but which Tom handled with a surprising amount of grace, the ex-assassin took another quick glance in there. He honestly couldn't tell. She wasn't even undressed yet, which was probably not a good sign that this was ending any time soon. Fuck.

This is what he got for not bringing a book or something to read...

"And now you're all messy again. You're just awful for water usage, Shuu. Wasting that on you when it could go to nice non-drug addicts." She'd been worried for a good moment, seeing him shake like that...but he likely couldn't have easy orgasms right now. Not until Seiko could figure out how to get his brain wired the right way around again.

...she knew that wouldn't fix everything. Nao scowled down at the boy at his continued, slurred declaration--even after they got him off the pollen...he might keep saying that. Even as he was able to properly feel the fear she instilled in him...he might still confuse that for love.

"...you need a new towel anyway--you're soaked," she sighed, lifting Shuuichi's legs and slipping out from under him, heading towards the bathroom. "I'll start the bath. When you can stand, don't drip anything on the floor then get in the tub--and don't touch those cups. Good whores don't touch themselves, remember?"

As soon as she entered the bathroom, Nao mouthed curses at herself, running the taps.

"...'kay..." Shuuichi murmured, though she was already gone, the detective struggling to think through his euphoria, his reaction time waaaaay slowed down as he watched her leave lazily. Every time he breathed, he felt that dull, tight ache of the cups shifting around his nipples, and man, he realllly wanted to go to sleep...but Miss Nao had told him to get in the tub. So...

"...be a good whore for Miss Nao..." Shuuichi murmured to himself, shifting on the bed, sitting on the ledge and letting his legs dangle over them, staring at the floor like it was an adversary. Could he?? Walk???

He could feel himself leaking onto the bed, and he shuddered. He needed to hurry. He couldn't make a mess. He wasn't allowed to drip onto the floor.

Taking a deep breath, Shuuichi stood up, taking a few slow, stumbling steps, having to catch himself on the desk almost immediately. His legs felt like jello...but he kept going.

Outside, Tom tried to reason to himself.

Okay...was there any way out of the orders? Sure, Itch had said, go get him, scare him, bring him back...but Itch also wouldn't want Tom to go to jail because Shuuichi's lady friend had seen him bring the fear. So...what could he do?

Well, he could stay out here for another few hours until they went to bed...but maaaaaan that sounded boring. Tom kicked the wall he was pressed against with the back of one of his heels, frustrated at this idea. He hated this shit. Waiting around for the victims to be, well...good to victimize. He wasn't even going to get to have any real fun with the moody escort. Scare and then retrieve? Booooooring.

When Itch had informed Tom, years and years ago now, that they were joining a terrorist group bent on species extermination...Tom had really thought it would end up being a lot more fun than this.

Shit, maybe he could just bring the woman too?

Fuck, why not? Keep her for a day, maybe two, shove Itch's beer down her throat for a while, right up until she starts drinking it down willingly. It never takes super long, for most people. And Itch was always complaining that he wanted more members that worked in the castle itself. Fuck, maybe that was the answer? Go in there, wave the knife around, cut a bit, the three of them walk out of the castle and...

Tom sighed. Shuuichi wouldn't, but the lady would call for the guards the second they walked through the front gate.

Fuck, dude, maybe he should just kill her.

Well.

This wasn't something that happened very often.

In fact, Katsuki knew she had been the last person to successfully enter the castle from the outside as an intruder. Fourteen years ago.

And, well, the man hadn't entered yet. Streak yet unbroken.

She watched him for a while, noting his boredom, how he checked in on Mr. Shuuichi Saihara's room every little bit, seeming annoyed. Surely there had been an opportunity to complete a hit by now. Sometimes there were long waits, but, like...it wasn't that hard. Maybe the man just wasn't that good at choosing his go times?

Ah, well. She'd been waiting to see if he'd go for it and get the jump on him to prevent his mission, but if they were both waiting... She could try Kokichi's method. He'd be proud.

"Rough mission?" a voice from seemingly nowhere asked bluntly, only to be coming from a figure emerging from the shadows of the night, walking casually along a ledge jutting out from the outer castle wall.

It would be a lie, to say Tom wasn't actually shocked to hear a voice come out from the darkness across the other end of the window, though not seeing anyone there as a butterfly knife immediately fell into both of his palms, Tom looking around quickly...before glancing up.

To his credit, he only looked at her, stunned, for a moment...before a wide, sharp smile spread across his face. Snickering in excitement as, almost sweetly, he made a show of hiding his hands behind his back, leaning against the wall as he tilted his head up at her, snickering again as he said, quietly, "Ohhhh, you know...some are harder than others..."

Taking a half step back, trying to put more space between himself and the window, the blue-eyed boy looked over the woman. She was thicker then he was, boxy and strong, and nothing about her screamed 'limber'...but she still walked the ledge with an ease that the skinny and lithe Tom had never seen anyone else do before...well, no one outside of his mentor as a child, of course...

Another assassin?

Snicker.

She had the high ground, which would make killing her hard enough already, but she also knew the castle better than he did...and also, she was clearly older than him. Which probably meant Tom was dealing with an assassin with more experience than he had. And older killers were always dangerous killers...you didn't survive that long otherwise...hmmm. If Tom made a run for it now, he could potentially get away from her, but not without every fucking guard in this castle being aware of him on his way out. Itch wouldn't be pleased if Tom brought back a whole damn guardforce with him.

Hmmmmmm....

"Would you believe me if I said I was a peeping tom?" Tom asked...and then giggled harder. He had made a pun! That was fun. Maaaaan, what the fuck was he gonna do?

Huh. He was worried. Weird.

She blinked down at the man, as unbothered as she'd be if they were passing each other by in the marketplace. "It doesn't matter what I believe," Katsuki hummed. "After all, I'm not you, am I. What matters to you is what you believe, so, if you believe that you're looking in Mr. Shuuichi Saihara's window for carnal pleasure, then that's what you're doing."

She wondered if Miss Maki Harukawa would notice two people very near to outside her window. Three people out on the grooves of the castle would be a bit ridiculous, wouldn't it. Taking an outside path was often the best option because no one else was there, but if people were? Then you may as well just take the stairs.

Katsuki looked over to the young woman's window curiously, almost as if she expected it to slide open at any moment. Huh. Then back down to the man. "Are you going to go in?"

He was waiting an awful long time.

Tom's smile strained a little as his brow furrowed, looking at her in open confusion. What was she...what the fuck was she talking about? Tom literally couldn't even guess. Ah, shit, maybe she was crazy...assassins were one thing. Crazy assassins?

Snicker. They were just the worst.

What to do, what to do, what to do...

He should run for it. Just accept it was gonna be a failed mission and deal with the consequences. It would suck, but, well, sometimes life sucked like that. But then, ugh...he'd have to hide out in the brewery for awhile...man, Itch wouldn't let him go anywhere if Tom was on the run from the guards...bleeeegh...

...ah well. What's the worst that could happen?

...Tom raised his index finger to her, mouthed 'one minute, just a moment' to her, and leaned forward to knock on the window.

"Hey, Shuuichi? It's Tom!" Tom said cheerfully, still looking up at the older assassin with a wide, sharp grin on his face. "Can I come in?"

Thankfully, Shuuichi hadn't splattered too close to the cups. Once he'd gotten into the tub, Nao released the pressure of one of them, a loud smacking sound echoing off the bathroom tiles, and she quickly held a vial under his swollen chest, catching as much of the pooled liquid as she could. It was only after she'd stopped the top of the vial that she released the other cup, almost as an afterthought.

She swiped a finger through the thick liquid, puzzled by its texture, then held her finger up to Shuuichi's mouth. "You've eaten your cum and your lube--time for another taste-test, Shuu. How's your nipple juice taste?"

Considering taste-testing was what got him into this mess...she wasn't going to try it herself. No way.

However, her curious attention was diverted to something...well, less weird than what was happening to Shuuichi, but still weird. Who would be tapping on a window on the third floor???

Sending the boy in the tub a sharp look, Nao raised an eyebrow. "Expecting guests?"

Anything, he'd eat anything she gave him. His disgust and existential horror with what the liquid on her fingers meant was balanced out by how much he wanted to taste her skin, to be close to her, and Shuuichi eagerly licked and sucked at her fingers, sort of vaguely hoping he could get her interested in the idea of round two...

When his whole body flinched in fear at the sound of the tapping and a muffled voice from coming somewhere outside the bathroom. Did he...the voice was super distant, but there was something to that high, almost pitchy lilt to it...did he know that-

Shuuichi shuddered at her gaze, quick to say quietly, "No, no, I'm sorry, no." Terrified she'd think he was keeping anything from her...but he did know that voice, didn't he?

There was another knock, and another muffled call...and it was only when Shuuichi heard that high, manic snicker to follow it did he realize.

Oh shit.

Tom??

"Sh...should I go answer it, Miss Nao?" Shuuichi asked her, entirely horrified at the idea of these two meeting. Sure, he had sworn that he wouldn't go visit Itch again, to not drink from his beer again...but he hadn't actually wanted to burn that bridge if he could help it. And if they knew he was being watched, he didn't know if the two men would be willing to share with him anymore...and if she knew...well, did she already know that? Would Tom's identity be new information to her?

Was Shuuichi in trouble by the fact he was here?

Nao considered Shuuichi's reaction, keeping a hard gaze on him. He seemed nervous...like, actually nervous, not nervous in a way that made him giddy at his dismay. Not being able to have pollen and Luminary made him feel that way, so who was this person who would be on that scale? Certainly not someone from Luminary, she would've heard about it. Then...

Ah. It clicked in Nao's head the same time it did in Shuuichi's, that distinctive laugh resonating with both of them. She didn't know the owner of the laugh, but she'd heard it at a few of those brewery parties she'd snuck into. So. One of them.

Itch.

Tom. Another name to give to Aiichi.

"...do you want to answer him?" she asked Shuuichi, sincere before she made a show of looking up and down his altered body. "Do you want your little friend to see you like this?"

Shuuichi shuddered, curling up against the side of the tub to hide himself...before shaking his head. "N-no...No Miss Nao..."

Outside, Tom waited for a bit at the window, snickering to himself...before looking up at the woman. "Whelp. Guess my friend doesn't wanna hang out with me. Shame. Ah well, you miss every shot you don't take, right? So...guess I should just go, huh?" Tom said, straightening up and taking a few careful steps backwards.

"Then you're not in right now." Taking up a fresh washcloth, Nao started to wash Shuuichi of his sweat and drool and cum and mucus and nipple liquid...again. Just from the sweat alone it seemed like Shuuichi needed a shower every few hours.

Keep him hydrated!

Grimacing a little to herself at having forgotten that important lesson, Nao paused and filled a glass from the sink, handing it over to Shuuichi before continuing to wash him. "Drink. Then you're going to sleep. If you were well enough to keep your filthy hands off Prince Kaito, then you should be well enough to make an appearance tomorrow. Be better, as you claim the pollen makes you."

--

Katsuki just stared down at the man with the same smile she'd been wearing the entire time. While her eyes weren't the red of death Maki's were, there was still something...unnerving about the light lavender piercing through the darkness.

"If that's your guess, then make it. Be careful going down." Maybe it wasn't just that he was bad at choosing his shot. Maybe he was just bad in general. She'd have to keep watch, make sure he didn't kill himself trying to complete his mission. It was against the broad Dicean mission objective, and, also, just really embarrassing.

Tom giggled, nodding and giving her a little wave, before starting to move down the side of the building.

...and almost immediately felt himself start to get dizzy.

You were told to do something Tomo what are you doing what are you doing you have a mission Itch was clear he was concise you're not allowed to go back you're not anything without the mission Tomo you'll stop existing your brain will stop working you'll stop functioning is that what you want do you want to be some lame vegetable who can't move they'll come in the people in the dark they'll know you can't move and they'll find you and they'll devour you Tomo is that what you want go back go back go back GO BACK!

Tom snickered, closed his eyes to clear the dizziness, and kept going down.

Ha ha ha, yeaaaaaah, tonight was gonna suuuuuck until he got to Itch...hopefully he wouldn't collapse on the way... ha ha ha what a waste of a night...getting on the ground, Tom felt his legs wobble a little, his body screaming at him to go back, go back, finish the mission, finish or die trying!...and just reminded himself that it's all in your head, Tom, your body won't actually be paralyzed, you just gotta keep moving one foot in front of the other, get to Itch, if you can get to Itch he'll take back the order, he'll make it stop, get to Itch, Tom. You can do it! You've done it before! One step at a time! Your arms aren't getting heavier. Your legs still work! It's all in your head!

Breathing deeply, Tom headed to the castle walls...before realizing he wouldn't have the strength to climb over them...so, annoyed, he headed to the main gate, walking past the guards there. Anyone could come in and out of the castle anyway, and it's not like Tom hadn't already been seen by one of them, so...when one of them called out to him, surprised to see him leaving at this late hour, Tom just flipped him the bird over his shoulder, and focused on walking without collapsing.

Just get to Itch, just get to Itch, it's all in your head, one foot at a time...

Disappearing back into the shadows, Katsuki watched Mr. Tom until he'd left the castle gates, nodding to herself a little as she decided to watch Mr. Shuuichi Saihara's window at night for...a while. Until she didn't want to anymore. Dropping from three stories up wasn't usually lethal, but it did really hurt. Mr. Tom would likely be fine going up, but retreating. Hm. Not good.

--

While Shuuichi could get up and walk himself, Nao, annoyed, decided to spend the night with him again. Getting careless at the finish line led to many disasters, and while this wasn't close to the actual finish line, it was likely the end of Nao having to sneak into Shuuichi's room. If he needed to get off, he could come find her for a change.

So after his bath, she took him back to bed, wrapped up in a fresh towel, got herself undressed, and got in behind him once again. Nao felt a twinge of regret as she eyed the puffy mounds that made up his pecs. She had only expected a regular reaction, perhaps foolishly, and being able to give Seiko more data was invaluable, but...would his chest go back to normal by the morning?

Lightly scratching her nails against his abdomen, she sighed. Only time would tell.

-

"What do you mean, YOU WERE SEEN??!"

Tom allowed himself to go limp when Itch grabbed his shirt collar, looking at his brother with calm amusement as the bulkier man shook him, tightening the cloth around his neck in fury as he shouted at him, "I never ask ANYTHING of you Tom! You have NO SKILLSETS other than being a fucking intimidating creep, and the ONE TIME I trust you to go do a job on your own, to just retrieve a guy who’s ALREADY ADDICTED, and you couldn't do even fucking THAT!?"

Tom closed his eyes and kept himself limp when he felt Itch start to pull back, knowing that he was about to be thrown into the wall. Itch didn't get like this with people too often, but Tom had been the one on the other side of it enough to kind of know how this was going to go, and was prepared, at least mentally, when his body flung backwards and his feet lost their footing, Tom not being able to get his bearings until the damn wall caught him hard against the back of his head and shoulders.

Tom let himself fall down to the floor, the ground the safest place to be for this next bit. He opened his eyes now, smiling lazily at his brother, who was now taking random things in hand and flinging them across the room.

"Everyone knows the castle has a skeleton crew these days! I thought to myself, I can trust Tom to get in and out, how fucking hard could it be when almost no one’s there!? How could he fuck it up, I thought!? What the FUCK kind of assassin gets SEEN!?"

"Ex-assassin," Tom sweetly reminded his brother. "I stopped being an assassin at eleven, remember? Our grand, daring escape?"

"Fuck off with that," Itch scowled, breathing deeply, trying to calm himself as he started running out of things to throw. "What the fuck happened??"

Tom sighed, crossing his legs and picking at his nails, bored. "Shuuichi had a lady-guest in his room, and I thought it would be rude to interrupt. So, while I was waiting for them to finish up, another assassin spotted me and said hello."

"What the fuck do you mean, another assassin? Maki?" Itch said, something...conflicted running across his face.

Tom snickered at this, shaking his head. "No, no, not big sis. Didn't see her all night. No, she was just some older woman. Asked me how my mission was going. Very polite. Super weird," he said with a giggle.

"If it was just some woman, how do you know she was an assassin?" Itch asked, sounding suspicious.

Tom raised an eyebrow at his brother. "If you ever see a guy eating poison like it’s seasoning and point that out to me, I'm gonna ask you that same question, just so you hear how fucking dumb it sounds."

"Shut up. Okay, fine, even if the castle has an assassin among them, you still shouldn't have been seen. I can't believe you were that fucking stupid," Itch growled, going to sit on top of the office desk, taking a long breath. "Fuck. Now they're gonna keep an eye out for you. There goes the last bit of fucking use you ever had."

"How will I ever live with myself?" Tom muttered with another high little giggle.

"Shut the fuck up! This was your chance to prove yourself! You know The fucking Bear keeps trying to tell me you're a liability, right? You know the only reason he's even still in fucking town is because he's been trying to convince me for days to let him take you with him for a game!? This Shuuichi shit was a chance to prove how useful you are, and you fucking blew it!" Itch shouted, grabbing a mug on the desk and throwing it at Tom's face.

Tom caught it, waving it at Itch with a wink and a small sticking out of his tongue, before putting it aside with a sigh. "You gonna do it then?" he asked, giving his brother another long, lazy grin. "Am I going to a game?"

Itch scowled at him...before shaking his head. "Fuck you, you know I wouldn't. I just wanted to get him to stop fucking bringing it up, that's all. Monokuma's convinced having a Luminary Assassin in one of his games will excite the queen. He's fixated on the idea."

"Ex-assassin," Tom said again. People kept forgetting the 'ex'. He and Itch had worked really hard for that 'ex'.

They also forgot all the time that he had stopped being trained for the job before he had even hit puberty. Which was fine, if Itch was trying to scare someone through Tom's reputation, but when it came to actual, professional jobs...Tom sighed. "Maybe we could just quit this shit and run again? Being RoD is fucking boring, bro. What's the fun of killing people if they're happy to die?"

"I'm not having this conversation with you again," Itch said, cracking his knuckles against his fist, thinking furiously. Because only Tom was around, he thought aloud, "Monokuma thinks the beer isn't going to work because I can't get the flavor right. He's already trying to take you for a game, which means he's probably looking at all of us as potential sacrifices. We need a big win to get him off our back and let us go back to brewing...so...Prince Kokichi would be a big win..."

"Not gonna work. Dude will die," Tom reminded his brother, feeling it was probably safe to get up again, but finding himself comfy on the floor.

"Yeah, sure. But...addiction ain’t the only way into RoD. If we had everyone around him...if we could convince him of the mission...we could still get that big win. And using Shuuichi as an informant is our best shot at getting to Kokichi. We need the fucking detective...you're saying he's dating someone?"

Tom shrugged. "He's fucking someone, anyway. Kind of. Something sexual was definitely going on in there, anyway. I wasn't really watching."

"Fucking, dating, whatever. Maybe there's something there...ugh. I'll keep thinking about it. Meanwhile, you don't fucking leave this brewery until I say so, got it? And don't talk to Monokuma at all if you can help it. You don't leave without my permission, you don't let anyone take you out of here without my permission. That's a fucking order, got it?"

Tom sighed, already feeling his brain start to shift around the new order, his body feeling tired and stiff at the mere idle thought of annoyance at the command as he nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I've got it. Don't leave, don't let myself be kidnapped. Fiiiiiine. Fuck, this is gonna be boring!" Tom whined, stretching his arms over his head before lying on the floor, pouting.

"Fucking whiny bitch," Itch muttered, looking down at his hands. There had to be a plan here...he had a shit ton of puzzle pieces at his fingers, there had to be some way to make them into a picture Itch actually wanted...there had to be...

-

Kaito was, honestly, getting waaaay too used to sleeping all the time.

He had spent most of yesterday sleeping, and when he felt Maki gently shake him awake, he was surprised to find how badly he wanted to roll over again and just close his eyes. Instead, he forced himself to look up at her, listening as she said quietly, "He didn't wake up at all last night, so he hasn't had any tea or been to the bathroom. I'm gonna head out to Shuuichi now. You're good?"

Kaito nodded, waving sleepily to Maki as she left, before going back to curl around Kokichi a bit.

Just...five more minutes...

Kokichi sighed happily as his warmth came closer again, and he snuggled right back into his rightful place. He was...somewhere between awake and asleep, and that place was veeeery comfortable. Except for the insistences of his bladder. And that he was kinda hungry. For something that wasn't tea, broth, or porridge.

He'd managed to eat dinner the day before, and had convinced Nell to bring over the bag of sweets Kaito had gotten for dessert. He'd had another packet of cotton candy and the free sample of that new candy Miss Andou had given him, and now...

Fuck, he wanted pancakes.

Or maybe Dicean flatcakes, the not-really crepes he'd told Kaito about. Usually they were served with fruit and cream on top, but he'd found they were really good with ice cream and caramel too...

Mmm...

Sighing again, Kokichi wondered if he'd be able to walk today. At least just to the bathroom. He wiggled his toes a bit, then rolled his ankles around. Check. Could he lift his legs? ...sort of...the blanket made it hard. Could he lift his hips?

...not really.

Waking up a bit more in his disappointment, Kokichi nudged his husband. "Kai-chan...I gotta piss."

Kaito sighed, pulling Kokichi closer to himself and placing little kisses against him, one on top of his head, against his temple, against his ear, just using those little presses of affection as a way to bide some time while Kaito tried to pull himself out of the sleep that he had been low-key trying to get back to...before opening his eyes. "'kay, 'Kichi, one second babe."

With a yawn, Kaito pulled away from Kokichi, sitting up and kicking the blankets off them. Eyes still half closed, he leaned over and put his arm around Kokichi's waist, feeling Kokichi hold around his shoulders as he lifted him onto his lap, murmuring, "Up, up, up. Let's go."

Kokichi securely sitting on the crook of his good arm, his body pressed against Kaito's, the prince stood up, taking his husband with him as he headed off to the bathroom.

Placing him on the toilet, Kaito kissed Kokichi on the forehead again, before saying, "Need me to stay to keep you steady, or you got it from here?"

The kisses were a perfect way to wake up, almost sweet enough on their own to satisfy his cravings. Almost. But Kokichi still indulged in them, basking in his sun and pressing a few of his own against Kaito's jaw, his neck, his collarbone, in return. As wonderful as cuddling always was...Kokichi wanted to be able to be a little more intimate with Kaito again. Maybe...maybe not banging again right away, but...he liked kissing. He really liked kissing.

Kokichi shivered at the sudden loss of warmth when Kaito threw off the blankets, but considering Kaito pulled him close right after, it wasn't too bad. It'd be a lot worse in the months coming up.

He nuzzled Kaito's chest on the short trip to the bathroom and yawned quietly when he was set down. "I got it...thanks, honey. I love you. We can go back t' bed in just a sec." Seeing Kaito so dozy was cute. Especially when it was just him being sleepy, and not because he was sleeping off a horrible concussion.

Kokichi was able to steady himself on the toilet and took care of his business without incident, and...to his joy, he was able to push off enough to lean onto the sink counter to wash his hands himself. Progress!

Even if his legs were shaking, Kokichi grinned to himself. "Done! D'ya think anyone would be too annoyed if I asked for, like, chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast?"

Kaito, who had been standing outside the door to give Kokichi privacy, yawned again and headed back inside, picking Kokichi back up as he said sleepily, "I think so long as I promise not to try to make it myself, they'll be fine with it. I'll-" another long yawn, as he brought his husband back to the bed, laying him down gently.

"-I'll go down and ask for it before Hajime gets a chance to bring food up here. That way he's not making an extra trip. Man, it's-" Kaito realized he had been leaving his eyes closed again, sitting next to Kokichi, forcing himself to open his eyes and give his husband a small grin as he said, "-it's hard to wake up when you slept for so long, huh?"

Kaito reached his arm around Kokichi's shoulders and drew him into a hug for a moment, just enjoying the contact...before remembering, "Oh! Tea! Maki said you didn't have any tea last night. Hold on, let me go get it."

Standing up, Kaito rubbed the back of his neck, finally feeling some of the sleepiness leave him as he set about his task, getting the tea poured and bringing the cup to Kokichi as he asked, entirely idly, "How are we feeling today, babe?"

"Thank yoooooou~" Kokichi lilted out, grinning even as, oo, ow! He hadn't noticed it before, really, but, yup, definitely sunburned. It wasn't bad, more just some annoying stinging, but...he'd have to remember not to shift in bed too much. Which he'd still have to be in all day, and not just because people didn't want him straining himself. If he couldn't get up by himself, which he couldn't, even if he could manage standing on his own for a few moments if he leaned on something, then...bedrest it was.

...still, that wasn't as bad as it could've been.

Kokichi's smile softened as he hugged Kaito back, giggling quietly. "Tell me about it. As much as I'd miss my favorite cuddle-buddy, Kai-chan doesn't have to rest with me all the time if he doesn't want his sleeping schedule to turn into my clusterfuck. Though, with Maki-chan fetching you for training, I dunno if she'd let you get to that point."

In that soft, lazy morning, Kokichi wasn't thinking about the semi-near possible future where Maki wouldn't be around for that.

Taking the cup from Kaito and taking a reluctant sip--would it mess the medicine up if he added sugar?--Kokichi shrugged a bit. "Better. I'm annoyed I still can't get up, but...we'll get there." Another sip. "Did you get around to talking to Aiichi yesterday? When should we start packing?" He tilted his head to the side, expression going contemplative. "...what even should I pack? Do I even own a suitcase...?"

"Thanks babe, but it's not even your schedule that messed me up," Kaito admitted, stretching his shoulders out before heading to his dresser drawers, getting out clean clothes to change into once he'd showered. "I was super lazy and when I went to go look after Shuuichi, instead of taking post like I should have, I just crawled into bed with him and we napped together for a few hours. I got him up for dinner and stuff still, but we basically just slept the whole time, and then I came back here and immediately went to sleep with you...just a whooole lot of sleeping," Kaito said, shaking his head in bafflement at the idea. He wasn't the type to sleep all day, even back when he had been a teenager and almost all of his friends spent half their time sleeping or wanting to sleep in defense of their bodies’ growing pains. Even Maki had gone through a 'randomly nodding off' phase, when she was fifteen, having just been exhausted by puberty, work, and school all the time, taking power naps whenever she could get it.

"Hell yeah, you're gonna get there, 'Kichi! You sound stronger every day! I can hear it in your voice," Kaito assured him, putting his picked clothes in a pile on the dresser, before going to collect from the floor the clothes he had kicked off of himself when he had returned from his shift with Shuuichi, throwing them in the hamper.

"We'll probably only need one a piece, and I have two luggage cases, so you can have one of mine if you want. Or, we can head down to town and you can pick out one for yourself. It's not a super long trip, so you won't really need to go crazy packing, I think. Anyway, I talked to your father, and we got the go ahead...though I maaaaay have fibbed and said we already had the healer picked and ready to go? We need to talk to Doctor Kimura soon, is all I'm saying, before anyone has a chance to mention to her that Prince Kaito's running around saying she's our healer."

Kokichi hummed in understanding with a nod. Life was probably a lot slower in the past few days than Kaito was used to, with both him and Shuuichi falling ill. If you were around someone who was sleeping all the time, then, even if you brought things to occupy yourself, after a while you'd feel yourself start to slow down to match their pace. That was his guess on observing people, anyway.

And Kaito had been looking after ill people way longer than anyone in the castle usually did. The people that had watched him during his childhood had always had way shorter shifts than the Luminaries took, and had more people on rotation. With Kaito and Maki taking sixteen hours a day to look after him and Shuuichi...no wonder Kaito was sleepy. It was more of a wonder he had any sort of energy at all.

...but he'd be better soon. Kokichi gave Kaito a smile for his enthusiasm, propping up a few of his pillows so he wasn't totally lying down. He'd be better, and Kaito and Maki wouldn't have to look after him, and they were going on vacation soon, and they'd be able to just...relax and have a good time. For sure.

"I think I'll just use your other one, then. I will need to get my own before our eventual Danganronpa trip," he rolled his eyes, "but it can wait for now. And I might look around our storage to see if there are any we already have--no reason to get more if we have some that will do."

Aiichi didn't travel that often, but surely he had luggage somewhere. Every now and then he'd be asked to officiate weddings in other cities, or would be invited to local festivals, or would personally oversee the start of big projects, or would go to speak at community centers... The leader had seen all of Dicea, like a proper person that could connect to their people...

But Kokichi just had to catch up, now. And he would.

He sighed with a bit of a wince at Dr. Kimura's name, knowing that Kaito was right... She...she'd probably be back soon to check up on Shuuichi. He could talk with her then. He could!

"Okay...next time she comes by, we'll ask her." Kokichi stared down at the blankets, scared and determined.

Before going into the shower, Kaito went to go collect Kokichi's tea cup from him, already knowing he'd be done with it by now. As he did so, he saw the look on his husband's face...and he took a small risk, tapping a finger at the bottom of Kokichi's chin to get him to look up at him, before giving him a short, chaste kiss.

"I know you will. Because my future king is very brave, and she'll be excited to come, because his people love him," Kaito said quietly, giving him another kiss. Then he winked at him, saying, "Alright, I'm gonna take a shower, go downstairs, get those pancakes and be right back up. After breakfast, do you want a bath? You didn't bathe yesterday, so I gotta imagine a soak in some warm water would be soothing."

Noting Kokichi’s reply, Kaito grabbed his towel, and did all of those things. He showered, got dressed, told Kokichi he'd be no more than fifteen minutes, and went to go collect breakfast. They were already making pancakes downstairs, and it was a small round of negotiations to convince the kitchen chef to just throw some chocolate chips in the next batch, who was only feeling argumentative with the Luminary Prince because Kaito had made such a habit of being an annoyance to the kitchen lately. But the argument was superficial, and Kaito gave her a wide, grateful grin when she finally put the chips in, promising to have his next impromptu self-taught cooking lesson during better hours.

He caught sight of Hajime as he was making his way up with food, informing the housekeeper that Kaito had taken care of getting breakfast this morning, but if he could still bring up food for Shuuichi, Kaito would appreciate it. This was when Hajime informed Kaito that he had seen Maki and Shuuichi and Timothy all down in the dining hall together, and that while Shuuichi looked a little tired and slow, seemed to be walking now.

When Kaito brought all the food up to Kokichi, he opened the door with a happy grin, saying cheerfully, "Guess who just got off bedrest today?"

Kokichi's expression melted into loving affection, grateful for every kiss and sweet word. How lucky he was to have this man in his life...and how lucky Kaito was to have such a golden heart amid the darkness of Luminary. People would warm up to him, Kokichi was sure of it.

In the meantime, though, damn, a bath sounded nice. It really wasn't fair to Kaito...but maybe he could convince his husband to share the bath. Maybe kiss for a while. Cuddle in the warm water.

Kokichi sighed happily to himself, stretching out in bed. That sounded nice...

Compared to the princes' lazy morning, Nao's had been busy. Waking up early to give Shuuichi his dose and jerk him off, replacing the ring, then hightailing it out of the castle to, first and foremost, catch Yasu before work and wish her wife a great day, then to drop off the nipple fluid vial to Seiko...who looked like she'd barely slept, but was filled with a determined, excited energy.

She seemed just as baffled to hear about Shuuichi's latest symptoms, pleased to read the information of Shuuichi's self-observation in his journal, and anxious to finish her work. She was just about done with the first iteration of an anti-Despair compound. She wasn't sure it'd work...b-but it might! So she was going to come by the castle when it was done to pass it off to Shuuichi, telling him that it was something that would hopefully help stabilize his stomach going forward. The outcome of a placebo would be good for him, but not for actually combating pollen addiction in others.

And then Nao went to work. While Kokichi just idly laid in bed.

This time the scent that filled the room was heavenly, and Kokichi could feel his mouth start to water.

"Oh, what?!" he playfully gasped. "I wasn't aware that I'd gotten up on my own, that's some serious astral projection!" Then, with a braying snicker, Kokichi sat himself up with only minimal huffing and exertion. "That's awesome, though. I'm glad Shuu-chan is feeling better."

"Pfff, you're such a brat." Kaito chuckled, rolling his eyes at his husband as he put the tray down, putting together Kokichi's breakfast first, placing it all on a tray that would sit securely over Kokichi's lap. Since his husband had requested pancakes, Kaito had taken the prerogative to just fill Kokichi's plates with small portions of a variety of things: fruits, meats, porridge, pancakes, and eggs. He doubted Kokichi would finish it all, but he had wanted his thin husband to have anything that might stimulate his appetite available to him, and Kaito would just eat the rest.

Kaito chuckled to himself. If Togami could see him now, trying to put some weight onto his lover... the guy would be so proud. He was a big believer that the first step to healthy living was having a little extra weight to work with, to mold as one saw fit. Kaito had been a bit of a stick when he had met the man (teen, he guessed. He had seemed like an adult to Kaito back when he was fifteen, but seventeen was still just a teen), but had taken his scoldings to heart and had started eating more when they were together, and lo and behold, had actually managed to turn those extra calories into muscle! He wondered if Togami would have liked Kaito's new, beefier image though? Kaito liked to think he would have...

...well, no, it didn't matter, did it. He didn't care what Togami thought about anything. He was well past that. He was just...reminiscing. That's all.

"Yeah. I guess whatever stomach bug or...whatever it was that was going on with him finally passed. I'm sure Maki's going to keep an eye on him all morning either way, and I should probably try to do the same this afternoon, just to make sure he's really good and not just pushing himself, ya know? But it's nice seeing all of us slowly but surely start making progress! Now we just gotta get you up and about and get this damn fucking cast off of me," Kaito said, looking down at his arm in annoyance.

Giving Kokichi his food, Kaito went to go put his own plates together as well.

Honestly, when he'd seen all the food Kaito had brought in, he'd assumed pretty much everything but the pancakes were for Kaito. As excited as he was to stuff his face with chocolatey goodness, it was...a lot. Even with the portions Kaito put in front of him, there was no way Kokichi would be able to eat it all...but Kaito probably knew that, and was just giving him options. As long as it didn't go to waste...

With a thanks, Kokichi dug in, sighing delightedly at the first bite, the pockets of melted chocolate just cooled enough to not burn his mouth. And his next bites weren't far behind, though he still had enough brain not occupied with gluttony to listen to Kaito.

"Mhmm! Li', he can come visit me if he wants, of course, but no pressure? So, if he doesn't come by by the time you head off, can you pass off my congrats at defeating the puke machine?" Kokichi did want to talk to Shuuichi, and more than just asking him about writing to Mr. Amami. He'd collapsed in front of the detective, and while Maki and Kaito said he was fine...Kokichi wanted to confirm it for himself. At least apologize for the scare.

Finishing off one pancake in record time, Kokichi raised an eyebrow at Kaito as he started on his second. "I'm gonna be up before ya know it, but you have...what, two, three weeks left with the cast? If I know anything, it's that you can't rush healing." Kokichi popped another piece of pancake in his mouth, making a considering hum. "If you get to the point you can move your hand around alright, though, you might be able to get a brace. You still shouldn't put any strain on your arm or anything, but you'd be able to move it around more."

"It's not even that it's that much of a hindrance anymore," Kaito replied honestly, digging into his own food, eating in large bites, though nowhere near as quickly as Kokichi was. "Sometimes I forget I even have a left arm, which is...kind of weird, if I'm honest. I'm just mostly annoyed at how useless I am at fighting now. Lake took me out so quickly, Kokichi, it was embarrassing. The spar only lasted, like, twenty seconds before I was down."

Kaito furrowed his brow, thinking about it as he mused, "Maybe I could get some sort of armor for it? Just for the next time I spar? Maybe some sort of shield I could attach to the cast itself? That would be kind of cool. I've never really learned how to fight with a shield, but, well, now could be an interesting time to learn."

Maki wouldn't really be able to teach Kaito how to fight with a shield, since she didn't use them herself, but, well, Kokichi had pointed out a...what had it been? A combat dojo owner, during their wedding? Maybe Kaito could go ask that person for pointers?

...no, maybe not. Kaito wasn't going to be a fighter anymore. He wasn't on the military path. While sparring was still something that Kaito valued, learning new fighting techniques by this point would be a waste of time, especially, it seemed, in Dicea. Other than the embarrassing spar attempt with Lake, the only real possible fight Kaito had gotten into by this point had been with that intense gardening lady at the gardens. Otherwise, Dicea seemed pretty peaceful.

Well...not including the cutting game at the party. And the roof tile. And all the shit that had happened to Kokichi when he was a kid...Kaito frowned, already feeling stressed again at that thought. Kaito had promised to try to see the castle staff the way Kokichi saw them...but he still struggled with the idea that any one of them was another person who had tried to murder his husband as a child.

It just didn't settle well with Kaito...but he was trying. He really was.

Kokichi sighed a bit, taking a sip of water so he wasn't just choking himself with pancakes. "I don't really think using your broken arm in a fight is resting it, Kai-chan. Just wait until it heals, then you can get right back to it."

'To it' meaning...probably just spars. Fighting for enjoyment's sake, or for knowledge. Fighting for survival...Kokichi didn't want anyone to have to do that, despite the necessity outside of Dicea right now. And fighting because...of anger?

"To be fair..." Kokichi pushed a piece of pancake around his plate, scooping up any last bits of chocolate. "That's how the Guardforce are trained to fight? To deescalate any situation as quickly as possible. When it gets to the point where physical force needs to be used, they're taught to disarm and...like, get people to calm down. Picking them up, restraining limbs, that sort of stuff. Knocking them out if that stuff doesn't work. They're not trained to hurt."

It wasn't about showmanship or utter domination. It was about keeping people safe.

Finding his cravings not quite satisfied, Kokichi started working on the fruit Kaito had brought up for him. "...plus, fightin' with a shield would just have your arm absorbing shock from a bigger area. Somethin' Kai-chan could do easy with a non-broken arm, but right now, uh-uh."

"Sure, sure," Kaito murmured, finishing up his plate, but keeping it on his lap, ready to start piling Kokichi's extras onto it whenever his husband finished up his meal. He was happy to wait as long as it took, pleased to see Kokichi doing more than picking at things after days of just broth, porridge, and stew.

"Fine, I won't learn shield-fu...man, you know what would be cool? If I could just...cut my arm off and replace it with a metal one! That would be awesome! Like, if I had a metal stick at the end of my arm that could turn into a blade or something?"

Thinking about it, Kaito pointed out, "Oh, I guess there is something like that, isn't there? I've read stories of pirates with, like, hooks for hands and stuff...you think they do that on purpose? Or do pirates just have a bad habit of losing hands and they decided, like, as a community to take advantage of it?"

Aaaaand maybe one of the eggs too...they weren't as sweet, but his appetite that morning was oddly ravenous. Maybe his body was just happy to eat something with a little more substance. And...he was just kind of happy in general that morning.

Kokichi snorted and shook his head fondly. "You know what, sure. If you ever find yourself needing a prosthetic, I'm sure there are plenty of people in Dicea who would love the project of making one made for combat. But I'm preemptively banning it from bed."

Starting to get full--or...more than 'starting to'--Kokichi leaned back as he finished up, subconsciously rubbing his stomach a bit as his gaze wandered, considering his bookshelves. "I'd think they'd lose limbs a lot...there are always a ton of sword fights and stuff in stories like that, right? Not to mention that working on a ship can be pretty dangerous in itself, let alone if you didn't have all the supplies you needed. If you fight a lot and need a prosthetic anyway, why not make it a weapon?"

"I've heard of even prosthetic legs containing, like, spring-loaded knives or secret compartments 'n stuff. No one's gonna mess with a part of your body like that, so it's kind of the perfect smuggling location." He snickered a bit, remembering something he'd read in a different genre. "Not that people don't hide stuff in the flesh parts of their bodies."

"Oh nooooo," Kaito said, his eyes going wide as he started to collect the leftover food from Kokichi's plates, having no problem eating more as he started on the meat first. "Fuuuuck, I can't tell you about it, because it's not my story, but if you ever get the opportunity, let Maki tell you about the time she had to...gaaaaah, I wanna tell you about it so bad! It's such a good story! Maki has done some wild shit, dude, that's all I'm saying. And apparently girls can fit some...complicated things inside of themselves," Kaito said, shaking his head in awe.

"I'd never be able to do what she does. Or, did," Kaito clarified, finishing the meat and moving onto Kokichi's leftover egg. "Not because of the killing people thing...well, no, that's not true. I'd actually probably really struggle with the idea of killings strangers...but no, just, some of the stories she tells. She's had to do outrageous shit on missions, dude. Honestly, I think Maki might have more life experience than all of us combined, just because of the random shit and obstacles her missions forced her to work through. It's really impressive. I know the end results were...kinda bad. But the stories themselves are amazing. She's so cool!"

Finishing up the rest of the plates, Kaito went to clean up, putting them all in a pile on the vanity desk, as he said, "Shuuichi has a lot of cool stories too, but usually it's not stuff he did, but stuff the people he's investigating did. People are weird, Kokichi. Like, half the cases he's investigated, if I had read them in a book? I'd have been put off by how goofy or unrealistic it was. Do you guys get a lot of crimes here? I mean, beyond murder attempts on small children?"

Kaito froze, having entirely meant the question in a light way, but that had come out harsher than he had meant it. Quickly adding onto it, in hopes that if he piled more words on top of it that the previous sentence would sound less harsh under the onslaught, he added in with a loud laugh, "Like, okay, crimes like theft and stuff? We had this one case back at the castle, once, it was actually ridiculous, but it became such a problem that it got weirdly serious? But someone had made it their, like, personal mission to steal pens from all the offices and supply rooms? Like, it was funny at first, but it got to the point where no one could get any paperwork done, and, like, administration and war orders were literally being delayed by days, because there were only so many writing utensils to go around. My mother was furious, she got personally involved in the investigation, started taking servants and stuff in big groups and, like, grilling them together and then apart, trying to see if people’s stories would change, and, like, poor Shuuichi had to listen to all these huge conspiracy theories everyone was getting and sharing with him, which really confused everything. It got weird, ya know?"

"Kai-chan, I am very glad I've already finished eating, but I don't think that's a story I want to hear right now even if Maki-chan was here to tell it." Kokichi made a face of disgust...though, he couldn't lie, he was kind of curious now about the situation that made Maki have to do something like that.

He managed to keep a straight face through Kaito's next set of thoughts, but... Killing strangers...right. Out of everything, he wasn't worried about Maki's mental state about what she would have to do, but...maybe for other people, it was easier to accept what Maki did, the people she...killed being..."other". People you didn't know personally, so you could separate yourself from them.

...Kokichi knew he'd want to be there to comfort Kaito if or when his family were...taken out of power, but...did he have the right to? When he would be the person giving the okay. Maybe he could convince himself that Maki was just stuck under the orders she'd been given...but he would be the person to give them. Would Kaito...

Kokichi swallowed, tuning back into Kaito's rambling at...a less severe, but still painful spot. He grimaced a bit, but kept quiet as Kaito tried to cover it up, and...okay, that was pretty funny.

Attempting a smile, Kokichi laughed softly. "That's just bizarre. A perfectly innocently devious plan--I couldn't plan something better myself! Nothing like that comes to mind here...but we do still have crime, yeah. Not a ton, but it still happens--oh! It's not as big as the pen thing, but there were a set of whale sculptures that used to be in the park we got married in? Just, like, scattered throughout. And, for, like...probably six months... Okay, like, they just went missing one day? But they were only missing for a couple days before they showed back up...set up in different places in town. And every week, pretty much, they'd be moved to a new place, and no one knew who was doing it. It only ended because I guess one of them got dropped while being moved, and the person had taken them all back to the park surrounding the broken one, like a funeral, sorta."

He could remember how, after they'd be moved, people would run around town like it was a scavenger hunt, trying to find where they'd all be now. It wasn't exactly a crime...but playful tomfoolery.

Shaking his head, Kokichi's smile was a little stronger. "The artist who'd made them originally took the rest of the sculptures back, but made a big one that's been in the park ever since, and the whale is painted with landmarks of the city. All places the other sculptures were found."

"Awww, that's neat! We should check that out next time we're in town," Kaito said, chuckling. He wondered why the sculptor had chosen whales though. Did Dicea have any connection to whales? Maybe the artist just thought they were neat. "I'd like to see a whale one day. I read that you can't really comprehend the size of them until you see one for yourself. Apparently they're awe-inspiring. I have seen dolphins before though, once! Though, only from a distance," Kaito admitted, having watched dolphins chase a sailboat during one of his school trips to the beach.

Sitting back down next to Kokichi, flopping down into the space beside him, Kaito asked, "Did you decide if you want to take that bath? Or we could do something else. The morning’s yours, beautiful."

"Whoa..." Kokichi breathed in astonishment. Dolphins, seeing them in person. Whales too. He knew some were smaller, but, like sperm whales, they could be huuuuuge. Or, so he'd read. "I don't think there are any pods that will be around the coast when we're there--they'll be headed farther south for the winter. We might get lucky, though! I don't think sharks come near the surface often though, so we probably won't see them... Maybe turtles?"

...he was going to the beach. He was going to see the ocean. A place so far away he couldn't even see it from the castle windows like he could with the mountains. Kokichi felt a warm lightness in his heart, the heaviness of several realities not able to dampen his excitement at that moment.

Turning to Kaito, Kokichi gave a nod. "I do, and...I know you already took a shower, but, um..." He thought asking this would be easier. Sheesh. Kokichi's cheeks started to flush, the color in his face looking much healthier than it had in the prior days. "Would you want to join me in the bath?"

Kaito felt a blush burn through his own face at that...before realizing, oh! Perfect!

A chance to practice his new self control!

He'd take a bath with his naked, tiny husband, and not think about sex at all! Yeah! Yeah? Yeah!! He'd just do whatever his husband felt like doing. No weird, like...power trips or moving his body around or or or whispering commands in his ears! Just Kaito! Being a good husband! Without all that...other stuff!

Perfect opportunity!

"Yeah!" Kaito said cheerfully, looking at his husband with pure, optimistic determination, rolling over to lie on his good arm as he looked at Kokichi with a wide grin. "Sure, that sounds fun. If you want me to? Yeah!"

Kaito gave his husband a 30-Watt grin, genuinely excited for the new opportunity to prove what a good husband he was going to be from now on. Getting up from the bed, Kaito said, "Let me go get the bath ready and stuff, and let me get some clothes ready for you to wear when you get out. Do you wanna wear anything in particular?" he asked, heading to the bathroom.

His nervousness was quickly swept away by Kaito’s enthusiasm and Kokichi returned a bright grin. He could get clean, not smell like sweat, and get to spend some quality intimate time with his husband without that time transitioning into sleep time. Not that sleeping together was bad or anything, but Kokichi liked consciously enjoying his time with Kaito.

"Just clothes--if Dr. Kimura does come by today, I'd...yanno, like to not be in pajamas when we see her." Taking a look at his pink legs, Kokichi hummed and made an amendment. "Probably shorts again. And I should probably put more aloe on my legs after the bath--I didn't get burned too badly, but gotta be responsible and all that."

Kaito turned on the faucets of the bath, plugging it up after waiting for the water to warm and throwing in that bath soap that Kokichi loved so much, making sure the water wasn't going to get too hot before heading back out to work on the clothes situation. Kaito glanced over at Kokichi's legs, frowning slightly guiltily at their redness.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't realize your legs were in the sun until it was too late. Kinda forgot about the whole, ya know...rotating earth thing," Kaito chuckled guiltily, pulling out a change of clothes (bright colors, shorts, long, flowing sleeves) for Kokichi, folding and piling them on the dresser. "Alright, baths, aloe, and by then, probably lunch will be coming around sometime soon? Look at us go. We got the whole morning figured out," Kaito said cheerfully, heading to his husband and, the same way he had for the toilet, picked him up again.

The toilet seat down, Kaito placed Kokichi on top of the seat in the bathroom, before straightening to kick his own clothes off, intending to help Kokichi get out of his if he needed to. Considering Kaito's personal hang ups at the moment, he might have felt awkward getting naked in front of Kokichi...but honestly, Kaito rarely found himself thinking too hard about the effect his body had on other people (at least, not in a way that he was ever ashamed of), even when they weren't in a sexual relationship. He was the kind of guy that wouldn't feel uncomfortable losing it all at a strip poker game...which he knew intimately, because boy howdy, had he lost that game hard and early into it.

So, naked, he only felt awkward when he glanced over at Kokichi, offering politely, but not daring to presume, "Need any help, babe?"

Kokichi rolled his eyes and waved Kaito off as he passed by to go to the closet. "I'm the one that wanted to go outside. I know I burn easily so I should've remembered to put on sunscreen. And it's barely anything anyway--not Kai-chan's fault in the itty-bitty slightest, as far as I'm concerned."

Once Kaito brought him into the bathroom, it was easy to get his shirt off. The shorts and his underwear, though... Kokichi sighed softly before his gaze raised to catch Kaito. And. Damn. It stayed there for a good moment. Just like their last time showering together--which made Kokichi's cheeks color again--Kaito was just...breathtaking. Still just as gorgeous as he ever was, and Kokichi couldn't help feeling lucky. He definitely preferred the people in town who checked Kaito out with flustered smiles and rosy cheeks, but...there was something satisfying in knowing that Kaito was his. That he was Kaito's. And nothing would change that.

With a few tries, Kokichi managed to push himself up long enough to tug his shorts and underwear over his butt, which was all he needed. Sitting down of his own volition before his legs gave out on him, Kokichi slid the garments the rest of the way off, just finishing up by the time Kaito asked.

"Hmmmm, think I can get this last bit myself," he teased, weakly kicking his clothes off his last foot and letting them sit off to the side. "But I would appreciate my husband making sure I won't just fall into the tub. It's a common accident, did you know?"

Kaito glanced over Kokichi...and immediately looked away, focusing on the faucets, the bathwater, the soap, the floor. Reminding himself sternly that he wasn't going to look at Kokichi like a (sex toy) possessive creep anymore. Unless he offered anything, Kokichi was not to be looked at like that anymore. Kaito was a good husband! Not anyone's owner! No one belonged to him!

"Is it?" Kaito asked curiously, firmly not letting his eyes wander as, checking on the water temperature one last time before turning the faucets off, he went back to his husband, gently and carefully picking him up, looking at him with open adoration as he said casually, "I guess it would be, but ya know, I can't think of anyone I've known who’s actually slipped before? Or, well, maybe they did and just didn't say anything? I guess that's an embarrassing way to hurt yourself, so maybe if you could help it, you wouldn't spread that kind of story around...but you don't have to worry, 'Kichi. I won't let anything happen to you." Kaito promised this, kissing him warmly on the cheek, before carefully entering the bath.

It really was a matter of being very careful. Kaito, for his all dismissive teasing about the idea, was suddenly extremely worried that if he slipped, Kokichi would fall from his arm and hurt himself...but his legs and back were strong, and it was actually fairly simple to lower both of them into the water, the soapy bubbles parting and then reforming over them.

Making certain Kokichi was securely on top of him, that he wouldn't dip too low into the water when Kaito let go, Kaito shifted Kokichi around on his lap...and immediately frowned at this, feeling a flush on his neck and guilt in his stomach. This...didn't count as maneuvering Kokichi. This wasn't controlling. He was just making sure Kokichi was safe, and then he'd stop doing it.

Kaito, very pointedly, did not think about feeling Kokichi's bare ass across his lap, his chilly skin warming against the heat of the water and his head against his stomach and chest as Kaito laid back into the tub, settling in, a warm and soft seat for Kokichi to rest on however he felt like.

"Is that alright?" Kaito asked, feeling himself relax slightly in the heat of the water already. "Should I fill the bath with more water?"

"Mhmm. Bathroom and kitchen accidents are actually some of the most common reasons people go see healers. But that's just because they're things people use so often, and not because they're particularly dangerous. Statistics can be weird like that sometimes." Kokichi grinned into the kiss against his cheek, carefully holding around Kaito's shoulders to make things a little easier on his husband, though Kaito was definitely strong enough to lift him even if Kokichi actively made it difficult.

And yet, with all that strength, Kaito always touched him so gently. Well. Unless Kokichi asked for something rougher.

Hoping that dipping into the warm water would explain away the flush in his cheeks, Kokichi sighed happily, settling himself in Kaito's lap, giving his husband a little nuzzle in appreciation. Feeling Kaito skin-to-skin, close enough to feel him breathing, warm and relaxed...

"This is perfect," Kokichi hummed, closing his eyes as he leaned back against Kaito's chest for a good moment. "The water's good for me, and if we need to heat it back up it'll be easier if there's a little room to fill."

Turning his head to press a cheek against one of Kaito's pecs, Kokichi gave him a peck. "Thanks for joining me, Kai-chan. I love you a whoooole lot."

Kaito smiled softly at this, placing a light, easy to move hand on his husband's stomach as he kissed the top of his head in return. "Love you too, 'Kichi."

His other, casted arm propped up on the edge of the bathtub, not entirely free from the water's influence but for the most part fine, Kaito crossed his legs over each other and pressed his knees against the side of the tub, making himself entirely steady in the water. He allowed his fingertips to gently pet up and down Kokichi's stomach, full from this morning's breakfast.

Feeling relaxed, and safe, and secure, Kaito murmured to Kokichi, "Hey 'Kichi? I haven't heard a lie from you in awhile. Can I hear one now?"

Kokichi couldn't help giggling a little at Kaito's light touch on his stomach, not quite as flat (or at times concave) as it usually was, actually more full than he'd thought he was. Oops. But it wasn't uncomfortable, and Kokichi was content to relax and digest for a bit. He still ran a hand along Kaito's arm though, encouraging a firmer touch when he got down to his husband's hand.

"Mm, a lie? Well, you haven't heard any that you know of~" He snickered a bit before resting his hands on Kaito's thighs under the water, reminiscent of one of the last times Kaito had requested a lie. "Let me think..."

Kokichi let his imagination wander, trying to think of a place to start...before his lips quirked just a little, a devious gleam sparkling through his eyes.

"As hard as it was to get mail to you while you were traveling to Dicea, I'm glad we got to exchange a few letters before actually meeting," he started with an easy grin. "It was really comforting to know that my future husband was actually a really cool, sweet, adorable person. Even if neither of us could convince the Party to make a detour while you all were in Danganronpa to go to that book signing Touko Fukawa was having at the time."

"But it was probably a good thing that they didn't get in the habit of reading our letters to each other. That would've made the Virgin Killer incident waaaaay more embarrassing."

Kaito looked down at Kokichi in surprise, not having suspected it would end up being a story about the two of them. Feeling that small press on his knuckles, Kaito accommodatingly held onto him a little tighter, stopping Kokichi's body from floating ever so slightly above him, the two now firmly pressed together.

Though Kaito flushed at the feeling of Kokichi's hands against his thighs, he refused to think about it, instead closing his eyes, wanting to get lost in whatever story Kokichi was going to tell...ah, but it wasn't the kind of story he could passively listen to. This was going to be a game.

Okay. Kaito was up to playing.

So he chuckled in agreement, sounding properly humiliated as Kokichi brought up that 'memory', saying, "Oh, no, not that one, 'Kichi. I'm certain I asked you not to bring that up again. God, I still feel like a total idiot when I think about it."

Kokichi giggled, tipping his head back into Kaito's chest affectionately. "It was really sweet of you! Honestly, I wanted to frame that sketch you sent me and hang it above our bed, but, ah..." He looked down, feigning bashfulness. "It was a bit much..."

"So, I'd never been out of the city, right? So any trends that go around I kinda just assumed would eventually make their way everywhere. That's pretty naive of me, looking back, but in my defense, the Virgin Killer sweater was a really big thing for a while!"

Kokichi watched the faint swirls of steam coming up off of the bathwater, his gaze unfocused as his brain worked just slightly faster than the words coming out of his mouth. "The Furutani fashion line for spring had come out, and there was, just, this ridiculous piece in it. Personally, I think calling it a sweater is generous. It's just like a sleeveless, backless...turtleneck dress? Sort of? It barely even covers anyone's ass."

"People were sooo confused over how to wear it," he laughed, rubbing his thumbs in light little circles on Kaito's thighs. "Or why you'd even want to wear it. But it became a joke to draw people and characters wearing it. My favorites were when people drew action heroes in that thing."

"So, obviously, being the hilarious person I am, I drew myself in it and sent it to you. My future husband, prince of the then enemy nation that's known for being way more uptight, who of course hadn't heard about a joke over a Dicean fashion line." Kokichi sighed at his own foolishness, looking up and back at Kaito with a soft smile. "So, to you, it looked like I had just sent you a nude, practically."

"Hahaha, oh no," Kaito could feel himself practically living that experience, how flustered he would have been, how immediately he would have overthought it. "I was...soooo confused. I had been trying so hard to be polite and be a gentleman and not be weird in our letters, and when I had asked to see a sketch of you, just so I'd know what you looked like, I was not expecting that back. I went to Maki and Shuuichi, and while of course I didn't show them the sketch, I was desperate for some advice and told them, 'Shit, shit, he sent me a sexy sketch, what should I do???'"

"Shuuichi, of course, had no idea what an appropriate response would be, and told me I should just say thank you and tell you that you looked nice. Terrible idea," Kaito said, deadly serious, before chuckling. "Oh god, even considering how dumb what I sent back was, at least it wasn't a 'gee, thanks'. Ugh. The man had no concept of flirting. It was Maki that suggested I send a sketch back of myself in, like, cool armor or something. Try to be handsome, ya know?"

"But then I thought, like...what if that embarrassed you? That you sent me a sexy nude and I sent myself in some official armor getup? Like, what if that was insulting? So..." Kaito sighed, actually fairly certain this would have been what he had done, "I asked Shuuichi for help and...ugh...I can't believe I sent you a sketch of myself naked...like, you didn't show me any private parts in your sketch! Why did I think that was an appropriate response??"

Kaito blushed furiously, taking his hand out of the water and covering his eyes for a moment. Genuinely flustered.

"Ni-hii-shishishi!" Kokichi snickered in mischievous glee. "See what I have to deal with? Kai-chan is the cutest. I was expecting it to just, I dunno, break the ice or something. See if you really were as awesome as you sounded in your letters. Give you a good laugh, at least. And then Kai-chan sends me something so heartfelt and considerate, ah~"

Kokichi pressed a hand to his forehead, mock swooning. "It's really ridiculous how fast you got me to fall for you. Though, if it makes you feel any better, once I got your picture I spent, like, the next hour shrieking into my pillows. Denji-chan made fun of me for months since I kidnapped them into my room with a whole 'oh no he's hot' gay mess. I'd never been in any sort of relationship, and now I'm getting married to the hottest guy I've ever seen? Too much to handle."

"Though, it was funny seeing you look at me in utter confusion when we actually met." Kokichi shifted in Kaito's lap a little, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "You were totally thinking, like, 'who is this lost child and where is my sexy fiance', right? Feel blessed, Kai-chan--you're the only one who gets to see anything about me that could be loosely described as 'sexy'." He rolled his eyes before giving his husband a wink, leaning in for a proper kiss.

"If the first time I ever saw you was at the proposal ceremony?" Kaito asked quietly, kissing him back, letting his hand fall back onto Kokichi's ribs, holding him close. Holding him tight. "No," Kaito said honestly. "My first thought would have been, 'Atua...he's beautiful.'"

Kaito kissed him gently. Softly. Stealing his lips against himself as he whispered between kisses, "Look at those eyes. Look at how intense they are, Atua. It's like he can see inside of me...and that small, lithe frame, held straight and square and with such dignity against what had to be an overwhelming and frightening parade of strangers, throwing wealth and gifts at his father's feet, all staring at him in what will easily be remembered as the most important wedding proposal of our generation. How can he hold himself so well? How can such a tiny, thin man hold himself so well, so strong, against that wave of spectacle and expectation and pressure? And still be so beautiful, under all that stress..."

"Atua, give me strength. Give me patience, and calm, and flexibility, to be even half as dignified as my future husband was. Atua, look at him. Atua please. Let me be worthy," Kaito said, the soft prayer bordered and emphasised with small kisses, the gentle touches against his ribs, Kaito looking at him with something that was half adoration, and half quiet sadness. "How am I ever going to be worthy of someone like him?" he murmured, kissing him again.

Kaito sighed, leaning his head against Kokichi's temple, saying quietly, "That's what was running through my mind."

Kokichi's cheeks heated up again, steadily growing rosier with every sweet, flattering thing that came out of his husband's mouth. He really... Before Kaito, no one had ever talked to him the way the older prince did. Like Kokichi was so amazing, awe-inspiring. Like he was someone worth improving yourself for. That he was beautiful, but with that meaning only Kaito had, that made Kokichi blush and smile and feel good about himself.

Kiss after kiss Kokichi joined in, not escalating things like he'd hoped for before, but being incredibly present and thankful. Pressing his lips against Kaito's again and again, circling one arm against his shoulders and pressing his other hand against Kaito's side.

And, with wobbling lips, Kokichi bubbled out a flattered laugh, feeling almost venerated. "Geez...I didn't ask you for a lie, you know? My Kai-chan is far past even the question of worthiness. There's no one else I'd rather have the chance to be with, and you have no idea how excited I am to spend my life with you."

Kokichi slid himself down Kaito's body a little bit, trying to catch his eye, nothing but love in his own. "And that's not a lie."

Kaito's gaze was entirely one of faith.

Just total, unquestioning belief, at least in this moment. It was how Kaito knew to express love best, and how he felt about Kokichi right now. A viewpoint entirely without doubt, without reservation. Not even just in Kokichi's personality, but in his place in the world, the universe, and Kaito's own life. Atua had chosen to give Kaito to Kokichi. Kokichi had the Momota name now, at least in the middle. Atua loved everyone, but as far as their places in the universe were concerned, Kokichi was now the fourth of Atua chosen. The fourth highest ranking member in the family that Atua had picked to lead and protect his most beloved creation. And one day, Kokichi would be second, in the days far in the future, when his father and mother had both passed on to the trials, leaving Byakuya the head of the Momota family in Luminary, and Kokichi, someday, the head of the Momota family in Dicea.

In Kaito's mind, Kokichi was, literally, divine.

...but that was a difficult thing to convey to a person, and Kaito wasn't even really thinking that deeply about it as he looked down at Kokichi, his heart warm and aching for Kokichi, staring at the love in his husband's eyes, his own full of complete and utter faith. Kaito gave him a soft, adoring smile in return, saying simply, "I know, Kokichi. I believe you."

And he leaned down to kiss him again. Sending another prayer to Atua.

In some ways, those words meant even more to Kokichi than 'I love you'. Ideally, love contained belief, but...it didn't always work out that way. Aiichi said that he loved him, but it was clear that his father didn't trust him in the slightest. Especially when Kokichi knew how high Aiichi got off his own bullshit, considering that he resented Kokichi's mere existence.

Ikuo had said he loved him, but...he couldn't even really think of a situation where belief came up in their relationship. Ikuo didn't expect anything of him, but not because he didn't think he could do anything. It was just...his daddy was happy with his existence, with every day that they'd spent together, and he didn't need anything more from Kokichi. There was something nice about that, but since Kokichi hadn't had anyone expecting anything of him, it was...less comforting than it otherwise would've been.

Kaito loved him, but before that, he believed in him. Kaito had told him that he would place total faith in Kokichi's decisions, because Kaito thought that Kokichi was the person that could make those calls the best. And...even knowing the meanings that were different between them...it didn't erase the meanings Kokichi had understood from the start. That Kaito believed that he could and would do great things...and that he was proud to be able to see him do it.

And, in turn for that pure belief, Kokichi believed in Kaito too.

Kokichi kissed his husband back, this time actually deepening it a little, nipping at Kaito's lips softly before swiping his tongue across Kaito's bottom lip.

Kaito felt that little bite against him...and wow. It was almost frightening how quickly the prince found himself wanting to just...grab at him in some way. A small rush of excitement in his chest making him want to press his fingers against Kokichi's arms, maybe turn him around so that he was lying on his front rather than his back...just to touch him and maneuver him or...just attack him in some way...

But Kaito took a small, steadying breath against Kokichi, and just chuckled at himself as Kokichi licked at his bottom lip, before kissing him back, poking his own tongue between his husband's lips, trying to draw Kokichi's tongue back, to capture at it a bit.

Okay, Kaito Ouma Momota...this is your moment to practice restraint...be a good husband. Don't get weird and possessive and controlling. Just...remember what Maki said. Every time you get an instinct, force yourself to try something else.

So, because his instinct was to grab...Kaito started to just lightly run his fingers up and down Kokichi's stomach. Palm down, fingers wide and open.

Kokichi easily opened his lips for Kaito's tongue, though he got the actual message soon enough and followed his husband's lead back into his mouth. For as new and confusing kissing had been just a month ago, Kokichi now found it to be one of his favorite pastimes. Making out, totally, and when Kaito would bite and suck at his skin, giving him cute little marks that he smugly hid, but also the little presses of lips against whatever they could reach, just little reminders that they loved each other. Easy affection.

Feeling Kaito's hand starting to rub his stomach, Kokichi giggled a little into Kaito's mouth, breathing in their partially shared breakfast and just the taste of Kaito that was always there. In return, though, Kokichi let his hand on Kaito's side trail down under the water to cup the older prince's hip, tracing his thumb along the line that led to his Adonis belt.

This was what he had been hoping for. A moment of closeness and affection that he'd been too sick to participate in even the slightest bit before. He...he didn't want to be something Kaito did things to. He wanted to be a part of their relationship in every area. Reciprocating and contributing.

God, Kokichi felt good against him...he was so soft, so light on top of him. Every time they were pressed close together like this, Kaito couldn't get past this sense of...size, around Kokichi. Maybe it was because none of his lovers before had ever been as small as Kokichi, though plenty of them had been smaller then Kaito still, but he always felt like he could just envelope him.

He wondered what it was like, to have someone just be this wall of flesh entirely caged around you...a part of Kaito thought maybe it would be comforting. A feeling of safety.

Another part of him, especially the part that remembered the orgy that ended up not being an orgy, thought the idea was...scary and overwhelming. And he didn't want to be that for Kokichi. Never wanted to be something that scared him. He just wanted his lover to feel safe and comforted and good with Kaito. That was what Kaito wanted.

What was his instinct now? ...well, still to grab, honestly. As he kissed Kokichi, long and deep, the kiss broken up every now and again by the two giggling or laughing at themselves or each other, hearts fluttering and hands exploring (Kaito allowed his hand to rise up over the water, his fingertips tracing the lines of Kokichi's collarbone), he found himself murmuring against Kokichi's kiss, "I wish we had sent letters beforehand. That would have been such an easy way to avoid so many misunderstandings. How come we didn't think of that?"

"I think we might've just had different misunderstandings, yanno?" Considering how different they were...yeah, there was no way that they wouldn't have some sort of big 'lost in translation' moment. Considering how he'd felt about the concept of Kaito when he'd been told he was going to marry the Luminary Prince...any letters to Kaito would've just been as many constant digs and insults as he could get away with while still being polite enough to not get the engagement called off.

Kokichi trailed his teeth against Kaito's lips for a moment, snorting softly. "But the biggest issue would be even getting letters to you. You could've sent letters to the castle from anywhere you were, but trying to find where you were at any time would've been a nightmare for the postal service."

Kokichi shifted in Kaito's lap a little bit, getting tired of having to be twisted around to kiss his husband. Now he was sitting on just one of Kaito's legs, curling his own up on the other while his side pressed to Kaito's chest and stomach. Which allowed Kokichi much more space to touch and caress the defined abs and built pecs that made him a little hotter whenever he saw Kaito without a shirt.

Mouthing against the back of Kaito's jaw now, Kokichi murmured into his ear, "At least it's a funny story now. Something unique to us."

Ha ha. Right. Funny.

Pushing his future husband into the dirt and then calling him a disappointment.

...Hilarious.

Feeling another small wave of guilt, which shifted right alongside a wave of arousal from Kokichi's breath against his ear, Kaito put his arm around Kokichi's waist, pulling him a little higher onto his lap, so that Kaito could lean down and (the instinct was to bite, so don't bite. Don't bite!) kiss gently against his neck, shivering slightly at the feeling of Kokichi's mouth against the sensitive ends of his jaw.

"Yeah, I guess that's true..." Kaito murmured into his neck, kissing into the crook that Kaito knew tended to get more of a reaction out of his husband than the rest of him, enjoying that little sudden tremble against him. "But, well, the first six months before I left we could have done it...it just literally never occurred to me. I knew I was probably going to end up marrying you for a year now, but it was still...kind of hard to think of you as someone who existed. As, like, an actual person outside of the concept of the person I was gonna marry, you know? I don't think I even asked what your name was for legitimately two months. You were just 'The Dicean Prince'."

Kaito pulled away from Kokichi's neck, capturing his mouth again, the water around them sloshing and waving at the moment as Kaito breathed him in, pressing his chest against Kokichi, before saying, "But now that you're here? I wanna know everything about you. I wanna know how you got those thin, white scars on your body. Or what the fuck possessed you to cut off only half your hair. And what all your favorite things are and why..."

Kokichi knew why he hadn't written to Kaito in those first six months. He'd been furious when he found out that he'd been promised away, and...he hadn't really talked to anyone for a while. He'd hoarded work in his room and only came out in the middle of the night to send them out and get food. And...he'd gotten really sick from that. Aiichi had come by to ask him to stop acting like such a brat, to talk about the honor of ending the war that he'd started, that he was better than this and better shape up by the time his future fiance showed up...

In those first few months, he'd seriously considered running away. But...he always came back to those who'd risked everything to keep their country safe. By running and potentially making Luminary go back on their word...he may as well be killing them himself. So he pulled himself together and stayed. Just...trying not to think about the Luminary Prince.

But that wasn't the only reason.

"Aiichi got married at 19, but when I was told about our engagement...it felt way too fast to me," Kokichi sighed, more airy than the emotion that was attached to the words. They were talking about the past, but the present was still very much in Kokichi's mind, especially with Kaito kissing at all the sensitive bits of his neck. "I'd never even gotten the courage to ask anyone on a date, and now I was supposed to marry some guy I knew nothing about? I didn't even know what I'd say to you even if I started writing out a letter."

Kokichi joined the reunion of their lips wholeheartedly, one hand on Kaito's chest and the other just above his butt, holding himself close to his husband as his heart filled with warmth at the sentiment that he felt as well. "Every time I discover something that makes Kai-chan smile, it feels like enlightenment. I love hearing you tell stories, and I know they're actually real from Kai-chan's full life. I wanna see our first whale together and be awe-struck at how big it actually is. I'll spend my whole life learning about you, and I don't think it'll ever stop being exciting." Kokichi kissed him again, and again, and once more that lasted longer, both his hands leaving the water to cup his husband's face as, for once, he stole a little of Kaito's air.

Kaito actually felt a small spark of alarm, having forgotten what this felt like. Trying to be patient and still and pliant against the kiss, trusting the other person to let up when it became too much as the back of your throat started to ever so slightly tense and burn...before enjoying that small feeling of lightheadedness when Kokichi broke to breathe. Kaito took in a breath and then laughed lightly, his face reddened, the small amount of dizziness clearing quickly as he looked down at his increasingly bold lover, a wide, fond smile on his face.

"Damn, 'Kichi..." Kaito murmured, arousal spreading through the pit of his stomach a little, placing a kiss against the underside of one of the wrists holding onto his face, giving his husband a slightly surprised look. "You're definitely getting stronger..."

Then Kaito closed his eyes, placing another few kisses up Kokichi's arm, until he could place a kiss against his shoulder, sucking a little bit against the blade there.

"Maybe it's okay that it all happened the way it did," Kaito decided, his arm still securely around Kokichi's waist, his hand snaking around his thigh, massaging there lightly. "It all worked out by the end of it, right? We're all okay. No one died, and it's all behind us now...so maybe it's fine we sucked at communicating, just...sooo much," he said with a genuinely happy chuckle. "We're doing better than our parents ever did, anyway."

Kokichi flushed even more in the face of Kaito's awe, feeling bashful and confident and loved. Just one of the combinations he'd never felt before Kaito came into his life. He didn't say anything about it, just giggled sheepishly, though, the way Kaito kissed up his arm and stopped to pay extra attention to his shoulder... Kokichi shivered with a little sigh, feeling warmer than just what was from the water's doing.

It was a bad idea for him to have sex right now, but...fooling around just a little was probably fine.

Sliding his hands back to circle around Kaito's shoulders, Kokichi started placing his own soft kisses to Kaito's shoulder and neck, gently running his fingers through the back of Kaito's hair. "You can't change the past, so as long as you're happy where you are, things probably went alright. And I am very happy right now," he purred.

Before snorting, rolling his eyes a bit though Kaito couldn't see them. "I don't know about your parents, but mine aren't a very high bar, Kai-chan." He'd heard all sorts of stories about how in love his parents had been, but...well, them both being alive was better than how Kokichi's parents were.

"Now, setting a bar ourselves that people will really have to work for to even be on par?" Kokichi leaned back a little to look at Kaito, giving him a playfully flirty wink as he parted his legs just a bit, just for one of his legs to slip between Kaito's. "That's a comparison I'm a little more interested in."

Ah...okay.

The first steps of self restraint had been easy. To the point where Kaito was starting to think that maybe he was overthinking all of this. He hadn't bitten, or grabbed, or re-positioned, and other than a few reminders to himself to not do those things, he had been fine.

But his shoulders tensed a little when Kokichi opened his legs.

...should he...was this an invitation to try something? Did Kokichi want Kaito to do something to him? Kaito didn't want to presume. He definitely didn't want to push or pressure. He didn't...didn't want to treat Kokichi's body like (a sex toy) something that could be played with or stimulated just because Kaito felt like it. Especially considering that, as much fun as feeling him shift around on Kaito's lap was, Kokichi still couldn't even actually walk at the moment.

So, no advancements. Nothing from Kaito's end. He just wanted to reflect whatever Kokichi wanted to do. If Kokichi wanted to make out, that's what they were doing, and if all Kokichi wanted to do was make out, that's all they were doing. End stop.

...but Kaito wasn't certain what his husband wanted next, and that's where the next few steps became challenging. Because if he assumed that Kokichi wanted Kaito to start messing with his dick when he opened his legs for him, but Kokichi didn't want that and Kaito went through with it anyway...Kokichi wouldn't tell him to stop. At least, Kaito was pretty certain Kokichi wouldn't tell him to stop. Which means Kaito couldn't start...even if maybe Kokichi wanted him to start?? Because Kaito didn't want to deny his husband anything he wanted either! Especially considering Kokichi's early fears that, if Kaito had understood it right, just wanting sexual things somehow made Kokichi 'gross'...Kaito desperately didn't want Kokichi to go back to that mindframe. Would he start thinking that way about himself again if he initiated something and Kaito accidentally told him no??

...ahhhhhhh, he KNEW he was overthinking this but he HAD to because the last time he stopped THINKING he shoved his DICK DOWN A SLEEPING KOKICHI'S THROAT, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

If any of Kaito's internal panic was showing, he was doing his best to hide it with a wide grin and a laugh, a small flush coming to his face as he looked away from Kokichi for a moment. "Yeah? Well...that chirpy informant lady said some people were calling us 'relationship goals', so...we must be doing something right."

Kokichi's smile softened a bit and he let himself lean back against Kaito, nosing against his neck a bit. "Yeah... As much as I wish people would just see us as, you know, people, I know we are a symbol. That's kind of what our wedding was all about. And...I don't know about you, but it's really comforting to hear from the people who look up to that symbol. Makes me think things really will be okay between Dicea and Luminary one day."

It was a good thing Kokichi's face was hidden, even if the most he showed his guilt and turmoil was in closing his eyes. Hopefully...if Kaede was as good as her word to Maki, then the bitterness between their countries could actually start to heal. They were no longer at war, but...now knowing how Kaito's parents ran Luminary, knowing what Byakuya planned to do... The Luminary people as a whole were just people, same as Diceans and Ronpans and people anywhere else. But the conditions they were forced into...if Diceans looked at the state of Luminary, he couldn't imagine anyone liking what they saw.

But, if things changed... If they saw Kaito as Kaito and not a representation of Luminary, saw his bright kindness...they'd love him. And things could be truly peaceful, not just in an absence of war.

Kokichi sighed against his husband's skin, knowing he was getting in his head. So, instead, he decided to show his appreciation for Kaito. His nosing turned back into kisses, which turned into little nips and dabs of his tongue against Kaito's jugular, one of his hands trailing back down Kaito's body and rubbing the top of his thigh a bit.

"I can't wait to be able to show you off to everyone...for them to love Kai-chan almost as much as I do. I'd be jealous if I weren't so proud."

"Yeah..." Kaito said, feeling Kokichi's tongue against his throat and feeling a literal shiver go up his spine, something...urgent running through his body as Kaito looked down at Kokichi...feeling Kokichi's hands start to wander downwards...feeling that want inside of him again...

Okay. What was the instinct?

Grab. Hold. Bite. Possess. Take control.

...

Sooooo? Remember what Maki said. Go against your instincts. If the instinct is to try to take charge of the situation, then what should we actually do then?

Kaito closed his eyes, feeling Kokichi's touches and kisses against him, holding him gently still around the waist...and murmured, "Hey, 'Kichi? ...do you want me to do anything?"

Kokichi opened his eyes in a bit of surprise at the question, but... He smiled against Kaito's skin before sighing a bit. "...being married to you has done some weird stuff to my sex drive, yanno? And as impatient as I'm getting...I think doing anything might send me back to barely moving in bed. I..."

"...I don't want sex to be a mistake for us." He pressed his forehead against Kaito's shoulder, just rocking his head back and forth. "But I still want to touch you. To kiss you. For you to touch and kiss me. I like being intimate with you. ...can I...?"

...was it awkward to ask? It wasn't anything Kaito had said he didn't want, but...consent was important. And silence was not consent.

Pulling back to look at Kaito, Kokichi offered him a nervous smile. "Can I press against you? Like...um..." He glanced down to their laps, his cheeks deepening in color. "...I guess that's not really your question...um."

Suddenly he felt the same sort of nervousness that had been squirming in his stomach on their wedding day, the feeling that had made him press his hands together for so much of the day, their (his) first proper kiss feeling daunting.

He wasn't a virgin anymore, but... he...still felt so lost sometimes. Inexperienced. Not the kind of person that Kaito would want in bed.

Kokichi averted his eyes, unsure of how to progress.

Kaito actually wasn't sure what Kokichi was asking for. Press? Wasn't that what they were doing now?

Still, the prince felt himself relax a little at his husband's nervous fluster. It was kind of comforting to see it, made Kaito feel like...maybe he wasn't overthinking this? Like, that maybe the two really did have some conversations and boundaries and awkward tests that they needed to perform on each other still. That it wasn't just Kaito who was feeling a little unsure and confused and like...that it wasn't just him being totally stupid and, just, one misplaced step away from being evil, just because he couldn't figure out exactly what his husband wanted, or exactly what Kaito’s role in their bed was.

Kokichi's clear uncertainty...made Kaito want to push forward. To do his best to guess what 'press' meant and make Kokichi feel good and taken care of and satisfied with their relationship...but just because Kokichi was uncertain, that wasn't a good excuse to take the lead. To...to take control, and take away Kokichi's chance to express, or even maybe just work out for himself, what he wanted from Kaito.

So...Kaito laughed instead.

Kaito leaned in to kiss Kokichi on the cheek, and said cheerfully, "Sorry, 'Kichi, I don't know what you mean. It's okay, babe. Take your time if you need to think about how to explain it...or you can just show me, if that's easier. Or we can do nothing for now and try it later, and I can just sit here and hold you and we can kiss some more, if you want! That's totally an option too, beautiful." Kaito kissed the edge of his mouth, doing his best to appease. To please.

"I just...well, I was just saying I regret not trying to communicate with you, right? So...this is me. Trying to communicate," Kaito said, grinning at him sheepishly.

Kokichi's face burned but...okay. Closing his eyes for a moment, he took a breath, trying to calm down. Even if he was completely shit in bed, Kaito wouldn't leave him. He knew that. Things being awkward for a bit was nothing, just calm down.

"...I would like to kiss more. I like doing that. But...um..." Kokichi looked off to the side, no amount of self pep-talks helping his embarrassment as he parted his legs more and, somewhat wobbly and unsteadily, slid properly into Kaito's lap again, but facing him this time. And, though neither of them were hard--yet--he pressed their dicks together, swallowing hard at the feeling.

Still red, Kokichi pressed his face back into Kaito's shoulder, not really able to move his hips any, but enjoying the amount of gravity working on him pressing him against Kaito.

...Ooooooooooh.

That was what ‘press’ meant!

"Okay, okay, I get you. Cute," Kaito said, laughing, running a comforting hand up and down his clearly flustered husband’s back. "Awwww, come on, 'Kichi, don't hide. I love it!"

Okay...sure, the angle and the tub would make it a little tough, not to mention Kokichi couldn't...move much...but that was fine! Kaito had this! If this was what Kokichi had been hoping for, then Kaito would make it a reality! Besides, so long as Kokichi didn't mind Kaito just getting handsy with it, neither of them would have to move all that much to begin with.

Just testingly, Kaito placed his hand securely on Kokichi's lower back, pressing his legs hard against the sides of the tub to get that further stability, before working his lower abs and hip muscles, moving his body up and down, rolling his hips against Kokichi, just to see how it would feel. With Kokichi's body pressed against him, there was definitely some friction between them, their stomachs and dicks rolling against each other...but it'd be easier when they were both hard. So...

"Okay babe, I'm all about this. This'll be fun!" Kaito said cheerfully, giving his husband an affectionate kiss against his ear. "Would you mind sitting up? And follow my lead! ...b-but feel free to also do your own things! Don't keep things to yourself, let me know if you want anything different. This'll be good!"

Giving his husband's lower back a comforting rub...and then, worried that Kokichi might be a little lost in his head, giving him the lightest little pinch on his ass, he chuckled goodnaturedly before capturing Kokichi's mouth, kissing him deeply.

"My sweet, cute, sexy husband..." Kaito murmured against little breaks in the kiss, nipping at his lower lip and sucking at his tongue...before taking a deep, long breath in, sealing Kokichi's mouth against him, tasting the heat of him...

Then Kaito let go of Kokichi's ass, and moved his hand to the front of them, taking both dicks (and, it was kinda cute, actually pressing Kokichi's chubby dick against the length and girth of, what Kaito had always felt was a somewhat ridiculous sized dick, honestly, (holy shit his tune would change if he could see the fucking monster Shuuichi's dick had become), Kokichi's head rubbing and sliding around just above the middle of Kaito's shaft) in his hand, and rubbing his fingers along both of them, using just his thumb for himself and pressing his fingers against Kokichi. Pushing and rubbing the two dicks against each other.

They had never really grinded against each other. Every time they'd ended up having sex Kokichi would always end up getting hard waaay before Kaito, struggling to keep it together as his husband tried to guide him through lasting more than thirty seconds. Kokichi just...wanted the two of them to touch and press against each other, getting hard together for once. I-in, like, a chill way.

Kokichi peeked up at Kaito, still flustered, though he gave a little surprised gasp as Kaito started moving. He...hadn't really expected that. It was enough for him to just enjoy feeling Kaito's length against his own, but...o-oh...this was...real nice. Though, he did sit up at Kaito's request, a little reluctantly...

...was his idea not good? Was Kaito just humoring him? Was this--

"Eep!" Kokichi jolted with a soft squeak, feeling a pinch to his rear and... Geez. Okay. Offering Kaito a stronger smile, Kokichi braced himself on Kaito's shoulders again. "I like following your lead. But I-I'll...I'll let Kai-chan know--I wanna get hard together. Don't focus too much on me, and tell me what feels good to you too. I...can't do a lot right now, but surely there's something..."

His doubts reared their heads for another moment, but Kaito swallowed them as he captured Kokichi's lips once more. Getting lost in the deep kiss, it was easier for Kokichi to just focus on touch, on playing with Kaito's tongue and cheekily grazing teeth here and there, letting a hand trail back down Kaito's chest, and back up, cupping and massaging his pec.

And softly humming into the kiss as Kaito touched back, the warmth in Kokichi slowly deciding on its destination and heading to his crotch, enamored with the feeling of Kaito's longer, thicker cock against his own softer, fatter one. And it wasn't long before his cock woke up to that feeling too.

Getting hard together, huh? Okay...it could sometimes take Kaito a little while to really get warmed up, if only because he had a habit of focusing on his partners more than himself. He enjoyed watching people lose it, enjoyed watching their eyes roll in pleasure, knowing he had gotten them to that point...made him feel wanted and useful...made him feel powerful.

...but that was what Kokichi wanted to feel too. At least to some extent. Kokichi didn't want to just feel like he was along for the ride, or was just some...doll to be played around with. He wanted agency.

Okay. What's the next instinct?

The next impulse was, as usual, to bite...but also to completely ignore what Kokichi just said and focus on getting him hard. On playing with his skin and making his eyes go hazy and coax out those little, involuntary moans.

So...what was the...opposite of that? Or, maybe not the opposite. Maki had said different, not opposite. So, what was different than that, but would still feel good?

...um???

It felt weird to do this, and...he felt selfish, and, he didn't know if this would count as, like, trying to control Kokichi?? But his husband had told him to ask, so...sounding almost shy, Kaito broke the kiss, pressing his face against Kokichi's for a moment, rubbing their dicks still lightly together. "Um...would you mind massaging the head of my dick a little, 'Kichi?"

Kokichi sucked in a deep breath when Kaito broke the kiss, trying to restore his air through the slight lightheadedness. It wasn't bad, he didn't feel like he needed a break or anything, but, like, breathing was a thing he still needed to do. He licked wet, reddened lips and focused on what Kaito was saying...

And brightened, smiling affectionately as he rubbed his cheek against Kaito's. "Of course!"

Giving Kaito's chest one last little caress, Kokichi moved that hand down to join the party, deciding to...do a little more than just massage Kaito's head. It was still in vein with what his husband had asked! So it would still be fine! And Kaito had done it for him before, so...it wasn't like Kokichi only had masturbation as experience.

Kokichi took the top of Kaito's cock in his hand, at first just rubbing his palm down the length that his own dick was too short to reach, acclimating Kaito to his touch, before gently wrapping his fingers around, rubbing his thumb just below the head where Kokichi could still feel his vein. Squeezing gently, rubbing his way up to Kaito's head, massaging the small muscle, circling his hole...

He'd looked down at first to make sure he was doing it right, but as Kokichi became more confident in his touch he looked back up, eyes shining, waiting to see approval in the form of his husband's pleasure.

"...ah...a-ah...hmmm..."

Oh. That...that felt good...

Kaito, still idly rubbing his hand up and down the lower part of his shaft and around Kokichi's dick, watched, red faced and fascinated, as Kokichi started to play there. Running his thin fingers up and around the top part of his shaft, around Kaito's head...before he started to press his thumb against the vein on the bottom side of Kaito's dick, which started to throb and pulse against Kokichi's touch.

As Kokichi moved his fingers around, pressing and massaging, his hands, usually so chilly, warm in the heat of the water around them, Kaito heard himself make an embarrassing little whining sound in the back of his throat and, feeling weirdly self-conscious about it, glanced up at Kokichi to see if he had noticed it.

Only to see Kokichi was already looking dead at him. Excited. Expectant.

Confident.

The shiver and shudder up Kaito's spine made him feel water start to collect in the back of his mouth, and the red burn that was escaping past his face and down into his neck was just as much from that look on Kokichi's face as it was from his hands on him. Kaito, a blossom of arousal and nerves in his stomach at the look, laughed lightly. "L-look at that! O-okay, I know you can't s-see it, but that look on your face r-ah...hah...right there...that's what S-smug Rabbit looks like, 'Kichi, I s-swear..."

The sounds, watching the flush of Kaito's face travel down his body, fuck that whine...then hearing him stutter... Kokichi's expression was open and excited and adoring and just delighted to see Kaito affected (positively!) from something he did. From something he did!

Kokichi bubbled out a laugh, massaging Kaito's dick a little more as he could feel his own start to stiffen a bit. "I'm not really sure how to take that you see how I look at you when we're touching each other in a stuffed animal. Also, I can be waaaaaay smugger than this. Mmm... Like, Kai-chan is very cute as always, but..."

He reached down lower on Kaito's shaft again, almost doing a sort of half-pump as he brought his mostly firm grip back up to the head. Violet eyes glittered with hope and want, searching for approval. "This...feels good to you right? I want Kai-chan to feel good. This...isn't weird?"

Kaito made sounds like it was good...b-but he didn't know for sure! He didn't want to assume! Kokichi just wanted to be good enough for his husband...

"Y-yeah...it feels good..." Kaito said, swallowing hard as he felt another wave of arousal, stiffening his cock...though, as usual, he found himself amused to be called 'cute' by this doe-eyed, sweet-smiled man. He never commented on it when Kokichi said it, because he always half-suspected his husband might be teasing him, and Kaito didn't want to bite at the bait. Like, who was this small, cherubic shota to be calling the loud, clumsy, obnoxious Kaito cute?? Ridiculous.

Kaito wondered how Kokichi could mistake his dick stiffening at Kokichi's touch as anything less than 'good'...but heard the uncertainty in his voice at that last question, and Kaito looked up from where his eyes had wandered down Kokichi's small, pretty, actually cute body, to stare curiously at his husband’s face.

Ah, it was gone...the confidence had ebbed away a little, and there was true uncertainty in the question that reflected in a gaze that was only half smiling, a tightness in Kokichi's brow that made Kaito guess he was...preparing for a negative answer? Why? Kaito had never shown Kokichi displeasure in bed before, had he??

...no, but...considering he was fighting the impulse to go rougher on Kokichi, to take away the movement in his arms by holding him tightly against himself, and grinding his hips aggressively against Kokichi's, whispering possessively into his ear, 'it's alright, let me do this, I've got this, hold still' ...this was probably right around the point in all their last sessions that Kaito would start taking away every last bit of Kokichi's control.

Which...probably made Kokichi feel like whatever he had been doing before Kaito got like that hadn't been good enough...

...huh...

He was suddenly so grateful for Maki's advice. If he had gotten lost in another frenzy, that would have never occurred to him.

So Kaito gave Kokichi an adoring grin instead, feeling his legs start to tense up as his dick stiffened and twitched in Kokichi's hands, sweat starting to form on Kaito's brow as he ran his own thumb lightly and soothingly over Kokichi's head, trying not to push him into finishing too fast. "It's not weird...I like it when you touch me, 'Kichi...y-you're gonna make me c-cum if you keep...h hah!" Kaito took a sudden sharp gasp, feeling his dick give a warning twitch that his head was being stimulated too much, that he was getting close, "...d-doing that though..."

Then, thinking about it, Kaito grinned, leaning his head back until it hit the tile behind him, panting slightly as he looked hazily at his husband. "...y-you can if you want to..."

...was he being too needy? Asking for constant assurances...Kaito probably thought it was annoying...just like straight out asking for praise, Kokichi felt awkward trying to force something that should just come naturally. Asking for insincerity, asking for a comforting lie...

Kokichi breathed out a vocal sigh as his arousal stood tall and proud, Kaito making him feel as incredible as he always did. He'd been pretty focused on working Kaito up, but the heat in his gut had been fanned, and...damn. He could feel a slight ache in his lower back, warning him against doing what he really wanted. Damnit.

However, the hitch in Kaito's voice brought Kokichi out of his head again, made him really look at Kaito.

Who was red and sweating and grinning at him and-- "Aaah..." An empathetic pulse went through his cock as he felt Kaito's twitch in his hand.

...he was doing well.

A smile creeping back on his face, Kokichi swirled his thumb over the top of Kaito's dick again, feeling a slickness that wasn't from the bathwater, before he put his hand over Kaito's, looking up at his husband coyly. "I wanna make you cum, but I did say I wanted us to be together in this. I..."

A breath.

"I wanna grind against you! I wanna make Kai-chan cum with my cock! Help me move my hips!" Kokichi demanded, cheeks rosy with arousal and desire, his eyes excited...before his grin turned sheepish. "Please?"

Kaito practically jumped as Kokichi's volume, the earnest insistence in his voice, suddenly jumped from a 2 to a 10, and Kaito heard himself chuckle nervously as he stared into Kokichi's determined, excited eyes, having not expected that kind of reaction.

Uh...w-wow...

...FUCK Kaito wanted to ravish him!

Every fucking nerve in his body wanted to lose its god damned mind...but this was the last hill! The last trek in this! Kaito was doing so well keeping it together so far! And look! Look at the results! All of it, the guilt, the doubt, the fierce self control and constant second guessing...all of it was worth it to see Kokichi's face light up like that. To hear his voice, usually stuttering and mewling and desperate, sound confident and excited and assured. Sure, Kaito still liked the messy, submissive version of Kokichi he usually saw during sex...but he absolutely adored this version too, and definitely wanted to see more of him.

So Kaito chuckled, his own gaze matching Kokichi's excitement as he grinned wide at him, saying, his breath only slightly struggling against the feeling of his heart pounding into his chest, "Ha..o-...ha...fuck yeah! On it, 'Kichi!"

Kaito let go of Kokichi and his own dick, gently pulling Kokichi's hand away as he did so as well, watching, pleased, as both their dicks stayed high and pressed against each other even without the support. "A-alright, perfect...lean against me, babe, I got you," Kaito said encouragingly, putting his hand back on the spot of Kokichi's lower back, when Kaito had first tested this out.

Leaning back into the curve of the tub, pressing his legs against the porcelain sides for leverage and keeping Kokichi steady against him with his grip, Kaito gave Kokichi a long kiss, his own mouth wet and sticky as he tried to swallow through his arousal, saying after the kiss broke, "I love you, 'Kichi. You're so good to me..."

And then he rolled his hips up and into his husband’s, their dicks sliding, slick and thick and pushed together between their stomachs, and...fuuuuuck...

Kaito couldn't help himself, already so close to the edge that he just wanted to keep pushing, moving his hips fast immediately, breathing needfully into Kokichi's ear. "...o-oh 'Kichi'...!" he whined, feeling desperate. Feeling close.

Kokichi couldn't help the little laugh that bubbled out of him, his grin bright and loving in the wake of Kaito's matching enthusiasm. Of, for once...having done something right. And so he giggled, delighted and in love and feeling assured in this part of their relationship. Feeling present and a part of it.

And Kokichi didn't think this would be a time of theirs he'd regret.

Leaning forward onto Kaito, feeling a little more comfortable at this angle, actually, Kokichi braced himself both on one of Kaito's shoulders and against the back of the tub, wanting to take a little of the strain off of his husband who was, "So good, you always do so much for me, I love you, Kai-chan, you make me feel incredible!"

"Uuuun! Mmm - maaa... Aaaun~!" His tirade of affection cut off into just noises as Kaito started to move and oooooooh that was way better than doing this soft. Feeling Kaito's cock under him, poking against his belly and rubbing along his dick, only moving up enough to feel his head every once in a while...

Kokichi tucked his face into Kaito's neck, getting worked up even more from Kaito's need, and, with a few hurried kisses, Kokichi managed to get his own hips to stutter against Kaito's for a few moments. "Kai-chaaa~ aaah~!

Kokichi...might have been cumming, as he shouted and tensed against him. Kaito honestly wasn't sure, too lost in the feeling of rolling his hips into him, of the buildup of his cock, Kokichi's head a round, edged bulb against Kaito's shaft, and o-oh, every once in awhile Kaito's dick fell low enough that it caught on the edge of Kokichi's belly button, and fuck, fuck, fuck he felt so good against him...

So if Kokichi came, Kaito didn't know. Just still moving against him for several moments after that, his chest, slick and sweating, rubbing against Kokichi's own pointed nipples, his husband's arm tight around him.

Kaito couldn't help himself. As his orgasm started to hit him, Kaito pressed his face against the space between Kokichi's neck and his shoulder and bit down, taking his skin between his teeth and, not pressing down tightly, not trying to injure him, but just...needing to feel that hold on him as his dick shuddered and tightened against itself, shooting his load onto and between both of their stomachs, mixing and sliding with Kokichi's.

Panting, slowing down his body and letting them both fall back fully into the water, Kaito let go of Kokichi's neck, kissing against it and murmuring, "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to bite, I'm sorry...you make me so crazy, 'Kichi...you feel so good..." He whispered, running his hand up and down soothing against Kokichi's back. Feeling warm and content in the afterglow of their orgasm. "You're so kind to me...I get so drunk off you..."

Really, even Kokichi wouldn't really be able to tell you when he came. Maybe one of the times he felt Kaito's head catch against his belly button, maybe when he had managed to press down onto Kaito himself, the pressure making his toes curl, maybe when he felt Kaito bite down--gently, always so gently--on his shoulder...

It all felt so intense and amazing, so the only thing you could say for sure was that, by the time Kokichi's arms fell limp onto Kaito's shoulders, the space between their abdomens was filled with both of their cum. And, while not the kind of sensation that pulsed through him...pressing against Kaito like this was a nice way to do it too.

Kokichi huffed short breaths as he came down, feeling a bit dizzy but not in a bad way, and he nuzzled Kaito's shoulder sluggishly, snorting a breathy laugh. "Kai-chan...I like it when you bite me... It feels good...nm...and I like seeing all the new gifts you give me after the fact. If it wouldn't embarrass me so damn much, I'd love to show them off all the time... Look at me, look at all the cute marks my cute husband left on my skin..."

With only a little trouble, Kokichi stretched out in the bath as he giggled, appreciating the warmth a little more now. He knew he actually had to wash up...but it could wait just a little bit longer. He propped up his chin on Kaito's chest and let his arms fall back into the water, loosely hugging the other prince. Smiling brightly in love and satisfaction. "Loooooove you, my Kai-chan."

Kaito sighed, halfway in satisfaction, halfway in relief. It hadn't been bad then. Kaito hadn't hurt Kokichi. Seeing the easy way Kokichi stretched and laid out on top of him, he hadn't been too rough on him, too demanding or grabby or possessive...he had been good to his husband. Kokichi was happy.

Good...good...

Kaito, feeling loved and loving Kokichi and...feeling a little better about other things...things that would still probably trouble him for a long time, but at least moments like these assured Kaito that...that moments like those weren't the only kind of love he was capable of shoving onto his husband...that Kokichi didn't have to end every session feeling like Kaito's personal (sex toy, sex toy, fuck he was never going to get those words out of his head, how could he have done that??) plaything...that Kokichi had power and agency in their sex life, that Kaito wanted him to have more power between them...

...his thoughts were starting to ramble already. Kaito closed his eyes, shaking the thoughts away for now. They wouldn't help, right now. He just needed to be present in this moment. Be available for Kokichi.

So Kaito smiled warmly down at his husband as he told him that he liked the bites, that he liked the marks they left, and he stretched, lazy and cheerful and hopelessly beautiful, and Kaito grinned playfully at Kokichi's long declaration of love as he said, "Yeah? Well, guess I love you too then. I mean, if you insist."

And because Kaito didn't want to drag Kokichi up closer for a kiss, he leaned his neck down low, placing a kiss on the back of Kokichi's head, his hand warm and secure on his husband’s back as Kokichi rested on his pecs, saying, "I love you, 'Kichi. I'm really lucky to have you. You're amazing."

Kokichi snickered softly and rolled his eyes though he basked in the kiss to his head. And Kaito called him a brat. But, then they could just be brats together. He knew who they were. The Heir Apparent and his husband, future leaders of Dicea--or, in Luminary-speak, Heir Apparent Kokichi and Prince-Consort Kaito, future kings of Dicea. The symbols of peace and cooperation that ended the fifteen-year war. Figures that people looked to, whether for good or bad.

But it was nice to be young adults that could be childish together sometimes. Book nerds that discussed lore and myths and stories, would create dumb competitions with their friends, could be total idiots about low stake things. To just be Kaito and Kokichi. Caleb and Koh.

Kokichi didn't resent his responsibility, but it didn't feel as crushing when he knew Kaito and moments like these would be right by him.

"You make me really happy, Kai-chan. At the risk of sounding super sappy...my life is a lot brighter with you in it. I'll never be able to thank you enough, so...I'll just have to be sure to appreciate you all the time for the rest of our lives." Kokichi grinned a comfortable, lazy smile that crinkled his eyes a little, absolutely filled to the brim with love for the man under him.

"Brighter, huh? Well, I am a prince of the stars, so...thanks 'Kichi. My..." Kaito hesitated, feeling like this was...maybe true...but not sure what to do with that information or feeling comfortable analyzing it in any way if it was. "...my life's been better since I met you too."

He made him happy, huh? Well, Kaito hoped he could keep that up...

Of course he could! Gah! Stop beating yourself up for five seconds, Kaito, and just listen to your husband and accept his compliments! You did better this time! You didn't hurt him, you weren't weird, you listened to Maki's advice! And it was good advice! God, he was really gonna have to thank her when he saw her...fuck, this was just another clear example of how fucking lost he'd be without his friends. He'd be a total mess, trying to figure this stuff out on his own...thank god and thank...

Kaito knew Maki hated him, for some reason, but man... did they owe Byakuya a lot for helping get her and Shuuichi out of their contracts.

As Kaito laid there, just, thankful for all the help he had received from the people closest to him, Kaito remembered that his husband, as lively as he had just been, still probably couldn't move that much. So, kissing Kokichi's head again, Kaito sat up a bit and reached over to grab a handtowel, covering it in Kokichi's soap.

"Here, babe, let me get you cleaned up on your back at least, since you're already kind of in the perfect position for it?" Kaito chuckled, washing Kokichi's shoulders (taking care around the new bite mark) and his back (trying not to think about the dark line of hickies that still peppered him there from before), being gentle in his touch, enjoying the sound of the water moving through and under his arm, up Kokichi's back.

...Kokichi hoped that was true. Even if Kaito had gotten stabbed and broke his arm and nearly had his best friends killed since he'd arrived in Dicea... But hopefully things would just get better. ...after the worsening that was...possibly on the way...

Kokichi sighed and closed his eyes, giving Kaito's chest a little nuzzle. He didn't have to think about those things right now. At the moment, he was taking a bath with his husband and he could just...relax for a bit. Take this time to try and not worry about anything. Even if Kaito had brought more people into Kokichi's life that he worried about, he was also pretty good at helping him destress...most of the time.

"Hmm?" He cracked an eye open, having zoned out a bit too much and missed Kaito's words but...oh, yeah, yeah. He laughed a bit, saying, "Ah, I did want to take a bath for a good reason, huh. My sexy husband is just waaaay too distracting, but thankfully he also has the big advantage of being able to reach my back. Truly a special skill."

But it really was nice to just lie there for a little longer while Kaito took care of him. As much as he was starting to feel better...he could use a nap after this.

Shuuichi really didn't know what to do with himself right now.

Now that he wasn't on bedrest, along with Maki's total freakout about Timothy going to town without her knowing about it, Maki and Timothy were officially back to training, and Shuuichi, not knowing what else to do, had followed them out there, sitting back under the tree and watching them miserably.

While, again, Maki was angry at her charge...as far as Shuuichi could tell, his friend seemed to be actually trying to use this training time to get a chance to talk to him. Get to know him. As they ran around the field, Shuuichi noticed they weren't going as quickly as they had been in other sessions, and he could tell that Maki was talking to him as they ran, Timothy gasping answers and responses, them both slowing down as he tried to speak more. Shuuichi wondered what they were talking about, exactly. Was Maki trying to impress upon him the need for caution in this foreign land? Was she making plans with him about his new upcoming school life? Were they talking about the dog, who at this very moment, couldn't decide if she wanted to run with her new master, chase birds in the field, or take a nap, and kept going back and forth between all three of those things.

Shuuichi didn't know. He didn't care. Fuck.

Had it...really only been three days since he was trapped in his room? Since Miss Nao's visits started?

Really only two and a half days. When she had helped him upstairs, Shuuichi slow to walk around his hard-on, it had still been the morning, just a few hours from noon. And then he had invited her in and...and she had taken care of him, even though it had felt scary and overwhelming and...he wondered if she had meant to make it impossible for him to walk later, or if that had been an accident? Being left and tied to his bed for the rest of that day and night hadn't been though...he had desperately tried to pull his way out of the handcuffs, sometime around dinner that day. He had needed to pee and had barely kept it in before the feeling had passed. He had started to cry and actually tried to shout for help, just one shout, before embarrassment and shame had silenced him for the rest of the night...

Then she had kept coming back. And kept coming back. And each time was somehow both a little worse and a little easier, and she had taken away his virginity, and then his ability to move, and then his pollen, and then all the fucking plans he had just made for his future, and then his sense of self, and then on top of all that she had fucking taken his journal...and...a-and...

...Fuck Shuuichi wanted to go see her so bad.

He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to do. What had he done with his time here before Miss Nao had come in like a god damned hurricane and upended literally everything?? He felt purposeless and adrift and fucking horny fuck.

She had said not to bother her unless he really, really needed it...said that he couldn't act the way he did around her out here the way he did in the room. No 'Miss Nao'. No talks of 'whores' or the pollen or being sent away to Luminary...

"Not that any of that stops being true, Shuu..." she had warned him, running her fingernails over his jugular before she left, leaving him a shivering, frightened, longing mess.

...maybe he could just...just visit the library real quick to see if she was busy...

...fuck knows he wasn't.

Going to the castle on her own was...daunting. Last time, Seiko had been running alongside who she had only later learned to be Maki Harukawa, one of the people that had come to live in Dicea along with Prince Kaito--Shuuichi being the other, and not just a new caretaker as she'd assumed from his vague phrasing fuck. She was still pissed over everything that he'd lied to her about...but knowing so much more about how Despair Pollen worked now...she couldn't blame him too much. Still a little, but not as much as she otherwise would've.

But this time, it was just Seiko walking up to the looming building on her own, unfortunately reminded of making similar walks years in the past, heading in for a full day of work trying to help a small, sickly boy. One that, even in the short time they'd spent together, already had a distrust of healers, but had just accepted their prodding anyway. It was there that her theory of learned helplessness began, seeing him give up fighting against adults that talked about his body like he wasn't even there and moved him around without permission or warning.

From the moment she had seen Prince Kokichi, and from what she'd heard from others, thankfully it didn't seem like he'd succumbed to that, but...

Gaaah, it wasn't her job anymore! He wasn't her patient!

With a sigh, Seiko entered the castle, heading to where her actual patient was.

And was quickly denied entry to the personal residential areas, Shuuichi apparently having been up and about today.

...so...where was he?

Trying to make herself unnoticeable, Seiko started heading for the library, seeing if she could catch a moment with Miss Umezaki to learn of Shuuichi's whereabouts...or at least to look through the medical journals until she could learn.

He'd just...he'd just go peek his head into the library.

Being more aware of what his body was doing now, there was no noticeable bulge in his pants, even though he was definitely aroused right now. That morning, after Maki had checked on him and he had promised to go downstairs after using the bathroom, Shuuichi had thought long and hard about what to do about...his nether regions. And his solutions were, for his stupid, fucking ridiculous dick, he wore snug briefs and tucked his dick beneath and between himself, trapping it. Uncomfortable? Unbelievably so. Especially considering the position it put his balls in. Especially especially considering the discomfort only, ya know...made it harder not to think about his dick. But after a long look in the mirror and forcing himself to walk back and forth, he decided it worked well enough. It'd do the trick.

As for the leaking from his ass?

...on his way down to breakfast, he had stopped by the healers, and, cap low, not looking in any of their eyes, he said that he was just doing a favor for Maki and...did they happen to have any extra pads laying around she could use?

Another confusing fifteen minutes in the bathroom as he tried to work out how the fuck you were supposed to make the pads stay (he realized eventually that the backs had a paper layer you were supposed to take off, revealing the sticky underbelly), semi-layering three next to each other around his briefs, and...

Well...it seemed to be working well? He'd have to work out how he would get a large supply of them without, ya know...calling any weird amount of attention to himself. Maybe if he just went to town and bought them, like...no one would care?

Ugh. Miss Nao was gonna laugh at him when she saw...

Shuuichi felt another shudder of desire, lowering his hat over his eyes in embarrassment, and not paying attention to where he was going, literally bumped into Seiko, just outside of the library entrance.

"O-oh!"

Seiko took a step back, righting herself from being bumped into, though the words asking if the other person was alright stopped short when she saw who it was. "Oh, Shuuichi! I was looking for you, actually... Are you alright, there?"

Compared to the last time she saw him, he did seem to be doing much better. Sweating less, a healthier color to his skin (that wasn't an aroused blush), he wasn't curled around himself in pain... And, of course, he was up and walking.

Even with the samples she had, Seiko couldn't tell how the lowered doses of pollen were affecting him on a chemical or psychological level, but...those were more works in progress.

Holding her bag tightly, she offered the young man a hidden smile. "I-it's great to see you out of bed... If you'd have the time today, though, could I give you another check-up? Confirming that you're really over the hill..."

Oh...shit...

"Hello, Dr. Kimura..." Shuuichi murmured, looking over her shoulder and longingly at the entrance to the library...he had really hoped to get Miss Nao's attention in a few minutes. But...if the doctor was here, it was probably to see him, specifically, right? And one of the Rules was to be a good patient for her...and he had promised to be nicer this time...

Sighing slightly, Shuuichi turned his eyes away from the door, and tried to give the doctor a small smile. "Thank you. I...of course I have time. Thank you for checking up on me. Um...did you want to go up to my room?" Shuuichi asked, the question wary. Now that he was out of there, he kind of didn't want to go back if he could help it. As bored and pointless as he felt right now, the room was...a little hard to be in.

...oh! Maybe he could...maybe he could convince her to convince Miss Nao to let him up his dose amounts per day? It had, again, only been two and a half days since she started controlling his intake, but he...he had a feeling he was getting less than he was used to already. The dose had felt good when he had gotten it this morning! He had felt that spark of energy and the rush of arousal and, most importantly, that almost intense feeling of confidence and power...but it wasn't as intense as it usually was, and he could already feel himself getting tired. Restless.

To go from three doses to two to one and now, if Shuuichi was guessing right, to not even his usual full dose in the last week? It was...it couldn't be good for him. He felt worse. He had to make them see that.

Shuuichi wasn't the only person Seiko was mad at. She understood why Miss Umezaki had done some of the awful things she had, but...fuck. She should make a list of references for therapists once Shuuichi had the mind to accept help on his own. And...he probably wouldn't want to keep seeing her after this...but if she could recommend hydration standards...an exercise regimen...maybe some proper antidepressants...

The first iteration of the anti-Despair compound she had with her had taken the groundwork of anti-anxiety and antidepressants, then, through analyzing the samples from Shuuichi's body and how the pollen itself was made up, things to specifically block those. Just...trying to regulate serotonin and norepinephrine with the correct stimulus, and not from stressors. Giving his body a break from constant arousal...

...she was getting distracted, but Shuuichi didn't sound...enthused to go back to his room. "W-we should have some privacy, f-for your medical confidentiality, so, if you'd like to use your room, sure, but we could also use one of the private rooms in the medical wing?" During her last visit, she'd popped into the wing, trying not to make eye contact with any of the healers there, but...everything looked more or less the same as it had when she'd been Kokichi's doctor.

There was an almost instinctive need to say no, to offer up his room despite how it made him feel right now. He felt like he was hiding things, and a trip to the med-wing felt exposing, like Maki or Kaito might hear about it and question him on it...but he had just been 'sick' the last three days, and Dr. Kimura was his, ya know...healer. It made sense...

Plus, the temptation to try anything on her was...less a possibility, if Shuuichi thought anyone would overhear them. Seiko was very, very pretty in her own right...Shuuichi couldn't stop looking at her arms. Her wrists. Thin, pretty wrists...

Keep it together. Miss Nao was going to take care of you later. Hold out for her, stop imagining your dumb, long dick making the good doctor cry out...to gasp, at first in pain, and then pleasure...maybe get that mask off of her and see what she was hiding...

...Shuuichi put his hand over his face and felt the skin there burning again. The tuck against himself start to get more painful. Ugh...just stop thinking. Don't think about that. Think of Miss Nao. She was going to fix this. She was going to let you release, and you'd feel better, and maybe today you could convince her to let you touch her a little, to make use of your body a little...she was so good to him...she loved him so much...

...he really had to figure out this 'wife' thing at some point.

He was starting to suspect that was the main issue of why she wouldn't just say she loved him back.

So Shuuichi nodded. "Yeah, okay," he said, giving her another shaky smile. "Anything you need, Dr. Kimura. Just...lead the way."

Seiko watched his cheeks flush deeper and...well, there was the aroused blush. Even with all the other effects, just being turned on all the time was more than enough to drive anyone crazy.

...he needed to eat more. Especially with a sped up metabolism, his body urging him to be so active, heating up and provoking that arousal... She should make Shuuichi a meal plan too. Once he wouldn't starve himself on purpose or would gorge out on things that actually might give him real stomach problems.

Sighing, she nodded to her patient and turned to lead him to the medical wing. "Let's go..."

Again she kept her gaze to herself as she walked into the medical wing, ignoring the other healers moving about as she signed out a private room for them. Seiko knew that some of them were too young to have been there before...but her reputation wasn't a secret in the medical community.

Motioning for Shuuichi to sit down on the raised bed as she set her bag down, Seiko asked, "People won't overhear in here, so... In general, how are you feeling? I may be seeing you f-for a specific reason...but I am your primary healer for the time being. So I'd like to be able to catch anything else going on with you that isn't connected to your addiction, Shuuichi."

Shuuichi tensed, waiting to see if his vision would tunnel...but not this time, apparently. Man, his conditioning was shoddy during the best of times, but his inability to differentiate between authority figures and just, like, other people, was easily the worst part of it. Especially since Shuuichi himself didn't actually know what part of his mental hiccups made him see someone as an authority or not. If there was a pattern to it, he hadn't learned to recognize it yet. Sometimes everyone was his better, sometimes nobody was. It just...happened or it didn't.

So, taking a steadying breath, Shuuichi tried to think of what he should say.

"Um...physically I'm...um..." Shuuichi looked down at his hands, clenching and unclenching. "I don't...I'm not sure if there's anything that isn't somehow connected to the pollen right now. I'm not in any real, like...pain or anything. Nothing that can't be explained by other stuff, I mean." The pain in his groin was understandable, his hips still ached, his bruises and welts still stung, his chest was sore and still...swollen, he guessed was the right word... "Um, I don't have much of an appetite these days? I'm just not hungry...and...when I'm getting low on the pollen, I'm really tired...all the time..."

Seiko frowned in concern. Shuuichi's ability to catch or describe pain was incredibly compromised at the moment so none of that was helpful, but not having an appetite... "I-if you remember our conversation after I was first able to analyze the pollen, one of its effects is heightening your metabolic rate--which would explain how you heal faster than usual. However...that should be increasing your appetite, not suppressing it..."

...perhaps his body really was trying to starve itself. Which...was confusing, when she took into account his muscle growth and...slight weight gain. It was like...instead of providing nourishment, his body was immediately diverting all food into building his body up. A bigger, stronger machine with no fuel. ...for a bigger crash?

"When you feel tired...are you sleepy, or physically fatigued? Or both. And, before you started taking the pollen, what were your energy levels like, if you can describe them?" The pollen might be working like adrenaline, giving him superficial energy while his body was running on fumes...which, if he was constantly on the pollen, would just wear his body out even more...

Seiko was suddenly glad they'd caught Shuuichi when they had. The more she was able to study the pollen, the more dangerous she discovered its effects to be.

Shuuichi shrugged, though he had to be careful. If he told her too many negative things, she'd blame the 'addiction' and would maybe recommend Miss Nao gave him even less.. but if he didn't try to tell her some of his symptoms, he couldn't convince her that anything was wrong and that the actual, obvious right answer was to stop making him go through withdrawal already!

Fuck, what even was the honest answer? Um... "Before all this, I was prone to, like...melancholy. Like, I'd get sad and, like, really far away in my head sometimes, and it'd be kind of tough to feel motivated to do things...but that was all, you know, mental, not physical. Now? I don't know...I guess fatigued? Like, my body just wants to stop moving...and I feel really sore, just, kinda everywhere? Like, sore like a day after a light workout sore. Um...u-um...there are some things I should probably bring up with you," Shuuichi admitted.

It wasn't like this was new information to Shuuichi. The same thing had happened to his shoulder wound, and, while it had only come out in pieces, he had noticed...little clumps of it, sometimes, in the juice pushing out of his ass while he was healing, but...

Shuuichi sighed. He wiggled the fingers that Dr. Kimura herself had bandaged when he had bit through the skin in a panic, which he kept...worrying and opening back up with his teeth since then, enjoying the easy access to pain there and just rebandaging them himself when he was done. So the wounds hadn't really had a chance to close up since he was doing that almost any time he was alone for the last two days...but this morning, when he had found himself biting again and had noticed a...weirdly familiar taste...

When he had undone the bandages and seen that same, black and white speckled puss starting to grow on the wound, almost fungus-like in texture, and he had tasted a hint of that spoiled wine taste, Shuuichi had, of course, tried to eat it for a moment. Thinking maybe he had just had the luckiest break in the fucking world. But he hadn't gotten any sensation of the high he usually almost immediately got from ingesting the pollen, and instead all he had managed to do was clear one of his bitten fingers of the fungus, and the pink blood had immediately started dripping out, and was still bleeding slightly as he undid the bandage.

But the other two fingers? The wounds were covered in the fungus.

...looked like he really would benefit from the antidepressants. Hopefully the similar chemicals in the compound she'd made would help him feel better just in general, though she would definitely recommend he move onto proper antidepressants once he was clean.

She nodded a bit before perking and scrambling in her bag for a moment, taking out a notebook--her own, not Shuuichi's--and writing down his symptoms properly. If he was feeling sore and fatigued...then the adrenaline hypothesis was probably one worth pursuing in research. He was likely quite tired all the time, but the pollen was either blocking it from notice, or turning that into pleasure...which was maybe where his constant arousal was coming from? Hm.

Seiko blinked back up at Shuuichi, surprised he'd want to show her more symptoms... It would be too naive to hope that his brain was starting to fix itself, but...well, she did hope that a bit.

But that was put by the wayside as she peered down at his fingers, not shocked by the neon pink of his blood this time, but...

"What the..." Was he...growing fungus??? That wasn't something completely unheard of, of course, but... It looked to be working like a blood clot, scabbing up his cuts...so...it was from the pollen in his blood? If it was...it likely wouldn't do anything for Shuuichi to remove it, like she assumed he'd done with the finger that was still bleeding...and if he was still bleeding, then...was he not able to scab naturally anymore? Or, perhaps, maybe the fungus just grew faster than the wound was able to scab...

Seiko inspected his fingers carefully then took a small petri dish out of her bag. "Shuuichi, would it be alright if I took a sample? And I know you won't listen...but please leave your bites alone. We don't know how a different infection would interact with Despair Pollen, and that's not a test that should be performed on a person." She gave him a hard look there, still frustrated with him using himself as a test subject.

Shuuichi nodded, offering her his hand. Kind of hoping she'd touch his skin without the gloves...and maybe, like...dig into his wounds a bit...just a little bit...

Shuuichi bit his lip, hard, and felt that haze start to come over him again, whispering quietly, "Yeah, I mean...you can take any sample you like...you can have anything you want from me, Doctor..."

Looking up at her, at those pale eyes...that bouncy white hair...she looked weirdly like Kokichi, in some ways. Like if you took all his color saturation and turned it waaaaay down. And then made him taller...a little stronger...but not much so. Thin, pretty wrists...

"I...I really could make you feel good, I think..." Shuuichi murmured, feeling another rush of red spread across his cheeks...feeling heat start to bloom in his groin. "I-if you ever wanted to try me...I wouldn't tell anyone. You could play with me however you want. I won't say no to anything..."

Seiko took a small surgical knife and started cutting superficial bits of the fungus off of Shuuichi's fingers, trying to prevent him from bleeding, and...

...it had been going so well, too. Too much to ask for while he was still addicted, she supposed. Sighing, Seiko just focused on collecting proper samples before she sealed the dish and rebandaged Shuuichi's fingers, giving him a wholly unamused look.

"I'm saying no, Shuuichi. You are my patient, and I respect that relationship. And even if you weren't, I am not interested." With another sigh, she washed and sterilized the knife and changed out her gloves before looking around in her bag again. She was going to give him the anti-Despair compound, of course, but she really needed to make sure there was no chance of a placebo...or just him straight out refusing to take it. So Seiko rooted around for a moment, looking through all of the medicines she'd brought before taking out the compound.

With a tired look, she showed it to him. "I'm still working with the pollen, but...your appetite is something that's most concerning me at the moment besides that. This...This should help with that, and your energy. One a day with a meal, and i-if you remember, if you could write down how you feel, that would be a big help."

Another look, not giving him the bottle yet. "...can I trust you to take these?"

Shuuichi, pouting over being rejected again, wanted to say something spiteful. Wanted to call her a shit doctor who was playing games with Shuuichi's body anyway, so why not indulge in more fun ones?? Wanted to tell her that she totally failed Kokichi and deserved to have her reputation dragged through the mud. Wanted to tell her how badly he wanted to break her wrist...

...Miss Nao would be mad...and probably not in the fun way.

So, rolling his eyes, he muttered, "I'm not a child, I can follow basic instructions. Yes, Dr. Kimura, one a day with food, and I'm assuming still taking all those other pills you gave me. Got it...though, if you want me to write things down, could you ask Miss Nao to give me back my journal? It wasn't full. It feels weird to start a new one when my old one is only half filled..."

Seiko matched his petulant gaze. "You can follow basic instructions, but I don't know if you will. Considering you're ripping open your own body, I feel like the question is warranted, young man." Though, again, her annoyance wasn't entirely pointed at Shuuichi.

"She still has it?" she groaned, feeling like she actually was herding children, instead of a man in his twenties and a woman in her thirties. "I'll tell her to return your journal, like she should've already. I won't pretend that what the three of us are doing is above board...but Miss Umezaki and I agreed on this for the purpose of making sure that you won't be locked up. Really, just petty stealing now..."

Seiko ranted to herself a little before shaking her head, handing over the bottle of pills. "Again, if anything comes up, I'll be over as quickly as I can. As soon as I figure more things out," the fungus especially, "I'll be sure to let you know."

Her gaze softened at that. "...I still agreed to share my research with you, Shuuichi. Have a good day."

Shuuichi gave the doctor a confused look. While his brain was pretty much almost entirely made up, these days, of fear, sex, and a shit ton of occasional anger and malice...he was still raised as a detective, and it hadn't escaped his notice the...different ways the doctor and the librarian talked about the repercussions of Shuuichi's secret getting out. Miss Nao made an extremely compelling argument that Shuuichi would end up back in Luminary...very likely in a brothel...

...but Dr. Kimura? What did she mean by him getting locked up? Locked up where? In a cell before being shipped back to Luminary? Why would she focus on that part of it?

...hmm...

Deciding to theorize in his journal later (though, maybe that wasn't a safe thing for him to do anymore? If Miss Nao and Dr. Kimura felt entitled to read what he wrote now. Maybe he could write it in code? It was still his favorite way to really sit down and think, he'd hate to give it up) about the inconsistencies between his two 'benefactors', Shuuichi just nodded, recognizing a dismissal when he heard it.

Thanking the doctor for her time, wincing as he got off the bed and was able to take pressure off his tucked away junk, Shuuichi headed out of the med ward...and immediately headed for the library again.

Miss Nao. He needed Miss Nao. Being that close to Seiko, smelling her, pretty images of her pretty body still lingering in the back of his mind...he needed release. He wanted to be with Miss Nao.

...he wondered if Kokichi was still unable to move or...wondered if Shuuichi should volunteer to take up the afternoon shift watching him again. Encourage Kaito to head out into town, take a break, it's okay, Kaito, you can trust Kokichi with me...

Miss Nao. Had to get to her. Had to get her help. Fuck.

...was he going crazy?

Considering she had run into him outside the library, Seiko figured that he was headed back there, likely to find Miss Umezaki. She sighed again, packing up her things, figuring she could leave a note for the librarian to give Shuuichi his journal back, really not wanting to run into...whatever that would be.

She was...extremely glad that she didn't have to deal with everything Miss Umezaki did to Shuuichi. And yet, she had a hunch Shuuichi only accepted her help as much as he did because of the threats Miss Umezaki had made to him. For as much as she felt like the librarian was going overboard...it was so annoying, having to deal with necessary evils...

--

Despite her busy early morning, the rest of the morning had been pretty normal for Nao. Reshelving books that had been returned, helping a few people find what they were looking for, flipping through Shuuichi's journal...

It was truly fascinating, and kind of fun too, trying to decipher what his shorthand meant. The majority of the journal was notes on various members of what Nao assumed were people from the Luminary Party, so nothing exactly pertinent to everyday life, but... She still took notes of her own from it, finding ideas for characters start to bloom in her mind. Such mass delirium, the Luminary people were, truly.

Shuuichi got down to the library, and, quickly, looked down at himself, straightening his clothes, double checking on his pants. Did he look stupid? More stupid than he normally did, anyway? No leaks in the back of his pants? Good. You couldn't see his hard on? He didn't really need to look down to confirm that, feeling it pressed and swelling between his ass cheeks, but nope, no, no sign of it in his pants. Good.

Readjusting his cap, Shuuichi smiled, excited, touching the library door...

...and felt another shiver of fear run through him before opening it, hesitating.

He...he didn't have to go to her. He could...he could stop now. He could walk. Sure, she could still get into his room whenever she wanted, but...she wasn't his only source of possible release anymore. He couldn't touch Kokichi. He wouldn't touch Kaito or Maki, not like that, never like that...but there was a whole town full of people, outside this castle. That's what people did, right? When they were horny? They went out into the world and tried to find someone to hook up with?

He didn't...have to keep picking the person who...h-had hurt and s-scared him and stole from him and...and...

...but who else would treat him like this? Who else would hurt him, session after session, and say wonderful, terrible things to him, a-and be so casually cruel??

He hated it. He loved it.

He hated her...and he wanted to be around her all the time, all the time, wanted to be Miss Nao's whore, missed her whenever she wasn't around. Who else would hurt him like this?

...Itch and Tom had...literal orgies based around the pollen every weekend...

...well, it was Tuesday, sooooo, that wasn't a HUGE help right now, was it Shuuichi??

...but it was something to think about, later.

Luminary! Can't be sent back to Luminary! Don't forget, it's not just about how she makes you feel! You cannot be sent back! You'll be lost there! They'll send you places you can never get out of! You'll never see Kaito or Maki again!

Right. Right.

Shuuichi opened the library door, looking around urgently. His heart sped up with excitement when he saw her, though his stomach twisted nervously against itself. Looking around nervously, not seeing...a lot of people in the library, at least, Shuuichi bee-lined towards her.

"Um...h-hi, Miss Nao," Shuuichi said quietly.

Nao looked up from the journals, internally having quite a laugh at seeing Shuuichi head straight for her. At least he was still taking the whole 'don't get off without me approving it' thing seriously. He had the opportunity to find other people now that he wasn't on bedrest, and yet? He still came to her. It was probably a good idea to keep him from having sex with anyone for the time being, but...

There was that whole "love" thing. Ugh.

Smiling brightly up at Shuuichi from her desk, Nao gave him a little wave. "Ah, good morning, Shuuichi! I saw you in the dining hall earlier, but it's really great to see you up and about, dear. What can I do for you?"

"Oh," she laughed, "if you wanted to thank me or anything like that for watching you the other day, no need. I'm happy to help out, and considering our little new addition to the castle, Maki and Kaito really needed a sec to sort things out."

Her demeanor was very much as it usually was, though there was a certain sharpness in her gaze when she looked back at Shuuichi, daring him to come up with a good reason why she would need to get somewhere private with him. Not to mention why she should even bother to play along--she'd emptied him before she'd left his room in the morning, and it was still morning. Surely he was able to keep himself under control for more than a few hours~

Oh...Shuuichi had...not been prepared for this side of Miss Nao.

He looked at her, almost...openly distressed, until he couldn't look directly at her anymore, dipping his cap over his head and fidgeting with the brim, just letting the sound of her...bright, sunny, nice voice...

He felt the back of his eyes start to burn. Feeling ashamed of himself. Embarrassed. This was the version of her he had met originally. He could suddenly, vividly remember it. He had asked after her wounds, concerned. She helped run a haunted house. She had been helpful and nice to him. He had forgotten all that, and...and...

He felt his eyes fill with tears.

What was wrong with him??

"Uh...n-nevermind...I'm s-sorry to bother you..." Shuuichi murmured, his voice wavering, entirely unable to look at her, to see how far he had fallen in her eyes, from the person he had met that first day in the library, who had treated him nicely, who had been considerate.

Who had looked at him like a person.

His arousal couldn't fight against the genuine, honest despair that had just ripped through, and he said, guilt-ridden for coming into this room and ruining the one nice memory he had of Miss Nao with his disgusting, whorish presence, ready to beg her for sex again, fuck what a disgusting piece of shit "...I-I h-have to go..."

And he turned around, quickly walking back out of the library. Panicked and just needing to be away from this place.

The smile dropped from Nao's face, letting her actual concern take the wheel while her curiosity and suspicion lingered underneath. He'd looked desperate for sex, but, after that...there was that genuinely distressed look he got whenever she mentioned Luminary. However...what had she said that triggered him? She knew he could handle light teasing, so...

Nao stood from her desk, barely getting out a, "Shuuichi? Are you alright?" before he scuttled his way out of the library, and...she had to make a quick decision. Let him go, maybe mention to someone that he had seemed upset, perhaps get one of his friends to talk with him? Or go after him herself.

...which, if she wasn't the person helping him out with his changed responses and sexual release, she would've done in a heartbeat, genuinely concerned for the young man. But she couldn't be kind to him. Being kind now would just mess him up even more, would leave him vulnerable to abuse in the future.

...so she moved more slowly than she would've otherwise, only making it out of the library after Shuuichi would've had a chance to run quite away. And...it looked like luck was on her side today, at least a little, as she noticed a certain Mr. Hinata walking by in the hall.

Waving him down, Nao called out to the housekeeper. "Oh, Hajime! I'm sorry to ask, but Shuuichi just ran out of here in a bit of a hubbub. Considering he's been sick...I'm worried, but I'm still on shift. If you can, would you let Prince Kaito or Maki know?"

Hajime, who was currently just dusting and wiping down various hallways, looking up from his light polishing of a picture frame, glanced over curiously at the librarian. "Oh, hey Nao...uh...sure, I'll do that. Don't worry about it, I'll get the word out."

Huh...Shuuichi, huh? Hajime still wasn't sure what to make of what had happened two days ago. The more he thought back to it, the more concerned about it he felt. The guy’s room had been covered in cum, he had been terrified of his friends knowing about it and had started to cry...then, when Hajime had shooed Maki away from the room and started to clean up, Shuuichi had, very obviously, started to hit on the housekeeper, clearly aroused, and then gone quiet when Hajime had refused him.

Then, he had stayed in his room for another two days...with what definitely hadn't been a stomach bug. And the healer who looked over him had to have known that too. There was no way he had been visited by a physician and the fact that he couldn't walk because he had had what was extremely likely the handle of a magnifying glass and a children’s swim trophy shoved inside of him hadn't been noticed. So the healer had to have helped come up with Shuuichi's cover of a stomach bug...

...and now apparently he was sick again?

Or, well, Hajime supposed he didn't know what Nao meant by 'hubbub', but he had to assume she meant it looked like he was ill again. So...maybe something had happened again? Another incident like the one that Hajime had had to clean up? Whatever it was, it had alarmed Nao, a woman who was known for her resistance to finding things alarming, so...

...Hajime didn't really know what to do with all of this information. He had always had kind of a...bad habit of picking at things. Investigating into rumors and scandals that had nothing to do with him, just because...well, he couldn't help but notice things. Little, inconsequential things, usually, that painted a picture of the things going on around him that people...maybe wouldn't want him to know. Who was having affairs. Who was having problems at home. Who was STEALING THOSE MISSING TOWELS, SUSAN!

He'd catch that bitch someday. Hajime swore it.

But, yeah. It was a bad habit...but this wasn't, like, a bunch of small clues to people's personal lives. This was...well, fuck it, let's speak plainly. It looked like rape. People could get wild in the bedroom, of course, but when you left one of them unable to walk and terrified to tell anyone about it...fuck...

...Shuuichi, very clearly, hadn't wanted his friends to know what had happened in that room...and Hajime didn't want to be the one spreading secrets to them about him, when Shuuichi had been in literal tears at the idea. But if it wasn't a one-off event, and the guy was getting terrorized or something...

...what should he do? Should he do anything at all? Maybe he should just go find Maki and Prince Kaito and just tell them Shuuichi seemed ill again, like Nao had requested...or...

...should Hajime try talking to Shuuichi?

No, no, that was stupid, he didn't...he didn't know the guy and...

...should he tell the guards? Or the boss, even? That someone might be attacking one of the Luminary escorts? What if this wasn't just a one-off rape, which was bad enough. What if it was a consistent Luminary hate crime? Wasn't, that, like...potentially an international incident? Wouldn't the boss want to know?

...hnnnngggg...damn he deserved that raise...

...oh!

He'd tell Kokichi!

That was the answer. It wasn't as drastic as going to the boss with Hajime's concerns, but it was still better than keeping it to himself. Plus, Kokichi was, like...Hajime really only knew this second hand, and didn't really understand why the difference had been so important to the Luminary people, but wasn't Kokichi, like, basically the 'king' as far as Shuuichi and Maki were concerned? Like, something about how they couldn't have Boss be in their actual chain of command or something? So, out of everyone, Kokichi was kind of in charge of them. So it would be responsible to go to Kokichi about it. Kokichi would want to know if one of his Luminary/Dicea people was being attacked.

...alright. That's what he'd do. He'd go upstairs and tell Kaito that Shuuichi was feeling sick again and might need him. And then he'd report the things he'd been seeing to Kokichi, and let him decide what to do about it from there.

Yeah!

Hajime, feeling confident this was the right choice, headed upstairs.

And he did! He went and told Maki, who sighed, just finishing up her training. "Thanks, Hajime. I'll go check on him," Maki said, already moving inside.

And Hajime, who, ya know...was mostly preoccupied with the fact that his coworker was definitely stealing towels, so THAT was the mystery he was most invested in right now, went to go clean more picture frames, not worrying about Shuuichi at all!

Nao gave the housekeeper a grateful smile. "Thanks, Hajime. He looked pretty upset, but I can't leave the library--I'm sure his friends will appreciate it." There. He'd still...er, probably, get the comfort he needed for whatever that had been, and Nao wouldn't be adding another thing for him to talk about in therapy one day.

She went back to her desk, smiling placatingly at a few patrons who had looked over at the commotion, and went back to work. On personal work, but still work.

When Maki found Shuuichi, eventually, he had, for lack of anywhere else to go, gone back to his room and had sobbed for a while in his bed. When he had heard the knock on the door, he had felt half-hopeful that maybe Miss Nao had decided to follow him up here...that maybe she was going to hold him for awhile and talk in her normal voice and not that...bright, happy voice she had downstairs, talk to Shuuichi like he was supposed to be talked to, and not...not say things to him that reminded himself of when things had been better...when he hadn't been like this...

He had been...extremely disappointed to hear Maki call to him through the door.

He had thought about ignoring her, but he couldn't bring himself to follow through as she kept knocking against the door, and he went and answered, eyes red and puffy from crying. Maki had, as soon as he opened the door, at first looked around to see if there was any actual danger around, if his tears were more than just him being emotional...and when she sensed no danger, she walked in, closed the door behind her, and just hugged him.

And in her arms, Shuuichi broke down even harder. Just sobbing into her shoulder, barely able to breathe for his grief over...everything. His lost sense of self, his new, fucked up standards, for a real, honest love that sat in his gut and made him wish every passing second that this was Miss Nao instead.

He cried in her arms for a while, and when he calmed down a little, she asked if she wanted to talk about it...and quietly, he whispered, "...no."

"Are you sure?" Maki asked, surprised. After a break down like that? Shuuichi wasn't much of a sharer, but he wasn't an iron wall either. If he needed to talk, he usually would, with some prodding...unless...

...unless Maki was the reason Shuuichi was having a breakdown right now.

Maki closed her eyes, remembering the terror on his face when she had attacked. When she had slammed the curve of her blade into his shoulder, knocking him down, pinning him...how she had already been planning on disabling him, making it impossible for him to run from her, fulfil the mission, fulfil the mission...

And she opened them, staring at Shuuichi, who at least didn't seem afraid of her now, lying against her shoulder, trembling, clearly exhausted from his crying. But...he didn't have to be afraid of her to still be haunted by that memory. And...Maki, of all people, shouldn't be the one to try to force him to confide in her about it.

...sigh...what to do. Shuuichi was a shivering, sobbing mess, coming down from a panic attack. Maki had promised Timothy she'd take him into town today to get him stuff for the dog...she could tell him that it could wait, but she had just spent all morning getting the kid to open up to her, and telling him that she didn't have time for him immediately after was...not a good thing for his mental well being, she suspected. But Shuuichi though...it probably wasn't a good idea to leave him alone right now. He needed someone to watch him...just in case.

...hmmmm...

...oh!

"Shuuichi...I know you're tired. But I was going to go into town today, and...Kaito needs to go too. For...for the healer for our trip," Maki said, thinking quickly. Needing a good excuse why Shuuichi couldn't just hide in his room for the rest of the night, sad and breaking down on his own. "Do you think you could be up to watching Kokichi this afternoon? He's doing a lot better, but it's still good to have someone keep an eye on him..."

And, once Maki told Kokichi, the Dicean Prince could keep an eye on Shuuichi too....

Shuuichi looked over at her, just...exhausted and...still fucking horny and unbearably sad...but...well. "I-if you need me to...yeah, of course Maki," Shuuichi said quietly, shrugging sadly, "I...of course. I can do it."

Maki had hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Shuuichi. Take a nap before your shift starts, okay? And don't forget your medicine. If you pull a Kaito on me, I'll kill you," Maki said playfully...mostly.

Shuuichi sighed, nodded, and watched Maki leave.

Pills, a nap, then watch Kokichi. And then...f-fuck he'd...he'd need to cum today. He'd have to...

...he'd...he'd try Miss Nao again later. Maybe he could...just approach her when nobody was around her, from now on, so she wouldn't have to...to talk to him like that...like a person...

It would be too hard. Listening to her talk to him like that, going somewhere alone, and hearing her voice and demeanor change. It made him feel too low. Too dirty. He'd...he'd just be more careful.

Sighing. Shuuichi went to go take his medicine...wait, wasn't he supposed to take the new stuff with a meal?

...whatever. He'd eat later. It'd be fine.

After the bath, where Kokichi had managed to get Kaito to agree to wash a little more than just his back, Kokichi had indeed taken a nap as soon as Kaito deposited him back in bed. He'd been tired out from their activities as well as needing to sleep off the big meal he'd had.

And his sleep had been pretty peaceful. No weird dreams, no shifting into uncomfortable positions that would make him ache when he woke up. Though, he'd wanted to get back into his candy stash when he woke up which was...weird, after having a big breakfast, but...huh. Maybe he'd had a dream after all that had provoked his sweet tooth.

But things were...well, not exactly less peaceful, but not as comfortable after that. Kokichi had wanted to talk with Shuuichi anyway, but hearing that he...to say the least, hadn't been doing well in a non-sick way just made him want to spend time with the detective even more.

Finally, it was time.

"Have fun in town," Kokichi wished to Kaito and Maki before giving Kaito a light, teasing look. "And remember to bring money to pay Miss Andou back, alright? Her store's right by the pharmacy anyway..."

"I've got it, I've got it," Kaito said, leaning over to kiss Kokichi on the forehead, taking the time to ask while he was down there, quietly, "You...sure you don't want me to stay? We can look after him together, now that he's in here. I'll be there and back either way, no more than two hours, at most, but..."

Shuuichi, who couldn't hear Kaito, was staring blankly out the window, sitting on the window seat, watching the distant mountains with wide...fascinated eyes.

"I'm sending Hajime up with dinner early. Kokichi, drink your tea, Shuuichi, eat something. Got it?" Maki said to both of them, while Timothy waited patiently out of the door for her, holding his puppy in his arms. "Kaito, you ready?"

"We'll be fine, it's only for a couple hours and there are people around if anything happens. Go talk to Dr. Kimura, then we can all hang out, okay?" Kokichi felt a bit bad that they were talking around Shuuichi, but it would probably embarrass him if he knew that Maki had told them about his breakdown. If he wanted to talk, Kokichi was there, and if not? Then he wouldn't bring it up, and they could just have an easy-going afternoon together.

Kokichi turned at Maki's instructions, giggling a little and sending her a fake salute. "Yes, ma'am! We'll be soooo properly satiated that we won't be able to even accept anything you shove at us when you come back. Right, Shuu-chan?"

Shuuichi blinked in confusion, glancing over at Kokichi, who was wearing such a bright, sunny face...another bright, sunny face...

And the detective smiled back. "Yeah!" he said, mirroring the expression, "Sure!"

He wondered, for a moment, what he was agreeing to...but, eh. It was probably fine either way.

Kaito and Maki both gave that smile, which had looked...just like Kokichi's, a long, concerned look...and now it was Maki's turn to lean into Kaito and say, "Okay, maybe we shou-"

"No, no, it's fine. I'll be back in two hours, Hajime will be up in, like, twenty, thirty minutes to check on them, it's fine," Kaito whispered back. Then he gave Shuuichi a little wave...who mirrored the expression back at him, before turning to look out the window again. Okay...sure.

"I'll be back with more treats. More substantial stuff, not the melt in your mouth stuff," Kaito promised Kokichi, before turning to Maki, a wide grin plastered onto his face to mask his own concern. "Okay! Let's go!"

And the two joined Tim outside and left.

...was that what he looked like? At least the expression. As a liar himself, Kokichi could easily spot someone else doing one of the most basic tactics and... geez. Kokichi watched the detective turn back to the window, only allowing his own concerned look to form then. Shuuichi...really wasn't okay at all.

Turning back to Kaito, Kokichi offered him a soft smile, actually excited for more treats though he hadn't finished the first bag, let alone the candy he'd gotten for himself. Considering how much he'd been wanting candy lately, it really seemed like a possibility that he could eat all of it before it went bad but...it was still a lot.

After Kaito and Maki left, Kokichi waited a beat before trying to talk to Shuuichi again. "This isn't what Maki-chan would consider food, but if it won't ruin your appetite, I still have some of that taffy in the drawer in my desk. Yanno, if you want some."

Shuuichi had asked to try it before, and had seemed to like it... He knew that most people weren't as enthused by sweets as he was, but sometimes it was a nice thing to have a piece of candy and be surrounded by comforts to start feeling a little better.

Shuuichi realized he was being talked to a beat too late, looking curiously at Kokichi. He just managed to catch, "...taffy in the drawer in my desk. Yanno, if you want some," and, okay, Kokichi was probably offering him taffy. Cool! Taffy, nice! But...

Where had...Maki and Kaito gone?

Looking around the room, slightly befuddled (they...had been there, right?) Shuuichi looked over at Kokichi to ask him where they had left...before remembering, right! Taffy. What about taffy again?

...Uh...did Kokichi want some taffy? Was that it?

Shuuichi looked at the small, inviting smile on Kokichi's face, and trying to keep up with whatever they were talking about, mirrored it in return. "Okay, sure. Just give me one minute."

Where had he said the taffy was? ...in the...Shuuichi looked around the room. He'd know it when he saw it, he'd know it when he saw it...the desk! That's where it was!

Feeling incredibly proud of himself, Shuuichi went to the desk, opening it up. Hmmm... not that drawer. Maybe...there was a bag in this one. What was he...what was he looking for...opening up the bag, more out of curiosity than anything, he was surprised to find it was full of candy, and...right! Taffy! Right? Had it been taffy? Shuuichi was...almost positive it was taffy...

...probably best to bring the whole bag.

So, grabbing the bag, Shuuichi went to Kokichi's bed and, without thinking about it too much, crawled on to it, sitting on top of the covers and holding out the bag to Kokichi, a small, proud smile on his face.

"..."

Kokichi watched Shuuichi move around curiously, noting that the detective seemed...distracted? Like he wasn't totally sure what he was doing. Which...yeah, if he was upset to the point of a breakdown, he'd probably be distracted, but...Kokichi had seen Shuuichi walk up stairs without even a hint of trouble while being fully invested in writing in his journal. Maybe this was just a different circumstance...but...

Kokichi blinked as Shuuichi brought over the whole bag that he kept all his candy in before he gave his friend a confused smile. "Uh...thanks? You can have something other than taffy if you wanted--anything that catches your eye, feel free! I know I'm a bit of a pig, but, especially if Kai-chan's buying me more, I like sharing sweets."

And...well, while the bag was there, Kokichi picked out one of the melty candies that Kaito had gotten him before. If it was within arm's reach, he may as well indulge his cravings a little.

Savoring the sugar melting on his tongue, Kokichi tilted his head to the side. He hadn't planned on saying anything, but that was before Shuuichi was acting like...this. "...are you alright, Shuu-chan? Seems like something's on your mind, though feel free to ignore me if I'm totally off base."

He giggled a little before sobering, his smile turning a little sad as he decided to give Shuuichi an out if he wanted one. "If you're still feeling a little off...I can understand just wanting to get back in the swing of things. It can be...really frustrating, stuck in bed for days."

Oh! He could have some! That was nice!

Shuuichi mirrored Kokichi's slightly confused look, watching the prince reach into the bag for some candy, watching to see what he picked before, deciding that was probably what they were doing, reaching in and grabbing the same kind of candy. Also...hadn't they been saying something about taffy? Shuuichi was sure it had come up. So...with slightly less certainty, he grabbed a random taffy as well.

Openly watching Kokichi, Shuuichi ate the melty candy first, mimicking how pleased his friend (friend? ha!) looked eating his, before moving onto the taffy. Because Kokichi wasn't eating the taffy, Shuuichi had to think a little about how to react to the taffy, sucking at the end of it...which made him think of sucking at Miss Nao's fingers...which made him blush cheerfully, giggling partly because he heard Kokichi giggle, and partly out of his own happiness (was this?).

Shuuichi listened to Kokichi's question, though he was...a little distracted by the taffy. It was good! It was, what...lime? Maybe? It was green, anyway. Maybe a really sweet lime flavor. Shuuichi wasn't sure. He was enjoying sucking on it. He didn't really want to eat it. He felt full. When was the last time he had eaten? Breakfast! He had eaten some eggs. That was probably enough for the day.

What was Kokichi saying?

Shuuichi caught bits and pieces of what Kokichi had said, but was fairly certain he had gotten the gist of it. And, without thinking about it, or anything, really, too much, he mimicked Kokichi's giggle, and, "...I didn't mind bed rest. I had good company," Shuuichi said, looking over at Kokichi...and then, blushing bright red, he leaned in towards the prince, whispering quietly, "Don't tell anyone. I'm in love."

...it wasn't just his expressions. Shuuichi was mimicking everything he did...almost. He did take a piece of taffy but...wasn't chewing it. And, sure, there was something to just enjoying the flavor, but...

...he didn't think he'd ever heard Shuuichi giggle before. Laugh, yes, but giggling?

...was Shuuichi high? He was certainly acting like it, mimicking other people's actions and reactions, trying to seem normal, not seeming to process much... But, after recovering from a stomach bug, why would he get high? ...maybe his stomach was hurting still, so...he had something to soothe it? Maybe...

Kokichi's inquisitive expression softened at the mention of 'good company' knowing that he'd certainly appreciated Maki and Kaito looking after him, but--

Purple eyes went wide in shock and surprise. Now almost mimicking Shuuichi, Kokichi leaned in as well, his lips ticking up into an excited smile as he whispered back. "Seriously? Who??"

Kokichi's excitement was infectious, and Shuuichi's hands trembled as he held them to his chest, his own excited smile widening. "Oooooh...I can't saaaay." he said with a laugh. He shouldn't have said it at all, but the thought had occurred to him, and...he hadn't been able to think of a reason not to say it fast enough...

And besides! Saying it made him feel good! Everything was sort of feeling good right now, if a little...muted. Like he was feeling things, but they were...underwater? His emotions were under water! And Shuuichi was moving...realllly slowly in that water. Everything was slow and muted...but the things he could feel felt good! Like excitement! And, like, nice, moment to moment stuff, like finding the view of the mountains being very pretty, and taffy tasting good, and...and he was in love! And that felt great! His excitement for that almost enough to get over the water.

"She wouldn't like me saying it," Shuuichi explained, just holding the taffy in his hands now. Having more or less forgotten about it. "I'm really excited though! I'm gonna go see her today when I'm done watching you. I...I was dumb when I saw her last..." Shuuichi explained, his eyes starting to burn. Tears quickly forming, almost with no resistance or prompting at all. "Got emotional."

...somehow he couldn't see it being Maki. They'd known each other their whole lives, so if anything was going to happen...it probably would've before now, right? And...Maki had called Shuuichi her brother. Even if it was just a sense of kinship from being from the same orphanage and they didn't have familial feelings for each other...but he got the feeling that it was like that.

So...a Dicean, then. Which was...honestly pretty great? That Shuuichi was able to bond with someone on that level, even if she (she. A clue!) didn't want to go public yet. Which...like, Kokichi wouldn't tell, but it was probably a good idea...just in case.

Kokichi sighed exaggeratedly, wanting to get all excited with and for his friend, but he jumped a little at the sight of Shuuichi's tears. Which, if he was high, made sense...oh no. Was he already high the last time he saw his love?

Slowly, trying not to startle Shuuichi, Kokichi put a gentle hand on his shoulder, rubbing it softly. "Hey... I'm sure you'll work it out. That's what love is about! Though..." he chuckled lightly, "maybe take a nap or something before you go see her? Drink and eat something. Don't wanna keep 'being dumb', yanno?"

Shuuichi sighed, lying down on Kokichi's bed with a heavy 'f-whump', just already one hundred percent done as he whined. "Everyone wants me to eat something today..." he muttered, entirely annoyed with the idea. "Seiko wanted me to eat too. Said I had to with the medicine. I'm not a child, Kokichi."

The look on Shuuichi's face darkened a little. "I can take medicine. She doesn't need to say stuff like that. She makes me feel stupid. Like it was all so obvious!"

Shuuichi glanced up at Kokichi, waiting to see if he was going to agree with her, before adding in hotly, "I'm not stupid. I wasn't wrong." Shuuichi insisted that, face twisting, brow furrowed as he curled up next to Kokichi into a ball, complaining, "I was right about everything I had guessed! It's not my fault there was a bunch of extra stuff with it! Look, look, feel my arm!"

The detective got up, taking off his black jacket and tossing it aside, and rolling up his white sleeve button up sleeve beneath it, flexing his arm, a surprising amount of bicep muscle in the flex. "Look at that! How can you argue with that?"

"Dr. Kimura was by today...?" Kokichi mumbled mostly to himself. He...supposed there was no reason for her to just go see him if she found Shuuichi elsewhere. He wasn't her patient, or her friend. He hadn't been able to say more than a few quiet words to her after years of no contact! God...she was probably so uncomfortable coming back to the castle, after what had happened because of him...

He didn't have much of a chance to ruminate on any of that though, not in the face of Shuuichi's ire. His...very confusing ire. Kokichi couldn't see what was so insulting about a doctor telling you how certain medicines could be taken--that's just what doctors did--but...there was more that had happened than what Shuuichi was ranting about. Clearly.

Kokichi looked at Shuuichi's bicep and, accommodatingly, squeezed it softly, but... "I mean...you are strong? Shuu-chan carried me all the way downstairs just on his shoulder--that's impressive! Kai-chan said you're not bad at physical stuff too."

His head tilted to the side. "Shuu-chan...I don't really get what you're talking about? But as far as I've learned in the past month, you're not stupid in the slightest. And you shouldn't be treated like a child. But doctors sometimes have to tell you things you already know, just on the chance you don't. It's their job. If..."

...he didn't want to get Dr. Kimura dismissed from another patient. But...if Shuuichi was uncomfortable with her care...

"...You can go to a different healer if you want? Just because you asked for her before doesn't mean you can't see anyone else."

Shuuichi sighed. Already bored of this conversation. Bored and horny...though...not that horny, honestly. Instead of a constant, pressing need, like it had been the last few days, his desire to fuck someone was...more of a background noise. Just something he'd quite like to do. He'd like to do it a lot...but he didn't need to do it.

So...that was nice.

"I wanna keep seeing Seiko," Shuuichi said simply, before covering his face with his hands and, saying just as sincerely, "And I wanna take a nap. Man, I'm tired. Is Kaito coming back soon? I wanna take another nap with Kaito..."

And almost as soon as he said it, he felt, just...a wave of exhaustion. Fuck he was tired...he was really, really tired. He was...supposed to stay up for something, right? He was doing something right now, wasn't he? What was he doing?

Shuuichi looked over at Kokichi, trying to get a clue what he was meant to be doing right now, mimicking the look he saw on Kokichi's face because, well, maybe that's how Shuuichi was meant to be feeling right now too...but his expression broke as he yawned. "I think I need to sleep," he murmured to Kokichi.

...he was to the damn moon.

Kokichi sighed softly and moved the bag of candy, picking up the taffy that Shuuichi had dropped and set it all aside. Hajime would be stopping by in not too long, and he was feeling strong enough to eat by himself so...Shuuichi could rest. It was probably the best thing he could do--he could eat later.

"Kai-chan said he'd be back in an hour or two, but you can still sleep here if you want. Maki-chan took a nap by me the other day too." He offered a smile to Shuuichi and patted the bed though he was already on it. "Maybe we'll all just decide to sleep together tonight--the bed is definitely big enough."

"Rest up, Shuu-chan." Kokichi reached over and offered the detective a pillow to hold, the least he could do for hospitality as he wasn't strong enough to lift the covers up from under Shuuichi to tuck him in. "We'll be here for ya when you wake up."

He couldn't sleep there tonight. He had something to do tonight. What was it again? ...the pillow was nice...the bed was nice too...

Shuuichi sighed and closed his eyes.

-

Kaito had broken off with Maki before they got to the street with the candy store, both of them deciding without saying anything about it to each other that bringing Timothy next to a candy store and not letting him go in would be cruel...so better to not let him anywhere near it.

Deciding it would be better to go pay off his bill after the trip to Dr. Kimura, so that he wouldn't have to air out the pastries he was planning to get longer than he would already have to, Kaito headed to the pharmacy. Walking in, he saw one woman, looking over vitamin packets to the left of the entrance, but beyond that...ah, there she was! Behind the counter.

"Dr. Kimura! Good afternoon! It's me, Kaito!" Kaito said helpfully, adding in as an afterthought, as if she might not recognize him, "Prince Momota?"

Seiko stood up as soon as she saw Prince Kaito come into her pharmacy, immediately assuming the worst. Shuuichi had gone on a rampage, had started spewing from every orifice, had died--

But the prince didn't...seem all that urgent, so...Seiko just stood behind her counter, wringing her hands a bit as she nodded to him. "P-prince Kaito, hello... Um, welcome!"

She glanced to her other customer, and... She didn't want to air patients' information. Even just asking after Shuuichi was a little too...personal for just anyone to hear. So, instead she just asked, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Ha! Okay!

...Doooooon't fuck this up Kaito! Kokichi really liked this woman, when she was his doctor! You've already told the king she's coming! Do not...do nooooot fuck this conversation up!

"Thank you! This is a-" Kaito paused, hearing the sound of the front door open and close, the woman who had been shopping for vitamins leaving without buying anything. Uh...probably just a coincidence! And had nothing at all to do with the foreign enemy prince announcing his presence. Yep! Plastering his grin wider on his face, clapping his hands together, he continued on, "-lovely pharmacy you have here, Dr. Kimura! Very clean and organized! Obviously a testament to the woman who runs it!"

Getting up to the counter, Kaito gave the doctor a friendly wink as he continued on, speaking in his 'Luminary Prince of the Stars' voice, "If you'll allow, I've actually come to see you specifically! I have heard amazing things about you, both through my husband, Prince Kokichi's, recollections of you from your time as his healer in childhood, and of course the recent invaluable service you gave to my friend and escort, Shuuichi Saihara. Seriously, by all accounts, you are, just, incredible at what you do! Truly phenomenal!" Kaito praised, loud and cheerful and brimming with confidence in the assessment. "So, I wanted to ask you about a...very serious matter, actually. I wanna offer you a job, temporary, but one of great importance! I'd go so far as to say it's a task of not only national importance, but, international importance too!"

This was, technically, true. If Kokichi died on this trip (ha ha, of course he wasn't going to, everything was going to be fine! But, well...that was why they were bringing a healer. To make sure of that!), Kaito, especially considering the stories of Kokichi's childhood, had no doubt that even if legally, he was next in line for the Dicean throne (and...he wasn't actually sure if he was? If Kokichi died, wouldn't the king be expected to choose a new heir himself? If Kaito understood right? It wouldn't just automatically go to Kaito, right?), the Dicean people wouldn't accept that, and there was no way he'd eventually become king, or leader, or boss, or whatever you want to call it.

And...Kaito didn't doubt that, without Kokichi, his place here was less...secure. And if he was ousted from Dicea, well, that was all the excuse--uh...all the entirely reasonable motivation his father might need to restart conflicts between the two kingdoms...

And that was just the worst case scenario. Lesser worst case but still entirely unacceptable scenario? Something happens, Kokichi gets hurt, and King Aiichi decides to never let him leave the castle again.

So. Yeah. This trip going without a hitch was important.

Kaito chuckled, all of these thoughts praying on the back of his mind as he continued, "...are you...doing anything in particular next week? Like...all of next week?"

Especially compared to how he'd spoken to her before, Seiko was overwhelmed by the...performance and gravitas of how Prince Kaito was speaking to her now. She was abruptly reminded of all the times Ruruka had called her special and amazing in their youths...but that wasn't fair to the prince. She could at least hear him out.

And... Seiko blinked in a bit of surprise, hearing... Prince Kokichi had praised her? When she had spoken to the princes after Shuuichi's first check-up, Kokichi had barely been able to look her in the eye. ...had barely been able to sit up in bed either, from the significant heart attack he'd just had, she'd heard. Had...Prince Kokichi really regarded their short time together positively?

On the other hand, Shuuichi's recommendation was...less sincere. He was just keeping his secret, and part of that was not being taken to a healer that didn't already know about Despair Pollen...and, likely, if Shuuichi acted anything like he did with her...would send him to a hospital, which would lead to heavy therapy that...likely would take him away from his friends for...a long time. And that was the best-case scenario. If a professional decided he was a danger to himself and others, then it wouldn't be unreasonable to have him committed to an asylum, and...without taking care of the root cause, the pollen, he...likely wouldn't ever get out.

So, yeah. It was more just reluctant cooperation in Shuuichi's case.

But...a job?

Seiko looked around her--now empty--store and wrung her hands a little more. "I-I mean... I'm the only one wh-who runs the pharmacy...but if there was something I needed to leave for...I could close it? What... What sort of job are you asking me for, exactly?"

Hell yeah! No, like, family events or weddings to attend or pets that couldn't be left on short notice, or really, any of the other multiples of personal life stuff that Kaito had been half expecting her to lead with. Perfect! Solid start!

Kaito gave her a wide, optimistic grin at her response. "Okay! So, the job itself is important-!" he started, before his brow furrowed, and he attempted his best version of serious, closing his fist and slamming it against his open palm to show the seriousness of his request....and immediately biting his tongue because, ow, ow, ow, right, the cast, fuck, okay, don't do that again.

Soooome of the wind being taken out of his sails from accidentally hurting himself literally just pitching a job to someone, Kaito continued on with a small wince. "-...but it's also really simple. It just needs someone that Prince Kokichi and King Aiichi can trust to do it. Prince Kokichi, along with myself, my escorts, a child and...very likely a small dog, will all be making a trip to the coast starting next week, with the intentions of being back, if not exactly a week later, then before the front line fighters return. Now, I don't think I need to explain to you why that's....kind of a big deal," Kaito said, some of that heated energy from before edging away as he gave the doctor a...somewhat sad smile.

"This is huge for Kokichi. And you know how the king is. Anything goes wrong...anything at all, and this might be the last trip me and him ever take. Not only that, but...s-some of us have...well, you know. On top of needing a healer for Kokichi's normal, run of the mill medical concerns, there's always the possibility our traveling group will come across someone who...takes offense. To us being there. There could be injuries outside of Prince Kokichi, is what I'm saying, and that would just make it worse for him, because of the stress heart attack things, which he hasn't even fully recovered from yet! ...um...look, all that to say it's really, really important to have a healer with us who's capable of handling all that. It's an important job. And...Kokichi would really appreciate knowing it was you watching out for us," Kaito said, giving her a genuinely earnest grin. "I...if this is too short notice, or, if it's a matter of money, I can assure you, I will accommodate any issues, I'll find the resources needed to compensate you for your time and effort. You have my word as both a Prince of Luminary and Prince-Consort of Dicea."

Seiko winced in empathy as Prince Kaito jarred his cast arm but her eyes widened as Kaito eventually got his way to explaining the job itself. She'd been thrilled to hear that Aiichi had finally let Kokichi out of the castle, but the boss was letting his son out of the city?! Her wringing turned into just clasped hands brought over her heart.

She...she couldn't even imagine how thrilled the prince must be. A vacation to the coast... A perfectly reasonable vacation for a twenty-year-old to make with some friends, though bringing a child along too? In that case...it was probably responsible to ask a healer to join. Not just for their skills, but just to have a...more experienced adult around. All of Prince Kaito's concerns were pertinent and valid and...

Seiko gave Kaito a kind smile. "I would be honored t-to supervise your trip, Prince Kaito. Considering, knowing Aiichi, this is a request from him as well, the matter of payment will be settled through him. Despite how much of a fool that man is, he's always been very fair to his people," she sighed with a bit of a huff. She wouldn't have to worry about lost revenue, she was confident in that--she knew Aiichi valued having a pharmacy like hers so close by in town.

"Is the plan to leave at th-the start of next week?" Seiko asked, already thinking of everything she'd need to pack. The components of Kokichi's medicine, various ingredients to keep working on the anti-

Shuuichi

Shuuichi was going on the trip so...it was even more important for Seiko to be there to supervise. She would not take over...er, Miss Umezaki's duties, but she could be there for Shuuichi in other ways.

She really needed to get on analyzing that fungus.

Wow! That had...gone better than expected! She seemed thrilled! Kaito had been working on a bunch of other positives to give her in his head, and found himself stumbling now, trying to readjust now that it looked like she wouldn't need any more convincing.

Kaito grinned wide, eyes lit up in excitement as he said, bouncing on his toes a little, "Really?! Perfect! Seriously, that...that's fantastic news! I know, I know this is such short notice, so thank you for, uh, r-right! So, yes, we're planning to leave first thing Monday morning, and be back no later than Sunday afternoon that same week. That'll give everyone a good chance to rest and set up for the return of the fighters, and...well, yeah. Wow! Perfect! Kokichi's gonna be thrilled!"

Kaito gave the woman a somewhat awkward smile, rubbing the back of his neck as he thought about saying...well, "Look, I know you only worked with 'Kichi for a little bit in his childhood, so maybe it's...unusual? That you made such an impression on him, but...it's not entirely his experience with you as a child that he trusts you so much. We both had the opportunity to read his medical records together not that long ago, and...he really appreciated reading that you went to bat for him, when he was a kid. And while I don't...entirely understand the situation?" Kaito admitted, dropping his hand, "...I've gotten the impression that your attempts to defend Kokichi's abilities as a child got you into some...trouble?"

It was worded as a statement, but there was clearly a question in it. Kaito really didn't understand why Kokichi got so flustered around the woman, or why he looked so sad when talking about her, but...well, he wanted to understand better, without stressing his husband out asking him, so...

Seeing the prince's excitement, Seiko laughed softly. She had her own reasons for wanting to go with the group, but...it was nice to be able to help these people out. To be a part of Prince Kokichi finally being able to go out into the world. While, yes, there would be people less than thrilled to see Luminous people around, she suspected there would be many more elated to meet their heir apparent in person. Once they realized who he was.

Though, her good cheer dampened as Kaito explained more of what had actually made the princes choose her. Sighing softly, Seiko dropped her hands to her sides. "Trouble is...not exactly correct."

"You know how Aiichi is. After losing his wife and nearly losing his child...he's a clear example of how dangerous overprotection can be." She shook her head a bit, understanding but still annoyed with the leader. "He decided that sacrificing Kokichi's development was an acceptable cost in return for keeping his body safe. That's a parent's call. I wasn't... I refused to let the point go."

Seiko's gaze went far away, remembering those far past days. "My guess is Aiichi figured that if there was someone around encouraging Kokichi to explore and test his limits then he'd only grow even more frustrated with everyone else telling him no. So I was dismissed as Kokichi's healer."

"Which... It's not my place to say for patient confidentiality, but it's not esteemed company," she grumbled, angry at those quacks for hurting a patient, not even for her own reputation but for her pride as a healer. "No sanctions were placed on me, but...public opinion is another matter..."

Other healers?

Well, Kaito supposed he had known about that. There had been a whole laundry's list of names in Kokichi's medical jacket. If Dr. Kimura was one of the ones among an apparent list of dismissals, Kaito found himself wondering what else you had to do to be dismissed. She certainly didn't sound...enthused about them.

While this all troubled Kaito a little bit, his grin came back full force, giving her a wink and a thumbs up as he said with utmost certainty, "Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore! You're officially his healer again! Not only that, but his, like...emergency escort healer at that! You're an escort! One of my sidekicks!" Kaito realized something, his eyes widening as he realized it, giving the healer a new look of determination and excitement, it being a long time since he had added anyone to his list of sidekicks as he told her, "Congratulations, Dr. Kimura! From now on, as one of my sidekicks, you have my official backing in everything you do! I pick my sidekicks with care; they're always already amazing at what they do, like you are! But with my influence and support, everyone else is going to get to know it too! We're gonna tell the whole world how amazing Dr. Seiko Kimura is as a healer!"

Kaito balled his hands into fists, giving her a sharp...slightly murderous grin, the violent heat of traditional Luminary confidence now radiating off of him as he said, entirely sincere, "And, as one of my sidekicks, that means if anyone wants to mess with you, they gotta get through me first! Anyone wants to tell you that you're a bad healer because King Aiichi doesn't know genius when he sees it, don't you worry. I'll set them straight! You're never in this alone anymore! From now on, Prince Kaito Ouma Momota, Luminary Prince of the Stars and the Dicea Prince-Consort Cactus has your back!"

Kaito laughed, putting his hands heroically on his hips, feeling more 'himself' in this moment than he had felt since the concussion, excited to be offering his esteemed services to a new, worthy person. Exciting! He couldn't wait to watch her grow!

"What do you think of that second name? Dicea Prince-Consort Cactus?" Kaito asked his new, and first, Dicean sidekick. "Me and your esteemed co-sidekicks all thought that, like, we'd embody this sense of being Cactus's in Dicea's, like, flourishing gardens, and I don't know, I'm trying to incorporate it. It's still a work in progress, but I think there's something there," Kaito said, with a friendly laugh.

She...was Kokichi's healer again... The realization sunk in slowly, not having fully processed that that was something she was also agreeing to in agreeing to come on the trip. If she was Kokichi's healer again, then...she could get back to work. She could improve the medicine she'd made, could give him check-ups, could maybe figure out a way to help his underlying condition and not just treat his symptoms... Seiko's eyes lit up in the wake of her second chance, though--

"E-eh?!" Seiko jumped at Kaito's booming declaration, just baffled at...being a...sidekick??? It was maybe...shameful that her first thought at the prince's support was, 'Ruruka would've been thrilled.'

But that, too, was a long time ago. Her once friend had shown her true colors and...and Seiko wouldn't allow anyone to take advantage of her again. ...even if Shuuichi had but...that was different. And...what Kaito was saying seemed...more beneficial to her than him anyway.

Laughing awkwardly, Seiko waved her hands placatingly, feeling a bit alarmed at that smile. "N-no one does stuff like that, please don't go after anyone, Prince Kaito... The, uh, name is...nice?" She sighed a bit, pulling herself together. For fuck's sake, Seiko, you're old enough to be this young man's mother. Keep it together.

"Tha-thank you for the support, but it's really alright. I'm happy to accompany you all on your vacation. Since I am already familiar with Prince Kokichi and Shuuichi, if you could let me know any conditions I should know about you or Miss Harukawa or the child that will be coming along, I would appreciate that so I can prepare. I... I will do my best to care for you all!"

"I don't really have any medical conditions myself," The man who had been stabbed three times, broken his arm, given himself a concussion and OD'd on pain medication within the last month said without a second thought, giving his sidekick a warm grin, already feeling good about his choice. "But I don't know if I can speak for the rest of the group," he admitted, tugging at his goatee a little, thinking...

"How about this! The five of us can make a trip down here to do an initial checkup with you and get to know you a bit, or you can come up to the castle if you'd rather not have that many people in your shop. Doesn't have to be tomorrow, but sometime before we all leave town! And then we could all sit down and have a meal together!" Kaito decided, wanting to integrate his new sidekick in with the group as soon as possible. "We're all going to be traveling together, you might as well get acquainted with everyone!"

"Besides, Maki's gonna wanna vet you anyway," Kaito realized, already imagining what Maki's concerns were going to be, especially considering they'd all be trusting this woman in some of their potentially most vulnerable moments. "I know you already know Shuuichi, and Kokichi will vouch for your good intentions, but Maki's...protective. It's her best and worst quality. You'll understand as you get to know her. And now that you're Kokichi's healer, you probably want to go over with him getting, I imagine, like...designated space for you in the medward? I gotta imagine having your own space to work with available in the castle itself has to be a perk...well, like I said. You should talk to Kokichi about it as soon as you're ready to. I'm sure he'll be thrilled to talk to you!"

Right. Kokichi and Shuuichi. He was still a little worried about, well...well, he just should try to get back as soon as he could. Giving his sidekick a sheepish smile, he said, "Sorry, if you have any more questions, now's the time to ask, but I gotta hurry back. I need to get back to Kokichi and Shuuichi. Kokichi, like I said, is still recovering from the heart attack a few days ago--he's getting better! But he's still on the mend. And Shuuichi's kinda...he had some sort of breakdown this morning, and has been kinda loopy all day since. I'm sure he's just tired or something, but I probably shouldn't leave either of them too long, ya know? So, any final questions before I go?"

Seiko took a long, looong look at the prince's cast...but accepted his word. However, giving everyone a check-up before they left would probably be a good idea, if just to make deciding on what to pack easier, if not catching anything before it became an issue. And...it'd give her an excuse to have another session with Shuuichi, see how her first iteration was working for him.

Giving a nod, Seiko looked around her pharmacy, lists whipping by in the back of her mind. "I-if I had tomorrow to prepare...I could come by the castle the day after and give you all preliminary physicals. If that works for you all? And if any of you aren't comfortable with any tests, there are always other ways to get the information I need, s-so let the others know that their comfort is paramount!"

Considering how intense Maki had been during their brief interactions...the young woman reminded Seiko of Sonosuke, a little bit. A much more high-strung version of him. But those protective instincts were the same.

"I think most things can wait, but..." Seiko's voice dropped, her expression growing clearly concerned at the news of Shuuichi having a breakdown. "Oh... I actually saw Shuuichi this morning... He seemed alright then, but... I-I gave him a new medicine--his lack of appetite is quite concerning--something that should ease his stomach... He was supposed to take it with food..."

She shook her head, getting lost in rambling. "Th-that said...if he's having a bad reaction to it...it's nothing particularly strong. Rest along with keeping him fed and hydrated should be all he needs. If...if he really is having a reaction from it, he can stop taking it and I'll take a look at him when I come to the castle."

"Ap-pologies for keeping you, Prince Kaito, I'll let you get back to your friends. I'll see you in two days."

Ohhhh, new medication. Maybe that was what it was then. Maki had told Kaito that Shuuichi had barely eaten during breakfast...okay! No worries! Pay his bill at the candy shop, grab some pastries for everyone, get back, check on Kokichi, and then make certain Shuuichi was actually eating something. No problem! Nothing he couldn't handle!

"Not at all, Dr. Kimura! I'm looking forward to seeing you in two days! Don't forget, you can come to me about anything! My door’s always open to you!" Kaito assured her, before collecting himself and heading out.

Candy place, pastries, Kokichi, Shuuichi. Nothing he couldn't handle. He had this! Luminary Prince of the Stars and...Dicea Prince-Consort of the Cactus's? Cacti? Maybe?

Still mulling over the second part of his title, Kaito got to work.

-

When Shuuichi finally woke up, it was with a headache, total confusion over where he was, and because Kaito had opened the door and announced himself.

"Hey! I'm back! Sorry, is anyone sleeping?" Kaito asked, suddenly embarrassed, looking between his best friend and husband, both chilling out on the bed.

Kokichi, having taken his position as sentinel of Shuuichi's sleep seriously, had done no more than just relaxed back on his bed as the detective slept. He did wish he'd been able to stand so he could get a book or something...but, instead, Kokichi had spent his bored about two hours eating through his candy stash, which was really the only thing in arm's reach.

Sure, he ate dinner too when Hajime had come up, but...like, his candy was right there and fuck did he want something sweet. And...by the time Kaito returned, his bag was noticeably lighter, and his tummy filled to the brim with sugar.

He was stretched out in bed, rubbing his full belly when Kaito came back, and he gave his husband a grin. "Well, Shuu-chan was. Buuuut it's Kai-chan time now, huh?"

Not wanting to move at all, Kokichi just slid an arm under his head. "How'd it go?"

Where the fuck...owwwww...

Shuuichi looked blearily between Kokichi and Kaito, just, totally flummoxed. Why was he...in their...oh shit he didn't do anything, did he!? Oh no, no,uh...???

But at the casual way both men referred to him being there, and not feeling...sore...in any new places, Shuuichi allowed himself to relax a little, just staring at both of them. Should he...tell them? That he didn't remember how he got here? He had...Maki had consoled him through a breakdown, and told him to take a nap. And Shuuichi had taken that new medication and gone to sleep almost right after that had happened...and now he had woken up here.

"What...time is it?" Shuuichi asked, wincing at the sound of his own voice. Fuck his head...

"Um, about five-thirty in the afternoon, give or take?" Kaito said, thinking about it for a second as he closed the door behind him, dumping the bag on the vanity desk and taking a hard look at the...waaaay too much food to still be there for two people eating. "Did you guys both eat?" he asked, directing the question to Kokichi.

Five-thirty? So, Shuuichi had gone to sleep in his own bed, roughly around ten in the morning...and now it was five in the afternoon, and he was in the princes' bed? What...??

Sigh. New symptoms. Of the pollen or the withdrawal or the medication, he could only guess. Probably the medicine, right? He needed to write it down in his journal...sigh. He needed to get his journal back. He needed...

O-oh no...he needed to cum....

Shifting slightly in the bed, realizing that, sometime in his sleep, his body had...revved itself up again, Shuuichi closed his eyes, curling around his now incredibly uncomfortable tuck in job. Ugh...fuuuuck...

...was...was she even still going to be here??

Kokichi smiled a soft, kind smile at Shuuichi's bleariness. He still seemed disoriented, but not the same kind as before--this time it just seemed like he was half-asleep and trying to recall everything. Considering how gone he was, totally understandable.

"Nm-mm," he shook his head, gesturing over to Shuuichi while still idly rubbing his own far too full stomach. "Shuu-chan fell asleep before Hajime-chan came up. I ate, but I thought I'd let Shuu-chan continue his nap."

...should he mention that Shuuichi had been suuuuper high? It wasn't like there was anything wrong with it, and...like, it'd probably just be a little embarrassing. And it would probably make Kaito--and, later, Maki--feel better to know why Shuuichi had been acting so weird.

Huffing a laugh at how Shuuichi curled around himself again, Kokichi gave a snort. "You were fucking gone, dude. High as a damn kite. What did you even take? If you needed something for your stomach, the healers can give you something that won't make you forget what you're doing while you're doing it."

Shuuichi looked over in confusion at Kokichi...oh, okay. So...whatever had happened had been noticeable, huh?

"Uh...I didn't...I mean, Dr. Kimura gave me some new stomach medication...I took that...it's kind of the last thing I remember," Shuuichi admitted, looking hesitantly at the expressions of his friends.

He...he didn't seem in trouble or anything like that...well, except for the way Kaito huffed at being told Shuuichi hadn't eaten, immediately collecting the food that was on the vanity desk and bringing over to Shuuichi, grasping him under the arm and (oh no) hoisting him up into a sitting position, Shuuichi turning bright red at the touch and manhandling as Kaito placed the plate of food on his lap.

"Eat, okay. I wanna see all of it gone. I talked to Dr. Kimura and she said you have to eat, and also, like, Maki might kill you if she finds out you didn't. It's for your own good twice over, ya know," Kaito scolded before going back to the desk to take a pastry out of the bag, bringing it over to his husband and giving him an affectionate kiss on the forehead, handing it to him. "You drank your tea and ate dinner? Boom! A+ patient! Pastry for your troubles...'Kichi, isn't that your candy bag? ...dude, did you eat all of your candy??"

Kaito sighed, running his good hand down his face as he said to himself, "Thank god we have a group healer now...oh! Right!" Kaito gave Kokichi a big grin, giving him a thumbs up. "Lots of great news! Dr. Kimura is totally on board and excited for the trip! And, um, I kinda invited her to be your new full time healer from now on. So...hooope thaaaat's okaaaaay," Kaito said, blushing bright red as he realized he...actually hadn't gotten anyone's permission to do that, per se... and then to Shuuichi he said, excited, "Oh! And I made her a new sidekick! So that's exciting!"

Shuuichi, slowly and carefully eating the food on the plate (he...just didn't feel hungry. But he could force himself to eat if it made Kaito happy), gave his prince a long, slightly exasperated look. "Kaito...she's twice your age..."

"And she needs a hero! Young or old, early into their career or later, everyone needs a hand up sometimes, Shuuichi, and no one is better for it than Kaito Ouma Momota! Luminary Prince of the Stars, Cacti Prince-Consort of Dicea!" Kaito said proudly, trying another variation of the new title.

Ooooh. Then that...oops. Kokichi didn't think that stomach medicine would make you act like you were more lit than the gardens during winter, but...maybe it would if you didn't eat while you took it. ...he felt kind of bad laughing at Shuuichi in that case...but nothing to do about it now.

Nothing to do about his own indulgence either. Kokichi grinned sheepishly up at his husband as he sluggishly pushed himself up a bit, his shirt falling over the tight roundness of his stomach as he did so. "I didn't eat all of it! I just...got bored while Shuu-chan was sleeping, and it was right here. And...as much as I'd like this pastry," and, somehow, he still really did want it, "I think I'd pop like a balloon if I eat anything else."

Trying not to jostle himself too much, Kokichi leaned over and set the pastry on his empty plate on his nightstand, looking up at Kaito in surprise at the...bevvy of news. "That's...fine with me, hun."

His primary healer, huh? Well...he was an adult now. Could make his own choices about his healthcare. Even if Kaito had sort of made the choice for him, but...Kokichi really didn't mind Dr. Kimura being his primary healer. Even aside from how he felt about her, she really was an excellent healer. It was just a bonus that she wouldn't be another person telling him to lie down all the time.

And the other stuff... Kokichi laid himself back against his pillows and started rubbing his stomach again. "Actually, you mentioned it before and I never asked but, 'sidekick'? And...did you just give yourself a new title?" Kokichi offered Kaito a slightly incredulous grin, though...that was pretty cute.

"It's just something I'm trying out. Luminary Prince of the Stars came pretty easily, but trying to work ‘cactus’ in the title of Prince-Consort is a little trickier. I'm gonna keep workshopping it till it sounds right," Kaito said with a playful grin. "And why not? Titles are fun! And they inspire confidence! Which I need to have for my plethora of sidekicks! Which are...um..." Kaito tried to think of how to explain it. His usual method was to just tell someone they were his sidekick and kinda...let them work out through his actions what he meant by that, but, Kokichi wasn't one of his sidekicks, so...mmm...

Shuuichi sighed, but the look he gave Kaito, while tired was...extremely fond, as he jumped in on Kaito's behalf. "A sidekick, at least in regards to our Kaito here, is someone who is already amazing in some way, but needs a helping hand with some aspect of their lives to reach their true full potential. Myself and Maki were his first ever sidekicks, as when he was ten, he decided that we were both just...almost perfect. And just needed a little extra something."

Shuuichi thought of leaving it at that, but...honestly, this was a part of his childhood he really enjoyed looking back at. Kaito's constant, pure optimism and belief in him having been something he, in retrospect, had really needed when he was ten. "For me, when he met me, I was...dealing with a lot of guilt. Over what being a Luminary Detective really meant," Shuuichi said quietly, knowing that even today, Kaito still didn't really know the extent of what he had helped Shuuichi get past... "So, he decided I needed someone who could...take responsibility for some of the darker aspects of my job. A buffer between me and...people who didn't like me," Shuuichi said, shrugging, it being easier to talk about that part of his life, now that it was all such a long time ago.

"So if I messed up, or did something somebody didn't like, and they tried to...confront me about it, Kaito went out of his way to be my most active defender and advocate. Sometimes physically, sometimes just talking to them, or just reassuring me. But...yeah. It was...a really silly thing he decided to do that actually really helped a lot," Shuuichi said, his expression towards Kaito now more one of open love. Then he laughed, shaking his head. "And then he decided to just keep doing the same thing for other people too. Anyone he thought was amazing but struggling. Some people appreciated it more than others. Some people...actively resisted it. Kaito doesn't let up though. It's...always a journey, when you pick a new sidekick," Shuuichi said, giving his prince a slightly reproachful look.

Kaito laughed, shaking his head at the way the detective explained it. "You make it sound hard. It's fun! Most people just need a little extra push to get where they need to be! Like Maki! She just...needed to be willing to talk to people outside of her siblings. She didn't trust anyone when I first met her. Which isn't a healthy way to live. Gotta let people in, right? That's what makes life worth all the hassle! And Dr. Kimura's gonna be easy too! She just needs her reputation restored! With this trip, we're already halfway there! Keep eating, Shuuichi, you're not finished."

Shuuichi sighed. Returning to his plate.

"Hmm... Prince Cac-sort? Cact-ort? Cons-us... Coctus--pfff" Kokichi snickered to himself, having been mumbling out a few options for Kaito's new title. Honestly, he'd thought 'Luminary Prince of the Stars' had been, like, an official title that Kaito had been given for some reason or another. To hear that it was something Kaito had made himself...cute, cute, CUTE!!

And, listening to the explanation of Kaito and his sidekicks...that was cute too, but more than that... The look Kokichi gave Kaito was just adoring. His husband might've said he didn't know how to lead, but Kaito had been doing it all his life, it sounded like. Supporting and encouraging people, finding out what they needed and providing it... Kokichi felt his heart swell, somehow falling even more in love.

Though, he winced a little at the help he was going to give to Dr. Kimura.

"That is incredibly in-character for you, I already know. Kai-chan works out to lift others up, huh?" He managed a soft laugh before holding his arms out to Kaito. "Speaking of, c'mere! I'm too full for a treat, so Kai-chan can reward me with cuddles."

"You...are going to absolutely going to become chubby if we keep going to that candy shop every couple of days," Kaito teased, sitting on the bed and happily obliging his husband, pulling him into his lap and giving him a few kisses on the cheek, holding him close and tight. "Look at your stomach, man. You did not hold back," Kaito said, soothingly running his hand gently around the unusual curve to Kokichi's belly. "Maybe when you can walk again, you should come train with us after all. Turn all that sugar into actual energy you could use."

As Kaito cooed at his husband, every word and movement laced with overt, obvious adoration, Shuuichi watched both of them...and frowned. He turned to look back at his almost empty plate, taking in the last few bites.

They...they weren't the standard to what love was...that was just how Kaito expressed it. He was an affectionate, touchy-feely kinda guy...but that didn't mean that was the only way to express love...

Miss Nao just...had her own ways of showing love.

And Shuuichi liked her way just fine.

Though...it'd be nice if, sometimes, when they weren't...'emptying' Shuuichi, if maybe she...

...maybe it was Shuuichi's fault. Actually, yeah. It probably was. Of course it was. People adored Kaito because he was adorable. He was easy to love. Shuuichi though? He was...he was dirty and...and gross. A sexless whore. It...it made sense that Miss Nao would only ever treat him...and i-it's not exactly like he made it easy. She had been nice to him for five whole seconds that morning and it had freaked him the fuck out. It had been...t-too much...scary in a different way than it was scary when she stepped on him, or choked him, or made him cry with her terrible words.

Scary in a much different way.

...h-he needed her. He needed the way she was when they were alone. He was lucky she gave him that much. He didn't deserve more than that. He was so lucky to have her...

...what was he going to do when they were gone for a week?

Shuuichi shuddered at the idea, and that shudder was what pushed him over the edge, another urgent push of arousal in him reminding him that he hadn't cum since that morning. If he left it too long...he'd start to go crazy again. Start taking risks that he shouldn't. Even now, seeing Kaito and Kokichi all over each other...he couldn't help imagining them...one at a time or...together… Kaito whispering platitudes and assurances to Kokichi as the Dicean Prince waited, spread-leg, nervous and afraid as he watched Shuuichi approach him, with more length and girth and aggression than Kaito had ever shown Kokichi, all approaching him as Kaito watched...

And then, after Shuuichi had his fill of the Dicean, Kaito, half in arousal, half in revenge, would then take Shuuichi, pounding and grasping and-

"I have to go," Shuuichi said, entirely unable to look at either of them now. Standing up a little stiffly, walking around his tuck as he went to go put his plate with the others. "Thanks for...looking after me. Um...I'll see you both l-later," Shuuichi assured them. Leaving the room without waiting to hear goodbyes.

Find her. He had to find her. He had to find her.

"We'll see," Kokichi scoffed, holding a fist up to his mouth as he suppressed a small burp. He did overdo it a bit, but that was rare. Hell, it was rare for him to eat even close to what he had that day, but Kokichi had never been able to put on weight, even when he was trying. Likely all his indulgence that evening would do would be to make him extra cuddly and sleepy, trying to digest the mountain of sugar he'd eaten.

Nuzzling back into Kaito's chest, Kokichi showed his appreciation for the soft belly rubs though he rolled his eyes. "Training looks so boring to do though--if you guys exercised by playing a game or something I'd join in, but just running and doing reps of stuff? And I really should be getting more work done while I'm well."

He and Kaito bantered back and forth for a bit on the matter, and...Kokichi honestly almost forgot that Shuuichi was there until he abruptly announced his departure. His smile falling, Kokichi didn't even manage to get a wave and a 'bye' out before Shuuichi was gone.

...even if Shuuichi didn't remember telling him... Was it mean, being affectionate with Kaito while Shuuichi couldn't be public with his own love? Kokichi looked at the closed door with concern for a few moments before sighing, running his hand over Kaito's. Hopefully Shuuichi and his girlfriend would work things out.

--

Said not-actual girlfriend was walking back to the library, actually, having had a nice dinner with everyone, noting the absences of the Luminaries, but that wasn't weird. None of them had shown up since Kokichi had his attack, preferring to eat with him or in their own quarters.

She was...more than a little worried about Shuuichi, especially since he hadn't tried to see her since that morning but...he could walk. He could relieve himself. And Nao didn't have to spend her nights in the castle torturing a drugged up fool to orgasm.

Man, she was looking forward to going home tonight.

Every step just made his arousal worse, but Shuuichi moved quickly, heading downstairs, clutching one hand to his chest and the other keeping a grip on the bannister, in case his compromised position made him take a false step down the stairs. Find her, find her, he needed her, he couldn't go back up to his room and try to do this himself, he couldn't, it would take too long, he'd never finish, he'd go crazy.

Oof...slow down. He could feel himself getting dizzy, and his head was still pounding. He really, really needed to tell Dr. Kimura about the side effects of the medicine. Stomach medicine? Why the fuck had stomach medicine made him high? What chemicals in there could have affected his brain...

Fucking lying bitch.

Shuuichi bit his lip hard, frustrated and aroused and nervous. Miss Nao could have gone home already. There was no reason for her to still be here. She had had the day shift at work, she could be back at home, with her...with her fucking wife, who was probably making her feel good and moan and touching her in all the ways Miss Nao wouldn't let him--oh!

There she was! She was there, she was...

Shuuichi suddenly stopped. Every fear that his arousal had caused him to ignore coming back full force again. There were...there were other people around.

She was...gonna act weird.

Scary.

Shuuichi stood there, frozen, entirely uncertain what to do or how to proceed.

...she was going to talk to him in that...sunny, kind, companionable voice and he...

Why couldn't she just talk to him like normal?! Let everyone know that he was her dirty whore, barely even human anymore--she kept saying that she'd take him to bars or the stables

Shuuichi sucked in a sharp breath, practically feeling his arousal stabbing into him, feeling sweat start to pool under his hat and into his clothes and oh shit he hadn't checked if he was leaking it'd been hours was he showing???!?

He was aware that he looked weird, trembling and frozen at the bottom of the stairs and she was walking she was leaving she was

Looking right at him.

Ugh...she had spoken too soon.

She caught sight of him out of the corner of her eye, just as she was reaching the door. Like a weird, horny shadow, meekly following her without, apparently, being willing to actually get close to her. She really couldn't understand it. Back in his room, no matter how scared of her he got, he couldn't seem to keep herself away from her, and was often actively trying to get closer to her than she would allow.

Out here though? It was like he couldn't decide. And the sudden tears and running he had done earlier...what had that been about? She hadn't even done anything that time. But apparently, whatever it had been, it hadn't been enough to keep him away all day.

...Sigh. She had really been looking forward to starting her evening with Yasu...

Fine. She'd just be a little late tonight. It was fine. Her wife knew what was going on. She'd understand why Nao had to be late.

But no games this time. She didn't want to wait around for him to decide if he was going to approach her or not. Let's just get this done.

Giving Shuuichi a warm look and a wave, she approached him, smiling kindly, in case anyone was watching. "Shuuichi! There you are! I was worried about you, young man. You left in such a state this morning! I hope you're feeling better!" she said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

And, at an angle where it would be impossible for anyone to tell, she dug her nails into his skin. Just shy of breaking the skin. Leading him companionably by her side through her grip as she said, cheerfully, like he might have said something to her quietly in that moment she leaned in and went quiet, "That's good to hear, dear! I'm assuming you're here for that book you put on hold?"

Shuuichi felt his eyes start to burn as he heard that voice directed at him again and he felt a strong urge to just turn tail and run again, just hike it back to his room and...what? And what, Shuuichi? Roll around on your bed until you die? Until your fucking freak body convinces you to do something you'd actually regret to one of your friends? Miss Nao is your only option and you know it.

He pulled the brim of his hat down as she approached and--wh-o-oa... A violent shiver went through Shuuichi's body, feeling her dig those nails, god, those nails into him, like he always wished she would... Right... This was just a performance...they both knew what he really was...

Sort of...awkwardly waddling around his tuck that was being pushed to the limit, Shuuichi let her guide him, nodding along with the excuse she made for him. Always so good to him...getting them a reason to be together...

Swallowing a surge of arousal in his mouth, feeling his thighs start to get sticky, Shuuichi tried to find his voice. "U-um...could... I mean..."

"What's the title of the book again...Shut Up and Do What I Say? Part One of the No One Wants To Hear What Comes Out Of Your Filthy Mouth series by Richardson Maul?" Nao asked, laughing lightly to herself as she guided him into the library and towards a door that was just to the left of the checkout counter. "I'll admit, Shuuichi, I was surprised at the choice. Those novels are, if you don't mind my saying, utter trash...but they can be fun, on occasion! If you're in the mood. Ya know, I can't prove it, but I have a theory that Richardson Maul might actually be a pseudonym for Touko Fukawa? For some of her more overtly raunchy works, not buried under all that 'critical literary writing' she hides her filth behind. Ha...again, all quite fun when you're in the mood for that sort of thing!"

Nao laughed jovially to herself, enjoying the fact that those two titles, while at once being entirely appropriate for the moment, were also two real, actual titles here in her library. And she really did think they were both written by Fukawa. Nao had read all of her work and all of Mr. Maul's work, and the writing style was beat for beat the same, right up to her absolutely ridiculous and multitude of ways to describe what the human penis looked like, some which she borrowed from herself between pseudonyms.

Opening the door, the decor entirely different from the warm wood panelings of the main library, was a long, cement staircase down into a basement area. "I'm keeping it down in the archive. Go, go," she insisted, maneuvering him in front of her with her viper grip, giving the impression she might just push him down the stairs for a moment...before relaxing her grip and letting go, allowing him to move ahead of her safely.

Downstairs was the castle library archive. The library always had a surplus of books that, either because they were on their way in or on their way out, didn't have a place in the main library, and there were too many to keep in the back portion of the library, where books were dropped off when returned and sorted. So, the basement. Which was plain, not decorated past much of what was originally carved out into the ground, and kept at a chill temperature, for the safety of the books.

And in one far off part of the archive, with its many shelves that, with a rotation of the shelf wheel, could open and fully close the shelves against each other, was a caged area. Or, barred area, anyway, where particularly vulnerable, expensive, or rare books were kept for historical preservation by the castle, and not for public rental.

...Nao had always thought the way the cage was designed was a little...odd for protecting books, and had done her research into the original purpose of this room, and had been delighted to find out that, a very, very long time ago, this whole wing hadn't even been used as a library...had been repurposed with new leadership, old relics of its old uses left behind for librarians to work with as they pleased.

...Sometimes Nao liked to just sit down here and imagine what it had been like. When this room was sometimes the last place people ever saw.

Shuuichi found himself bringing his hat lower and lower down on his face, astonished by the thin euphemisms Miss Nao was using in public but...she would only say things like that if she didn't think anyone would bat an eye, right? ...sh-she did say, back on that first day, that he had been obvious... How many people could just...sense it on him? The worthlessness.

Or...she had told Seiko what she did, when Shuuichi was sure that she'd keep herself out of the story... Was Miss Nao just not bothered by anyone finding out what they were doing? N-no one could find out, though, he'd be sent back to Luminary, that's what she kept telling him so...was she trying to get rid of him? But, no, she loved him, maybe just...the temptation of being found out...

Shuuichi gasped as he was brought out of his thoughts, nearly stumbling and really thinking he was going to fall down the stairs to...he'd seen this area on the castle blueprints...he was sure...um...

"...the archive..." he echoed dumbly, taking in the room that soon came into view and...fuck he needed to cum! It was cool and cement and so dreary when compared to how warm the rest of the castle was and there were bars and

A little whine came from the back of Shuuichi's throat as he could feel himself throbbing against his ass, his briefs feeling like they were strangling him. As soon as he stepped off the stairs, Shuuichi's hands flew to his belt, nervous about doing things Miss Nao didn't tell him to, but maybe...?

"Miss Nao, I-I have to cum!"

Nao, certain to lock the door to the archive behind herself, followed behind Shuuichi, curious what kind of an effect the room would have on him. A dreary, cold, frightening environment affected people in different ways, after all, and there was a chance he'd be entirely undisturbed by the effect the room could sometimes have on people.

Hmmm...a reaction, certainly, but he also just straight up hadn't cum since this morning. Could still be a non-reaction to the room. That was alright. The archive was a relatively private, out of the way place in the library, and she had already decided that in the future, if Shuuichi made a nuisance of himself, she'd utilize the room as both a way to get him off and, like...just sorta keep him out of the way while she was working. Especially if it became more and more difficult to get Shuuichi off, like it might when he was on less and less of his drugs in the future. Nao was just being pragmatic, and this first trip down here was a test run, more than anything.

On that note.

She sighed, grabbed the back of his neck, and threw him into the ground.

"What," she growled, raising her foot and SLAMMING it into his ass, digging her heel into...yep, as she had suspected. There was no way that he had been showing so little and been this aroused. Tucked into himself, huh? Pragmatic.

She dug her heel in harder. Pushing his dick into his cheeks, and grinding the heel a little as she continued, "was that earlier!?"

As she put more weight into her leg, she said, a real fury coming out of her a little, having been worried about him earlier, and now delayed getting home, and expressing her frustration with both situations as she said, "So you come up to me, mumble a few words, and then in front of everyone, BURST into tears and RUN!? Are you TRYING to destroy my reputation!?"

She raised her foot up, and slammed it into him again. "You know how many people came up to me after, asking me what was wrong? If something had happened? Do you think I enjoy having to cover for you? A worthless whore who should, by all rights, be at my beck and call whenever I want, and instead, what? You're going to come here after my shift, when I should by all rights be HOME with my wife but instead, noooooo. Shuu needs to CUM!?"

Taking her foot off of him, she stepped back, scowling at him. "Fucking worthless waste of time...well?! Get undressed!!"

Whatever he had expected from her, it certainly hadn't been that.

Shuuichi had barely put his arms in front of himself to catch his fall but that did nothing to brace Miss Nao stomping on him. Involuntarily, Shuuichi felt his back arch as he let out a warbling moan, and he quickly spread his legs, feeling himself gush and drip forward, the pads not being able to do a thing from that angle.

"OOoohh...Aaauh..." It felt like she was going to cut the end of his dick off with her heel--well, he was freakishly long now. A few inches down wouldn't hurt. A manic giggle escaped him at the thought, drool starting to drip out of the sides of his mouth.

"Nnnnoo, noo, was'n... Miss Naoooo~ I'm sorry, I'm soooorry! Should b-be my reputation, Miss Nao should be home... I'm sh-sorry!" Writhing on the ground, Shuuichi felt a surge in his cock, whimpering at the painful angle as he felt himself try to cum, his balls being wetted by his drip and being pushed into the ground from her stomping and it felt soooo goooood!

As soon as she took her foot off him, Shuuichi flipped over onto his back and sat up just enough to take off his shirt--where had his jacket gone?--but laid back down to shove down his pants, barely hesitating to do the same with his tight, actually starting to rip at the back seam briefs, not quite able to brace for the teasing at the soaked pads lining the back.

And finally, finally Shuuichi untucked himself, his giant cock practically slapping at his stomach as it sprung free in full arousal, the ring painfully tight around its girth.

Laid out on the concrete floor...especially compared to a month before, but even just to a week ago... Shuuichi was much...er, curvier, than he had been. His nipples, which had remained perky and hard for days, were now just points on swollen mounds on his chest, not leaking now, but...well, that didn't mean they wouldn't be with a little proper stimulation. His hips now flared out from his once willowy frame, establishing a firm, 'bottom-heavy' body type, only complemented by his full, plump ass and thickened, toned thighs. And, of course, his enormous cock, rising up in perverted pleasure, thick and twitching.

Oof. The swelling on his chest still hadn't gone down. That...well...biological men having boobs wasn't...unheard of. Usually it was a side effect of weight gain, and....well, while Shuuichi was gaining weight, not to the point of...but...

...fuck Seiko needed to hurry. The more Nao witnessed Shuuichi's body changing, the more concerned she became about those changes. Honestly, developing breasts was far from even the weirdest thing happening to him. There was always the pink blood to consider, after all. But...well, developing breasts was one of those things that...well, it was just one more awkward conversation Shuuichi would have to have with all of his future partners, if the breasts were here to stay.

Ah well. He did it to himself.

Nao looked away from his breasts and considered his nether regions, glancing over at his soaked underwear and...oh. That was clever, actually. "Pads, Shuu?" Nao chuckled, kicking at the ruined underwear with her foot, snickering. "What, did you steal these from Maki? Don't you only leak when you're aroused, Shuu? Could you not stop yourself thinking dirty thoughts at all today? I gave it a pass when you were just in bed all the time, assuming you had nothing better to do, but now? Is Shuu such a slut that he needs feminine hygiene products just to contain everything his dirty brain thinks about?"

She then knelt down, considering the ring. Swelling, of course...but no sign of actual growth. So, either the lower doses meant less growth, or there were limits to what his body could do, and his dick had found the limits of its growth potential. Good. Probably for the best. Any longer and he could have comfortably just started fucking himself. Hell, he probably could now, actually, if all he wanted to do was get it inside of himself.

...hmmm...

She didn't have any...towels down here yet...

As she considered the idea, she said to him, still trying to understand exactly what had happened that morning, "I did ask you a question. What, am I not worth listening to anymore? If you keep ignoring me, Shuu, I'm going to send you back upstairs as you are now. Exactly as you are now...maybe someone upstairs will see past their initial horror of you to recognize what a half-decent fucktoy you'd make...should we give it a shot?"

"N-no...got them from the med b-bay..." He wouldn't steal from Maki...if mostly because she would notice right away. He did need to get more though...these ones were finished. ...because he had been leaking all day. Was he...well...he'd been desperate since that morning, when he'd initially gone to the library, and then...he'd been asleep so...but he did leak in his sleep. Always, always woke up hard.

Wanted to fuck everyone all the time. Couldn't stop thinking about sex. Wanted Miss Nao to touch him, hurt him all the time.

Shuuichi started to pant and shivered as Miss Nao knelt down toward him, come on come on he'd waited all day!!

...which was his own fault.

Confused for a moment over what exactly Miss Nao had asked him, Shuuichi shuddered and squirmed on the ground a little more. "Nononooo, I'm your whore, I'll never ignore Miss Nao, I'll do anything you want! I-I... I!"

He couldn't look at her. Not with the hot shame burning alongside his tortuous arousal, not with that despair of knowing how far he'd fallen... Covering his face, Shuuichi huffed a few breaths, trying to get the words out. "I'm a filthy slut! I don't deserve for Miss Nao to talk to me like I'm a person. Use me! Use me all you like, however you want! I'll be Miss Nao's fucktoy, just, please don't talk to me like that!"

Talk to him like what? What was he talking about, what had she said to make him react that strongly? All she had done was...greet him and ask if he needed anything and...hmmm...

Like a person...ah...okay.

...That was...probably not good in the long run.

Her needing to treat him badly to get him to cum was one thing. If Shuuichi was allowed to be left to his own devices, his arousal would compel him to take dangerous risks to get off. It was the main reason she kept upping the ante and keeping things fresh for him session to session. If he couldn't get what he needed from her, he'd get it from somewhere else, and at least she was a relatively safe source for him.

...but him literally falling into panic attacks when she was...kind? Not even kind, just...treating him normally? Like a 'person' as he put it?

Oof. She didn't even know where to begin analyzing that. Worse still, this felt like, well...less of a side effect of the drug, and probably more of a side effect of her treatment of him. Hoo boy. Maybe...maybe when it was time for Shuuichi to reveal his current state to his friends, Nao should maybe take a vacation out of town for a while. This was...not a good reflection on her.

But. What happened this morning couldn't happen again, and she didn't have the time or even the knowledge base necessary to 'fix' him, so...

She grabbed him by the throat, digging her nails in and squeezing. "You listen here, Shuu. I can treat you however I like. It's always going to be up to me, how you feel. And for my own convenience, if I feel like pretending that you're a person who matters when other people are around, and you find that overwhelming? Your response won't be to start crying like a little bitch and run away. It will be to keep quiet like all good whores should, and shake and nod your head accordingly. Do you understand? Explain to me back what you'll do next time, Shuu, and if you get it right, maybe I'll actually let you cum tonight," she said, releasing her tight grip on his neck.

Not for the first time, Shuuichi wished he had been conditioned properly. Maybe, if he had to follow orders like Maki, he could just...let his brain go, stop being such a weak, worthless piece of shit and be however people ordered him to be. Seiko had said therapy was a thing here...could he get conditioned to obey Miss Nao? He already wanted to, it wouldn't be that hard...

Instinctively, Shuuichi placed a hand over Nao's, gagging a bit as she choked him and...it was almost like they were holding hands, in a way. Her nails, those long, sharp claws, were poking into him and...it would be so easy for her to press a little harder, to expose his pretty new blood, to rip his throat open and...

"Hhhhnng...!"

He spasmed in her grasp, his body trying to cum and sending his eyes rolling a bit...but not quite enough. Not with the ring. Gasping, panting, drooling everywhere, Shuuichi tried to get the words out quickly so Miss Nao would put her hand into his neck again. "Ah-buh, I-I'll, I won't s-say anything, I'll be quiet like a good whore and nod and shake my head to Miss Nao's words! I-I won't run next time, not from you!"

Reverently caressing her hand, he tried to offer up his neck, though she knew she had his whole slut body at her disposal. "Please, please, please! Was that right!? I'll do it, anything for you, please!"

Right? ...No. Probably not. Nao had probably crossed a line from 'right' with this experiment a while ago. If she had known his psyche would get this bad, how quickly and instinctively he would internalize everything she said to him, she wouldn't have done it this way. She had...she was starting to think she had severely underestimated the kind of environment Shuuichi had come from. Had seriously misjudged the lack of self esteem and willingness to adhere to others’ viewpoints as someone who grew up a slave might have. That he was probably actually practiced at buying into extreme and destructive to himself viewpoints.

...she had messed this up, and Shuuichi was going to pay the consequences of that. Maybe...maybe for a long time.

...not for the first time that day, Nao felt the sheer frustration she had at this impossible fucking situation she had made for herself. She was too deep into it to change it and too self aware to feel like she couldn't have done better had she just been a little less cocky. A little less certain of her own ability to handle this situation on her own. She had put Shuuichi's mental health at serious risk, just...entirely confident she could manage it alone.

Hubris.

And just...so angry at herself and angry at him and a little afraid of the future...she slapped him, square in the face. Hard. Watched his face whiplash at the blow (sigh. Now she'd have to do something about the mark that would leave), before shoving her hands on his breasts, squeezing both of the new mounds tightly in her grip, saying low and close to him, "I really can't figure out what you're becoming Shuu. You have the long and grotesque dick of a man, but the tiny and unsatisfying breasts of a woman, and yet every time you open your mouth, all I hear is the whines and whimpers of a dog. Honestly, of the three things, the dog is the only thing that suits you. On your hands and knees, bitch. Now."

Not for the first time that day, Shuuichi lost all ties to where he was as he reeled from the blow. It felt like he was falling, though he knew he was already on the ground and he couldn't quite get his eyes to focus for a few moments. It was only feeling Miss Nao's hands back on him that grounded him back in the archive room, though...

"Uun - UUU!!" He squirmed beneath her, his - breasts??? BREASTS??? so horribly sensitive, his nipples poking out and starting to ooze that thick liquid again. He...he was... like a patchwork monster, all haphazard parts growing and turning him into the perfect little whore to fuck, god he wanted to fuck

Panting just like the bitch he was, Shuuichi rolled over onto his hands and knees, barely pausing to steady himself before widening his stance to show off his soaking, plump hole, a bitch in heat ready to be bred, he needed sex, needed to be filled up to do the only thing he could, needed

Wait, wh-what? Nonono, that was impossible, m-more than what he'd done to his body, and he didn't even want to...

Whining, Shuuichi shook his head, his lolling tongue dripping drool all over the place. "I'll be your dog, Miss Nao, a-any trick you want, please, please, I need to cum, I need to cum!!"

"Any trick? That's good. Let's try a new one today," Nao said, patting his lower back soothingly, already feeling bad for the slap. She wasn't certain if she had pushed him over the edge already. She wasn't sure if this whole thing had already destroyed him. It had finally occurred to her, in all her hubris, that she didn't actually know where the end of his limits were.

Oh well. Best to stay the course, she supposed.

"I know with all the dripping you do back there, this might be a little tough. But Shuu is going to take off his own ring today," she said pleasantly, just fully leaning into the persona she had made for herself on his behalf. "But it's the only way the ring is coming off tonight, so do try your best."

Taking his dick in her hand, feeling its warm, desperate trembling as it tried to cum through the ring, the first thing she did was scoot the ring closer to the pointed end of his dick. Not enough to free the hole, but enough that just a small little push would do so. Then, she bent it backwards between his legs, and seeing that he was posed to make penetration easy anyway, his legs and cheeks wide, she curled his dick up and, realizing almost immediately the sheer ease his length would allow this to be, shoved the head of his cock into his asshole...and then pushed it even further, a bit past the ring. The dick slid in easily, but his hole had healed enough to catch and squeeze itself around it.

"Being filled with cum is quite the pleasant experience, Shuu. For your first time, it's probably for the best it comes from you. Anyone else would be so dissatisfied with you," she said, holding the cock steady against him. "Now I'm going to pull back a little...if you want that ring off, now is the time to squeeze, Shuu."

And then, slowly, giving him time to adjust, she pulled backwards, just a bit.

For a moment, Shuuichi had nearly begun to reach between his legs to pull the ring off, but...no way. It couldn't be that simple. It was...kind of lackluster, and Miss Nao was never lackluster. Always made him feel so good, so terrified and hurt and sad and just so goddamned aroused.

So, it couldn't just be him getting himself off.

Staying on his hands and knees, Shuuichi keened as Miss Nao touched his dick, a little confused how her words and actions didn't match up but...the ring wasn't off. It wasn't off and--OWOWOWOW was she tucking him back again?!? It hurt, it hurt, fuck, he couldn't think about anything else!

And then--

"HH--!!" Shuuichi couldn't help bearing his hips back, his eyes round and wide as...h-he was going to be getting himself off. It wasn't as thick as all the things Miss Nao had shoved inside him that first morning, but...it still felt wonderful in his ass, his cock, his ridiculously long cock bent back and penetrating him... "I-I'm fucking myself...?"

That was...he'd wanted that, back when he had first been forced to look at his slutty ass and cock. And now...he was doing it. His thick cock shoved into his gaping hole... His hips shuddered as he naturally wanted to thrust and press, to feel himself deeper and pleasure himself more fully, past just his entrance...

"Mmm...mmm..." He could fill himself with cum??? That was--she was already pulling him, that was too fast, he didn't know how--!!! Like the natural whore he was, Shuuichi squeezed and...off the ring came.

"Gguuuh, aaaauh, uaaaaAA~!" Shuuichi moaned, his asshole pulsing around his cock as he spilled into himself, his greedy hole gulping down every little bit of cum he pushed out, feeling something...immensely satisfying in being filled, in feeling himself fill with cum...

Nao watched as Shuuichi got off, his face bright red, eyes wide with shock and pleasure, trembling and shaking as he stood on his hands and knees, just barely keeping himself upright as he orgasmed into himself.

...whelp. Another...fine job by 'Miss Nao'.

As he shivered and trembled, she ran a hand, soothingly, up and down his back, already trying to think of what she was going to do about that red mark on his face. Sigh...she had let her emotions get the best of her. She shouldn't leave marks where they could show. No doubt it'd be fine by morning, but the library wasn't going to close for another few hours, and the castle would still be full of people for a long time after that...

...Alright. Time to cover her tracks again.

Leaving his dick in his ass, she grabbed his throat, squeezing, cutting off his panting and moaning, drawing him up onto his knees so she could look him in the face. "Alright, Shuu, listen up. You look disgusting, and I can't have you coming out of the library like this, not when people can see. So. You see that clock on the wall? You're staying down here, in this room, until that clock reads two in the morning. Then, careful not to be seen by anyone, you may go back to your room and clean yourself up. Don't worry about leaving signs of yourself down here, I'm the only person who has any reason to come down here, and the door will be locked. You just have to unlock it, and make sure you lock the door before you close it behind you again. If you are seen, and someone makes a comment about your face, make up whatever excuse is appropriate for whoever brings it up. Do not bring my name up for any reason, whatsoever. Do you understand?"

Nao sighed, this probably being as well as she could hope to handle the situation. He'd look relatively normal in his clothes going up, so that was fine, so it was only the mark on his face she was worried about giving him away. Two in the morning was the least possible amount of traffic in the castle. He'd be fine.

Letting go of his neck and letting him fall, she held out her hand. "I'm not digging into your ass for that ring, by the way. Take it out yourself and put it back on before I leave."

Shuuichi closed his eyes as he started to come down, wanting to feel all the sensations in his body more fully...especially Miss Nao rubbing his back, a reward for her whore doing a job well done. He remembered how Kaito had sat Kokichi in his lap and rubbed his stomach...this was love, just like that. Different, but still love.

Haha! He was full just like Kokichi too!

The little giggles coming through his panting were abruptly cut off as Miss Nao grabbed him by the neck again, and he couldn't help smiling up at her, wet and sloppy and just irrevocably in love. He nodded as well as he could in her grip--getting to stay in Miss Nao's private room!--and fell limply when she let him go, enjoying the hollow 'thunk' of his head hitting the ground.

He had no reason to doubt it before. He was too dumb for his doubts to matter, anyway; all they'd done was get him into trouble.

"Thank you....tha-thank you, Miss Nao..." he stuttered out when he'd gotten his breath back, and Shuuichi rolled back onto his knees, reluctantly popping his dick out of his ass, letting it swing between his legs, and obediently fishing for the ring in his ass, showing her every step. And, sliding the ring back on, he let himself flop on his side, enjoying the shock of pain in his chest--his breast--from something so sensitive pressing against the cold ground. "Nmm... Won' leave. Won't cum for anyone bu' you... I love you..."

"Sure," she murmured. "Just make sure you're not seen."

And, looking him over one more time (that thump had worried her...but she couldn't see any pink through his hair, so it was...probably fine. She had to remember in the future that he didn't have the survival instincts right now to catch himself), she stood up straight, smoothed out her skirt, and, giving him one last look...headed upstairs.

Making sure to lock the door before letting it close behind her, as she had instructed him to do as well, Nao looked around the library. She didn't actually think anyone was paying attention when she had brought him down there, but...that could be her pride playing tricks on her again. Just assuming that, because this was her library, and she was usually in control here, that things couldn't fall out of control here...

...but her being aware of this flaw in logic didn't make it any less appealing to her, and she looked around, not noticing anyone glance in her direction, and thought to herself, '...yeah. No one noticed'.

Then, she went to go check on her coworker, who only worked the check out desk on his shift, not qualified to handle the contents down in the archive, made sure everything was good, wished him a good day, and went home to her wife. Leaving Shuuichi half drenched in his own juices to lie awake on a cold cement floor in a basement alone...and entirely forgetting to give him his journal back.

...he was disappointed she wasn't staying. After the last few nights, where she held him close and still and ready to stab with her nails at a moment's notice...making him feel small and helpless and dirty and loved...

But she had been getting ready to go when he found her. She was going home to her wife...someone that could actually touch her back, who was worthy enough to make Miss Nao feel good...

Shuuichi grumbled to himself and rolled over onto his stomach, wanting to feel that stinging pain in both his breasts. It was going to be a long night…

-

"Everything is a mistake."

Kokichi was curled up on his side, hugging himself around his stomach as he groaned. It was all fun and games gorging himself on sweets, oh it's fine, he eats a ton of candy allll the time! Adding in a full breakfast, lunch, and dinner, along with only having liquid meals for the past few days and?

"Uuuuuuuu..."

Recipe for stomachaches.

Kokichi pressed his face into their bed, hugging himself more tightly. "Kai-chan, I leave you all my books. I know you'll appreciate them."

Kaito, who had currently been quietly reading the last few chapters of the crime noir book Kokichi got him, said idly, "Got bad news for you, 'Kichi. Luminaries don't know how to read. I've been faking it this whole time to impress you. I've just been making up everything I tell you about this book."

Glancing over at his husband and feeling a little bad for his predicament, Kaito put the book aside and rolled over onto his side, reaching out to run a soothing hand up and down Kokichi's arms. "Do you want me to run by the med bay to grab any stomachache medicine they might have? Or we could ask Shuuichi to borrow some of his stuff. I mean, I don't know how good that stuff was for his stomach, but man, you'd get high as a kite on it if he's any indication, and that would definitely distract you from your stomach."

"Wretched deceiver! You've been planning to steal my heart with literary nonsense from the beg--uuuuurrp--" He couldn't even finish the joke, having to press his face into the bed to ward off the latest round of pain and uncomfortable bloatedness. He almost felt like he could throw up, but wasn't quite there and instead was just caught in the space that was just...uncomfortable.

Whining, Kokichi shook his head a little and tried to shuffle closer to Kaito, though he stopped moving almost immediately, any movement around his stomach certainly not feasible. "Should never take someone else's prescription... Mega bad idea... And I never want to put anything in my mouth again..."

There was another muffled little "urp!" as Kokichi stifled a burp, unfortunately doing nothing to help his predicament.

Kaito chuckled, though he at least had the decency to give Kokichi a sympathetic smile as he said, "Dude, you sound like you're about to vomit...would it help if you vomited? Or, like...maybe you should just go to the bathroom, 'Kichi. Empty yourself out."

Kokichi just groaned. "I wish I could vom. But no, I'm too strong. Truly my worst trait." Maybe going to the bathroom would help, though...but he didn't want to move. He felt so painfully full that any little movement would provoke him.

"Why the hell did I even eat so much?! I never eat this much. Ever. And I think my damn brain is broken because those pastries you got still sound good, UGGGGGGHHHH!!"

"Yeah, dude, you got a sweet tooth like nothing I've ever seen," Kaito admitted, still trying to think of anything that could help his poor, dumb, overeating husband out. "I mean, I'm not saying we should stop going to the candy shop, but you got like this the last time we went there too. It's like once you get started, you have a hard time stopping...though, if the occasional ill tempered tummy is worth that to you..."

Kaito shrugged, still just finding the whole situation amusing more than anything. Poor 'Kichi.

"I wish I liked, like...anything as much as you like sweets, Kokichi," Kaito chuckled. "Seriously. If you had to pick between sleeping with me for the next month, and eating candy, I'm extremely humbled to know which one you would definitely pick."

"It's not even just the sweets--I ate waaaay too much at breakfast too. Usually if I have a meal like that I can barely eat for the rest of the day, but I had every meal plus a shit ton of candy too...ugghh...what's going on with me..." He muttered the last bit mostly to himself. He loved sweets, sure, but he wasn't usually craving them, like, all the time.

Kaito had a point too. He liked to indulge, but that usually looked like eating maybe a handful of whatever he had. Not stuffing his face with as much as he could handle. Lately, it'd just felt like every sweet he ate just made him want more.

Kokichi sighed miserably then...er...went quiet at Kaito's hypothetical. He'd been frustrated just waiting eight days to have sex with Kaito; there was no way he wanted to abstain for a whole month. But...would he even be able to resist candy for a month? Had he ever done it before? "...that's dirty."

Though, that did remind him of something else, and Kokichi sighed again. "...we're not gonna be able to do anything while we're on vacation, huh. And I was thinking of asking you guys if you wanted to have some big sleepover in our room sometime, since both Maki-chan and Shuu-chan have taken naps here already. I never thought this would be an issue of being married to one of your friends..."

"It's alright, Kokichi. I'd never make you choose...just because, again, pretty sure I know where I fall in that decision." Kaito laughed good naturedly, kissing his husband on the cheek in understanding.

For the question about their vacation though...???

"Why not?" Kaito asked, genuinely bewildered. "I mean, sure, maybe not the two days we're all traveling in the carriage together...like...maaaybe not then..." Kaito shrugged...before turning a wolfish grin on his husband, that old, possessive predator look that he had been struggling since the night before the heart attack to oppress bleeding out a little. "...if I can't find anywhere comfy and private to sneak you away to for an hour..."

But after a beat he felt himself doing that and (fuck, stop being weird) coughed and cleared his throat a little to give him a second to scold himself and get back on track, he said, more calmly, "But when we actually get to the coast for a few days, there's no doubt going to be hotels or lodges in the area. We don't have to sleep in the carriage the whole time. And if we have a room to ourselves, we can do anything we feel like. Right? What's the worry?"

Kaito sighed, leaning back into his pillow, his smile now soft and affectionate as he said, "And...it'd be nice to have a sleepover with everyone. It's not like we go at it every night or anything. We could do that if we wanted to."

If anything, it meant a lot that it was even a hard decision for Kokichi to make. There wasn't a lot Kokichi would consider giving up candy for. And given how his gluttony had bitten him in the ass this time...maybe he could do with cutting back a bit. Not that Kokichi would fill all the time he would spend eating candy with loving on Kaito, but still. His husband was sweet enough to put up a good fight for Kokichi's heart.

Though, he did send Kaito an unamused look at his tease about doing anything while they were on the road...even though his cheeks turned pink. However...he hadn't really thought about a hotel...he'd never been to one before. "...should we? Get a room to ourselves, I mean. How many people usually share a room? Cause if we get three rooms of two..."

Kokichi sighed a bit, the logistics part of his mind distracting him from his stomachache, at least for a little while. "Like...Maki-chan and Shuu-chan have shared a room before, but I wouldn't want to ask Tim and Dr. Kimura to share. Since she's his mentor, would Maki-chan and Tim share, and, like... Shuu-chan and Dr. Kimura are familiar with each other, but I don't know if they'd be comfortable sharing? Or should we do some combination of three to a room? I don't want to take up too many rooms if it's busy... ...we should plan this out before we go...or maybe on the road."

And with that as settled as he'd get for the moment, his reprieve ended, and Kokichi curled into himself a little more with a groan. "As soon as none of us are sick or injured--sleepover time."

Kaito gave Kokichi a curious look. "I don't...think hotel rooms and lodge rooms are actually all that expensive? For one or two nights, however long we're staying? And if they have rooms available, why not snatch them up? We stayed at plenty of inns, hotels, taverns...all sorts of places on the way down here. Mind you, I guess we were traveling with, ya know...Luminary funds. We didn't really have to worry about how much anything cost..."

The Luminary Prince sometimes still had a hard time..really grasping that he was...kind of poor? Now? Poor by the standards he had grown up with, anyway. When he had found out how much all the candy he had bought and gotten with the IOU from the candy store was, and he had compared it to what he had...well...it was just...a little mind boggling to him, how little he had to work with.

Not that he was ungrateful! He lived in a beautiful home, lived in a cozy, spacious room with his cozy, sweet husband, and it's not like anything was actually being asked of him yet. He knew he wasn't, like...actually poor now.

But maaaaan, Kaito tried to imagine their situations being reversed, and Byakuya coming down here to live with Kokichi...he would have hated all of this. Would have been outraged. Money was circulated only within people's personal communities? Then how was he meant to get to it? Being rich was...basically self regulated, which he probably would have been fine with (Byakuya didn't have a lot of respect for the noble families that previous generations of kings and queens had risen to power through, mostly, personal favor), but then that self regulation turned into people publicly shaming the rich into non-existence? Ha...Kaito tried to imagine anyone trying to shame his brother into giving his money away on a matter of principle...phew. That would be...one HELL of a conversation...

...these were just thoughts for himself though. He knew they were...he didn't know. Bad thoughts, probably. Thoughts that would make him worse in Kokichi's eyes. It was okay to keep them to himself. So long as he didn't actually say things aloud, he was still being a good husband and a good prince-consort. That was how it worked. You could think anything you wanted. It only became bad when you said it.

"She's coming down to the castle to do a check-up on everyone in two days. And then I thought we'd all sit down and eat together, give her a chance to meet everyone properly. We can work out the logistics of the trip then, together," Kaito said, giving Kokichi another soothing rub up and down his shoulders. "It's gonna be okay, 'Kichi. Traveling isn't actually all that hard. You just...go and get to a place. Plan the best you can, and deal with the fact that, inevitably, that plan always falls apart. Adjust and proceed. At least in my experience, anyway," Kaito laughed.

Now that he was thinking of the doctor...something she said came back to him. Kaito frowned, his brow furrowing...before he said, "I like Dr. Kimura. I'm really looking forward to getting to know her more. But...she said something to me when I was asking her to come, and...I asked her about the reputation thing? How she got into trouble for doing those reports on you, and she said she didn't get into trouble...she just got lumped in with other people who had gotten into trouble, and people judged her based on it, and...I mean, we don't have to talk about it. I just was wondering what a healer could do that was so bad that just being associated with them could ruin your reputation...did they also defend you?"

"It's not the cost I'm worried about..." Kokichi mumbled, feeling out of his depth. While he still needed to have that budgeting lesson with Kaito--and, damn, they really needed to get on that--Kokichi knew he likely had way more than enough still saved to make sure they didn't have to worry about paying for rooms. And that was just paying for everything himself--considering Dr. Kimura would be coming at the behest of his father, Kokichi knew Aiichi would cover some of the cost himself.

It was just...there were a lot of people in the world. He knew the capital city was particularly big, but even with all his outings over the years he still came across new people that had lived in the city all their lives that he'd never seen before. Who was to say there wouldn't be other people traveling to the coast that would need accommodations? He didn't want to take rooms other people would need just because they had the money to afford fewer people to a room...

Part of Kokichi knew that any hotel or lodging by the coast wouldn't be hurting with just one room of difference, but... He supposed he was just worried. Kokichi had never really worried about the resources he used but... UGH! WHATEVER! Other people traveled just fine and didn't send the economy on a spiral. He knew personally that both the micro and macro economies in Dicea were doing just fine--flourishing, even! He was just being a worrywart.

He looked over in slight surprise at hearing that Dr. Kimura was going to give them all check-ups, but...that made sense. And made things easier to plan... He sighed a bit, knowing already that Kaito was going to have to pull him out of his head about the trip more than just today.

...though what he brought up was good for getting Kokichi stuck in other parts of his head.

"...no," he said softly after a moment. "She was the only one to do that for me. The others...they were dismissed for medical malpractice, to make a long story short."

Kaito ran that term in his head. 'Medical Malpractice'. He knew what it meant, of course...that they had made some big, costly mistake, or were just real shit at their jobs, or had exploited their posi-

...hmmm...

"And...if you made a short story long?"

Kokichi sighed quietly and adjusted himself as gently as he could to nose a bit at Kaito's arm. "...I know you're curious, but these are all people who...well, didn't treat me very well. They've all either had to go through retraining or have had their licenses revoked, and it happened a long time ago, so... If I tell you some of the stuff that happened, are you going to be able to listen to it? They're not people you have to go after, and I'll likely never see them again in my life."

"I trust you," and he really did, "but I don't want to tell you things that will just make you pissed without being able to do anything about it."

"...I mean...I technically wouldn't do anything about it..." Kaito muttered, already feeling his blood boil a little as...his husband recognized the stories were something that would drive Kaito nuts. Which, historically in their relationship, meant that these were stories of people who had done unforgivable things...and had been forgiven anyway.

A somewhat murderous look edged into Kaito's eyes. "But, like...Maki could probably find them in a weekend..."

Kaito indulged this dark desire for a moment...before sighing. Closing his eyes and easing some of that violent energy out of himself as he said, "Kidding. Kidding." Mostly. "I don't know. You don't have to tell me about it. Maybe these are stories you can tell me about someday, when I'm like...older and wiser or something. Or you can tell me now and, I'll just...stew in it, but, like...I still wouldn't do anything if you didn't want me to. I haven't yet, right?"

Well, he had left on the horse to find Maki and Shuuichi when Kokichi hadn't wanted him to...but Kokichi hadn't actually, specifically told Kaito not to go, and Kaito hadn't left with the intention of hurting anyone. Just retrieving his friends and stopping Maki from doing something terrible.

"I really am trying to stick to doing things your way," Kaito sighed. "I know maybe that's not super obvious, because...I get loud and aggressive sometimes...but I haven't actually hurt anyone since I've gotten here...well, except Maki when I was drugged. And General Juuzo during a spar, but that was more a lucky hit than anything, and he was pleased about it...does shoving Chisa into a wall count?"

"...Kai-chan, if Dr. Kimura's reputation is how it is just from being associated with the others, how do you think they're treated?" The healers that had hurt him...there were other ways to punish people besides killing them. People could change, and everyone had the capability to do both good and bad. Maybe they'd made a mistake, or maybe they'd meant to do what they had, but that didn't give anyone the right to make sure they'd never do anything ever again.

...Kokichi felt hypocritical, considering the plan for Luminary...but...if he got to the point he'd give Maki the okay...he wanted to figure out a way to ensure that if anyone could be spared... To be taken out of power, to stop them from hurting others...surely not everyone had to die...right?

And...for the people they'd already hurt...

Kokichi pressed his forehead against Kaito's arm and closed his eyes for a moment, frowning. He could see so many ways this could turn into another fight. "...do you really think hurting someone would solve anything? That, if you didn't decide to value my philosophies over your own, things would be better? I'm asking this seriously, Kaito. I want to understand your point of view too."

Ah geez...this felt like a trap.

It wasn't. Kaito knew that. Kokichi...didn't do things like that. But it still felt that way. Like he was being handed just enough rope to hang himself with, and once he had said his piece, then shit would really hit the fan, and he'd wish he hadn't said anything at all...

But, again, Kokichi...Kaito didn't think Kokichi would do things like that. He wasn't the type to set people up for failure, even if it was just to teach them a lesson. Kaito could...trust that...

Maki was wrong! He wasn't afraid of Kokichi! They had had fights and arguments before! And, not that Kaito wanted this to turn into one, but he wasn't going to bite his tongue just because...he really didn't want to upset Kokichi...or become less in his eyes...

Ugh, just...he asked, okay? He directly asked you a question. He wants to know! Just tell him!

So Kaito, despite himself, gave Kokichi a small grin and said, carefully considering his words... "...yeah? I mean...maybe not," Kaito said, immediately frustrated with himself. Yes, but maybe no? Right. Real assertive there, Kaito. Really telling him what you think.

"I mean...violence solves...lots of things...most things..." Kaito muttered, looking off into a random corner of the room, not really able to look Kokichi directly in the eye. "And...if you felt like you didn't have to hurt anyone to get any of the things you have...it's probably because you're not acknowledging the people who did it on your behalf...maybe...I don't know, maybe, I'm not, like...I don't know. That's just how things were in Luminary. I know it's different here," Kaito muttered, backpedaling immediately. "And it works here, so... I don't know."

Violence solved most things--in Luminary. A place that was how Kaito knew it to be because of violence. A bloody uprising, the continued, constant exploitation of the people. So...from Kaito's point of view, it really was a viable way to solve problems. In Luminary.

Kokichi placed a soft kiss right above Kaito's elbow. "I'm sorry that it meant you had to leave your home...but I'm glad Kai-chan came to Dicea and not that I went to Luminary. I wouldn't be able to survive there."

Hell, he'd nearly died in Dicea just because of a few Luminaries. If he had been stuck in a place where violence was the best answer for most things, where kindness would just be abused...if he hadn't been killed from Tengan or Chisa's meddling, he might've just offed himself. He wouldn't be able to stand it.

"No! You would have been fine! I'd have protected you!" Kaito said, shocked at the very idea. "I mean...you would have probably been married to Byakuya, so our relationship would have been different...but Byakuya wouldn't have let anything happen to you either, and as my brother-in-law, I'd have watched out for you," Kaito assured his husband, giving him a bright, reassuring grin. "I'd have taken you to the taverns to meet people from university...you and Kaede would probably get along great...and you could have had anything your heart desired. As the Prince-Consort of the Heir Apparent, no one could have ever denied you anything."

Well...except Byakuya, of course.

It was actually a very strange thought experiment, thinking of how...extremely different things would have been, if Kokichi had been sent to Luminary instead of Kaito to Dicea. Kaito wondered if Kokichi and himself would have found each other as attractive, if they hadn't been sworn to each other since they had first met.

...he wondered if Byakuya would have been kinder to Kokichi than the other people he's been in relationships with, if not just because they would have been married, but Kokichi's heart condition...his brother would have had to have been gentler with the Dicean. He would have recognized that. He would have had to.

And...if he hadn't...well, Kokichi didn't have to spend all his time with Byakuya. His brother would have been a busy person anyway. Kokichi could have just hung out with Kaito, Maki, Shuuichi...and all sorts of people who had...more time available to them, to be gentle with the ill Dicean Prince...

Yeah! He'd have been fine!

...still. Probably better Kaito came here though. If just to spare Kokichi the, ya know...culture shock and stuff.

Again, Kokichi felt the multitudes of ways this could go poorly. If Maki and Shuuichi's theory was right, and Kaito couldn't acknowledge the actual state of Luminary...trying to force him to would just...

He wasn't a psychologist, Kokichi reminded himself again. He couldn't put Kaito in that sort of position.

But it didn't sit right with Kokichi to just say okay and let it all go.

"It's really hard to protect people from themselves, Kai-chan. You can help, but at the end of the day it's a fight they need to win by their own hand." Kokichi sighed a bit, worried, terrified with every word that it would be the one to break his husband. "As much as I love candy, what I desire most isn't a material good, and it's not something I would be able to have in Luminary. So...I'll just be thankful that things turned out this way."

What Kokichi wanted most was the knowledge that his people were safe and happy. And...for the most part, in Dicea, they were. People were allowed to...live. To be people, in all their weirdness and passion. No one was...forced into slavery, killed as part of a 'solution', exploited for greed, forced to toil with the knowledge that everything could crumble in a moment...

No matter the physical comfort Kokichi would've had in Luminary, the knowledge that people suffered for it would've killed him. And that was why...it was so difficult for him to accept that that was how Kaito wanted to solve problems in Dicea.

Kaito wondered what Kokichi would want that he couldn't get in Luminary. Maybe...Ikuo? Like, seeing his dad would be much harder, certainly, and that would have been a real bummer, with the war ending and everything...yeah. Kaito supposed that could be it.

"I guess I get that. Life's not all about things. It's relationships and stuff...you would have had to give up a lot of things that mattered to you to come to Luminary, and I'm glad you didn't have to do that," Kaito agreed, shrugging, before looking up and giving Kokichi a somewhat playful smile. "But, still, there were a lot of cool events and stuff back in Luminary that would have been fun to take you to. Horse races and fighting rings and...well, actually no, you'd have hated that...oh! I could have shown you the Atua Temple in the capital! Not the castle temple, which was beautiful, but small. No, this temple is huge. Like, so big that it had living quarters inside of it and offices and a marketplace even! All within these five massive dome shaped buildings, and in the center dome, which is just filled with art pieces and wealth accumulated from a century's worth of donations and pilgrimages and crusades, like, it's an old building but so damn..."

Kaito shook his head, grinning wide. Almost able to see it. The sheer grandeur of the place. Its massive pillars and thousands of pews, all circling around a podium stage, backed by statues and homages to Atua and all of the lesser gods...

"...and during the day, everything is lit up by these huge, mosaic all glass circles all over the ceiling, which fills the room with all these beautiful colors, and at night they light all these candles that sparkle and shimmer against these massive, golden walls that reflect the candles in a certain way that it looks like the massive dome is filled with thousands of golden stars...it was incredible. I didn't visit it as much as you'd think I would...we had the castle temple, after all, and Priestess Meruko asked me once that, if I had the option, to avoid worshiping there and stick to the castle temple if I could, and I promised her I would, so..." Kaito shrugged. "But the family would have to go to the main temple for big, important religious holidays and events and stuff, and man....I was always blown away by it...just amazing..."

Even if a lot of his thoughts had been Kokichi desperately trying to understand why Luminary existed...not everything about it was a nightmare. People living their everyday lives, while it wouldn't look like a life in Dicea, were still special. And all the things that came from that too.

While Kokichi didn't want Kaito anywhere near the possible revolution, after that...

He listened to the description of the temple, closing his eyes and imagining such a place...if...maybe a little lavish, it did sound beautiful. "...when things calm down...I really would like to see Luminary one day. Seeing all the things Kai-chan loves about it. You could even play tour guide for me, reverse our roles a little," he grinned up at his husband.

...even if things would likely be different.

"Yeah! That'd be awesome, 'Kichi," Kaito said, feeling much better now that they were on surer footing in the conversation. Good. It sounded like he had finally explained something right. No look of horror on Kokichi's face. Good! "There's lots of cool things to see. And I think my mother would like you a lot. She's actually in charge of a lot of social programs back there, so...honestly, Luminary probably could benefit from some outside advice, ya know? We have a lot of policies in place that really are only there because we haven't thought of anything better, I think," Kaito admitted sheepishly. "And it does seem like your people are kinda better taken care of than ours. Mom works hard at it, but...she'd probably love to know how you all actually made social programs work, ya know?"

And wasn't that why Atua had given Kaito to Kokichi anyway? Isn't that what Kaito had reasoned, back when they had first discussed this in the greenhouse? Kaito hadn't been sent away for literally no reason, after all. The Momota family could use the advice of the Dicean family, for things that still didn't quite...work. At home. The merging of cultures. That was half the point of him being here, right?

Ah well. They had time to work out the kinks. Speaking of...

"How's your stomach feeling, beautiful? Still gonna explode?" Katio asked, giving his husband another sympathetic smile. "It's probably not gonna get better if you just lie there. Still could make that trip to the med bay..."

That was...a step. Kokichi was surprised that Kaito could even admit that Luminary could be improved (could use improvements) and...it gave him hope that Maki was right and he really could start to reason out for himself why things...may happen.

Kokichi gave Kaito a soft smile even if everything he'd heard about Queen Sayaka didn't exactly paint the picture that she'd like him much...but that was a future problem. "If she wants to know anything about Dicean policy, or any of your family, really, I'd be happy to explain to the best of my abilities. I'm sure I'll be learning plenty about Luminary from all types while we're there."

That was actually true. Kokichi really did want to learn about what was there that made up the country once all the exploitation stuff was...fixed. He would never wish for Luminary to be a carbon copy of Dicea--he specifically hated the idea of invasion--but he wanted to see what the country looked like when it was actually taking care of its citizens.

"Says you," Kokichi huffed, reminded of his stomachache, tragically. Scrunching his eyes closed, he butted his head into Kaito's arm with a groan. "I'll lie in pain here for a million years. And my husband will laugh at my stupidity through every second. That's the story of my life."

Kaito rolled his eyes, leaned over to give Kokichi a small kiss, and said, "What a brat. Alright, guess it's time to channel my inner-Maki. Shut up, stay here, I'm gonna go see if I can't wrangle up some stomach medicine for you."

Giving Kokichi one more kiss, Kaito got up, stretched, threw a shirt on, headed to the door...decided to check on his hair, just, real quick, did that for a few minutes, and then headed out. He wasn't too worried about leaving Kokichi alone for the twenty total minutes he would take. While still not walking, Kokichi otherwise seemed lively and full of color, especially today, and frankly he seemed almost back to normal. His voice was strong, he wasn't falling in and out of sleep randomly, and he seemed to have an easy enough time squirming around in place, at least, which was leagues better than not even being able to lift his arms.

Not to mention their little adventure in the tub that morning. Kokichi just two days ago couldn't have done anything like that.

Mmmmm...that had been a lot of fun....

Kaito, indulging in the memory a bit (he was still quite proud of how he had handled himself, honestly. He kept looking back over the memory and couldn't find a moment in it where he had acted creepy or a bully, at least not that he recognized. Well, maybe the bite...but Kokichi said he didn't mind those, so...), blushed lightly as he headed downstairs and towards the med wing.

When he got to them, he explained the issue and asked if there was anything they could give him, and after a bit they had come back with two tablets, and instructions to dissolve them in water and have him drink it. "Do you need one of us to come up, Prince Kaito?" one of them had asked, concerned.

All of the healers were...a tad more comfortable around the foreign prince now, if only because he seemed to take his duties towards his husband extremely seriously, if the last six days were any indication. And the Luminaries, during their shifts, seemed to be doing a decent job watching over the heir-apparent...but that didn't mean he still couldn't make a mistake. And allowing Kokichi to overeat to the point of hurting himself? While, certainly that wasn't...a usual issue for the malnourished prince, and not something they were in the habit of watching out for... it still certainly wouldn't have happened if he had just left Kokichi's care to the healers...

That was what a few of them thought to themselves, and would later whisper to each other. No one brought it up with the famously temperamental Luminary though.

"Nah, it's alright. Dissolve in water, have him drink it. Easy," Kaito said, giving the small group an appreciative grin. "Thanks! Keep up the good work!"

Kaito thought about asking them if there was any office space that could be put aside for Dr. Kimura, for when she started doing regular check-ups and visits...but, well, he should probably leave that conversation for Kokichi. It'd probably sound better coming from their heir-apparent, rather than his prince-consort. Kaito was just excited. He wanted to set up his sidekick for success. He was really looking forward to seeing what she would accomplish!

Humming cheerfully to himself, Kaito left the med ward and headed back up.

"Ah, my darling husband. What would I ever do without him," Kokichi dryly drawled, though he did smile and return one of the kisses, murmuring a much more genuine, “Love you," as Kaito actually got up.

His kind, supportive, hot-and-he-knows-it husband...Kokichi couldn't fathom how Kaito had managed to be who he was amid everything that was his family. The greed and vengeance and cold-heartedness... It probably just made Kaito even more special to be able to flourish in that environment.

And it would crush him to see everything else taken away.

Kokichi closed his eyes and let his smile drop long after Kaito had left, curling into himself more as he sighed. Doing something hard for the sake of others...he really needed to talk to Shuuichi about Kaede's plan. Hopefully he wouldn't be high off new medication the next time he saw him.

By the time Kaito had returned to their room, Kokichi had dozed off, his face set in a slight frown both from the thoughts that had lingered before sleep and from the pain in his overstuffed tummy.

Asleep? Ah, well...he was mostly back to normal, anyway.

Kaito put the tablets and a small glass of water on the nightstand next to Kokichi, wondering if he ought to wake his husband up just long enough for him to drink it. It would suck to disturb him, especially when being awake brought him back to his discomfort...but the tablets would probably help more in the long run. Right?

So, placing a gentle hand on Kokichi's shoulder, and pressing a kiss to his temple to rouse him, Kaito murmured, "Hey, sorry, babe. You can go right back to sleep after, okay? But just drink this real quick. You'll feel better when you wake up then."

"Mmrrph?" Kokichi stirred in bleary confusion, not having realized he'd dozed off in the first place. While he was doing a lot better...well, some things never changed. But, hey! Two naps in a day was a lot better than his usual sick record! And one was because he'd cum and Kokichi always felt sleepy after that, no matter how he was feeling otherwise.

Blinking slowly, Kokichi grimaced at the mention of drinking something, but he obliged and started trying to sit up. Which was...difficult, but not because of his body per se. Kokichi had to keep one hand pressed to his mouth as he scooted up, trying not to throw up as he jostled himself.

Never again. It didn't matter how intense his sweet tooth got--this was TOTALLY not worth it!

Mostly sitting up though he was leaning back against his pillows, giving his rounded belly room to breathe, Kokichi swallowed a few times before holding his hand out for the glass. "This better be worth sitting up for..."

"I'm sorry, babe. It's supposed to help," Kaito said, feeling a little bad, but unable to keep the grin off his face. Poor guy...his poor sweet thing...

Putting the tablets in, he watched them dissolve quickly, little bubbles rising up from the bottom of the glass, and after a moment brought Kokichi the glass. "I think it's supposed to help the gas. Small sips, 'Kichi, you got this. Then you can take a real nap. Or, really, probably just go to bed by this point. It's not late or anything, but a good night of sleep is probably just what you need. And I'll be watching over you till Maki gets here."

Kokichi shrugged a bit, taking the cup. "I'm sure the healers know all sorts 'a tricks for stomachaches. Whatever helps, at this point." And with that, he took, yes, small sips, metering them out slowly, even if swallowing made him feel a little sick. He'd learned well enough that even if he didn't like medicine, he still had to take it. At least when it came to the castle healers--he wasn't in the habit of just popping anything anyone gave him.

Drinking slowly, Kokichi rubbed one of his eyes a bit and shook his head. "Nah, I didn't mean to fall asleep. If I want to sleep through the whole night, I should probably stay up a little more. As fun as chattin' with Maki-chan in the middle of the night would be, I think I should probably make an attempt at having a normal sleep schedule before I inevitably mess it up again. Especially since we'll be traveling soon and I won't have the luxury of just working whenever I feel like it."

Well, he wouldn't be working at all while they were on vacation, but he still had to try to match the others' sleep schedules. It'd make everything waaaaay easier. And, like, he wanted to be alert enough to watch everything while they were on the road. It wasn't just the coast he'd have the opportunity to see for the first time. Even the forest right outside of town was foreign and exciting.

A small, sweet smile graced Kokichi's lips again as he thought about his excitement for the trip. Before he had to quickly cover his mouth to suppress a flurry of small burps.

Kaito couldn't help himself. He laughed.

"Dude, you're too cute. If you need to burp, just burp. Like...do anything you need to do," Kaito said, smiling somewhat in embarrassment. "I've wiped your ass for you, dude, you uh...I think we went past the point of that kind of intimacy the first time I did that. Which you shouldn't be embarrassed about! That's just a thing for every couple, eventually. Heck, it's not even a first for me!"

Kaito sat beside Kokichi, keeping an eye on his hands and the cup, still wary of Kokichi maybe losing his grip, though, again, he seemed to be doing a lot better. Getting into 'story mode', he rambled cheerfully as he watched. "I had a girlfriend who used to get, just...knock out drunk. Constantly. She had a problem, honestly, but we were in university and kind of everyone was getting knock-out drunk a lot, so...well, all that to say that so long as she's in uni, I think she'll have a hard time recognizing she has a problem. I never convinced her anyway," Kaito said, with a shrug.

"But...and I'm only telling you this because, honestly, what are the chances you'll ever meet her...though if you ever meet her pleeaaaaaaaaase don't tell her I told you this, she would be embarrassed… Well, when she was really, really drunk, like, obliterated drunk, she'd completely lose control of, like, all of her body functions. She'd shit herself, is what I'm saying," Kaito sighed, rubbing his temple. "Uhhhh...it happened waaaay more than once. And, like, I couldn't just let her sit in it! But she could always barely move, so...yeah. All that to say that, ya know...shit happens," Kaito said with a laugh.

"Ahhhh...I hope she's doing alright. She really needs to get that drinking under control...oh, and, while I'm sure they're all alright, she was one of my ex's to send me a letter. I asked Kaede, Byakuya and Fuyuhiko to check in on her. Again...I'm sure she's alright..."

Kokichi flushed deeply and went to hide behind his arms before the movement agitated his stomach and stopped him fast. So...he just pouted at Kaito instead. "Well it still is embarrassing for me! I don't want you to have to...feed me and wipe my face and help me use the bathroom and all that embarrassing stuff, but the alternative is wallowing in my own filth, so?!" Kokichi huffed and sipped at the water some more, just feeling...like a baby, having to make his husband deal with all his gross bodily functions.

Sure, it wasn't to the degree of some of the stuff Kaito had to help him with, but...burping was still embarrassing. Kokichi never burped in front of anyone if he could help it.

Though...he sighed softly, hearing about Kaito's ex, setting the cup to the side once he'd finished and started to rub his stomach again. "...if she has your brother, cousin, and a future...crime lord? If that's the right way to talk about Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, then I'm sure she'll be alright. The rest of your ex's too. Since it's you that asked, I'm sure they'll do everything they can to make sure your ex's are looked after."

It was still...really scary that the Remnants had managed to track down so many people connected to Kaito, but...until they heard differently, Kokichi would choose to believe that things were okay. There was nothing they could do about it either way.

...speaking of that, though...

"...oh shit. I never wrote back to your brother..." Kokichi's mouth twisted to the side.

Kaito gave his husband a small smile, waiting for his outburst to end before leaning over and kissing him on the forehead. "I'm certain you'd do the same for me, if the situation was reversed...or, like, you'd try, ya know? And then maybe you'd get someone taller to help you? But the sentiment would be there, I'm sure. I have full faith in my husband that he'd deal with all my gross body stuff if I needed him to. Because, again, that's what couples do. So what's to be ashamed of?"

"Yeah, he's a total crime lord," Kaito admitted, thinking of the baby-face gangster with a small grin. "And he's an asshole. Like...a real asshole, 'Kichi. You accidentally get a person stranded in a different town because you thought he was part of the elementary school field trip one time...and he holds it against you for four years..." Kaito groaned...though he chuckled too. It all felt like a long time ago now, honestly. "And he has this Indentured sworn to him...she was terrifying. She never forgave me for accidentally kind of kidnapping him on her watch. And that caused her and Maki to have this whole thing...it was a disaster. But, he's a super reliable guy, once he's on your side, with a shit ton of resources and this, like, honor code to use all of them if he thinks it'll help. If anyone can watch out for them, it's definitely him. Not that Kaede and Byakuya both couldn't. They just...they might be busy, ya know? It was worth it to ask all three," Kaito said with a shrug.

Kaito gave Kokichi a small, confused look...before shrugging again. "It's alright. I wrote him back the day I got the letter, and...he's not big on people talking back to him? Like, unless he asked you a question in it, which I don't think he did? He was probably just sending that letter to yell at you. I'm not sure if a response would have helped anything."

...dammit he would. Kokichi had stuck by Kaito's side all through his concussion, had done everything he could for his husband without a second thought, and, if they'd been in a reality where Kokichi was strong enough to lift Kaito, tall enough to reach around him easily? He would've helped with all the gross body stuff healers had had to do instead.

...but it was still embarrassing.

Kokichi heaved as deep a sigh as his body would allow, getting a better picture of what had caused his feud with Fuyuhiko in high school. God. "I dunno, Kai-chan, I mostly thought it was funny you thought I was a teenager, but that was mostly because I was kinda driving our situation, leading you around town and all that. For someone that doesn't have my incredible sense of humor and was stranded? Kinda sounds to me bein' pissed at that isn't totally asshole-y. At least you worked it out."

...the Kuzuryuu Clan took advantage of the indentured citizen program too? Maki had said that they might be people to rely on though, so...he would have to defer to Maki and Kaede there. Maki especially. If nothing else, he wouldn't have to worry about sussing out anyone's intentions when it came to the program--there was no way Maki would allow anything suspicious on that front.

Kokichi wrinkled his nose a bit, thinking about that letter. He wasn't even sure what he really wanted to say to Byakuya, but it wasn't nothing. And it wouldn't be raging either. For Kaito's sake...Kokichi wanted to try to be the bigger person. Metaphorically.

"Too bad for him since I'm big on talking back to people," he grumbled, having to give his tummy a few more rubs as it protested some more. "If I never had to talk to him again, whatever, I'd just throw the letter away, but I'm not gonna let someone just yell at me and accuse me of abusing my husband and threaten to start a war over it and insult my country without at least sending a dick drawing back."

Kaito's grin became increasingly nervous. "Oh, god, Kokichi, please don't send my brother pictures of dicks, he's got a temper and he never forgets anything...please don't do that."

Kokichi sighed a bit and patted Kaito's arm. "I'm not gonna send him pictures of dicks. He doesn't deserve my art, frankly. But I do want to write him back regarding that letter. Even aside from my personal feelings, a letter like that is completely inappropriate, and, frankly, incredibly childish. I am not his punching bag, and I won't be treated like one."

There were...a lot of digs he could make at Byakuya, but most of them would only hurt Kaito too. So he kept his mouth shut...and might even in that letter, but that could just depend on his mood at the time he would get around to writing it.

Kaito started pressing his good hand’s joints against his chest, a small bead of sweat starting to form at his hairline as he grinned wide, laughing nervously. "No, no, of course you're not...it was all just a misunderstanding, everything's fine...I just, ya know...I mean, of course you can write anything you want to him, but..."

Oof, okay, he needed to get off this topic. Maybe if he distracted him with something else, Kokichi would forget about writing a return letter, for, like...ever? Forever was probably the safest way to go about it.

Shit, come on, Momota, what else was there to talk about??

"Speaking of art!" Kaito said, clapping his hands together (owowOW, Kaito, the cast, for fuck’s sake remember your arm you idiot!), looking around the room for inspiration, glancing up at Kokichi's bookcase. "Do...you...own any artbooks? Or...have an artist or artstyle you're particularly fond of?!" he asked Kokichi earnestly, giving him a wide grin. "I brought from home some specially made posters of some of my favorite saints to hang up on the walls of my shrine to Atua, whenever I get around to that. They're really pretty, do you wanna see?!"

The rumors that reached Byakuya were a misunderstanding, but his reaction was not. Kaito's brother clearly cared about him, but, with the knowledge Kokichi now had...the type of care was...likely complicated, if nothing else. However, even for the person you cared most about, putting countless people at risk in their name was irresponsible at best and malicious at worst. Hopefully Byakuya would never have the chance to have that sort of power...but, again. A lot of letters had to happen before that.

...honestly, Kokichi had no idea how Byakuya could hate Tengan and not recognize the cruelty in himself. It was such a lack of self-identification that baffled him.

But he didn't need to stress Kaito out over all of that.

Smiling softly, Kokichi gave his husband a nod. "I'd love to see them, Kai-chan. I have a few artbooks, some from local artists, some from the Dicean masters, but," he snorted a little bit, "if you can tell by my very high-class gallery on the walls, I have a fondness for cartoons. I love how expressive they can be."

"Actually...I have a picture of my dad up there that I drew, if you wanted a sneak peek of what he looks like."

"Heck yeah, let me take a look," Kaito said, thrilled to be off the old topic and onto the new one.

As Kaito got off the bed and went to where he had pointed out, he looked at the assortment of drawings with renewed interest, now that he knew Kokichi himself had drawn at the very least some of them. "This one?" he asked, pointing at a picture of a man wearing a yellow hat. "This the famous bunny-man? These are really cool, by the way. I didn't realize you had drawn these yourself, 'Kichi."

"Mhmm." Kokichi looked over at the drawing fondly, the only one that featured himself. He'd drawn it when he was pretty little, so it wasn't the most accurate picture, but Kokichi hadn't been able to bring himself to try drawing Ikuo again...maybe so he wouldn't have to face all the little things about his dad that he'd forgotten.

But the feeling in the childish cartoon of a stocky, shorter man dressed in pastels, a shadow over his face, holding the hand of a much smaller figure with unruly purple hair that curled up at the ends, a big grin on its face...to Kokichi, it was better than even an official portrait.

"A lot of the workshops held here tend to be art classes, but I've always liked doodling 'n stuff. It's something I can do from bed easily, so..." he drew out the word, gesturing to the plethora of drawings pinned up among the letters. Then his gaze drifted to his husband, and Kokichi smirked. "I should draw you sometime. Maybe make that lie from before a reality," he winked.

Kaito felt a small red burn in his cheeks as he realized exactly what Kokichi was referring to, before chuckling a little. "Only if you also draw yourself in that...what was it? Virgin Killer sweater? That thing sounds like a riot. Maybe we should order one? Not for you, I mean; for me. I'll wear it to the next party we get invited to. You'd be cool with that, right?" Kaito teased, looking fondly at the picture, his eyes, honestly, mostly focused on what he now realized was most likely a baby Kokichi on the wall.

Cute...oh!

"You're good at drawing...maybe you could draw me some more portraits of the saints? If I describe them to you? Shuuichi would, but, you've kinda got him beat, ya know? And I can't draw to save my life. Maybe stick figures...nah, probably not even that." Kaito laughed. "I was only able to bring my favorite three with me, but there are more saints I'd like to pay tribute to, every now and again, ya know? And having a picture of them around to talk to is kinda nice."

Kaito went to the closet, where he had the three posters rolled up and tucked away into a corner, picking one at random. Opening it up (aw, perfect. Kokichi will love this one!), he showed it to Kokichi from the closet. "This is Saint Sarah-Mei! She was the concubine of King Luther, and she and his wife hated each other, right? To the point that, it's suspected, the queen had taken the concubine down this strange, deserted winding path between two towns because she was planning to get rid of her during the journey, jealous of the king's love for her. But when Queen Allia suddenly went into an early and difficult labor during the long carriage ride together, and only Sarah-Mei was around who knew anything about childbirth, instead of taking vengeance on the wife and leaving her to her fate, Sarah-Mei played as her midwife, staying by her side as the carriage driver had to drive carefully for two hours to get to the nearest healer, and then sticking by her side for another eight hours, helping her safely deliver a princess. The queen, grateful, named that princess Sarah-Mercy in her honor. She's so cool," Kaito said, his eyes bright with wonder as he showed Kokichi the poster. "And when Sarah-Mercy grew up, she repaid this debt of her life to the saint by changing the laws that concubines were legally required to be given a portion of the inheritance if their caretakers died. It was a big deal."

The poster was...it was...

Look, plainly? In the realm of the narrative? It was drawn like an old school pin-up art of a woman from Asian descent, scantily dressed, closely and...somewhat sexily holding another, faceless woman close to her breasts, with golden, circular religious-style sigils decorating the background. It looked like the sort of thing maybe a sailor with a particular kind of fetish might hang up in his rack, or a school boy with extremely nuanced taste in body pillow art might hang in his gym locker.

And Kaito held it carefully and reverently.

"She was named a Saint of Atua for her mercy and patience towards an enemy. I brought her poster in case I needed a reminder to behave while I was here...ya know. In case you guys made it a difficult thing for me to do," Kaito said with a sheepish shrug. "Which, thankfully, you never did."

Kokichi snickered, though a blush of his own grew on his cheeks. He...could be convinced to draw himself in that monstrosity, but only if it'd only be for Kaito's eyes. Kaito was the only person he ever wanted to see him in that sort of context, after all. And while he didn't mind people seeing Kaito in that sort of context--his husband obviously enjoyed the attention--there was a limit.

"Pff, you know, it'd probably look bad on my end if I didn't stop my husband from committing public indecency. As hot as Kai-chan would look in it, it wouldn't exactly cover enough to flirt with the edge of those laws." He shook his head and gave Kaito a grin. "Though, I wouldn't mind if you wanted one to wear in our room."

He quickly sobered at hearing Kaito's request, however, his eyebrows rising in surprise. "I-I mean, if you want? Sure? And I don't think I, like, outclass Shuu-chan or anything. From all the drawings of his I've seen, I like 'em!" They just had different styles! And...sure, Kokichi could draw more realistically, as proved by the landscapes from his window that were pinned to the wall, but that was just because he'd taken classes! If Shuuichi took classes, he'd be just as good, or even better. Hell, even Kaito could be good if he put work into it.

Amidst his internal bluster, though, Kokichi listened to the story of the saint Kaito was talking about. And...while the story seemed in the same vein as other religious stories he'd heard, the...portrait...

Kokichi bit his lip to keep from openly gawking, though he couldn't stop his eyes from widening at the...portrait. That was...huh.

"I...don't know if I'd be able to get...er, that kind of style right..." He'd drawn nude models before, sure, but he'd never tried erotic art. "But I could still try if you wanted?" Don't say anything weird about your husband's religion, Kokichi, DON'T. "...is that sort of style common for depictions of the saints?"

"Basically, yeah," Kaito said, looking over the poster with a fond smile and...just legitimately seeing nothing unusual in it. "Though, not in poster style. That's just for me to be able to get it here more or less okay, ya know? Mostly they're done up like this in, like, mosaic glass portraits or these really, really beautiful metal castings, statues, that sort of thing. Whether the saints are portrayed right side up or upside down has, like, a lot of, like, hierarchical significance, if they're faced towards or away from the audience can be an indication of the kind of thing they did to claim sainthood. Obviously, Saint Sarah-Mei is upside down because she's a lesser saint, but being on her side, facing another woman is clear symbolism for how her act of Sainthood was done for and resulted in the well being of other woman...sorry, sorry, I just..."

Kaito shook his head, realizing he was rambling. "I know, I probably sound like a fanatic, knowing all these little details about my religion… I just spent a lot of time at the temple growing up and, I just...well, when you spend a lot of time somewhere, you absorb a lot of what's going on there, ya know? And some of the stories are really cool, but, like...proooobably exaggerated over time? Ya know?" Kaito admitted, rolling up Sarah-Mei and picking another poster up, peeking in to see if he had the right one. "Like, this one? This might be more an allegory than something that actually happened, ya know? But it’s still super cool!"

He opened up this poster, and it was a red-headed white woman, standing upright, looking over her shoulder with a small little surprised face as a large, black...notably phallic snake curled up around her legs, through her thigh, hissing its tongue at her from her back, the way its wrap was positioned squeezing at her bubbly buttocks, her back twisting somehow in just the right position to be able to show off to the viewer her ample bosom.

She was...technically wearing a white dress. Though you had to go out of your way to look for its thin outline to realize she was wearing one.

Behind her head, though, was an intricate white and gold religious sigil, clearly showing off the surprised, slightly bent over woman was a religious figure of some sort.

"Saint Meridan. Probably one of the most famous Saints of Atua. Her parents, in a moment of desperation, had intended to sell one of their daughters to the brothels, and chose their least loved daughter, Cassidy, who was a rebellious child often known for sleeping with strangers, to go. But her twin sister, Meridan, their polite, virgin child who their parents loved most of all, saw her little twin weeping at her fate, and the night before she was meant to leave, Meridan told Cassidy that she would, in secret, take her place. Atua, astounded by this level of courage and generosity in one of his newly made concubines, fell in love with her, and told the brothels that she couldn't be sold to anyone, because when she passed on, she was going to be the wife of a God."

"But then, this guy!" Kaito said, dramatically pointing to the snake, "That's the lesser god, Bathul! He's the God of Thieves and Rogues, and when he heard Atua had taken a wife, decided to make it a personal challenge to take her away from him. So while she lived, Bathul took the form of many, many suitors who tried to woo and win her affections...but Saint Meridan stayed strong! Knowing she was betrothed to Atua! Now, the part that gets a little...maaaaybe unrealistic? Is that every time she denied a suitor, Atua gave her superpowers? Like one suitor tried to charm her with words, she denied him, and Atua made her capable of always being able to tell truths from lies. Okay, okay, sure. But another suitor cornered her on a balcony to get her to talk to him, and she, like...leapt from the balcony to get away from him? So Atua gave her the gift of flight? I mean....maaaybe that actually happened?" Kaito said, looking at the poster curiously. "Or it could be a metaphor. Either way, she was suuuper overpowered by the time she died, if she actually got all those powers he was said to gift to her, and according to the stories she used all those powers to help people in need, essentially being a hero in her time, especially those sold to the brothels and children. Entirely real or not, it's a cool story! She's amazing!"

...huh.

...well, Kokichi wasn't religious. Maybe it was just different for people who were. Kokichi shrugged a bit at Kaito's sandbagging. "It's not that weird to really get into your religion. It's only natural that if you're interested in something you learn a ton about it," he agreed.

A little more prepared for it, Kokichi was able to keep a straight face at the next poster Kaito brought out, even if it seemed even more erotic than the last. Kokichi didn't even like women, and the posters still seemed like too much to him. Maybe...the religion just had a hard time gaining popularity when it was first starting out, so someone commissioned that the saints would be depicted like this and...it'd just stuck around?

Maybe.

His preparation didn't keep Kokichi from clenching his jaw at...even in brothels, people were forced into sex work too?? Sold into it? He didn't know why he would even expect Luminary to treat their sex workers well when they didn't give that decency to anyone else.

...still, he tried to give Kaito a smile. "It'd be pretty wild if superpowers like that really existed. Whatever the actual case of the stories, the Atuan Saints sound like they all embody some pretty solid virtues. Loyalty and empathy, I mean, just from the two you've told me."

"Yeah!" Kaito said, clearly thrilled that he hadn't explained it wrong, giving the poster one last reverent look before carefully rolling it up again, putting it back. "That's exactly it! They all embody, like...admirable virtues! Loyalty, empathy, courage in the face of life threatening danger!" Kaito said, thinking of the last poster, but figuring Kokichi probably needed a break from indulging in Kaito gushing about his religion.

Making sure the posters were secure, Kaito closed the closet behind him, giving Kokichi an endlessly pleased smile as he went to go sit back on the bed with him. "And they inspired that in their followers too. I grew up reading everything the temples and the libraries had on the knights who went on quests in their names and people who evoked the saints to inspire or do cool things for other people. And everyone noteworthy always got these cool titles...it's why I made up one when I was kid," Kaito admitted, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I used to pretend I was one of the Saints when I was a kid, and I'd make up these adventures for us to go on, and, well....needed a cool title for that, right? Saint Meridan, Pure Wife of Atua, Saint Sarah-Mei, The Hand of Mercy...Kaito Momota, Luminary Prince of the Stars! ...that was before I realized only women could be Saints. But it was still fun," Kaito said, laughing.

Feeling warm and rejuvenated after talking at length about one of his favorite topics, Kaito looked over his husband, giving him an apologetic grin. "Sorry. I didn't mean to go on and on like that. Feeling any better? Did you drink all of it, babe?"

Kokichi knew he knew the reason why, but, in the face of the major religion encouraging such virtues...it was...pretty gross to see how people actually acted. Thinking back to their wedding day...only Kaito and the priestess had been particularly reverent. He wondered if there was actually anyone else in Kaito's family who even cared about the religion.

As Kaito came back to the bed, Kokichi snuggled over to his side, nuzzling his arm a bit. He wanted to ask why only women could be saints, who decided that, if Atua loved his people (which was about the extent of what Kokichi knew about the ethos of the religion) then why wouldn't he love them equally? But, like talking about Luminary or Kaito's brother...were things that he had to be careful with. For Kaito's sanity.

"Cute..." he cooed, grinning at the origin of Kaito's title before humming and nuzzling at him again. "I don't mind it--Atua is important to you, so I'd never dissuade you from talking about it. Whatever Kai-chan is excited and passionate about, I'll always listen."

"Aaaaaaaand...I guess I feel a little better," Kokichi huffed, giving his stomach a few pats. "Less like I'm close but not to puking. Still full though..."

"Well, next time we won't eat so much," Kaito teased, giving his husband an openly adoring look, just...in a fantastic mood now.

Leaning over, through his shirt, Kaito gave Kokichi's stomach the lightest little kiss, making sure not to actually apply any pressure to it as he said, his voice a slight sing-song, "Kokichi's stomach hurts...but Atua loves you, and you'll feel better soon, Kokichi's stomach," Kaito told the organ, kissing it again.

Then, smiling, lying down on the bed perpendicular to Kokichi, lying on his elbows, Kaito kissed his hip, and said, "And Kokichi's hip is stiff...but Atua loves you too, and you'll feel better soon too, Kokichi's hip. What else of 'Kichi's hurts? Do his...ribs hurt?" Kaito asked, as if talking to his ribs, giving the spot just below Kokichi's chest a kiss. "Or...what about his chest? How are you feeling, chest? Any complaints? It's okay. Atua loves Kokichi's chest...and he loves 'Kichi's shoulders...and his arms...and all of his pretty little fingers...oh, can't forget his knees..."

And as Kaito assured each part of Kokichi that Atua loved it, he'd place a small kiss against the body part, before moving onto the next spot.

Finally, after kissing a good portion of Kokichi's body within reach (up to and including a quick, chaste kick to the base of Kokichi's cock), he finally went up to Kokichi's face, giving him a kiss on the forehead, his ears, his nose and the side of both his eyes, and gave him a look of pure love as he said, "And Atua loves Kokichi's lips, and his voice, and his strength, and his intelligence, and his patience, and his grace, and all of Kokichi very much, just like his husband does."

Kaito gave his husband a gentle kiss on the lips, smiling through the gesture as he said quietly to him, "Kaito loves all of Kokichi too."

"Wow, why didn't I just think of that. Such potent, wise advice," Kokichi snarked back, though it was said with a smile, unable to even pretend to be annoyed with Kaito in the face of a look like that. Or when Kaito was being so openly loving with him.

Kokichi's expression melted with every little kiss, his cheeks turning pink with affection. While he wasn't a believer...Kaito was, and for him to say stuff like that...it was basically an extension of him.

As Kaito made his way up to his face, Kokichi reached out and cupped his husband's jaw, leaning in to make the kiss on his lips two then three. "I love you. Every part, even if I don't want to straight-up steal your gimmick. Maybe when I'm feeling better I will, just waiting to catch you off guard so I can maybe make Kai-chan feel as loved as he makes me feel."

He grinned brightly but the affection persisted even through his mischief, and Kokichi made the kiss a fourth. And then the fifth, which he didn't pull away from, instead letting his lips linger as he stroked his thumb across Kaito's cheek, tenderness in every motion.

Kaito smiled through Kokichi's speech, allowing himself to be led back into more kisses, happy to lightly kiss and press into Kokichi's lips, going at the pace his husband set. He wanted to laugh and shiver at the same time, Kokichi probably not aware that the edges of Kaito's jaw had always been a little sensitive. His lips were soft, and Kaito loved the taste of him, nibbling at his lower lip and breathing in his scent.

His. Only his.

...within limits.

When Kokichi seemed to have enough of kissing him, loosening his already light grip on Kaito cheeks, Kaito rested his head on Kokichi's chest, listening to the sound of his husband’s heart beating for a moment. It was strong and consistent and alive and that was...that was good.

But as much as he was enjoying this moment of leaning against Kokichi, of feeling warm and affectionate and taken care of, Kaito was afraid to put any real weight into his husband, afraid of putting any pressure onto his chest, and Kaito sat up, asking Kokichi, "Think you can be moved now with exploding? Can I hold you?"

It was only the fact that Kokichi didn't want to have to make a trip to the bathroom to wash Kaito's hair gel off his hands that he didn't card his fingers through his husband's hair when Kaito laid his head on his chest. Still, as it was, Kokichi gazed down at him affectionately and trailed the tips of his fingers through the hair on the back of Kaito's neck, enjoying the feeling of Kaito resting on him...even if he'd probably enjoy it more if he wasn't bloated as all get out.

But the pain from it was muted now, more just a reminder that he'd eaten far too much and shouldn't eat any more any time soon. So Kokichi just rolled his eyes and pushed himself up, making himself available to be scooped up any way Kaito wanted. "Mmmm, I would say it's a coin flip, but I don't want to give you any reason to withhold my favorite activity. I want some good Kai-chan snuggling time!"

"Okay, well...I guess just try not to vomit on me. Like, aim for the sheets, we can always change those. I can't change out of my skin," Kaito laughed (his shirt having been abandoned basically as soon as he had come back from the med ward), carefully scooping up his husband and laying him against Kaito, sprawled in his lap.

Kissing Kokichi on the top of his head, Kaito grabbed the blanket as well, pulling it up and over them both as he said, "Aha! Tricked you! Snuggle time is turning into sleeping time. You're not escaping me until you're good and rested." Kaito did his best to do a quiet, maniacal laugh as he held Kokichi close to himself.

Kokichi squeaked as Kaito quickly laid them down and tucked them into bed, his cheeks coloring more as his shock turned into a pout. "I can't believe you... Kai-chan is getting too sneaky--of all the ways for Dicea to rub off on you," he teased, referencing something he wasn't even sure if Kaito remembered.

However, this was a scheme he didn't really want to get out of, so Kokichi just tugged down his shorts and kicked them off somewhere on the bottom of their bed. He wasn't a huge fan of sleeping in day clothes, but there was no way he was going to sleep in just his briefs when Maki would be coming by later to keep watch...even if he was probably okay to stop being watched all the time now.

...but it would be easier to convince everyone of that if he could actually get out of bed himself.

"Fiiiiine," Kokichi sighed before putting his hand over Kaito's, sliding it down to rest on top of his full belly. "But as penance for the trick, I want Kai-chan to rub my stomach until I can sleep. Heard it helps digestion or somethin', and at this point I want this all to be done with by the time I wake up."

Kaito snickered. "Sure, 'Kichi. Whatever you say, my grace. Just let me know if it starts to feel bad. Or, like, again...if you're gonna vomit."

So Kaito started to rub Kokichi's stomach, holding him close. And every now and again some random, inconsequential thing would come to mind and he'd murmur a few words about it, just to pass the time. But as he felt Kokichi start to still, Kaito continued to hold and to rub, and to amuse himself, fairly certain Kokichi was probably out by this point, he hummed quiet little nonsense songs. Melodies half remembered, or just the few notes of particular songs he had really liked, or sometimes just random notes put together with no thought or reason behind them.

And time went by, and the night went still, and Kaito himself was barely awake (and very likely hadn't been several times) when Maki finally showed up for her shift, giving Kaito a warm squeeze on his shoulder to indicate her presence to him.

"He had his tea?" she asked him quietly, as he laid his husband more comfortably out on the bed. "Anything to worry about?"

"Yes, and no. Had his tea for dinner. He's had a bit of a stomachache all day, but I'm sure it'll pass by the time he wakes up. Thanks, Maki," Kaito whispered to her, lying down next to him, tired and ready to sleep himself. "Tim? Shuuichi?"

"Timothy's friend came again today. Have I told you about her yet? A little pink-haired girl named Cali. She's...nice and she doesn't hold it against Tim for the fact that he doesn't smile as much as she does and...I'm worried about her spending time with him. Her mom's a front line fighter. She'll be returning with the others," Maki whispered with a sigh. "What do you think? Should I make him keep his distance?"

Kaito sleepily considered this, before saying quietly, "'Kichi says we can trust the front line fighters. And...I trust Kokichi. So...besides, if he's actually made friends with a Dicean kid, we can't discourage that, not for anything. We'll just...keep an eye on things. Maybe don't put him in a situation where he's ever alone with the mom? That might work."

"I suppose we could do that. Shuuichi...I haven't seen him all afternoon, and he's not coming to his door when I knock," Maki informed her prince, worrying her hair. "Kaito, I know we've been dancing around the issue for a few days now...but something’s wrong. You can see that, right? He says weird things, and he's distant from us, and...have you noticed his hips?"

"He's put on some weight. That's alright, isn't it? Maybe he's been doing a lot of comfort eating?" Kaito whispered back to her, also worried, and just...not knowing what to do with that worry. Kokichi's heart attack had...taken up so much of Kaito's time and attention lately, that when he thought of all the worrying things about Shuuichi he'd noticed lately, he felt awful having to keep putting his friend on the backburner. "He's not the type to keep secrets from us, Maki. And if he's decided to not talk to us about something, I mean...I don't...I don't want to force him..."

"Putting pressure on him to talk to us is not the same as triggering a command word on him," Maki said, eyes narrowing. "It's not even the same ballpark. We have to have a conversation with him. I'm worried, Kaito."

"Okay, okay...tomorrow, okay? Me and you will sit down with him tomorrow and...dig into whatever's going on with him." Kaito sighed, looking over at his friend before asking gently, "And you? How are you doing?"

"Tired," Maki replied honestly, her face impassive as she listed out blankly, "Overwhelmed. Confused. This place is...it's different. All of my instincts are wrong here. I feel...monstrous, here," Maki said, making use of the rare private moment between herself and her best friend. "I feel like if I say more than two words to anyone here, they're going to realize how messed up and awful I am, and they're gonna...I don't know. I don't know what happens to people here when everyone is upset with them. I can't even prepare for a worst case scenario because I can't figure out how people work here. It's...frustrating."

Kaito took a deep breath, feeling...honestly relieved to finally be having a conversation with someone he could relate to. "Yeah, I get that...I get that a lot. But...it's just like home, Maki. Once everyone gets a chance to know you, they're gonna love you. They're gonna realize how cool and reliable and amazing you are, and you're going to be fighting off people wanting to spend time with you. We just...got to give them a chance to get to know us. Good and bad sides. Ya know? Kokichi says-"

"Kaito." Maki replied quietly, "I know you trust him, but Kokichi's never been away from his hometown, which his father rules over. I'm not saying he's not being sincere when he tells us everything will be okay, that people won't harm us, but...he's not exactly a reliable source."

"He is," Kaito said, balling his covers into balls in his fists. "People here are different, Maki. We've seen that for ourselves. Sure, there's...one or two bad apples, but that's okay. We can handle aggression! We are uniquely qualified to handle aggression. We'll give people a chance, and...if anyone tries to hurt any of us, we'll watch out for each other. The Luminary Cacti," Kaito said, giving her a reassuring smile.

Maki gave him a long look...before sighing again. "Let's talk about it more when you're not half asleep. Go to bed, Kaito. Hug your husband, he's probably cold."

"Yes ma'am," Kaito said teasingly, giving Maki an appreciative look before turning around, putting his good arm carefully around Kokichi's chest, avoiding his belly. After a few deep breaths of his hair, Kaito felt his eyes grow heavy, and with Maki on guard, fell asleep.

-

The whole castle knew that, barring extraneous circumstances, Maki and Tim trained in the courtyard first thing in the morning. Even Katsuki, who usually kept to her own business, knew that.

However, she'd never done anything with that knowledge.

Even now, that's not really what she was doing. After that incident the other night, Katsuki had kept an eye out for Mr. Tom, and had seen no hide nor hair of the young man. She knew what that meant.

But still, Katsuki found herself walking along the ledges on the outside of the castle, not at night when she knew that it wouldn't alarm anyone who might happen to see her, but in that early morning when someone whose job it was to notice things like that would be outside of the castle.

...so, maybe she was using that knowledge a little.

Katsuki was only walking along the ledge of the second floor, not that high up at all, but was still diligently walking along the edge, taking note of any tricky areas that someone not accustomed to either parkour or the castle would have difficulty with.

"You want Chase to be a battle dog?" Tim said incredulously, said dog currently trying desperately to eat her master’s socks, the small puppy pulling and nipping against them. "This Chase? She got scared of a butterfly yesterday."

Well...okay it sounded stupid if you said it like that.

"I want to try to train Chase to protect you for when she's bigger, and those little puppy teeth become full on dangerous fangs," Maki said, crossing her arms and tapping her finger against her bicep, feeling foolish as she explained her plan aloud to the nine-year-old. "So, to do that, after we return, I'm going to look for advice from professional dog trainers. They have to have, like...guard dogs in this kingdom. Someone must know how to do it. We'll find them and have them start training her."

"Miss Kawai is good with dogs. She taught Chase her name," Timothy explained, looking down at his puppy as he said, "Right, Chase?"

The puppy was far too enamored by his sock to care.

"Well...she usually responds to her name. Besides, I don't want her to be a fighting dog. I want her to be a dog dog. I'll fight for both of us," Timothy said, squaring his shoulders, looking determined. "I can handle it."

"Tim, I'm not saying you couldn't, I just...ugh...alright, quick assassin training time. Look to your left. Do you see anything unusual? If you can manage, try to not make it look like you're looking."

Tim tried, not doing a very good job, as he looked around. "...Mr. Saihara's asleep against that tree?"

"He is? No, no, not that. Look up more."

Tim looked up. "...one of the weirdo Diceans is walking on the wall ledges? That's cool. Can I do that?"

"Not yet. Someday," Maki said, before saying to him, "That's Miss Okuniji. She's also an assassin, and an extremely skilled one at that. So, what's unusual about her being up there right now, exactly where we can see her?"

"That it's weird and assassins are weird and so is she?" Tim guessed dryly.

"No...well, maybe. But no," Maki said, glancing up at the woman suspiciously. "What's weird is that I'm confident she has the ability to do this unseen by us, and is choosing not to. Which means she wants us to see her. Which means...?" she prompted Tim.

"...okay, I know I was saying it to be mean, but I really feel like 'she's weird' is the right answer..."

"It means she wants me to talk to her. Look, go run some laps," Maki said with a sigh, straightening up. "I'll be back."

"Yes, Miss Harukawa," Tim groaned, before going into a run, Chase at his heels.

Not having any difficulty getting up herself, Maki approached the guard woman, not feeling any need to announce her presence, certain she was expected. "Did you need something?" she asked, giving the woman a somewhat annoyed look. "If you did, you know where my room is. You could just knock. I'm in the middle of training my ward right now."

"Multitasking," Katsuki said simply. "And you had the choice to come up. Choices are important." To people like us, she didn't say, because 'us' wasn't something she could really quantify in any meaningful way. Perhaps just in that choices were very important to them. "Also a learning opportunity for Mr. Tim."

Looking down at the ledge they were standing on, Katsuki tapped a foot on it, its sturdiness despite the narrow platform familiar. "It's dangerous to be up here if you're not practiced. I'm finding the areas that would trip people up." When she looked up, it was to look at Mr. Shuuichi Saihara sleeping beneath the tree he frequented. "The ledge next to your windows is easy enough for someone who can only stand up here due to the benefit of their body type, however."

Considering how open Mr. Tom left himself that night, that was her guess of how he'd managed to get up to the third floor without hurting himself, anyway.

Maki narrowed her eyes at her, allowing her arms to fall to her sides, giving her easier access to her daggers. "Miss Katsuki, you know that I owe you a debt for the life of myself and my friends, and I take that seriously...but if anyone else had just said that, I would have assumed I was being threatened. Am I being threatened?" she said, tone dark.

If it were anyone else, Maki might not have even asked that. Would have simply asked her if she wanted to die, and if the next thing she said wasn't correct, would have attacked her...but...

She knew from their time together that the woman seemed to...struggle. With communicating. Maki was certain her way of speaking made sense to her, but she and Shuuichi had spent a lot of their journey back just trying to decipher the latest bits and pieces she added to the conversation. It had been frustrating, but...well, she did owe Katsuki a hell of a debt.

She could try to be patient, at least.

Katsuki's smile faded a little bit. "Perhaps, but not by me. And perhaps not even to you. And it is not something I have disregarded since those that may fall from more precarious ledges still have the advantage of unpredictability." Again, her gaze shifted over to Mr. Shuuichi, wondering over the circumstances that had kept him from answering back that night.

In a different mindset, Katsuki wouldn't be talking with Miss Maki right now. Mr. Tom was out of his depth, and, in that mindset, might be classified as "not a threat". However, once you became skilled at something, you stopped making mistakes as much. And by not making those mistakes, you wouldn't often come to expect them. So, by making a mistake that Katsuki or Miss Maki wouldn't make, Mr. Tom may be able to get lucky. Or extremely unlucky.

Turning back to Miss Maki, Katsuki tried to explain. "I was not able to perform a counter maneuver two nights ago, because the instigator was unable to act. And I have not seen them since."

The first bit would have taken Maki more time than she had to figure out Katsuki's meaning, let alone a response to it. But the second bit...that was all surprisingly clear, and in a language the lifelong assassin understood.

And her eyes widened at the implications...before narrowing, a heat radiating off her in murderous fury as she asked, "Who? And who were they targeting? The princes?"

"A young man, my guess to be about your age, blond, slim, small blade user. Twin butterfly knives. Self-identified as "Tom" and also as a friend to Mr. Shuuichi. Mr. Tom waited for approximately forty-five minutes outside of Mr. Shuuichi's room two nights ago shortly after midnight, periodically checking inside. Did not notice me until I approached, and only called into the room after questioning. Mr. Shuuichi did not answer despite being in his room at the time."

Giving a mission report was easy. Natural. Curbing Miss Maki's impulses would not be.

"Mr. Tom seemed to have difficulty descending the outer wall after he chose to leave upon not getting an answer, and left through the front gate. Again, I have not seen him since during my intermittent time both at the castle and in town." If he was in hiding, then that meant he was not supposed to have been seen. And not just for trying to get a friend to sneak out at night.

Tom. Why did that name sound familiar? Tom, Tom...butterfly knives...

Kaito's hand wounds.

"I should have fucking killed him when I heard about the game he talked Kaito into," Maki growled, a dagger coming to her hand, spinning it mindlessly in her fingers as her eyes burned brighter, shoulders starting to shake from the need of her bloodlust. "I'm getting soft here...I should have never fucking let that go...he was hunting Shuuichi?"

She wasn't asking Katsuki, trusting the report. She was just...confused. Of everyone available in the castle, Shuuichi seemed like...such a random choice. She supposed Shuuichi did know the man, having gone to have drinks with him and...what was the other one's name...Itch?

...Tom and Itch...why did that...why did that pick at her brain so much? It sounded...

...whatever. She'd think about that later. Or maybe she wouldn't. Whatever it was, it wouldn't matter when that fucker was dead.

"...but Tom called out to Shuuichi that night? You're certain?" Maki asked Katsuki, glancing over at her friend in the distance, feeling some of the bloodlust ebb out of her to be replaced with concern over him. "That would mean Shuuichi knows he's being targeted and hid, which is good, but....why wouldn't he tell me? I could have taken out Tom two days ago. Why keep it to himself?"

Maybe this was key to explaining his odd behavior lately??

"Thank you for the report, Katsuki," Maki said, giving the woman a respectful bow. "I can deal with the matter from here. I don't know where he lives, but I know one of his hangouts. I'll find him."

Katsuki knew that this would be Miss Maki's response, but she still frowned at the woman's plans to kill Mr. Tom. She gave an affirmative, "I am certain," to Miss Maki's question, but did not bow back.

"You will be tried for murder if you follow through with that mission, Miss Maki," Katsuki warned. "Mr. Tom can be prosecuted for his actions two nights ago, but I did not complete a counter operation, because he did not initiate. Personal vengeance for stalking will not be favorable for you."

"However. Choices are important." It was only after repeating that did Katsuki return Miss Maki's bow, turning to resume her inspection of the castle ledges. It was an important job. Someone may be hurt otherwise.

Maki gave the woman a long, incredulous look...before stepping off the ledge, allowing herself to fall to the grass below. It was only a two story drop, and the roll was easy enough to bend into. And as she brushed her skirt off, she looked back up at Katsuki, who was already moving on.

...sigh. Great. Now what was she supposed to do?

Going and killing Tom was the obvious right choice. But...Katsuki was right. Even if she could get Kaito to back her decision as a royal job afterwards, the Diceans likely wouldn't just let it go. They didn't kill people here, at least as far as she could tell. Shame. It was so frequently the best way to go about things.

Ugh...was she willing to go to jail to keep Shuuichi safe?

Well, of course. But once she had killed Tom, and was in jail, then who was going to keep him safe from future problems? Especially considering she didn't know why Shuuichi had been targeted. Tom might not be the only danger to him. She should probably kill his friend Itch as well, just due to association, but, well...even beyond them, there could be more. Unless she could find all the dangers and dispose of them, she might just end up leaving Shuuichi more vulnerable than before, with pissed off people seeking vengeance on top of it.

...ugggggghhhh...

Okay. Murder wasn't the immediate best option here. What was second best? Well, reporting to the princes felt right...Kokichi understood the laws here and might have a better idea of how to handle the situation without Maki getting locked up, and Kaito...he should know if Shuuichi was in danger. That was plainly evident.

...why hadn't...Shuuichi told her?

"Miss Harukawa? Am I done with my laps?" Timothy huffed and puffed, running up to her as Maki considered the sleeping detective.

"...We're done with training today. Go find Miss Kawai and spend some time with her. Myself and Shuuichi are heading upstairs to the princes' room. Don't forget that if you are going into town you will tell me first...understand?"

"Yesssss," Timothy said, rolling his eyes, before bowing low to her and, calling to Chase, running off.

Maki, steeling herself for a difficult conversation...walked over to Shuuichi.

Even when he'd finally waited things out until two in the morning and had gone to bed in his own--cold, dark, empty--room, Shuuichi just...couldn't get the fact that he was filled with his own cum out of his own head. His dick was already such an absurd size so...what was the difference if he got even bigger? Long enough to really fuck himself nice and deep...maybe thicker too, to really pleasure his whore hole. Then he could satisfy himself all the time and Miss Nao wouldn't have to touch the dirtier parts of him.

Maybe if she didn't have to touch his ass or cock anymore she would finally...

So, as it had been for faaaar too long, sex was on Shuuichi's mind as he'd settled down for a nap under the tree he favored in the courtyard.

There was a person in front of him, that was clear. Anything else about them though...? It's like he was seeing them through a haze, their features distorted and uncertain.

Shuuichi went to sit up and get a better look at them, but... "Uuuooo~"

Something thick and wet shifted in his ass at the slight movement, and at the same time hands grabbed at plush, wide hips, some pulling him closer, other scratching and clawing. Settling back down, Shuuichi sank down a bit in the...pile of people he was entangled in.

An orgy.

Limbs interlocked with countless others, Shuuichi felt his foot slide into something soft and giving. A mouth started to suck at his chest and he felt himself leaking and...good, suck it down, gooood...

He thought he heard the person in front of him--them--laugh but...who cared about them?! Not when there was all the pleasure and pain in the world at his fingertips.

"Ah! AH!!" Shuuichi gave a shout, feeling something push into his dick, hearing several other voices echo his outburst and accent it with giggles. At the same time, the thing in his ass shifted again and, "Oooooooh~"

He...he was being filled. Something hot and fluid pouring into his body, making use of his widened hips and filling out his belly, more and more and--

"Upupu! You're blooming so sweetly, but it's just about time for you to bear fruit, you bastards!"

Shuuichi awoke with a small gasp, feeling himself leaking around his tucked, painfully hard cock...just...feeling empty.

Shuuichi squirmed against himself, wondering where...the fuck he actually was...grass? Was he outside...? O-ooohh...he wanted...so badly to not be here. To be where he was just moments before. Wanted to be in the pile, in the...in the where? In the...with all the others, the...other people like him, like...like...?

...Shuuichi opened his eyes, the dream bleeding from his consciousness, which was deadened and hazy from, just...entirely the wrong drug.

Who was trying to talk to him right now?

"...Maki?" Shuuichi said blearily, feeling...just...honestly kind of fucked up at the moment.

It had been hard to stay down in the basement after the first few hours. It was cold and uncomfortable and, though he had tried to, Shuuichi found it too difficult to read in that environment, and had ended up spending most of the night curled into his knees, just...mad at himself. Frustrated with his predicament and wondering what he was doing wrong? Why didn't Miss Nao want to use him more? Why wouldn't she take him home? He'd be a good whore to her wife, if Miss Nao would just give him the chance! He could make both of them feel good, he was certain!

Eventually, two o'clock came, and Shuuichi had gotten up, his clothes back on, his dick tucked away again, and he had started to leave, but looked back at the thin puddle of mucus he had left behind, bleeding through his utterly spent pads...and...she had said not to worry about it but...

Feeling dirty and afraid and refusing to think about why this felt like the next correct step, Shuuichi had soaked the puddle up as best as he could through his clothes first, and then licked clean the rest. Not wanting to leave a mess for Miss Nao. Wanting to be a good whore that she could depend on.

When he had gotten upstairs, not stopped or challenged by anyone, he had gone into the bathroom and vomited.

And then this morning...she...she wasn't anywhere. He had looked, he had looked so hard! Of course because he had woken up horny, when didn't he, but also...also he needed his dose! He...he needed it! Miss Nao!?

After an hour of looking, Shuuichi had decided that he was being punished. Punished for running yesterday. That was the only thing that could explain Miss Nao not coming to give him his dose, and not waiting in the library to give it to him either, which is what he originally thought was happening. He was being punished for being bad. B-but she knew how much this hurt him! He needed it! She knew! She wouldn't keep it up! She would, she would...s-soon, right? He'd get to have it soon??

Not knowing what else to do, Shuuichi had taken his medicine downstairs with him to breakfast, and after eating, had taken it again. Hoping that at least he'd black out this fucking nightmare morning, waiting for his dose. And ever since he had taken the medicine, not to mention his lack of sleep, and his lack of dose...he just...couldn't stay awake. It was too hard. He didn't even remember following Maki outside...

And now she was...definitely saying something to him?? What was she...it was so hard to keep up with what she was trying to tell him...

Frustrated, Maki stared into Shuuichi's delirious, vacant gaze."Fine, look. Just...get up. You're walking with me," she growled, grabbing him by the arm and lifting him up.

As Maki pulled him up and moved him around, Shuuichi leaned into her, holding onto her arm, blushing slightly at the way she handled him. Maki was...so strong. So fierce and vicious and cruel...sometimes. She was like a smaller, angrier Miss Nao, in a lot of ways. Fuck, Miss Nao. Please, please, he needed to find her, he needed his dose...

...god damn he was tired. Where were they going?

As Maki led him upstairs, she could feel herself wanting to punch a wall. Or punch Shuuichi. Or stab him. He was...he was fucking high again. On whatever that had gotten him to this state yesterday. Stomach medicine, wasn't it? Isn't that what Kaito had said? Why the fuck had he taken it again!?? He would be useless for hours, if yesterday was any indication. What had been the final timeframe? Roughly...eight hours of this shit?? FUCK.

"I'm going to throw that medication of yours down the goddamn toilet, Shuuichi," Maki growled, helping him up the stairs. "I don't care if Kaito's new sidekick doesn't like it. This is bullshit, what this stuff does to you."

"Nooooo," Shuuichi muttered, sounding heartbroken at the idea. "I need...I need it, M-maki...I'm gonna go crazy...can I have it soon?"

"Have what!?" Maki asked, this not being the first time in their trip upstairs Shuuichi had asked for 'it', whatever 'it' was. "If you can explain to me what you want, I will get 'it' for you, Shuuichi."

"p...poll-"

Suddenly, turning the corner, a...strange look on his face, Kaito walked past them, rushing downstairs.

"Kaito?" Maki said, surprised, Kaito walking past them like he hadn't even seen them...before calling down to him, "Kaito!?"

Kaito didn't answer her. Heading to the kitchens as fast as he could. Eyes burning. Had to hurry. Had to hurry. It didn't count if no one saw.

It didn't count!

Okay. Okay. You can do this, Kokichi. You've gotten a lot of rest and a lot of care, you can make it out of bed today!

He'd woken up comfortable and rested, cuddling with Kaito with a pointedly not bloated stomach. Kaito had helped him to the bathroom and then...Hajime had come by with a letter for Kaito...and his husband had said he needed to go.

In a way Kokichi was getting better at recognizing was an extremely distressed Kaito.

He couldn't run. There was no way he could run after Kaito. But, maybe, if he gave it his all, he could walk.

Steadying himself on the bed, Kokichi pushed himself up, gritting his teeth as his legs immediately started shaking...but shaking wasn't giving out. He kept his arms on the bed for one step. For two. Then...he wobbled precariously...and fell to the ground in a dull 'THUNK'.

And then he got back up.

Somehow, Kokichi made it to the door, sweat already dripping down his face, his legs trembling violently, his breath coming out in pants... But he did it. And now? To find Kaito...where...wherever in the castle he was...

...ooph.

Carefully, Kokichi opened their door and took a slight breather leaning against the doorway, knowing he couldn't rest too long or he'd lose momentum.

Okay, okay, think quickly, Maki.

Kaito had just run downstairs, and totally ignored her and what was clearly an affected Shuuichi without so much as a glance behind him. So, something was wrong. Very wrong.

...the Tom situation had waited for two days, it could wait one more. But, Shuuichi couldn't be left alone, not in this state, not with people after him. Who could she trust to watch him on short notice? Maybe she should go back outside and find Katsuki? No, would take too much time. Ugh, where was that librarian when you needed her...

Kokichi. She'd drop him off with Kokichi, she was already almost there anyway, she'd explain the situation to him, ask him to watch Shuuichi, go find-OH COME ON!??

"What are you doing on the ground!?" Maki shouted, heading up the last staircase and seeing Kokichi, sweating heavily and sitting half sprawled on the top step, holding onto the safety railing and looking down the staircase like he was staring down a cliff. "What is actually happening!? Shuuichi's high, Kaito's freaking out, and now you're trying to throw yourself down a staircase!?"

Shuuichi was high again??? Lord...

Kokichi panted and coughed once, trying to get his breath back enough to answer Maki, growing even more worried by the fact that they'd seen Kaito and he wasn't with them. "K-k... Ah... Kai-chan got a...a letter... Upset..."

He shook his head as a drop of sweat dripped off his nose. Not enough breath... Not in an attack way, but in a 'he hadn't been out of bed in nearly a week and hadn't fully recovered' way.

There was the sound of someone running up the stairs quickly from behind Maki and Shuuichi, and while Kokichi could barely lift his head enough to focus on the newcomer...oh great.

Aiichi paused from his sprint up the stairs when he saw the three, and, taking in their states, sighed, an uncharacteristically somber expression on his face. "I take it he's downstairs then."

Turning to Maki, the leader gave her an apologetic nod of the head. "I will talk with you and..." he paused, giving Shuuichi a concerned look, "Well, I will talk with you later, Maki, but I need to speak with Kaito first. There's been news from Luminary that needs...well, a gentle touch, to say the least. I'm sorry for being secretive, but I really need to speak with Kaito first."

Already turning to head back downstairs to continue his search for his son-in-law, Aiichi gave the group a serious look. "Ko, ask someone to help you back to bed. Patience will get you answers, so please don't act hastily."

And with that, the older man started sprinting down the stairs.

...and for once, Kokichi wanted his father to stay instead.

Maki narrowed her eyes at the king, watching him descend back downstairs. Whatever the king wanted to tell Kaito...she had a feeling he was too late already.

Okay. Think, Maki. Your boys need you. What do we do next?

Maki looked down at Shuuichi, over at Kokichi...and pulled Shuuichi up behind her as she reached down to Kokichi. "Come on, up on my hip. We're dropping Shuuichi off at the medical wing, and the healers are going to watch him carefully or everyone in there dies. Then you are coming with me to see if we can't wrangle your dumbass husband and get him to follow us back to your room. Agreed?"

"Why am...am I going to medical?" Shuuichi murmured, looking at Maki in confusion, seeing her enraged expression and shivering, not even bothering to try to mimic it. "I need...Maki I need my dose...I'll be okay if I get it..."

"Come on," Maki growled, picking Kokichi up, letting his arms wrap around her shoulder as she pulled Shuuichi along.

Taking Shuuichi to the medical ward, she relayed the same message to them that she had relayed to Kokichi, saying she'd come back for him soon and that NO ONE WHO WASN'T A HEALER WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THERE THAT DAY WAS ALLOWED ANYWHERE NEAR HIM, OKAY!?

Then, seeing Shuuichi was being led to lie down in one of their beds, Maki took Kokichi downstairs, saying to him, "We're walking and talking. What happened? Fill me in."

Downstairs, Kaito was desperately trying to negotiate with the kitchen staff, a wide, manic grin on his face, his eyes bright red with unshed tears.

"I-I just need a wooden bowl, a knife, and a t-towel...I-I'm not asking for much..."

The chef, who normally wouldn't mind much a request like this, especially from the prince they all knew was trying to teach himself how to cook...but he looked like he was on the verge of a breakdown, and was asking for a kitchen knife. It felt...like a bad idea to give it to him, and the chef said, "I'm sorry, Prince Kaito, we can't just hand out our supplies to anyone who-"

Kaito suddenly laughed, his eyes bright and manic, and said, "You know what? I don't care? I know where those things are, and as Prince-Consort Kaito Ouma Momota, everything in here belongs more to me than it does to you. So... I'm just gonna go fucking get my kitchen supplies, kay???"

Pushing past them, ignoring the angry words at his back, Kaito went to collect the wooden bowl he had in mind, a random knife that was sharp enough, and grabbed a towel on his way out, adding it to the letter he was holding like a death grip, and his religious text of Atua, The Great Book.

Hurry, hurry, he had to hurry, he was gonna lose it soon, had to hurry. Fourth floor? Isn't that where Kokichi had said it would be? Fourth floor, fourth floor, fourth floor.

Kaito headed upstairs, moving quickly, not paying attention to anything or anyone else.

Kokichi didn't put up a fuss as Maki picked him up and just put his arms around her shoulder as he tried to get his breath back. Not thinking about how gross and sweat soaked he was, not thinking about how they were going through the castle with him in just briefs and his shirt from the day before. Just thinking about that look on Kaito's face.

By the time they'd dropped Shuuichi off and Maki asked him, Kokichi was ready to talk.

"Hajime-chan came up with a letter for Kai-chan, said it was urgent mail. Kai-chan read it and...he just... He looked like he did right before he left to go get you and Shuu-chan back after our wedding. Like he was losing it but, like...trying to just grin and be peppy the whole time. Set on a mission and like nothing else is going on in his head."

Kokichi shook his head and tried to wipe a bit of cooling sweat out of his eyes. "Maki-chan...whatever was in that letter is really bad. Especially if one was sent to Aiichi too."

If there was something that was sent to Kaito and his father...then that meant it was an international matter. That pertained to Kaito. And that could only mean...it was family-related.

Dread pooled in Kokichi's stomach and he failed to suppress a shiver. What if...Byakuya found out Kaede's plan?

"It's fine, he's fine, he's alive and just got some bad news, he's not injured then, he's just having a meltdown, that's fine...Kaito!?" Maki shouted, seeing the Luminary Prince going back up the stairs, now with more items, and not so much as a glance in her direction as he quickly walked past her, just like when he headed downstairs. "Kaito, stop moving!...Fuck!"

Following after him, she said to Kokichi, "I don't know if he's even hearing me. We'll just follow him, we'll see where he goes. He can't hold it together forever, he'll crumble and then we'll grab him. You said this all started when he read a letter?" Maki said to Kokichi, following her prince upstairs. Her eyes narrowed. "I want that letter then."

Fourth floor? Kaito was certain that's where it was, the fourth floor. But h-he...he didn't know w-where??

Once he got to the fourth floor, he stopped, looking around helplessly, not sure where to go next. He had all the supplies he needed...where was...he started opening random doors. Some of the doors were locked, which filled him with endless nerves, but enough were open that he didn't panic. He had to find it, he had to...where???

Suddenly, he heard his husband's voice, and Kaito felt relieved. Right. Kokichi knows where it is. He would know.

So Kaito slowed down, looked back at...Maki? And Kokichi! And entirely ignoring whatever it was they had said, shakily asked them both, "H-hey 'Kichi! Hey, do y-you...rem-member where that paint storage c-closet is? I...I n-need to set up my shrine..."

Kokichi looked at his husband with wide eyes, but...he couldn't freak out. If he freaked out, then it'd only freak Kaito out even more and--was that a knife?!

The dread increased, and Kokichi reached out toward Kaito, just...remembering the husband that had ridden a horse to its death and gotten a concussion and a broken arm. "Kai-chan, what's going on? My father got a letter and said he needed to talk to you and, just. If you tell us, we can help, okay? We're your friends, we want to help you."

...Kaito likely wanted to...make an offering, or something. He didn't know how funeral rites went down for Atua. As long as it wasn't a life for a life...

Kokichi took a deep breath. Don't freak out.

An 'appropriate level of sadness'. He was allowed to do that. W-what...what was an 'appropriate level of sadness' that wasn't grief?? Fuck he needed to be alone soon, he needed his shrine, he needed a door he could actually fucking lock.

Kaito looked at Kokichi's reaching hand and laughed. "It's okay, Kokichi! I'm...I'm certain the king w-wishes to inform me...th-that there were a series of unfortunate incidents at home! Very sad! But, these things happen! I...I'm just gonna p-pray to Atua for a while a-and...please, K-kokichi? Y-you said I could have a sh-shrine...you said it was o-okay, remember?"

Maki narrowed her eyes at all of this, taking a careful step towards Kaito, before carefully putting Kokichi down, freeing up both her arms. "Of course, Kaito. We're gonna take you to your shrine," she said, carefully and slowly approaching him, looking at the paper that he had clutched in his fists. "Kokichi's up here to take you to it...Kaito, is anyone else allowed to read that letter?"

Kaito, who had been watching Maki approach him blankly, suddenly got nervous, eyes going wide and holding the letter tighter to himself, shaking his head.

"Is...are you supposed to destroy it?" Maki asked.

Kaito didn't shake his head at this, but his eyes narrowed, staring at her suspiciously.

...'a series of unfortunate incidents'? That...didn't...

There was nothing but worry and confusion on Kokichi's face as he looked over his husband. But he didn't get time to analyze Kaito much more as Maki put him down, and Kokichi had to divert his attention into staying standing. But that didn't mean he didn't hear what Maki said while he shook and swayed.

...she was finding the boundaries of an order. Talking to Kaito the way Kokichi hadn't wanted to, talking to him like a wrong word would break him...

...it was mean. And manipulative. And Kokichi hated that he was considering it...but it was also something that wasn't out of the realm of possibility and...he didn't want anyone to hurt Kaito anymore. Wasn't that what he vowed? To keep people from cornering his husband?

Taking a small, unsteady step toward Kaito, Kokichi looked up at him with wide, alarmed eyes and kept his voice to a whisper, something just for the three of them. "Kai-chan. Did... Are the Remnants holding someone hostage? Are they blackmailing you? What...haa... We'll...figure out something you can answer, you're not alone, we can--oop!"

That wasn't a part of that disgusting play. Kokichi's legs really did give out from under him right then.

Kaito gave Kokichi a confused look. "No...it's just a letter from Byakuya, 'Kichi. He...he just wants to know that I'm oka-"

"Kokichi!"

Kaito put down all of his items quickly, everything except the letter, which he kept in his grip, hurrying over to help his husband back up. "What are you doing out of bed?" Kaito suddenly realized, some of the fog lifting in his concern, pulling Kokichi into his lap. "Babe, you...are you sure you should be up and about? Did you manage to walk up the stairs??"

As Kaito fussed over his husband, Maki, her eyes on the letter, started to walk up behind him. A violent energy radiating off her.

Leaning against Kaito's chest, Kokichi put a hand to his own, taking a breath to steady himself. "N-no, I... I was worried about you and I made it to the landing on my own! Maki-chan found me, and we took Shuu-chan to the med bay before finding you. I...whew..."

...he probably shouldn't have gotten out of bed. But that was just considering his own health, and not the fact that his husband was having a breakdown and...if the letter was from Byakuya, then...was likely being ordered by him to...do something...

"I'm...okay. I'm okay," Kokichi reassured Kaito, feeling something in him tense, expecting to be told to put all of this out of his mind, to just go back to bed and rest. He tried to move sweat-clumped bangs out of his face, his hands shaking. How...what could they do?! Kaito got nervous and uncomfortable when Kokichi even suggested teasing his brother. If Byakuya had ordered him to keep something a secret...was there even a way to break that?

God he hated conditioning.

Looking up at Kaito, miserable and worried, Kokichi put a gentle, clammy hand against Kaito's cheek. "Please...don't keep us out."

"Hey now, hey, everything's okay..." Kaito said, noting Kokichi's shaking hands, his clear look of distress. It was...much easier to focus on those things, over the madness in his brain. Kokichi needed him. He could keep it together. He could do it!

Feeling more confident, Kaito gave Kokichi a small grin as he said earnestly, "Everything's fine, 'Kichi. My parents are dead. Byakuya's king now! Isn't that neat?"

Maki started to move for the letter.

"Maki, STAND DOWN!" Kaito screamed in his father's voice, holding Kokichi closer. His whole body shaking as he looked over his shoulder at her. Fury in his gaze.

And Maki...froze. Her expression blank...at most a little tired, as she stopped. Staring at the both of them. Just still and listening.

Kaito gave her a wide eyed look, his body shaking...before carefully placing Kokichi down. Then he took the letter to his teeth, and started ripping it to shreds, at first wide pieces, then smaller and smaller ones as he said between bites, "It's just-! a letter-! Saying-! My father had an accident-! And mom committed suicide-! Byakuya wants to know how I'm doing-! And invites us to the coronation!! That's all it says!!"

And with that, Kaito finished ripping up the letter, letting its pieces fall around him, breathing heavily, feeling...satisfied. He had done the job. He...he didn't even feel like crying anymore! He didn't need to grieve! He felt fine!

Feeling much, much better now that he was back under control, Kaito gave Maki an apologetic look as he said, "S-sorry, but, y-you're acting crazy Maki. It's just news from home, that's all...disregard all orders."

That stillness left Maki, and her fists clenched, staring in fury at Kaito...and then down at the pieces of the letter...a dagger, seemingly out of nowhere in her hand, and Kaito just looking at her. Waiting.

"...you should make your shrine, Kaito," Maki murmured, "I'm sorry to hear about the king and princess-consort."

"It's okay," Kaito said, actually meaning it now. The shock and distraction of needing to look after Kokichi ending the conflict in his head. Feeling more at peace now. "These things happen. Thanks though, Maki."

"...sure," Maki said quietly, looking to Kokichi. Something defeated in her expression. "...do you wanna go back to your room, Kokichi?"

That

That wasn't

what he expected.

...Kaito's parents were dead?

The shock was there first and foremost, but then Kaito said it... 'everything's fine?' 'isn't that neat?'

Slowly, that cold dread morphed into something else, something that froze and bit. Kokichi startled as Kaito screamed at Maki for nothing, abused her...and ripped up the letter.

He barely registered anything Kaito said after that, staring at his husband in open horror. And that frozen, biting cold...

"...your brother had your parents killed..."

...

"...and you don't care at all."

Maki took a step back and sighed. Just resigned to all of this. She wasn't trying because she knew from long experience exactly how this was going to go.

Kaito laughed.

He gave Kokichi a nervous look, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ah, geez...I'm explaining badly again..."

"Dad...made a mistake. And, see, there's this...big round window in his war room, on top of the fourth wing tower? It's...it's huge, and it just...unlatches and swings open...he'd open it up and throw things out of it if it upset him and...it was an accident waiting to happen really...s-so he fell, and that...that happens sometimes, ya know...you have to have a reasonable response when that happens, you can't just...and o-of course I care! Of course I care!" Kaito said, his voice rising. Shocked at the...the implication...the sheer idea-

B-but you just...when something this bad happens, what's the point of grieving even? There's no point to it. Kaito shouldn't (couldn't) be caught crying over his parents. They w-were idiots. Not worth the time to grieve. You just had to have...s-socially reasonable levels of sadness...

what the fuck did that even mean what's a reasonable amount of sadness for losing both your parents at once I don't understand I don't understand!?

...he...he hoped they didn't suffer...

Kaito felt some of the madness start leaking back in, some of that...furious, frightened fury, the back of his eyes stinging red and harsh and biting at him...

...Kokichi was sweating. Focus on that.

Taking off his coat, Kaito used the sleeve to start gently unsticking Kokichi's hair from his forehead, patting away at the sweat building there. "I don't...I don't know if you should be out of bed yet, babe..." Kaito murmured, taking in Kokichi's sunken eyes, the lines beneath them, his increasingly paling skin. "You look sick...I hope you didn't catch Shuuichi's bug..."

That frozen, biting cold prickled and spiked out, moving Kokichi's tongue for him, refusing to let him be soft. "You fucking think this is a reasonable response?" he hissed, quiet but deadly. "Not allowing yourself to feel, letting someone else think for you while you close your eyes and press your hands over your ears? It's infuriating enough when you ignore other people's suffering, but ignoring your own is just madness."

"Scream. Cry. Let grief make you run wild. Because not allowing yourself to be human will just make us keep having to watch every word we say to keep you from falling apart."

Kokichi growled, leaning away from Kaito's touch...but then just fell over, pale and shivering on the floor. The spikes receded a little and his mouth tasted like regret...but he couldn't take the words back.

Any sweat Kaito had dabbed away was quickly replaced, and Kokichi let his eyes close as a bigger tremble wracked him. "...I c-can't be around you r-right now."

...had...

Had he done something wrong?

Kaito twitched, unable to look Kokichi in the eye, to face his husband's fury. N-no, this was a good thing! Kaito...Kaito liked it when they fought, liked...arguments were honest and, and, he wanted Kokichi to be honest with him, wanted the fights, once upon a time, hadn't he? So...so???

But he couldn't be. Not right now. He couldn't have this fight. Couldn't even kind of face it. Maybe Kokichi could be honest with him, but Kaito couldn't even begin to be honest with Kokichi. Couldn't think through the madness. His parents were dead, and everything was fine. Byakuya had...had...at least he hadn't tried to hide it from Kaito...th-that was something, right? And he was right, Dad is...was...only in his forties, how l-long was his br-brother expected to...he wasn't evil...it was a long way to fall down the tower...that was a long time to be scared...he h-hoped Mom at least hadn't...did his brother have to sounds so smug...???

It was fine, everything was fine, Kaito just needed time to work out why it was fine. Then everything would be better!

For now, though, Kaito couldn't think like this. There were too many contradictions in his head right now, and everything his husband was saying was just adding a new layer of complexity. Making it harder to work out why everything was...the way it was. He needed Kokichi to stop! "Kokichi, ple-"

Kaito immediately moved his hands back, shocked, when Kokichi actually fucking growled at him, watching in horror as his husband fell, but not wanting to put hands on him if 'Kichi didn't want to be touched. What was wrong? Why was he...why was he this upset?? Kaito was trying really hard to keep it together! What had he done wrong??

"...'Kichi?"

Looking at the hurt and confusion on her friend's face, Maki's resolve to just let this play out broke. She stepped forward, taking Kaito's shoulder and pulling him back from Kokichi. Not feeling like his own orders were being threatened this time, Kaito said nothing to her, just looked at her, confused and worried. "Maki, wait-"

"I said go make your shrine, Kaito," she said, her voice stern, her eyes...heavy and tired. "I'll check in on you later. Grab your things and go."

Kaito looked up at her, and then Kokichi...and then back to the scraps of paper on the floor. "...don't..."

"You destroyed the letter already. You did what you were supposed to. Go make your shrine," Maki said, keeping the words simple. Impossible to argue with. Like Shuuichi had done for her, not that long ago. "The letter is destroyed."

Kaito looked at the scraps of paper...knowing that this wasn't safe...that Maki could… But she was right. The letter was already destroyed. He had done it. He...he didn't have to worry about it anymore...but, "You won't touch-?"

"I won't," Maki said, "Go."

Kaito gave one last distressed look back at Kokichi. "I...sorry," he murmured, before running to grab his items and heading down the hall, in search of the room that was supposed to be his shrine. In search of a locked door where no one could see. It didn't count if no one saw...

Maki watched him go, not really...feeling anything at the moment. Maybe just tired and resigned. And as soon as he turned the corner, she went and started collecting all the shreds of paper. "This motherfucker thinks he can send with him their best detective and assassin and still pull shit like this on him with no worries?" Maki muttered, collecting each piece of paper she could find, her words furious as she put them all bit by bit into her pocket, violence radiating off her. "Fucking just...wait and see...just you wait..."

All the pieces collected, Maki took one more look around the hall, making sure she hadn't missed any...then she looked at Kokichi. His paleness, his sweat, the look in his eyes.

She offered him her hand. "I'm sorry we keep doing this to you."

Kokichi just laid there on the ground and forced himself to breathe, watching Kaito go with something hurt and furious in his gaze. Despite his best efforts, mad at Kaito, yes, though the majority of his rage was correctly pointed at Byakuya and Tengan. To do this to a person...it was like they weren't even human. Nothing but greed and self-importance where their hearts were supposed to be.

Evil.

With another careful breath, Kokichi took Maki's hand with his shaking one, trying to pull himself up...even if it was mostly Maki's doing. "...It's not your fault, I know. I just...don't understand how such a broken place could come to be. How people like that exist."

Any of the strength he'd mustered to stand in the first place was gone, his knees going weak against Maki, and he didn't protest when she lifted him up again. "...I don't know how to help Kai-chan when his battlefield is one I can't touch..."

Maki adjusted him on her hip, finding his weight easy enough to carry, but not wanting him to jostle too much on their way back down the stairs as she said, dead-eyed and neutral, "If you ever figure out a way, you be sure to tell me. I grew up around people trying desperately to fight the orders in their heads, and every case you ever hear about people breaking their conditioning entirely always ends up being just myth and rumors. All we have are tricks that...sometimes work and sometimes don't, and you just gotta roll the dice with them. For instance, complicated ideas rarely work. You have to speak extremely simply to them."

"Too much information just makes it worse, gives them too much ammunition to talk themselves back into following it. And you have to figure out what the wording of the order actually was. Which I am going to figure out...not that there's much to be done for him by this point," Maki admitted, walking carefully down the stairs. "I just want to make sure there was nothing else in that letter that won't hurt him later."

There was a moment of quiet as she held Kokichi, just walking towards his room...and then, quietly, so that only he could hear, she said, "...is it wrong that I'm a little happy? Byakuya just did some of the hardest parts of my job for me, and he no longer has any familial allies outside of a brainwashed brother in a different country. His arrogance is astounding. I can't believe he willingly put himself in a more vulnerable position...for what I can't imagine...no doubt something that made sense to his sick world view..."

Kokichi let out a shuddered sigh and scrunched his eyes shut, his expression pinched in grief. Not for Kaito's parents, but for Kaito, the only person from the horrid family worth caring about. Worth loving. He wanted so badly to find some magic words or a secret potion to free Kaito from the hold his brother had over him, but...he wasn't a fucking psychologist. He...he couldn't help Kaito at all...

But he couldn't give up on him either. It wasn't the Dicean way to give up on anyone.

...but Kokichi still sniffled quietly, his heart aching for his husband. At least tipping his head down on Maki's shoulder gave him a chance to speak to her without anyone even possibly being able to listen in. "...I don't think it's wrong to be happy...even if taking someone's death as a good thing is..."

He didn't finish the sentence. His uncertain tone was enough.

"...but if he pulled this off, this means he has other support. I...don't think this is entirely hubris..." He sighed quietly, pressing his nose into Maki's shoulder as another tremble went through his body. "...we need to talk to Kaede...you think I could get away with writing a condolence letter to her?"

"I think...that in a perfect world, right now I'd be in Luminary to actually do the job I want to do, because the sheer amount of chaos Byakuya just created in his home kingdom is perfect for trying to get away with tricks and plans that would never work while things are normal," Maki mused, opening the door to the princes' room and closing it behind her. "I think the kingdom has to put together two extremely high profile funerals, and a coronation, while dealing with officials from other kingdoms coming to visit to pay 'respects', all while dealing with the no doubt countless resistance groups and opportunist nobles who are back home and seeing all of this and thinking this is their chance to put their schemes through as well...all that to say, everyone there is about to be extremely busy and stressed for a very long time, and now is probably the best time to send correspondence safely."

Moving the cover on the bed over to lay Kokichi down, she sat him down, looking him over carefully before saying, "Let me pour you some tea, and get you a hand towel. You're soaked."

She went to the bathroom first, getting a clean hand towel and handing it to Kokichi, before going to pour the tea. As she did so, she said, "This...I'm sorry to add more things on top of this incredibly shitty morning...but there's something else that honestly can't wait to be discussed, not if I want to keep him safe. I have concerns about Shuuichi that I was going to come to you and Kaito about, but with...Kaito being as he is...I won't say anything if you're on the verge of another attack. But it is important." She brought him the tea.

...that was true. It wasn't just an issue of the Momotas. There were...a heartbreaking amount of people that would be using this time to their own benefit.

He felt like throwing up.

Kokichi fell back against the pillows as Maki set him down, feeling the strain in his body. This...really wasn't good for him. But he couldn't ignore what was going on. Kaito was doing that enough for the both of them. He grimaced at that thought, knowing it wasn't fair...and that was why he couldn't be around Kaito right now.

Taking the towel from Maki, Kokichi half-heartedly patted himself down, getting his face more or less cleared but leaving the rest of his body cooling and sticky. He'd been in grosser states. And...if his body was going to freak out more, then he'd save the energy now.

Looking at his friend warily, concerned, Kokichi took a deep breath and reached out to take the cup of his tea. "...I'm okay...I think. And if Shuu-chan is in danger...we need to do something about that. ...especially since he's high again," he sighed.

"Mmm." Maki hummed, grabbing the desk chair and taking it to Kokichi's side, sitting in it with a small thump, honestly...just as stressed out as Kokichi was, but minus the impending heart attack. "Someone needs to have a talk with Dr. Kimura about picking her medicine choices more carefully, and it shouldn't be me, because I am...so mad. At everyone right now," Maki said, stretching her neck slightly to release the tension from it, popping out a few cracks in the joints.

Collecting herself, Maki reported, "Guardsman Katsuki informed me this morning that two days ago, she has substantial reasons to believe that an assassin was targeting Shuuichi, having found him waiting outside of Shuuichi's room for almost an hour before she confronted him. She believes that assassin was a person named Tom, and her description of him and his weapons leads me to believe this is the same Tom that was part of the group that invited you and Kaito to that party. I...got the impression she didn't think he was that skilled of an assassin, which he probably wasn't, because who needs to wait outside of a window for almost an hour...did he just not have a plan or??"

Maki sighed, rolling her eyes. What a rookie move.

"Anyway, so yes. Shuuichi was targeted by a failed assassin two days ago. On top of that, Katsuki reports that she has every reason to believe Shuuichi was aware of the incident, while it was happening. Which means...he didn't tell us he was being targeted for some reason...and..." Maki rubbed her temple slightly with one hand, looking extremely frustrated as she said, "I can't just...I can't just go kill this Tom guy, right? Because that's what I'd like to do."

Kokichi frowned, taking small sips of his tea, too much going on right now to be bothered by the taste any. He remembered Shuuichi's concerns about Dr. Kimura...but also how he wanted to keep seeing her. Really, he was more surprised that he'd taken the new medicine again when he knew it made him loopy. Usually, with a side effect like that, you were supposed to stop taking anything immediately.

"Kai-chan said she's coming by the castle tomorrow...so I'll talk with her." He would. "Said she agreed to go on the trip and was gonna do prelim check-ups on all of us..." He trailed off there, expression tightening again. "...if we're even still going?"

Kaito's parents were dead, killed due to his older brother. And...

Kokichi's eyes widened as Maki told him her information. Somehow he managed to keep his grip on his cup. Why would Tom...? They'd...been so nice at the party. And...yeah, Tom had started that game with Kaito...and Itch had seemed to think Kaito getting hurt was all through Tom's doing...but...

And they'd been drinking with Shuuichi.

Itch's beer. Which Shuuichi said tasted good. Which Kaito had said tasted like spoiled wine.

With a gasp, Kokichi did drop his cup then.

Maki raised an eyebrow at this, quickly picking up the cup before it spilled any more tea on Kokichi's bed. "Okay, well...that's a pretty delayed reaction to finding out one of us was targeted by an assassin, but...is that what you're gasping about? Because I said that almost a full minute ago..."

He looked over at Maki, something desperate in his gaze. "Despair Pollen tastes like spoiled wine, Shuu-chan told me, said he tried it when you all were in the forest. Kai-chan, er, so, Itch brews his own beer, had it at the party, and Kai-chan said, unprompted, that that's what it tasted like. He only had a sip, and..."

"Shuu-chan said he was studying medicinal properties of poison. He said Itch's beer tasted good. He's been acting weird for a while, and...and he's been sick. He hasn't left the castle. What if...Tom wasn't there to kill him? What if he wanted to make sure Shuu-chan wasn't telling us about it? Or to give him more?"

Thinking about it more, Kokichi looked down at his shaking hands. "...I said I wasn't drinking that night, at the party. Kai-chan only had that sip before he said he wasn't either. And then right after, Itch put the keg back, even though he came way later after the party was already in full swing."

"...they're distributing Despair Pollen."

Maki listened to all of this carefully. And when Kokichi was done, she stayed quiet for a while longer. Mulling over the information provided, with what she knew and believed to be true in the world.

Not...everything Kokichi said lined up with her world views...but Maki wasn't Kaito. Her first response wasn't to ignore the parts that didn't fit. So instead, piece by piece, she presented her issues with Kokichi, hoping for some clarity.

"...First of all, isn't Despair Pollen extremely deadly, extremely quick?" Maki asked, her voice and tempo even. Not challenging Kokichi. Just providing context for her doubts. "When I was infected by it, I barely remembered anything that happened, for good reason. My body was being ruined by fever, which wasn't helped by the fact that no one could get me to lie down and try to cool off because everything was, apparently, making me hysterical and tearful. If Secretary Chisa and Nurse Tsumiki hadn't put together a cure for us, I was told we'd have a day, maybe two to live. So...how are we not seeing massive amounts of deaths if Tom and Itch are distributing it in beers? And why would anyone take it on purpose?"

"Second..." This one was harder to say. Maki wasn't without her biases, and this one... "Shuuichi...I can't imagine him being dumb enough to willingly take a deadly poison...and if he had he wouldn't...keep it from me and Kaito..." she said. Each word uncertain and growing more so, as she reflected on the last week, especially, but also...the last few weeks. "Why would he do that? He trusts us...he trusts me to look out for him..."

Kokichi furrowed his brow, calmed slightly by Maki's questions. "...most poisons are only deadly in a certain amount--that's why studying them for medicine is a valid field. But...you're right, that's just a guess... Just because it tastes the same isn't evidence." And he didn't know why anyone would take it on purpose, but...he wasn't confident in knowing people's reasons for anything anymore. Not with his world opened to a miasma of...disgusting, horrible things.

But for the question of Shuuichi...

Lacing his fingers together, not pushing his hands but just trying to still their shaking, Kokichi spoke slowly. "...if he was studying a deadly poison, and he told you guys...wouldn't you try to get him to stop? If he thought there was something there worth pursuing..."

Kokichi looked around his room for a moment, worried and stressed and, god, so tired... "...If Tom was outside Shuu-chan's window, that's a security concern, so Katsuki-chan should've told Aiichi about it. As long as we keep an eye on him...I think Shuu-chan should be alright. And..."

He looked around a little more, just feeling so helpless and scared. "...I'll write a note to my father. If Itch is distributing his beer at all--which he is--it needs to be tested to be approved for mass consumption... They'll catch anything weird in it...especially if they know something new to test for..."

Maki nodded at this...she didn't like it but...

...yeah. If she had known Shuuichi was...experimenting on himself?

She would have killed him.

...or at the very least absolutely made him stop. But that was because she loved him! Because she didn't want him to get hurt! He knew this, why would he...why would he...

Maki tried the steadying breath again. Again, it didn't help...but reminding herself that kind of everyone she cared about, including the person right in front of her, was sort of falling apart right now and she needed to step up did. She could put aside her own fears and doubts and insecurities until there was time to feel it all later. For now, she needed to be strong.

So she said to Kokichi, "I'll talk to Shuuichi about it. I'll find out what happened, report it back to you, and we'll figure this out. He's still alive and whole, so no matter what stupid thing he's gotten himself into, we can pull him back from it. And I know that what you just saw happen to Kaito was...scary. And unnerving. But Kaito is alive and whole as well, and in his own way, all that's really happening to him right now is he's grieving a family loss while refusing to acknowledge the murderer who did it. That sucks but...it's not something that will kill him, or even put him in any real harm's way. Right now he's very likely just praying to his god and bloodletting a little to ask for safe travels through the trials for his parents. Again, it sucks...but he's not in danger doing that. And Shuuichi isn't in danger while he's with us. And you...you're not in danger either. You're breathing through this just fine. You're fine. And as shitty as everything is right now...we are all, objectively, fine."

Maki looked over Kokichi warily, hoping that...her words didn't sound hollow or patronizing. She meant them. These were the sorts of things she said to herself to get herself through these stressful times. She never said things to hurt Kokichi. She genuinely hoped this would help...and then she said, "If you have any fears, talk them out with me. We can figure out if there's any actual danger there or not."

...she was right. As long as you were still alive, there was still a chance for things to get better. That was why Diceans never gave up.

He nodded silently through her own plan, hoping that Shuuichi would be willing and lucid enough to talk to her. They could protect him from Tom and Itch, for whatever actual reason they wanted him. Katsuki had already protected him once...the castle was supposed to be a safe place...

Kokichi knew that he'd likely prolonged his recovery...but he'd still recover. He did every single time, and he wasn't going to give up now. He was breathing and his heart was beating, and that was all he needed to keep going.

Even if...

He chewed on his lip, feeling words wanting to spill out to his friend. "...I promised to keep Kai-chan safe...but I can't protect him from Byakuya at all... Last time I saw him like this, he came back with a broken arm. I-I'm scared he's going to hurt himself...more than just the whole bloodletting thing... He blames himself for so much..."

"That's more than enough punishment, but h-he keeps looking for ways to hurt himself! He made me hold a knife to his neck, Maki!!" His fear starting to spill over, Kokichi looked up at Maki with wide, watery eyes. "Half the time it's like he's expecting me to yell and hit him. How am I supposed to trust that he'll be okay, especially when he doesn't talk to anyone besides us?! You're all stuck in this place and I don't know what to do and I'm terrified that you're going to get yourselves killed!"

Again, Maki listened.

There was a brief moment where her eyes narrowed at the comment of holding a knife to his neck...but that moment passed quickly. If Kaito had been trying to make some sort of point, or gesture, and had pushed Kokichi in that position, then it wasn't the Dicean’s fault.

As for everything else...

Maki couldn't help herself. She looked around carefully, always paranoid, always nervous of watching eyes...but as she reassured herself that no one was around to take advantage of a moment of weakness, she reached out to Kokichi and pulled him into a hug. Holding him close to her and soothingly running a hand up and down his back.

She didn't say anything at first. Just held him, trying to be a sturdy presence for him.

Eventually, when she felt his breathing start to even out, she said, "We come from a place where people yell and hit. That's not your fault. He'll..." she sighed, choosing to be honest, "...we'll get to a point where we trust the people here...eventually. Your Luminaries just need time. You haven't trapped us, or failed us. We just need time."

"And we're not going to die. I'm watching out for us. Katsuki is watching out for us. You're watching out for us," Maki said, breaking the hug to give him a hard look, though she kept her arms on his. "Yes, Kaito is...a little self-destructive. I honestly don't know if that's a side effect of his conditioning, or just how he was always going to be...but Kaito's always been convinced that most problems could be solved if he was just willing to take a solid hit for it. And in Luminary, that was true enough, in all honesty. Want to befriend the detective? Better be ready to fight all his enemies. Want to befriend the assassin...better be ready for her bloodrages," Maki said, rolling her eyes. Not above taking shots at herself. "But here...I don't know. Maybe once he spends enough time with you, he can be convinced that not every problem has to be solved by hurting himself. I honestly think Dicea is going to be good for him...and Shuuichi and Tim...and maybe me, one day, when everything's finished..."

Maki gave Kokichi a long look...before blushing and looking away. Embarrassed. "Look, all that to say that...I think everything's going to be fine with him in the long run because I have faith in you. I trust you to look after him."

If Kokichi was surprised by the hug--which he was, a little--he didn't react that way. Instead he held Maki back, as tightly as his shaking, fatigued arms could, just wanting to hold her close and protect her from the thorns she'd grown up in. But he wasn't...a god, or anything. The universe didn't care, so he cared instead, but there was only so much he could do with his two hands. If he wanted to make a bigger impact...then he'd have to work with more than just himself.

He sniffled into her shoulder, not crying but just...scared and upset and taking comfort in being those things while she was there to keep him from falling apart. "I know things take time...but it always feels like there's just another thing around every corner to make things worse... Nothing can change if you're always doing damage control..."

There was something admirable in putting yourself at stake first before others to solve problems. But how Kaito did it...it felt like he jumped into danger even when there were perfectly safe options available. Problems solved with violence, even against yourself.

...but people could change.

Shakily sighing, Kokichi let his tired arms drop as Maki looked away. "...I want to make your trust worth something. I'm not telling you to leave...but if you see Kai-chan later today...could you tell him that he can come back to our room? I dunno if he's gonna think that I don't wanna see him or anything..."

"Thanks, Maki-chan. I have faith in you too."

"Well, yes? Obviously you should. I've spent years honing my skills to make myself incredibly trustworthy," Maki said simply, giving Kokichi a blank look...before smirking.

Then she frowned, leaning back into her chair and crossing her arms. "In all honesty, I don't want to go. Everything outside of this room is a clusterfuck right now, and I'm not looking forward to detangling any of it...but I need to go yell at Shuuichi, and later I'll probably need to go yell at Kaito too. Thankfully, Timothy should be with Miss Kawai right now, so hopefully I won't need to yell at him...why do I have to yell at people so much? Can't all of you stop putting yourselves into terrible situations without me having to come yell at you?" Maki said, her voice scolding...though there was a lightness to it that suggested she was just trying to tease.

Then a thought occurred to her...and she looked over at Kokichi. Her face serious.

"I think we should still go to the coast," she said. Arms crossed. Mood surprisingly somber, considering the conversation. "I know that might sound crazy right now...especially considering we shouldn't probably make a decision till we actually know what's up with Shuuichi...but out of all the problems I'm currently aware of, staying here won't help. Going to the beach could be a...both a tactical physical and mental retreat. Those brewery boys are here, not there, for one. Taking Shuuichi out of the capital might be the safest thing for him, especially if the king starts an investigation with them. And Kaito...a few different things could happen with Kaito for the next few weeks. He could end up being totally fine...or he'll spiral into his religion. When he was really, really stressed back in Luminary, he'd always hide in the temple when it got to be too much, sometimes for weeks at a time. I think it's just one of his coping strategies for when things don't make sense to him. There is no sky, so it can be pink, sort of thing."

"So, I think getting Kaito away from his shrine might be a good idea. Force him to cope in a different way. And...I think it's safe to say me, you, and Timothy could use some time getting away from all of this. Just, a change in scenery. It won't hurt anything, and it might help. I think it's worth doing."

Maki considered her words, before adding in, "...but. And I've gotten the impression before that this may hurt your feelings...I'm not suggesting this because of you. I'm suggesting it because your Luminaries are, even beyond just Kaito..all a little self-destructive. Especially if Shuuichi's eating fucking poison for fun, which, by the way, I will kill him if that's what he's been doing," Maki growled...before calming down. "Sorry. What I was trying to say is that we're not the best people to stay out of danger with. I know we already have Dr. Kimura coming with us...but I think you should invite more of your staff. People you trust to make good decisions. Katsuki would be invaluable, for one."

That got him. His eyes were still wet and red, and trembles were still going through his body, but Kokichi broke out in a quiet giggle, wiping his nose with a weak smile. "Maki-chan is always welcome in here, and she can stay as long as she wants. Last night," he sniffled, "Kai-chan and I were even talkin' about having a sleepover with you guys sometime."

...he couldn't decide if that would be a good or bad idea. Having his friends close would...probably be a good thing for Kaito. And doing it would ensure that they knew no one was trying to spirit Shuuichi away in the night.

As he was pondering that, Kokichi's eyes snapped back up to Maki, staring at her in bewilderment...before listening to her reasoning. "...a change in scenery..." he echoed, considering it. He'd heard that changing things up could help with stress. Though, he wondered if he'd just be too worried over everyone to enjoy his first time out of the city...or if he'd be too awe-struck by the world to pay attention to his struggling friends.

...but it would be easier to get the right balance with that if more people came along.

Kokichi frowned, not wanting to bring a full damn escort, just making it like he wasn't even leaving...but a few more people couldn't hurt. "...I'll ask Katsuki-chan. D'ya think I should ask Hajime-chan, since Kai-chan already likes him? He's really responsible 'n shit too...and could probably use a vacation."