"Hajime's also a solid choice." Maki nodded, working it out in her head. An additional guard/assassin to help her look out for and prepare for dangers...and a, while sarcastic little shit, proven reliable housekeeper to help the group keep up with schedules and maintenance...both of those skill sets could help offset the hit to the group that Kaito's potential loss of stability and Shuuichi's potential loss of observational reasoning might have had. Not to mention having a qualified doctor as a healer...even if her medicine was making Shuuichi trip absolute balls right now...

Two trained assassins, a housekeeper, and a doctor...yeah. That could make up for a child, a puppy, an unseasoned prince, a grieving prince, and a...whatever the issue with Shuuichi was. That could work.

"Let's invite Katsuki and Hajime to this...get-together Kaito's trying to throw together for Dr. Kimura tomorrow. We'll get everything worked out about the trip then."

Maki leaned back into her seat, giving Kokichi a long-suffering look as she said, "Why are we being the responsible ones? You're basically made of glass and I was raised to kill people indiscriminately. Other people should be managing us. Absolutely ridiculous...Kokichi...do you drink?"

Kokichi felt, just, the littlest bit of tension fade from him as Maki gave her approval in favor of inviting Hajime. He knew the two of them didn't exactly...get on well, but if Maki was okay with him, then...that was that. He'd ask, and if Hajime said no, then...he'd think of someone else. It'd be okay. It'd be okay...

Giving her a nod...ah, right. The check-ups. With something just shy of a grimace, Kokichi sighed. "One of us should probably take our check-up first, just to let Dr. Kimura know that...things are...uncertain right now. She's going to be in charge of our well-being, and...well, she should know that some of us aren't well past the obvious."

"I need to get her office space... At least she already knows my medical record, and you guys don't have any here..." His mumbles grew quieter and quieter, and Kokichi pressed back into his pillows, feeling the weight of the...loooong to-do list he had. That he always had.

With a heavy sigh, he gave Maki a tired look. "Not often. I think having even the most watered-down shit might just knock me out right now...but I don't think that's a bad thing."

"...I know there's good whiskey in the kitchen that they sometimes use for special desserts."

Maki waved off the comment about the kitchens as she said, "No, no, not now. I don't drink while I'm working, or feel like there's a job coming up anytime soon, and I've...basically not been off the clock since I got here. Too many things to watch out for. But I do like to drink. I've always felt like it's a half decent bonding activity. Making yourself vulnerable in a fun, trusting environment...anyway."

Maki looked, eyes half-lidded, seemingly almost bored, and she said, "Later, when it feels like I'm taking time off, I want to sit down and nurse some drinks with you. Talk to you a bit. Get to know my friend Kokichi. I offered it before, and I...want to follow up with that. We'll chat about all the things you shouldn't chat about, like relationships and politics and religion..." she smirked, shaking her head...before giving Kokichi another long, blank look, "and then you, at your own pace, in a safe environment...can explain to me exactly why Kaito made you take a knife to his neck."

The words were light. Airy.

And entirely without room for argument. Just giving Kokichi a long, neutral look.

She was trusting that there was a good reason. But Maki didn't trust without verification. And with this new Tom situation, she already felt like she had just let too many things go since they had gotten here. Paranoia was only a bad thing if assassins weren't chasing after you. And Kokichi and Kaito's personal lives weren't her business right up until one of them was, apparently, literally asking to die.

She didn't care if she was being rude by being 'nosy'. In her defense, she was just as concerned for Kokichi at this story as she was for Kaito. Even just asking an innocent to kill anyone was a traumatic enough experience on its own. Asking said innocent to kill his husband? Unacceptable. Maki was gonna spar Kaito the second he was well enough to hit again.

"Alright," she said, getting up and stretching her shoulders, "I'm gonna go take care of Shuuichi. Do you want me to send a healer up to watch over you? You went through a lot of stress this morning. It's understandable if you need extra help while your friends are all running around being worthless. Well...two out of three of them, anyway."

A guilty look crossed over Kokichi's face even if he knew Maki wouldn't want to see it. Not off the clock since she got here...huh... Even without a person to kill, the assassin still had all the work in the world to do. Maybe she wouldn't be bored keeping her profession.

...but getting a drink with Maki sounded nice. He'd never done that with someone, unless you counted his first meal with Kaito at Sakura's pub. Shooting the shit with a friend...

And just when he started to relax at that thought, he froze. Shoulders hunched in and tense, his mouth drawn in a line. ...Kaito had already been punished for that...he was already hurting enough right now...

(But he still wanted to tell someone.)

...but not right now.

Letting go of a careful breath, Kokichi made himself relax against his pillows, looking over at Maki in concern and appreciation. "I...think sending someone up would be a good idea... Just in case, you know. Wouldn't wanna wet the bed or anything." He offered a shaky smile, trying to joke. "Take care of yourself, Maki-chan."

-

When Maki tried to talk to Shuuichi, he was asleep, and according to the healers, had been basically since she left him there. She had tried to rouse him, feeling bad about waking him but feeling like this conversation was important enough...but he had looked at her blearily, mumbled a few words, and turned back around, immediately falling back asleep.

This...was not the optimal state Maki wanted her friend to be in before she accused him of drugging himself on poison and hiding it from her.

So, asking the healers to watch him for awhile longer (and to send one up to watch Kokichi as well), Maki left, determined to at least locate the location of Kaito's new shrine, just so she knew where it was, and then going to check on Tim next.

And about an hour after she left, Shuuichi woke up. Still...incredibly out of it. But not as badly as he had been before. Thinking, if not clearly, then at least...somewhat coherently.

...Miss Nao still hadn't come to find him...she had abandoned him...

Did she not love him anymore?

Shuuichi felt his eyes burn at the thought. Miss Nao had her own way of expressing affection, and he had always thought to himself that the number one way she did so, even more than her consistent schedule of 'emptying' him, was making sure he always got his dose. He felt such love for her, from her, every time she graciously let him lick from that sticker she carried his doses around in. He was so grateful, every time she did it...felt so taken care of. So looked after...

And now she was gone.

Shuuichi closed his eyes, a few hot tears falling down his cheeks. He couldn't make any noise though. The enemy was here. They would hear.

He vaguely remembered Maki bringing him to the healers...no doubt not realizing the danger Shuuichi was in here. How any of them could find out what he had done...could report him to the king...send him back to Luminary...

...where was she!?

Maybe...maybe with her wife. Maybe Miss Nao had gotten tired of Shuuichi, tired of her whore who loved her so much...for her wife. Who even was she, anyway?? What made her so amazing that Miss Nao only had time for her now, huh??? Had her wife asked Miss Nao to stop coming?? Is that what happened!? She didn't need to be such a jealous bitch! Shuuichi knew enough religious stories from Kaito that he knew how to be a good concubine. He could share Miss Nao with a wife! He wasn't the problem here!!

Ugh...he'd be fine with making them both happy. He could learn to love the mysterious other woman. Miss Nao didn't have to choose between them...Shuuichi was willing to submit to both. Would be happy to submit to both...just wanted to be her good, obeying whore...but Miss Nao wouldn't even give him a chance!

...maybe...Miss Nao wasn't the one to ask?

...

...

Shuuichi didn't even know the wife's name.

...ha. Like a trained lifelong detective was worried about that.

Taking a look around, Shuuichi wondered where it was. It had been standard protocol in Luminary, and he...had to assume Dicea had something similar. And it would make sense for it to be in the med wing. Somewhere for easy access for an emergency, but secure enough, at least in the healers’ minds, that its sensitive information wasn't available to for anyone to see.

So, knowing the human condition for arrogance, especially in a place of work? In some supervisor’s desk somewhere. Shuuichi would bet anything it would be a binder in the bottom left or right drawer even, that was capable of being locked, but wouldn't actually be because the supervisor wouldn't want to be bothered every time one of the other healers needed it.

People were people wherever you went. Shuuichi didn't doubt this was the kind of place he should look.

...But where exactly?

Looking around slowly...almost lazily...Shuuichi considered the people in here. He had no idea who was the supervisor among the group. But that didn't really matter. Where would the supervisor work in this ward? Where would be their desk?

In Luminary, it would be a secure, fancy, out of the way office so that the supervisor could see their personnel only when they desired to. Diceans were weird though. All...sensitive and stuff. The supervisor probably couldn't flaunt their position in any meaningful way. So...somewhere halfway secure...and preferable, but not glamorous...hmmm....

Shuuichi glanced at the office in the corner of the room, which had a window wall, but shades that could be closed, and you could see the window on the outer wall from the desk while both windows shades were open. The door was partly open while the others were either closed or fully open. Which suggested it was supposed to be closed, but people came in and out of it too frequently to justify keeping it closed. Partly closed being their internal compromise.

...okay...

Shuuichi looked around once, saw no one was looking, and got up. If he waited too long, tried to recognize a pattern, people would notice him staring. Would approach him, or at least keep an eye on him, if out of curiosity over everything else. When it came to sneaking around in an office full of people, as strange as it was, the best approach was to move quickly and immediately, and just kinda...rely on the idea that until they initially notice him, everyone would be too busy dealing with whatever they were doing to look.

And if it didn't work, well, he was high anyway. He could claim he was looking for a bathroom.

Getting into the office, Shuuichi didn't bother looking over his shoulder to see if anyone had noticed him yet. It would waste precious seconds of them being distracted, and if someone had noticed him by now, then he had already lost anyway. Quickly, he looked through the two side drawers of the desk, and got lucky the first one. A binder that said clearly on its spine: Emergency Contact Information.

...oh FUCK what was her last name...she had told him, he KNEW she told him. When they had first met, right? Hadn't she? Oh fuck...what was Miss Nao's LAST NAME!?? Come on, come on, Shuuichi, THINK that's an ORDER!!

...Umezaki!!

Going to the U's, Shuuichi quickly found it. Her emergency contact information. Emergency contact: Yasu Todoa.

And then two addresses, right beside it. A home and work address.

Memorizing both addresses easily, Shuuichi finally allowed himself to look up, puting the binder away. No one was looking at him. Okay. Okay. Time to...time to go. Just walk out.

And Shuuichi, keeping his cap low and his head down, did so.

Yasu Todoa...Yasu...Miss Yasu...

Miss Nao, Miss Yasu, and their loving, obedient whore Shuuichi...

Yeah! This could work!

...why couldn't people ever chill for, like, one second?

Yasu sighed quietly, looking over the statements in her hand, feeling the vice of her anxiety start to tighten...but that was almost an everyday occurrence. It wasn't an everyday thing to hear that the king and queen of the neighboring kingdom had died under dubious circumstances, but, as Nao had reassured her, as Yasu had started to turn grey, she wouldn't have any sort of hand in that case.

No, instead she'd have to deal with the fallout of celebrations of people who hated Luminary. And those cases were yet to happen so...

The calm before the storm.

...why on earth had she become a lawyer?!

Yasu thunked her head down on her desk, both dreading and looking forward to Aihito's return. On one hand, she wouldn't have to gather statements herself, wouldn't have to talk to a bunch of college kids that said...way more than Yasu ever wanted to know about anyone. On the other, Aihito would be encouraging her to keep doing it since she'd run their office by herself in his absence. ...fuck she hoped he hadn't broken any laws while in Luminary.

Flopping her head to the side, Yasu tiredly eyed the stack of paperwork she still had to get through today. Oh paperwork...if only you didn't have anything to do with people.

Smoothing back her short brown hair, Yasu sat up from her pity break and got back to work. Until she heard the front door open, at least.

He had gone back up to his room and done his best to wear something nice and fix his hair and, well...he had replaced the pads with handtowels but...M-miss Yasu probably knew about his little backside problem, r-right? Miss Nao might have told her? Hopefully, when he took off his pants, she wouldn't be too weirded out seeing his briefs stuffed with handtowels, is all...

But, the point was, he was prepared! He...he looked nice! He was pretty sure! And he had even put on some cologne and...phewwww...fuck he was nervous.

...why did her building have to be so nice? Shuuichi had almost left then and there, when he realized Miss Yasu's building was a Law Firm. A lawyer!? Was Miss Nao married to a lawyer!? Indentureds couldn't even BE lawyers! Their jobs were too important! Ugh...he was so out of his depth...

M-maybe she wasn't a lawyer. Maybe she was a secretary? Indentureds could work as secretaries. She wasn't better than him if she was a secretary...

...oh fuck who was he kidding Miss Nao only deserved the best she was going to be a fucking lawyer god dammit.

So, increasingly nervous, Shuuichi called out hesitantly as he walked in, "Um...hello?"

A year ago, Yasu might've not answered the door at all if Aihito wasn't there. But her job sort of relied on talking with people and...that was hard to do if she didn't go out to meet the people who came to her office. So, like she'd learned to do in the past seven months, Yasu steeled herself and walked into the front part of the office.

There was a nervous young man there...about the age of those involved with the cult case. Great. Perfect. Another victim that could do anything from sob out everything they knew to taunt and tease information while being weirdly promiscuous about it.

Another steadying breath, and Yasu awkwardly gave the man a wave. "Hello. Uh. Yasu Todoa, attorney at law--what can I help you with?"

Seven months and her greetings were still...sub-par. She would never gripe over Aihito chatting away with clients ever again.

Shuuichi wanted to hide under his cap...b-but he couldn't. He...he had to make a good impression on this woman! He had to...he had to...

He stared at her, transfixed. This was the woman who could make Miss Nao moan...who could make her eyes flutter and her breath hitch...this was one of his future masters...

Shuuichi...blushed scarlet, staring fixedly on her lower legs as he asked quietly, "H...hi...um...are you M-miss Yasu Todoa?"

...she'd just said that, hadn't she? No, no, she definitely said that.

Oh shit. He was going to be one of the ones high even when they came to see her, wasn't he? Shit. Ass. Balls. Okay.

Yasu gave the young man a nod, already feeling her palms start to sweat. "I am Yasu Todoa, attorney at law," she repeated, knowing she might have to do it a few more times in this conversation. "Are you here to give a statement? Or to bring up a personal case?"

She held back saying, 'or anything else?' Open-ended questions tended to get the affected young people to go off on tangents and distract themselves, never actually answering any question. It was much easier to ask as many yes or no questions as possible, and hope they would consent to a substance abuse program.

She was a lawyer. Damn! Damn!

He...he wasn't a jealous whore. He...he was going to submit to her anyway, right? It was fine that she was better than him. Good, even! W-why would he want to serve someone who w-wasn't??

...He had...he had kinda been hoping that when he met her she'd be...lackluster. That maybe Shuuichi, or at least who Shuuichi used to be, in comparison, was more impressive to Miss Nao. That he...that he was spe...

...god, he was so stupid. He clutched his hand to his chest, felt the back of his eyes start to burn, just...ashamed of himself...

...like some fucking Indentured from Luminary could possibly stack up against someone Miss Nao would choose to marry. Fucking dumb, stupid, arrogant whore...

Shuuichi shook his head at her questions, and felt a little dizzy doing so. The effect of his medicine from this morning was lessened by food and sleep...but he still felt that heavy fog to an extent. His reactions were a little slow, and it was maybe only the medicine’s doing that he was so uncomfortable right now but...not overly aroused?? Still a bit, always a bit, but...he didn't feel crazy right now.

Which was maybe a shame. It'd be so much easier to flirt if he was. And...that's what he was here to do, right? Flirt? He had never flirted with anyone before in his life, but...he had seen Kaito do it plenty of times. He had even seen Maki do it, once or twice, in her own way. He could do this!

Okay, Shuuichi. Now's your chance.

"U-um...no, sorry, I'm...not a client. I was..." Shuuichi blushed, looking up at her, trembling a little, "I was...could I take you to get a drink with me?"

...he looked like he was either about to burst into tears or faint. Which, unfortunately, wouldn't be the first time people had done either in her office. While the surprise wasn't there, Yasu still wasn't fond of people doing those things, so she was about to ask if the young man wanted to sit down, but...

Oh. That was surprising.

"I'm married." After a pause, Yasu held up her left hand and pointed to the wedding ring. And, after another pause, she looked over at the clock on the wall. "And it's just a little after noon."

Yasu shifted her weight, just feeling...entirely awkward about the situation. Some nervous secret admirer that was also still on something showing up at her office. Nao was going to tease the daylights out of her later, Yasu knew it.

Coughing into her fist, Yasu looked around her office before shrugging a little. "Thanks?"

Shuuichi giggled.

"Right! Right...um...that's okay that you're married. I...I'm not looking to marry either of you, I'm sorry, asking you for a drink was so...human of me, that's...I'm sorry!" Shuuichi said, giggling again, feeling increasingly nervous, fuck, fuck, what was he thinking, why had he...he wasn't trying to date her, why did he think?? He had...he had just tried to be like Kaito, but...but he wasn't like Kaito. Kaito was a prince and lovable and a person and Shuuichi...

...wasn't...

...okay! He just...she was Miss Nao's wife! Certainly they had to have things in common! Miss Nao didn't like to undress him! She liked it when he got undressed himself! Maybe Miss Yasu was the same? So...so...

"I-I'm sorry...I didn't mean to...I can sh-show you what I have! I...I really am a very good whore! I...Miss Nao's wife can have anything she wants from me...I'll do anything you want..." Shuuichi assured her, taking off his jacket first, and then his blouse, feeling a flush come to his face as he felt a rush of cool air tickle his sensitive nipples. Then before he took his pants off, he took off his cap, throwing it, reluctantly, with his blouse (you have such beautiful hair, Shuuichi. Shame you're gonna cover up my hard work), feeling more exposed without it than he did without his shirt.

Then, he started to take off his pants, all the while saying, "I shouldn't have said that...I just wanna be a good whore..."

Yasu blinked. Was she having an early stroke or something? 'Either of you'...he knew Nao? How he said everything was...odd compared to "normal", but not to some of the kids she'd spoken to lately.

...okay, not the "whore" stuff.

Yasu blanched as the young man started taking his clothes off, and--oh for fuck's sake.

Whap!

"Mr. Saihara," Yasu spoke through her facepalm, "please put your clothes back on. This is a public place of business." She should've guessed it way sooner, but there had been just so many weirdos coming to her office that Yasu didn't think twice. Nao was magnetic, it was no wonder Saihara would try to follow her trail home--or to Yasu's office--one of these days.

While her wife technically hadn't done anything illegal, Saihara still might have a case if he ever got clean. Taking advantage of someone's already fragile mental state wasn't an easy case to work against.

Dropping her hand from her face, Yasu looked Saihara dully in the eye. "Do you need an escort back to the castle? Or to Dr. Kimura's pharmacy?"

Shuuichi shivered at the sound of Miss Yasu's hand connecting with skin, his excitement at the sound cutting through the medication a little. He wished she had hit him instead...a-and she had guessed it was him! He knew it, he knew Miss Nao talked about him! I-it was love, she recognized him just based on being topless! He knew she cared!

B-but...Miss Yasu...

Shuuichi's eyes went wet and wide, his breath hitching as he trembled. "No! No, please...please give me a chance! Don't...I...!"

He was afraid, but she wasn't Miss Nao, so...he wasn't that afraid, and desperate for her to give him a chance, he rushed forward, circling his arms around her and pressing his small, budding chest against her as he leaned into her, looking up at her with tearful eyes as he said, "P-please don't reject me, Miss Yasu...j-just give me a try, I...I'll make you feel so good! I promise!"

"Why does everyone have to be horny? Do you have any idea how many problems would be solved if people stopped being horny?" Yasu groaned, mostly to herself. She'd had a young woman in just last week, distraught. Heard through a friend of a friend that there were parties every weekend, good for meeting someone for a good time. The woman had planned on going once or twice, just to let off steam from school, but had found herself desperate for every party, the need to get off compulsive and painful.

The woman had come to give her statement after her latest doctor's visit, having gotten positive results for...a few STIs.

Yasu flinched as Saihara latched onto her, and she gently tried to step out of his grip, just sighing. "I'm not interested in sex, Mr. Saihara. You're not a whore, or somehow un-human, and my wife takes too much fun in pushing people's boundaries. Go home."

Shuuichi held on tighter, burying his face into her chest.

"No...she won't love me if you don't...you don't even have to love me if you don't want to. I would understand that! But you can use me. I just...I just want her to love me..."

...god this woman barely made Shuuichi horny at all. It would almost be nice, how unattractive to him she was, if that wasn't also probably the worst possible thing that could happen right now. He had taken a huge risk, reaching out to her like this. Miss Nao wouldn't be happy to know her dirty whore had touched her precious wife. She'd be upset. She'd tell him to never come back! He couldn't waste this chance!

"It...it doesn't have to be sex...I make a good punching bag. If you were angry you could hit me..." Shuuichi said into her chest, trying to think of more good things he could do that weren't sex. "And...I-I'm a trained detective? I could...I...I used to be really good at it...you could have your very own pet detective...I'd find all the evidence you ever needed, I swear..."

Nao had mentioned that. The 'love', stockholm-syndrome thing. Poor kid. That was going to be one rough hurdle to get over. Yasu had seen enough of addiction to not be surprised, but it was sad to see Saihara like this, considering he actually was a detective.

"Nao doesn't love you. But she does want you out of this despair cult business. Get clean then try again on that front, if you even still want to." Again, Yasu tried to step out of Saihara's grip, trying not to hurt the poor kid. "I'm not angry, and I'm not the type to hit people when I am. While there would always be a lot of detective work for you to pursue if you wanted, that's something you'd have to contract out yourself. It'd be a conflict of interest if you worked for any other part of the judicial system."

Sighing, Yasu eventually just started walking towards the door, hoping someone on the Guardforce would be on patrol nearby and she could get them to escort Saihara home.

Shuuichi stepped in time with her, just holding on, pouting almost childishly into her clothes as he listened to her. She was wrong! Miss Nao did love him! ...usually. Just not...not today.

And, what? Miss Yasu thought she was too good to hit him?! Lots of people got their anger out hitting people! Lots and lots of people. Lots and lots and lots and K-Kaito, Maki, he was scared, fuck, he was in over his head, why hadn't they...he n-needed help, why hadn't they...

...Where was she going?

Shuuichi squealed when he realized she was going for the door, leaping off her and putting his hands around his chest, not wanting anyone but one of his masters to see that he had...he didn't want people to know, he...he didn't like them. His chest was so...nightmarish and...god he was such a freak...

Shuuichi trembled in place, tears spilling from his eyes, hiding himself from anyone that may be on the other side of the door.

"Y-you're mean..." Shuuichi whimpered petulantly. "I...I don't understand why Miss Nao loves you...she's so much nicer than you..."

"Okay," Yasu shrugged. Nao had said as much, but Saihara still had enough sense to not want his secret exposed. The reasoning behind keeping it a secret had made sense at first, but now? With Saihara only being a single part of a much larger problem? What was the point in keeping it all hidden?

Maybe because Nao was probably one of the only people willing to scare Saihara into listening to her. One of her wife's great talents coming into use. If the Luminary Prince and the others in the castle knew about Saihara's pollen abuse, then they would probably be gentler in trying to get him off the stuff--which would likely just drive the young man away from the people that cared about him, if she was getting the right read on his reactions.

What an annoyingly frustrating situation. She could see why it stressed Nao out so much now.

Putting a hand on the door handle, Yasu gave Saihara another blank, tired stare. "Are you going to go home, or should I go get a member of the guardforce to escort you? I'm not good at mind games, so I'm not going to play them with you, Mr. Saihara."

Shuuichi looked warily up at her, trying to see if she was bluffing...and didn't see a lie.

"...fine," Shuuichi muttered, going to collect his blouse, jacket, and hat.

He put them all back on, just...furious with himself. He had completely failed. Completely and totally. She wasn't interested in owning him at all and...if Miss Nao's wife wasn't interested...

...what was he going to do?

Well, ya know what!? It was...it was her loss! That's what Kaito would say! He...he was a good s-sla...he was a good....he was a good sla....

Shuuichi felt his stomach curl in shame, and his eyes burn with a fresh new set of tears. He and Maki had...they had come here with Kaito and...they had escaped that, hadn't they? He...wasn't he not supposed to belong to anyone now? What...what had happened...

"Whatever," Shuuichi said, his clothes back on and his cap low. Unable to look at the woman Miss Nao actually loved. “I...I don't care..." Shuuichi said, his voice hitching high and unsteady at the word 'don't'.

What did it matter.

...what did he matter...

A dark, terrible sadness suddenly filled Shuuichi. Miss Nao's wife wouldn't give him a chance. Which means his and Miss Nao's relationship...had a time limit. And...and he wasn't good enough for his friends anymore and...his disgusting, ugly body wasn't even good enough for the brothels, let alone detective work and...and...

Worthless, worthless, he was worthless and it was never getting better...

Shuuichi glared up at the woman, hating her. Hating this person whose decision had left him worthless. He wanted to say awful things to her...something that would hurt, but...

...he couldn't think of anything. She was a lawyer and the wife of Miss Nao and had probably never been a slave to anyone even once. She was better than him in every way...he had been so stupid to think he could have appealed himself to her...could have competed with her...Miss Nao would never pick Shuuichi over someone like that...

...who would pick Shuuichi over anyone or anything?

Instead, he just walked out the door. Not even sure where he wanted to go. He just wanted to get away from the bitch who had everything he fucking wanted already.

Yasu closed the door after Saihara left, and

"--hooooooooooh my god..." She sank down against the door a bit and ran a hand over her face and down over her chest, gripping her shirt over her heart before remembering that it'd wrinkle her shirt and that was unprofessional and Aihito just come back already!!

People were terrifying.

Especially drug addicts with a swapped sense of happiness and pain who were in love with your wife. Especially those ones.

Rubbing her arms as she walked back into her office, Yasu fiddled with the new "telegram" machine Aiichi had given to a few people around the city to test out. Near instantaneous communication was something out of a sci-fi novel in her opinion, but...it did seem to work.

She sent a message to the castle, only saying that Shuuichi Saihara had visited her office and seemed to be in a bad way...

...and, in the castle, a certain sleepy scribe bolted from his new workstation monitoring Miss Iruma's telegram machines and used every whisper he'd heard that day to track down the assassin who he'd heard had been checking in with the detective.

Shuuichi spent some time walking. He didn't really know where he was going, and his movements were slow. Meandering. His head was thick with fog and he kept wanting to cry. He kept his cap low and avoided crowded areas and just walked.

Every now and again he'd try to say something to himself to make himself feel better, and maybe because of the pollen or maybe because of his current mindset, it just made him feel worse.

Unlovable. He was unlovable. That was the lesson of today. Miss Nao had abandoned him, her wife couldn't so much as stand the sight of him, and his friends...

Shuuichi felt his hands tremble and his eyes burn. A small sob rattled his shoulders.

W-well...he wasn't good enough anymore for them, was he. And why would he be? Kaito was all wrapped up in Kokichi now, barely had time or attention for anyone else (and whose fault was that? Shuuichi and sad stories...), and Maki...Shuuichi didn't want to admit that he was jealous of a nine-year-old for taking up his friend’s time, but there it was. Both of them had people in their lives more important than Shuuichi was, now. Neither of them had noticed anything happening to him, and when Shuuichi had been at his lowest, a terrifying woman had swept into his life and taken everything away from him and no one who 'loved' him had even noticed...

...and why should they!? Why should they!? Shuuichi was a stupid piece of shit w-who had thought he was sooooo smart, oh, oh, look at me, fucking! Thinking he had had some sort of breakthrough on a medicine that made you stronger and healthier and, oh man, if I'm onto something, maybe I could provide Kokichi a new medicine that would help him, a-and I'd get to see Kaito's eyes light up as he told me how brilliant I am and thankful he was a-and...

And even if the pollen wouldn't have killed Kokichi. Or even if Shuuichi had only given it to Kaito to fix his arm faster...even in the best case scenario, where it had done everything Shuuichi had hoped it would do, and his friends got stronger, healthier, safer...

...all the side effects would have...

Shuuichi walked around his stupid, tucked dick, feeling an uncomfortably damp handtowel press against his ass, and just...hated himself.

He'd...he'd be better off never going home, by this point. Home? What, the castle was home now? He was just squatting there because his friend was letting him. He wasn't special. He wasn't anything. No, no, not true; he was a danger, and a burden, and a filthy, stupid, sexless...loveless whore, a-a-and he'd be better off just-

"P~huhuhu, I thought I recognized you. What are you doing out here, baby sapli-Geez! What the fuck happened?!"

Shuuichi practically jumped out of his skin as a hand gripped him, hard, and turned him around, a...man? For a second he looked like a young teen or a tall child, in the same way Kokichi or Fuyuhiko might, but...no, it was a man, in a black and white suit with black and white hair and one red eye to counter a golden one, and the man looked Shuuichi up and down, clearly displeased.

"You were ready to seed this morning! Your pheromones should have absolutely sprouted by now, you bastard! But I can't smell you at all!?"

Shuuichi was too shocked and overwhelmed at being directly and physically confronted out of nowhere as the strange looking man pulled him down to his height, leaning in to smell his breath before scowling. "Ugh, awful! You smell like chemicals instead. What the fuck did you take?"

"U-uh, um, ah...?" He was...completely blindsided. Seed? Pheromones? Sprouted? And he certainly didn't recognize this man, so how did he recognize him? The last question at least Shuuichi could parse, but...n-no, it wasn't something people could tell just by looking at him now, right? Sure, he...looked a bit different, but...

His cheeks flushing, Shuuichi shook his head...but didn't pull away, kind of excited by how the man grabbed and pulled at him...even in displeasure. But that was how everyone looked at him...since he was such a disappointment.

"I-I'm sorry, I... I think you have me c-confused for someone else? I don't think we've met, sir," Shuuichi murmured quietly, despairingly, knowing that even to this stranger he wasn't someone who was wanted.

Monokuma looked over his seedling, lifting up his arm to smell his wrist, and then his pit, frowning as everywhere just smelled like some strange chemical, rather than that lovely, arousing aroma that he should have started secreting this morning...Monokuma had been able to feel Shuuichi for awhile now, and had been thrilled with his progress. Hadn't even felt a need to intervene, since the seedling was so good at maintaining his own chemical levels so far, never once missing a day! Honestly, Monokuma had seen professional breeders do a more piss poor job of managing their seedlings than this kid had done for himself.

And now it was the final stretch and, what?? He was fucking sucking down a suppressant or something!?

Monokuma tsk'd, putting his hands up on either side of Shuuichi's face and checking his pupils, turning his head this way and that way to catch the light just right...ahh, there they were. You had to know where to look for them, you couldn't see it dead on, but between some of the yellow colored strands of his eyes, there were thin, bright pink strands...so at least that had come along nicely. And the shape of him!

"Look at those hips! Oh p~huhuhuhu! You have a perfect figure, for a man. Sometimes the hips don't look right, but on you? It was like you were born to do this!" Monokuma sighed, running his hands from Shuuichi's waist down to his hips, shaking his head as he muttered, "And someone gave a beauty like you a fucking suppressant...honestly, there are monsters in the world, and then there are monsters in the world, ya know what I mean, kid?"

Shuuichi felt his blush ramp up as the man kept touching him, almost...inspecting him. He was being inspected, evaluated. Shuuichi was hit by a sudden unwelcome memory of his childhood, being evaluated, judged for his worth...and he'd been worth something, once. He'd been chosen to be a detective! Not only that, but to be a royal detective! He...He'd been...

But now, even for whatever this stranger was looking for...smelling? For? ...Shuuichi was falling short of that too. No use to anyone...worthless...

His tears had been allayed by his surprise, but now Shuuichi could feel the burning return in his eyes. Why was this man even bothering...he wasn't even good enough to mock or insult or hit...

Or fuck.

Shuuichi shivered as the man gripped his hips, his arousal perking up a bit, but, no, he...

...perfect? Beauty?

He was so confused... Shuuichi shook his head a little and looked back at the man. "I don't...understand? What do you want from me?" Anything. Please.

"What do I want? You haven't worked that out yet?" Monokuma asked, genuinely surprised. Most new seedlings, even ones left on their own, usually worked out what their body was prepping for sooner or later. It was too obvious after a point, no matter how impossible it felt. But, well...

"Awwww, it's okay, sweet flower. Your incubation period has been pretty rabid, I guess. It makes sense you haven't had time, or, let's be honest, probably even the ability to think about this too much. And honestly, good riddance to that! Thinking just complicates the matter. Tsk, poor thing..." Monokuma said, giving the seedling an adoring look. " I know what you're going through, and it's not easy, huh? And here you are, with someone tripping you up, right at the end of that long, hard journey...fucking assholes! Well, don't worry! Papa Monokuma's here now! We'll get you all sorted out and back on track!"

Taking Shuuichi's hand in his, Monokuma led him along, knowing it wouldn't take much...or anything, really, to convince him to come. He supposed if Shuuichi protested, he could just pull him behind a shop somewhere and beat the shit out of him until he was too horny to pull away anymore, but...Monokuma wasn't a big fan of inflicting violence himself if he could help it.

He loved watching it! He loved watching it...

...but found he got more of a personal kick leaving that to other people.

Besides, he was fond of this seedling. It had been amusing, watching him progress, and Monokuma had found himself rooting for him. He wanted to see him survive and do well.

Hell...it had been a long time since Monokuma himself had seeded anyone...and the seedling really was very pretty...maybe it was time to put some new Monokids out into the world again...

Shuuichi flinched, murmuring apologies...though the man didn't sound angry that he was just a dumb idiot whore. Really...he sounded more like...

...he was kind of right about the thinking thing. It was once what Shuuichi was best at...but 'best' was stretching it. What had he actually done but ruin people's lives, made people mad at him and forced Kaito to take the blows...Kaito was beautiful when he fought...always just laughed it off when he and Maki would patch him up afterward...

Shuddering under the look the man gave him...Shuuichi let his hand be taken, and walked after him, looking at the man with wide eyes. "You...you can fix me?" He'd ruined himself, had turned himself into some worthless, disgusting freak, but...if there was someone who knew what was happening, could fix him...

...would Miss Nao love him again? Would his friends pay attention to him again?

Shuuichi sped up, stumbling a little before he adjusted to the waddle he had to walk in to adjust for his hips and tucked cock...which was coming back to life.

"Fix you? Sure, yeah." Monokuma chuckled in that strange little way of his, heading in the direction of the brewery. "Fix you riiiiight up, alright. Don't you worry, baby sapling. Monokuma's got you now."

-

Maki stared at the lawyer, hands trembling, sheer VIOLENCE in her gaze as she said, bloodlust in every word, "What do you MEAN...you don't know which way he WENT...???"

Today was the day. Yasu was going to die. Nao was going to throw a huge funeral that would embarrass her, and Yasu would die a second time from it while Hacchi wouldn't see anything wrong with it and would be trying to catch his old friend up on what being dead was all about.

She still had so much paperwork to do!

Shrinking away from Miss Harukawa, Yasu didn't want to look at the terrifying young woman, but found her gaze fixed upon her. "I-I told him to go home, b-but I don't want anything to do with this business so I just," let an emotionally and mentally compromised drug addict wander the streets on his own, "stayed here? H-he took a left? I-I didn't see him pass the front window..."

Maki had turned her back for one fucking minute...

When she had gotten word from a housekeeper (who, she was starting to decide, were the only FUCKING RELIABLE PEOPLE IN THIS WHOLE DAMN KINGDOM) that there had been some sort of message sent to the castle from some laywer named Yasu Todoa, saying that Shuuichi had stopped by and looked in a bad way, the first thing Maki had done was go to the med ward and confirm that he wasn't there...and had LAID INTO the healers who she had tasked with watching him. Who all had the AUDACITY to look at her like she was the one being FUCKING CRAZY...

And, knowing she didn't really have time to yell, knowing that Shuuichi was just...out in town somewhere??? High off medicine and alone and unprotected, Maki (wishing she could go to Kaito, wishing she had a partner in this right now, but knowing he'd be borderline useless even if he could pull it together enough to come with her) had gotten the address of the law office and, as she had literally run down there, she had thought to herself...

...who the fuck was this person and why did Shuuichi seek her out!?

And she wanted answers. She wanted answers badly. But...again, she didn't have time for this. She needed to find Shuuichi, who could be...literally anywhere now... and...

Frustrated and afraid and pissed, Maki turned her blood red eyes to the lawyer (why her, what had Shuuichi been doing here?!) and said, "If something's happened to him, and I find out you had anything to do with it...your laws will only avenge you."

And Maki left.

Out in the air, she tried to think. Think, think. Shuuichi was out here somewhere, high and alone. What could she...he could be anywhere...

Okay. Okay. Like she had said to Kokichi. Where was the danger?

If Shuuichi was just wandering the town, that was bad...but maybe not dangerous. In fact, outside of him having gone back to the castle while she was out searching, best case scenario, he was just meandering around town. Bad, but not dangerous. Not worth worrying about.

If he was a danger to himself...a pointless train of thought. Maki didn't know where to search for him if he was a danger to himself, so thinking about it didn't clear anything up. Dangerous, but not worth looking into.

If he had been caught by Tom???

That gave her a place to look, at least, and it was worth checking out because there was real, actual danger in the idea. If she looked and he wasn't there, that just meant she had checked off one of the more dangerous places he could be off the list, and she'd expand her search. Maybe check in back at the castle and find Katsuki, ask for help in looking. But starting with the brewery made sense...

...shit. Shuuichi had known where the brewery was, when they had planned to go pick up Kaito and Kokichi if they were late. She didn't know where it was.

...no problem.

One by one, she started interrogating random people on the street, demanding to know where the brewery was. Some people had no idea what she was talking about, others only had vague directions. Most people were afraid to talk to the red-eyed girl radiating a murderous energy and hurried away.

It was a short, stocky blond woman around Maki's age who, when she asked, randomly burst into tears, and said, "Yeah...I k-know where it is..."

Shuuichi had followed the man eagerly across town, but upon seeing where they were headed...

"...I'm not supposed to be here..." His voice was more unsure than just from his usual tone. Miss Nao had said he couldn't see Itch and the others anymore, couldn't drink the pollen-beer, but...b-but she'd abandoned him!! She left him all alone, threw him away, didn't give him his dose and...

And this man said he'd fix him.

If he was fixed...then she would love him again, right? Even if he saw Itch and Tom...

And that was where his indecision laid.

...but...if he couldn't get his dose from Miss Nao...then...

Shuuichi shifted, looking up at the brewery with apprehension.

"Says who?" Monokuma asked, giving his seedling an amused look. "One of those attractive princes of yours? I'll admit, when I first felt you, I allowed myself to daydream about who would ultimately pollinate you. The strong, charismatic Momota? Maybe the pretty, intelligent Ouma? I suppose it wouldn't have had to have been either of them, but, well, it's fun to contemplate, huh?"

It didn't have to be a guy. With the way the fungus worked, all it needed was DNA, not sperm...but it was trickier with women on men, and if you weren't deliberately trying to do it on purpose, rarely happened by accident. Which was a shame. Girlfriends accidentally getting their pollinated boyfriends pregnant was always hilarious.

Monokuma could see the doubt and fear on the seedling’s face, and pulled Shuuichi's arm around his shoulder, snaking his hand around his waist and looking up at him from Shuuichi's chest with a wide, teasing smile as he rubbed at Shuuichi's abdomen through his shirt. "Relax, kid...you want this. I know for a fact you want this. You wouldn't be having any doubts at all if someone hadn't fucking poisoned you with their filthy, man-made chemicals. We just gotta flush that stuff out of you with a couple of bottles of your actual medicine. Don't try to tell me you don't want that..."

Monokuma gave Shuuichi a small kiss on the neck, only having to stand on his toes a bit to do it, before laughing loudly to himself and disentangling himself, opening the heavy metal doors of the brewery for Shuuichi. "Come on in!" he invited.

Inside, Tom, Itch, Aba, and Hiyoko, along with an extremely hunky guy named Ash that Hiyoko was sprawled all over, were all hanging out in different parts of the brewery. Tom was practicing with his butterfly knives on a dart board in the corner, bored out of his god damned mind, Hiyoko and Ash were drinking and making out on some bean bags that hadn't managed to get destroyed yet by the orgies, and Aba was keeping Itch company upstairs while he was doing maintenance on one of the brewing machines, muttering to her, "I just...there's something wrong, Aba. Weekend regulars are suddenly not showing up anymore, there's less new people coming every party...something's up."

"Maybe people are just getting tired?" Aba said, sipping on her own bottle, a haze in her eyes as she looked Itch's form up and down lovingly. Aba didn't know this, but out of her five friends, she was actually the one coming closest to becoming a seedling... "The new semester is starting up soon. People could just be trying to focus on school?"

"Come on, Aba, you know despair addiction doesn't work like that," Itch said quietly to her. "Once it's in your system, it's usually all anyone can think about. They can't just turn it off and decide to be responsible...it doesn't work like that...oh, fucking, god damn it, what now?" he growled, hearing the loud screeching of the front doors opening and closing. Getting up and going to the railing, he shouted down to Tom. "Tom! Go check out who the fuck just walked in here! That door should be locked!"

"Oh...that's my bad!" Hiyoko called out with a giggle, already half undressed as Ash kissed her shoulder blades. "I probably left it unlocked when Ash came in!"

"I swear to god, we are all so fucked," Itch muttered, rubbing a hand down his face.

"N-nooo..." Shuuichi quietly drawled, barely above a whisper. They didn't know...they hadn't noticed, too wrapped up in each other...love where neither of them left... Of course. They were princes. Promised to each other. Of course they wouldn't care about him at all...not to...pollinate? Him?

...he didn't understand, but somehow that thought stuck with him, making something in him ache. Shuuichi flushed, feeling his...ass swell? Gush a little more, at least, excited for...pollination.

He was reminded of the dream he'd had, the sensation of being filled, of feeling complete and a part of something...

Shuuichi was jolted back to the present, feeling the man touch at his stomach, kiss his neck, and he had the audacity to want to ask...could he touch a little lower? Kiss a little harder?

He was confused, and wary...but also scared and...so fucking aroused again.

...this man was going to fix him.

Shuuichi entered the brewery.

Tom went to check the door, turning the hallway...and almost immediately coming back, running to the center of the floor and looking up at his brother as he said, "Itch! Bear's back!"

"He is?" Itch said, a flash of nerves running through him as he looked warily at the hallway door that led to the main entrance, calling out, "Bear! What the fuck are you doing here!? You keep saying you're leaving town, and I keep seeing you! It's annoying!"

"P~huhuhuhuhu! What, no one's excited to see us!?" Monokuma chuckled, his arm around Shuuichi's waist again, bringing him in like a prize as everyone looked at their new guest with varying degrees of curiosity. "That's a shame. Oh, pu-pu... No one here is happy to see us, Shuuichi," Monokuma said sadly, looking over at his seedling with false grief. "Do you think we should just go? I'd hate to stay where I'm not wanted..."

"Hey, hey!" Itch said, a growl in his voice as Monokuma started to turn himself and the detective around, Itch's eyes narrowing on Shuuichi as he asked the bear, "...what's he doing here?"

"Shuuichi? Why, I invited him to come play with us today!" Monokuma explained, taking Shuuichi by the arm and pulling, then pushing, him forward a few feet ahead of himself, the detective now standing alone as five different, suspicious eyes appraised him. "I found him, lost and alone, out in town. It was sooooo sad that I just had to take him in! I think he's having a bad day...and he needs a drink. Tom! Be useful for once in your life and go get him one!"

Tom gave the bear a raised eyebrow, before glancing up at Itch, who gave Monokuma a long look...before slightly nodding. "Fine," Tom said, rolling his eyes as he went to go fetch a bottle from a stack on a table, moving quickly to bring it Shuuichi, pulling its sealed top off easily with the palm of his hand before handing it to the detective with a wide, sharp smile. "Heeeeey, Shuuichi! Ya know, I tried to visit you the other day. Why'd you ignore me, bud? That really hurt my feelings, ya know?"

And then, as soon as Shuuichi took the drink from Tom's hands, his arms moved like lightning, and a cut in Shuuichi's cheek opened up, thin, bright and pink.

Tom looked at the coloring of the blood both on Shuuichi's cheek and on his blade, brow furrowed over its coloring. "What the hell..."

"Hey! Hey! Itch, control your stupid dog!" Monokuma said, stepping in front of Shuuichi and pushing Tom back. "He's in a fragile state right now, and a bunch of holes in his skin won't help that any! Itch!?"

"Put those away, Tom," Itch ordered, giving his brother an unamused look, who simply licked at the blood on his blade while giving a wink to Shuuichi over Monokuma's shoulder. Tom's nose scrunched at the unfamiliar taste though, and he said, "Hey, what's wrong with him? He fucking tastes like the pollen. Also, I'm not crazy, right? His blood is pink? Everyone else seeing this?"

Aba's eyes widened at this, looking over the railing...subconsciously touching an already healed cut on her neck...

"It's a side effect of long term use," Itch explained, not noticing Aba's startled look in his direction. "We haven't seen it very often yet, because no one here drinks it consistently enough, but I've heard of it before. Didn't think your little microdoses would do the trick though...hey...you drinking that bottle my brother just gave you, or what?" Itch demanded. Eyes narrowed.

...he'd just disappeared for days after talking about the Remnants of Despair, had refused to give the pollen to Kokichi...he hadn't wanted to burn this bridge, but...he had. Miss Nao had told him to, through inaction, and now coming crawling back now that he'd been abandoned...

Shuuichi pulled his cap down and tried to make himself--his disgusting, morphed body--smaller, unnoticeable. Which was hard to do when the mystery man--Bear?--pushed him into the center of attention. Shuuichi stumbled a little more than he normally would, finding himself struggling to find his center, but...at least that gave him something else to focus on that wasn't the stares fixed on him.

Trying not to look at Tom, Shuuichi took the bottle, mumbling, "...was busy..." before he gasped, that little bit of sharp pain deepening his blush, made his insides flutter in longing. He hadn't been hurt today...Miss Nao wasn't there to take care of him...

...dog?

Shuuichi looked up at that, glancing between Bear and Tom, the way the dual colored-man spoke...familiar. Bear called Tom worthless, a dog...but had called Shuuichi beautiful and perfect...was...was there someone he was still better than? Was he not completely worthless?

Even with people seeing his new pretty blood, Shuuichi felt a small, fragile smile pulling at his lips, a small bit of his oppressive world opening up. ...Miss Nao would forgive him.

Offering Itch an apologetic smile, Shuuichi raised the bottle to his lips.

The six people watched him drink, Monokuma with a pleased little grin on his face, Tom putting both hands behind his back and looking bored again. Itch and Aba both started heading downstairs as Itch said, "Alright. So what the fuck is happening right now? Shuuichi disappeared on us, and now is coming back here on your arm? I didn't think you and the Luminary Detective were close like that." Itch’s suspicion was entirely on Monokuma, who smiled sweetly up at him as he approached.

"We've just met! And like I said, he looked like he was having a bad day. I thought he could use some company, and I knew if there was ever a place a horny, sad kid could go to for some 'comfort', it's definitely here. These two know what I'm talking about!" Monokuma said cheerfully, pointing out Hiyoko and Ash, who during all this, excited by the cut on Shuuichi, had gone back to heavily making out with each other.

Hiyoko, who was only one beer in, looked up from her makeout session and looked Shuuichi over with a clear contempt as she said, "What, this string bean? Not my type. Fuckoff, Monokuma!"

Ash, though, who was three beers in, looked blearily over at Shuuichi, giving him a leering smile and a half-lidded gaze as he drawled, "Come on, Hiyo...I could be into it. You wanna come squeeze in here, golden eyes?"

"Ash, noooo! I don't wanna!" Hiyoko pouted, hitting on his chest with her fists, Ash laughing as he grabbed her wrists to stop her, squeezing them hard, both of them flushing bright red as they started to wrestle against each other.

"You seriously brought him here to fuck? Is that what I'm hearing? This is the guy who was meant to become our informant on the prince, Bear. When he goes dark on us, and one of mine brings him in, it's not supposed to be for a god damned orgy," Itch said, pushing past Monokuma and grabbing Shuuichi by the neck, bringing him in close and squeezing. "Be real with me, Shuuichi. Who the fuck did you tell?"

Oh that taste~

The beer still sucked, but the pollen! That old, bottom of a barrel wine taste--at the first sip, Shuuichi started chugging down the bottle, desperate for his dose. He'd guessed before that one bottle was about the same of one of his doses, and if he was right and he was being undercut in the past few days...oh fuck he needed this.

The pollen did its thing and immediately he started to feel better, everything from being ignored by his friends, being abandoned by Miss Nao, being high, being rejected by Miss Yasu--who needed them?! He was going to be fixed right up, and Miss Nao would realize what a good whore he was, might even say that she missed him!

Come to think of it, she hadn't been with her shitty wife, so...maybe Miss Nao wasn't around for anyone right now! She would come back and scoop him up, would maybe even let him finally touch her as an apology...give him more of his pollen he could lick from her fingers...

Shuuichi giggled to himself, the fire of arousal in his gut given new logs and a splash of kerosene. Ah...splash...he was probably splashing in his pants right now, soaking the handtowels... He needed a good fuck, damn.

Turning to the couple on the beanbags, he gave them a bashful grin, but was soon distracted as...

"A-ah~" Shuuichi couldn't stifle the choked moan, feeling his dick throb between his slick cheeks at the iron grip Itch had on his throat. He wasn't Miss Nao...but he was big too...

"I-I di'n 'ell 'n wan..."

"Anyone able to make that out?" Monokuma asked with a laugh.

"I didn't tell anyone," Tom translated, having a practiced ear at hearing people talking through Itch's grip. Then, placing an arm around Itch's shoulders, who gave him a small annoyed look, Tom smiled sharply down at Shuuichi as he said, "Ya know, I believe him. I think detective-bro here was boning his lady friend, and that's why he went dark on us. Call me crazy, but, uh, I think he's the type to get distracted when he's horny..."

Itch gave the escort a neutral look, giving nothing away as Shuuichi moaned and squirmed in his grip...but after a moment he did loosen the hold, allowing the detective to take in deep breaths of air. "Shit, if I hadn't seen you just take your first drink, I'd think you were already on the stuff..." Itch murmured, observing Shuuichi with new curiosity.

Monokuma laughed, snaking his arms around Shuuichi's waist again and leaning his head against his arm as he said up to Itch, "Like I said! The kid’s horny and lonely. And, informant or not, trust me...he doesn't have it in him to be clever or sneaky when he's like this. His head is as empty as his ass is. And really, only one of those things needs to be filled, huh Shuuichi?" Monokuma teased, running his hand over Shuuichi's crotch and...getting a little confused by what he felt. Was he...tucking? Oh well, whatever floats your boat, Monokuma supposed. He rubbed goodnaturedly at the base of his cock anyway, while Aba watched him with wide, enamored eyes, her hands unconsciously going to her own breasts. "Come on, Itch...you can interrogate him all you want later, but why not spend some energy on our boy here? I have a real good feeling that in a couple of minutes, you're going to find him reaaaal hard to resist anyway," Monokuma laughed, certain the dose would be enough to work against the suppressant.

Itch gave another suspicious look to Monokuma...before glancing at Aba, who was open in her desire, massaging her breasts as her face flushed red, matching Shuuichi's. Then he glanced at Tom, who looked back at him and gave him a bored shrug. "I mean...sure, why not? Fuck knows I've got time to kill. And I wanna taste his blood some more. That shit’s freaky."

Itch didn't have to look to know Hiyoko and her latest fucktoy would be into it once they all started...hmmm...to be honest, he was kind of like Tom, when it came to hurting people on the pollen, but with sex. How eager and desperate they were for it...kind of took the fun out of it for him. He didn't participate in the orgies himself that often, really only getting into it when a newbie showed up who hadn't been introduced to the drink...just yet...

But Tom had been cooped up for days and was going stir crazy, and Aba looked like she was just barely holding herself back, and as much shit as he talked to Monokuma...he wasn't really the type of guy Itch could safely say no to...

...whatever. Fuck it.

Itch pulled Shuuichi in and, experimentally, ran a tongue over the guy’s cut, curious what Tom had tasted...

And that was when the dagger hit him in the shoulder.

Shuuichi gasped in air when he was allowed, his whole face a deep scarlet and a small bit of drool wetting the corner of his grin. Oooh, that had felt good...no wonder Kokichi liked it. The Dicean also liked being bitten--or didn't dislike it enough to tell Kaito no. He wondered how it'd feel, someone else's mouth against your skin...when he'd had his mouth on himself, it'd felt amazing.

Even better if it was multiple on him.

Ooh, was that happening now? Itch's hand on his throat, Bear touching, oooh only Miss Nao had ever touched there! And now someone else was! Shuuichi squirmed a little more, parting his legs like the good whore he was, delighting in how uncomfortable his underwear was getting as he got harder, his tuck job sending waves of delightful discomfort right into his gut.

That was right--he was a great whore! He'd been given a gift to satisfy all and everyone, could take in and pleasure everyone here, i-if they gave him the chance! He could do it! He could fuck all of them!

Shuuichi felt himself start to sweat heavier in excitement and he tipped his head into Itch, shivering at the feeling of a tongue against his cheek, feeling his arousal pooling at the back of his throat...but Shuuichi didn't feel the need to swallow it down. Instead he let more drool spill out of his mouth and--

"H-huh?!"

Itch flew backwards, the impact against his shoulder so forceful and so shocking that he jerked backwards and fell, losing his grip entirely on Shuuichi as he cried out.

Monokuma didn't wait on anything, bolting for the entrance hall the second Itch had started to move backwards, while Hiyoko and Ash watched in shock from their beanbag. As Aba immediately went to Itch’s side to try to help him, gawking at the throwing dagger lodged deeply in his shoulder blade, Tom drew his butterfly knives, looking around in excitement, his gaze following the trajectory of the blade up to the second floor windows and...

"Oh shit," Tom whispered, the smile immediately dampening, something manic lighting up in Tom's expression as he took a step backward. "Maki."

That was all he had time to say, just barely moving fast enough to miss the two daggers that were clearly heading for his stomach, moving backwards as he shouted to Itch, "Itch, she's here, we gotta go!"

"F-fucking fight her you useless piece of shit!" Itch shouted as Aba helped him up.

Tom immediately broke out into a sweat, looking back at Maki as she stared down, her face...blank. Calm.

...her intent to kill radiating from her as, done evaluating the situation, Maki stepped off the window ledge, falling straight down like it would be nothing.

Deciding this was probably the only chance he had to take a fully qualified assassin with 20+ years of training under her belt by surprise, Tom rushed forward, blades swinging, intending to catch her in the ribs just as she landed. But as he looked up, her gaze remained fixed on him the whole fall down, and before she even hit the floor, her legs shot out, grabbing Tom by the neck and, using a swing as she locked her heels around him for momentum, flung him forward into a wall as she caught herself by her arms, immediately tucking into a roll.

Itch grabbed Shuuichi before she could finish the run, yanking the dagger out of his shoulder and holding it to his neck as he shouted, "Maki, calm the FUCK down! We're on the same side! It's me! It's Ichi-"

Any belief he had that he could get her to so much as slow down was incredibly foolish, especially with a knife against Shuuichi. Her eyes simply narrowed, tunneling in on him, and her arm swung, another dagger appearing and flying, burying itself into his arm as he screamed, dropping the dagger he was holding.

As she ran up to them, murder in her eyes, Itch realized there was no talking to something like that, and the best he could do is run. Shouting to Tom, "Tom, bail!", he balled his fists, made a hard blow against Shuuichi's temple to disorientate him, and then shoved him forward so that he'd stumble and fall.

Maki, who would have run past Shuuichi to get at his assailant, noticed the way his legs seemed to fail on him and, concerned, ran for him instead, catching him as he fell and holding him close. "Shuuichi, injury report!" she shouted at him.

Tom, following orders, immediately ran for the front entrance hall as well, disappearing into it. Itch and Aba both ran for the back hallway that led to the offices, Aba just following Itch, Itch praying that they had enough time to make it out the back door before Maki finished with Shuuichi and caught up to them.

Hiyoko and Ash watched all of this from their beanbags, holding each other, just...scared and fascinated.

Shuuichi's mind was curiously blank as everything went down, the need to fuck still in him, no doubt, but...on the backburner, as one thought took its damn time forming in his head.

'She came to save me.'

But...he didn't need saving, did he? This was good...right?

Shuuichi's mind puzzled over all these conflicting, confusing thoughts, barely even reacting when Itch tried to hold him hostage, but...well, even those became part of the haze in his mind soon enough. Staggering forward, the room spinning around him, Shuuichi had an even harder time trying to steady himself, especially as his wide stance wanted to splay wider, as he wanted to fall forward, display his fuckhole up and open to the world, have anyone take him, use him--

He fell into something soft. Familiar. Comforting. Family.

"Bites in the index, middle, and ring fingers of the right hand--tended to. Bites in both wrists--tended to. Blunt force to left temple--unlikely to lead to concussion."

Shuuichi blinked. And sighed, dropping his head down on Maki's shoulder and trembling as everything caught up with him at once. "...you came for me..."

Okay. No permanent damage or anything that would be permanent if left alone. She could still catch up with those fuckers, she could bleed them dry, make them scream...

"...you came for me..."

Maki held Shuuichi tighter. Hearing the relief in his tone. Hearing...what had to have at one point been doubt...

...had he not thought she would?

Maki heard the back doors open and close, and her eyes narrowed, her heart pounding in her ear. She wanted to kill him. The second she had gotten up the window and looked down, saw that fucker holding Shuuichi's neck she had wanted to kill him. But then to...

She held Shuuichi tighter. "We're going home," she told him. "We are taking you home and you are going to sit down and we're going to put some food in you and then you will tell me everything, do you understand me?"

Her eyes went to the couple on the beanbags, still watching her. "You two," she said, standing up and bringing Shuuichi up with her, keeping a grip on his arm as a dagger appeared in her free hand. "You two are going to report to-" Maki hesitated at this. Who the fuck did you report shit like this to? "-King Aiichi everything going on in here, and everything you know about Tom and Itch. You either come with me to the castle on your own two feet or I put daggers in both your legs and send the guards to come fetch you."

Hiyoko narrowed her eyes at her, putting her hands across her chest as she said, "You can't do tha-" but the words fell away as she remembered Itch flying backwards with a dagger in his shoulder...that coupled with the look in Maki's face, which grew more and more heated with every word.

Ash leaned into Hiyoko, "Uh...I think we might just wanna go to the castle."

"Ugh...my dad’s gonna be such a dick about all this," Hiyoko pouted, the couple standing up and fixing their clothes, walking just ahead of Maki and Shuuichi, out of the brewery.

He wasn't hungry, he didn't know why people kept telling him to eat, but...if it would make Maki happy, he could eat. So Shuuichi sighed again and nodded into Maki's shoulder, aware enough at least to not mention how goddamned aroused he still was...

He couldn't really process what telling her everything meant. Couldn't quite connect all those truly, deeply scary things that had made him keep the secret in the first place. All Shuuichi knew was...he wanted to be with his friends. He wanted Maki's arms around him, tight like they were, wanted to feel Kaito scoop him up into a side hug, shaking him gently as he laughed.

He wanted to go home. Not the castle. Home; Kaito and Maki.

By the time they got home, Shuuichi had managed to negotiate with Maki that he...desperately needed a nap before they did anything. That he felt like he was going to collapse any second, honestly. Maki had passed off Hiyoko and Ash to the first guards she had found going into the castle, relaying the story of (roughly...barring a few creepy face licks that might embarrass Shuuichi to hear talked about) what had happened and demanding that...something be done with the two.

The fact that she had to be so vague infuriated her. She didn't know what the rules were here. Was there a holding cell they could be kept in?? Or would they be allowed to walk back out the second she turned her back? Was the king the person she was meant to report stuff like this to? Was there a Head of the Guards that would be more useful to turn to? Did the guards here perform the same investigative/prisoner duties that they did back at home? If not, who did?? WHO THE FUCK RAN THE GUARDS???

God she was so out of her depth here...

And she had been full and ready to tell Shuuichi No. That she was done playing games, and that so long as he was awake and fairly lucid, she was taking the answers she needed to keep him fucking safe and...and...

Shuuichi started to cry and god dammit.

Three hours, she told him. You have three hours to sleep and then I'm coming back and we're talking about this, she insisted. Meanwhile, you keep your windows locked, your door locked, you answer it for no one, even if you think it's a friend, because I'm the only person you should want to answer the door for, and I'm taking that master key in the sewing kit and letting myself in. If something happens anyway, you run for the door and scream your goddamn head off, understand? Or stab them, if it's feasible. I'm leaving you a dagger. Do you understand!?

And Shuuichi had meekly nodded and said quietly, "Yes, Maki," and was immensely relieved when she finally left him to it because FUCK HE NEEDED TO CUM.

All of that, the potential orgy, the...frightening, strange things Bear said, Maki's daring, violent rescue...all of it, plus the fact that he was back on a regular dose after days of undercuts, had been too much. He couldn't wait on anything or anyone, he needed to cum, and he couldn't trust that Miss Nao would show up, so he had to get it done himself!

He could! He could do this! He was a strong, independent whore who didn't need no...no...FUCK!

As he ripped himself out of his clothes, feeling the relief of getting out of his soaked underwear and his (admittedly better fitting these days) pants, he yanked the ring off himself, emboldened by all the rules he had broken already and...

nothing.

Really?? He had...he had just been through so much fear and stress and sadness and...that hadn't been enough!?? His fucking monstrous, greedy dick still wanted more!?

Ugh...f-fuck...okay, okay, maybe he could try the old fashioned way??

He threw himself on his bed and, taking both hands, furiously started to rub one out. Doing all the tricks on himself he knew best, focusing on his head in one hand, squeezing occasionally at his shaft with the other, rubbing his thumbs up and down that extra sensitive middle bit...and as he worked himself, he felt the pressure of his three hour time limit, and just...his dick wasn't responding, why not, couldn't his body just cooperate for five seconds!?

More stimulus. He needed more stimulus. Just...just something to get him over the edge.

He thought about biting himself, but that had never been enough in the past, and Maki would question thoroughly any new wounds he gave himself between now and seeing her next, demanding to know why they hadn't been a part of his injury report and reaching the obvious conclusion. Okay. Okay. So...so what else!?

What else, what else, what else, come on Shuuichi you worthless whore, even the dog Tom would have worked out something by...

Shuuichi, remembering Tom, glanced at the window. Eyes wide.

...it...it was a long way down from the third floor...

Heights made Shuuichi nervous. Not terrified, but...they had always made him nervous. And, really, it wasn't the height, but the potential of the fall...

...his window didn't look out to any walking paths or populated areas. No one was...likely to see and...and if they did...

Shuuichi felt a rush of arousal. Getting up and heading to the window.

Alright, break time!

Takashi stretched out his shoulders as he took a leisurely meandering walk through the castle. He'd been working with Tomomi on a super important new project, promoting community activities on the weekends, things from dances to meditation sessions to outsourced workshops...it was going amazingly! A ton of people were coming to every event.

But breaks were important, and Ryouhei had been whisked away for some important meeting with Hideki or whatever, so Takashi was taking a well-deserved break.

Miss Iruma's latest invention was truly amazing, but he hoped once they were out of the testing phase they'd hire someone specifically to monitor the messages. Ryouhei hadn't been looking any more tired than usual--which usually meant something apocalyptic--but...he didn't come by to chat with him, like, at all any more. Just the sort of serious responsibility Takashi admired in his boss, but...

No matter! They'd hire someone for the new position, then Ryouhei would be free again. Maybe enough to take up one of his offers...to check out one of the dances! Oh, no, no, Ryouhei probably wouldn't like something that energetic right after work... Maybe to grab dinner in town together? Some cute little place that Takashi would have to scope out, but he had excellent taste so of course it'd be

...

UM

Takashi's walk had taken him around one of the niches between the wings, and he'd just happened to look up, and.

Was that Mr. Saihara?

...damn he was packing.

Shuuichi had opened up the window, and sitting on the ledge, one hand on the side panel to steady himself, his feet hanging over and just...casually slightly kicking against nothing, feeling like they were suspended in air, as the sun and wind touched a part of himself that he hadn't exposed to either of those things since he was a toddler, and...

O-ooh...okay, this felt...strange.

It if hadn't been for all of his nervous energy, buzzing through his blood, turning itself consistently and thoroughly into arousal, Shuuichi might have, objectively...thought this was actually pretty peaceful. Sitting on his window ledge, smelling the trees, feeling the warm breeze, mountains in the distance. It was very pretty, and there was even something soothing to being able to hear in the far off distance the sound of people moving in and out of the castle, a steady flow of traffic that created its own background noise this busy time of day.

...ha...ha...god this was stupid what was he doing out here!?

He could fall. It wouldn't take much. It was windy and his body was...he didn't quite know the dimensions of his body anymore. He could straight up just trip and fall just pulling himself fully back into his room. His ass was slick, he could literally slide off the ledge if he wasn't careful. Someone could see...

And, with all these thoughts in mind, he started to work his dick, rubbing his hand up and down the shaft, playing with its head, already highly aroused, but still just...needing some extra push if he was going to get off...

Shuuichi didn't seem the type to be an exhibitionist, in Takashi's opinion, but people had all sorts of surprises in them.

Bringing up his prosthetic arm, Takashi popped out the magnification panel Miu had so graciously installed for him and lifted it to his face. ...yeah, that was definitely Mr. Saihara. Touching his...what, eleven-inch dick? Honestly ridiculous. It was more impressive that the younger man wasn't falling from the window with how light-headed he must be to get a penis that big erect.

...was this something he should write back to the Luminary Heir about? He hadn't mentioned Shuuichi's weight gain, considering it likely wouldn’t have any bearing on anything but the tightness of his pants, but...jerking off in an open window? It didn't have the potential to be a scandal-scandal, but...there could be some less than flattering rumors about Shuuichi from this. That...maybe could reflect poorly on Prince Kaito? If the wrong person heard about it?

Prince Byakuya could decide for himself if it was something to worry about--that was the point of having his ear on the pulse of Dicea, anyway.

Stepping a little to the side, Takashi put the magnification panel away and held his hand up to his mouth, calling up to Shuuichi. "Careful up there! Keep one leg inside!"

aaaaaAAAHH FUCK HOLY SHIT!!

Shuuichi's heart LEAPT into his throat and did three god damned summersaults as a voice came out of NOWHERE and he looked down, wide eyed and shocked, oh FUCK someone was actually THERE no one was supposed to ACTUALLY BE THERE oh SHIT-

The half-naked detective slipped.

He slipped for all of the reasons he thought he was going to slip. His ass juice was slicking his seat, his hips felt strange and off balance, and also he was fucking panicking while still trying to jerk himself off with one hand.

So, yeah. He slipped.

He did, thankfully, catch himself!

His arms held on desperately to the end of the window ledge, and Shuuichi told himself, no matter what, don't look down, don't look down, this is a three-story drop and you have to get yourself back up this window and if you look down you're going to get dizzy and-

Of course he looked down.

Oh fuck, oh god, oh no, Atua if you're there-

Shuuichi whimpered, looked back up to his window, and focused on that. Kicking his legs and swinging his hips, he did, after a moment, manage to get a leg back up on the ledge, and using his thigh muscles, was able to manage to pull the rest of himself back up. He rolled into the bedroom, crashing against the wooden floor, panting and sweating and-

His hands were immediately on his dick again, riding the shock of that near death experience, come on, come on what more do you want dick???

Fuck! The guy outside! Shuuichi had to do damage control!!

Reluctantly taking at least one hand off of himself (oh fuck he was gonna vomit if he didn't cum soon, his body couldn't handle this sort of starting and stopping), Shuuichi scrambled back onto the window, leaning over and looking for the guy and thank fuck he was still there, and Shuuichi, face beet red and still pumping at himself, said to him, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't think anyone was there! P-please don't tell on me!!"

Also he was kind of cute, like, if you like what you see, wanna come up and put a whore on his knees and-

NO! FOCUS SHUUICHI!!

Takashi's eyes widened in alarm as Shuuichi slipped and without a thought he scrambled to get under the young man, hoping to at least break his fall if not catch him. A thirty-foot drop wasn't...usually fatal, but, still. The fewer injuries the better.

But the scribe didn't need to move as quickly as he had--Shuuichi caught himself. And was dangling, half-naked, out of his window, the sun glimmering off the...oil? on thick pale thighs... Oops. This wasn't just a jerk, then. This was the whole ten yards. Probably the younger man trying something out, exploring himself.

He couldn't leave in case Shuuichi's grip slipped, but...would anyone be close enough to hear him shouting? ...no way to know until he tried. Takashi had just taken a deep breath to yell for help when...oh thank the heavens, Shuuichi pulled himself back up.

Running his flesh hand through his hair, Takashi let out his breath as a relieved sigh.

"Are you okay?!"

No. "Yeah??"

Oh god this was humiliating. What had he been thinking!? Ugh, and he stillll hadn't cum! That was the problem with trying to do this himself! It was too hard to focus! M-miss Nao, where arrrrre you!?

He just had to get this guy to promise he wouldn't tell anyone what he saw, and, FUCK, maybe he'd...try drowning himself in the bathtub?? Or auto-asphyxiation!? That was even a real thing that, like, NOT crazy dirty whores did, right?? That was an option! Something, something, he had to think of something! But first he had to get rid of this guy!

So, Shuuichi put his hands on the window sill to get a better look at the man now directly below him, leaned over as he said, "Please, I'm so, SO sorry I flashed you, I really didn't mean to do it, I was being stupid, I-wah?"

...???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FUCKING ASS MUCUS!!

Shuuichi slipped and fell.

Totally an experimental thing. Takashi waved off the younger man as if they were having this conversation face-to-face and not with a three-story difference between them. People did dumb things in the name of sexual experimentation--there was a reason he hadn't let Miu put any sex toys in his arm. Not even a vibration function! Even as impressive as it'd be, he'd rather keep small mechanical joints out of the bedroom.

He'd just been about to shout up that Shuuichi didn't have anything to worry about--it did seem like an accident, so he could leave it out of the letters since Shuuichi asked--but he should probably close his window when

Shuuichi came hurtling out of the window.

As quickly as he'd dashed into his position before, Takashi held his arms out, and...okay, bend your knees, plant your feet, sturdy but not rigid, remember what Lake taught you...

"HMMPH!"

With a slight stumble, Takashi had an armful of half-naked detective in a matter of seconds.

Whelp. This was going to be a stupid way to die.

That was Shuuichi's potential last thought as he closed his eyes and waited to make impact. Maki had tried, once upon a time, to teach him how to tumble roll in long distance falls, as a way to combat his nerves around heights. After a solid day’s worth of experimenting with it, she had put both hands on his shoulders, looked him in the eye, and said, "You have no coordination. Just don't fall off of things."

Well, look at him now, Maki.

She was going to be so pissed.

Maki didn't believe in the trials, and Shuuichi was pretty sure he didn't either, but he wondered, when he hit the ground, if Atua did show up to take him to them, if he could ask if he could wait for Maki instead, because honestly, look what happened when he did-OOMPH!!

Ohmygodohmygodohygod--o-ooooh--hnn...huh?

What had...what happened? He had landed in someone's arms. Someone's...metal, mechanical arm.

...owwwwwww... but hurray!! And oh no.

The second Shuuichi caught his breath, looking up at the pink-haired man, realizing he was half-naked and in some dude’s arms and outside, he made a very undignified, panicked squeaking sound, started to squirm, was allowed to drop onto his feet by the man, and bolted into some nearby bushes.

Under the safety of some cover at least, he put his head in his hands and whispered to himself, "Oh, I am so stupid, how the fuck did this happen, fuck fuck FUCK!"

As Shuuichi glanced over at the man, looking at him between the space in his fingers as he simultaneously tried to bury his shame in his hands, he wondered...wh-why wasn't he super horny right now? Someone had been touching him, and he was naked and afraid and...wasn't this, like, peak horny scenario??

Then he felt his dick brush against the grass, a shock of post-cum sensitivity to it and...oh.

Shuuichi looked down at himself, and his dick, hanging, spent, and...he had cum during the fall?? He...he hadn't even felt it, he had been so distracted by his blind panic and...well, that was kinda disappointing, when exactly had it??

...and, also, where had it-OH MY GOD!

Shuuichi stared at the man, wide eyed and frozen with horror as he looked over the front of him, recognizing those painfully familiar these days types of stains... "Oh, I'm so sorry," Shuuichi said, eyes wide and wet. And then, entirely out of panic, he threw himself into a submission bow and said, "Please don't kill me!"

Takashi's usually bright expression was as stormy as a horrible day at sea, and, though he let Shuuichi down to his feet, he stood frozen for a good few moments, his arms still extended outwards. His shirt and tie just...covered in jizz.

Now, he knew it wasn't Shuuichi's fault. He had already obviously been working himself up, and it wasn't like he could control his body's reactions.

But Takashi was still coated in semen.

Taking a deep breath, Takashi set his jaw and began delicately unbuttoning his shirt, thankful the spray had missed his pants and not willing to change that fact. Though, he did look up in confusion, his expression softening a little as Shuuichi disappeared into the bush and...

"...I'm...not going to kill you?" Takashi said mostly as a question, throwing his shirt and tie to the side. A sound of frustration in the back of his throat, he shook his head. "Just...stay here. I'll get you a towel then you can go back in, alright? And try to take this as a lesson learned."

With that, Takashi sent one last look to the half-naked man-filled bush and sped walked back into the castle, aiming to be efficient in getting Shuuichi back in. Jizzy mishap aside...falling from your window was an intense thing to try and recover from.

Could you bring me??? Pants????

Shuuichi wanted to ask, but his face was burning too bright red with embarrassment, and he could barely look at the man at all as Shuuichi sat up, scooting himself farther into the relative safety of the bush. He wanted to sit down, but his gross, sticky nakedness would catch every stray piece of dirt and leaf and coat his backside with it, and looking like he had shat himself with nature was just a step too much for the already, just...extremely unhappy detective right now. So instead he balanced on the back of his feet and tucked his knees onto his chest and laced his fingers together as he waited nervously.

God...what a terrible fucking day...Miss Nao left him for one day and he had gotten...maybe a little low key kidnapped and then proceeded to fall out a window...fuuuuuuck.

...she was gonna be so mad at him when she found out about him visiting her wife...

Oh, and also the beer. And visiting the brewery. Honestly, just everything? Shuuichi was pretty sure he had broken literally every single rule today. Well, no, he had taken his pills, so that was something. But everything else? Broken.

...he wondered if he was already doomed to go back to Luminary.

It was hard to feel regret. Sure, he was terrified, and he desperately wanted to avoid the consequences of his actions, if he could help it...but he felt so much better right now, under the effects of his full dose, than he had felt collectively in the last few days. All the sadness was gone. He was still a shameful, stupid, dirty whore...but that thought was more arousing now, and less made him want to throw himself off the side of a bridge. Honestly, he was grateful for everything that had happened before Maki had shown up at the brewery. If Bear hadn't found him when he had...

...what had been...all that stuff he had been saying about pollination?

Almost on cue, he heard this little buzz...and Shuuichi watched, more surprised than nervous, as a fat, furry bumblebee buzzed into the bush and landed on his shoulder. Just...chilling out. Shuuichi didn't have any real fear of insects, and so he just watched this, fascinated...and then felt something on his other shoulder, and he looked over, and there was...a butterfly?

And that seemed to unleash the dam, because suddenly there were bees and butterflies coming into the bush, all landing on him, settling in his hair, on his back, on his face and knees, and Shuuichi just stood stock still. Not sure what to do about any of it.

...huh.

Sure, Takashi got a few stares as he walked to the nearest supply closet shirtless, but it was nothing he was bothered by. Other people were far less professional on a day-to-day basis, so one incident of him losing his shirt was nothing to write home about. He'd never been insecure about the gnarled scarring around his shoulder where his arm attached either, and few people had ever asked.

It was quick work to get a towel--or two, because Takashi didn't really want to carry around his soiled clothes just out in the open--and his jacket from his desk, and Takashi wasn't gone for more than ten minutes before he jogged back outside into the niche.

"Shuuichi?" he called out, hoping the poor man hadn't made an embarrassed break for it. "My apologies for not getting you clothes, but I assume you wouldn't want to hide in a bush any longer than you have to." Takashi came closer to the bush, holding out the towel for the detective to take. "Do you need to go to the med bay? Obviously, I prevented the worst-case scenario, but that doesn't mean you're unharmed."

"Okay...don't...sting me, okay?" Shuuichi muttered, as, slowly and carefully, he reached out of the bush for the towel. All over his body butterflies and bees were just chilling, seemingly perfectly content to just sit there and enjoy the ride...right up until one of the bees on his finger noticed the presence of the other human.

Then, all at once, all the insects flew off of him, spreading out and around the bush and flying off into random directions before suddenly they were all gone.

Well...okay.

Taking the towel, he wrapped it around himself as he muttered, "It's okay. I'm okay," realizing, as he said it that he...was? Actually? The most he felt from the fall was a little bruised on his back, which felt lovely, honestly. A nice, simple ache. "Thank you for catching me," he said, looking slightly at the pink-haired man before his eyes fell onto the grass, shame-faced. "And...I'm s-sorry again..."

While Takashi preened a little bit at the gratitude, he just shrugged it off for the most part. "Of course," he said, matter of factly. "Anyone would've done the same--otherwise "it" and "you" wouldn't be okay, now would they?" It wasn't even a thought in Takashi's mind that anyone would've just let Shuuichi fall; there was a person in trouble and he had the ability to do something. Simple.

Guiding Shuuichi forward with a gentle hand on his back, Takashi did give him a slightly reproachful look. "Just be careful, alright? Even if you hadn't fallen, anyone could've walked by; perhaps someone less understanding than I. Now, I know you just made an honest mistake, Shuuichi, so I'm not going to report any of this, but Dicean harassment laws are quite thorough. This would be quite the embarrassing incident to receive a judicial punishment for."

And that would've been something Takashi would have to report to Byakuya. One of his brother's close friends starting up a criminal record wasn't something he could consider to be unimportant.

Getting back inside the castle, Takashi gave the younger man a concerned frown. "Will you be alright returning to your room on your own? I do have the time to accompany you if you'd feel better having someone with you."

Shuuichi's whole face was bright red as they walked back in, feeling incredibly exposed and just plain weird looking wearing nothing but an undershirt and a towel in the entrance hall, and fuck, fuck...already? Come on, come on, he had just done all that to get off, he was getting aroused again already?? As glad as he was to be back on a full dose of the pollen, he had not missed this particular part of it. His god damned dick was insatiable...

O-oh...feeling the pink-haired man’s hand on his back was...mmmm...

“Thank you...I didn't mean to harass anyone…” Shuuichi muttered, face burning red for a different reason now as they approached the stairs, his mind suddenly, inexplicably, thinking of Miss Ya...of that bitch Yasu. “...'m not trying to get into trouble. I'm trying to stay out of trouble…”

...he wondered what the pink-haired man would look like on his back...or over him, face concentrated. Sweating. Grip tight against Shuuichi. If Shuuichi told him he could do anything he liked to him, he wondered what would come to mind for him...what little tortures he'd dream up and...

Stop! Stop! Y-you've already pushed your luck too much today! Maki only gave you three hours, and now you gotta get back to your room without being seen by her or Kaito or Kokichi or they'll ask what the hell happened. A-and then, once you're back in your room, you HAVE to figure out what you're going to say to her! S-she wanted answers and...Shuuichi didn't know what to say...what should he say??

...Fuck, fuck, he was going to end up back in Luminary, wasn't he...

“I-I'm okay. I can get upstairs by myself,” Shuuichi said, his mind suddenly back to the last Dicean who had offered to help him up to his room. That...memory held so many conflicting emotions to it, and he ducked his head under his cap. “Th-thank you again, uh...sorry, I don't...I'm not familiar with you…”

Part of Takashi wondered how jerking yourself off in a window was trying to stay out of trouble...but it really wasn't his business. If Shuuichi was trying to stay out of trouble, then Takashi would take him at his word and hope it worked out. The less trouble he had to report back, the better--because that meant that there was less trouble happening!

Though Shuuichi said he was good to go, Takashi still walked him to the base of the stairs, wanting to see if he really was okay to walk up the stairs on his own--near-death experiences could leave people a little weak-kneed.

Laughing lightly, Takashi drew himself up in pride. "Takashi Souzen, public needs scribe, at your service, Mr. Saihara. Maybe I should add "Thwarter of Defenestrative Matters" to my introduction as well." He gave Shuuichi a teasing look before his expression softened, giving the younger man a wave. "If you see me around, please don't hesitate to say hello, though I'll say you look much better when I'm not looking at you thirty feet up. Take it easy today, alright?"

Takashi Souzen?

Takashi Souzen.

...oh fuck.

Oh god, oh...fuck. Fuck, fuck fuck...sh-should he beg? Should he say anything? He had already begged him not to tell anyone, hadn't he?? So...but did anyone include the heir apparent, or...Oh fuck.

Shuuichi started to tremble, taking a few hurried steps back from the pink-haired man, his face entirely hidden under his cap as he said quietly, “Yes, thank you. Thank you. Y-you won't...please... I mean…”

Shuuichi wasn't like Maki. He held similar beliefs as her, but...he wasn't brave, defiant, in the face of authority. He wasn't going to pretend to know what the actual consequences of Byakuya hearing about this would be, if there would even be a consequence. Would he even care? Find it funny? Just be annoyed that he was being bothered about it? He couldn't imagine...but...he could guess, with Shuuichi out of reach and out of his power, who would end up being on the receiving end of his annoyance...

So, thinking of his friend, steeling his courage, Shuuichi bowed low and said quickly, quietly, “Please don't tell him, he'll take it out on Kaito.”

And then he ran up the stairs. Before he could say anything more and make the situation even worse.

He avoided the gazes of everyone he came across on the staircase, and was immensely relieved when he finally got to his room, going to open his door and...

...oh, of course.

It's locked.

Shuuichi thumped his forehead against the door, just...annoyed with himself. Of course it was locked. Miss Nao had his key. Maki had the master key. Shuuichi hadn't struggled with this yet because he had stopped locking his door when he left his room...god, today was the worst...

He wished he could talk about it to Kaito. He missed confiding in Kaito. The Luminary Prince had a way of making everything seem less bad than it was...

Sighing, Shuuichi started to work the lie in his head as he went next door to knock on Maki's door. When no one came to it, he sighed even more deeply...then headed to the princes' door. Knocking. “It's...it's Shuuichi...I need some help. I...I accidentally locked myself out of my room...and I'm not wearing pants...can I come in?”

Of all the reactions Takashi usually got from his introductions...fear wasn't one he could say he really ever got. He blinked in surprise at Shuuichi, growing more concerned, but the detective hurried away, and...

...'he'll' take it out on Kaito? What could...

Detective. Of course!

Absolutely brilliant work, but, still...why would Prince Byakuya take...anything about this situation out on his brother? The Luminary heir had, through proxy, asked Takashi to keep him notified about the state of things in Dicea to protect Kaito. Even if Takashi did write about this, which he'd already decided he wouldn't, why would Byakuya do anything about the situation?

...Takashi didn't know, but he did know how he could find out. It looked like he'd hold off on asking Ryouhei out for another day...but time with his boss was pleasant in any form.

-

After Maki had sent up a healer, Kokichi still hadn't been up to taking a bath, but the healer had helped him change into a fresh pair of pajamas, at least. His skin was still clammy and sticky, but he was comfortable enough to sleep for a while, trying to make up for the strain and stress he'd put himself under that morning.

Lying on his side and hugging a pillow to his chest, Kokichi opened his eyes from the not-quite sleep he'd been in at the knock on the door. Giving a nod to the healer, Kokichi raised his weakened voice to answer his friend. "Come on in, Shuu-chan..."

Shuuichi opened the door, his eyes quick to take everything in as he shuffled inside. He stiffened for a second at the presence of an unfamiliar person...but, that's right, it was afternoon now. This would be one of the healers making up for his shift. Still, he was surprised to not see Kaito here. Even off his shift, he rarely left Kokichi's side...who looked...

Life on Despair Pollen was basically the concept of internal contradiction given physical form. He felt, both at once, genuine concern for the Dicean Prince, and a rush of arousal at his clearly regressed state as he said to the small prince, "Kokichi? Did something happen?"

He immediately wanted to ask if he had been given his tea, if he needed anything, should Shuuichi grab one of the handtowels and help him with the sweat lining his skin...but he felt awkward saying those things right in front of a healer. He didn't want to accuse anyone of not doing a good job taking care of Kokichi, of course, he was just...worried.

And aroused, but, ya know, fuck it, what else is new.

Yupp. Shuuichi sure wasn't wearing pants. But...had he been totally off base? Shuuichi looked...fine, mostly. If anything like what he'd been thinking had been going on and Maki confronted Shuuichi about it...he'd talk with her later. It wouldn't be fair for him to interrogate Shuuichi on stuff he'd just been asked about.

...however...

Kokichi gave Shuuichi a confused look. "...I would've thought Maki would've told you... Kai-chan's parents are dead." That by itself probably...wouldn't stress Shuuichi out that much, considering his feelings on Luminary, but what came because of that... Kokichi sighed shallowly, pressing his face against the pillow in his arms. "After we took you to the med bay, we confronted him about it, and..."

...he probably shouldn't say that in front of the healer. Byakuya's reputation didn't mean much in Dicea, but...he wanted to protect his husband's dignity.

Kokichi closed his eyes, still sure in his feelings, but just feeling bad about the whole situation. "...I yelled at him. About stuff. It didn't go well... He's praying at his shrine right now." Opening his eyes sadly, Kokichi looked Shuuichi over again. "...are you feeling alright? You shouldn't have taken that medicine again if you knew you had such a bad reaction to it..."

Shuuichi's eyes widened, a sudden, genuinely elated smile crossing his face as he said, excited, “Princess-Consort Sayaka is dead?! When? How!?”

Yes! Yes! The witch was dead! Oh, wow! Wow! Shuuichi couldn't believe it...it had actually happened… She was gone! She was gone!! No more wild conspiracy theories! No more irrational demands! No more framing random people she didn't like! Not that he had to do that anymore either way, but...but the next Royal Detective in training wouldn't have to either and...oh wow!

...oh...

“...Oh,” Shuuichi said, the smile suddenly falling, his brow lowering in concern. “Kaito must be devastated…” he murmured, a flush coming to his cheeks as he thought about it. As much as Shuuichi had hated his mother, and disliked his father...Kaito loved his parents...

...why would Kokichi yell at him on the same day Kaito lost both his parents?

It didn't seem like the Dicean Prince, to be cruel to someone going through a hardship like that, but...well, Shuuichi was probably missing some key point or clue that would clear that up. Best not to speculate on insufficient evidence.

Ha. When's the last time he had had a thought like that? Gods he felt so much better on his full dose...

The healer was on the desk chair, so Shuuichi went to Kokichi's bedside, about to ask him if he could take a seat and then...felt something start to run down his backside and...ah, shit. Right.

“I felt really bad this morning,” Shuuichi told Kokichi quietly, glancing over to his closet. “I figured feeling high but on medication was better than feeling low and being off it. I had just meant to eat breakfast and sleep through it, but I woke up in the med ward, just...kinda delirious and confused...do you think I could steal one of Kaito's pants and underwear? This towel is sorta thin…”

Kokichi raised an eyebrow at Shuuichi's clear joy, but was more confused about how he singled out Kaito's mother specifically. Kaito had said she treated people who worked in the castle pretty badly--or that's what Kokichi had gathered from the examples he gave--and...if Luminaries treated people in the program as "lower" then...

...as horrible as it was, having fewer people like that in the world, in a position to hurt others...was probably for the best.

Sighing, Kokichi nodded weakly. "Go for it. If...if you give me a sec, I can help you into your room too." ...he probably had enough in him to pick open Shuuichi's door. Most of the door locks in the castle weren't particularly difficult, and if he had help getting across the hall and back, he'd be alright...yeah.

He'd like to have a moment with Shuuichi, tell him what really happened that morning...but he couldn't dismiss the healer watching him. As much as he wanted to just be okay already, after that morning...it'd be really dumb of him to be alone right now.

Oh, right. Kokichi could pick locks. Shuuichi had almost forgotten. Kaito had been really proud, for some reason, when he had told Maki and Shuuichi that. Mind you, Kaito was always ready to gush about Kokichi's skills to them, no matter what those skills ended up being, having told them all in the same breath about how his husband could climb walls and do those jumps like you do Maki, you should see it, he's like an acrobat-! But even when Kaito had been telling them about it, Shuuichi had thought in the moment that lockpicking was a very strange thing to teach a prince.

Well, maybe not a prince who was locked in a castle most of his life...

Shuuichi nodded. “Certainly. Let me get those pants and I'll help you down. Uh...if that's alright,” the detective asked the healer, again, not trying to step on any toes.

He went to the closet and grabbed the first pair of pants he saw, knowing anything of Kaito's would be a little loose on him...or, he supposed they wouldn't be anymore, huh...well, a little long on him, then. Grabbing some pants, he asked Kokichi which drawer was Kaito's underwear drawer, and then fetched one of his pairs of briefs, before heading to the bathroom.

...yes, okay, he smelled the briefs in the bathroom. But they didn't smell like anything but laundry, and it was only for a second. Also, he grabbed one of their handtowels, lining the underwear and doing his tuck and...whelp, there you go. He was back to looking...relatively normal.

Heading back out of the bathroom, Shuuichi went to go pick Kokichi up. In a very real way, the Dicean Prince had lucked out on his size. For someone who found himself unable to move so often, at least he wasn't hard to help.

"Mhmm," Kokichi drawled, stretching in bed a little to mask him grabbing a pick and a tension rod he'd hidden in the bed frame. While he could fashion both from, like, hairpins and paper clips in a pinch, after Ikuo had taught him, Kokichi had gotten several sets and had hidden them, knowing that if anyone really tried to imprison him, he needed backups upon backups to protect himself.

He usually kept a set in the pockets of his clothes at all times, but not in pajamas, so his bed set it was.

Having a quick conversation with the healer, assuring them that he'd be alright for the one or two minutes it'd take, Kokichi accepted their help in sitting up and kept still through their attempt at wiping his skin of sweat...though it wasn't long before his skin shimmered with it again.

He offered Shuuichi a small, tired smile when the older boy picked him up, giving him a thanks. "...how'd you get locked outside your room without pants, anyway, Shuu-chan? If ya feel like sharin'."

Shuuichi sighed as they headed out. "It was silly...I was getting ready to take a shower, and...I thought I saw someone outside my window. Just out of the corner of my eye. I went to look out the window, and didn't see anyone, but I suddenly felt really paranoid and ran out of the room to get Maki...but she's not in her room, and the door closed behind me...there probably wasn't anyone there to begin with. I'm just a little shaken from earlier still."

As Shuuichi got to his room, he considered the the prince's disposition, wondering if he should let him down...before deciding to, carefully, get down onto his knees instead, allowing Kokichi arms’ reach to the knob as he said, "Has Maki had a chance to tell you what happened yet? It's...been a day for everyone."

Kokichi frowned and pressed the side of his head to Shuuichi's shoulder in sympathy for a moment. Being targeted by an assassin was...stressful, to say the least. For non-confrontational Shuuichi, that night had probably been terrifying, Luminary horror experience or not. Though...he still wondered why Shuuichi hadn't told any of them he was being targeted...

He grimaced a little at the position Shuuichi lowered them into, but got to work on the lock, his hands having just enough strength to hold the tension rod properly, and likely just long enough for him to finish setting the pins.

However, he looked away for a moment, a puzzled expression on his face. Maki had told him about Tom, but...that wasn't today. "...I haven't seen her since she left to talk to you. About...you know..."

"...what happened?"

"About what?" Shuuichi asked, watching the lock picking curiously. He had never had to learn how to pick locks himself. No one was allowed to deny access to a detective on a case anywhere, and even just trying to have a space locked was grounds for being jailed for suspicious behavior and obstruction of justice. He supposed he didn't have that privilege here...he wondered if he could ask Kokichi to teach him how to do it.

He thought about dodging the question. But...Maki would tell him eventually. It wasn't going to be a secret. So. "Like I said before, I woke up in the med bay delirious. I don't remember why I decided to go," he lied, "but I wandered out to town and...I was found by someone bad and taken somewhere," Shuuichi murmured, not really sure how he felt about that. 'Bad'... it hadn't felt bad...

Still...he knew Maki was just looking out for him. He knew that...technically, he had been in danger...but...he had been so close to nirvana...it was hard not to feel disappointed. "And it got weird. There were a bunch of people there who didn't like me. They were probably going to hurt me. Then, of course..." Shuuichi smiled. Genuinely fond as he said, "Out of nowhere, daggers flying...Maki doing what Maki does best..."

Kokichi didn't answer him right away, more focusing on opening up the lock...and listening to what had apparently happened in between the time Maki had left him and now. Feeling that final 'click', Kokichi pulled the pin and rod out of the lock...and nearly dropped them as he looked up at Shuuichi with wide eyes.

'Someone bad' and 'people who didn't like him' could...mean a lot. "...anti-Luminaries, or...?" Kokichi trailed off, worried. He hadn't wanted to pressure Shuuichi, but...it was kind of sounding like Maki hadn't talked to him yet.

So, taking a breath, he finally answered Shuuichi's question, his concern open and clear on his face. "...she told me that Tom tried to kill you the other night...and that you'd known about it. Maki-chan was confused why you didn't tell anyone you were in danger...and...I have some of my own theories, but I think it'd be better if we could all talk about it together."

Tilting his head against Shuuichi's shoulder, Kokichi nuzzled him softly. "...it's like what I said about Maki-chan's trash mission. No one can do everything by themself, so that's why it's great to have friends. I know I haven't earned your trust like Maki-chan or Kai-chan...but I do care about Shuu-chan, and I want to keep him safe. You're not alone, you know?"

Shuuichi felt himself tense. “How...how does she...how did you both find out about that?”

God, what?? The only people who knew about that other than Tom and his friends were himself and Miss Nao...did...had Miss Nao...

Is that why she disappeared today? Did his friends scare her away??

...Shuuichi could feel his heart starting to break.

The detective sadly listened to Kokichi's speech as he tested the door, feeling some relief as it opened. At least he wasn't locked out anymore… ”I know. Thank you, Kokichi, I just...I didn't feel like I was in danger...or, I don't know...maybe I just didn't think about it,” Shuuichi muttered.

The truth was, he had felt like Miss Nao would somehow keep that situation under control. The way she kept everything under control. She was...she was so overwhelming...it was easy for Shuuichi to think that, if Miss Nao didn't want Tom to come back, then he wouldn't. She was so powerful...so strong and scary and...he hoped his friends would understand that he loved her. That their relationship was important. He knew they were protective...

...oh no what if they've already killed her.

Shuuichi, again, felt himself tense. It was possible. It was...entirely possible. Oh! Was...that could be why Kokichi had yelled at Kaito...if Maki and Kaito had found out about their relationship and misunderstood what was happening, thought Shuuichi was unwilling, they...Maki cut people's fingers off for just touching her unwillingly...Shuuichi's seen Kaito beat men half to death just for slights against Shuuichi...Miss Nao could really, honestly be...

Trembling, Shuuichi straightened back up, whispering to Kokichi, thinking to ask him...but losing his courage as he said, “...well, she told me she was gonna talk to me in two hours...we'll probably end up talking in your room. Let me take you back, Kokichi. Thank you again for your help.”

Kokichi shrugged a bit, still worried about the whole situation. "I heard from Maki-chan, and she said she found out from Katsuki-chan. If I had to guess...I'd say Katsuki-chan saw Tom and was prolly watching to make sure nothing happened..."

...Shuuichi's response was...a little underwhelming, but... They'd find out later. They'd talk later. Once everything was on the table, then they could start to see the whole situation, and then they could make a plan. Then his friends could be safe. Then he could finally protect someone for once in his miserable life...

He frowned to himself, knowing a spiral when he saw one. ...it wasn't fair of him to keep breaking, not when there were people who looked to him for guidance or even just a listening ear. Making everyone deal with him...he'd actually be a burden if he kept doing that to them.

"It was no problem, Shuu-chan," Kokichi murmured to the older boy, reaching up to squeeze his shoulder weakly. "I told Maki-chan, but to me, you're always welcome in our room. If you feel like you're in danger, I'll always try to make it a safe place for you."

Shuuichi, again, found himself wanting to ask. Was...was she dead? Did Maki...did Kaito...

He couldn't. He couldn't do it. So he just nodded.

"Thank you, Kokichi," he said. "I...thanks..."

-

"Kaito," Maki tried again, sighing to herself as she knocked against the door, "Please. It's important. Please let me in."

Kaito was curled against a wall, tired. The kind of tired you feel in your bones. The closet, which was still full of blank canvases of various sizes, the closet not even kind of cleared out, and...well, the canvases had been blank anyway...Kaito looked around, vision a little fuzzy from the swelling, but every time he blinked his vision cleared a little, and, like...the red splatter against all the white was actually kinda pretty? He thought? Maybe he'd keep all the canvases too. Artful testaments to Atua.

...he had bags under his eyes from sobbing all morning. Every time he blinked, his waterlogged skin squeezed out a few more drops, though he wasn't really sad anymore. He didn't really feel much of anything right now. Tired, he guessed. Tired and a little sick. He would need food soon. Bananas. He had probably overdone the bloodletting a little...punching the walls hadn't helped...

It didn't matter. No one saw. So it didn't even really happen, honestly. It didn't count.

"...Maki-Roll, please...I already told you I don't want to go back to the room...I appreciate that Kokichi said it was okay, but..."

Kaito didn't really want to see Kokichi.

His husband was...confused. Or, well, no...no he wasn't, but...he just didn't understand. Sure, Byakuya had...it wasn't a secret. Well, no, it was, Kaito wasn't allowed to tell anyone, but, like...it wasn't a secret secret. It was like...sneaking outside of the castle with Kokichi...everyone knew. The king had to know. Or like his training sessions with Tengan. Of course everyone knew. It was common knowledge. It was obvious...

But no one was supposed to talk about it. And Kokichi...didn't seem to get that yet and...Kaito just wasn't up to it. He couldn't handle Kokichi's judgement just yet. His fucking...smug attitude...

Kaito shivered. It was fine if he just thought it. So long as he didn't say it...or think it too hard. Especially not around other people. Not around Kokichi.

But FUCK, like...like Dicea was so PERFECT?! Like the Ouma family didn't have a bunch of BULLSHIT!? The castle was literally a refugee camp for child-killer wannabees, but Kokichi has the NERVE--!?

HIS FAMILY WASN'T...or, well, no...he guessed just, now, B-byakuya wasn't...didn't really have much else family now too...not much left to defend, was there...

BYAKUYA ISN'T EVIL!

His brother loved him! And he w-was going to be an amazing leader! A good king! He was going to m-make things better, and...and, okay, yes, sure, fine, k-killing their parents...well, okay, let's be honest then! It probably wasn't even Byakuya who had killed them! Definitely not mom, he had been writing the letter while she was dying! So, so, so some FUCKING INDENTURED PROBABLY-!!

...that wasn't fair that wasn't fair even if they did, that's not their fault you know that...

...i-it was father’s fault! Dad did it to himself! If he had just listened to Byakuya, his brother wouldn't have...i-if he had listened...

...if Kaito just hadn't...gotten hurt and...not embarrassed himself so much here...had just sent more letters to his brother, reassuring him...of course Byakuya was going to react s-strongly, of course he was, Kaito knew this about him and he had still...

This was all his fault. Everything was Kaito's fault. His parents were dead because Kaito had killed them. Byakuya had just done what he had to do. It was all Kaito's fault...

...this conclusion brought him...so much peace...he just wanted to stew in it. Ruminate over his huge mistake. He had messed up so badly. His parents were dead because of him...

"Kaito," Maki tried again, "It's Shuuichi. He needs you."

Kaito glanced at the door. His heart...so conflicted.

"...please?" she said.

Kaito did his best to wipe the tears from his face, and went to open the door.

Two hours. Maki was coming back in two hours, and then they'd all talk, and...things could start to be fixed.

...god, he wanted it to be now.

He wanted his friends to be safe. He wanted them to be happy.

He didn't want them to have been...kidnapped, or targeted for death, or part of some nefarious plan, or hurt by the people they loved most, or stuck with shitty rules in their brains they couldn't do anything about, or burdened by the trainwreck that was Luminary...

Kokichi curled up back around his pillow after Shuuichi brought him back to bed, not saying anything to the healer as he closed his eyes.

Why was everything so...broken...?

Instead of preparing for anything, Kokichi fell back asleep for the two hours before everything would be laid out.

Shuuichi had taken the two hours to actually take a shower and, well...put himself back together. Clothes of his own, hair brushed, tucked, even a fresh, new handtowel, even though the other one was barely used, and, feeling halfway put together, he had gone to his mirror to see how he had done and--

...had a violent flashback.

It had just...come out of nowhere. So intense that he had felt sick, dizzy, and had to go to the bed quickly to sit down. Just...remembering staring at himself while the metal rod tapped tapped tapped against the glass...her hands, behind him, (big, big she was so impossibly big, she was a giant), pulling on his leash and pushing against his back with her elbow as her other hand tapped against items that had spread him impossibly, painfully wide...just feeling small and scared and overwhelmed and...incredible...

His hands were shaking. There was a heat boiling in his stomach that he knew was now going to only bother him and intensify as the day went on.

...w-what if she was dead?

Shuuichi put his head in his hands. Grief, strange and confusing because it was grief but it was also...arousal and...and it was love and it was relief and he was so confused...

...he just wanted to see her. She would make everything better. He was so scared.

After a while, there was a knock at his door, Maki calling to him. With a sigh, he rubbed the wet from his eyes, collecting himself. Guess it...guess it was time...he'd find out one way or another...

Opening the door, Maki nodded at him. “Come on. We're talking in Kaito's room.”

As Shuuichi exited, following her, he saw Kaito was in fact standing outside of his door, apparently waiting for them. He looked haggard. Exhausted. But he smiled when he saw Shuuichi and gave him a wave, before turning to open the door before Shuuichi got there, letting them both in.

As Kaito walked in, his sidekicks following him, he gave Kokichi a small...apologetic grin. “Hey, 'Kichi…” he said, giving his husband a wave...before turning to the healer. His eyes...weirdly glassy and a little blank as he said, with a grin, “Please excuse us. We're taking over the room.”

Kokichi was still bleary when the two hours passed, curled around his pillow and sleepily looking over the three who had grown so important to him...

How had he managed to mess this up so badly? His first friends and...he'd ruined their lives.

...shoving that feeling down, Kokichi gave his husband a concerned, guilty look before giving the healer a nod and asking them to leave, shakily sitting himself up against the rest of his pillows while still clutching one against him.

"...where should we even start?" he murmured to the room, not looking at anyone though he sort of meant the question towards Maki, knowing that... For as much as he did care about Shuuichi, it wasn't his right to question him. To take the lead on such a likely difficult discussion when he'd only known all of them for a month. A month, and he'd screwed everything up so badly...

"I'm half tempted to start with the whiskey in the kitchens," Maki said, rolling her shoulders backwards, cracking her neck...okay. Feel your feelings later. Now wasn't the time. She had to be who they needed her to be right now.

Where was the danger?

"First of all, let's all take a seat. I don't care how long this takes. We're getting this sorted," Maki said, looking over at Shuuichi and nodding towards the desk chair. He nodded, not really looking at anyone, and sat down as Maki went to grab the window seat, dragging over to sit just off to the side of him. Kaito, in turn, headed to the bed, sitting down on top of the covers, on the corner opposite of Kokichi.

The four were, more or less, in a circle.

And almost immediately, there was a non-stop debate.

"Shuuichi, you will tell us about-"

"Maki, stop it. That's not fair, don't do that to him."

"Oh, really Kaito? Now we're worried about triggering commands? You were fine with it earlier."

"Did...something happen earlier?"

"We're not talking about that. We'll spar about it later, you know that."

"We'll talk about it when I'm ready to talk about it. But don't stop me questioning Shuuichi. He's been hiding things from us, Kaito! Dangerous things!"

"Like what? Shuuichi, no one is giving you orders....but what's happening? Why is Maki so pissed? Did I miss something?"

"I...I'd really like to know what everyone else knows before I say anything..."

Kokichi sighed, suddenly feeling like he was in a city meeting. If it weren't for the fact he was in part responsible for policy decisions, he'd find the chaos amusing, but when you were trying to factor in everyone's needs and opinions...

"Start with the facts," he cut in, ending up taking a bit of charge despite his feelings. Sitting up a little more, Kokichi closed his eyes and took a breath before opening calm violet pools. "Two nights ago, according to Katsuki-chan, who I am inclined to believe, someone she described as an assassin came to Shuu-chan's window in the middle of the night. That person was Tom. And, for some amount of time before that, Shuu-chan had known he was in danger."

Looking at Maki and Shuuichi, since Kaito hadn't heard about any of this, Kokichi gave them each time under his serious gaze. "Just what I said, nothing else--are those facts correct as you know them to be, if you want to answer?"

Shuuichi hid under his cap, shoulders hunching up. Maki kept her eyes on him, while Kaito looked at Kokichi, wide eyed and shocked.

“What!?” Kaito said, “Which Tom? Our Tom?? Shuuichi, is this true?”

“...”

Maki rolled her eyes. “'Your' Tom. You spent two hours with him and in that time he got you injured multiple times. Don't act like you were friends. He was dangerous from the moment you met him.”

“Wait, I don't understand,” Kaito said, brow furrowed, crossing his good arm over his injured one. “Why do we think Tom's an assassin? I know he's half-decent with knives, but that's not-”

“Kokichi already provided evidence for that. Katsuki observed him and made a judgment call, and considering this is an assassin who’s lived, as far as I can tell, into her forties, I trust her character witness. Tom's an assassin, and he was trying to pull a hit on Shuuichi. And Shuuichi knew, right Shuuichi?”

“...”

“Okay, how do we know Shuuichi knew? I'm going to take a wild guess that he didn't tell you himself,” Kaito said, pointing out his silence. “So what made you come to that conclusion?”

“Katsuki's testimony,” Maki replied simply. “She reported that Tom called out to Shuuichi from his window, and that Shuuichi was there, but refused to respond. So he knew what was happening, and kept it to himself.”

“Shuuichi, what the hell, man!? Someone was trying to kill you and you didn't tell us!?” Kaito said, turning his ire on his sidekick. “Why!?”

“...I...don't think Tom was trying to kill me…”

It was dangerous to get into conjecture. Shuuichi was a detective, he knew how to use lies, just as how Kokichi could spot lies more easily than the average person due to being a liar himself. And, with the guess Kokichi had...he didn't want Shuuichi to feel like he was being accused. That he was against them when all the three of them wanted was his safety and well-being.

Looking down at his blankets, Kokichi squeezed his pillow to his chest, chewing on his lip before speaking. "...was he trying to scare you, then? If he was simply worried about you being ill after drinking with all them, he could've come to the castle at any time during the day and asked after you. But, as far as anyone's told me, the only people who were up here that aren't normally and aren't castle healers are Dr. Kimura and Nao-chan, when she looked after you that one time."

"...so this wasn't just a friendly check-in. Katsuki-chan wouldn't have felt the need to tell Maki-chan if it was."

So, then the question was, why was Tom trying to scare Shuuichi? When it came to the detective...Kokichi's bet was on information. So...either Tom, Itch, and Aba had been trying to get information from Shuuichi, and he'd disappeared, so they had come to the source...or they had told Shuuichi information, and they wanted to make sure it hadn't gotten out.

...he was trying not to let his guess about the pollen color his guesses too much. Maki had pointed out that it wasn't a sure thing. But...so much just...didn't feel right.

Shuuichi looked up at this, his yellow eyes gray under the shadow of his cover as he said, quietly. "...is...is she..."

He looked between all of them before re-thinking his question, hiding under his cover again. "..."

"Shuuichi, you will tell-"

"Maki!"

"He's not talking to us, Kaito! He's still not talking to us, even now! It's for his own good!"

"We're not doing that! Let's just...think this through, okay? Shuuichi's been around all three of us every day since you all got back from Head Secretary Tengan's mission. If something was going on with him the whole time, then we already know it, right? We'd have to have seen it, and just weren't talking about it! That's how it works! We just...don't know what we know yet, or why it's relevant," Kaito insisted, shaking his head and growling, "We just have to think! What's Shuuichi been doing since we got here? Shuuichi, anything you want to add?"

"...no, I...I haven't really been doing anything. I just spend time with you guys," Shuuichi lied, "Go out to town with you guys...watch Maki's training sessions...not much else..."

Maki narrowed her eyes at this.

"You don't just 'watch' my training sessions," she countered. "You use that time to write in your journal. Every time I look up, you're always writing in that thing."

"Well, okay, that's not exactly anything new," Kaito pointed out. "He's always done that."

"Sure, when something occurs to him, or he's working on a case. But when 'nothing' is going on?" Maki pointed out. "Shuuichi's been writing in it non stop. He's been puzzling through something. Shuuichi, how can you tell us that you've been doing 'nothing', when for awhile there, you couldn't stop talking about what you were doing..."

"..."

"Okay, I'm lost again," Kaito said with a sigh. "Could you just speak plainly, Maki? I know Shuuichi was reading a lot for awhile there, but he never really talked to me about what he was doing...and he's also the type to just read a lot of science stuff for fun. If there's a connection between his reading and Tom, I don't see it."

"That's a shame he never talked to you about it. He wouldn't shut up to me about it...which is probably something I should be grateful for, now, because I think it was extremely important to what's going on, what he was reading. In fact...of the list of two people who had no previous reason to see Kokichi, Dr. Kimura and the librarian, his research interest specifically lead to a meeting with one of them, and I suspect, if we pick at it, we'll find it has a lot to do with everything happening here."

Maki crossed her arms, and turned her blood-red eyes to Kokichi. "Well? Are you really going to withhold your theory? Tell them, Kokichi."

Shuuichi hadn't been around them all the time since Tengan's bullshit mission, and that was where his secrets--at least in this case--began. Shuuichi had spent plenty of time alone, between spending time out with Tim and Maki and checking in on Kaito during his concussion right at the start of this. And, once Kaito had been lucid and Kokichi had been allowed to leave the castle...Shuuichi had asked him specifically about his new interest.

And the fact that Shuuichi was lying about it...meant that there was something to hide. Studying poisons wasn't that weird by itself, and from how Shuuichi had told both him and Maki about it, Shuuichi knew that. So...there was something beyond just studying poisons.

...Kokichi's heart sank as he realized that his guess was...getting more and more credit.

Giving Maki a look, he began to speak.

"...Shuu-chan has been studying the medicinal uses of poisons. He said it himself to all of us, and he asked me before we went to town together for the first time if there were any pharmacies or clinics around where he might be able to get someone to give him a list of reference books. Which he got from Dr. Kimura, who I recommended, and which he used to buy the reference books when we went to the bookstore."

That was all fine on its own. But not when paired with everything else.

Thinking about how to connect everything in a way that Kaito and Shuuichi couldn't argue...ah.

Turning forward to face his husband, Kokichi asked a question that seemed to come out of nowhere. "Hey, Kai-chan? When we went to Hiyoko's party, you told me afterward that Itch's beer tasted really weird. How did you describe it?"

“Oh, the poison medicine thing...actually, I guess I do remember Shuuichi telling us all about that. On our way out into town or something, right?” Kaito said, directing the sort of question to Shuuichi, who just hid further under his cap. A deep frown on his face. Trembling. “...Shuuichi?”

“I...I lost interest in tha-”

“Just stop, Shuuichi.” Maki sighed, closing her eyes. “No, you didn't.”

As the Luminary Prince and assassin both considered their clearly frightened detective, Kaito's brow suddenly furrowed in confusion, looking over in surprise at Kokichi's question. “Itch's beer? Why...uh, well, I mean, it was just a weird mix of really strong flavors. What had he tried distilling again? Wasn't it, like a mix of apples and...shoot, I can't remember. All I really remember is that none of the flavors were able to cover this weird, like...I don't remember how I described it...oh! Like, spoiled wine taste?”

Shuuichi trembled harder.

Kokichi pressed his lips into a line, wanting to soothe Shuuichi's concerns, remind him that he wasn't alone. That they were friends, and whatever the truth actually was...they could fix things. But he couldn't give the detective space to hide and derail. To get to that point, they needed to find the truth first.

Nodding, to his husband, Kokichi took a breath. "When you said that, I was really confused. Because, not too long before, Shuu-chan and I had been talking about Tim's plan and how it had partially worked because of luck. Because, apparently, Despair Pollen tastes like spoiled wine. When he poisoned you, you didn't really notice anything that off since he put it in your wine and you'd never had Dicean wine before then."

"...I thought it was just a coincidence," he sighed, looking down at the blankets again. "Kai-chan didn't go on a murderous rampage and people just looked drunk, not sick and feverish. So I let it go. But Kai-chan only had a little sip, and...isn't it kind of weird that Itch only put his keg away after we showed up, long after the party had started and people had the chance to try his beer, and said we weren't drinking? They didn't pack up any other beer, just Itch's."

He paused there, offering Shuuichi and Maki a small smile. "I'd like to think I wouldn't have had anything anyway...but I have you two to thank there. No drinking anything suspicious at parties, right?"

...the smile was short-lived. "That wasn't the only time Itch brought his beer out to any of us, though. Shuu-chan went drinking with them, and, when I asked what he thought of Itch's beer...he said it tasted perfect."

Kaito stared, baffled, as his mind pieced together exactly what Kokichi was implying. The more he considered it, the more of a chill he felt in his veins. He had...he had been planning to drink that night...it had been a last second change of mind that had convinced him not to...if Kokichi was right...

He could have hurt people that night.

He could have hurt Kokichi.

"...why? What...why would anyone...Shuuichi?" Kaito said, turning to the detective, whose whole upper body was curling in on itself, the detective refusing to look at any of them, most of his face not even visible under his cap, shaking profusely. "Is he right? I almost killed you guys on that stuff! Maki said I threw her into a wall! Why would you drink that if you knew what it was!?"

"Maybe he didn't?" Maki guessed, her own hands wringing her hair, a little less on the offensive now that Kaito was showing more aggression. "He only went drinking with them, what...not even a week ago? Maybe five days? Kokichi, did Shuuichi tell you before or after he went drinking what it tasted...no, wait, I...that wouldn't make sense. Even if he had been tricked into drinking the beer without knowing what it was, he wouldn't have known that was what despair pollen tasted like specifically. Not without access to it, which we haven't had since Secretary Chisa left. So he had to have known what it was when he drank it, and continued drinking it anyway...is that right, Shuuichi?"

The detective didn't answer.

"Okay," Kaito said, running a hand through his hair, messing up the shape of it as he did so, "Let's give some people the benefit of the doubt here. Maybe...maybe Itch doesn't know what that stuff does. I mean, the people at the party were drinking it, and no one was trying to kill each other, and Shuuichi doesn't think Tom was trying to kill him. So, maybe they just don't-"

"Kaito!" Maki said, rage on her face as she stood, up, dagger suddenly in hand. "Stop being naive! They are Not! Your! FRIENDS! I should have killed them when I had the chance! Three hours ago I had to go to the brewery to pull Shuuichi away from Itch holding a knife to his throat, right after he had cut up his face, choked him, and fucking licked him! Tom and Itch are bad people who hurt Shuuichi and probably were planning to hurt you!! Thank god Kokichi had the good god damn sense to listen to the advice I gave him! It probably saved your lives!"

This shut Kaito up, who had flinched back when Maki had stood up, watching her fearfully...before that fear turned into concern. "Wait...what happened at the brewery? Why did either of you go to the brewery?"

Maki glared at Kaito for a moment, getting her blood rage under control...before closing her eyes and sitting back down. "Shuuichi was missing. I only knew he was in town because some lawyer named Yasu talked to him and sent word to the castle, but he was gone by the time I got there. I figured, worst case scenario, Tom had him, so I went to check it out, and I was right. Shuuichi was surrounded by a bunch of assholes our age, and Itch was choking him out and fucking licked his face before I manage to get my first dagger flying. They all scattered and escaped except for two of them, a woman named Hiyoko and a man named Ash, who I delivered to the castle guards for questioning. I need to talk to you about that, by the way," Maki said to Kokichi, eyes narrowed and fierce, "I don't understand how the law works around here. We need to sit down together and you need to explain to me the chain of command and prisoner control."

Shuuichi had continued to drink the beer because he was studying Despair Pollen. In the same conversation he'd told Kokichi what it tasted like, he'd said he hadn't expected that knowledge to become so relevant. While the Luminary Party had taken what they had assumed at the time to be the only source of pollen in Dicea away with them, it would still be worth studying more since Kaito had been poisoned twice.

...come to think of it, the book Shuuichi had been talking to Maki about that day Kaito OD'd... It was a novelization about a tragedy in Danganronpa that was spurred on by the pollen. Kokichi had read it himself once upon a time. But, compared to all the medical textbooks and journals Shuuichi had been reading, it was the only fiction book Shuuichi had read, and the pollen was the only overlap there.

But it was still one thing to study it, and another to ingest it. Was...Shuuichi using himself as a test subject?

Kokichi frowned as he pieced all this together in his mind, but his gaze shot up at Maki's outburst. ...Shuuichi had just said that "bad people" had taken him. Not that they were Tom and Itch and the others...was he trying to protect them? Why...?

He nodded absentmindedly to Maki, murmuring that the guards would take care of Hiyoko and Ash--so they'd gotten together?--for the time being, but...

There was something else that bothered him.

Kokichi knew Yasu, had talked with her while he gave statements on the attempts on his life throughout the years, and also casually at festivals. The lawyer was a nervous wreck, especially at work, and especially without her wife or her assistant spurring her on. Even if Nao had described Shuuichi to her wife...Yasu wasn't the type that would just see him on the street.

Turning back to Shuuichi, Kokichi asked gently, "Shuu-chan? Why were you visiting Nao-chan's wife? You said you didn't know why you were heading into the city..."

"...please stop..."

“Stop. Shut up. Just stop,” Shuuichi whispered. Hiding under his cover. Trembling. “I can't...it's better if I...I have to do this alone...everything will be worse...”

Kaito and Maki both looked at their friend, concerned. His trembling was getting worse, and his voice was thick with barely repressed tears. Kaito stood up from the bed, going over to Shuuichi, reaching to put a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, come on man...it's going to be okay-”

“NO IT'S NOT!” Shuuichi screamed, standing up and backing away from Kaito, his chair knocked backwards, landing with a violent thunk against the desk before clattering to the ground. His hat up, his face was bright red, and there were tears in his eyes, and a...smile, crooked and desperate and insane as he said, the grief in his voice not matching the look on his face at all, “Stop asking me questions! Stop trying to figure out what I'm doing!! Stop trying to FIX ME!”

Shuuichi put a hand against his shirt and clutched it tightly, staring wildly at each of them, his eyes falling on Maki, then Kokichi, then Kaito, but not really seeing any of them as he said, “I was fine, I was fine, I wasn't wrong! I was managing myself just fine and then everyone started to try to FIX ME and it all got WORSE!! If everyone had just left me alone I would have been fine! A-and now...I-I'm all messed up, and everything is different and weird and it's all scary! And it's only getting worse because if y-you guys keep digging into this, th-they're gonna take me away, they're gonna hurt me, I'm going to be in so much trouble, I'll n-never see you guys again a-a-and-!!”

Maki stood up, but Kaito was already there, and got to him first.

Shuuichi stepped back. He fought the grip. But Kaito got him by his arms and pulled him into himself, clutching him close.

There was something...weird in the hug. Shuuichi's proportions felt off. But Kaito held on anyway, his hand on the back of Shuuichi's hair, his casted arm around Shuuichi's back as much as Kaito pulled it out of the sling, not caring about the sting and ache. Just wanting to hold Shuuichi close. Maki hovered close by, overwhelmed. Wanting to join in but not wanting to disturb and make Shuuichi's rage worse, who fought Kaito's hold, trying to pull away, screaming...

And then finally sobbing into his shoulder as he clutched him back.

“I-I'm in t-trouble, Kaito...” he sobbed. “I did something really, really bad...I ruined everything...! Everyone's going to be m-mad...”

There was a moment of silence, as Shuuichi sobbed into his friend’s shoulder, Maki clutching her hair, trying to think of something to say...trying to be there...what should she say...

“Nope,” Kaito said.

The sound...cheery? Matter of fact.

"You're not in trouble. You didn't do anything wrong.”

Kaito broke the hug, putting his hand on Shuuichi's shoulder and backing him up a little so he could look down at his face. A bright, easy grin there as Kaito said, again, as if there was no possible argument, “You're my sidekick. I'm your prince. You already know this, Shuuichi.”

“I take responsibility for anything you did,” he said. Again just...certain. Matter of fact. “Anyone wants to say anything to you about it, they have to go through me. You are not in trouble. You did nothing wrong.”

Shuuichi looked up at him. Then, he glanced over his shoulder, at Kokichi. Something...desperate and conflicted in his gaze. “Kaito...you're not...this isn't like home. You can't...you don't have that kind of power h-here...King Aiichi will-”

“I would fight everyone,” Kaito said simply. Eyes glassy. Easy grin still in place. “Before I let him do anything to you. I don't care what you are up against. They'd have to kill me first.”

“Same,” Maki whispered. “But...the king here isn't the type to hurt people who upsets him, I don't think. Right, Kokichi? So what are you afraid he'll do?”

Shuuichi trembled, looking pale, the red leaving his face as he tried to put into words his fears...

“...he'll...she said...” Shuuichi had to catch his breath. Conflicted. Not sure what he should say, “...he'll send me away...I'll be s-sent back to Luminary...I-I joined a...I joined a group...please don't tell on me...”

This last plea was made directly to Kokichi.

The only person here he was really afraid would turn him in.

Kokichi looked at Shuuichi in concern, his words and questions stalled, but... They needed to figure this out. If everything kept being clouded, then no one could make plans or even be able to understand, and everyone would keep getting hurt. Secrets and manipulation and--

Kokichi gasped a bit as he jumped, startled by Shuuichi's sudden jump in volume, suddenly reminded of...a few times in his life that he'd rather forget. But...there were other people here this time.

...Shuuichi said a lot of worrying things, and, despite what Kaito said, maybe he really had done some wrong things. But that wasn't the most important thing at the moment.

Wishing he could get out of bed to speak to Shuuichi better, Kokichi just settled on sitting up as much as he could, his gaze deadly serious. "You will not be sent back to Luminary. You are a Dicean citizen, and I am sworn to protect the people of Dicea with everything I have and everything I am. My father has taken the same oath, and even in the world where he would even think for a single moment of banishing you, I would fight him as well."

With that laid down first, Kokichi took a breath before his voice came out a little softer, the energy that importance took wearing on him a little.

"...when Aiichi announced that I would be the next heir, back before I was even born, there was...a different group that sprung up. They called themselves the Lineage Resistance Group."

"...you might be able to put this together, but they were the group that killed my mother among many other people. The ones that sent people to kill me for years as I grew up." Kokichi glanced at Kaito, hoping...maybe by explaining everything, he could start to help that problem too. "...Waku Harai, who was just a kid herself at the time, tried to strangle me. After being apprehended, it was discovered that she suffers from extreme paranoia, and the LRG took advantage of that to rile Waku up to the point she was convinced that if I didn't die, then she would."

"As you may remember, she works here as a housekeeper now--it was a job she applied for herself after being given housing and protection for years after her arrest."

"...they are not my stories to tell, and I'll probably apologize to Waku-chan later about telling hers, but a lot of other people in this castle share similar stories. After being arrested and serving their punishments, things from community service to required therapy and counseling to weapons bans..." Kokichi sighed softly. "Most people have reasons for the mistakes they make. When those mistakes hurt them or other people, sometimes they need to be punished, but...those mistakes aren't who they are. In Dicea, our philosophy is to eliminate the conditions that drive people to make those mistakes, not drive out the people most prone to making them."

But when there was no condition, like in Luminary...

...

"...for the people who still didn't think what they did was a mistake..." Kokichi looked off to the side. "...a lot of people who actually organized the Lineage Resistance Group were people in positions of power across the country that were worried that their ways of life would be threatened if the line of leadership was based on blood rather than merit. That, and people who wanted to capitalize on chaos. When Aiichi found out about them...he took them out of power. They still live in Dicea, are able to live their lives, but...everyone knows what they did. And, while last I heard a lot of them are trying to make up for it...there's a lot of good they still have to do to make up for the cruelty they supported. To win others' trust back. They are not allowed to be in any position of power, since people who lead through manipulation and anger are not fit to lead, but...they're still here. They have to live with the consequences of their actions."

Kokichi looked back up at Shuuichi, his expression worried and tense. "...If Shuu-chan joined up with people trying to distribute Despair Pollen...he will have to live with that consequence, but there's still so much he can do to make up for it. And telling us about it is a start."

...Kokichi was going to tell.

Shuuichi stared at him, every word bringing a fresh wave of terrible, hopeless realization coming over him, as the prince tried to explain...what would happen to Shuuichi. Tried to reassure him that the consequences wouldn't be too permanent, that he didn't have anything to be afraid of, that he'd get a chance to make up for his mistakes...all while fully owning up to that fact that he was going to tell.

That everyone would know.

Shuuichi was already doomed. Kokichi had already decided to tell.

Beside him, Kaito and Maki also listened to this, Kaito's face conflicted and worried, Maki's...falling into a careful, neutral expression. Both of them realizing roughly the same thing in the speech. Regardless of what else Shuuichi said tonight, no matter their fears for him or of the people around them...they had forced Shuuichi to confide around the wrong person. Kokichi wouldn't keep the secret.

"Kaito." "Kaito?" they both said at the same time, looking to their prince, whose brow was furrowed deeply.

Right...okay...right...

Kaito, in turn, trying to...find the silver lining in that fresh new wave of fucking horrifying information, just staring at Kokichi in shock...said, "Okay...well...good? Good! I mean...if the people who...committed treason, murdered the queen, and repeatedly tried to kill my husband as a small child are...still around..." what the fuck?? "-then Shuuichi, whatever you did...you should be...fine. I mean...whatever you did, it can't be worse than that, right?"

What the...fuck was wrong with this place...

All three of the Luminaries stood there for a moment. Extremely uncomfortable and not sure what to say. Kaito was still reeling over the new information of even more people who had tried to kill Kokichi just...wandering around out there. No idea how he was meant to feel about that. This place was actual madness. He didn't...know what to do...this was a so much bigger problem then he had thought...

Maki, in turn, was considering his words carefully. The legal system here sounded baffling, but it did sound like it would work out in her friend’s favor...for that she could at least be grateful. But what did that mean about the people at the brewery? Would they be allowed to just keep making attacks against Shuuichi? It might be better to just take them out herself...

Shuuichi had really only picked out one sentence in particular.

"Kaito, don't let them send me to therapy," Shuuichi whispered, clutching at his friend’s arm. "I'll get more confused, please."

Kaito turned to him, quick to reassure him as he said just as quietly back, "No, no, it's not that kind of therapy. I bet you anything, that's not what he's talking about. He means, like, the things nobles and rich people do...like, sitting and talking about your problems. Kokichi," Kaito said, turning to his husband, speaking in full volume, "Therapy, right? That's not...that's not conditioning therapy, right?"

As Kokichi took in the Luminaries' reactions...he didn't understand. Everyone was treated the same under the law, it didn't matter who you were--except for children, who were generally given less strenuous punishments. No one was given immunity, no one was allowed to just pretend like they hadn't hurt others. Things were just...open in Dicea. With all the layers of secrets and things people pretended didn't happen in Luminary...Kokichi couldn't understand it.

Maybe that mindset was how things got so broken in the first place.

His heart felt like it was sinking, and Kokichi felt like he was a million miles away from the others, unable to connect...

But one of the disconnects was so jarring he jolted upward.

"WHAT?!"

"No!! No! We don't, we don't brainwash people here!" Kokichi borderline shouted, his voice straining and cracking at the sudden energy. "You call that therapy?! No, like, almost everyone goes to therapy at some point--it, it's a way to process yourself and your life and try to live more healthily. We don't--no."

With that, Kokichi sort of...flopped over onto his back, spots dancing in his eyes for a moment as he caught his breath, his outrage at the concept of conditioning overriding his need to rest for a moment.

"Hey, hey, come on babe! Are you okay!?" Kaito said, suddenly worried as he rushed to Kokichi's side, moving quickly to go check on him. As he let Shuuichi go, Maki was quick to step in where Kaito had left off, putting her hands on either side of his face and whispering to him.

"Look, it's going to be okay," she said, her thumb just shy of the closed cut on his cheek. "No one's sending you back. No one's going to hurt you. The Diceans don't believe in that sort of thing here, apparently, and even if they did, we wouldn't let them. Kaito told you he's taking responsibility, right? He's done that for you almost our whole lives. Don't you trust him?"

And then, as she stared at his eyes, she said, suddenly confused. "...don't you?"

As she started to pick up something new about her friend, something the librarian had worked out for herself days ago, Kaito sat beside Kokichi, putting a hand on his forehead and saying worriedly, "Hey...come on, 'Kichi, don't...I didn't mean to insult Dicea. Of course you didn't mean it like that, I knew you didn't, I just wanted to confirm it to reassure him, okay? I didn't mean to upset you...are you okay? Can you breathe?"

Panting from the exertion, Kokichi let his eyes close for a moment, shakily bringing a hand up to put over Kaito's until he could reassure his husband with words. "...ah...hah...ah... Yah... Yeah, I'm gah... I'm good..."

There was so much he wanted to say. To try and get the Luminaries to understand. But...so much of it would hurt Kaito, and...ugh. This was why he hated lies. Hated people who couldn't handle the truth. It just led to negligence and malicious opportunity.

"...i-it's not about insulting Dicea..." he huffed, opening his eyes back up, not willing to let the subject drop and be shuffled under the rug of his health. "I'm not even really...m-mad that you'd think that conditioning would be something we'd do here. I'm mad that it's the first thing that came t-to mind because you're used to it. I'm mad at the people who made it so you're used to it. I'm mad that, even for people who see something wrong with it, they have to ignore it to stay sane, because they'll die if they try to change things and others will die if they don't."

"I'm furious," he growled, scooting his weak, pallid, sweaty body up to be able to see Maki and Shuuichi even if he couldn't sit up with his own strength, "that you come from a place that lets people be tortured and die for no reason to the point you don't believe that things could ever be different anywhere else."

That awful freezing, spikiness came back, lacing itself in his words, things he knew would hurt but...he wasn't going to ignore problems. That wasn't who he was.

Maki and Shuuichi both observed Kokichi, something almost...meek. In their expressions. Humbled and shocked.

Of course they both agreed with his sentiment, and had known plenty of people, growing up, who had raged and hated the Indentured program and all the bullshit that came with it...it was still strange to them to see someone so powerful, influential, and most surprisingly, unaffected by it...talk about it so passionately. With such honest venom against the conditioning program that had so thoroughly entangled both themselves and almost everyone they had ever loved...

...and, with an almost morbid curiosity, they both looked at Kaito.

Kaito, in turn, reached down to gently help Kokichi sit up, taking some pillows and repositioning them behind him so that he could prop himself up against them. He did this quietly and swiftly, and when he was done, he looked Kokichi over, taking the handtowel on the nightstand and whispering, "Here, just...hold on, 'Kichi, let me get that for you..." He gently wiped the sweat off of Kokichi's head, pushing his hair away from his eyes.

And then, satisfied that Kokichi was okay, that his husband was breathing and not falling into another cardiac attack...he looked suddenly back at Maki and Shuuichi, and said, sounding confused, "So, why did you go talk to Yasu, Shuuichi?"

Maki's shoulders lowered, ever so slightly, in disappointment, while Shuuichi's shoulders spiked upwards, tense again as he said, "...what?"

"You started freaking out when Kokichi asked that," Kaito said, giving his friend a somewhat sympathetic look. "Did you think we wouldn't notice? It's important, right? Whatever you were doing there?"

Shuuichi started trembling again. "Kaito, please..."

Maki, taking Kaito's cue, sighed, going to pick up the chair, and then sat Shuuichi down in it firmly. "He's right. We...we got sidetracked. I told you I wanted answers, Shuuichi. And...I think I might have a guess as to why you don't want to give us any."

Maki, returning to her own seat, rubbed her temples with another sigh, and then, to Kaito and Kokichi, she said, "We have to be stricter with him. Not just because I'm frustrated. I think...despair pollen twists your personality, right? We already know this. I think..."

...her eyes went firm, and quickly, before Kaito could interrupt or stop her, she said, "Shuuichi, answer: who can you trust?"

Shuuichi's vision tunneled.

"Miss Nao," he said.

Kokichi clenched his jaw, but...he didn't push again. They couldn't solve every problem at once and...what Shuuichi had done was what they were figuring out now. Maybe one day he'd be able to break through Kaito's conditioning...but right now wasn't that day.

He gave Maki a worried sharp look as he caught on to what she implied, but Shuuichi's answer, and how he said it...

Kokichi just blinked at the detective for a moment. Sure, Nao had looked after Shuuichi for that little bit, had helped him up the stairs to his room when he'd fallen ill originally...but Nao was also the sort of person who would find personality changes fascinating, and while she wouldn't do anything truly horrible...

Oh, Shuuichi...

Before he could stop himself, Kokichi gave his friend a pitying look. "...she's the person you're in love with, isn't she."

"She's what!?" Maki said, eyes immediately narrowing into violent suspicion, her eyes shooting from Kokichi to Shuuichi. "What!?"

Kaito in turn, looked at Kokichi in surprise...before turning a genuinely thrilled grin over at Shuuichi as he said, eyes bright, "Dude! You're in love!?"

Shuuichi, in turn, was covering his face with both hands, just...despairing to himself. He hadn't meant to say it. Hadn't wanted to say it...had desperately wanted to keep at least this one secret, if nothing else...they weren't going to understand. They were going to be upset with her...Maki and Kaito were both so scary when they were upset...

...he'd make them understand. That was the only thing to do now. They'd have to understand.

So, lowering his hands...he looked up at them. His face flushed red, something...impossibly soft in his expression as he said to Kokichi, "...yeah...I love her..."

"She...she realized something was wrong with me...I honestly don't know how long it’s been? Not long. Since I got sick with my 'stomach bug'," Shuuichi said, using quotation marks around the words. "It's so strange. I feel like it’s been weeks and weeks, but really...yeah, only a few days...but she's been so kind to me, you guys. She reached out to me, and has been taking care of me...she takes such good care of me..." he said with a shaky shy, arousal pooling in his stomach as he thought of all the ways Miss Nao took care of him, face flushing even harder. "And, I just...she's so good to me, so good to her-" he trailed off, looking at the ground.

That was the important bit. The thing had to keep to himself. Maki and Kaito wouldn't get mad if they...didn't know how Miss Nao expressed her love. They wouldn't understand. They'd think she was abusing him.

And, well...she was.

But he loved her for it.

...and a scowl twisted his face as he said, hotly, "And I just...her wife...Yasu," he said, the name a curse word on his lips, "...she's so insecure! She got to marry her! She gets to sleep every night with Miss Nao! And yet she can't even just try to get to know me, to accept our relationship! She's a...fucking jealous cunt." Shuichi spat. "I was trying to reach out, to make it work between us, and she just...she wouldn't even consider me..."

...he hadn't been sick. The pollen...was doing something to Shuuichi that...even he recognized was wrong. But... Shit. Dr. Kimura knew too? There would be no way she'd mistake a stomach bug for anything else... Then...

She developed new medicines.

That was her whole primary field of study. What she'd done for Kokichi all those years ago. The medicine that made Shuuichi high...Dr. Kimura was trying to combat the pollen.

Kokichi sighed softly to himself, his eyes ever so slightly wider than usual as he thought through the revelation. That...that was good.

What wasn't was... Kokichi's softness jolted again at Shuuichi's outburst, shocked at hearing those kinds of words come out of Shuuichi's mouth.

...oooooh boy.

...this was going to be even more of a mess than it already was.

It wasn't something that came up all that often unless you were involved...but it wasn't a secret that Nao slept with other people. He remembered when Nao and Yasu got married, had been invited to it, and...they really were a good pair. They got married because they complemented each other, Nao gave Yasu courage to face the world and Yasu brought Nao back down to reality.

But their relationship wasn't sexual.

Nao had explained it to him once, how she considered sex just a recreational activity. Something for fun. Something that she didn't get emotional attachments from. And...Yasu had always been fine with that. More than fine, since she didn't want to be the person taking care of her wife's sex drive.

Again looking at Shuuichi with pity, Kokichi glanced to the others. "...would you mind if we got Nao-chan up here to talk to? If Shuu-chan trusts her, then...I don't think we can get the full picture without her."

"Hey, now, Shuuichi, let's calm down now..." Kaito said, giving his friend a worried grin as he held up his palms in a 'wind it down' motion, "Shuuichi, I'm so happy for you, man! I just...I didn't think you would...if, I'm honest, I didn't actually think you even could?? Think of people that way? Like, this is huge news, dude! I mean, her being married sorta complicates things..."

"Kaito, I'd hold back your congratulations," Maki said with a sigh. Not liking where any of this was going. "We just established that Shuuichi has been taking something that changes his personality, and in case you missed it, me and you weren't on that short list of people he trusts. The pollens changed how he views us, and it's more likely than not influenced how he views her. These feelings may not be sincere."

"Maki...come on," Shuichi said, frowning at her. "I still love you guys. A-and of course I...trust you, I mean...of course I do...I don't know why I didn't add you to the list..." he said, genuinely baffled at himself. His lack of faith in his friends wasn't something he had actually noticed in himself. It had happened gradually, during his transformation. Of course he...trusted them. "And my feelings for Miss Nao are real! I miss her when she's not with me, she's all I can think about most of the time, and I'm so happy when she comes to see me...I love her, you guys."

"'Miss Nao' is a funny title for someone you love," Maki pointed out. Radiating suspicion.

Shuuichi just shrugged. Nothing to say to that. Everyone had pet names, right? With a small smile, he said, "She calls me Shuu..."

Kaito nodded at Kokichi's suggestion. "Shuuichi's a little...confused in the head right now. And apparently Nao already knows all about this and has been trying to help him with it. I'd like to know whatever she knows...and also, I wanna really sit down and meet the lady that makes my friend’s heart go doki-doki!" Kaito said, clearly excited by the idea. Standing up, he said, "I'll get her. I...ooff..." he covered his eyes, a wave of dizziness coming over him. Right... "And I'll bring up food back with us. I need to eat. I gotta replenish after praying so much, ya know? Everyone want food? Actually, don't answer, Shuuichi and Kokichi should both eat either way. I'm gonna bring food."

He leaned over to Kokichi, kissing him on the forehead as he said, "I'll be right back, babe. She'd be in the library, right?"

...just from Kokichi's extremely short list of people he loved...what Shuuichi described didn't sound like love to him. It sounded like obsession. Dependence. Which, knowing Nao...could very likely be things that Shuuichi could've developed for her. Which she wouldn't do anything about all in the name of studying what happened.

...they really needed to talk to her. And Dr. Kimura too, though she was already coming by tomorrow, so...that could happen then. Maybe she'd have better insight on what the pollen was actually doing to Shuuichi too.

Kokichi was so focused on the problem at hand that, when Kaito got up... His face fell in concern, though Kaito righted himself soon enough. And...he was planning on taking care of himself. ...one problem at a time, Kokichi. Don't try to do everything at once.

Weakly reaching up to cup Kaito's cheek before he straightened, Kokichi hummed in affirmation. "Yeah, she usually works until dinner. Be careful, I love you."

-

Around that time, Nao was actually bustling her way back to the castle, mind whirring on full tilt with everything she'd learned that day. The parties anti-Luminaries were going to throw--and a list of the ones that could get violent that she was going to tip Aiichi off on--the rumors of protests and riots starting up with greater enthusiasm in Luminary, and, now, what she'd learned from Seiko, having stopped by the pharmacy on her way back to the castle...

Leaving Shuuichi on his own for a day was...dangerous. She could only hope the little idiot hadn't gotten himself killed.

As Kaito headed downstairs, moving slower and more carefully down the steps than he would usually bother with, he actually spotted Hajime on the way to the library, quickly calling out to the man and asking if he could bring food up to the room for them.

"For, like...five? Five people. And bananas, man, just, lots of bananas, okay? Seriously, it'd really help me out!" Kaito said with a grin, giving the man a thumbs up.

Hajime, in turn, just looked at him in concern as he said, "Certainly...um...I'm sorry to hear about what happened, by the way..."

"Hm?" Kaito asked, giving Hajime a curious look, before remembering. "Oh! Right. Yeah...really, terribly sad. It's terrible how these things happen...but, I'm certain my parents are starting their first trial as we speak! So, that's exciting!" Kaito said cheerfully, clasping Hajime companionably on the shoulder. "Thanks! Alright, see you in a bit!"

Hajime just watched him hussle off, just...baffled at that reaction. What in the hell...

Kaito, glad he had worked out the food situation, headed to the library, going inside and looking around. Going up to the checkout counter, he asked the dude there, "Hey, have you seen Nao? I really need to talk to her."

The checkout desk guy's eyes widened as he recognized the prince. "Oh! Prince Kaito...I'm so sorry to he-"

"Did she come in today?" Kaito asked him. Eyes glassy, blank, and a pleasant smile on his face. "It's really important."

NOT TO MENTION that the doofus had harassed her WIFE!

It was an actual shame that she couldn't punish Shuuichi in any meaningful way, but--wait. Maybe she could. He hated being treated normally so...that could work. ...but he still probably needed to cum today. Ugh. What in the hell could she even do to give him thrills at this point?

Giving a few smiles to people she passed, Nao hurried inside the castle, aiming to leave a note for Aiichi and...try to find some way to get alone with Shuuichi before--

"What do you mean??"

Nao leaned down a little to hear Ryouhei out, her expression growing grave. While she'd very likely find herself on the other end of the assassin's blades...thank every god for Maki Harukawa. The young woman was an explosive barrel of her own issues, but at least she could function along with them.

Sighing, Nao tore a page out of her notebook and handed it over to the scribe, that method faster than passing along everything else she'd learned that day, reassured him that Yasu was alright, and then headed for...shit.

She'd gotten lucky just heading up the stairs once. Let's try it again.

Kaito got nowhere at the library, the man informing Kaito that Nao had called in for the day and that he didn't expect her to be there at all, taking over her shift for her. He said that didn't mean she couldn't still be at the castle for some reason, but just not at the library. Then he had, once again, tried to give his condolences to Kaito and, without really sticking around to hear it through, Kaito thanked the man for his time and started to head back.

Was it worth running around the castle trying to find her if she potentially hadn't been there all day and, like, had no reason that Kaito knew about that she needed to be? He wondered if he should send a messenger out to her home...no, no, that...that was too much. Kaito didn't want to make a bad impression on the woman that his best friend seemed hopelessly in love with, and fetching her like some skating employee seemed like a poor way for the Luminary Prince to go about things. Something his mother might do.

Did.

...

How Shuuichi spoke about her wife was...alarming. Kaito desperately hoped he hadn't spoken that way to her when he was talking to her in person. Kaito meant it, when he said he'd take responsibility for Shuuichi's actions since he got here, and that included going to talk it out with anyone that Shuuichi might have hurt, either directly or through ripple effects. For most of these, back home, it was enough to just square up when those people showed up to harm Shuuichi, but, here...he was trying to be more like Kokichi, right? So...he'd go try apologizing on Shuuichi's behalf here. That seemed...that seemed right. So, on the list was Yasu, and who else, hmmm...oh!

"Nao?" Kaito called up, thinking he spotted the woman. Damn, if that was her, fuck he had gotten lucky. Atua be pleased! "Excuse me? You're the librarian, correct? Shuuichi's friend?"

Huh. Maybe the stairs were like...reverse cursed or something. Praise be, and all that.

Nao turned, seeing the Luminary Prince and...wow he looked awful. For good reason considering his parents had just died and his best friend had been...perhaps coerced into something dangerous, but, still.

With a nod, she gave Kaito a gentle smile. "Prince Kaito, hello, and yes. I heard that Shuuichi was in a spot of trouble today, so I was hoping to hear from any of you if he was alright, but..." She looked the ginger over, a bit of concern in her gaze. "Are you alright to be running around right now? You look like you could tip over at any second, dear."

With just a step or two closer, she took a look at his arms, frowning. "I can't say I know much about Atuan rituals...but I don't think anyone would object if you brought up drinks and snacks to keep you going while you pray. Blood loss can be one hell of a trip."

Kaito laughed, a touch loudly, as he ran his hand along the back of his neck, massaging the joints there. "Oh, yeah...I was being kinda stupid this morning and didn't even think about it before I went to start worshipping, you know? Normally I'm a fan of bringing bananas and juice to my sessions, ya know, keep things on the up and up, but..." could he say that he felt like he had to hurry? That there wasn't any time to think things through?

Was that grief? Or an 'appropriate level of sadness'. He wasn't sure. He still didn't know what that meant...so he decided to gloss over it as he said, "But! Hajime's bringing up some food to my room, and, actually, I asked him to bring up enough for five because I was looking for you?"

Figuring there was no harm in just ripping off this bandaid, Kaito said, "Shuuichi's fine! I'm assuming you're...are you talking about the brewery incident today? Has that rumor managed to spread already? Man, it's amazing how quickly that happens, huh? Anyway, all of that led to some hard discussion and... we know about what's been going on with you and Shuuichi. And we really appreciate you looking after him, by the way! We don't really know the full story yet, but it has to be tough looking after someone whose...personality is changing?"

Kaito trailed off. He...he really didn't understand what was happening to Shuuichi at all. If he should be extremely concerned or just a little. Shuuichi was acting...different, but...how bad could it possibly be? He had only had a few beers with Itch a few times, and he wasn't flying into bloodrages or dead. So...maybe they had caught him in time before he really had a chance to hurt himself with what was going on?

"Anyway, but we have him upstairs in my room, me, Maki, and Kokichi, and we're just trying to work out exactly what's happened, and your name, obviously, came up eventually...all that to say we were hoping you'd come upstairs to clear a few things up that Shuuichi's kinda being...reserved and obtuse about, ya know?"

...interesting.

Nao looked down at the young man in front of her, something appraising in her gaze for a moment. A conflict of need, surely, but...for the need to come off as there being nothing wrong to win out... She wondered who exactly it was that drilled that into the prince's head.

But, a story for later.

"I'm glad to hear you're not just pushing through it, then," she said with a kinder nod before giving another to confirm the incident she'd heard about and--

Orange eyes widened in surprise. Shuuichi had told them? He'd been backed into a corner, then, and judging by how Kaito hadn't come at her with a sword...he hadn't told them everything. Likely couldn't without being forced.

Her expression growing serious, Nao gave Kaito another nod and started ascending the staircase. It was time. "I'd withhold your appreciation if I were you, Kaito. Until you hear everything I have to say, at least."

With a sigh, she smoothed some of her hair into the flower clip keeping her bun in place. "Shuuichi's gotten himself into an absurd amount of trouble."

Kaito wanted to ask for some clarity on that, frowning...but it was probably better to wait until they were all in a group. Besides, he wasn't sure how well he could reason out anything right now on his own. He was...really tired. Food would help. Maybe Hajime would think to bring up coffee as well? Coffee sounded amazing...

"Yeah, I kind of got that impression from Maki's story about the brewery today," Kaito said quietly, following her up the stairs, the woman having a longer leg reach then himself and also, like, not kinda half-passing out from blood loss and exertion. "The people he's gotten wrapped up with sound like they're really trying to be a problem...but it's nothing me and Maki can't handle. If they want to keep messing with him, we'll take care of it," Kaito said cheerfully. Taking some real comfort in the idea.

Man...he'd have loved to have been in that fight this morning.

No, well...he'd have loved to have been in that fight without a broken arm. And, like, well rested, and maybe with some leather armor and his sword. FUCK, he just wanted to get into a good fight again...especially with people he didn't feel bad about hitting. There had been plenty of it on the trip down here, but Kaito understood that his brawling days were...probably for the most part behind him. He was going to miss them. Having one last hurrah beating the PISS out of bad people who had upset his friend? Sounded like a good time, honestly.

They got back to the door, Kaito knocking on it as warning before opening it up. "Guess who's here!" he called in, letting Nao in, Kaito's eyes watching Shyuichi.

He wasn't disappointed with the reaction. Shuuichi's eyes lit up when he saw her, though the...way he immediately started to tremble again was weird. Maybe overwhelmed? It had been a long day.

"Miss Nao..." Shuuichi said, shaking, just...relieved his fears hadn't been justified. That Maki hadn't secretly killed her already and Kaito simply hadn't known, or, that...she just would refuse to come and see him if asked. But she was here! She had come!

...fuck, Shuuichi hoped she wasn't angry...

As much as Nao wanted to know the full story of what happened at the brewery, if they'd already hashed it out, it would just be a waste of time to ask now. And considering it was one of the last things to happen chronologically...she'd find out later. For now, it was time to give her information good use...and hopefully not be slaughtered for it.

And as pissed as she was at Shuuichi for what he'd done...it wasn't the time for that either, so Nao simply looked him over for new injuries or symptoms, taking in the cut on his cheek, before digging in her bag for a moment and pulling out Shuuichi's journal. "Shuu--I'm glad to see you here in one piece." And she was. Even with everything else...she was. "Sorry, I forgot to give this back to you last time we met."

She waited for him to take the journal before giving a nod to Maki and Kokichi, wondering just how much they'd managed to uncover. But it was enough for them to know something was wrong with Shuuichi, so...they'd believe her. No time for secrets anymore.

Gesturing a bit to Shuuichi's face, she asked the other three, "So you already know about his blood, then?"

Shuuichi's thrilled smile faded just...a hair at her 'sorry', it feeling...weird...to hear Miss Nao say something like that...b-but like she had told him in the archive! Sh-she could talk to him however she wanted! He would just...he would nod and shake his head and be quiet if it started to feel too bad. He'd be fine! Besides, he was genuinely thrilled to have his journal back, and he took it from her with shaking hands as he said, staring up at her adoringly, "Th...thank you..."

He immediately opened it up, flicking through the pages to see its condition, before checking on the last page written. He saw the word 'whore' referenced an easy dozen times before he quickly closed the journal again, remembering his fit the last time he had actually tried to write in it. It...it wouldn't do for the others to accidentally see that. Best just leave it closed for now and write in the new medicine symptoms later...

As Shuuichi cradled his journal against his chest, Maki narrowed her eyes, her own, vague, unnamed suspicions picking at this whole exchange, before she raised an eyebrow at Nao's question. "What do you mean?" she asked, having not seen Shuuichi bleeding from the angle of the second floor behind him, and his cut stopped bleeding before the fight was over and she could look him over.

With a sigh, Nao looked around and gestured to one of the armchairs shoved to the side of the room, asking Kokichi, "May I sit? To cover all bases, I think I should just...explain everything as I know it, even if you know pieces already. Assumptions will just get us stuck."

Growing even more concerned, Kokichi nodded, muttering a quiet, "Please."

Once she situated herself, Nao pulled out her own journal and flipped to a place in the middle before speaking. "Once upon a time, when the Luminary Party was traveling through the Dead Woods of western Danganronpa, they encountered a strange plant, known to most as Despair Poppies. Now, that name is a bit of a misnomer, since...Despair Poppies aren't really plants at all."

She looked up to her audience. "They're fungi."

"Even with the medical embargo in Danganronpa, the easiest thing to learn about Despair Poppies, or, rather, their pollen, or spores, is that it is an incredibly dangerous poison. Once ingested, depending on the amount, it can be a matter of days before the body's temperature is raised to a lethal degree. There are other effects that are quite unique to this fungus, however, and those effects are more apparent through consistent exposure to non-lethal doses."

Nao looked over at Shuuichi then, giving him a sharp glare. "And this is where our branch of the story starts--with a curious, brilliant mind wondering if any of those effects could be used for good."

"Wasn't a matter of days for me," Maki pointed out with a sigh. "I got hit day one. Still can't remember anything about most of our time there."

"Last day for me, so...what, four days in?" Kaito guessed, rubbing at his somewhat frazzled goatee. "So, I guess it depends on the person, how long it takes to hit. Shuuichi never got hit at all...that's kind of weird, now that I think about it. The pollen was in the air. We were choking on it. How were you not affected?"

Shuuichi frowned. "I...I don't know?" he admitted. "I started taking little micro doses the second day though, when the cure looked like it was good to go. Maybe...by purposefully ingesting small amounts over three days, the big hit everyone else was getting was...tempered?"

Shuuichi then glanced at Miss Nao, suddenly feeling insecure and stupid, never...not talking like this around her since the first night, and his eyes immediately fell to the floor with a flush as he said quickly, "I dunno, nevermind. I'm sorry."

Kaito frowned. Maki's eyes narrowed further.

Nao nodded a bit at their accounts, taking notes in the margins of her notebook, wondering...nah. Later.

She continued, "Shuuichi Saihara found himself in his element during the initial outbreak of Despair Spores--he's a detective, after all, and one that knows his way around quite a few poisons. And, if I am correct in my characterization, also someone who suffers from acute depression and anxiety. At first glance, the personality effects of poisoning simply switch certain facets of a person's personality--so, our timid detective found himself with a sudden boost of confidence."

"Surely, he thinks, if this helps me, then there must be something it can do for everyone! So, while no one is paying attention, he collects a large sample of the spores...but leaves them alone. They have quite a lot of traveling in front of them, after all, and for all his knowledge, he's not a doctor."

"Fast forward to a confusing time, where Shuuichi finds himself desperate to follow after one of his dear friends," Nao gestured over to Maki, giving the young woman a nod, "a highly skilled trained assassin. Shuuichi knew he could not win a fair fight, so he brought along a secret weapon. Something he knows would render his friend meek and helpless--but he doesn't get a chance to use it. Doesn't need to. However, that does not mean everything was resolved without a hitch."

"Delirious with pain from the shot his friend did manage to land on him, Shuuichi thinks back to how he had felt before. Confident. Strong. And, to make it back home with his compromised friend, he takes a dose."

"And that is where Shuuichi discovers one of the lesser-known effects of Despair Spores. It accelerates healing."

"Spurred by results and curiosity, he continues this experiment, watching in amazement as his wound heals far more quickly than anything natural he'd seen before! Eager for knowledge, he brings two more people into this tale; me, whom he'd asked for any texts on Despair Poppies, and Dr. Seiko Kimura, a healer in the city who specializes in medicine."

"You were going to poison me?" Maki asked Shuuichi. Her face neutral, though there was something...hurt in her tone.

"Not enough to hurt you," Shuuichi muttered, lowering his cap, "Just enough to slow you down. I know how Secretary Chisa put together the cure. I wouldn't have let it hurt you."

"I'm sure he would have been careful, Maki," Kaito said, giving his hurt friend a tired grin. "And it makes sense. If I was in the same situation and, like, half as clever, I'd do something similar. We can't beat you in a fair fight."

Maki huffed, pulling at her hair. "...fine. Still isn't unsettling to think about."

"But, accelerated healing? That's incredible, Shuuichi! Did your shoulder really heal from the pollen?" Kaito asked, giving his friend an amazed look, before glancing down. "Do you think that would work for my arm?"

Shuuichi gave Kaito a flustered smile...before he grimaced at the question. "Uh...the thought occurred to me...once or twice," he admitted, hiding under his cover. "But by then the...the side effects were getting...it started to seem like a bad idea...maybe..."

"Now, testing a largely unknown poison on yourself is, well, incredibly stupid," she rolled her eyes after the Luminaries were done, "so Shuuichi didn't just go to Seiko and tell her what he'd been doing, oh no. Instead, he just tells her that he's interested in studying the medicinal properties of Despair Pollen, which, while true, is not even close to the full story. Supplying her with small samples from his own stash, he reassures Dr. Kimura that his interest is purely hypothetical."

Turning the page in her notebook, Nao took a look at the others in the room. "I haven't figured out how to incorporate the symptoms of Despair Spores into a narrative in any satisfying way yet, so please just bear with me."

"On the positive side, mostly things that Shuuichi was able to observe," she nodded to the detective, "Accelerated healing, a higher metabolism, muscle growth...then the more debatable effects, increased libido, sexual organ growth, heightened sensitivity, secondary sexual characteristic growth... In Shuuichi himself, his penis has significantly grown in size, as has his prostate, which has swelled to encompass, more or less, his entire rectum, which works alongside his increased libido to make it so any movement in the lower half of his body arouses him. Additionally, he's experiencing weight gain despite a decreased appetite, his hips have widened significantly, and he's developing breasts. His rectum has been producing a sort of mucus, and his breasts are producing nectar."

Looking at Shuuichi like she hadn't just explained everything about his body he had been trying to hide, Nao pointed her pen at him. "I only was able to speak with Seiko for a moment, but she has some tests she wants to run by you tomorrow. She has a theory about why your body is doing this."

"On the more chemical side of things, the spores in his blood are growing fungus in his body, likely how his healing accelerates, but, in my opinion, the most dangerous thing about Despair Spores is..." she sighed. "It links stressors to arousal, and arousal to happiness. They're insanely addictive by this property, and drive addicts to constantly seek out stressors to receive sexual gratification, driving them to up the ante higher and higher until a certain percentage of addicts either kill themselves through their activities or overdose on the spores. The personality changes aren't an "opposite" switch. Addicts are conditioned to act in the way that brings them the most pain."

Leveling a serious gaze on the others, Nao knew this might be where her story ended...but it was worth it. "Shuuichi, while gaining confidence, has lost faith in the people closest to him. Seeing them hurt and afraid would be no better wank material. Being alone, would bring him no better high. Why he seems enamored with me, however, is why I have not left him alone. Shuuichi is terrified of me, so he thinks he loves me. While it has been with consent, I have been performing sessions of sexual abuse on Shuuichi to provide him release. My reasoning has been that I will at least not kill him or do any lasting damage, so he will have a relatively safe way to get off without getting bored and seeking out someone who will actually hurt him."

"However..." Nao furrowed her brow with a scowl, clenching a fist in frustration while she bowed her head in shame. "...I underestimated the mental suggestibility of someone who until very recently was treated as a slave. Shuuichi," she glanced over at him, "is not my whore, nor is he or has ever been in any danger of being sent to Luminary, or any of the other horrible things I've said to you. Any excuse of protection does not make up for what I have done to you, and I will accept my due consequences, but I will ask you all to hear me out to the end, if just for Shuuichi's sake."

Kokichi stared at Nao, a woman he'd known his whole life, knowing she could be capable of some horrible things, but this? His heart thumped painfully in his chest as Kokichi looked over to Shuuichi, looking like he was about to burst into tears.

Shuuichi frowned, all the flustered, pleased happiness of Kaito calling his observation ‘brilliant’ and immediately wondering about the same thing Shuuichi himself had fucking agonized over, which had been extremely satisfying in the moment, faded away as Miss Nao reminded him that…stupid whore…stupid dumb bitch…

“It was…it was too late by that point. I had been taking it for weeks…” Shuuichi murmured, wrapping his arms around himself, shamed. “I didn’t…I didn’t mean to trick her, trick her, I just…I needed help…”

Kaito considered his friend for a moment, before grinning widely, saying with a wink, “If I had stumbled across a weird-ass thing in nature that seemed to give me superpowers?? I’d have probably done the same stupid shit with it too.”

“Are you kidding? You would have been worse. No way you’d have just experimented with it yourself. Same night you figured it out, you’d be talking us into getting ‘super hero healing’ with you,” Maki said, rolling her eyes at Kaito, who laughed sheepishly at her assessment. “At least Shuuichi had the good sense to not spread it.”

“True! True! Good on ya, bud!” Kaito said, giving Shuuichi a thumbs up, who…once again smiled. Flustered and pleased at the reaction.

Maybe Kaito and Maki were treating this…too flippantly. And they were. Their actions were absolutely hiding a growing concern in them as Nao continued on with her ‘story’, and honestly…maybe if this story wasn’t being presented to them by a stranger, someone Kaito wanted to get to know and Maki only felt familiar with as an acquaintance who had helped her when asked…still neither of them trusted her. And neither of them liked the way, when they didn’t say anything, Shuuichi, all eyes for her, seemed to deflate at every part of the story…becoming smaller and meeker under the weight of it…

So. Yes. In defense of their friend, to protect his feelings around this stranger to them that he loved so much, they were willing to act flippant and bolster his feelings during the story. Whispering to each other with benign amusement during lecture, suddenly clear examples of what these three had probably been like in high school together.

And they were perfectly willing, for Shuuichi’s sake, to keep up this act of amused disregard…right up until she got past the…’good’ things of the positive side effects, and…

“…what?” Kaito whispered.

Maki’s eyes widened. Her hands tightening into fists. Starting to shake.

Shuuichi, in turn, went pale, all the arousal of his nervousness in this situation and being around Miss Nao draining out of him like a sink as she…she couldn’t, she…no, no, “M-miss Nao, wait, please-“ Shuuichi said, as she kept going, dauntless and unhesitating, Shuuichi standing up on shaky, wavering legs as he took a step towards her, holding his hands out like he might be able to physically stop her talking, eyes growing wide and wet. “Please stop! Please stop it, M-miss Nao, they don’t…they don’t need to-!”

She pointed her pen at him, and the act shut him up, a flinch suddenly shooting through his body at her direct gaze.

…a theory?

…he didn’t want to know, he didn’t want to know, he didn’t-

“Hey, sit down buddy, come on,” Kaito said, catching his friend’s slumping form, helping him lean back down into the chair, before turning a thunderous expression at the librarian. “Hey,” he growled, “He said stop.”

Maki, on the other side of her, stood up. Just silent and appraising. All mirth gone from her form.

As Kaito and Maki both stood, staring her down, Nao, to her credit, kept going like nothing was happening, entirely determined to get her points out there before either of the Luminaries actually got around to acting on their increasing bloodlust. She told them about the fungus, and the addiction to stressors, the risks of death. Shuuichi, at every word, had eventually stopped mindlessly pleading for her not to tell them and had pulled his legs up onto the chair, tucking them into his chest, trying to make himself as small as possible, trying not to be there…before his eyes shot up at her in horrified surprise at her theory as to his love for her. Hurt and betrayal ripping through him. She…she couldn’t possibly think…

“No, of course I love you, Miss Nao! Y-you don’t just scare me, y-you take care of me, you treat me so well, you’re so good to your whore!” Shuuichi said.

This, at least, broke Kaito and Maki’s sudden, intense attention on the librarian, both of them turning to Shuuichi in shock. And this, the horrified attention of his friends, Nao’s sudden, casual cruelty in telling them this side of their relationship which Shuuichi had so desperately wanted to hide from them…

He giggled. Clutching his hands to his chest. A wide, manic smile spreading across his bright red face as he said, “Y-you were always there, you were always there, you always came back, and I n-needed you there, e-even if it was scary and-and it hurt a lot, and I…I c-couldn’t walk…but that was good! I needed you! Miss Nao and her terrible, terrible words…I-I don’t want to stop being your whore! Your good slut! I missed you so much today Miss Nao! A-are you saying these things because I tried to sleep with your wife!? I-I was just trying to be a good whore, I was trying to make it easier for you to use me i-if you wanted, when you wanted, I thought if she could do it too… please, you have to understand, I love you!”

As Shuuichi started to pant, his eyes mad, his whole body trembling at this declaration of love, even she paused for a moment, everyone in the room looking at him with varying levels of concern. Maki’s face now…entirely blank. And Kaito...

“…you couldn’t walk?” Kaito said, something…furious in his gaze, eyes clearer and more focused than they had been since the letter this morning. “…for how long?”

Shuuichi smiled, blushing at the happy memory as he said, practically sighing the word lovingly, “Th…three days…Miss Nao treats me so well…”

After this outburst, Shuuichi seemed content that he had said his peace, smiling lovingly, insanely, at his abuser…Maki and Kaito once again turning their attention to her again as well.

At this, at least, she seemed to be willing to directly respond to what just happened, and had the decency to look…shamed as she continued on, seeming to half be talking to Shuuichi directly, that he wasn’t her whore…that he wasn’t at risk of being sent back to Luminary (Maki, in turn, squared her shoulders at this. Her hair starting to twist and turn at the heat of her own blank, masked fury), and the final plea to be heard out.

Maki and Kaito were silent for a moment. Weighing all of this.

After awhile of silence, Shuuichi spoke up, talking to his friends earnestly as he stood back up again, realizing what they were debating to themselves in their heads…well, ‘debating’ was probably too liberal a word… and said to them, “Please, Maki, Kaito, she’s…she’s so important to me! She’s been so good to me! I l-love her so much, please don’t…she didn’t do anything to me I didn’t want her to do a-and-I’m so useless without her, I’m so stupid, I needed her, I’m worthless without h-“

“Kaito?” Maki asked, interrupting Shuuichi. Deciding for herself what she’d like to do, but willing to follow his lead.

Kaito considered the people in this room. He looked at Nao for a long time, then glanced at Maki, then looked over at Kokichi, considering him for a moment…before looking over at Shuuichi, and then grinning, walking over to his friend. Shuuichi watched him, wild eyed and afraid, as Kaito went to put a comforting hand against his cheek, his eyes glassy, the grin firmly in place as he said, gently and cheerfully, “A lot of the saints were sexually abused and raped. Did you know that?”

Shuuichi’s brow furrowed. “…yeah?”

Kaito nodded, “And they’re some of Atua’s most beloved people. They were brave and strong and smart and not worthless…okay? None of that makes anyone worthless, okay?”

Shuuichi nodded, though…he didn’t think Kaito understood. He wasn’t worthless because he was a whore…being a whore was his only useful quality, and-

Shuuichi flinched as the grip on his face tightened. Kaito looking him dead in the eye as he said, every word a command, “Shuuichi, answer: did she ever use you to get off herself? Did you ever get the sense that she wasn’t doing this to help you, but for her own pleasure?”

Shuuichi’s vision tunneled.

“I wanted that to be true in the beginning,” Shuuichi answered calmly. Matter of fact. “But upon reflection, no, that was never the case. Miss Nao doesn’t even seem attracted to me, and would never participate in our sessions in a manner that would have allowed her to get off, though I asked her to many times. It seemed to be a point of principle for her.”

Kaito grinned. “Well…that’s good.”

Kaito turned to Maki and said, “Go get Kokichi.”

Ya know how, a long time ago, it was mentioned that some people who spent a huge amount of time together, sometimes got the ability to read each other or guess each others thoughts so well that they might as well be communicating entire conversations with simple nods, and how Shuuichi and Maki were not one of those two people together?

Maki and Kaito were. She stared at him, realized what he meant to do, and while she didn’t…entirely like it, nodded back, and went to fetch Kokichi.

“Let’s go. We’re going to go talk to the king,” she lied, reaching down to pick him up, regardless if he was willing or not. “Everything’s going to be okay,” she lied again.

“W…we’re going to the king?” Shuuichi asked, looking back and forth between Maki and Kaito, just entirely flummoxed. Why would they…they didn’t talk to kings. Maki didn’t trust authority. Kaito tried to solve things himself. W-why would they now, of all times, “W-why?”

“Just to keep everything on the up and up!” Kaito said cheerfully, taking his friend, firmly, by the arm and leading him to the door, Maki close behind him with Kokichi. “Maki, you too. It’s better if it’s you too.”

Maki frowned, clutching Kokichi close as Kaito opened the door. “…are you sure?”

“I’m the Luminary Prince of the Stars, and Shuuichi’s my sidekick,” Kaito said to her cheerfully…his meaning clear. “I’m sure.”

And, as Kaito pushed Shuuichi outside the room, Maki leaving with Kokichi, he closed the door on all three of them.

And because there was no lock, he glanced at Nao to see if she’d stop him, went to the desk next, pulled it over swiftly, and then grabbing it by its far leg, lifted the extremely heavy wood up and over, the desk and its massive, vanity mirror crashing, the mirror shattering, in front of the door.

Between Maki on the other side and the desk on this side, it was a half decent barrier.

Kaito considered Nao again, his hand still on the leg of the desk…before pushing the wood down, it going down with a loud crack, and then pulling it up again, the wood shattering as the leg of the desk detached from the rest of it. On the other side of the door he could hear Shuuichi shouting, arguing with Maki, trying to get her to move out of the way, calling to Kaito.

Testing its weight, adjusting it in his hands, Kaito ignored the commotion outside, and leaned the wood against his shoulder like someone holding a bat, grinning at her as he said, very simply, “If you had touched him for yourself, you’d be dead already. But you didn’t, so I’ll hear you out. But by the end of this conversation, if I don’t feel any better about everything I just fucking heard spill out of my best friend’s mouth…you’re not the only who’s going to be facing consequences at the end of this.”

Kaito laughed, spinning the heavy, long wood in his hand. His eyes bloodthirsty and insane as he said, “Do your best, okay? Atua loves you.”

Kokichi, for his part, didn't resist when Maki scooped him up, only making a small distressed sound in the back of his throat as he realized what was happening. What Nao had done was...horrific, but...she was willing to own up to it. To make up for it. To make sure that Shuuichi wouldn't just fall into another problem.

But, Kaito... Luminary reveled in lies. In secrets and closed doors and things people ignored. If he...

Nao, for her part, mostly seemed intrigued by the grand display of insanity nurtured by such a broken society. Mostly, she felt bad for whoever was going to clean up and replace (most likely Kokichi) the vanity desk. Such needless destruction...then again, it ran in the family.

She was willing to pay for what she had done to Shuuichi. Allowing him to mislead himself into insanity, giving him ammo that would be particularly damaging to a vulnerable person like him. As much as she so badly wanted to see him make it out of this well of despair...that wasn't her right. If he wanted to pursue a restraining order, if she lost her job, so be it. If she was to be conscripted into additional therapy, honestly, she'd welcome it. Hell, even if Kaito and Maki wanted someone to yell at, even to fight, she'd accommodate that.

But this? This was something Kaito would regret. Maybe not personally, but circumstantially.

So Nao put her chin in a hand and gave Kaito a looooong look before sighing. "Kaito, I am not the arbiter of your mood, and being rightfully furious is no way to make any sort of decision you've already decided on already."

"As you can see, addiction or infection or whatever this substance does, Shuuichi is not himself. Seiko has been working on a way to combat the fungi in his system, but she needs time and experimentation. Time which Shuuichi may not have, if he's seeking out more stressors in the form of, yes, my wife, but more importantly, those Remnants of Despair in the city. Tom and Itch, if you know those two. They would gladly do even worse to him than I have."

Her expression grew serious. As if this were actually a reasonable conversation and she wasn't being overtly threatened. "He needs help. He needs protection. He needs people who will not feed his addiction and will not let him destroy himself." She faltered a little there, concern creeping back into her face. "I caught him tearing at his wrists once. Seiko's said that he's been biting at his fingers. Accelerated healing or not, if he keeps trying to destroy himself, there still might be things he cannot come back from."

Nao took a breath to say more, but she was interrupted by a loud, high-pitched scream coming from the other side of the door. As it was for most of those who had been in the castle for a long time, it was ingrained muscle memory to try and reach the source of that scream before it was too late, and Nao was no exception.

"KAI-CHAN, STOP!"

Kaito listened to her, almost idly, spinning the wood almost playfully around and round on his shoulder, tilting his head slightly curiously at her. He didn't know what the word 'arbiter' meant. He wondered if he should tell her. Warn her. That he just straight up wasn't understanding some of the things she was saying. That he didn’t have enough blood in him to think entirely clearly. That he was very tired. That speaking above someone, down to someone, with words and phrases too quick and too obtuse to understand...was not a great way to save your life.

He took a step towards her. And another. Listening. The wood heavy against his shoulder. His arms straining and stinging.

He thought to himself, 'Kaito. You're barely awake right now. She's bigger than you. You might not even win this fight.'

He thought to himself, 'Die trying, then.'

He thought to himself, another step forward, as she explained that he needed protection, pointing at Itch and Tom as examples, 'I wonder if I'll get to see Kokichi again. I wonder if he'll want to see me again.'

He thought to himself, '...it'd be kind of a relief if he never did.'

Kaito loved Kokichi. Genuinely. Devoutly...but he's loved, with all his being, many people before. Byakuya. Togami...

People who he loved and devoted himself to tended to hurt him the worst, when he was with them. It was a relief, when he found himself cursing Togami's very name, hating him, and then even more so when he gradually fell into apathy for the man.

It was a relief to finally get away from Byakuya. To not have to come when he called anymore. To feel like he was always on the verge of messing up, of making him angry, of getting someone else hurt again. It was a relief to escape...though he could barely let himself acknowledge that.

It would be a relief to get away from Kokichi, and his staring, horrified, judging gaze.

She told him about the bites. Digging into his own wrists. His attempts to destroy himself.

Kaito grinned. At peace.

"Man," he said, raising his weapon above him, "Sounds like he was on the verge of killing himself for a while there...that sounds like he really, really needed some support. Some eyes watching over him. Some friends."

His grin fell away. Something dark. Conquering. Evil in his gaze.

"That sounds like something you should have told the people who loved him best, huh?"

And he moved forward, quickly, attempting to lay the wood into her temple first, to make her fall, to beat her while she was down until she mostly wet skin and broken teeth and eyes that would never see again and-

Byakuya says stop.

Kaito froze. Literally frozen. Wooden leg above his head. Every muscle in his body tense.

No he didn't, no he didn't, he's not here you have to keep moving Shuuichi is counting on you-

Your better said stop. You have to stop now. It's how the world works. You don't get a choice. You don't know better. You're an idiot. Listen to your better. Byakuya said stop. Everything will be ruined if you don't stop. You can't be trusted. He knows better.

Byakuya knows better. Byakuya said stop.

Kokichi knows better. Kokichi said stop.

Swallowing hard...Kaito lowered his arm. Dropping the wooden leg. Taking a step back from her, his eyes falling to the floor. Trembling.

"...kay," he muttered.

-

Maki thought about covering Kokichi's mouth, but couldn't bring herself to do it. Just flinching, and then closing her eyes, calming herself, as he screamed out. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and as she heard, suddenly, several footsteps of people running up the stairs, she sighed. Adjusting Kokichi on her hip. Accepting the clusterfuck that was coming.

Still.

It was over. Kaito would stop.

...she was almost relieved. And borderline furious...but relieved.

Kaito wouldn't be taken away. He wouldn't face Shuuichi's consequences, at least not like this. If Kokichi said stop, Maki suspected that Kaito would. Wouldn't be able to help it. It was over.

...she looked over at Shuuichi, who had been ready to ram her two seconds before, face sweating, eyes wide and desperate.

"I love her, please, please, I love her, don't, please..." Shuuichi rambled, a madness mantra, eyes boring into Maki's. "Please, please, please, I just want to be with her, Maki, please don't do this to me..."

Maki stared at him...before closing her eyes. Ashamed in the face of his pain that she could do nothing about. That she hadn't even seen coming.

Failed.

She had failed her brother.

Hajime got there first, already having been heading up when he heard the scream, dropping the plates as he breathed heavily, staring at the three of them. "What!? What's happened!?"

Eyes wet but expression set in determination--awful, horrible determination that was scared and hurt and pissed--Kokichi squirmed weakly in Maki's grasp trying to get to the door, just in case, just in case, even if he'd see...

But even just screaming was too much for him, and Maki didn't let him fall. Not when his head limply fell onto her shoulder and a few tears squeezed out of his eyes as he trembled in her arms.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair! Why had these people who he cared about so much had to have come from such a twisted place, been surrounded by people who'd only hurt them, to the point that, finally, when things were safe...

He couldn't...

He couldn't protect them at all. Least of all from themselves.

Kokichi didn't have the energy to cry properly for these people who had so firmly, painfully, found a place in his heart, but...Diceans never gave up. So when Hajime rushed into the hall, Kokichi tried to explain. "Ha...a...Ka...t... Muh...uh..."

Thankfully for anyone trying to decipher that gasping nonsense, there was the sound of scraping wood before the princes' door opened, Nao immediately locking onto Kokichi before her brain caught up with her. The prince was fine. From external threats, anyway.

Setting her expression, the librarian nodded to the housekeeper. "Hajime. There's been a bit of an incident. May I accompany you to gather some cleaning supplies? The vanity desk tipped over and is in a bit of a state."

...they needed a bit of time without her around.

Little by little there were more people. People running at the sound of Kokichi, mostly housekeepers (thank GOD for the reliability and consistency of the Dicea housekeeper community. Holding the god damned LINE), who all stopped and slowed as Hajime considered everything in front of him...before turning around, putting his hands in the air, quietly ordering them to stop as he said, "Enough, enough, false alarm, just an accident! Everyone's fine, no one's hurt, back to work everyone! Come on, let's go. Susan, I see you over there, you're supposed to be in laundry right now...despite my wishes," Hajime muttered to himself, shooing everyone away.

Then he took Nao with him, heading downstairs to get to one of the supply closets, quietly talking to her as everyone dispersed.

Kaito, at this time, came wandering out. Look exhausted and blinking slowly.

"...hey, uh..." he said, feeling dizzy, "...we should go to medical to get 'Kichi and Shuuichi checked on...stressed out hearts and weird medication and enlarged penises and all that, and, uh...I may need...you know those water bag things they put a needle in your skin for?...I may need one of those...!"

Kaito cried out, curling over and flinching backwards, interrupted, when Shuuichi suddenly punched him with both fists in his bad arm. Shuuichi's face furious.

"I told you to stop!" Shuuichi shouted, hands trembling. Tears in his eyes. "I begged you to stop! Over and over! And Kokichi only had to say it ONCE!? I was begging you, Kaito!"

Kaito cradled his arm to himself, face red as he struggled to breathe through the pain, looking at Shuuichi warily. "...sorry..." he murmured. "I didn't mean to scare you. I didn't want her to hurt you anymore. I'm sorry."

Shuuichi just looked away. Whole body trembling. Tears falling down his face.

Maki took a breath. "Come on. Medical. Shuuichi, Kaito might fall. Help him."

Shuuichi shot her a glare, clearly still furious...but he looked over at Kaito, who really did look like he was about to pass out any minutes, and silently, went to offer him a shoulder. All of them heading downstairs.

Kokichi so badly wanted to reach out for his husband. To take Kaito aside and...and give him a space where things didn't hurt anymore. To let him rest and recover, and, eventually, talk things out. To decide how they wanted to care for Shuuichi.

...but would Kaito ever even want to see him again?

The guilt started to settle into his heart, beating painfully hard, making him gasp and shake, and even then Kokichi flinched as he heard Kaito cry out. Wondering and...having a good guess at knowing why Kaito had only stopped when Kokichi screamed.

...it made him feel sick.

In the med bay, the healers jumped into action, the one that had been watching over Kokichi looking at the state of the three men in bewilderment before joining in. They got Kaito hooked up to an IV and brought him food, hooked Kokichi up to a heart monitor again and gave him his next dose of medicine, giving him a more thorough wipe down before tucking a heated blanket around him, trying to stave off some of the chill creeping over his body, and...for Shuuichi...

...they'd given the four of them a more private room.

Looking between Maki and Shuuichi, Nell sighed. "It would make everyone feel better if you two laid down at least for a little while. Let us take care of you, it's what we're here for--at least let us get you dinner."

Maki's first impulse was to say she didn't need anyone to take care of her. She was the one that took care of others. It was a point of pride for her. A stubborn strength. (And one of the few things in her life that made up for a lifetime being the last thing so many people saw.)

But she was afraid if she argued they'd send her away from the boys, so instead she nodded. Sitting on a bed provided for her. Eyeing everyone else warily. Not sure if...were they still talking, or...?

Shuuichi, in turn, just curled up on his, staring at the others. Trembling and shaking, exhausted and furious and...well. Of course aroused. Painfully aroused.

He missed Miss Nao. She was gone again. He wondered if she would come visit them. He wondered if she would hurt him...just a little, he just needed a little...

The way Kaito had hurt him hadn't felt good. He didn't...he didn't like how Kaito and Maki had just ignored him. He....he didn't like being pushed aside, literally outside, like that...

Kaito looked curiously at the needle and the bag, before looking over at Kokichi. Hearing that painfully familiar, frightening sound of his heart monitor beeping. Feeling...low and ashamed of himself and tired.

"...Do you think we should sleep?" Kaito asked, looking at Kokichi, but asking everyone. "...things might look better when we wake up."

"They said they were bringing us food. You definitely, at the very least Kaito, need to eat. Shuuichi hasn't eaten since breakfast, and I don't know if Kokichi's had anything all day," Maki said. Thinking hard. Trying to stay on top of this. Trying to be responsible. (It suddenly occurred to her to wonder where Tim was, and she felt a stab of guilt at this. No matter what she did, she couldn't keep track of everyone...people kept falling through the cracks...she wasn't doing enough...). "We should agree to stay awake at least until we finish eating...and there's so much we still need to talk about..."

God, he wanted to sleep. There was a sort of exhaustion in him that hurt, in his bones and behind his eyes and in his chest... But he couldn't sleep. Not yet.

For one, Maki was right. They needed to eat. And...they needed to talk. Just like that morning, when he'd seen the knife in Kaito's hand...he was so scared that someone was going to hurt themself.

But he was drier and warm and his medicine made him so tired...

Today sucked.

"...haven't eaten..." he sighed, not feeling up to propping himself up let alone turning onto his side one way or another. "...can we just...agree to not try to die for a day...please?"

"Maybe," Maki said. "Day's not over yet. Kinda been a near thing a few times now."

"Yeah, today's been weird, huh?" Kaito muttered. Wishing they had all agreed to sleep, but resigning himself to hold on longer. "Loooots happening today...Shuuichi got kidnapped, and somehow that's not the worst thing that happened today. That's pretty weird."

"I wasn't kidnapped," Shuuichi muttered. "I went with Bear willingly. He was nice to me. He called me perfect, and beautiful, and was going to take care of me..."

"Shuuichi," Maki said. Now sounding as exhausted at the others. "Itch was choking you out when I got there. No one there was taking care of you."

"...did Nao ever explain to us what was up with your blood? It was the first thing she said and I don't remember if that was ever elaborated on?" Kaito wondered.

"My blood’s pink," Shuuichi mumbled. "Like, bright pink...I can show you if you want..."

"No," Kaito and Maki said at the same time.

"Why is your blood bright pink?" Kaito asked.

Shuuichi shrugged. "Fungus stuff. I don't know."

"Oh...you have breasts now?"

"I don't want to talk about it. I'm still mad at you, by the way."

"...sorry."

Kokichi let his eyes close for a moment, wanting to press on that...but it wasn't fair to go at Kaito right now. Like he'd said in anger before...he was just...so scared that he was going to say one wrong thing at any moment and Kaito would break. He...he'd almost killed Nao. His anger was justified, but...

He squinted his eyes open. Bear? Who was that? Why did that name...hmm...

Kokichi sighed quietly, a headache pounding behind his eyes. "...is Shuu-chan gonna stay here? Talk to us? Or...at least Maki-chan and Kai-chan?"

Shuuichi looked up at Kokichi, fear flashing through his eyes. "...am I going somewhere?"

Kokichi's eyes widened a little bit, the beeps quickening ever so slightly. "N-no, no, I...ah... I didn't mean it like that. I just..." He took a moment to breathe, his expression pinching in a bit. "...I'm not used to...big secrets like this...makes me worry about you guys... 'm worried Shuu-chan is gonna...run 'n get himself hurt...or run into people who will hurt him..."

"Muh worried that K-Kai-chan is gonna...kill sommun 'n get arrested...hurt himself over and over until nothing's left..."

"...m scared that Maki-chan hasn't had a day off since she got here..."

Kokichi's eyes had slipped closed as he aired his fears, his breath rasping quietly in the room.

There was an uncomfortable silence at this.

"...sorry."

"Sorry, 'Kichi."

"I'm fine," Maki said, eyes neutral. Intense. "But I'm sorry I make you worry anyway."

"It'd be nice if we could just keep things calm until you're well enough to get out of bed again," Kaito muttered, staring at his husband sadly. They were back to him barely being able to speak. Back to day one, basically. "And with Shuuichi now...it's a good thing Seiko's coming by tomorrow and..."

Kaito suddenly sighed. "Right. She knew this whole time, huh."

Shuuichi closed his eyes and nodded. "She and Miss Nao have been controlling my pollen doses...they put them on these little, sticky things...Miss Nao calls it a Lick sticker...it's not enough," Shuuichi said, the word frustrated. His fists balling around the covers over him. "They've been undercutting me for days...and then M-Miss Nao didn't give me my dose at all this morning...of course I was gonna go crazy..."

Kaito put his head in his hands. Not even kind of knowing what to do about that. His friend sounded like a drug addict...maybe kind of even was. And Kaito hadn't even noticed... "I don't like that she knew and she didn't tell us. I'm not a big fan of the fact that Katsuki waited two days to tell us Tom was after Shuuichi. I...I would have killed Nao if Kokichi hadn't snapped me out of it," Kaito admitted. Looking over at his husband guiltily. "But...I don't know. I'm more tired than angry now. I'm...I'm not gonna kill anyone, Kokichi. I'm sorry I scared you."

Shuuichi huffed, hugging a pillow against himself. "You couldn't have killed Miss Nao. She's big and scary and strong...she'd have done amazing in Luminary..." Shuuichi said, sighing, the words adoring.

"There's a part of me that thinks we should get away from you for awhile, Kokichi," Maki admitted, tugging at her hair. "Kaito's right. We keep...we keep sending you back to bedrest. We're not good for you."

Kokichi wished he'd gotten to ask why Nao hadn't told anyone. But...he could still ask later. She was okay. He could ask Dr. Kimura tomorrow too. Everyone was still here...

Shuuichi was...less there, mentally, but still physically there. But even admitting that there was something wrong with him...he still wanted the pollen. Still thought that Tom and Itch (and Bear?) weren't going to hurt him...or...were going to hurt him, but in a way that he wanted.

...Despair Pollen...Spores...whatever, were terrifying. But if it was being distributed through Itch's beer...then Aiichi would know how to take care of it. And he would.

"...I'm not happy with everything that happened either...but I just don't want more bad things to happen," Kokichi sighed. But they still were. Even with Nao saying straight out--and, if what she'd said was right, had likely been telling Shuuichi all along--that she didn't love Shuuichi and he didn't really love her...he was still moony. Kokichi remembered the cute, smitten look on Shuuichi's face when he'd spilled his secret while he was high. How could that come from...

Kokichi snapped his gaze over to Maki, a despairing look on his face, immediately wanting to argue...but he closed his mouth, looking over the others. Maybe...they'd be better off without him too...

Wishing he could hide under his blankets, Kokichi just looked away. "...I'm not going to force anyone to be around me..."

...but I don't want to be left alone...

Kaito sighed, recognizing where his husband's head was going. "Come on, 'Kichi, she didn't mean it like that. We're not leaving you...Maki's just worried about you. Right, Maki?"

The assassin nodded, brow furrowed in concern, not entirely aware where the disconnect was as she said, "I don't mean...forever? Is that the concern? Just...long enough to stop stressing out your heart every couple of days. Why, what did I just imply?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it," Kaito murmured, not wanting to air out Kokichi’s mental hang ups to his friends. "Everyone's fine...I still think all of this will be better in the mor-"

The door opened, and everyone immediately quieted, the Luminaries watching warily as some healers brought in some food for the group. As they passed the plates around, Kaito noticed one of them settling in to feed Kokichi, and Kaito said, "I can do that. Just give me a second and I'll move myself over there."

The healer gave him an incredulous look as they said, "You're on a drip right now. You shouldn't be moving."

"I'm fine," Kaito said, rolling his eyes. "I'm just dizzy from blood loss, it's not a big deal," he insisted, scooting off his bed and standing up, allowing his eyes to adjust to the dizziness for a moment before grabbing the metal stand that his drip-bag was on, taking it and his plate with him as he shuffled over. "Scoot, I got him."

The healer gave him a long, hard look...the healers were starting to recognize that the Luminaries were insane. They remembered, when Prince Kaito first got here, him getting up and trying, sincerely, to walk off two stab wounds, along with a broken rib, and what looked like a serious puncture wound on his leg. And, with the way Maki just straight up interacted with healers, it was clear she didn't really trust them, and Shuuichi had been brought to them high as a kite and had immediately snuck out as soon as he was lucid, and...

The healers needed to sit down at some point and work out how they were going to handle the Luminaries from now on. This couldn't be allowed to continue.

But this wasn't the particular argument they wanted to start from, so they sighed, and stood up to let him take his seat. Kaito gave them a grin, placing his own plate down at the table next to Kokichi's bed, intending to feed his husband first. "Mind if I prop you up, babe?" Kaito said to him quietly, not wanting to touch without permission right now.

...everyone was "just worried about him." Despite so much in Dicea being open to the public, oh, no, don't tell Kokichi anything, his heart might explode. Never give him anything important to do, never expect anything out of the weak child that should've never been born...

...honestly, Kokichi was starting to think that the Luminaries didn't believe in him either. How funny that the big liar couldn't recognize those lies.

...maybe everything would be better if he just disappeared...

Kokichi's eyes glimmered with tears, but he didn't say anything, barely acknowledged the healers that came in, only sighed when Kaito insisted on coming over. Why couldn't he ever rest? He'd been taken care of by others his entire life, he'd be fine.

"Can't really eat if I'm lying down, can I?" he murmured back to his husband, still not looking at him. Despite what his appetite had been like the day before...Kokichi didn't really feel hungry. He didn't want to be stuck in the med ward. He...wanted to tuck himself in a corner in his closet, hug his rabbit to his chest, and disappear from the world. Maybe until his daddy came home. Maybe forever.

Kaito could see Kokichi's mood darkening, and reserved himself for...probably a pretty shitty night on top of this shitty day. He had to assume they'd all be back in their rooms before the day was over, and...it was okay. It'd be fine. He and Kokichi would get through it. They could do this.

Carefully, he reached down and helped him sit up, giving his husband a gentle smile as he tried to catch his eyes, saying quietly, "Come on, Kokichi...she really didn't mean anything by it...it's been a hard day for everyone, you know? But I know that it'd be better if we all stuck together. We'll...look, we got all this stuff aired out, so...things will settle down soon."

Things had to settle down soon. Another few days like this, fuck, another month like this, and they were all going to lose their minds.

Maki, in turn, noticing Shuuichi was only picking at his food, brought her own plate over to his bed and sat beside him, speaking quietly and sternly to him. Kaito couldn't hear what she was saying, but he noticed Shuuichi sigh and give her a slightly annoyed look, but added more to his fork and seemed to at least be trying to make a show of eating. "I'm just not hungry," he heard Shuuichi try telling her, and Maki said something heated back, Shuuichi quieting down at her anger.

"I'm sorry I kicked you out of the room," Kaito said, as he started to feed Kokichi...sigh. Guess they were back on broth again. "I lost it. I'm sorry about...thank you for stopping me. That would have been bad."

"I hope so..." Kokichi whispered, moving his gaze back over to Kaito for just a moment before flicking back down. He wanted so badly for things to heal, but...he didn't know how to help people who didn't want to be helped. Who didn't acknowledge there was a problem. And he was angry at himself too. For not being able to connect to his friends.

For yelling at Kaito when he obviously just needed a safe space to grieve. For...likely triggering something that made Kokichi deeply uncomfortable. For having to push Shuuichi to tears. For not being able to handle things so Maki could rest.

A few slow tears rolled out of Kokichi's eyes, rolling down pale cheeks, but he didn't say anything as Kaito started to feed him, accepting the food. Until he'd gotten a few mouthfuls down, at least.

"...'m sorry, too... I didn't want to do that to you...this morning too...it's not fair of me to do that." He wanted to be more specific, but doing that would be pushing too. Kaito couldn't acknowledge any of it. Maybe one day...but not right now, and trying to make him face it...

Kokichi sniffled quietly and looked up at Kaito properly. "...m sorry..."

Kaito didn't really know what he meant, but that was okay. Sometimes conversations were just like that. He got the sentiment, anyway, and that was fine. Kokichi was sorry...again, for a bunch of things Kaito didn't really think were Kokichi's fault, but...that wasn't an argument he felt like starting back up again.

So he just smiled gratefully at his husband instead and leaned over to kiss him on his cheeks, first one, then the other, before wiping the tears away with his thumb as he said, "It's okay. I'm fine. We're fine. Everything’s okay."

It kind of wasn't. Kind of nothing was okay at this exact moment...but it would be okay, soon. Kaito had to believe that. That belief that if he, if all of them, just held out, and kept strong, and just didn't buckle, everything would be okay again...he needed that belief.

Kokichi just...couldn't quit on him. That was all. Kaito just needed to make sure Kokichi saw the new morning every day, and eventually his husband would go back to being healthy and happy and running around town, delight in his eyes.

And...if they held on even longer, Shuuichi would...eventually Shuuichi would be better, right? With all of this stuff? And then, like Kokichi said, once everyone was better, Maki could finally relax, and not be so angry all the time, and...well, his parents...that wasn't...necessarily ever getting better...

...he was starting to stress himself out.

Just hold on. They just had to hold on. That was it, that was all. Don't overthink it, Kaito.

"So!" Kaito said, deciding the answer was to be useful. Everyone needed to feel useful right now. It would rebuild morale. So... "Okay! Tonight is all about resting, okay? But tomorrow, we sort out a new normal, while we're getting Kokichi better, and Shuuichi on a...on a path to getting better," he said to them all, looking to Maki first as he said, "So, here's the game plan. Tomorrow, Seiko is coming to do medical checkups on all of us. I'm..." Kaito twitched. "...I'm going to ask...Nao...because she's the most familiar with everything going on with Shuuichi, along with Seiko, to sit down with all of us and her at once, to...come up with a schedule for him that'll help get him off this despair pollen thing...and deal with your new body changes stuff."

And how to deal with the fact that Shuuichi was absolutely insane right now and Kaito didn't even know where to begin with that.

"You tried to kill her," Shuuichi said, glaring at Kaito, "What makes you think Miss Nao will sit with us?"

Because she fucking better. "Because she seemed like she wanted to help. I...I messed that up, that whole conversation, I...I..." Kaito was struggling. He kept thinking about what she said. About what Shuuichi had said. His friend hadn't...been able to walk for three days, because of something she did to him...something sexual to Shuuichi, his...shy, awkward, virgin friend, and...

Kaito still felt rage when he thought of that...he wanted to kill her...

But now that he was calmer, he could recognize they needed her. They needed her information. And, frankly, they couldn't get rid of her without Kaito going to jail, breaking Kokichi's heart, and devastating Shuuichi.

So...yes...Kaito would have to make it work with her...for now, anyway.

Shaking his head, he said, "I mean, sorry, I mean that's where I'm counting on Kokichi. If he's up to it tomorrow, I want him to be the main lead between myself, Seiko, and Nao to come up with a plan for you, Shuuichi. Kokichi cares about us, isn't, ya know...as impulsive as I am, and the Diceans are loyal to him. So, trust if we all come up with a plan he okays, then it's an actually good plan."

"Maki, for you, I want you to be in charge of getting everything finalized and a plan made for the trip, okay? Get us there safely, get us back safely, and...maybe see if you can't find some information beforehand about places to stay there? We're a...large party and we don't want to be an inconvenience where we go."

"Shuuichi-"

"Unless you're about to ask me suck you off, maybe save it," Shuuichi grumbled, looking away from his friends’ shocked faces, his cheeks going red. "What? Miss Nao already told you, right? It's...all I can think about. All the time. I'm fucking useless for anything else right now."

"...Okay, look. If you can manage, I just want you to write a comprehensive report of everything you've worked out about this despair pollen stuff, and the brewery stuff. Not in your shorthand style. Something we could give to the king if we needed to," Kaito explained. "I know Nao's already done that, but...I think it would be safer for everyone if she wasn't the only perspective we were hearing from about these events. We need to know everything, Shuuichi. Do you think you could concentrate on just writing what you know?"

"...if I get a visit from Miss Nao tomorrow, sure," Shuuichi said, crossing his arms. "Otherwise, no. Probably not."

"...we'll discuss that tomorrow then," Kaito sighed. "Does anyone have anything else they want to add to the plan for tomorrow?"

Kokichi let out a shuttered breath as Kaito kissed his cheeks. Was...did Kaito still like him? Even after everything? Offering a shaky smile...okay. Everything could be okay. They just had to work for it, not give up, stay there for each other...yeah.

"Thank you..." he whispered to his light. Kaito wasn't perfect, but no one was. But even with his tendency to take as much blame as he could onto himself, even with a flaming temper, his Kai-chan was still a leader that cared about people. And, where Kokichi faltered, Kaito rose to the occasion.

"I-I can talk with Nao..." Kokichi nodded as much as he could to Kaito's plan, having no objection to it. Just laying everything out on the table--again--and having a medical professional with them this time...they could help Shuuichi.

...even seeing what he'd become. Kokichi felt...acutely uncomfortable at the comment. He trusted Kaito. He did. But...

...whatever.

It didn't seem like Nao really wanted to continue to treat Shuuichi poorly...but...if they could plan out boundaries, make sure she wouldn't cross any more lines...maybe Shuuichi could get what he wanted out of her. Maybe.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Kokichi echoed Kaito's sigh. "...since Maki-chan took Hiyoko and Ash in for questioning...my father will know about Tom and Itch and them. People will be looking out for them...so I don't think we'll have to worry about them for now... Let's just...focus on getting better."

"Fine. I'll have a comprehensive plan for the trip done in two days. I'll use the get-together tomorrow to establish who's coming and what we're all doing," Maki agreed, rubbing her temples. "Also, Shuuichi, we're getting some heavy duty sleeping pills from the healers, and you're spending the night with me."

"What? Maki, no, you don't understand-"

"I do understand," Maki said, glaring at her friend. "You just said you think about sex all the time, and Nao said that you're seeking out danger to get off to. So long as that's happening, you can't be trusted by yourself, and I want you sleeping through the night."

"But...m-maybe she'll visit me...I need to be in my room in case Miss Nao decides to come see me," Shuuichi insisted.

"If she tried to sneak into your room in the middle of the night after everything that just happened?" Maki said, her eyes blank. Neutral. "I'll kill her myself. No more sneaking around on us. No more people sneaking into your room for...secret night abuse sessions, or whatever was happening. You were crippled for three days from something she did. I don't trust her to manage you and I don't trust you not to seek her out. Come on."

Maki grabbed Shuuichi by his arm, ignoring his little giggle at her handling and the way his face went red (now that she knew what was happening with him, all these flustered moments the last week...all made a lot more sense) as she pulled him up, turning to Kaito and Kokichi as she said, "I'm going to go get him set up. Both of you get some rest, okay? We're doing Kaito's plan tomorrow. This'll all work out."

As she pulled him out of the room with her, Shuuichi said, "Do you think we could ask them for some pads too? Or I'm going to end up ruining your sheets."

And the two of them were gone.

Kaito sighed again. "I can't believe I didn't realize all of this was happening to him...it seems obvious now. He's barely the same person."

Kokichi watched Maki and Shuuichi leave with something sad in his gaze, mustering his strength just enough to place a gentle hand over Kaito's. "...he said he'd been taking the pollen for weeks. A frog in boiling water...you know? And...it wasn't like you didn't have one of the biggest distractions in the world shoved in your face."

He looked down, feeling guilty all over again, like what he'd feel remembering that he'd torn Kaito from his home--though...he felt a little better about that, knowing the conditions of Luminary--but this time...he'd torn Kaito from his friends that were right here.

"...we'll help him, Kai-chan..." Kokichi murmured, his hand slowly twitching its way into holding Kaito's hand. "He's...different, but Shuu-chan is still Shuu-chan. He still got help after my attack. He still found the people who were writing to your brother. We'll help him off the pollen and...he'll be okay."

Even if they couldn't change everything back...he'd never heard of anything being able to narrow hips. But...a few changed proportions would be okay if Shuuichi got his mind back.

Looking at Kaito warily, Kokichi focused on the warmth of his hand, feeling better than the blanket around him, almost. "...are...would you be okay sleeping together again tonight? Don' wanna pressure you..."

"Hmmm? Yeah, of course," Kaito said, gently running his thumb over Kokichi's fingers. "We can go back to the room whenever you're ready. Also, I guess, when this thing stops dripping? I mean...do I have to wait for it to be empty, or…?" Kaito asked, looking up curiously at the drip bag. "Like, honestly, once I've eaten, I probably won't need it anymore. I just overdid it today a little. Just needed a pick-me-up."

Kaito looked back at his husband, smiling through his exhaustion as he lifted Kokichi's hand up, kissing the back of it as he said, "Just like you do, sometimes. Little pick-me-ups. Keeps us healthy."

After he kissed Kokichi's hand though, he carefully pulled away from him, honestly, desperately needing to eat. Grabbing for the bananas first, Kaito started ripping into his meal, saying as he went, "It's so weird that Shuuichi thinks about sex now. He's never had any interest in sex before. Not with anyone. Even on some weird drug, I'm honestly shocked he has it in him."

"...I guess the whole concept’s kinda ruined for him now though. Whatever Nao did to him, that...that's probably not going to be a good memory, when his mind is his again. A really bad first time can really fuck with a person’s head about what whole relationships are like. You shouldn't...you should be gentle with first timers. You should take a lot of care not to hurt them..."

Kaito paused in his eating, brooding in his seat darkly...before admitting to Kokichi, "I'm really going to need you to keep me in line tomorrow. I'm still really angry with her. I could lose it again."

Okay...okay. They were okay.

Even if Kokichi had to give his husband a tired look. "Please, just listen to the healers. If they agreed that you needed an IV, take the IV. Sometimes, I think I'll be okay with some sleep, but I take my medicine anyway. Listen to the people who are trying to keep us healthy."

His look softened at the kiss, and while he knew Kaito had some weird grudge against it...little pick-me-ups... Maybe he could convince Kaito to get his rabbit for him when they got back to their room. Asking for the heated blanket to be brought up seemed a little much, especially when it'd likely just make Kaito too hot.

Kokichi sighed a bit, feeling...conflicted about what Nao had done. Or...no. He knew how he felt about it, but how he felt about what to do about it? "...I have a feeling it might fuck him up even more knowing that he asked for it. That he asked for it to be even worse, but there were still lines Nao didn't cross. At least she...didn't..."

His voice died off and Kokichi looked down and away, not able to bring himself to say it. At least she hadn't raped him, said by the man who had been raped twice. Kaito had always been so kind and gentle with him, and while Nao hadn't been either of those things to Shuuichi, despite the perspective the detective spoke from right now, she...she hadn't done anything he hadn't asked for.

Something small and afraid, something that had been tempted to talk to Maki twice now shook in fear, truly unsure which was worse.

Swallowing, Kokichi forced his gaze back up. "I'll do my best. You two are on the same side, at least, in that you want Shuu-chan to be off the pollen. Just try to keep that in mind..."

Kaito stilled, staring at his food for a bit. His mind filling in where Kokichi left off.

...eventually, he started eating again. Quiet.

After he was done, he said, "Okay. As soon as my drip’s done, and the healers say we're both good to go back to our room. Then we'll get some sleep." Kaito reached out to take Kokichi's hand again. "I'll...behave around Nao tomorrow. I'll be good. You can tru...you can trust me," Kaito murmured.

With his scant strength, Kokichi curled his fingers around Kaito's. "I believe in you, Kai-chan. I really do."

Somehow, Kokichi had managed to convince Kaito to let one of the healers carry him up to their room, pointing out that he had one arm still broken and the other had just had an IV in it. And, when they got to their room...

He'd been too exhausted to see before. But, from behind the door, Kokichi had heard the sound of shattering glass and splintering wood... When they got to their room, however, it was tidier than usual, and missing the vanity desk. Kokichi frowned a bit at that, but...a later problem. There was too much that was more pressing to deal with first.

Shivering at the cold covers pulled over him once the healer had laid him in bed, Kokichi looked up at Kaito shyly. "...would...would you mind going to the closet and getting my, um, stuffed rabbit for me? 's smaller than a pillow so...easier to hold..."

A small bit of pinkness came into his cheeks, knowing how Kaito felt about the gift, but...he...really wanted it for tonight. A little pick-me-up. A small comfort.

Clearing his throat a little, Kokichi tried to keep talking through that request. "I dunno when Dr. Kimura's gonna show up tomorrow, but, if it's not first thing in the morning, could you help me bathe? O-or ask someone to help me? I'm...really gross right now, and even if she is a doctor..." He didn't want the first real conversation between them in years to be while he smelled like old sweat.

It had occurred to Kaito on the way up the stairs that Maki wasn't going to be able to do her shift tonight. Not if she was watching Shuuichi that night. Kaito should...probably ask the healer helping Kokichi up to send someone to spend the night. Someone who would be awake if Kokichi woke up in the middle of the night and wasn't strong enough to rouse Kaito to get him to help him...he didn't want Kokichi to be stuck in bed if he woke up needing to go to the bathroom, or stressed out from another nightmare, not able to do anything by lie there and suffer...

...God Kaito hated the idea of a stranger being in there with them while they slept though...it made him extremely uncomfortable. Made him feel exposed and watched.

...Maybe he could just try to stay up? He didn't...he didn't need to sleep tonight, and....

No. There was no way he'd be able to stay awake. He was barely able to keep up with the healer carrying Kokichi as they walked. He'd pass out at some point and Kokichi would be without help. So, quietly, as the healer laid Kokichi down, Kaito asked if when they went back downstairs, if they could find some people who might be willing to sit in the room for that night, for Kokichi's sake, last minute like this. The healer had assured Kaito they could find someone, and said to expect someone to arrive in an hour or so.

Kaito watched the healer leave, his pride hurt and his nerves exposed, and then looked over at Kokichi, at his small, meek request.

Ah...Smug Rabbit was coming back out.

Guess Kaito was about to find out if his fears about that were correct.

Kaito was convinced, though honestly he didn't have a ton of evidence for it, that Smug Rabbit only showed up when Kokichi was feeling isolated and suicidal. It was why he hated the rabbit. He didn't like what its presence represented. That Kokichi was feeling that bad, to the point where he needed it...but, maybe Kaito was putting too much stock in his only two instances of seeing Kokichi clutch at it, once when Kaito was just returning from running off, and once after that nightmare that had sent Kokichi spiraling. Maybe it really was just, ya know...a small comfort thing sometimes. That was okay. Maybe Kokichi was fine...

Sure. Maybe.

But Kaito just smiled gently at Kokichi. "Course, babe. Give me a second to find it. It's in the white box, right?" he asked, heading into the closet and looking around for the box before spotting it, opening it up. Pulling the rabbit out and frowning at it.

Alright, Smug Rabbit. Let's see what kind of night we're about to have.

Bringing it out to Kokichi, he said, still gently, not sure...why Kokichi would suggest that Kaito wouldn't be up to giving him a bath himself, "We can take a bath whenever you want, 'Kichi, it's not a big deal." He handed Kokichi the rabbit and sat beside him, though not taking any of his clothes off or getting into the bed yet as he, carefully, subconsciously readjusted his long sleeves to make sure his skin wasn't showing at all as he said, "I need to take a shower tonight though. I know you’re cold, but just give me twenty minutes, okay? I'll be in and out and then come back and hold you...shit, wish I had thought to ask the healers for those heating pads." Kaito muttered, running his hand over Kokichi's forehead and neck, feeling the cold there with some regret as he said, "or that heated blanket you were using downstairs… Sorry, I didn't even think about it...maybe when the healer comes in later tonight, I can ask them to show me where to find some stuff like that for you. Unless you have something like that stashed away in here somewhere?"

After his shower, and after the healer came, Kaito would make sure Kokichi was warm. Was comforted...but he couldn't do it yet.

Under his clothes, Kaito's arms were coated with dried blood.

He, of course, had the good sense to take off his jacket and roll up his sleeves and take off his jeans and cover them both under an easel before he started worship, fearing (correctly) that his bloodletting that morning would be more messy and excessive than normal, and knowing that the people around here, especially his husband, wouldn't appreciate seeing his clothes covered in blood. It was something he knew without a doubt he could not let Kokichi see, so he...needed to go take care of that real quick. Just fix himself, make himself less...horrifying, to his husband, and then he could come back and take care of him.

Yeah.

Kissing Kokichi's forehead, he said, "Is there anything you need before I run off to shower?"

Kokichi breathed out a small relieved sigh when Kaito agreed to get his bunny. He...didn't know why he'd expect Kaito to say no, but he found himself relieved anyway. Kaito had never tried to take the rabbit away from him, despite expressing his disdain and...rivalry, so...Kokichi didn't think his husband would turn around and try to shame him for liking stuffed animals at his age. Would think he was some helpless child...

Still, he felt relieved when Kaito passed the bunny on, and Kokichi circled his arms around the old toy, hugging it to his chest mostly with the weight of gravity. Something to hold and one friend in bed, check. And...Kaito didn't seem upset or resigned to helping him bathe, so...that was a future check.

Warmth, though...another future check he was eagerly looking forward to. Kokichi closed his eyes as Kaito ran his hand over his head, the warmth of his husband feeling like a godsend compared to the chill wracking the rest of his body...but he could wait. Shower, then he'd have a nice, clean, woody-smelling Kaito to warm him up and cuddle with.

...even if he hadn't been able to provide any comfort for Kaito at all today.

"They're worried about me overheating if I keep any heating pads or whatever in bed overnight," he sighed. "Or getting burned. Usually we just warm up my covers before I go to bed when it's cold out. ...don't worry about it, Kai-chan. I'll be okay." It was too much for him to imply that he needed Kaito there every night to keep him warm, but...at least for now, all he needed was his husband.

Basking in the kiss a little, Kokichi shook his head and adjusted the bunny. "Nm-mm. I'm okay. Happy showering, sweets."

Kaito nodded, readjusting the covers to cover Kokichi's shoulders before he left, heading to the bathroom.

When he closed the bathroom door, Kaito noted, not for the first time, that it was bullshit that their bathroom didn't have a lock either. It wasn't fair to Kokichi, to not have that ability. To not have access to any privacy. Kaito knew there were...reasons. Valid reasons, that the locks had been taken away, but...

He didn't know how to feel about a lot of things. It still felt wrong.

When he took off his shirt, he winced, the fabric pulling at his skin, stuck against the blood that Kaito hadn't managed to wipe away in time when Maki had suddenly needed him. He had wrapped up the actual cuts quickly enough, but the skin around them had been left alone in the name of hurrying. So now, along with his cast, his other arm was haphazardly covered in a variety of wrap, all red.

He'd replace the wrapping after the shower. Carefully, he peeled off the bindings, frowning at the three cuts. One for father. One for mother. And then, one for Priestess Meruko. Just because he had been thinking about her.

Mother's cut was still bleeding slightly, but really only barely. Father's seemed to be already scabbing over, if that slight sheen was any indication, and the priestess...Kaito sighed. He might need to stitch that. His hands had been shaking by that point and he had cut too deep. It was hours later and the blood flow, released from the binding, was still so heavy that it was already dripping onto the bathroom floor.

Covering the cut with a wrapping, he walked to the bathroom door and opened it slightly, to say out to Kokichi, "Hey, babe? Do you have sewing supplies? Or, like, fishing line or...a first aid kid with some sutures...like, ya know, stitches?"

Kokichi wanted to be awake at least until Kaito returned to bed, but...he was so tired. Even the naps he'd managed that day had done nothing to make up for everything that had happened. But...he could stay up just a little longer.

...Kaito's parents had been killed by his brother. This would give Kokichi a chance to talk to Kaede and...maybe plot with Maki so she could kill the only immediate family Kaito had left, as well as all the structure he'd known in Luminary. And...that was a good thing. Somehow.

Shuuichi was addicted to Despair Pollen and had run around with people who were distributing it to the public. People who likely had been planning to hurt him and Kaito directly. Nao and Dr. Kimura knew and hadn't told anyone.

...they were trying to go to the coast in a few days, and in, like...two weeks, his dad was coming home. With the remaining people who had fought against Luminaries.

...he was so tired...

But Kokichi still blinked his eyes open when Kaito called through the door and... "Stitches?!" His voice cracked on the word, something distressed in his tone. "I... Yeah. There's a first aid k-kit under the sink...has sutures..." He wanted to tell Kaito to go back to the med bay, get some professional help. But Kaito would argue. And he'd keep...bleeding.

Even lying down, Kokichi started to feel a little dizzy.

"Kay. Thanks, 'Kichi!" Kaito said, quickly closing the door.

He had heard the distress, but...well, Kokichi would feel better once Kaito was out and he could see that he was totally fine. It really wasn't that bad a cut. Kaito bet he would only need three stitches, at most. No worries.

Finding the first aid kit, he opened it up, pleased to see everything he would need in there. Hell, he could even put some disinfectant on it! Neat! Alright. Moving quickly, practiced, he cleaned up the wound a little to make it easier to see the edges, and then put in the first stitch, tightening it closed. Then another...yeah, would definitely need one more. Putting in the last one, the wound closed on itself, and, cleaning it with some rubbing alcohol, Kaito sighed with relief at the job done.

Then, cleaning up the supplies, putting the kit back, he wiped up the floor, and then, wrapping a towel around his cast, finally got into the shower.

Cleaning gently around the cuts, keeping his back to the falling water to not soak the towel around his cast any more than it was already going to be, Kaito was thorough in getting all the blood off himself. As he did so, he...didn't think about much. What would be the point? If he thought about the events of this morning, of the letter that he had destroyed, he'd just...he'd want to go back upstairs and hide in the shrine again. And that would upset Kokichi, so...don't think about that.

And thinking about Shuuichi and Maki and...the librarian...was just hopelessly frustrating. He wanted to do more for them immediately, and yet...what was there to be done? Like he had told them: tonight was for rest. That's it. Just rest.

At least thinking about Kokichi was easy enough, since that was a problem right in front of him. Tonight would either be easy or hard, and, well...Kaito was ready for either. He'd just be available. He'd be good. A good husband. He had responsibilities. He could be whatever Kokichi needed him to be.

And, well, if he couldn't, and Kokichi...couldn't be around him again, well, at least he had the shrine. The shrine had a lock. It was relatively safe there.

Feeling comforted by the idea, Kaito finished the shower, taking off the towel on his arm (his cast was still a little wet, of course, but not as bad as it could have been), finding a dry towel, and drying himself off. Then, he took fresh bandages and wrappings and wrapped around the cuts again.

Finally he checked himself out in the mirror. Okay. Looking...looking better, anyway. Looking much better.

Ah, he had forgotten to grab clothes...ah well, that's alright. Nothing Kokichi hadn't seen before, and no way the healer was here yet.

Opening the door and looking out carefully, just in case they were though, Kaito saw only Kokichi and headed out, grabbing some night clothes and putting them on real quick. Thinking of the bandages and how it'd probably make Kokichi uncomfortable to see them, he grabbed a long sleeved shirt to sleep in too.

Finally, with an immense amount of relief, Kaito crawled into bed, putting his arm around Kokichi and pulling him close, feeling Smug Rabbit in the grip and, not sure if his husband was still awake or not as he whispered, "Everything’s okay, 'Kichi. I'm sorry I keep scaring you."

By the time Kaito rejoined him, Kokichi felt...more than a little out of it, but he was still alert enough to register that Kaito was there. He sighed softly and turned in towards Kaito as much as he was able, letting his warmth soak into him. Tried to stop feeling so shitty and guilty.

"...m sorry I can't help you more," he whispered back, not really succeeding in trying to make himself feel better. "I love you so much...I want to protect you, but I keep messing up...but I'm not giving up. Diceans...don't...give up..."

His words trailed off as another wave of dizziness crashed over Kokichi, pulling him, begging him, to sleep, to rest and give his body a chance to heal. To have some time where he wasn't stressing the fuck out over people who he'd come to care about so much.

Tilting his head to the side, Kokichi pressed his nose to Kaito's collarbone, as much of a kiss as he could manage at that point.

Kaito looked down curiously at his small husband, smiling slightly at the idea of Kokichi protecting him. That was sweet...but not necessary. Kaito was fine. It was Shuuichi and Kokichi that needed to be the focus, for a while. His frail future king and his meek, anxious sidekick. They needed to be looked after. Protected.

At least Kaito had Maki to help with that. He knew he could always count on her. Together, they'd get their friends back on track.

But he didn't say that. It sounded a little condescending, even just in his head. So he just leaned down and kissed Kokichi on the head before settling in.

Kaito struggled to stay awake until the healer finally came up, and when she did, she didn't say anything to him, probably not realizing one of them was actually still awake. She took a seat at the desk chair, sitting in the spot that...used to have a vanity desk there and...Kaito would apologize for that tomorrow. Get him a new one. How much could they possibly cost?

As Kaito eyed the woman suspiciously, for a moment, he saw her take a book out and start to read, and Kaito felt...a little better about that. At least she didn't seem to be planning anything. Of course she wasn't. She wasn't a danger. She was a healer. Kaito just...needed to relax. He and Kokichi weren't in danger. She was there to help Kokichi. It was fine.

...he wished she was Maki...

Sighing, Kaito closed his eyes. Going to sleep.

"I don't want to take it, Maki," Shuuichi said as his friend passed him a glass of water and three pills, Shuuichi staring at the pills in distaste, sitting on Maki's bed, already dressed in night clothes.

The healers had told Maki no, at first. That they weren't giving her pills for the sole purpose of just knocking Shuuichi out as a sort of...well, low-key way to imprison him in her room. But Maki had been relentless and, again, the healers’ concerns both for and about the Luminaries were...getting more pointed.

When Maki had finally said Shuuichi was either being knocked out by pills or by her, the healers had finally relented, not wanting to call that bluff. They assured her if he took them, he'd be asleep within twenty minutes and sleep through the night.

"I don't recall asking you," Maki said, checking the window locks again and pulling the curtains, not changing into night clothes. She was still worried about the gang from the brewery. Still convinced any second that danger was coming. For her, for Shuuichi, for the princes. Fuck...she literally hadn't seen Tim all day...she should check on him before she settled in for the night. After Shuuichi was asleep. "This is only temporary," Maki said, looking over at her friend, frowning at his sulking posture. "You're in a bad way right now, Shuuichi. I'm just trying to keep you safe."

"I'm not in danger," Shuichi muttered...but he took the pills, drinking down some of the water as well.

Maki went over to him, put her hand under his chin, and said, face neutral, "Open your mouth and lift your tongue."

Shuuichi flushed in shame, not quite looking at her as he said, "M-maki, I didn-"

She squeezed at his jaw, and he winced, his face going redder as he looked up at her, something...intrigued in his eyes as he finally listened. Lifting his tongue. Two of the pills still there.

Maki had made people swallow things they didn't want to take before. It would be easy enough to do it now. Most of the time it was to make it look like a suicide. It worked very well on nobles, who were often too afraid to really fight her. Were convinced that if they gave in, were quiet and obedient, allowed her to do whatever she was trying to do, that somehow they'd survive the experience, even knowing she was doing those things specifically to make sure they didn't. Mortally afraid humans were irrational creatures. Willing to grasp onto nameless hope that wasn't there.

When it wasn't about making it look like a suicide? ...in the few times she had had to do it...she also preferred this method for children.

She told them she was a nurse, sent by their mothers in the night. Has anything been hurting you lately? You scraped your knee yesterday and it bled a whole lot? That's okay. This is for that. It's going to make your knee all better. Don't worry. Everything was going to be okay. That they just needed to take this, and they'd go to sleep, and feel better in the morning...sure you can tell me about the frog you saw while you go back to sleep. I bet it was funny looking. Tell me all about it. I'll wait here with you...

Maki's eyes started to wet, and she said, voice only slightly shaking, "Shuuichi, just swallow your pills. Don't make me make you. I don't want to make you do things like that."

Shuuichi, who saw a change come over his friend’s face...almost wanted to touch her. Almost wanted to reach out and offer himself, tell her if she was feeling bad, or angry, or sad, she could take it out on him...he was good for that. He was only good for that. He could make it feel good! He could make her feel so good...

...but the part of himself that was still sane despaired at the idea of strong, unwavering Maki...her eyes reddening just at the sight of him. Maki rarely cried over anything. He didn't...he didn't want to be something that made her cry...

So he ignored his burning lust, and he drank the water, and this time he swallowed the pills down, and when he was done he whispered, "Sorry, Maki."

"It's okay," she said, running her thumb along her eyes, pulling herself together. Banishing old memories. Though, she couldn't help but quietly, sadly say, "Everything's going to be okay. Just go to sleep. You're going to feel better in the morning."

And that was a lie, but that was okay. Sometimes, the lies were the only kindness Maki was allowed to give.

When she confirmed Shuuichi really had fallen asleep, she went to check on Tim in his room. He came to it with Chase at his heels, looking...tired and sad.

"Did you hear about the king?" she asked him. He nodded. "How do you feel?"

He shrugged.

"I don't know," the nine-year-old said quietly, his puppy lying herself down on top of his feet, perfectly content to try to trap him where he stood, her tail wagging slightly. "...I thought I'd feel bad? He's my king. I...my unit...we killed in his name. We died under his banners. And now...?"

The child looked up at Maki, looking older than he was. Tired. In this moment, wiser, with new information about himself and the world as he said, "It's like it doesn't matter? That he's dead. That it doesn't change anything? I'm s'possed to fight in his name. And now he's dead. Shouldn't it matter?"

"Sometimes...." Maki said, reaching out to put a comforting hand on his head, something she had never done before, so he flinched slightly at her reach, and then looked curiously up at her, "things that don't matter end up having serious consequences for everyone else. The man was a king, and so because he said you had to do it, people died. But...the king’s only just a man. And you find out, one day, that even though the things he said had serious consequences for everyone around him...that it still didn't matter. That it was pointless."

"I don't get it," Tim whispered.

"I mean...when someone makes you sacrifice a lot for something they believed in, it's tempting to want to believe what they said was important actually was, because why else did you have to sacrifice so much? But...it's not what you sacrifice that makes something important. You can sacrifice everything for things that don't matter. That's why it's important to pick your own causes, and not just accept the ones handed to you."

Tim reached down and picked up his puppy, who got excited by this, looking up to lick his face, prepared to play more as Tim held her close...and said, quietly, "They brought a woman to me once, to all of us, two days before we were going to be sent in for our first battles...she was blindfolded and bound. They said she was a Dicean Fighter, and that she was evil, and had killed two of our men before they caught her. They said all Diceans were evil. That they all wanted to kill us...they said I needed to get used to killing them back and gave me a spear and..."

He trailed off. Petting his puppy. Looking at the floor. "Was I tricked?" the child asked.

Maki felt her heart sink, and she reached over to him, pulling him in, holding him close. "No. That implies you could have known better. But you couldn't have...so what they made you do wasn't your fault. But you know better now, right?" she asked, petting his hair, "What do we know now?"

"I don't know."

"Come on...yes you do...give me your best guess."

"...just because a king says it, doesn't mean it's important?" he tried.

"Good. What else?"

"...I don't know how to say all that stuff about sacrifice you said."

"Not everything you sacrifice for is worth it," Maki provided him, "So pick your causes carefully."

He mimicked her. "Good," she said, "Last one."

Tim closed his eyes. Shaking.

"...Diceans...maybe aren't...all evil..."

Maki smiled. "I'd agree with that. Close enough. We're doing medical checkups tomorrow, okay? I'm going to come fetch you in the morning. Goodnight, Tim."

And Tim watched her leave, holding his puppy. Thinking of everything Cali had said to him the last two days and...

Just for himself. Just for his own ears, he tried out..."...night, mom."

When he woke up, Kokichi still felt...exhausted. But his chest didn't hurt as much, so that was something. He took his next dose, bathed with Kaito's help, changed into actual clothes, even if he once again couldn't even think about getting out of bed, but wanted to look at least a little put together for everything that had to happen today...

He just wanted to sleep some more. Curl up somewhere warm and safe and let the fatigue in his body win out.

But there was far too much to do.

Kaito had just finished helping him with breakfast when there was a knock on their door and a soft voice speaking through it. "U-um, your highnesses? It's Seiko...Kimura? If you're busy, I can come back later, but, um, I was going to perform your checkups today?"

Kokichi looked to the door with wide, worried eyes, trying to calm down, but...

Kaito looked up excitedly. "My sidekick’s here!" he said cheerfully, putting aside the empty bowl onto Kokichi's nightstand and heading to the door, opening it up with a flourish and a wide grin. "Dr. Kimura! Seiko! Welcome, come on in, we've been looking forward to seeing you!"

As Kaito stepped aside to let her in, he said, "Okay, so, most everyone is likely either down in the dining hall, or still in their rooms. And, Maki, one of your co-sidekicks, swung by this morning and said we have two more people on the docket! A Hajime Hinata has agreed to come, and...I guess a Katsuki Okuniji as well? Maybe? Maki said she asked her to accompany us and the guard said a bunch of stuff about choices and pathways and some other stuff Maki couldn't make out, but the gist was...probably yes? So yeah! If you don't mind, just two more people to add to the lineup. I'm so sorry everything is so last minute. It's been kinda crazy around here."

Kaito laughed at this, rubbing the back of his head as he continued on, quickly, trying to fill in the space of the nervous energy of this room, "Okay! So...obviously, me and Kokichi are probably the best people to start with, since we're here, right? Are we doing this in here, or downstairs in the med bay...oh! And, I can step out for Kokichi's if you all want. I don't mind. Patient confidentiality, right? Just let me know and I'll wait outside!"

Seiko regarded Kaito with a soft, nervous look, giving him a nod and a little wave. Word hadn't exactly gotten around town yet, but when Miss Umezaki had stopped by the day before...at least Kaito seemed to be in good enough spirits. It was also a fortunate event of timing that he was going to be out of town for when word fully got out. For anyone, it would be hard to see people bright and celebrating your parents' deaths.

"I see," she hummed, giving herself a mental note of the two new names, figuring she would track them down later. With another nod, she explained, "I-it's not such a big deal--for standard checkups, I use the same equipment more or less for everyone, so examining more people isn't an issue at all. That said, um..."

She glanced over to the prince still in bed, noting his pallor and position...he seemed worse than the last time she'd seen him...likely a stress-related relapse. No surprise there, considering everything. "Prince Kokichi? I can work wherever you are comfortable, a-and that's the same for your husband being in the room or not. Just...whatever you prefer."

...she didn't seem to hate him, hadn't the last time either, so...stop being such a baby about this Kokichi, geez! Taking a breath and attempting a smile at the healer, Kokichi offered her a weak wave in return. "Dr. Kimura, hi. It'd...probably be easier to go to the med bay... I can rest there for the rest of the day too, so while we're talking about the trip and everything we don't have to pile everyone into our room. A-and I don't mind if Kai-chan's there for my checkup..."

He looked away then, feeling...small and embarrassed.

"Alright!" Kaito said, clapping his hands together (owowowow why did he keep doing that around her???) enthusiastically, heading over to Kokichi. "Sounds like a plan! Today's gonna be good! Gonna be getting a lot of details hashed out, a lot of plans started! Oh!"

Kaito looked over to the doctor, that wide, cheerful grin still plastered on his face as he said, "By the way, about Shuuichi...if you were planning on making efforts to hide all of that from us this trip...you can stop now. We're going to be talking about all of that."

"Okay!" Kaito said, turning away from her, reaching out to his husband. "We ready to go? Let's go get it done!"

Seiko startled a little, blinking in surprise before she sagged with a relieved sigh, holding a hand to her chest. "Oh thank fuck you know. H-he was so desperate to keep it a secret, and especially later on... You knowing makes everything so much easier."

"I... You're still alright with me being his primary...right?" Seiko warily asked, straightening back up. "...I-I'd of course give all the information I have to whomever you'd prefer, b-but...he... Shuuichi's not stable enough to be committed, physically or mentally." She clasped her hands to her chest as Kaito picked up Kokichi, looking at them imploringly. "He needs support from the people who know him best..."

Kaito cradled Kokichi to himself, his husband's arms wrapping around his neck as Kaito supported him by keeping his arm under his backside, giving his husband a comforting smile in the face of his obvious discomfort around the healer...and felt himself stiffen.

He looked over at her, something tense on his face as he said, "What...committed? To what? ...to a ward?"

Kaito's grin was all teeth as he said, "...no one’s taking Shuuichi anywhere...did...did the librarian suggest to you that I'd ever...try to get Shuuichi committed to a mental ward??"

Kokichi stroked his thumb down the back of Kaito's neck, trying to give him calm at the sudden rage. Other than thinking through the discussion they'd all have about how to care for Shuuichi, his big job today was to help Kaito think through his anger. Not let him fly off the handle and let his temper take the wheel.

Speaking up himself, he forced himself to look at Dr. Kimura straight on. "I don't know if he just said it because you knew about the pollen, but Shuu-chan said he wanted you to keep being his healer. I...I don't think there's anyone more qualified to look after him right now than you are."

Feeling...a little comfort from those words, Seiko smiled to herself but raised an eyebrow at Kaito. "No, no, Miss Umezaki, for all her faults, provided me with invaluable information about Shuuichi's condition. I fear...I wouldn't have known he'd been taking the pollen at all if she hadn't proven it to me..."

Sighing, Seiko tilted her head Kaito's way a bit. "We always want to think the best of the people around us, right? There were a few times during our visits where I had thought Shuuichi was acting strangely...but I chalked it up to stress or odd humor. He was...very good at hiding what was happening to him, at the beginning there..." Her brow furrowed, frustrated that she hadn't seen this coming until the librarian showed up at her doorstep with a jar full of spores... "...she explained to me that there was a good chance that you and Miss Harukawa wouldn't have believed her if she told you when she first found out...or, that if you saw him meltdown, then you would shove every healer you could find at him and...potentially just make him worse. N-not through any fault of the healers, but...just that they wouldn't know what the fungus was or how to treat it."

"...not that I do yet," she muttered, "but I'm at least trying to fix the root cause, rather than stressing him out trying to fix his symptoms."

Kaito remained tense for a moment, gritting his teeth, as his husband ran soothing fingers up and down his neck, taking charge of the conversation while Kaito collected himself. His nerves on fire.

He...he understood what she was saying. And...she was probably right. Kaito had...has a lot of faith in Shuuichi. Even yesterday, if Shuuichi had straight up tried to deny everything that Nao, Maki, and Kokichi were alleging against him, Kaito...probably would have taken his side, even with all the evidence suggesting that something was seriously wrong with his friend. He...just would have wanted to believe him. That would have been all Kaito needed.

...which wasn't helpful to Shuuichi right now. Kaito was glad that the information was now out in the open, but...

Fuck, it was still hard to hear all of this. Knowing she was right didn't make him feel any better about it. But, still...Seiko was his sidekick, and he had decided to put his faith into her. If she said she had done this trying to help Shuuichi...Kaito was going to choose to believe her.

Taking a breath, Kaito nodded. "I'm...certain you're the best person for the job, Seiko. I believe you, and I don't think you were...maliciously trying to use our friend or experiment on him. But, from now on, if one of my friends...or, let’s say, if Maki, Shuuichi, Tim, or Kokichi, are mentally impaired by something and it's reasonable that they can't make decisions for themselves, then you come to either myself or Kokichi, assuming it's not him, for us to make decisions on their behalf. They are our responsibility. No more secrets."

As Kaito headed out the door, walking down the staircase, he said to her, "We want to sit down with you and Nao to come up with a plan for him, by the way. Anything that can be fixed, anything that...can at least just be managed, whatever our options are, we want to get started as soon as possible. Kokichi is the final decision maker on the plan itself, but obviously your input, as our group healer, is probably going to be the most important. Again...sorry to put you on the spot like this. Like I said, it's all happened...very quickly."

Seiko shook her head quickly, incredulous that she would do any of that to Shuuichi--since, before she'd known, she'd warned him against the same thing multiple times--but...if it'd all come out recently, she could understand his worry. So, she just offered him a smile. "As you wish. As much as I trust in my patients' autonomy, well, emergency contacts are a thing for a reason."

Kokichi looked away at that, feeling a squirm of fear in his stomach...though Dr. Kimura had been the one person to not do that to him. And...Shuuichi's situation was different. He had, like, a fungal parasite growing in him and altering his body and mind. That wasn't the same as disregarding someone...in fear or tired or...anything.

But while he rested his head on Kaito's shoulder, he did speak up again. "...you're already making a cure for him, right? Shuu-chan said he got new medicine...though it made him suuuuper high."

"It what?"

Seiko chirped in surprise before sighing, clutching the strap of her medical bag. "It shouldn't have done that...hmm... Oh, but, yes. I...I would ask that you not tell him what it is, though. I'm sorry to ask for another secret, but if I want to be able to judge whether the medicine is actually working or not, there needs to be as low a chance of a placebo as possible."

That...sounded reasonable. And it wasn't like Shuuichi could really be trusted with his own health right now anyway. As long as everyone else knew... "Kai-chan?" Kokichi prompted his husband, wanting to hear his thoughts.

Kaito raised an eyebrow at both of them. "You want to...try to keep a secret from a lifelong trained detective who...like, was just recently obsessed with studying experimental medicine?"

The Luminary Prince chuckled at this, shrugging. "I mean...sure, I won't tell him, if it's important, but...good luck, I guess?"

As they made their way into the med ward, there was a different set of healers in there today, the day shift having taken over for the night shift. Four different pairs of eyes looked over with wide-eyed surprise at all three of them, each person prompting a different look of concern. For Kokichi, one of the healers immediately stepped forward and said, urgently, "Is he crashing?"

Another healer, who recognized immediately that Kokichi seemed fine, instead looked at Kaito with concern. Word was spreading quickly around the castle. The healer had no love for the Luminary royal family, but...could feel some sympathy for a man who had just lost both of his parents.

The last two looked, with some level of suspicion, at Seiko.

Kokichi pressed his lips together and tried not to look too annoyed, though he did sigh a bit. "I'm fine. Dr. Kimura is here to perform a checkup on me, as well as several others today, so we will be using one of the private examination rooms for...a lot of today, if not the whole day."

He could see out of the corner of his eye how Dr. Kimura held herself stiff, keeping her head high but with a certain amount of avoidance...so Kokichi drew himself up a little more in Kaito's arms, looking down to healers. "Dr. Kimura is actually the primary healer for myself as well as Kai-chan, Maki-chan, Shuu-chan, and Tim, so, at some point, since I know this is short notice, we will be preparing office space for her in this wing."

There was a beat of silence before Kokichi offered the healers a lazy smirk and a wave. "Good morning, by the way."

The healer who had asked about the crash and the healer who had focused on Kaito weren't there back in the days when the Ouma Family had a rush of bad luck when it came to hiring healers, and so while the crashing healer, a younger doctor only a few years out of med school, blushed, embarrassed at their assumption, the older one, a woman with wrinkles around her eyes and gray washing through fading blond hair, stepped forward with a small smile. "Of course. It's lovely to meet you, Dr. Kimura, welcome to the Med Wing. I'm sure it'll be a pleasure working with you."

"Should I get an office ready now?" the excitable younger healer asked, a young man with green hair and naturally narrowed eyes, but that he kept his gaze unnaturally wide, constantly looking around and seeming to always be in a mild state of surprise as he looked to the older healer. "There's office 4B. We'd need to get the locks replaced, b-but that office should be more or less ready to go right away now that Dr. Saya's retired."

"Sure. Why don't you get started prepping it for Dr. Kimura to move into, and, Dr. Kimura, please feel free to use examination room B, down the hall to the left there, for as long as you like. Please let anyone here know if you need any assistance or additional resources, I'm certain were all happy to accommodate."

As she said this, the two healers behind her, who had been whispering to each other, suddenly stopped, one of them speaking up. "Pardon me, Dr. Kaden? I'm...just gonna go run this by the king, real quick. Dr. Kimura here has a...history with this medical wing, and I'm certain the boss would want to have a say in who his son’s primary healer is."

The older healer looked curiously at the one who spoke up, raising an eyebrow, but said, "Well...certainly. We should always make an effort to keep Aiichi informed, either way. On your way back, please stop and grab some more folders from the supply closet, would you? We're running low."

Turning back to the group, Dr. Kaden shrugged. "Well, unless we hear back otherwise, I'm sure everything is fine. Again, please feel free to ask us for any assistance you need," she said to Dr. Kimura.

By now, Seiko knew not to let her guard down around people who were kind but simply hadn't heard of her. But that wasn't any reason to be rude. Bowing her head politely to the older healer, Seiko returned the greetings. "Thank you--I look forward to working b-beside you all." Mostly.

She could do without the...whispers. Seiko tried not to deflate, but Kokichi drew himself up even more.

Turning to the healer who had mentioned Aiichi, Kokichi gave them an unamused look. "I'm old enough to make medical decisions for myself, you know. Aiichi's not even allowed to look in my file anymore unless I consent."

As Kokichi stewed in frustration, Seiko perked herself back up, feeling...touched that the prince wanted to go to bat for her. "I will, Dr. Kaden. Thank you again." Stepping forward to lead the way to the examination room, Seiko nodded to the princes.

Kaito, watching suspiciously as the one healer left, took in this whole interaction with a careful, calculating eye.

Oh...okay.

These were the kind of people Kaito had to endear Seiko to.

Okay...no problem! For one of his sidekicks, there was almost nothing Kaito wouldn't do! He still thought an upcoming successful trip would do wonders for her reputation, not to mention Kokichi picking her as his primary healer, but Kaito would have to think about other ways to rehabilitate her to the larger medical community as well.

...hmmm...actually, developing a cure for Shuuichi's (as far as Kaito knows) extremely rare condition was...pretty hella impressive, wasn't it? Something like that would have to give her some crazy medical street credit, right? So, so long as Kaito supported her attempts to heal Shuuichi, which he wanted to support anyway, then ultimately...

Hell yeah! Helping two sidekicks at once! Double sidekick duty!

...fuuuck Kaito's arm was starting to hurt under Kokichi's weight. Which was so stupid. Kokichi weighed almost nothing. Honestly, you cut up a limb just a liiittle bit and suddenly it starts whining at you...still, Kaito was relieved when they finally got to an observational table, placing Kokichi down on it as he said, "Alright, here we are. Hey, are you sure you want me in the room for your checkup? It's not gonna hurt my feelings if you want some privacy..."

Kokichi shrugged a bit, giving Kaito a grateful smile and a lingering touch on his hand. "It's nothing you don't already know about me. If Kai-chan wants to stay here or go check on Maki-chan and Shuu-chan, or anything else... I'll be fine whatever you decide."

Seiko, who had been washing up at the sink before putting on new gloves and a new mask, as well as disinfecting her supplies, chimed in there, an earnest seriousness in her eyes. A chance of redemption. "I will give you the utmost care and consideration, Kokichi. If not just because that's what healers should do...it is a personal point of honor for me. I will always strive to do what is best for my patients, and their comfort is included in that."

...that is what she did. Even when he had been a child... A lot of healers had been scary or dismissive or outright cruel...but Dr. Kimura hadn't. Even more than actually talking with him, she tried to make every step of her examinations easy on him, even the things that other nice healers did that still scared him. With everything she'd done for him...she'd always done it with care.

Able to look her way without shyness, Kokichi gave her a grateful smile. "I appreciate that. Like, a whole lot."

Kaito nodded, giving Kokichi a kiss on his forehead, and then, playfully, two kisses in the same spot against his temple, being almost obnoxiously cuddly as a sort of tease as he said, "Alright! If you're sure, then I'll stick around. Like I said before, it'll probably be quicker and easier to just do me and you one after another, and then I'll go upstairs and snag Maki, Tim, and Shuuichi. Maki and Tim should be quick enough, Shuuichi...I don't know. I gotta assume his will take more time. Then I'll grab...ya know. Nao. And we can all talk."

Turning to Seiko, he gave his sidekick a thumbs up and a wink. "Alright, he's all yours, Doc! First check up in...however many years! You got this! I have 100% faith in you! Let me know if you need me to fetch anything or something like that," Kaito offered, backing up into the corner of the room, leaning comfortably against the wall.

Seiko gave Kaito something of a nervous smile before Kokichi's checkup began. There were the preliminary things, of course. Temperature (on the low side of normal), blood pressure (too low to be regularly healthy, but not in any immediate danger), weight (under), breathing clarity (a little raspy but not bad), heart rate (surprisingly steady since he'd been close to another attack)... All things that drew a picture of what Kokichi's health was like, but there wasn't anything surprising.

She asked him about his routine, his diet (which garnered a very tired look), exercise he got, what he usually did when he felt himself getting worked up, what his stress levels were on a day to day basis--getting to know Kokichi as a person, rather than stats on a paper.

It all went smoothly, was comfortable, Seiko always explaining what she was about to do and asking if it was alright before she did. Though...there was one small issue that came up.

"Are you sexually active?"

Kokichi lit up pink, looking away for the first time since the examination started. "...yes," he whispered.

Hell yeah he was.

Ha, oh no, that was probably too immature a thought for what Kaito knew was kind of a touchy subject for his husband. There were a lot of people in the past he might have made a joke with at this point, or did some sort of suggestive motion to make them blush...but Kokichi was so private and, like...embarrassed about that part of their relationship, that Kaito felt like it'd probably be borderline abusive to do any of that in front of this person that Kokichi respected so much, on a topic that held so much baggage for him.

...Kaito wondered if all that baggage came exclusively from the actions of the Luminary Party, or if this was just always something in Kokichi.

He found that thought deeply uncomfortable, and all the humor in him from before kinda drained away, as Kaito just gave Kokichi a supportive smile from his corner of the room, though he doubted Kokichi was even paying attention.

...Kokichi deserved better than everything that had happened. Waiting for twenty years before losing your virginity to the husband you just met was nerve wracking enough, but to be...to be raped twice in one month by him...

He felt something sick and painful in his chest at that thought. The first time, Kaito had been a unwilling partner in that rape, though he always knew he could have done more that night to recognize something was wrong with Kokichi and get him help before his heart almost stopped. The second time though...Kaito tried not to think about it, at least not right now. He'd get angry. He'd want to defend Kokichi. Fight who had hurt him.

Which was...how do you fight yourself?

People had all sorts of responses to that question, and Seiko had long since learned how to handle just about every one, so without missing a beat, she nodded and marked down his answer along with all the others before making a quick additional note. "If you are willing, next time you use the restroom I would like a urine sample from you, Kokichi. You've never been positive for any STIs in the past, but, with, excuse me for the assumption, a new partner, it's standard practice to double-check."

Kokichi just nodded at the floor, and then the examination continued.

At the end, Seiko showed her patient all the notes she'd taken, encouraging him to correct her now if anything was incorrect, and while he looked it over, she hummed softly. "I may look into finding something that can ease your chest pain... I-I...I've actually wanted to improve upon the medicine I made for you, but..." ...but she hadn't been around long enough to have the chance.

Handing her notes back, Kokichi offered her a kind smile and filled in the rest. "You have time now. It's not like I'll complain if there's a chance something can help me." He wouldn't hold his hopes too high, but even if it was something that would ease his pain more frequently, or maybe help him get back to full strength a little quicker...he'd take it.

Looking over to Kaito, Kokichi tried to make himself easier to maneuver. "Your turn~," he sang teasingly. "Kai-chan can leave me on one of the beds in the hall if he doesn't want me to hang around his checkup."

"Nah, it'll be fine," Kaito said, pulling himself off the wall with a stretch, giving his husband a wink. "Even if I kicked you out, knowing me? I'd be giving you a play-by-play of everything that happened the second I went to pick you up. I'm...a little chatty," Kaito explained to Seiko with a laugh. "And maybe a tad over-sharey too."

Kaito went over to Kokichi, giving him another kiss on the cheek, before turning to Seiko and saying, "I don't really wanna kick him off the bed. Can I just stand for mine, or will it mess this up?"

Kokichi rolled his eyes a bit but gave his husband a smile. On the whole, he wasn't really worried about things, but...there were probably things about Kaito that he wouldn't want to talk about with Kokichi around. Or at all.

...a work in progress.

Seiko shook her head, but gestured to one of the chairs in the room. "That will be fine for everything except measuring your blood pressure. Especially since I don't have a baseline for anyone but Kokichi...i-it's important to find out what your "normal" is. That said, I think it'd probably be more comfortable to sit, if you'd like to."

Kaito nodded. "Alright!" he said, grabbing a chair and bringing it over to the center of the room, taking a seat in it and grinning up at her. " Lay it on me, doc. Let's do some poking and prodding, yeah?" He laughed, giving her a wink.

Seiko started on the same tests as she performed with Kokichi, though asking more questions since she didn't know what the Luminary Prince's medical history was like. The diet and exercise questions, yes, but also things like what his blood type was, if there were any illnesses that ran in the family, if he had been vaccinated for all the usual things… There was a lot to go over.

Kokichi just watched, turning onto his side to look at his husband, curling up a little to try and conserve a little heat...until his blinks got slower and slower...until little familiar snuffles were breathed out from the examination bed.

"Awwww," Kaito said, glancing over at the bed with a small smile, "I know that sound. 'Kichi's out, huh?"

He laughed, shaking his head. "Probably for the best, really. It was kind of a rough night yesterday. Well, no, night wasn't so bad. Just, like, all of...yesterday, ya know? Yesterday was tough."

Kaito looked up at Seiko, giving her a tired grin as he said, "To be honest, a big part of me wanted to cancel the check ups today? Hell, a big part of me wants to cancel this whole trip. It feels like it's probably happening at a bad time, ya know...but...so far all the time has been a bad time? And I just...I really don't want to disappoint him. This trip is going to be a good thing! Good for him, good for you, good for...ya know. Good for everyone."

Seiko turned and regarded the sleeping prince with a soft expression. He used to do the same thing between checkups when he was a kid. Though, it was a little less cute when you remembered it was because Kokichi simply didn't have the energy to keep his body running during consciousness...but it was still kind of cute.

"If I may...I would hazard a guess yesterday was rough for all of you." After a moment of hesitation, Seiko pulled up another of the chairs and sat off to the side of Kaito, not trying to crowd him. "If you are all up for it, I think getting out of town for a little bit would be beneficial. Particularly for Kokichi, but all of you."

Tentatively, Seiko folded her hands in her lap. "...in general, Kaito...how are you doing? I-I know our relationship is professional and...has just begun...but... Sometimes it's easier to talk to someone less involved."

"Hmm?" Kaito asked, grinning fondly at Seiko. He was always kind of a sucker for his sidekicks, honestly. And he had a feeling he was going to like her more and more as he got to know her. He hoped that, on the trip, there would be moments where she'd, ya know...relax. Enjoy herself. It'd be nice if everyone had fun.

"Our relationship is professional, yeah, but you're also my sidekick," Kaito reminded her, grinning at her cheerfully. "Which means you and I are gonna be close as anything, someday. It's gonna be awesome getting to know you, Seiko. I'm really looking forward to it," Kaito said, entirely sincerely. "And, in general? I'm good! I'm okay. I'm worried about everyone," he said, each sentence said with less enthusiasm, feeling more and more tired as he thought about...everything. "But, ya know...we're gonna figure this out. I'm sorry about Shuuichi, by the way? If he...if he did or said anything to upset you? I know Nao said that he tricked you into helping him, initially...he's really not normally like this. He's quiet and sweet and…”

Kaito frowned, just....thinking of the person that Shuuichi was last night...calling people names and begrudgingly offering blow jobs...

"Look, I'm his best friend and his prince. I was meant to be looking out for him this whole time, and all of this happened on my watch. If he did anything weird to you, I'll take responsibility, okay? If you need someone to be cross at, or get compensation from, something like that? It's not his fault. He wouldn't have done it if he was in control of himself. I apologize on his behalf to you."

Right...the...'sidekick' stuff. Seiko didn't really know what that was all about, but...everything Kaito was going to benefit from in their relationship was things Seiko was going to do anyway. So...

...he's not Ruruka, and you're not ten. Get it together, Seiko!

She sighed a bit, hearing probably just a hint of how things were wearing on Kaito...and then...Shuuichi.

"I do appreciate the apology, but Shuuichi is not the first drug addict I've tended to, even if his circumstances are unique. I know better than to take the things he says and does right now at face value. That said...it's not your fault either." She sent Kaito a worried look at that. "The best thing we can do is our bests to ensure Shuuichi's health and safety."

"Yeah, of course! And that's what we're gonna do. Gonna get everyone back to zero. Mmmhm," Kaito said, nodding. "Get Kokichi off bedrest...actually, that's a point. What are Kokichi's odds of being off bedrest by Monday? Like, honestly? I mean...I guess he could sleep in the caravan as we travel if he still couldn't really move by then, just trying to let him heal before we get to the beach, but man, I have a feeling he'd be really bummed out if he slept through his first few days away from town...maybe if me and him just stayed in our room for the next couple of days and did nothing but rest? And I didn't do anything else to upset him... maybe he'd be ready by the time we left? What do you think, Doc, is that feasible?"

Kaito didn't know how much the events of yesterday may have set Kokichi back by. Fuck, it sucked...Kokichi was borderline ready to walk again before everything happened, and now....

Thinking about Kokichi's near recovery to the point of walking again brought something else to Kaito's mind. He bit his lip, uncertain if he should bring this up...his temper honestly probably couldn't handle thinking about this too much. He needed to keep it together for the group...but...

"Hey, so, when you first started coming up here, to help Shuuichi with a stomach bug...I mean, I already know, but, it wasn't, right? Shuuichi said that what actually happened was he couldn't walk for three days...though he didn't tell us how that happened and..."

Kaito bit his lip some more.

"...look, I'm not asking you to explain to me what happened. What exactly she did to hurt him that badly. But...Shuuichi and Nao both assure me that she didn't do anything to him that he didn't ask her for, and that she did it entirely to help him, and that's...fine, that's good, but...as the only other person who has any idea what that 'help' actually looked like...should I be angry? Or, no, sorry, that's a leading, loaded question, I just mean more like...she's going to be one of the people helping us make his recovery plan. Is she...is her opinion on what's 'helpful' to him...actually trustworthy?"

Seiko considered the question, looking over to Kokichi's sleeping form for a moment. "Considering, from what I've gathered, at least, he hasn't had a full relapse, so...there's actually a decent chance of him being at least ready and alert for traveling by Monday if he rests until then. As you've explained it...it's not like we're making any sightseeing pit stops before we get to the coast, so, for watching the scenery go by? I think there's a substantial possibility of him healing enough for that."

He would have plenty of people looking out for him, so if Prince Kokichi wanted to try out his limits? It would be safe to do so. It was different now...

Seiko had looked down amid her inner conflict, but glanced back up at, well, another difficult situation. With a sigh, she paused for a moment before answering Kaito. "...Miss Umezaki...er, Nao, admitted that she went overboard the first time. She hadn't realized the severity of Shuuichi's condition, and that led to her making mistakes with his treatment."

She huffed an annoyed sigh, remembering the condition she found Shuuichi in the morning after. "She didn't realize that he couldn't be trusted to set his own limits, and that he couldn't take care of himself. I must admit...I chewed her out when she came to me..."

"However, since then, I believe she's an invaluable ally in Shuuichi's care," Seiko said sternly, giving Kaito a serious stare. "Nao has been observant of his condition now that she's realized the limits, and...this feels horrible to say, but I think she is the only one among us who is willing to treat Shuuichi poorly, but safely. His psyche will likely suffer for it...but I don't think there's a way around that at this point. If not her, he will likely be driven to find someone else who will hurt him--and, like in their first meeting, they won't realize that they will have to be the person to set the limits."

Looking down for a moment...ah, yeah. She...for the sake of their friendship, she would not tell Kaito exactly what Nao had done... "Nao seems to derive no pleasure other than the curiosity of observation from this, Kaito. And, in our conversations about it...she's worried about him, genuinely. She truly wants to see him recover from this. For that...I believe she can be trusted."

Kaito's stomach curled, and he put his forehead in his hand as he groaned, "Poorly but safely...ugh, that's...is that going to need to keep happening? Fuck, that's going to drive me crazy, knowing he's hurting somewhere and not doing anything about it...I've spent so much of my life trying to keep things like that from happening to him...my mom would send him after people just to annoy them, harassing them with false investigations and invasive questionings to humiliate them, and because, I mean, of course they couldn't lash out at the queen, so they'd try to..."

Kaito closed his eyes. Took a steadying breath.

"...sorry, nevermind. You don't need to hear about any of that. Sorry!" Kaito said, suddenly laughing, giving Seiko another fond smile. "You're easy to talk to. That's probably what made Kokichi so comfortable around you as a kid! It's nice. But, still, don't feel like you need to carry any additional weight on this trip other than just being the healer. When no one’s hurting, I'm really hoping you can relax and enjoy yourself around us, Seiko! I think you're gonna be a great addition to the group. I bet you anything you're gonna end up becoming one of Maki's favorite people. She loves responsible people, and you've got that shit down," Kaito said with another laugh.

"Alright! Anything else from me? Should I go get the others?"

Seiko shrugged a bit, not happy about the situation either. "That depends on Shuuichi. If he demands that sort of treatment, then Nao is the safest person to go to. If I can get the antidote to the point he stops craving pain and stress, then..."

She sighed, itching to get back to work...but this wasn't something she could rush. It needed proper testing and assessment, and, especially if the first iteration had made him high...

...she really was going to worry over these kids a lot, huh.

But that was a burden she was willing to take on.

Offering Kaito a smile in return, Seiko waved her hand a bit. "If there's anything you need to talk about, I'm happy to listen, Kaito. Your mental health is part of my job too. Thank you for the consideration, though."

"You're all done!" she chirped before giving him A Look. "Though, you could really do with some rest today as well. Take it easy, alright? Ah, but, if you see the others, I'd appreciate you sending them my way. I'm not...really accustomed to your schedules..." And she didn't want to go wandering around the castle on her own to find them. There were...a lot of staff members still around from her last time of employment...

"I'll go up and find them myself, no one's asking you to wait around for them to just wander in," Kaito said, standing up and stretching a little before heading over to Kokichi. "And, I'd personally like to sit down at lunch with you, Nao, Kokichi, and Maki to work out Shuuichi's new schedule...do you think Shuuichi should be a part of that conversation? He's not really...in the best headspace to be making decisions for himself, and...I don't know if him sitting there being forced to listen to a group of people make decisions for him won't kinda suck for him..."

Getting to Kokichi, he put a gentle hand on his husband's shoulders, shaking him slightly as he said quietly, "Hey, 'Kichi? We're going back upstairs for a little while, babe. You can nap in our bed till lunchtime, alright? Hey, come on now, open your eyes, I know you hear me...I need you to put your arms around my shoulders, beautiful."

Giving him a quiet thanks, Seiko nodded at the plan for lunch. "If nothing else, we can ask him if he'd like to be a part of it. And...it might be a good idea to have him there to ask...um...how often he needs sexual release... And then to temper that number into something reasonable..." She sighed, again not envying Nao's job.

Snuffling a little more, Kokichi blinked his eyes open blearily, confused to have fallen asleep, even if it was expected of him, really. With a little groan, he slung his arms around Kaito's shoulders, still not quite awake, and sleepily nuzzled into Kaito's neck before drifting off a little more.

Giggling softly, Seiko gave the couple a wave. "See you this afternoon."

Again, Kaito felt his stomach twist at the idea of...fuck, god dammit, working out Shuuichi's sex life for him was going to be a part of this conversation, wasn't it. It had to be. Everyone kept saying that him seeking out sexual danger was the main problem for him right now, so...his friends....his prince had to take responsibility. Kaito had to be ready to sit down and hear some extremely uncomfortable things and make some extremely uncomfortable decisions about one of the people he loved the most...

Kissing the side of Kokichi's head, taking comfort in feeling his husband fall asleep against his shoulder, Kaito once again thanked Dr. Kimura for her time, and headed upstairs, first to put Kokichi to bed, then to go find Maki...

-

Maki, Shuuichi, and Tim all came downstairs at the same time, and it was decided that  Maki was going first, Tim and Shuuichi waiting outside. Tim was charged with keeping an eye on Shuuichi, though the boy had no idea why he was supposed to, only being told that Mr. Saihara wasn't feeling well, and if he tried to leave the med wing, to inform one of the healers or Maki immediately, depending on who was closer. Shuuichi, in turn, was grumpy, frustrated, and half asleep, having not been given release or his dose yet that morning, and angry at the world for these terrible crimes against him...if he could just keep his fucking eyes open...

As Shuuichi sat outside with Tim, struggling to stay awake without crying, Maki sat in the room with Dr. Kimura.

And for every question the doctor asked her, Maki had one back.

"I haven't been sexually active in over a year," Maki answered, her eyes narrowed. Intense as she asked back, "Do you have or had any family members fighting in the Luminary war?"

"No, I don't," Seiko answered truthfully. She understood...quite well why Miss Harukawa was asking her these questions, and...it was heartwarming, in a way. Seeing this woman so fiercely protect her friends, make sure there wasn't a single ulterior motive that Seiko was hoping to gain from their interaction. It was in line with the first time she met Maki, when she'd burst into her pharmacy with the urgency of someone who loved.

The others were very lucky to have her.

"Naturally, I don't have a high opinion of the war, but I am not personally invested in it, and I do not blame those who actually fought for the deaths and injuries that resulted." Seiko's eyes narrowed a bit herself and she sighed, wanting to be truthful to this person who only wanted her loved ones to be safe. "...I am not very fond of Luminary leadership, however. I... A few of my patients over the years have been refugees, and the picture they paint of their treatment...does not endear me to Prince Kaito's parents and predecessors, I must say."

Maki's hands clenched, though not in anger. Her eyes widened with slight...wonder as she said, 'Refugees?"

Seiko nodded, a little surprised that Maki didn't know. "Not a ton of them come to the capital, but every now and then we do get people seeking asylum from Luminary. Aiichi knows more than me, but from the patients I have had, it's not...the most uncommon thing for Luminary soldiers to defect and hide in Dicean border towns until they're considered missing in action. Then...they'd just live here."

"Others, runaways from what I gather, travel deeper into Dicea. Make a life for themselves here. Unfortunately..." She sighed a little bit, looking away in regret. "...I understand why many of them wouldn't want to seek out medical aid, but the refugee patients I've had often have waited until things were...quite dire before coming to my pharmacy."

Seiko paused there for a moment, debating something before saying tentatively. "...there...was something I observed in Shuuichi that...I don't think came from his addiction. And...with how afraid my patients have been..."

"...there's a brainwashing campaign in Luminary, isn't there."

Maki was...slightly shaking.

There were runners, of course. Of course. Of course not everyone put into the program was willing to just...let it happen to them. Trying to escape Luminary wasn't a new concept, by any means. They didn't just try for Dicea. They tried for Danganronpa and Novoselic, a few even tried for Kimigashine, though obviously that was the most difficult one. People with debts were the most usual type to try to run first, knowing what was coming and having time to prep and plan beforehand.

The second most usual type were, of course, orphans. Kids who were just old enough to start working out what kind of life was ahead of themselves, and brave enough, naive enough, to dream of better things for themselves. They ran in groups, usually between the ages of ten to thirteen, conspiring together, planning to protect each other, dreaming of their lives together once they made it across the borders.

...Maki, thankfully, wasn't the kind of assassin meant to go find groups like that. As a royal assassin, she was considered above such jobs. And because of that, every now and again, kids from the orphanage she visited would take her aside, and quietly, desperately, ask her for advice. The best ways to avoid the assassins. What to look for. Can you help us?

I can't, she'd tell them. Please don't do this, she'd say. You're not going to make it.

But...

Some kids couldn't be persuaded. They'd run anyway, regardless of what she said to them, so...because she had no specific orders on her saying she couldn't...she started to be able to recognize which kids couldn't be persuaded, and just did her best to give them advice. Rest during the day, run at night. Assassins were people too, they couldn't see in the dark any better than you can. Don't ask for help from civilians, stay away from all people, only one person has to betray you for you to be lost. If an assassin catches you, don't fight back, just surrender, their orders are to try to bring you back alive.

...a lot of those kids were brought back. Beaten, traumatized, but alive. And the ones who weren't...

...Maki had been told, over and over...that people never really made it past the borders. That if they weren't brought back, that was because they were buried wherever they were killed. She had...she had always hoped these were lies. Propaganda. Had always hoped some of them that she never saw again made it, but...b-but...

This was the first time it had ever been confirmed for her.

Maki smiled. Hands shaking. A slight burn in her eyes as she said, almost reverently, "Refugees...were any of them children? Any of the ones you helped? They...they may have changed their names to protect themselves, but do the names Kaliden, Siri, Michael, Ichiro, Tomo, Lidia, uh, oh my god, please, what was his name...Avarice! Calliope, Sidmund-"

Maki was interrupted from her desperate attempt to remember all the children who she had seen run over the last fifteen years and never heard from again by Dr. Kimura's question, having been asking the question quickly, frantically, before the doctor even had a chance to register what Maki was saying, and Maki frowned at this...

"Yes, of course," Maki said, calming herself. Pulling herself together. She still couldn't believe... "Luminary has been implementing and fine-tuning the Conditioning Program on Indentures for fifty years now. I was surprised when I got to Dicea and found it wasn't more common knowledge. There's four different types of general Conditioning an Indentured can be trained in by the Togami Corporation, who sell and run the training programs: Obedience conditioning is the most common one, but there's also Devotion, Compulsion, Emotional Conditioning. I've been trained in Obedience and Emotional...but don't assume that will mean I'll blindly obey anyone," Maki said, eyes narrowing slightly. "That's not how it works. I don't belong to just anyone. And I won't react kindly if you try to play any games with it..."

Seiko smiled gently and gave a slight nod, though there was something a little sad in her gaze. "...I promised to never give out their names, and while I believe you wouldn't use any information against them..." On purpose, anyway, but that was why she wasn't telling Maki straight out, "I have seen children as patients before, yes. And...as far as I am aware...they are safe."

Her smile faded, however, as Maki confirmed her observations. And it was replaced with barely repressed fury, her hands shaking in fists and teeth gritting under her mask. That a country would willfully, excitedly enslave their people, othering them, permanently damaging their mental states... She wanted to take them all on herself.

But that was not her role, so with a tense breath, Seiko tried to calm herself. "...you don't belong to anyone, Miss Harukawa. Not here, not anymore. ...I...I won't ask you to explain, but I'll do my best to be mindful to not trigger anything for you. In Shuuichi as well."

Maki nodded, considering the doctor for a moment before saying, "...Shuuichi has Compulsion and Obedience training. And, honestly, I'm not sure Obedience ever actually took? I think he only obeys for the same reason anyone in his position would have--because it was safer to. Not because he ever felt compelled to."

Knowing that this woman helped Luminary refugees...to imagine that perhaps she, herself, had maybe helped care for the children that Maki had been convinced, minutes before, were dead... she wanted to trust her. And, with how much she was going to be working with Shuuichi now...

Maki decided it might be better to explain how he worked to her.

"To be honest...Shuuichi was probably too smart for conditioning to ever do what it was supposed to. He thinks himself into circles, using logic that his conditioner never accounted for, and all that made all the conditioning used on him...sorta sporadic. He can convince himself to hold information back when directly asked by someone in his chain of command one second, and the next second, his anxiety will spike up and he starts telling himself that literally everyone else is his better, and is feeling compelled to give his information to all of them. That was the point of his compulsion training; the compulsion to give away any information to his betters that he felt they were entitled to, regardless if they directly ask him for it or not."

Maki sighed. "All of that to say...if you do trigger his commands, it's not always your fault. He could overhear you wondering something aloud to yourself, and if he knows something about it and is feeling a particular way about you, he'll go out of his way to inform you of everything he possibly knows about it. The only way we've worked out how to get him to stop doing it to you almost entirely is to get him to a place, mentally, where he never thinks you're better than him. It's the reason Kaito can say almost anything to him without accidentally triggering a command; Kaito spends almost all of their time together telling Shuuichi how amazing he is and bolstering his ego, and, yes, while it can absolutely get a bit excessive and silly sometimes," Maki somewhat complained, rolling her eyes, "it's also made it so that Shuuichi almost never feels lesser around Kaito...and it would be unrealistic to ask the same thing of you. Especially as someone who's going to be helping us with getting him back to normal...it's unrealistic to suggest that you'll never accidentally do it to him. His training was just too poorly done. It wouldn't be your fault, and you shouldn't beat yourself up about it."

Maki blinked, and then added in, "Unless, of course, I hear about you or witness you doing it on purpose, or for fun against him. Then you don't have to worry about beating yourself up for it. I will do it for you."

Seiko had to take a few more moments to rein in her anger, reminding herself that it wasn't helpful right now. Though...there was a vindictive part of her that wished they'd won the war and had been able to dismantle the whole thing. God. A corporation.

Nodding in understanding, Seiko cracked a bit of a smile at Maki's threat. "I will hold you to that, Miss Harukawa. While I have had to ask Shuuichi direct questions...after the first, I've...tried to ask them in a way that doesn't demand an answer...if that makes sense. It is difficult for him to want to tell me anything though, since I'm trying to get him off the spores and that's all he wants..."

"I...believe, though," she started slowly, "that being around you and Prince Kaito will likely help his mental state. While it is rightfully scary, I've gotten the impression that he thinks his body is..." Seiko struggled to find the right word for a moment, "unfavorable? And that he's not good for much other than sex. It seems like Prince Kaito is already accustomed to cheering Shuuichi up, but...just being around friends, people who love him, will likely be a big help. Though...anyone going through withdrawals can be rather ornery, as a warning."

Maki sighed. "Yeah...I saw some of that this morning. He's very upset with me that I won't allow him to go seek out Nao for his dose and...other things," she said, running a hand over her temples, massaging what felt like the beginnings of a headache. "It's...extremely uncomfortable seeing him in that state. He woke up this morning notably hard. I'm actually not sure how he's managed to hide it in his pants? And when I told him he couldn't leave to go find her, he..."

She massaged her temple some more, just...frowning. "It's extremely strange, to see him look at me with lust. Me and him basically grew up together, I have...complicated feelings for him. Or, maybe, uncomplicated feelings? Sex has just...never been a factor in our relationship, and yet now he's looking at me like he can...just barely contain himself from saying things that we'd both regret and...I don't know how to feel about it. Or...I feel sick. And I feel like everything I say and do around him now is only making it worse? He said this morning that...he once was really out of it and he thought Nao was me and...he'd be okay with that, if I ever wanted to and..."

Maki started to pull her hair. Something frustrated and angry in her face. "I wanted to scream at him. I hate this. I want my Shuuichi back, and not this...person wearing his face and...and is this just it? Is he going to be like this forever?" Maki asked the doctor, something stressed and afraid finally bleeding through her apathetic, menacing glare.

Seiko carefully listened to Maki, her sentiments at least not the first time she'd heard such things. Whether from a natural chemical imbalance or a substance-induced one...it was difficult to see your loved ones barely hold any resemblance to who they once were.

"He's still here," she said quietly, sadly. "Shuuichi is ill...and it's my job to heal ill people. His condition isn't one I've ever encountered, so I can't give you any certainty...but I am working on a way to bring him back. If I can figure out the right agents and the right balance of his hormones and neurotransmitters... If I can stop the constant connections of despair and arousal..."

Seiko trailed off, her mind back in the lab before she refocused in the present. "Apologies. But...he needs help more than ever right now. Even if he acts different, he's still the same person. And knowing that he has all these people helping him is going to be a great comfort down the line."

Maki listened to this, tugging at her hair some more...before recollecting herself. Feel your feelings later. Be who you need to be right now. They're counting on you.

"Of course. I'm sorry for panicking," Maki said, lowering her hands into her lap as she considered the woman again, saying, "Thank you for your patience. Is there anything else you need from me for this checkup?"

"They're very real fears, Miss Harukawa." Seiko looked at the young woman kindly, wanting to make sure she was actually taking care of all her patients. "While Shuuichi needs all of you, it will do nobody any favors to push too hard and burn yourself out. If you feel yourself starting to get too frustrated, well, it's a good thing you two have people looking out for you. I...understand the need for caution...but there are also many people who just want to help."

Letting Maki look over the notes Seiko had taken during their session, she shook her head. "That's it for now. If there's anything you think of later that you would like to bring up, please do not hesitate. Am I seeing Tim next? I told this to Prince Kokichi and Prince Kaito, but if he would like anyone to sit in during his checkup that's perfectly fine."

Maki nodded, saying, "I'd prefer to sit in on his checkup, yes. Partly to keep an eye on things, but also...I have to tell you, Tim is a little...reserved. Around Diceans. Please don't take offense if he comes across as suspicious of you. It's a work in progress."

Standing up and bowing, slightly, towards the doctor, she went to the door and opened it up, looking out to see both Tim and Shuuichi still where she left them. Shuuichi was half asleep and Tim was reading some sort of magazine that apparently one the healers had brought him, though he looked up when she opened the door. "My turn, Miss Harukawa?" he asked, putting down the magazine on the chair next to him.

"Yes, though, give me one moment," Maki said, heading out to the main room and grabbing a healer, telling them that she needed someone to sit with Shuuichi while herself and Tim went back into the examination room. The healer she grabbed nodded and followed her back, taking a seat next to him, Shuuichi just barely glancing at the gentleman before sighing, returning to trying to sleep. "Alright, come on Tim."

Then, thinking about it...she may as well give him the option. "I don't have to sit in on your check up with you if you don't want me to. If there's something with the doctor you'd like to talk about without me there, it's okay. I'll wait outside."

Tim looked up at her, alarmed. "She's Dicean, isn't she?"

Maki nodded.

Tim bit his lip, looking suddenly nervous...before shaking his head. "No, I...what if she-"

"She won't hurt you, either way," Maki said...fairly certain this was true. She had helped Luminary refugees. Certainly she...wouldn't take out any anger on a child...even a soldier...probably. "But even if she wanted to, I wouldn't let her."

Well, that uncertainty was why Maki was sitting in, wasn't it. Trust but verify. No one was taking anything out on Tim while Maki was around.

Tim seemed a little more at ease with the declaration, and followed closely behind Maki as they went back in, though, when Maki closed the door behind them, he immediately went to her hip, staring at the doctor suspiciously from slightly behind her.

"Tim, this is Dr. Kimura. She's going with us on the trip this week, and she's the person we'll be taking you to anytime you don't feel well," Maki told her charge, turning to the doctor and saying, partly for Tim's sake, "Dr. Kimura, this is Timothy Green. He was a trained Luminary War Drummer, and was considered the best in his field. It takes a lot of responsibility, patience, and bravery to become a war drummer, so I expect he'll be a good patient to you." She hoped that stroking his ego might make him feel a little more confident in this situation, while also setting her expectations.

Ah... Even more of a reason to vet her, then. While she didn't think there were many adults, at least in the capital, that would start a fight with a child...there were other ways of performing violence. Bowing her head in greeting, Seiko offered the boy a gentle smile. "Hello, Timothy--it's nice to meet you. As Miss Harukawa said, my name is Seiko Kimura, and I run a pharmacy in town. It sounds like your credentials are more impressive than mine, though."

"I am going to be checking over your health and asking you about it today. However, if there's anything you don't feel comfortable doing, or a question you don't want to answer, please tell me and I will stop. It's okay to not know an answer, too."

Getting up, Seiko showed both the boy and his caretaker her--sanitized from Maki's use, of course--thermometer. "If you are ready to get started, may I take your temperature? Some people run hot or cold, and it's helpful to know what your healthy temperature is so, if you do get sick, we can figure it out quickly."

Timothy didn't say much to the strange, white-haired woman, but his shoulders did square slightly and he puffed out his chest a bit at both her and Maki's compliments, and, though he kept glancing at Miss Harukawa for assurance, he was convinced to hoist himself up onto the table and, his little, thin legs bouncing slightly against its edge, he allowed his temperature to be taken, his pulse to be counted, and quietly started to answer questions as they came.

It was going fairly smoothly, but he got a little tense when he realized she was going to check inside his ears, moving backwards and widening his eyes as she tried to go around his head. He didn't actually remember this, but when he was five, he had sassed a healer doing a checkup on him in the orphanage, and the healer, in turn, had pushed the otoscope into his ear and then popped his hand against the side of it, causing Tim to hear a ringing sound for the next two days. Ever since, it made him nervous to have anyone messing around with his ears, and he started to feel his heart rate go up when she approached him with the same tool.

He didn't tell her to stop. Just urgently looked over at Miss Harukawa and started to fidget on the table, gritting his teeth and wanting to lash out.

“Timothy?” Maki said, furrowing her brow and recognizing the start of him getting fussy, “Everything alright?”

He didn't answer, embarrassed. Just nodded tensely and waited.

Seiko stopped, recognizing discomfort, and she tried to think of a way to give Timothy an alternative without hurting his pride. She could just use a penlight to look in his ears, though that wouldn't allow her to see his drum...

Going back around to his front, Seiko offered him the otoscope. "It can be uncomfortable to have stuff sticking into your ears, huh. In general...that's a good thing! It means the cilia, these millions of little hairs in your ear, are doing their job. They're very sensitive, and sense vibrations in both your body and the air to help you hear and keep your balance. They also keep dust out of your ears, making sure they don't get blocked up."

"To make sure I don't make things more uncomfortable than they need to be, would you like to hold the otoscope in your ear, Timothy? Then I'll tell you what I see inside." She offered him another smile as she held the tool out, not pushing it towards him, but keeping it within reach.

Timothy eyed her warily, looking for the trick...before nodding. "...yeah, okay," he said, taking the tool from her hand, before looking curiously at it. It was heavier then it looked, and he liked the feel of the metal. Also, it was kinda cool looking, when you actually got a chance to look at it.

Holding it carefully in his ear, he waited for the doctor to finish looking through his ear, listening to her as she explained everything she saw to him in simple, pleasant language, before doing it for the other one as well. It wasn't as freaky holding it himself, and some of the stuff she saw sounded delightfully weird... but he was still glad when it was done, and was happy to give it back.

Maki relaxed, leaning back into the wall. Dr. Kimura seemed to have it under control.

The checkup went about as well as it could for a nervous child. Seiko never touched Tim without permission--something she did for all her patients--and would slow down to explain things and offer alternatives every time he seemed hesitant. If he didn't want to answer a question, she didn't press, and didn't try to ask the same thing in a different way, simply moving on to the next.

Thankfully, Timothy had gone through physicals in the military, so he did have answers for general health questions. For his genetic history, though...it only took a few before Seiko stopped asking any of those questions. It didn't matter too much--just a note to make to keep an eye out for any possible ailment in the future.

As the checkup was winding down, Seiko thanked him for his patience and offered up her notes as she did for all the others. "If you have any questions for me, not even related to your health directly, I will always do my best to answer them for you. Bodies are very weird and if you didn't want to search through a medical encyclopedia for a quick answer, I'd be happy to answer everything I can, Tim."

Tim nodded. He felt a little more comfortable around the doctor now than he had at the beginning, but...she was still a Dicean, so he didn't say much until he was allowed to take himself off the table, remembering his manners as he turned to the doctor and bowed low, saying quietly, "Thank you, Dr. Kimura," before running over to Miss Harukawa as he asked her, "Am I done?"

Maki glanced over at the doctor for confirmation, before nodding, "Yes. The rest of the day is yours, but as usual, be sure to check in with me before dinner, and check in with Miss Kawai after lunch. And don't let me hear about Chase peeing where she's not supposed to. It's not the housekeepers’ jobs to clean up after her, understand?"

Tim rolled his eyes. "Yesss, Miss Harukawaaaaa."

Honestly, the sass on this boy. She thought about scolding him, but, well, he had handled the doctor visit well, so she let it go, watching him run off before turning to Seiko. "You ready to see Shuuichi? I'm...assuming I don't have to sit in for his. That you'll inform all of us if there's something we need to know?" she said, not certain how much of his privacy she should be trying to poke into at this point. She felt weird trying to manage him like she did Tim, but...he might need her to do it. All of this was still too new to her, and she didn't know how controlling he needed her to be right now.

Seiko smiled to herself, catching the sweet interaction as she started disinfecting her tools once more. These were a close bunch--they'd be okay. They could make it through this and anything in the future...she could feel it. Or, that may just be unfounded optimism, but...she wanted it to be true.

"It's not necessary for you to be here, so, unless he wants you to be, you're free to go as well. For as unenthusiastic as he is," Seiko rolled her eyes, "Shuuichi has cooperated with me so far. As long as he takes what I prescribe him, I can deal with being told to fall down the stairs."

Seiko paused there, remembering what she'd found out about the fungus... and she looked back up to Maki with some mild concern. "I think it would be best if someone was here to see him after the checkup, however. I...have a theory I would like to ask him about, and, if he's willing and it's right... He may need some comfort."

"Oh, b-but, it's not that he's terminal or anything!" she quickly amended, realizing how her words could be taken. "A-and it's just a guess, really, but...it may be upsetting to him."

Fall down the stairs? That example was too specific to not be a literal one...Maki sighed. It was so bizarre to hear about him acting like that...bizarre to see him acting like that. But...it probably wouldn't be forever, and...if it was...

She loved Shuuichi. Who he was. She...she could love who he would be. She'd make this work.

"I'll wait outside then," she said. "Though, take your time. I don't have anywhere to be, and I'm used to being in one place for a long time," she assured, before heading outside to fetch her friend.

Shuuichi looked up warily at her as he was roused, saying quietly, "Is she...gonna give me my dose?"

"I don't believe so," Maki said, nodding in gratitude towards the healer who had stayed with him, who got up to continue working on what he had been taken away from before, now that he was apparently no longer needed. "But I expect you to be cooperative, Shuuichi. We're going to work out the issues of your 'doses' and all of that at lunch. Just be patient."

Shuuichi scowled at this. She didn't know what she was asking of him. She couldn't understand what it was like. Everything in him needed his dose. His body was aching, and his head hurt, and he was so fucking tired...all of this on top of being unbearably horny, his body sweating, his ass still gushing along, slicking his tucked, throbbing cock that...just made him want to squirm around on top of it in his chair, stimulate himself a little. His ring wasn't on, as he hadn't had an opportunity to go back and get it since he took it off to masturbate in the window, and it felt...weird to not have it on. Like he might nut himself any second.

Also, in a weird way, he kept worrying he'd forget himself and accidentally piss his pants, now that he didn't feel the hold of the ring anymore. He...didn't think he'd actually do either of those things, because he had a hard enough time orgasming when he wanted to right now and a week with a cock ring on wasn't enough to make him forget basic toilet training but...it still felt weird.

He missed Miss Nao. He wished she'd come see him soon. Didn't she want to?

As Maki took a seat outside, Shuuichi got up, heading inside and, with a sigh, closed the door behind him. "Hello, Dr. Kimura," Shuuichi said miserably.

"Hello, Shuuichi," Seiko greeted back, not without sympathy, though she was well aware that she could not be as kind to him as she could be with the others. "I heard about your symptoms from the medicine I gave you before--I'm truly sorry about that. It had not seemed like something that was likely to happen, but well... I'll keep it in mind. I want to help you feel better; not blitz you out of your mind."

Gesturing to the chairs and bed, giving Shuuichi the option to sit if he so desired, Seiko showed him the chart she'd prepared ahead of time, more filled in than it was for anyone but Kokichi. "If you would allow me, I'd like to take your vitals today, but I cannot perform a general wellness checkup since...this isn't your usual state. In addition to that..."

He might refuse. She didn't want to force him, and in another case, it would be fine to go without double-checking. But...if she was right, this was important for him to know.

Giving him a slightly tired, pleading look, she sighed. "I would like to do a more thorough examination of your abdomen today. Non-intrusive, I would only press on you from the outside, and I will stop if you feel any pain, but...there's something I want to make sure of..."

Shuuichi wrapped his arms around himself, closing his eyes. He...didn't really want to say yes. He wanted his fucking dose is what he wanted. Or, either that or to go to sleep. He'd really like to go back to sleep. He was so tired...and he didn't like where her head was at. Remembered what Miss Nao had said to him yesterday, about the 'good doctor' having a...having a theory and...

...didn't wanna know didn't wanna know...

...but fuck he was also so horny, and he opened his eyes, face flushing red as he looked at her hands, something shivering down his spine. "...will you touch my skin?" he asked, just...desperately wanting that.

No one would touch him! Why wouldn't anyone touch him??? He just wanted to be touched...wanted to be held, to be held down, to be fucked, why wouldn't anyone fuck him??! Fuck, please, he just wanted to be a good whore, just wanted to be filled, he wanted it so badly, please, please...

Seiko sighed deeply. It was probably a good idea Maki didn't choose to stick around--even if it wasn't directed at her, it would probably still be uncomfortable to see family acting like this.

"Yes...I will be touching your skin," Seiko said with a tired look. "But I will not be bringing you to orgasm, Shuuichi. This is a medical examination." She could just stop there, but...she could take some pity on him. "At lunch, myself, your friends, and Miss Umezaki will be discussing the best plan for your care--you are welcome to join, Shuuichi, and while we will not be able to grant all your wishes, if we can find a plan that will address your needs in a way you find acceptable as well, that would be ideal."

"I am not promising anything, but we may decide on a schedule for Miss Umezaki to continue tending to you."

May? May!?

...They may decide to schedule...

"...W-what, like...by committee?" Shuuichi said, a frustrated, twisted smile spreading across his face as he felt his heart break a little further, curling his arms tighter around himself as his cock pulsed and ached beneath him. "E-everyone I know is just gonna...s-sit down and discuss my and Miss Nao's relationship, huh? What, decide by vote w-when she's gonna be allowed to play with her whore? Are you g-gonna vote on how often Kaito gets to bite Kokichi's neck next? What positions they're allowed to take? Kaito choked Kokichi once, ya know, you all going to decide on that next?? ...it feels really good to be choked. Itch choked me a bit...it was nice..." Shuuichi said, suddenly distracted from his anger, thinking back to yesterday, his gaze relaxing into a happy haze.

He indulged that memory for a little while, before shaking himself out of it. Suddenly just...sad and tired and embarrassed as he muttered, "Sure, whatever, do whatever you want. Poke my stomach and then later today decide on my sex life. Sure."

In any other situation, something like this would be...incredibly abusive. But they were in the situation where Shuuichi had a symbiotic parasite that could potentially drive him to kill himself, so... ...it still wasn't fair. But they needed to be clear and open and figure out the best way to keep Shuuichi safe.

He was lashing out, but Seiko still frowned as the detective aired out someone else's actual sex life, something...that she got the impression Prince Kokichi didn't want anyone to know about. She felt a small impulse to intervene...but that was a different situation. The princes could manage their relationship privately, and...neither of their lives were in danger from it, as far as she could tell from their checkups.

"I'm sorry, Shuuichi," Seiko murmured as she began the checkup, taking his vitals and filling in what he would answer about his health. Getting a better description of what the first version of the anti-despair medicine did to him...okay, she could account for that in the next version. Again she mentioned a steady diet and exercise, especially after discovering the difference between his weight when he'd come to Dicea and his current weight, and...Seiko wasn't sure that it stuck in his brain any more than it had when she mentioned it hypothetically before.

Then...it was time. Motioning for him to lie down on the examination bed, she asked, "Please lift your shirt to your chest, if that's comfortable."

Nothing was comfortable. Ever. All the time.

...but he did it. Bringing his shirt up to just below the small rise of flesh that...were small, underdeveloped breasts. He didn't like to think about his chest. Out of all the body changes he was going through, those made him the most panicked. He didn't like...he didn't like what they implied about him. Didn't like to think about it.

It...it was scary...

And because she was looking for signs of that same...terrifying thought, Shuuichi felt himself tremble as he felt the first press.

He wasn't trying to make her uncomfortable, but her touch prompted a small gasp from him, and something...keen and eager, humming out from the back of his throat, as his hips ever so slightly lifted towards her. The warmth of her fingers felt good...and the small presses made him want her to push harder against him. To bruise him...he wanted her to touch him more...

Though he wasn't looking at her, embarrassed at his own reaction to such small stimulus...he couldn't help but murmur, "I really like your hands...and your wrists. Thin, pale wrists...I've always thought they were pretty..."

Seiko just blocked out Shuuichi's sounds, a far cry from her usual examinations. Normally she paid close attention to the body language of her patients, stopping immediately even for something as simple as being ticklish. For this...any amount of contact would provoke a response, and...if anything felt painful, it would sooner get Shuuichi to moan than flinch.

It was incredibly uncomfortable, but she was a healer. She could deal with it.

Seiko started at his hips, noting...yeah. It wasn't just that his weight had settled there--his pelvis itself had widened. She then worked her way up, feeling his tightened abdominals, the kind of feedback she'd expect from intestines, kidneys, and...

She gritted her teeth at the comments on her hands and brought the buds of her stethoscope into her ears, warming the plate before placing it just around Shuuichi's belly button. Normal...his large intestine was...oddly quiet, but...hmmm...

Seiko pressed around the area a little more, her brow furrowing as she tried to parse out the...odd bit of spring back where there shouldn't be any.

On someone who didn't have a uterus, anyway.

Shuuichi stared at the wall in frustration...this was awful. He didn't want her to stop, but she wasn't...doing enough and...he didn't like the places she was touching, which, of course just made him more aroused for how uncomfortable he felt...he wished Maki was in here. Maybe if...if she could see how nice his skin looked...the good sounds he made at just the smallest little touches, maybe she'd...I mean, if she wanted him to share a bed with her, they might as well...

...Maki please, please...Kaito, Maki, if no one was going to touch him, then couldn't he just be with Miss Nao? He needed this, they didn't understand, he was going crazy...why wasn't anyone helping him...???

Shuuichi felt his eyes start to sting with frustrated tears, shivering harder as he muttered, "Y-you're...s-such a t-tease, Seiko...it's not f-fair...why doesn't anyone want me?"

No, no. That wasn't true...Bear had wanted him...Bear had said he was perfect...

But Maki had scared him and all his scary, wonderful friends away...he'd never get another chance...

Shuuichi felt a small sob run through him. Just so fucking frustrated...

Bringing the stethoscope away, Seiko looked over Shuuichi with pity. It wasn't fair...and...she had a feeling this type of thought hadn't come about only because of the spores. ...though, it was certainly exacerbated by it.

...if what she was feeling really was a womb, then...Shuuichi was likely in heat. Or, more accurately, was ready to be pollinated. Other than linking stressors to pleasure, everything else that had been happening to his body...it looked to Seiko like it was preparing him to have a baby.

The constant arousal, the increased ease of penetration, his widened pelvis and extra fat deposits, his developing breasts and production of nectar, not milk... The fungus was...trying mammalian reproduction. Seiko honestly didn't know how to fathom that, but...

...Shuuichi would likely feel better if he was impregnated--his body and mind would stop driving him to have intercourse. But...even aside of having a child, he likely would be right back at square one once his body recovered from the pregnancy. Maybe...step one was just trying to prevent his...blooming, so to speak. If he didn't need to be "pollinated", then his arousal responses would stop and...

Hmm...

Humming quietly, Seiko stepped away from Shuuichi to give him his space, offering him a quiet apology. "I...think I may have a new idea of how to help you feel better. We can discuss it at the lunch, and... You are wanted, Shuuichi. A lot of people love and care about you. And that's why they're not touching you right now. Please...just hold out a little longer."

Shuuichi was simultaneously relieved and so, so disappointed when she was finally finished, lowering his shirt reluctantly back over his skin and sitting up, just staring at her miserably as she tried to reassure him.

...look, he knew he was being ridiculous. He knew it. His friends weren't trying to hurt him by denying him sex...but they were hurting him. It hurt, how badly he needed it. It was all he could think about. Like a god damned fire in his head. He wanted to lash out. He wanted to take off all his clothes and just start offering himself person to person. Maybe he'd find Takashi and just offer himself...or f-fucking hold him down and push himself inside of him and on top of him and just choke him if he screams and-

Stop! Stop!

When his thoughts went down that road, that's when Shuuichi fought hardest against the lust. He didn't...he didn't like that he liked those thoughts. He didn't want to be that kind of person. He didn't like how often Kokichi came to mind when the thoughts got darker, just because he was small and likely couldn't fight back. Didn't like imagining pinning down Kaito's arm in such a way that if Kaito pulled or pushed him away, he'd hurt himself instead, and Shuuichi could do as he liked and...

He didn't want this. He didn't want this. He didn't like the way the lust turned him cruel and vicious and twisted. That's why it was best with Miss Nao. She...he couldn't imagine hurting her. Couldn't even imagine trying. Too big, too strong, too much, she was too much, terrifying...

He loved her so much. Where was she??

...maybe he should throw himself out a window again...

"Are we done?" Shuuichi muttered, staring down at his feet. Tired. "Can I go now?"

"You can go, Shuuichi," Seiko sighed. Looking over at the young man, just...wishing she could help him now...or, fuck, even when he had first walked into her pharmacy... But there was no changing the past. Only the future. "I'll see you at lunch?"

She half didn't even expect a response, and started wiping down her tools once again.

-

Kokichi was...well, not quite asleep, but not quite awake. Dozing in a sort of half-in-half-out state. And, in that state, as was his favorite thing to do, he shuffled towards the warmth of his husband, seeking out cuddles with an unintelligible grumble.

Kaito had finally finished that book.

The ending had been...kind of bittersweet. In the end, all of the main characters had gotten, at the very least somewhat, what they had originally set out to get...but you left the book knowing that the world was kinda worse off for it. The femme-fatale found her father, who was crippled by the attacks against him, but survived, and gave the family business to her...so that she could go on to be an even more viscous crime boss than he was. The detective solved the case, and was now an official consulting detective to the police due to the mayor's influence, who finally got to meet her daughter and wanted to pay the detective back for reuniting them...but the detective was corrupt and now dating a crime boss and his influence on future cases would likely lead to them never being solved, or at least not without framing an innocent person. And the sword-swinging vigilante protecting his daughter...his influence on the town around him was just going to make things worse for everyone that wasn't his kid, and even then, his kid was already showing signs of growing up to be just as cruel and selfish as her father used to be...

...all in all, yeah. Kind of a downer.

Kaito rested the book against his chest, just sorta thinking about it all and trying to decide if he had liked it or not, when he felt Kokichi shift next to him, reaching out to be closer to him. Accommodatingly, Kaito put the book aside, before turning over on his side, pulling Kokichi into himself and kissing the top of his head as he whispered, "You waking up, babe?"

Kokichi groaned a little more and snuggled against Kaito, quiet for a few moments before he let go of a light sigh. "M'yeah... Time's it? D'I need m' next dose...?"

Usually every time he woke up he had to take more, but...he'd been all kinds of screwed up, schedule-wise. After getting so worked up the day before...he wasn't sure what his body was doing. It was frustrating, but...there was nothing he could do about it except rest and take his medicine.

Noting that they were in their bed and not in the med bay... Kokichi blinked his eyes open, looking up at Kaito with sleepy affection. "Oh... Did your checkup go well? I didn't miss our meeting, did I?"

"No, no, we have, like, a little less than an hour still, it's okay," Kaito said, running his thumb slightly under Kokichi's eye, wiping away some of the sleep crust that had fallen from the corner of his eye, before leaning down and kissing him on the cheek. "My checkup was fine. Seiko says I run a little hotter than the average person, but when I told her how much I eat and workout, she said it made sense. Otherwise, everything was normal. Give me one second, I'll go get your tea."

Kaito pulled himself away from Kokichi, getting up and out of bed, grabbing the pot that the healer from the night before had set up. In practiced, familiar movements, (the only unfamiliar thing being that the tea wasn't set up on the vanity desk. There was no vanity desk now. A folding table had been brought up to compensate) he poured the tea, brought the cup to the nightstand, gently re-positioned Kokichi to be sitting up against the pillows, and then, "How do your arms feel, 'Kichi? Do you want me to just hold some of the weight, or would it be better if I just let you sip from it?"

"Good..." he mumbled, both to having time before the meeting and Kaito being checked off for good health. Since Maki and Kaito were placing so much faith in him as being the deciding factor in Shuuichi's health plan, oh man, he really wanted to be fully awake for that. While he didn't think a bad plan would go through with everyone else contributing...it was better to just give Shuuichi his best.

And, for Kaito's health... "I was worried, since you had to have an IV last night... Like...I know you're not anemic like me, and you know how to care for bloodletting...but I still worry. I'm just glad Kai-chan is okay," he decided, yawning a bit.

Kokichi flexed his hands gently, judging his strength. Comparatively to how he usually felt after collapsing, he actually felt a lot better. Nodding to himself, Kokichi lifted his arms to take the cup, not shaking, though he probably would start at some point. "Steady me? I think I've got it."

"On it," Kaito said cheerfully, keeping his hand on the base of the cup as Kokichi grabbed it, following his movements and just easing the weight slightly without fully holding it for him. As he drank, Kaito grinned sheepishly as he said, "Yeah, I...maybe overdid it with worship yesterday. Too many cuts. I knew I was overdoing it when it happened, but, ya know...was feeling pretty passionate in the moment. Got all caught up in it. But! I'll be better about it next time. And now my shrine is looking preeetty authentic. I'm going to put my posters up next and it'll be perfect!"

"Maki stopped by a few hours ago. Said her and Tim's checkups went fine, but I guess Shuuichi...started crying or something...apparently it's been a rough morning," Kaito said, his grin falling away, concern clear on his face. "I think it's a good thing we're doing this at lunch and not later. Based on the way Maki was talking, Shuuichi's not handling waiting for his pollen well."

Also, he apparently wasn't handling waiting for...others things well either. Maki said she had gotten into a semi-fight with him after the check-up, and now she was confining him to her room until the lunch meeting. He had apparently been talking suggestively to her all morning, and Maki had finally just gotten frustrated and told him to stop, and he had...started crying more...

...fuck Kaito didn't even know where to begin with all that...

...Kokichi didn't want to think about what an "authentic" shrine looked like, but, unlike the state of Luminary...that was something he could safely let slide, he thought. After all...there were people that worshiped Atua in Dicea, and they didn't have the same problems, so it wasn't an issue of the religion itself. He just hoped Kaito would take it easier in the future.

"I'm sorry we couldn't get the room ready earlier..." Kokichi mumbled between sips, knowing that they couldn't have anticipated this, not without more frequent correspondence from Luminary, but...he had promised Kaito his shrine before. Sure, there had been...quite a lot of other things going on, but still. It was a reminder to act more promptly. "Maybe we'll see some cool inspiration on the trip and I can draw the rest of the saints you want me to in a really special way."

And...maybe in a less...horny style.

Finishing up his tea, Kokichi sighed sadly, hearing of Shuuichi's condition. "...do you think Shuu-chan would want to spend time with us...or...you guys this afternoon? I don't think being alone would be very kind to him right now..."

Kaito put the cup aside, giving Kokichi a soft smile before leaning in to kiss him chastely on the lips. "It's alright. There wasn't really anything that needed to be done with it. And I like the canvases. Made the walls soft and cozy. I kinda want to keep them."

Running his hand through Kokichi's hair a bit, trying to tame some of the more wild curls at the moment, sticking up on all ends, Kaito murmured, "We're not gonna leave him alone...Maki's in the room with him right now, she just...said she didn't feel comfortable letting him be around other people right now. Said he'd probably say something he'd be ashamed of later..."

"Though, maybe it might just be me with him after lunch," Kaito admitted, dropping his hand back in his lap with a sigh. "I think Maki needs a break...and...again, she says Shuuichi's having kind of a rough day, and I'm...not sure if I want him around you right now. He's struggling to not hit on everyone around him, and I don't want him to make you feel uncomfortable, 'Kichi. I'm starting to think the librarian had a point. Yesterday he ran off into town because she hadn't shown up, and now today he's acting aggressive and...it's just such a dramatic difference."

Kokichi smiled into the kiss, giving his husband a fond, affectionate look. It was difficult to let himself believe it sometimes, but...Kokichi really loved how much Kaito loved him. How Kaito actually seemed to like him and enjoy his company, loved hearing him tell lies, and called him cute, and made Kokichi feel attractive, and...just so many warm things that Kokichi had never felt before. Love.

And, while he'd come to care about Maki and Shuuichi himself, knowing how much Kaito loved them too just made Kokichi want to be able to take care of them even more.

Kokichi sighed a bit but nodded. "I'd still like to give Shuu-chan company...but if I can't, let him know that I still care a lot about him, alright? When it won't freak him out...I wanna give Shuu-chan a big hug and laugh with him that everything's over with. And he can ramble on about whatever he's interested in and it's for sure gonna be fascinating because it's Shuu-chan, and I'll wanna listen to every word."

"Things kinda suck right now...but there's always the opportunity for things to get better if you can hold out for it." Kokichi looked down to his hands for a moment before looking back up at Kaito with a smile. "Let him know all that, okay? Shuu-chan isn't alone in this."

"Let's see how things go during lunch, yeah?" Kaito said, giving Kokichi an adoring, if somewhat uncomfortable grin. "If he can pull it together for lunch, then we can all hang out and you can tell him all those nice things yourself. If...he's still struggling to control himself, again, I'd personally rather you be focusing on your own recovery. We have a big trip coming up, after all!"

Kaito found himself fussing with Kokichi's clothes, having taken off his pants for him to help him sleep more comfortably, but leaving his shirt on him. Now he was just idly readjusting the collar of Kokichi's shirt, moving it forward so it wasn't pressing against his neck, unwinding one of his sleeves from the ball it had twisted in during Kokichi's sleep. He was fussing, taking out his general worry for everything going on by focusing on Kokichi.

Let's see...he had already bathed this morning. Tea was done. Lunch was coming up. He'd need to put clothes back on but that could wait till he was ready to get out of bed and start heading downstairs...

He was so worried about everything and just wanted to focus on making someone else feel good for a little while. The world was an easier place to understand, to navigate, when you were just focusing on the momentary happiness of the person in front of you. And Kaito liked to make Kokichi happy. So, forgetting his self-imposed rules of only doing things when Kokichi initiated them first, forgetting, for a moment, his guilt, Kaito leaned in and kissed Kokichi again, this time less chaste. A longer kiss, tasting Kokichi, offering himself as he placed his hands on Kokichi's hips.

When he broke the kiss, he opened his mouth to tell Kokichi how beautiful he thought he was, how much he loved him, and instead said, "I'm sorry for how hard everything's been lately."

His own smile dampened a bit at that. It...was probably a lot easier to take care of others when you weren't in danger of passing out from stress. Kokichi obviously would never ask Shuuichi to hide his discomfort...but that didn't mean he'd be okay being around it. Hopefully Shuuichi would be in a place to receive comfort.

Kokichi gave Kaito a soft look, though, as he started fussing over his clothes. With most other people, Kokichi would be asking them to stop or batting their hands away, but...he knew this was more for Kaito's comfort than his. If Kaito needed something small to feel productive with...he knew which lines not to cross.

And which things to hell yeah, definitely do. Kokichi hummed happily at the kiss, immediately joining in and placing his hands around Kaito's face gently. That was one of the new things, he'd found, that he hated recovery time for. Making out, getting a little handsy... The other day in the tub had been wonderful, and...he hoped that getting their own room at wherever they stayed would be an option.

But it wasn't a full escape. Sighing, Kokichi ran his thumbs across Kaito's cheekbones. "Thank you, but none of this has been Kai-chan's fault. Sometimes, it's all we can do to hold on while life throws bullshit at us, but Kai-chan has a very strong grip."

With a bit of a wink, Kokichi giggled softly before just looking at Kaito affectionately. "We'll make it through everything. All of us. Because Kai-chan has chosen to care, and that's the most powerful act anyone can choose."

"Hmmm," Kaito hummed, considering Kokichi's pretty words. It was always a little funny, when Kokichi started to talk like that. The flowery, careful phrases. Kaito was never really sure what to make of them. He had never known anyone who talked like that before, and he was never sure...what he was meant to say to them.

The Luminary Prince couldn't help but think they sounded like things King Aiichi would say...he wondered if Kokichi knew that about himself? How much he sounded like his father, sometimes. Maybe he wouldn't mind. Kokichi had told him once that just because he had this, like, thing with the king, didn't mean he disagreed with the things he taught. Or, something like that.

Maybe Kaito could try spinning one of those phrases himself? Hmmm...ha, no. Even just playing around with it in his head, he could already feel himself stumbling over words, subconsciously adding in 'likes' and 'uh's and 'fucking', all the little placeholders he littered in his sentences to give himself time to think of what he was going to say next, never thinking through his words before he started speaking. It was an impressive skill to have, but Kaito couldn't imagine himself ever gaining it.

Which was fine. It was just a difference in responsibilities between the two of them. Someday, Kokichi would say things, and his entire kingdom would listen carefully, taking his cues for how to act in their day to day lives. Trusting that he knew what he was talking about. Someone like that had to consider their words carefully.

Someone like Kaito? Well...so long as he didn't say anything too awful around his husband, or embarrass him in any way...it'd all work out. Kokichi would do amazing things, and Kaito would get to be there to witness, to support.

It would be really cool, someday, to watch Kokichi say those things into a crowd of people. Kaito couldn't wait to see it.

"Thanks, 'Kichi," Kaito whispered, kissing his future king again. Enjoying the feeling of his small, thin hands against the side of his face. "Is there anything you need? Anything you want, before we have to go downstairs and do, like, all the responsible things?"

"Well, I'd have to assume you're gonna help me put my pants back on before we go down," Kokichi teased with something of a laugh lilting on his words. "But, other than that....hmm, anything I want..."

He was pretty comfortable, actually. Sure there was an ache and heaviness in his body that came with having a relapse, there was no way he was going to be able to walk on his own, but, taking all of that into account? Comfy. Warm and loved and doted on in a way that didn't feel stifling.

Kokichi gave his husband another teasing smile. "How about another kiss? That's the greatest thing I could ask for right now, anyway."

"Pffff," Kaito snickered, giving his husband an amused grin, "You're going to give me a big head, you know that? At your word, your grace. C'mere, babe." Kaito laughed, leaning in to kiss Kokichi some more, snaking his hand behind his back, running his hand up and down Kokichi's back, pressing his fingers into a slight massage against Kokichi's back muscles.

As he pressed and nipped at his lips, enjoying the smell and taste and faint heat of his wet tongue against his own, Kaito capturing it every other kiss, enjoying playing with it, he ran his hand under Kokichi's shirt, running his fingers lightly Kokichi's spine, looking for knots in the muscles and running little soothing circles to loosen them as he stole the occasional breath from Kokichi's lips.

"Can I pull you into my lap?" Kaito asked, breaking the kisses for a moment, pressing his lips lightly up and down Kokichi's neck. God, he really did love touching there. Loved those firm neck muscles, bending against Kaito's pressure, warm and tasty and causing little shivers in his lover’s body...there was a reason Kaito focused so much on that spot. He loved feeling the way Kokichi's body moved around it.

"There are worse things to have an ego over." For every nip and playful swipe, Kokichi was right there to throw one back, occasionally throwing some flair in without disrupting the tempo. For all of his insecurities when it came to intimacy, he'd come a long way in the realm of kissing. It was something he was somewhat confident in, and...if that made him crave kisses like sugar, so be it.

Kokichi moved his hands back from Kaito's cheeks to his neck, running his thumbs down the back and out to his shoulders. Kaito had never seriously complained about his constant chill, but Kokichi still hoped that his husband didn't mind, especially against the toasty heat of around his neck.

Shivering with pleasure, Kokichi let out a breathy sigh as Kaito moved down to focus on his neck, his hands temporarily stilling as he was overwhelmed with affection. "Oh, please..." he murmured, wanting nothing more than to be closer to Kaito, to soak in his warmth and press against him, something he could do even when he could barely sit up on his own.

Permission gotten, Kaito moved his hand under Kokichi's backside, pulling him onto himself, carefully seating Kokichi inside the comfortable dip of Kaito's crossed legs, resting Kokichi against his shoulder and looking down at him a moment, admiring the view. "...you're breathtaking, you know that?" Kaito asked, taking another kiss for himself, once, twice, and then stopping again to look at him some more. Just...marveling.

"You have beautiful eyes," Kaito admitted. For personal reasons, it was a feature that Kaito didn't...like to think about too much, on other people, let alone regularly comment on. It felt creepy. Invasive, in a weird way, to stare into people’s eyes, like you were trying to commit to memory every eyelash, every shade around the pupil. Still, even though it made Kaito uncomfortable, sometimes, to focus on Kokichi's eyes, feeling like he was staring too much in too uncomfortable a place...there was no getting around that they really were just...amazing. Gorgeous. "They're so expressive. Sometimes you do this thing where you talk with your eyes alone...like no other part of your face will change any, but your eyes do these little dances...it's really fun to watch..."

Kaito suddenly blushed, embarrassed at his own gushing, chuckling and looking away from those beautiful, wide...what was the one kind of rock called? Kaito knew he knew what it was called, Bailsong had talked his ear off about every gem there was, and he remembered thinking the name was pretty...

"Amethyst," Kaito remembered, smiling, "You have amethyst eyes..." He shook his head at himself, chuckling again, before leaning in to steal another kiss.

Kokichi nuzzled against Kaito's shoulder, just sitting in Kaito's lap better than any amount of blankets tucked around him. He'd always known to a point he was a cuddler, considering how he'd curl up to Ikuo's side and how he clutched his stuffed bedmates, but now, it being a language of love for him... He was pretty sure Kaito got the message, though he was happy to say it aloud too.

Giggling at the compliments, Kokichi felt his cheeks go warm, his eyes that Kaito loved so much sparkling with love and flattery and affection. Nipping at Kaito's lips a bit, Kokichi raised an eyebrow as they parted. "I dunno...I think amethyst fits your eyes better--lighter than mine, yanno? And how they light up when you get talking about something you're excited about...that's more comparable to a precious gem, I think."

Stealing another kiss, he huffed a bit in amusement. "We're not really sure where I got mine from, yanno? Aiichi has gold eyes, obviously, and my mom's were...even lighter than yours, if the portraits are right. Almost pink. It could be from Aiichi's side since he never knew his parents...but when I was little I liked to think that I just got the most opposite color from his."

"Ha. You were one spiteful kid, 'Kichi," Kaito laughed, imagining a small Kokichi, looking into the mirror, pleased as anything to see any difference between himself and his old man. "Maybe it was Atua's way of reinforcing that you're your own person then, knowing how important that'd be for you someday? I like to think he does stuff like that sometimes...little things to boost our self confidence or send us little messages about our fates. It was the sort of thing my mentor believed in."

"Ya know, one time my brother pranked me for a week, using my eyes." Kaito laughed, feeling himself to start to relax into the cuddling, more content to just have Kokichi close to him than to steal anymore kisses, though he smiled into them when his husband did so. "See, everyone else in my family has blue eyes, right? Well, immediate family. Kaede and her mom are various shades pink and purple, like me, but Mom, Dad and Byakuya? All blue. So, when we were very little, my brother tried to convince me I was adopted because I looked so different. Brought me this biology book I couldn't even read because I was, like...six? and showed me diagrams that he said showed that if everyone had blue eyes and I had purple eyes, then I wasn't related. That it was scientifically impossible for me to be his brother. Had me genuinely freaking out about it for ages," Kaito said, laughing again as he rolled his eyes, "He could be kind of a jerk, sometimes. Especially when we were little."

"What do you think our kid’s gonna look like? You're just...gonna have a feeling about it, someday, right? That's how it works? Will it...what if you have a feeling about a baby that already has parents? Like, how does that work? Do we not raise it, just mentor, or...?"

Kokichi snickered quietly, accepting Kaito's reasoning though he didn't comment on it. What a weird thing for a god to interfere with... Though, thinking that little, inconsequential things about your body meant things was an interesting thought exercise, if nothing else. "Mm. I don't remember where it originated...but there was a belief that, if you had any birthmarks, they were a sign of how you died in your past life. Personally, I think it was just a way to feel special, since most people just die in their sleep from old age and not a ton of people have birthmarks over their eyes...but it can be fun to make up stories for birthmarks anyway. Seemed like kids had fun with it, anyway."

Kokichi quieted at the story of Byakuya's..."prank". He didn't let himself frown in worry or his nose to wrinkle in distaste, not wanting to bring up Kaito's issues with his brother all over again, but... Pranks were meant to make people laugh, or make them rage and chase after you while you laughed. Not...to make someone question their entire existence. Being adopted wasn't that big of a deal, but...leadership in Luminary was passed down through bloodlines, so...it was probably a bigger deal there.

Quickly latching onto the next subject that came by, Kokichi was glad he actually had answers for it. "It's happened before, where the next heir was with their parents, and...yeah, we would just mentor them...though I'd kind of have a feeling the kid would end up having, like, four parents instead of two if that happened with us." He sent a grin up to Kaito, nuzzling his shoulder again. "It'd just depend on what their parents wanted, really.”

"I...dunno about the feeling though." Kokichi let his gaze wander, his grin falling away into a contemplative look. "I know I'm just supposed to feel it when I feel it, but...I wish I had something more to work off of. Really...I think what happened to Aiichi might be a better way. Find a kid who already has the qualities of a leader, and then just nourish them from there. It's worked out for us, but I really don't know how our past leaders have known all that from looking at a baby."

Kaito shrugged. "I don't know if your family history was ever religious towards anyone, but obviously I'd think it was just, ya know...Atua whispering into all your ears. Or, maybe one of the lesser gods? They sometimes interfere with humans, and not all of them are malicious or anything. Could be...Lalonde, Lesser Goddess of Knowledge? Trying to make sure that Dicea always had an intelligent leader available? I could see this place being the favorite of a knowledge god. Or...Rocky, even, Lesser Goddess of Wisdom?"

As he thought about this, his brow furrowed as he admitted, "I have...never been entirely clear on what the difference between those two is, actually? Wisdom, knowledge...kind of seems hand in hand to me. Honestly, I'm not suuuuper good about remembering the details of the lesser gods, outside of how they interacted with Atua. It just never came up in temple a lot, ya know?"

"But, yeah, being able to see a baby and just...knowing? That is the next leader of Dicea? It definitely sounds like a faith thing, to me."

"Mmmm... There have been leaders that were religious, yeah," Kokichi hummed, eyes going half-lidded as he thought back to his history lessons. "Like...for more recent ones, four generations back the leader, Lydie Ouma, was a Yeuxist. Though...they believe that Life doesn't interfere with humans still living so..." He shrugged a bit, definitely not a theologian.

But, as someone who had studied the meanings of quite a few subjects of semantics, Kokichi gave his husband a nod. "They definitely are related--if you're wise, you probably have a lot of knowledge. How I understand it, is...knowledge is knowing a lot of stuff, but wisdom is how you use that knowledge. Like...there's the phrase, 'knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit, but wisdom is not putting it in a fruit parfait."

...when it came to such a big decision like who would be the next head of a country...Kokichi didn't think it was wise to leave that decision up to faith. Faith was something earned, something you could prove with consistent actions. Babies...couldn't do anything. Were just there to love and care for and teach...and, while he did understand the sort of self-fulfilling prophecy of raising someone from birth to be the heir... Kokichi looked back up to Kaito with a sweet smile. "Good thing I have someone who knows all about faith at my side, huh?"

Kaito snorted. "Yep. Totally. If you ever need really, really obscure facts about Atua and his saints and, like, literally nothing else about any other religion? I'm your guy," Kaito joked, rolling his eyes. "Any other religion? Like...I have literally never even heard of Yeuxism before. That's how little I know outside of Atua."

Even among Luminaries, Kaito's obsession with the religion was considered extremely unusual...and, okay, yes, a liiiitttle creepy. His level of enthusiasm and devotion to the religion being too extreme and uncomfortable for most people who weren't themselves priestesses.

Faith in Atua was one of those things in Luminary that, like...technically everyone had...so long as you never asked them for any details about it. The most the average Atuan follower knew was the major religious holidays and the more popular rituals (IE usually the fun, sexy ones, or the exciting, bloody ones), as well as a few of the more important saints, and that was about it. Atua wasn't the kind of god that demanded much knowledge base, there being no real negative consequences or benefits to knowing or not. No matter what you did in life, everyone ended up in the same place, after all. Some with just more levels to paradise then others, depending on your vices through life.

Kaito just liked to learn and talk about all of it because it made him happy to think that the world really was full of awe and magic, and one of those awe-inspiring, magical beings really, genuinely loved him and looked out for him.

The prince sighed. "Some time’s gone by. We might want to think about getting ready to head down soon."

Kokichi rolled his eyes right back and nosed against Kaito's arm a bit. "Oh, come on, you know that's, like, the most important skill for any leader to have. I'd be lost without you, sweets."

Joking aside...while Kokichi firmly believed in the goodness of his people...in general, he had trouble believing in anything he couldn't see or touch or prove or...anything like that. He'd learned early on to try and stop himself from asking too many questions to religious people because...so much of the time, the answer to the questions was either that the god they believed in was either unknowing, uncaring, or actively cruel. And...that had the potential to hurt a lot of people.

And, in Kaito's case, it had a lot of potential to hurt him.

But, having someone around that was willing to bat for causes with only the slightest provocation? It had the potential to get Kaito into serious trouble, but it would also be something that would spur Kokichi into action.

Though, what they had to do in front of them...that was a different sort of faith.

Kokichi sighed with a bit of a groan and laid a kiss on Kaito's neck. "Alas, we can't just cuddle and kiss all day...truly a shame. Where'd you put my pants?"

"...on the floor," Kaito admitted, a little shame-faced. He was...super not good about keeping clothes off the floor. "Give me one second, I'll grab ‘em."

Kissing Kokichi's temple, he lifted him off his lap, letting him fall back onto the bed with a little bounce, and in playful apology, leaned down and kissed him on the chest before getting up. He looked around real quick, not certain where he had actually thrown them, before finding them partly under the bed. "Alright, let's get you dressed and start heading down."

A process that, when Kaito had first had to do it, had been slow and hesitant and a little sad and a little awkward was now quick and effortless, Kaito helping Kokichi lift his hips to put on his pants without thinking about it much, instead just sort of trying very hard to not fret about what was coming up and fretting anyway. As he, once again, tried to make Kokichi's hair halfway reasonable again with just his fingers alone, he murmured to himself. "Okay, goals of the conversation. Maki's going to ask questions regarding the trip, I think, so be there to support whatever she needs for that...also, moreso, figure out a new schedule for Shuuichi that'll...encourage healing and...and...try to do that without accidentally traumatizing my best friend...moooore than he already has been...and don't kill the librarian," Kaito said, sternly, to himself. "Anything I'm forgetting?"

Kokichi huffed in amusement at his husband's antics, adjusting himself as much as he could to make the re-pantening as easy as possible. He still couldn't lift his hips himself, but...that's why Kaito was helping him. He could still put in effort, but wouldn't be completely drained from the task. ...he really had to think of more things he could do for Kaito. Not because he felt indebted but...just to show his appreciation.

"Don't tell Shuu-chan that whatever Dr. Kimura's gonna prescribe him is to combat the fungus," he chimed in on Kaito's personal monolog, blowing his bangs out of his face. There wasn't much they could do for Shuuichi figuring it out on his own...but they could do their bests not to give him extra clues.

Lifting his arms for Kaito to pick him up, Kokichi gave him a reassuring look. "It'll be okay--we'll figure this out. We have a lot of brilliant people who are committed to helping Shuu-chan--and, yanno, making this a good trip--so, with all of us together, we'll figure it out."

"Right. Don't tell Shuuichi he's getting medicine. Right," Kaito said, still feeling like that last idea was, just...obviously not gonna work. But, well, maybe that was more from his own bias than reality. Shuuichi seemed too smart to not figure that out right away, but...Kaito would have also argued Shuuichi would be too smart to get himself into a situation like this in the first place. And yet, here we are.

Picking up Kokichi, they headed out. He knocked on Maki's door, waiting for a moment with no response. "They must have headed down already. Hopefully they've found us a quiet corner in the dining hall for us all to talk without...being overheard too much. Maybe we could all take out plates outside?" he said, mostly to himself, as he started heading downstairs.

Getting to the dining hall, it became evident immediately that Kaito and Kokichi were the last to arrive, and...that, yeah, there was no way they were going to be able to have a private conversation in here. The dining hall was huge, able to hold and feed quite a few people at once...but it also, like, was filled with people who knew this and had come to the castle specifically because of that. Just taking an entire table for just the six of them was probably...well, Kokichi would probably not want to do that, so...

Heading to the group, Kaito said, over the noise of the lunch rush hour, "Do you guys want to take our food outside to talk?"

At the princes' arrival, Katsuki looked up from the group, giving Kokichi her usual smile, Seiko at her side just...trying not to be seen by anyone. Nearby, Nao was filling her plate and was trying to ignore the adoring looks Shuuichi was giving her.

Looking up at Kaito's suggestion, Seiko simply gave a nod, knowing, for one, it'd just be easier to talk with each other outside, not to mention the privacy their discussions warranted...but it would also be nice to be out of such...public public.

Approaching the princes, Katsuki gave a nod to Kokichi in Kaito's arm. His only usable arm. "Sirs! If this is a possible mission, I would like to volunteer to gather your plates before our relocation. Given a green light, please outline the details!"

Really, Kokichi was just going to tell Kaito to put him down, but...at least for his own meal, it might be easier this way. Giving the guard a grin before schooling his expression into something serious, he gave a stern nod. "How like you to know a mission before it's even drafted! Incredible work. Part one contains; E4, F6, and O2."

Looking up at Kaito like he hadn't said anything even mildly confusing, Kokichi tilted his head. "What do you wanna eat? Katsuki-chan said she can make our plates and bring 'em out for us."

Kaito stared at her in, just...utter bafflement. Though, it only took a second for him to do what he did best when he was hopelessly confused...just shove a grin on his face and pretend like he knew what was going on. "Uh, great! Just, whatever the main dish is, Katsuki...thanks?"

He found himself glancing at Maki, to see if that was the correct way to talk to her, and Maki literally just gave him a long, annoyed look before shrugging uselessly. Maki had wanted Katsuki along on this trip because she was an extremely capable fighter, observational, and proven trustworthy...not because Maki could understand a god damned thing she said. With a sigh, she picked up her own plate and said to Shuuichi, "Come on, let's go."

"'Kaaaay~, Maki," Shuuichi said, a pleased, happy smile sloppily laid across his face as he got up as well, following behind her before, excitedly, saying quietly to her, "Ya know, I thought I'd hate it, but it's actually really exciting to sit with Miss Nao in public like this? Doing real, couple things. It's nice."

"Shuuichi," Maki said, her face stone, "She sat in the farthest corner possible from you and has literally not said a word to you other than telling you it was time to lick from that sticker of yours."

"Every couple has their own love language, Maki," Shuuichi said dreamily, "And that's how she shows affection. I love her so much..."

Well, one thing that could be said for the pollen, it did seem to put Shuuichi in a better mood, at least. Almost as soon as he had taken it, all the anger and crying that Maki had been dealing with all morning seemed to just...evaporate immediately. Replaced with a constantly flushing face, and, while speaking of literally nothing but Nao, he seemed to be having an easier time focusing on one thing at a time, rather than the sporadic, all over the place hysteria he'd had since he woke up. Maybe easing the withdrawal cleared his head a little?

...or, maybe it had just refocused him entirely on sex, and that was why he seemed more focused and less frustrated.

Following after them, sorta...wondering how the fuck he had ended up in a group like this, Hajime walked with Dr. Kimura, looking at the incredibly strange matchup of personalities before saying to her, "So...I know that I'm here because I'm being asked to help escort the trip, but...Maki over there said there was going to be a bunch of talk I'd need to sit in for about the detective as well, since I'd be traveling with him and...is this all about the stomach bug thing that...definitely wasn't a stomach bug thing? Because I already kinda know about that. Like, that's something everyone here has worked out by now, right?"

Because Maki got there first, she picked a spot on the grass, next to the tree near where she trained, waiting for everyone to join her. Beside her, Shuuichi sat down as well, before looking up worried and said, "Is Miss Nao coming too?"

Maki sighed.

"Ten-four!" With that, Katsuki set off, grabbing two plates and easily maneuvering around all the people also getting lunch, filling one with the main dish--a type of sauced grilled pork--and filling the other with foods from the grid locations Kokichi had specified--grilled pineapple, a quinoa-based stir fry, and a cup of grape juice.

With a sigh, Nao waited for Maki and Shuuichi to leave before going to help out Katsuki, knowing the guard could do it all herself, but wanting to delay a little of the time before...whatever was waiting for her with the man who insisted they were in love despite her telling him over and over that it wasn't the case.

She did need to pass on Yasu's thanks to Kokichi too...maybe not in front of Kaito, though. Her wife had started to cry at the possibility of having to defend the man who killed her wife...even when Nao pointed out that Kaito would get a different lawyer in that case since that was a huge conflict of interest.

...what a mess...

Seiko nodded a bit to Mr. Hinata, sighing quietly. "Yes...w-we're going to go more into detail about it, but, simply...Shuuichi became addicted to a mind-altering substance produced by the Despair Poppies of western Danganronpa. As such, h-he's become a danger to himself, so...we're discussing the best plan for his care."

As she and the housekeeper came up to the tree, Seiko took a spot not really next to either Maki or Shuuichi, but placed herself in the least visible spot from the back entrance. Being back at the castle was...surreal and nerve-wracking.

Hajime blinked. "Oh...that's not what I thought happened at all...but okay? New drugs on the market. Good to know," he said, wondering...okay, so everything with the him definitely not being able to walk for three days because someone had fucked him that hard and then just left him to sit in it unable to help himself...was that all still a secret, or...???

He took a seat on the other side of what he assumed was going to end up being a circle, just a little ways from Seiko, who seemed to be trying to make herself as small as possible...so he straightened his back, squared his shoulders, and sorta did his best to become a kind of wall, at least from his angle.

When Kaito and Kokichi got out there, Kaito immediately started moving towards Shuuichi, wanting to sit right next to him. Though, if Kokichi was going to sit on Kaito's lap, maybe...that wouldn't be a super good idea right now, mainly for all the same reasons he didn't want Kokichi to hang out with Shuuichi while his friend was compromised like this...not until he had a good read on how such interactions would go.

"'Kichi, do you think you're gonna need to sit on me, or do you want me to put you on the grass?" Kaito asked him, "It's fine either way, babe, I got you."

Growing worried, Seiko piped up a little more. "Thankfully...it has an incredibly strong taste like spoiled wine...s-so if you encounter anything like that...you'll know to stop immediately? Even if recreational doses didn't have such odd effects...it's incredibly lethal at even just six-hundredths of a gram..."

It was actually just...incredible luck that Shuuichi hadn't managed to overdose himself. The days where he said he'd taken three doses were...concerning, but Seiko had a hunch that, by the time that happened, he'd already...she wanted to say acclimated to the poison, but it was probably more like the fungus had already started growing in him...

"I can lean against you from the side." Kokichi gave his husband a soft, understanding look. He...yeah, he had the strength to stay upright if Kaito was there to brace him. And there was no way he wanted to take Kaito away from his friends! He could deal with innuendos--and...even blatant requests for sex--no problem!

It wasn't long after that Katsuki and Nao came out of the castle, carrying two plates each. After handing them off to the princes, Nao attempted to sit in the next space over from Hajime, as far as she could get from Shuuichi, and Katsuki plopped herself down in the free space left.

There was an uncomfortable silence.

The silence was broken a little bit by the sound of forks hitting plates...but even that sounded obnoxiously loud, which only made the silence between all of them all the more obvious and uncomfortable. Shuuichi kept looking up at Miss Nao, a small, adoring smile on his face, Maki seemed determined to stare holes into her plate, Hajime just looked perplexed by this whole thing, and Kaito...uh...

...ooookay. Someone had to start the conversation. Come on, Kaito! You are Kaito Ouma Momota, Luminary Prince of the Stars, Dicean Prince-Consort of the Cactus Fields (latest iteration)! Even crying, murder children love the Luminary Prince, and even viscous shovel ladies feared the mighty cactus!

Youuuu...got this!

"Alright!" Kaito said, after his little internal pep talk, giving everyone a wide grin, "So! Everyone is here for a reason, and...I'd just like to say thanks for showing up! Especially!...If I recently tried to murder you! Man! Talk about...being a team player in difficult times! Much appreciated! Okay!"

"You couldn't have killed her, Kaito," Shuuichi said again, sounding smug, giving a happy little sigh. "Miss Nao is...really strong..."

"Right! Shuuichi, buddy? Gonna...gonna ask you to mostly just listen in on this one, dude. Um, for anyone who is not already aware, Shuuichi is a liiittle under the weather, right now, and may be...still a little out of it during our trip. We invited you both, Katsuki and Hajime, to this meeting to, ya know...keep you in the loop so there's no bad surprises on the trip. And, if anything that we discuss makes you...unreasonably uncomfortable? And you don't want to go anymore? Totally understandable, just say the word, you two."

"There's a new drug going around?" Hajime asked, "Something about...despair or??"

"Ahhh, yeah..." Kaito faltered here...

Seiko, who had removed her mask to eat, figured this was her time to contribute. "Despair Spores, also known as Despair Pollen, are a poisonous substance that comes from the Despair Poppies of western Danganronpa. They provoke high fevers in victims, as well as urge victims to act in the manner that would bring them the most stress--many people observe this as people acting in the opposite way they normally would."

"Unfortunately, it's the MO of the Remnant of Despair members in Dicea," Nao continued off of the doctor, not really noting the sudden alarmed look Kokichi gave her. "By taking small doses of the spores, you get the personality effect without the fever...and, over time, addicts have their minds rewired to take stress as sexual stimulant."

She held a hand out to gesture to Shuuichi, her first time acknowledging him in the circle. "That's why Shuuichi's looking at me like I have heaven in my eyes."

Giving a nervous little nod, Seiko spoke up again. "Eventually, most people will overdose themselves to get more of the high or will end up putting themselves in mortal danger to...a-also get the high... However...what's happened to Shuuichi is a bit different, and I believe is a rarer reaction...or at least the reaction of someone able to consistently take the spores over a long amount of time."

"Waaaaait, wait wait wait--rewind?" Kokichi interjected, holding a hand up. "There are Remnants in Dicea?!"

"Yes, those few you know from the brewery--Tom and Itch and their associates. I've kept Aiichi updated on that front, and I tried to get to that last night, but we know how that went," Nao shrugged, not finding anything particularly alarming with the incredibly alarming things she was saying.

"Yeah, again...definitely...mistakes were...certainly made..."

Kaito actually, honestly couldn't bring himself to apologize. Not directly, anyway. Even knowing what he knew now, and feeling much calmer than he had yesterday...he still found himself reaaaaally wanting to kill her. Or, at least, like...punch all of the teeth out of her face. Like, just stomp on her neck a few times, and if she died, she died, ya know!? What can you do? Sometimes people die when you stomp on them! It was basically death by natural causes!

Yeah. To say the least, he still felt conflicted about her.

But, still..."They were Remnants?" Kaito murmured, also shocked by this revelation, something...cold and uncomfortable running through him. He still had yet to receive a letter from anyone on the state of his friends back home...there hadn't been a lot of time to worry about that, but...that was still a thing...

"Well, for being a terrorist group, they're not terribly effective fighters," Maki pointed out, apparently undisturbed by this revelation. "When I attacked the brewery, the only person who even tried to fight back was Tom, who seemed to have some amateur level of assassin training, and was simple enough to counter until he ran. Itch took a knife in his shoulder and ran, the gray-haired woman went with him, and two of their members never even got up from their bean bags, despite having ample time and distraction to escape. They're annoying, and should be tortured and killed for what they did to Shuuichi, and I call dibs if that opportunity ever arrives...but they're not terribly formidable otherwise. If the rest of their organization reflects, we'll be in luck."

Hajime raised his hand. "Wait...are we worried about being targeted by a terrorist group on this trip?"

"You should always be worried about being targeted anywhere by anyone," Maki said, giving him an annoyed look, narrowing her eyes, "Danger is everywhere."

"Oh...okay," Hajime said, lowering his hand, feeling like that cleared up absolutely nothing.

Shuuichi blinked lazily... "Oh! Right! Sorry...Itch and Tom are part of the Remnants of Despair, Kaito," he said, like he just remembered.

"Th-thanks, Shuuichi." Kaito said, running his hand over his face, "Appreciate ya, buddy."

"And they're targeting Kokichi," Shuuichi filled in with a small shrug, adding in after a moment, "Or, they were. That's why they were originally trying to get me to join them. To be an informant on Kokichi and get him addicted to the pollen. But, when I told them that due to his condition, that would only kill him, they seemed to change their minds. Whatever their intentions are, they don't want Kokichi to die...and I got the impression they reaallly don't feel the same way about Kaito." Shuuichi sighed, touching his stomach slightly...suddenly caught up in remembering the feeling of Seiko's hands on his abdomen, pushing...frightening him...he blushed. "Or a-anyone from Luminary, really..."

Hajime slowly put his hand back up. "So...this trip is being targeted by a terrorist group or-??"

"We're getting off topic," Maki said, crossing her arms. "Though, Shuuichi, you and I are talking more about this later," she growled.

Shuuichi blushed. Saying quietly, with some excitement, "Y-yes, Maki..."

He couldn't freak out. He couldn't freak out.

But Kokichi still felt cold wash through him at the new information. Sure...after the party he had some reservations about leaving Kaito alone with them. And...after learning about Tom targeting Shuuichi, he'd known better than to think they were friends, but...

All of them? Remnants? That had been apparently targeting him.

Back at the bar, Aba inviting them to the party...then inviting him to dance... It'd just...all been a lie. A ploy to..."get" him, whatever that meant to them now. And...they didn't care one way or the other about killing Kaito.

He'd...put everyone in danger...

Kokichi stared at the grass and bit his lip, his food untouched for the time being.

Turning to Hajime, Katsuki offered him her eager smile. "The guardforce and authorities across Dicea have been given a long-standing mission to watch out for known members of the Remnants of Despair, the horrible assassin and his allies included. Witness accounts report them leaving town yesterday with no re-entry. I have taken on additional objectives to protect all members of our traveling party, and I do not accept failure, Mr. Hinata."

...maybe not the best way to comfort someone, but it was a decent attempt by Katsuki's standards.

Waiting a beat to see if everyone was done, Seiko took a breath before getting back to the main matter. "Um... During his checkup today... I have a theory about Shuuichi's reaction, and while everything I have found supports it...it's still not a sure thing! But...I believe, just on the chance it's correct, it warrants precaution..."

Kaito, in turn, was looking at Kokichi, just...uncertain what to say.

He was having a hard time processing the sudden, casually given information. He felt...vaguely like he should probably be fighting someone, but with no one he wanted to fight in front of him (or, no one he wanted to fight and would be justified in doing so), he found himself...kinda lost in how to feel.

His husband had been targeted by a terrorist group.

Kaito had fucking taken him to a party full of terrorists.

...fuck.

But, at the same time...nothing had happened. And they didn't want to kill Kokichi. That was the big thing Kaito had taken away from that. He could kind of give less of a shit about how they felt about himself (like Maki had said. Danger was everywhere), but Kokichi??

...and...they had tried to use Shuuichi to do it.

Kaito didn't even know where to begin to approach that one.

Focus on Kokichi first. Then, later, figure out what to do about that and Shuuichi. But Kokichi for now.

Leaning in to whisper into Kokichi's ear as the others started to reassure Hajime, who looked just increasingly less reassured with every word, he whispered to his husband, "Hey...it's okay. Nothing happened. We...we couldn't have known that was going on, and nothing happened either way. We went, we danced, it was fine. Everything's okay...are you okay?"

Nothing had happened...but so much could've happened. At any point, someone...could've tried to lure him away and kidnap him--which Monokuma had done, the luring part, anyway, fuck. Or could've tried to kill Kaito. Or hurt him more than just cuts on his hand.

And...Kokichi had always thought he was pretty good at figuring out when he was being lied to. But they'd lied right to his face, people who...were just the antithesis of all his hopes for Dicea. People who'd pretended to be friendly to him just to further their own goals...

He felt like such an idiot!!

Hiding his face in Kaito's arm for a moment, Kokichi could feel frustrated, furious tears burn in his eyes, but...now wasn't the time. So, when he leaned back up, he just gave Kaito a small smile, his expression betraying nothing else. "I'm okay--thanks for checking in, sweets."

Then, to the group, he spoke louder. "Hajime-chan's been given the option to ditch if he wants, you know." He gave the housekeeper a teasing grin, though followed it up with a more reassuring smile. "I'll talk with Aiichi about the movements of Remnants in Dicea, and if it really is just Tom and the rest, I don't think there's much reason to worry, especially since they know we know now. And that we have super badass Maki-chan lookin' out for us!"

He gave Maki a grin before turning back to Seiko. "So...what might be going on with Shuu-chan, then?"

The doctor nodded and took a breath, readying herself to say something...impossible to the group. "Yes, well...when considering all the changes to his body and mind...one thing in particular stuck out to me for why the fungi does this. And, during his checkup...either Shuuichi has some sort of tumor growing in his abdomen, o-or...he's developed a womb."

Another steadying breath. "I-I believe that...the fungus has been prepping Shuuichi to have a child."

There was a long. Long. Long silence.

...then a giggle.

"Uh oh, guys," Shuuichi snickered, putting his own plate of food aside and pulled his knees into his chest. "Dr. Kimura's losing it."

Kaito blinked at the doctor. "He's...what?"

Maki's eyes narrowed. Not saying anything. Just listening extremely closely.

Seiko dropped her gaze to the grass, but held herself high, unwilling to cower or withdraw her beliefs. "Like I said, it's just a guess, and I do not have an understanding of why the connection of stress and arousal is something the fungus does, but..."

"The constant state of arousal, and...well, I don't mean to be graphic, but ease of penetration," Nao nodded a bit there as Seiko spoke, her expression entirely considering, "the widening of his pelvis and gain of fat deposits in the lower body, despite his lowered appetite, the development of breasts without much weight gain around the rest of his chest, and the production of nectar in them... And...what I felt in his abdomen really did feel like a womb, though I am entirely biased since I was looking for it..."

"Even if I am wrong, though... I... I think it would be beneficial to put Shuuichi on birth control...and, with how I'd go about making it for him, I think there's a good chance it may ease some of his other symptoms." Seiko glanced up at Shuuichi then, just...hoping he'd listen. Or that someone else would. "Easing your sex drive, slowing the production of mucus, perhaps even stabilizing your mood more..."

"I'm not...." Shuuichi laughed again. Face bright red. Eyes at the same time wide and manic and...entirely incredulous. "...going to get pregnant?? Are you crazy?"

Maki, who had been staring hard at Dr. Kimura, looking for...lies or doubt or...and not seeing anything, turned to her friend, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder, "Shuuichi-"

"No!" the detective spat, knocking her hand away and standing up, staring at her in open shock as he took a few steps away from her as she stood up as well, looking at him warily. "Don't tell me you believe this psycho? She's just...making shit up! There's no way my body can do that! This is j-just some bullshit idea she has to try to get famous and make up for her sh-shitty reputation-!"

Kaito wanted to stand up as well, but was afraid to leave Kokichi, so he said to Shuuichi from his seated position, "Hey, Shuuichi! Don't say things like that, man! Just calm down-!"

"It's not possible, Kaito!" Shuuichi said, turning his glare on Kaito now, his whole body shaking, an amused, unbelieving smile twisting his face as he giggled again, reaching up to chew on his fingers without noticing as he said through them, "What!? You think I could become pregnant!? Don't tell me you're THAT fucking stupid, Kaito! Don't touch me!" Shuuichi turned on Maki, shaking off her hand on his arm. "You didn't want to touch me all day and now!? You want to touch me?! Just stop trying to help me already, you're both fucking stupid if you believe her for one second. God, I can't believe I ever trusted EITHER of you, you're so fucking dumb! I fucking hate you, I HATE BOTH OF-hnnnnnnn~ahhhh!!"

Shuuichi suddenly shivered violently, his body curling into itself, barely able to keep his eyes open as something straight out of a porn show escaped from his lips, his whole body convulsing in place as he held his arms around his stomach, his legs trembling. Realizing what he was doing in front of everyone, Shuuichi suddenly covered his face, tipping his body weight and collapsing roughly onto his knees as Maki just watched, stunned as Shuuichi orgasmed in front of all of them.

"Katsuki," Kaito said to the guard, "Take my spot next to Kokichi."

The guard moved quickly, and as soon as she was close, Kaito left Kokichi's side, heading over to Shuuichi, taking him by the shoulder and whispering something urgently in his ears, to which Shuuichi shook his head violently to. "N-no, you all are going to b-be deciding my whole LIFE here, I d-don't wanna go!? She's crazy, Kaito, please, I have to stay-!"

But Kaito wasn't having any of it, telling Maki to stay here and keep the discussion going, make sure they have a plan before this is over, as he pulled Shuuichi back onto his feet, heading back indoors with him, holding Shuuichi tight as the detective fought him, screaming, "I don't want to, it's not FAIR! Let GO OF ME!! I just wanna stay with HER, I HATE YOU!!"

Maki watched, dead-eyed, as Kaito dragged their friend away, most likely heading upstairs. Her hands were trembling slightly.

...feel...feel your feelings later...be who you need to be right now...

Where's the danger?

She sat back down in the circle. Looked at Seiko. "How soon can you have an updated version of that medicine made?"

Seiko set her jaw and curled her hands into her lap, staring furiously at the ground as Shuuichi laid into her. She knew it sounded ridiculous. Absurd. Men could be impregnated, of course, but usually only in cases where they had been born with the necessary organs or had gotten them transplanted. Neither scenario which fit Shuuichi's case.

And she knew better than to take Shuuichi's words to heart. Not when he was very clearly freaking out and had a parasite that changed how he thought about everything.

...but it still hurt.

Kokichi had been quietly processing everything Dr. Kimura said, a worried frown coming over his face as Shuuichi exploded from it...a-and then..."exploded". His eyes widened in disbelief, somehow seeing Shuuichi orgasm in front of them more shocking than being told he might be able to be impregnated, before he quickly averted his gaze, cheeks flushing in secondhand embarrassment. Katsuki barely jostled him when she took Kaito's place, but Kokichi still used the slight movement as an excuse to look away and gather himself.

And Nao? She held her hand in a palm, watching the whole thing dully, only noting that he wasn't wearing the cock ring. Hm.

Seiko looked back up to Maki, her gaze serious. "Tonight. A-after this meeting, I was going to go back to my lab and finish the next version. There are some additional tweaks I need to make...b-but I should be able to finish it by tonight. Maybe...ten."

Maki smoothed her hair back on her forehead, taking a second to think. "...okay. While I can appreciate that this is not a strict deadline, I will stop by your office at ten tonight to see about retrieving it if it's ready, and start him on it immediately. See how it goes."

"What about doses?" she said, looking to both the doctor and Nao. "Shuuichi told me you all started giving him smaller and smaller doses for the last few days. Yesterday he had a thing of beer at the brewery. I don't know what that translates to, as far as dose wise, but is it still wise to be giving him a dose first thing in the morning based on your original plans? If yes, I want that sticker thing of yours," Maki said, looking over at Nao. "Shuuichi will be spending nights with me from now on. I don't trust him to be alone."

Maki was taking charge of the situation, but that was just because, well... that was how she was used to handling problems. Trying to control them if she could, or get rid of them if she couldn't. But she was aware that this was still, ultimately, Kokichi's decision. And every now and again she glanced at him. Waiting to see if he'd speak up.

Seiko's brow furrowed. "Oh...that's probably why his mood has been even worse today. He told me that he estimated one beer to be about .02 grams--which is about the amount that Shuuichi had been self-dosing. If he had a full dose after being cut...no wonder."

"How would your medicine react with the pollen? Or...spores, I guess?" Kokichi asked, having been taking this all in.

"Actually..." Seiko started, considering both of their concerns, "If he gets a cut dose of the pollen in the morning, that may help with his mood and willingness to cooperate, even when we get him down to nothing. Th-then, if he can take the anti-agent at night, when the spores have likely worked their way through most of his system...that might be the best chance for it to work, not having to contend with recently ingested spores. I'll be trying to make a version that doesn't get him high, but...it might be easier if he's sleeping right after he takes it anyway..."

Reaching into her bag, Nao took out a little booklet that she and Seiko had put together after she'd stolen the jar. Opening it up, she showed the prince and assassin rows of peel-off stickers, all with a labeled dose next to them. "I've never shown him this, only the stickers. Didn't want him figuring out a pattern to the doses, you know?"

Turning to Maki, Kokichi hummed. "Would you be alright doing all that for him? Kaito or I could take over...oh, maybe the spores, actually. Just so the booklet isn't in your room with him..."

Maki considered this. "Kaito's...not good at telling people no...but, that's probably still less of a risk than hiding it in the same room he's sleeping in...plus, with you also controlling the doses in the morning, it’s less likely for a mistake to be made," Maki said, glancing over at Kokichi thoughtfully for a moment.

She nodded. "That probably would be better. I can be responsible for making sure he takes his medicine at night, you and Kaito responsible for making sure he takes his dose correctly in the morning. That could work."

"As for the...other thing you all had him doing when you were responsible for maintaining his schedule..." Maki sighed. Rubbing her temple. She looked over at Nao. "...you know, I was ready to kill you yesterday as well. If Kaito hadn't decided to risk it based on his status, I'd have done it instead."

"...but I think that was a mistake, now," Maki said, though she didn't look bashful or ashamed. Just slightly annoyed at the realization. "He's been acting insane both today and yesterday. I'd like to account it for just his change in doses and the surrounding circumstances, but the way he talks... I can't ignore that his sex drive might literally be driving him insane. Your methods...may have been correct."

Maki closed her eyes...clenching her fists.

...be who you need to be right now.

"That said," she said, calming herself. Opening her eyes. "I cannot...as someone who loves him, I cannot allow your arrangement to continue. If Shuuichi needs someone to...be like that to him, it's not going to be a stranger who, as far as I am aware, beat him, in secret, alone, at night, using a key that I believe you are still holding onto," Maki growled...before calming herself again. Her eyes apathetic and blank as she said, "I don't trust you. And I care about him too much to just pretend it's not happening. I won't stand by and allow that to continue...so..."

A calming breath.

"I need you to explain to me exactly what it is I have to do," she said to Nao. "To ease his insanity every day, like you did."

She didn't hold it against Maki, or Kaito for that matter. Or Kokichi's horror against him either. It was a sad day when the wrong thing to do was the right thing, but...that's why she was there. In a country full of such wonderful people, you did need a few wretches to handle true horror in their stead.

So, after handing over the booklet to Kokichi, Nao shrugged a bit. "And I was ready to attempt to preserve my life yesterday, and here we both are. And I returned Shuuichi's key to his room yesterday after cleaning up your room, Kokichi."

As flippant as she was, Nao's demeanor soon grew somber. "...Maki, doing that would very likely destroy your relationship. On that first day, after I realized he was on the spores, when I realized that it wouldn't be a one-time thing...after he gets better, Shuuichi is never going to be able to look at me again. Once he's stable enough, I've already planned my resignation."

That drew a look from the others.

"I've done nothing to inspire trust in myself, but...god, it's so disgustingly Luminary of you to be willing to ruin any sort of relationship, or even proximity, with someone you love just to help them yourself," Nao scoffed with a bit of an amused smile. "Let people help. It doesn't have to be me, but whoever you pick should get one hell of a rundown. Though...I think I may have an idea that might work."

"If you're not doing anything to him, but you're in the room...well, for one, that would stress him out enough that anything the other party would have to do wouldn't be as bad, but it would give you the control to rein things back if you feel you should intervene."

Maki's eyes widened in shock at this idea, genuinely horrified for a moment, before she quickly calmed herself, burying the feeling.

She closed her eyes. Feel your feelings later. Be who you need to be right now. Where was the danger?

...the danger in that sentiment was to herself.

It would be...it would be torture. To sit there and witness her...her best friend’s...her brother’s abuse. It would...it would hurt Maki so much to do that. To sit there and not be who she had prided herself to be growing up. To not be his protector...she had told herself that hurting him herself was just another form of protection. Being willing to make that sacrifice, to be a face in his nightmares, for his protection...

Sitting there and watching though? Sitting by and doing nothing while he...

That would show up in her nightmares.

...But...the woman wasn't...wrong.

That was what was so frustrating. She made sense. Maki could see the logic in the idea. It was a practical, terrible sort of logic. When Shuuichi eventually got his mind back, he could potentially remember Maki as...stopping things before they got too bad. While the whole process could still traumatize their relationship...that was still a better bet than her own idea, which absolutely would.

But...what if she couldn't handle it? She could lose her temper. She could kill Nao. Or, worst, she could...not be who Shuuichi needed her to be. Subjecting him to two people witnessing his lowest moments when only one could do, just to potentially spare their relationship...either choice could genuinely be the wrong one. She was too close to it. Both ideas filled her with so much repulsion...but the third idea, to allow Nao to do it alone, or even worse, to trust some second stranger to keep her accountable...or Kaito...who could potentially be coming to the exact same conclusions she was...

Entirely unacceptable...

So...option one or two. Do it herself, or observe Nao doing it...

...Maki's hands trembled.

She turned to Kokichi.

"I can't make a decision on this. I'm too close to it," she confessed, staring at her prince. Acceptance and expecting. "I need you to decide. Do it myself or witness Nao's sessions. I'll accept your choice either way."

All of this...was deeply uncomfortable to Kokichi. He didn't like the idea of anyone hurting Shuuichi in that way, but...Dr. Kimura and Nao had both confirmed that he would seek out that treatment from someone regardless of anyone stepping up to the plate. It...it was better for him to be hurt by someone who could recognize his limits...

...it was all supremely fucked up.

Kokichi blinked in a bit of surprise when Maki turned to him, but...he had to be the person she needed. So, with a slow nod, Kokichi took a breath and closed his eyes, thinking. Starting to tap on his lips as he worked it out in his head.

Shuuichi was already..."enamored" with Nao...but he was desperate enough for anyone to touch him. Though...there was the additional layer of fuckedness since...Maki would have to fuck her brother if she did it herself. It wasn't that much worse than watching her brother be fucked, but...it was still a line that they didn't have to cross.

...he and Kaito had talked about how that stupid, stupid mission was probably wearing on Shuuichi, though...they were probably noticing symptoms of his addiction, looking back. But that didn't mean that...Shuuichi had sounded so...distraught when he spoke about it.

Shuuichi had come to Luminary with Kaito and Maki. The people he was closest to in the world. While Kokichi wanted to one day see him grow bonds with others, wanted to see that for all of them...that didn't mean that the bonds between those three needed to weaken, or...break.

Especially right now...Kokichi didn't want to break that trust between one of the two people Maki and Shuuichi had.

Opening his eyes, Kokichi sighed softly. "...I think it would be better if you witnessed Nao's sessions... A-and...like, you can stop at any moment, right?" He looked between the two women, his gaze less questioning and more imploring. "If it gets too bad, you can stop."

Maki felt her heart sink a little...but she recognized it was the correct choice. She just hadn't been able to make it herself.

So she nodded. "Yes, if it gets bad, we can stop," she said. Not even entirely certain what that could actually mean in reality. She'd have to determine for herself what...too much would actually look like. How much was needed for Shuuichi to get what he needed out of this exchange, and how much would unnecessarily traumatize him...and she'd have to watch and try to judge that for herself...

It wasn't going to be good. It was all going to be bad...but, Maki didn't have any better ideas, and this was what Shuuichi needed from her right now.

Besides, maybe they'd get lucky. Maybe the medicine would do wonders and they wouldn't need to do this very long. Even once would be awful, but Maki hoped she wasn't looking at an indefinite future of this.

So, she pulled herself together, ignoring her own heartbreak, and said to Nao, "Fine. Your idea is acceptable...I suppose I should thank you for being willing to work with me, in exchange for so little, after our actions against you yesterday."

...she wouldn't.

But she could recognize that she should.

"How should we set up the schedule?" she asked Nao, getting to business. Kaito had asked her for a plan. She wasn't going back to him with vague ideas only. "His pollen dose is in the morning, his medicine is just before bed at night. Based on that, and your experience in this subject, I'll accept and accommodate any timeline you put forth."

Kokichi dropped his gaze, frustrated that he couldn't think of a better answer. The best answer, of course, was for Shuuichi to have never gotten addicted to the spores in the first place, but, even more than what Seiko had suggested, that was impossible. Then...he'd just have to hope that the medicine worked.

Sighing a bit, Nao tried to figure out that puzzle for herself. "Before, I'd say that he'd need to get off three times a day to prevent him from either hurting himself in desperation or having a negative, overwhelmed reaction to orgasming. However, hopefully with Seiko's medicine he'll be okay with fewer sessions."

"...I could come by in the morning right after you give him his dose, and then...before dinner? If Seiko's medicine does manage to bring him to baseline, trying anything while it's first settling into his system seems needlessly cruel. We can start there, then see how he does, if he needs more or fewer." The librarian shrugged. "Does that sound alright with you?"

Maki tried not to let her surprise show. Three...three times a day?

Her friend was being beaten three times a day, and she hadn't noticed!?

...she nodded. "Fine," she said. Already feeling tense from the idea. This was going to start so soon. It was going to happen so often.

It was fine. She could do this. Be who she needed to be. She wouldn't falter.

"We'll do that. I'll inform Shuuichi and Kaito. Am I forgetting anything?" she murmured, rubbing her temples, "Medicine, doses, sessions, sleeping schedule...I think that's everything..."

...she wanted to bring up what on earth they were going to do when the trip started, and couldn't bring herself to do it. She kept hoping maybe there'd be a miracle before the trip started and it wouldn't matter. Maybe she'd have to invite the librarian to come with them. Maybe it would end up being herself and Shuuichi just couldn't go. She wasn't up to exploring that right now. She wanted to give it a few days and hope something changed.

Speaking of. She turned to Hajime. "Did your girlfriend give you the okay?"

Hajime, who had just sort of been quietly watching all this, just...totally shocked and wondering if maaaaaybe he shouldn't dip the fuck out of this whole mess, jumped at being addressed by Maki, remembering their conversation this morning as he said, "Oh! Uh...yes! She talked to her parents, and apparently, they'd be honored to have the heir-apparent use their beach home. They were more than happy to give us permission. I...already have the key and...yeah. House should be ready for us when we get there."

Maki turned to Kokichi. Reporting. "When I went to invite Hajime to the trip, he brought up the fact that his girlfriend Chiaki’s parents own a beach house in the same area that we're taking the trip to, that is currently empty. He has gotten her permission for us to use the lodging for our purposes, so long as we clean up behind ourselves. I have two caravans rented for the trip, medium sized, that could comfortably carry five people but will only need, for our purposes, three people a caravan, along with food stores, which I have taken care of. Each caravan will need a fourth person not riding inside of the caravan to run the horses, who are well trained and docile enough that any of us could manage. I assume it will be acceptable for all of us to take shifts. It should take us at best a day and a half, at worst two days to make it to our destination, have three days available to us, two days to return comfortably and have plenty of time to prepare for the front line fighters’ return."

"Is all that acceptable?" Maki asked. "Is there anything I missed, or provided that is unacceptable?"

Kokichi couldn't quite hold back a little wince, his dick aching in empathy. Three times a day wasn't...the worst thing, but it was still a little excessive. Even if Shuuichi's body had changed to facilitate constant sex...ooph.

There was something to still look forward to, and Kokichi blinked over at Hajime, then at Maki, just...stunned at the thorough plan. The stress in his face eased until his lips turned up in an admiring, grateful smile. "Acceptable?" he giggled. "Maki-chan, that sounds perfect. Since Aiichi okayed the trip, I had Kai-chan ask him about reserving some horses, so we can go over to the stables at any point to check them out."

Then, turning to Hajime, Kokichi gave him an equally grateful, but somewhat apologetic smile. "Sorry that this is all A Lot, but thanks for bearing with us, Hajime-chan. And please thank Chiaki-chan for me too! That's super kind of her! Ah...actually...if she ever needs more custom figurines for her games...Kai-chan is really talented at custom paint jobs. Maybe we should get them in contact at some point?"

With a bit of a shrug, that point being of faaaar less consequence than everything else, Kokichi turned his smile out to the whole group, giving them all a careful nod. "Thank you all, really. Both for Shuu-chan's sake and for this trip--I know it means the world to me, and I have a good feeling it means a lot for Kai-chan and...eventually Shuu-chan too."

Nao gave her prince a bittersweet smile, while Seiko offered him a gentle, slightly nervous one, and while Katsuki's expression didn't change much, Kokichi could still feel the slight rub against his back.

"Well... i-if we have things settled, more or less...I should be getting back to my lab," Seiko murmured, affixing her mask back on and collecting her plate as she rose. "I will see you tonight, Miss Harukawa, and I'll see you all soon enough. Have a pleasant afternoon."

Maki nodded. Feeling herself relax slightly to have the plans done. The trip plan had been, as Kaito might put it, serendipitous, most of it falling together easily as Maki did the bear minimum this morning and last night of putting it together. And the Shuuichi plan...

...well. They had a plan, anyway. And that was something.

Hajime also stood up. "Here, pass it to me, Dr. Kimura, I'll bring everyone’s plates back to the kitchens. No need for all of us to make the trip. Wow...addictive abuse sex drugs, a terrorist group, and now I'm bringing some of the most casually destructive people I've ever met to my girlfriend’s parent’s vacation home...all this because I was willing to knock on the damn door when he asked...just never know what lifes gonna throw at ya," Hajime muttered, collecting all the plates and wandering off towards the kitchens.

Maki looked to the doctor, bowing low. "Thank you for your time. I am in your debt."

Then she looked over at Nao...and then looked over at Kokichi. Just unable to bring herself to do it as she said instead, to him, "Allow me to take you back to your room, Kokichi." She reached down and offered him a lift up. To the guard, she said, "Katsuki, thank you for your time as well. I personally requested your addition to this trip due to my trust in your abilities, and I apologize, again, for how last minute the request is. Your assistance will be a personal relief to me, especially in light of this Remnant of Despair issue."

Thanking Hajime quietly, Seiko passed off her plate and headed off to return to her pharmacy, a swarm of information buzzing around inside her head, distracting her from any looks her way...or the fact that she'd have to pass by Sonosuke and Ruruka's shops during one of the busiest times of the day...

That was a confrontation she never wanted to have.

Nao, as well, started to take her leave, giving them all a nod before heading back to the library. Shuuichi had just cum so...he'd likely be okay at least until that evening, if not for the rest of the night. She may have called Maki stupidly sacrificial, but...to her, at least, it always seemed far less scary when the big bad was a stranger, rather than someone you loved.

Carefully keeping Kokichi supported until Maki got him situated, Katsuki gave the younger woman a nod. "I am always happy to take on any special missions I can, Miss Maki Harukawa. The preparation time is of no consequence, and is far from being the most difficult time limit I've ever had."

There was a flicker of something in her lavender eyes, affection for her prince, and a certain acknowledgment of comradery, of understanding for Maki. "Failure is not an option, and all additional objectives will be achieved. Even the ones I've set myself."

With another flicker of humor, she waved them goodbye as well and headed off for her duties. There was a building inspector who needed protection while they checked over a certain brewery...

Kokichi giggled softly and settled himself in Maki's grip, their group of eight now down to two. "Kai-chan said he wanted to look after Shuu-chan this afternoon, even before...everything. Have any ideas for what you wanna do?"

"Drink until I pass out and die," Maki muttered.

"Second best, then," Kokichi sighed, still offering his friend a soft smile. "The offer's still always open if you just wanna crash in our room. I fell asleep during Kai-chan's checkup and didn't wake up till a little before lunch but...I think I need another nap anyway."

His smile fell away a little, admitting the weakness of his body. All that...was a lot. Even if he was still able to smile with friends and be excited for a vacation...that didn't mean that everything else hadn't happened.

That he hadn't been crushed by some of his people, that Shuuichi wasn't still beset by a parasite that potentially was going to allow him to conceive. That Maki wasn't going to have to watch her brother be sexually tortured.

"...I dunno if it'd help or anything... but when I was little, my d - nanny made me a stuffed rabbit. He said it was a reminder of love and care, and whenever I hold it, it makes me feel at least a little better. It should still be on our bed, so if Maki-chan wants to hold it for a little while...that'd be okay with me," he murmured, soft enough that his words were only for Maki's ears.

Maki sighed. A stuffed animal huh...it was the sort of thing one of the kids at the orphanage would have offered her. She even had a few, stuffed away in a box somewhere, a few kids convinced that their plush friends needed to go with big sister to protect her on the trip...

...maybe Maki needed a little protection right now.

"Trade ya," Maki murmured, heading up the staircase. "I'll hug your rabbit for a while, you can hug this, just...awful dinosaur. At least the kid thought it was a dinosaur. It's an abomination is what it is, with a giant head full of teeth and this tiny body with what I think was meant to be feathers and ended up looking like spikes...a kid named Andrew made it himself. Said it would keep me company on the road...it's a pretty good try, for a seven-year-old," Maki admitted.

She could sleep with the bunny and Kokichi could sleep with the monster-dinosaur and maybe when they woke up everything would be fixed already and she wouldn't have to do anything to Shuuichi and Kaito wouldn't be brainwashed and Luminary would just be fixed and Andrew wouldn't be just starting his career as a poison taster, which he may or may not survive the training for...

...Maki was very tired. "A nap actually does sound really good," she said, stopping at her door first. "Let me just grab this damn dinosaur."

The box was under her bed, and it was simple enough to fetch it while placing Kokichi down for a moment, finding the dinosaur among the other collection of garbage that the kids had insisted on sending her off with. The dinosaur really was ridiculous looking. It was eighty-percent head, easily. A lot of its details were felt pieces cut off and haphazardly sewn onto what was most likely originally a green wool bag that the kid had repurposed.

It smelled of the cotton it was stuffed with. It smelled a little like home. Maki picked Kokichi back up and headed to his room.

He knew it was different, having stuffed animals because you cared about the person who'd given them to you, and having them because you liked them, but...some of Kokichi's embarrassment went away, hearing that Maki had her own stuffed animals. "Ah, I would be honored to go to sleep with one of Maki-chan's animals. Or, monsters?"

He knew it wasn't a real fix. Like he'd told Kaito, the rabbit was an inanimate object. But, when he held it, it reminded him of his dad. That there were people in the world that cared, and cared about him. And...knowing that, it was a little easier to face the world. Knowing that you had people to rely on, and, in their harder moments, they could rely on you too.

Kokichi laughed, though not unkindly, at the dinosaur, seeing what Maki meant. "Aww, Maki-chan, it's cute! I can see why your brother wanted to send it with you--all good vibes here!"

When they got to the princes' room, the bunny was laying right where Kokichi had left it, unconsciously having grabbed it in his half-sleep when Kaito had brought him to bed. It was neater in its construction, the soft fabric still well-kept after all the years, but the love contained in both stuffed animals? Boundless.

"Yeah, I don't know why children are always trying to give away useless knick-knacks and garbage, but wow, do they love to do that," Maki said, placing Kokichi down on the bed, before crawling around him and flopping on the other side, face down on the mattress, just sprawled out. "And they always remember what they gave you. Doesn't matter how much time passes, how old they get. When they find out you still have that stupid thing they gave you when they were five, their eyes light up..."

It was only when Maki's eyes were covered that the look that she purposefully tried to embody, generally for murder purposes, actually managed to...work? Without the constant, radiating violent energy she sent out into the world with her gaze, in her skirt and long pigtails and clutching a toy in her hand...she looked younger. More vulnerable. A silhouette of a version of herself that, in a different lifetime, she could have been. Traditionally feminine. Sweet. Maybe a little silly, a little snarky, thinking her biggest problem for the summer was whether the person she had a crush on was interested, but her actual biggest problem going to be her part-time work at Fantasy Clairs, it being her first big responsibility that she'd have to handle independently as a young adult.

And then she rolled over, looking over at Kokichi with tired, blood-red eyes and a gaze that, for all the love inside of her (and there was...so much love inside her), still belonged to a person who had inflicted more pain and death and devastation on other people in two decades than most people would their entire lives...and fully intended to cause more, when the time came. To people she hated. To people she loved. To people she'd never personally meet, just...caught up in the middle...

Whether she succeeded or not. Whether Kaede Momota really fulfilled all her promises or not. Whether the Indentured Program was torn down or not...

History would not remember Maki Harukawa as being anything other than a necessary evil at best, or a raving, murderous fanatic at worst.

...but in this moment she was just a young woman, holding a very ugly handmade dinosaur doll, looking over at her friend as she said, "Maybe I don't want to trade. Mine looks squishier than yours. Here, feel." Maki challenged him, holding the stuffed animal out for Kokichi to squeeze.

Kokichi knew that Maki wasn't actually annoyed or baffled. She could be cruel, detached...but beneath what she'd been forced through, Maki was a truly loving, caring person. Someone who hadn't even debated for a second whether she was going to bring all the keepsakes that her siblings had given her.

She knew that, so he wouldn't belabor the point.

"Well, as an overgrown child myself, useless knick-knacks and garbage are some of my favorite things," Kokichi remarked, looking over to his shelves and seeing all of the useless (for now) things he'd collected. "It's nice to hear there are people like Maki-chan who indulge kids and don't throw their gifts away."

Laughing lightly, Kokichi reached over and carefully squeezed the dinosaur, a sweet smile crossing his face before he gave as deep a sigh as he could. "I can't believe it. Ikuo's going to be devastated when he finds out a seven-year-old made a squishier plushie than him. Take your prize, Maki-chan, revel in it. I suppose, for my dear friend, I can settle for the less-squishy runner-up."

Taking his rabbit into his arms, Kokichi settled down and gave Maki a smirk. "You better appreciate my generosity, you know?"

"Oh, endlessly," Maki assured him, taking the dinosaur back and holding it against her chest, grabbing one of Kaito's pillows and readjusting it under her head, looking tired and...her eyes suddenly opened again, looking over at Kokichi in concern. "When's the last time you had your tea?"

Just because everything with Shuuichi had just blown up in her face didn't mean Maki had forgotten the other dangerously sick friend that their group was trying desperately to manage. Maki had spent a frustrated amount of time last night worrying about the fact that Kokichi wouldn't have her there at night for the times he woke up, and so long as he still couldn't move on his own...Maki didn't like the idea of a healer watching her friends sleep any more than Kaito had liked asking for it, but...there was just no way around it now. Not while Shuuichi couldn't be trusted to be by himself.

Kokichi's smile faded into something more tired, but he reassured her gently all the same. "I had a cup right before lunch, Kai-chan helped me with it. I'll probably need another dose next time I wake up, but I'm okay for now."

Slowly, making sure she could see his hand long before he reached her, Kokichi reached over and gave Maki's shoulder a pat, feeling his eyes start to grow heavy now that he was in bed. "Sleep time. Maki-chan's done a lot today, and everything else can wait for later. Rest time now."

Deciding to lead by example, Kokichi got comfortable and closed his eyes, holding his rabbit close and just under his chin, squishing his face into its totally blank, not smug expression. Letting himself relax, breathing deeper...until it evened out into his usual snuffles.

Maki hadn't actually meant to sleep the whole afternoon away with Kokichi. She had expected to maybe hover around sleep for a few hours, before eventually getting up and keeping herself busy, mentally going over plans and schedules and general murder plots while watching over Kokichi.

But she hadn't done any of that, because she fell asleep not long after Kokichi did, and only woke up when the sun was setting through the curtains, a quiet knock at the door waking her up.

Maki sat up as Kaito walked in, a little embarrassed as she kept in her grip the now drool-covered dino-monster plushie, which Kaito raised an eyebrow at, glancing between herself, her plushie, his husband, and the rabbit...before narrowing his eyes.

"They're multiplying," he whispered. Staring at the plushies with naked suspicion.

"...what?" Maki asked.

Kaito shook his head. "Nevermind. It's uh...joke. Anyway, how'd it go? Do we have a plan? Please tell me we have a plan."

"Let's step out into the hall, I think Kokichi's still asleep," Maki said, following her prince outside.

In the hall, Maki gave Kaito a rundown of everything that was discussed over the meeting, starting with the trip plans, and ending with Shuuichi's new care schedule. Kaito listening quietly and nodding along to everything...before his eyes widened at the last point she brought up. "What!? No you're not."

Maki narrowed her eyes at him. "I am."

"Why!? That's too much pressure to put on both of you. It's fucked up. And I don't want her anywhere near him again, Maki. The things he's said to me all afternoon...it's already gone too far. We're not doing that," Kaito insisted, running a hand through his hair, "He's just going to have to deal with getting off the old fashioned way, okay..."

"I spent all day with him yesterday and all morning with him, and I don't...I'm not doing this for fun, Kaito. If I didn't think this was something he needed, I wouldn't have agreed to the plan. Kokichi wouldn't have agreed to the plan." Maki huffed, tugging at her hair as she said, "He's losing his mind, Kaito. Has lost it. If someone doesn't provide it for him, he's going to end up right back in another situation like the brewery. And...I agree, I don't want her near him either...and that's why I can't allow the idea of these sessions going on unsupervised. Shuuichi needs someone there who cares about him."

"To watch him be tortured!?"

"Would you rather he was by himself!?"

"...look, you don't have to do this, I'll-"

"No."

"He's my sidekick, and I'm his prince, Maki, and it's not your job to be the bad guy every time something bad needs to-"

"One: yes it is. Two: he's your sidekick and you're his prince. I'm...counting on that. I'm counting on you to fix anything me and Nao...mess up with this. To not only counter it, but maybe even...counter it soon. Immediately."

"...I don't understand what you're trying to-"

"I haven't thought it through, yet, okay?! I want to see what the first session is like before I ask you to do anything specific. But...you were able to get through his conditioning just by being relentlessly positive to him, when we were kids. That might be what needs to happen again for...the new fucking brainwashing him and Nao and...maybe I might... accidentally give him...I don't know. Again, I haven't thought it through. But it needs to be an option. We might need a good guy, and if we do, it's obviously got to be you. So I don't want you to ever even suggest being part of the other side of it with me again."

"...Maki...I don't know if any of this is the right way to handle this..."

"Do you have any better ideas?"

"We could watch him twenty-four seven. Until he's off the drug entirely? It won't matter if he seeks out danger if we don't let up."

"Nao said that if he didn't get off a certain number of times a day, just the act of not doing so starts to hurt him. Dr. Kimura didn't correct or disagree with her."

"But did she actively agree with her? ...look, when you go pick up the medicine tonight, ask Dr. Kimura what the actual danger of just not letting him get off at all would be. Just confirm to me that's not an option, okay? If she confirms it, then...I'll stop talking about this, and we can follow through on the plan. I'll be up when you get back. Tell me the results once you know. Shuuichi's in your room, I dropped him off there before I came here. Are you taking him with you to her, or do you need me to watch him?"

"Yeah, I'll take him with me. He any less angry since lunch?"

"...anger kinda gave way to...a lot of crying and talking bad about himself a few hours ago. Like...a lot of talking bad about himself...this has already really gotten bad, Maki..."

"I'll take care of him tonight, and bring him over for a dose tomorrow morning. I'll see you in a few hours with the information and let you know how the medicine went."

There were a few more words, and then, with an exhausted sigh, Kaito went back into his room, closing the door behind himself as Maki went on to her room like a woman on a mission...which she usually was.

Kaito headed to the bed, crawling in beside Kokichi. Exhausted.

Kokichi stirred a bit, feeling the bed dip in weight and sensing warmth next to him--things that, even to a mostly asleep mind meant Kaito. Making a few incoherent humming sounds, Kokichi shuffled closer to the warmth, trying to snuggle in against it.

And then, after a few quiet moments where it might've seemed like he'd fallen back asleep... "...mmn... Kai-chan?"

Kokichi opened drowsy eyes, taking in the blurry form of his husband before blinking and clearing the image, giving a pleased sigh as he nosed against Kaito's arm. "Di' Maki-chan go back to watchin' Shuu-chan?"

Kaito looked up from the mattress as Kokichi started to scoot over to him, shifting himself to accommodatingly bring Kokichi closer to himself, placing a gentle kiss against his husband's forehead. "Hey, 'Kichi. You've been asleep all afternoon, babe. If you're up, we should get some more tea into you."

Kaito closed his eyes at the question, nodding without much enthusiasm. "Yeah. She and Shuuichi are probably going to take a trip down to see Seiko in a couple of hours, and then she's gonna stop by and talk to us when they get back. Just to give us an update."

Kissing his husband's forehead, his cheek, his temple, Kaito delayed getting up from the bed for another minute...before whispering, "Give me one second," to him, getting up and going to collect the tea.

"Not all afternoon," Kokichi grumbled, stubbornly holding onto the fact that he'd been awake for lunch and their conversation, which was held in the afternoon, so there. But, if it was evening now...

Nodding a bit, Kokichi gestured over to the drawer in his nightstand, still containing the vibrator. Thankfully Kaito hadn't used that to block the door. "I hid the stickers of spores Nao gave me. No matter how he asks or begs...one a day. Hopefully Dr. Kimura's medicine will help his addiction soon though..."

Kokichi basked in the kisses before scooting himself up the bed and against the extra pillows, preparing himself for tea. "Did I sleep through dinner too?"

"It's happening now, actually. Sorry, I didn't think to get anything. I was a little distracted getting back here. I can go get something now...or, we could just go downstairs and eat at the dining hall. You could...you could talk to that friend of yours? The hairdresser?" Kaito said, "What's their...they are 'they', right?...what's their name...Dojo? They're probably down there..."

Kaito was feeling guilty, again, at the sheer, never ending stress himself and his friends had put Kokichi through. Not to mention his party before they had left...and, well, his whole kingdom throughout Kokichi's whole life...and, like, the fact that the war probably directly contributed to Kokichi's shitty, stifled, horrifying childhood...uh...yeah...

Kaito had had a little bit of time with Shuuichi where things had been quiet and he was just allowed to think, and...his friends couldn't be the support system Kaito wanted to see for Kokichi. They were too unstable, they needed too much themselves.

So! So...Kaito needed to stop being so selfish with Kokichi's time, and so openly hostile to everyone in this castle. It was isolating Kokichi. Kaito didn't want to be that kind of partner to him. He didn't want Kokichi's social life to be dependent on him.

The Luminary Prince was not self aware enough to realize his husband had been worrying about the exact same thing for him for weeks. Kaito had Shuuichi and Maki. He just...didn't see himself as someone who was alone.

He brought the tea back, offering it to Kokichi, using the same method they had used this morning. "What do you think? Do you think you'd want a trip downstairs? See your people, spend some time with them?"

Kokichi laughed softly, giving Kaito a kind look. "Denji, and, yeah, they're 'they'. They're technically the royal stylist, but when there's no big events going on, the most they do is help my father with his makeup."

"...I think they can tell by looking at you, but I'm sure Denji's happy to see one of us put effort into their appearance. If they'd gone with us on our shopping trip, you can bet I'd be bullied into agreeing to you buying more clothes." For as careful as he'd started out, Kokichi rolled his eyes with a fond grin, thinking about the two fashionistas in his life.

He was positive Kaito could find friends among the staff, not even counting people who lived in town. Art and fashion and fiction and astronomy and...all the things Kaito was interested in other people were too. Kokichi really thought that this place could feel like home, not just to Kaito, but Maki and Shuuichi and Tim too. That they eventually could relax and not feel like they had to keep their guards up all the time. That they could go to the dining room for meals and get distracted chatting with friends, or that they'd go to a workshop and come out with a new gossip buddy, or they could feel okay going to the med ward for once.

...it would just take time.

Sipping at his tea, Kokichi hummed for a moment. "I'm not super hungry...but it'd probably be a good idea, huh. And Kai-chan should eat too. Take care of ourselves, yanno?"

Right. Okay. Time to be a good husband. If you didn't want to go down there, you shouldn't have brought it up. You can totally handle this right now! Let's get Kokichi out of this fucking room, and downstairs to socialize and stuff with people who aren't likely to send him into another cardiac attack!

Yeah!

...phew, okay, no really. You really got this. Just do it.

Kaito nodded, both to Kokichi and to his own inner monologue, giving his husband a grin as he said, "Yeah! And, ya know, lunch was...I mean, I don't know about you, but I kinda just picked at my plate. I think I only ate half of it before Shuuichi had his, ya know...meltdown." Kaito waved his hand vaguely in the air, before shrugging sheepishly. "So, while I'm also not feeling super hungry, I probably actually am and just don't realize it yet, ya know? Alright! Let me know when you're ready and we'll head down!"

"...how is he doing? Like...I'm not expecting that he's okay or anything...but..." Kokichi sighed softly, pausing before continuing on with his tea. Shuuichi wasn't okay just in general, but...knowing that his health and sex life was going to be dictated by other people...that was the sort of thing that made a person feel helpless. Being told that your body was doing stuff that you couldn't control either, too.

Frowning into his cup, Kokichi's eyebrows drew together. "...I don't like that we have to do this. But I can't think of anything else... I can only hope that he'll start getting better sooner than later."

"..."

Kaito sat down at the edge of the bed and stared down at his broken arm. Started picking at lint and hairs caught in the edged folds of the wrapping as he wondered what he should say. Not just for Shuuichi's dignity, or Kokichi's heart, but...just for his own comfort as well...

...but, maybe for stuff like this, secrets...aren't maybe the best thing for his own relationship with Kokichi...he didn't want Shuuichi to say something around Kokichi later, and for his husband to think there was some underhanded reason he hadn't mentioned it to him already...

So Kaito shrugged, and said, "Shuuichi tried very, very hard to get me to sleep with him, and when I refused, went on this...tirade about being...worthless and a slut and how everyone hated him and he wasn't good for anything and that I only didn't want to touch him because I was repulsed by him and...he started trying to pick a fight with me? He started saying a bunch of really scary things about, just, kinda anything you could think of. Me, you, Luminary...and when I wasn't getting angry like he wanted, he tried grabbing my cast and..."

Kaito frowned, brow furrowed...before saying quickly, "He stopped almost immediately! Like...I shouted out, and it was like suddenly he woke up out of some haze. Like, his eyes seemed to literally clear up, I mean, from this...fog they were in. And he apologized a lot and told me he was broken and that he wasn't really human anymore and he'd understand if I didn't want to be around something like him and...I couldn't really get him to calm down. He just sorta wore himself out eventually and then fell asleep. This lasted, like...literally hours. There was just...I don't know what to do, Kokichi. Maki said she was going to...well, you know. And I just...he's out of his mind. He's literally self destructing, and he has all the fuel in the world to convince himself its okay for him to self destruct, thanks to that...fucking..." Kaito frowned. Shaking his head. "I get why she did it. His energy is insane right now, and honestly, I could see why hitting him until he's satisfied and calms down would seem like that best option. But...what if all of that with Maki and Nao just...makes it worse?"

It...was about what he expected, but that didn't make it any easier to hear. Desperate for sex, feeling like nothing else about him mattered, or had any worth anymore... Kokichi did look up in worry when he heard about Shuuichi grabbing Kaito's injured arm, but...that sounded more like something directly because of the spores than any real change to Shuuichi's mind. Getting off them and on Dr. Kimura's medicine would help that pretty quickly...probably.

"...we don't know if doing nothing would make it worse either," Kokichi sighed. "We don't know enough about this at all...but Shuu-chan can't ignore us forever, right?" He looked up at Kaito, his bright star, someone who lit up everyone around him. "If we just...keep reminding Shuu-chan of who he is, then...I think he'll be okay. Probably not for a while, but...we're not going to give up on him. That's the only thing that's not an option."

He nodded once, a decision, knowing that whatever happened, he'd never stop trying to help and care for Shuuichi. "We have to...decide all this stuff for him until he wants to get better again, and then once he does? Shuu-chan will have the best support system in the world."

Kaito put a hand over his eye, pushing the palm down against it gently as he tried to center himself. "Yeah...of course he will! Of course...it's just...gonna take time and, well...you're right, it's not exactly like anyone knows better, right? No one else has seen this before? I mean...people in Danganronpa probably have. The stuff comes from there, I can't imagine no one there's ever tried what Shuuichi did. But they have that medical embargo thing..."

The Luminary Prince bit his lip, worrying it slightly as he pressed his knuckles into his chest, popping the joint. "...do you think sending a message to Queen Junko just...asking for any information they have on Despair Poppies they have could work? I mean, I don't have any personal connections to her, but...we're both princes of her neighboring kingdoms. Even with the embargo, maybe if we made a personal request, she'd be able to get some information sent to us?"

...that was a point. Surely there were Ronpans that knew what the poppies did, but...why hadn't they gotten rid of them? Was it just too dangerous, or...well, in Kaito's story, he did say that the person they'd gotten directions from warned them away from the forest at the start of spring. Maybe people just didn't want to take the risk and avoided the forest at that time?

But...surely...there had been some cases over the years... Maybe they'd have a way?

Kokichi pressed his lips together and looked around their room. "...we wouldn't be the first from leading families to ask for information...but there's no way to know for sure unless we try. Maybe...since it's such a personal, specific thing...she'd allow just that information to go through? Just this once?"

By all his hopes and clarifications, it was obvious Kokichi didn't think they would be able to convince Queen Junko, but...it was worth a shot.

"After dinner...could you move some of my writing supplies over here? I have some other letters I wanna write too, but...we can draft the one to Queen Junko together."

Kaito smiled. He actually felt a little better, now that he had actually contributed something to this whole mess. He had honestly been feeling a little helpless among all this. Sure, he had organized the meeting to make a plan, but that was more him...just kinda asking other people for help for problems he in no way, shape, or form had any idea what to actually do about. Beyond that, all he could do was sit there and listen and believe that the people he had asked for help would actually know what to do...

It was just nice to come up with an idea himself for once, really. Made him feel less useless.

"Of course, no problem. Alright! Perfect! We'll do that then," Kaito said with a grin, giving his husband a thumbs up. "Speaking of, we better hurry. Especially if I want to get my hands on any of the sweet bread I know for a fact they were cooking during lunch. That stuff’s amazing. One of the best things in Dicea's culinary basket, so far."

The thing he was talking about was literally just...the mildly sweet bread that the kitchens sometimes put out as appetizers. It was an extremely simple recipe that, for whatever reason, Luminary just never thought of themselves, and Kaito was enamored with it, and had way too much of it whenever it was available. He had smelled it baking when they had gone to get lunch, and had been immediately excited by it, even with the uncomfortable conversation coming up.

"You ready? Let's get going, beautiful, your people await," Kaito said, picking up his husband and, with a chaste kiss on the cheek, headed down.

Kokichi felt himself relax a little at Kaito's enthusiasm, enough to giggle a bit at his husband's fondness for sweet bread--which, of course, he also shared, if not with equal zeal. "It's somehow perfect that out of everything we cook here, you love the bread the most. Have you had it with the roasted garlic butter yet? God, I could eat just that for a week and not get tired of it."

As it always did, life continued.

Kokichi nuzzled against Kaito's shoulder as he was lifted up, sneaking in a kiss just below his husband's jaw before they left the room.

As Kaito said, dinner was in full swing so they didn't really see anyone as they headed downstairs, but they could hear the ruckus in the dining room before they even opened the door.

Okay...these are Kokichi's people. Just...be decent. Be nice. Try not to get angry at anyone. No other Luminaries were going to be here to focus on. Tim was in his room. Maki and Shuuichi were in Maki's room. So...you're on your own. Just...stop being a fucking dick to everyone, and make it easier for your bedridden husband to socialize with people who, again, have not accidentally (well, maybe not...'accidentally' on Tim's part, so much) sent him into a heart attack twice in one month now.

If you realize you're talking to one of the people who tried to kill your husband...just...pretend they're Indentureds. They couldn't help it. You can't blame them for it. It's not their fault.

(...but then the people whose fault it IS are just...still out there somewhere and...????????)

Okay. Totally fine! You got this!

Walking into the dining hall, it was just...packed. Some people Kaito recognized just from seeing them around the castle, but for the most part, it was just a sea of unfamiliar faces, the busy hour in full swing. More likely than not, King Aiichi was in here somewhere, but Kaito hadn't spotted him and didn't want to. He knew the king had been looking for him yesterday, and Kaito had managed by some miracle to avoid him, just...

...he already knew, okay. He didn't need anyone telling him what 'happened'. He didn't want to think about it.

Finding two empty seats next to each other, Kaito put Kokichi down, asking him what he wanted. "I'll go fill up our plates," Kaito assured him.

Kokichi smiled and waved at the faces that turned when the door opened, a few grinning back, raising their glasses in greeting, others giving warm nods, and...some... There were nervous smiles sent his way, but the gazes immediately shifted to the right and then back down to their food.

...time. They just needed time. Not everyone could have a screaming match with their fiance in the middle of the night and almost die to come to an understanding.

Settling into his seat, making sure he could sit up on his own, Kokichi gave Kaito a grateful smile. "Sweet bread, obviously. And...it looks like there's tomato soup? I'd like some of that--thanks, sweets!"

Kaito had barely left to go get their food before Kokichi heard a quiet, "bawww," from his other side, and he turned to see Tomomi looking at him with an adoring look. "What a doting husband--super cute!"

He gave the event coordinator a grin, nodding over Kaito's way. "Oh, Kai-chan is super cute soooo much of the time, you don't even know. How's it goin', Tomo-chan?"

"Oh, just wonderful. Takashi and I are knocking things out of the park, and, can you believe it? I was posting up a notice for one of the dances coming up, and this little cutie asked if she could have a dance with me at it! What a sweetheart, I totally have to dress up and knock everything out of the park now."

"Hey now, I don't know how I feel about having competition in the 'cutest couple' contest," Kokichi joked, raising an eyebrow before beaming at the woman. "That's awesome though. I hope you have a great time.”

Kaito collected the plates and bowls necessary and waited in line, getting a good amount of tomato soup and sweet bread for Kokichi, and an absurd amount of roast beef, spinach, and asparagus for himself, and then an additional bowl to just accommodate the several rolls of sweet bread he wanted for himself. It was a balancing act on a tray to get it all back to the table, but Kaito was getting better and better at working one handed, and-

Oh, come on. Really??

He immediately hesitated at the sight of the informant chatting it up with Kokichi, frowning tensely. He...come on...

...he reminded himself that she wasn't malicious. Not...not meaningfully so. He had no idea what those letters she had sent to Byakuya looked like, or why his brother had interpreted them in such an...extreme way. With such an extreme reaction...

It...it wasn't her fault...

It was Kaito's. It was Kaito's fault. He needed to take responsibility for that. Byakuya wouldn't have done it if Kaito hadn't fucked up so much. The woman, what was her name...Takashi? No, no, that was the other one...Tomomi. She was only sending him information she had heard. Like his brother had asked her to. It wasn't her fault that Kaito had fucked up so much and so often that Byakuya just hearing about it all had assumed...a-and besides! It was all cleared up now, he had said! He...it was all just a silly, small (hahaha??????) misunderstanding and...and none of that was her fault and...

Stop freaking out. You can't leave the dining hall, not without Kokichi. So...just go sit down.

Plastering a small, hesitant grin on his face, Kaito managed to get himself moving from his frozen position, going back to the table and sitting back in his seat with a small, awkward nod towards the informant, putting Kokichi's food in front of him, saying as he did so, "I only got water, but they had wine available if you wanted any. I got a little for myself, but I know you don't drink, usually, so...I mean, just say the word and I'll go grab you some."

Despite not being that hungry, the food smelled delicious when Kaito brought it over, sooooo...well, he wouldn't really be forcing himself to eat. He looked up with a grin to thank Kaito...but...

Worry flickered over his face for a moment before Kokichi sent his husband a sweet, grateful smile. "Thanks, Kai-chan! And water's great, don't even fuss--let's eat!" And he certainly did, tearing into one of his rolls and dipping a half into his soup, letting it soak for a moment before taking a bite and...yeah. It was a good idea to come to dinner.

Tomomi gave Kaito a wave as he sat, oblivious to his tenseness around her. "Good evening, Kaito! Oh, you guys should totally come to one of the dances once you're back from your trip! They always turn out to be, like, a total blast. Got any themes you wanna request?"

She gave the princes a winking giggle before sighing. "Takashi, like, allllways tweaks any ideas I have, then takes all the credit. I know he does this, but he's not being sneaky about it! I know what he's doing. It's not like the credit even matters either; he just likes to feel important, but, like, so do I!!"

Kokichi tilted his head a bit at this. "How often does he use your ideas, Tomo-chan?"

"It's been practically every time..."

"Then Tomo-chan is suuuuper important!" Kokichi chirped with a bright grin. "Without her, 'Kashi-chan would be totally lost. And maybe you can tweak some of his ideas next time he brings one up."

Tomomi brightened at this and giggled, demurely bringing a hand up to her mouth. "I can just imagine the look on his face...I think I'll do that! Thanks, Kokichi!"

Kaito didn't really know what to say, so he focused on eating.

It was good. Again, it was...different. Like, it was genuinely strange, how different everything tasted that, had you asked Kaito beforehand, he'd have been baffled how just cooking the thing differently could change it so much. Like the roast beef? It was wet?? Why was it wet? Was it supposed to be wet? It didn't taste bad or anything, but...it was just weird.

As he listened to the...right, right, she was some sort of event coordinator. That's right. As she listened to her complain about who Kaito had to assume was her boss, he considered the issue absentmindedly, mostly just focusing on allowing the pieces of his roast beef to drip off before taking his bites, easing the weird texture to it a little, before saying, "Maybe you could just spar him? He'd understand it upset you if you did that. Are you practiced with any weapons?"

"Huh?" Tomomi blinked at the Luminary Prince in confusion, and Kokichi...glanced between the two of them and ate a spoonful of his soup, just waiting to see how this played out.

Twirling a piece of hair that had fallen out of her braids, Tomomi really didn't understand what Kaito meant. "Like...neither of us went to classes for fighting growing up or anything, so I don't know what we'd even do if I brought it up, and...like, why would he...understand it upset me from that? I'm not gonna fight my coworker over something little like that."

Kaito's brow furrowed slightly. No one had ever asked him before why you would spar someone you were upset with. It was...obvious? If you were upset enough that you were willing to put yourself into danger, then?? Yeah?? You were really upset. So that put them into a position where they'd have to either listen to you, or try to actually subdue you, which would just escalate things to dangerous levels, so usually people picked the first one and...

Kaito looked to Kokichi for help, but his husband didn't seem particularly interested in intervening, so, uh...

"It's just...uh..." He started trying to explain everything above, but...again, that couldn't actually be a legitimate question. Was she baiting him into saying something that would embarrass him? Or...oh! "Are you worried about getting hurt?" Kaito realized, feeling silly that he hadn't realized it immediately. "It's fine if you are, that's totally understandable. But, like, people stealing your work is really shitty. You shouldn't just let that go."

"If he has no fighting experience, I could..." Kaito hesitated. Not really sure if he actually wanted to do this...but, he was trying to be better, right? Friendlier here? This was a step in the right direction. "...I could show you some easy moves that'd probably take him down quickly?"

Tomomi was still a little confused...but that was okay. She felt that way a lot. But she'd understood one thing Kaito said, and that was enough. So, with a light laugh, she waved him off. "Aw, that's really nice of you! But it's not even that Takashi is stealing my work--he's just interjecting himself into it. And it's not like either of us are getting anything from it--it's just that he can say that 'we' came up with the idea when we report to Ryou, instead of saying that it was just my idea, no biggie."

"Oh, but if you ever feel like it, maybe I could tempt you into running a self-defense course some time?" She gave the prince a half-joking smile, though her question was legitimate. "If you know good ways to subdue someone, I'm sure there are a lot of people who would appreciate learning from you. Never know when you'll need to get some creep's hands off you, you know?" She made a face at that before offering the prince another friendly smile.

"Um...sure?" Kaito said, not really sure how they had gotten to this point, but okay. "Sure! I'd be happy to...I mean, is it alright if I ask Maki-Roll to help? She's way better at it than I am, honestly. She does this thing with her legs that sends people flying, I've never even been able to come close to doing it," Kaito said, grinning wide as he got back on much more comfortable footing--bolstering one of his sidekicks. "But it's actually, like, a really good trick for smaller people? And if it's, ya know, a self defense class, I gotta assume the people in it are mostly concerned about larger people. Maybe? Though, I've met plenty of small people who are just terrors, like, just real vicious fighters..."

Kaito paused, glancing over at Kokichi, and then laughed good-naturally. "Obviously, I don't mean my husband...not that you couldn't!" he added, giving Kokichi a wide grin. "You totally could if you wanted to! With, ya know...training and stuff! Maybe a lot of training. For awhile...but you'd definitely get to the point you could fight people! No doubt, 'Kichi! Like," he turned to Tomomi, excited, "Have you seen the way he can jum-"

Oh, wait.

Was that a secret?

Kaito genuinely wasn't sure and stopped talking, suddenly remembering that he didn't know the rules here, and also, like...anything he said could maybe get back to Byakuya, and maybe talking about Kokichi's potential ability to fight wasn't his best move there and...suddenly nervous and focusing on his food again as he shrugged and said, "Uh, but yeah, just...let us know what you need and I'll talk to Maki about it."

Tomomi nodded along, not...entirely sure who 'Maki-Roll' was. Like...she knew some of Prince Kaito's friends had moved with him, so she was obviously one of those people...but Tomomi wasn't sure she'd ever seen the woman. Oh well! Kaito could just invite her, no biggie.

She did laugh a little, trying not to be incredulous, but...come on?! Kokichi? Fighting? The Dicean Prince would never hurt a fly--would actually be more likely to freeze and scrunch his eyes closed in that case, since he was scared of bugs.

Kaito was probably just trying to be nice, saying that Kokichi maybe, one day could have the capability to fight, like that was some weird compliment. Awww...Byaku would probably like to hear that. That his brother wanted to boost his husband's ego even when he and everyone knew how frail Kokichi was.

Kokichi during this, was happy to hear Tomomi reaching out and Kaito accepting it, though he raised an eyebrow as Kaito cut himself off. Like, he wasn't about to blurt out that Maki had been teaching him how to throw knives, so...

"Awesome! Thanks for considering it! I know you guys have a lot going on right now with leaving in just a few days, but I'll draft up a proposal and have it ready by the time you come back! And no worries about getting back to me quickly or anything--whatever time works for you!" The young woman sent the prince a lovely smile, pleased with potentially finding something more to serve the community. Something she could send back to Byakuya too about how Kaito was having a good time living in Dicea, willing to share his knowledge with people.

Kaito gave her an awkward smile back before focusing on his food again, waiting for her to leave as he picked at his sweet bread before saying, quietly, to Kokichi, "Hey, do...people know that you can do those crazy jumps and stuff?"

Tomomi, who had been mostly finished with her meal by the time the princes had shown up, bade them a farewell soon after, taking her dishes to the kitchen. Kokichi waved her goodbye before turning to Kaito, blinking before understanding. Ahh, that's why...

"It's not a big secret or anything, and a lot of the older staff have seen me do that kinda stuff before. It's okay to talk about, 's what I mean." Holding onto the side of his chair, Kokichi carefully leaned over to bop his head against Kaito's arm affectionately. "Thanks for bein' discreet, though. If it had been a secret, I appreciate that."

Kaito nodded, still worrying about the whole exchange, going over it line by line in his head and then...doing the usually baffling concept of trying to go over it line by line in his head the way Byakuya might see it...

...she hadn't asked about his parents.

Maybe she was just being polite? Not bringing something like that up over dinner? Or she might not know. Hajime had known, and so had the guy at the library, but beyond that no one had said anything to him about it at all, and if there was any gossip going around about, until very recently, Dicea's biggest enemies both just dropping (...haha...) dead, then Kaito hadn't overheard it.

If she had heard about it, and was going to report back to Byakuya how Kaito was handling it, was that whole exchange...good? Byakuya said he'd be annoyed hearing about Kaito grieving them. So...this was good then, right? Kaito was fine! There was no need to worry then! No need to correct anything.

...yeah! That had probably been fine!

Feeling a little relieved with his line of logic, Kaito leaned over and kissed Kokichi on the top of his head. "No worries, babe. Just didn't want to put you in a tough position with King Aiichi. I mean, it makes sense he already knows you can do that stuff, but...I just wanted to be sure. How's the soup? Can I have a taste?"

"He hired an acrobat to be my nanny. I'd be worried if he didn't think I could even do, like, a somersault or anything." Kokichi rolled his eyes in exasperation but ladled up some of his soup and carefully raised his spoon up for Kaito to taste. "It's real good, here!"

The soup was tangy and herby and a little sweet and a little spicy, going really well with the sweet rolls, making them rich in a way that wasn't overwhelming. As much as he liked playing the brat sometimes, Kokichi knew he was spoiled, growing up with this sort of food. Sure, there were things he didn't like--there was a reason he didn't ask for any of the pork during lunch, and not because he was worried about his stomach being temperamental--but he'd never had anything that was just...bad?

...he wondered what the food would be like at the coast. He knew he wanted to try--and get the others to try--that sushi stuff, the special kind with sea snails too, but for meals in general? At least he knew how to order from restaurants fine. He...wasn't sure if any of them knew how to cook, so...would just be getting things from a local market to cook at the beach house be out of the question? Hmm...

Kaito gave Kokichi a grateful smile, before sipping from the spoon. "Oh, hey, I like that," Kaito said, surprised by this. He wasn't much of a soup guy at all, but that was pretty good. It didn't really taste like tomatoes, but that was probably on purpose. Diceans weren't big on things tasting like they originally did, by the time they were done with them.

"I wonder how hard soup is to make?" Kaito murmured, squinting at the soup. "It's just, like...just mixing stuff until it blends, right? Can't be that hard...bet I could do it..."

He had tried, since his first attempt, to cook again only once, and that had been during one of his evening breaks when he had been sort of pressured away from Kokichi's side by Maki again to just...kind of get a break. Kokichi had been asleep, it had been late, and Kaito hadn't been able to sleep, so he had gone downstairs and tried cooking again and, well...

It had been an honest attempt at baking waffles. He wasn't...entirely certain how he had, once again, managed to thoroughly burn the outside, and the inside still wasn't even kind of cooked, and???

He'd get it right one of these days.

But soup! It's gotta be tough to mess up soup, right?? Did you even cook it? Or just...warm it a bit???

Kokichi beamed up at Kaito, hearing him praise Dicean food. Alright! Sweet rolls and tomato soup! Kaito had mentioned that his birthday was in a month or two, and, while he knew the kitchen would do their best to copy Luminary recipes...if they weren't quite right, it was nice to know that there was Dicean food his husband would really enjoy too.

Sure, maybe wondering about eating out on their trip, or what Kaito's birthday dinner would look like seemed small and inconsequential to everything else going on...but it was how Kokichi's mind worked. Thinking about everything all the time, feeling excited when he found a solution to even a small issue.

Laughing a bit, having a good guess at what Kaito's next cooking adventure would be--and he was wrong; if they wanted to eat eggs on the trip, Kaito had that down--Kokichi gave him a shrug with a grin. "I think so? Mix everything until it's blended, simmer it for a while, add in spices until it tastes good... Hey, Kai-chan might even make a new recipe that'll be all the rage! Maybe some people will be flocking to ya for lessons."

"I can do some amazing things with mysteriously bagged wood shavings," Kaito admitted, nodding sagely. "Ya know, I asked them about that? No one in the kitchen has any idea where they came from. Apparently, it isn't unheard of for, like, non-edible stuff to be put as decorations on the side of a plate, but not wood shavings? And the fact that they were bagged and among the spices just really confused everyone. One of the cooks said I must have been mistaken about what it was, the other one said he saw me put wood shavings in the hashbrowns, and then a third one suggested I must have brought in wood shavings myself..."

Kaito rolled his eyes. "Honestly, I should have just leaned into that. Convinced the Dicea kitchen staff that Luminary uses wood shavings as spices. Just really confuse everyone on the subject," he laughed, shaking his head. "Oh man, with the way they look at my cooking, I bet I could totally convince them that, like, accidentally burning everything is just how we cook in Luminary. I bet it would drive the chefs crazy, me being like 'could you please cook this steak in traditional Luminary fashion? Burnt on one side, cut unevenly, wood shavings pressed into the skin, I'm sure it's no trouble, such a dear, thank you very much."

The last part was done in a tone of voice where he was clearly, once again, lightly making fun of the tone of voice he had heard his mother use on the staff growing up. Just sorta forgetting himself as he had fun with the idea.

Huh...Kokichi would've bet that they were for extra kindling in the ovens, or used for stovetop smoking, but if no one else knew...weird. A real mystery...

Kokichi caught himself there, his expression tensing for a moment, since...he'd been about to think about jokingly suggesting that Shuuichi take on the super weird mystery of the wood shavings...but that was...

At least Kaito was there with a real joke.

Giving a snort, Kokichi rolled his eyes a bit. "God, if they didn't just refuse outright, I'd love to see you eat something like that totally straight-faced. There's commitment to a prank I don't think I'd ever be able to achieve. The only gross food pranks I can pull off are ones I actually enjoy from just being a freak."

There were people who made some preeeeetty great "ew" faces seeing him drink down the sugar slurry he'd made the one time he'd tried coffee.

Kaito smirked. "I think I could manage. I eat a lot of things totally straight-faced. You know that better than anyone."

Kokichi raised an eyebrow. "Uh, no? You totally pick at your food and make faces all the time."

A few people nearby coughed discreetly and headed on their way.

Kaito chuckled, grinning wider when he realized Kokichi was being entirely sincere. "I love you," he said, cheerfully kissing the top of Kokichi's head.

Feeling a lot better than he had a little while ago, Kaito finished his plate of real food and happily moved onto his sweet bread and wine. He was...a little cautious with the wine at first, but...it tasted fine. It was probably fine. If it was meant to taste like Itch's beer, then there was no way Kaito would miss it. The wine was fine.

Probably.

A thought occurred to Kaito. "You ever ridden a horse, 'Kichi?"

Shaking his head a little, Kokichi pressed into the kiss for a moment. "Ooookay, I love you too, you weirdo."

Having only the dregs of soup left, Kokichi sopped it up with his remaining roll, happily eating a decent dinner in the dining room for once. He'd skipped out on meals all the time, but...it felt like ages since the last time he'd had dinner in the dining room without it being uncomfortable or interrupted. He'd missed this.

"Mm?" Kokichi turned to Kaito enjoying the last bit of his own meal and tilted his head from side to side. "Not really? Like...I've sat on a horse before, but it wasn't moving so that doesn't really count."

His lips turned down into a slightly worried frown. "Hey...Maki-chan said we'd take turns guiding the horses, but...do you think it'd be too much if someone could...I dunno, give me pointers or something? I've never led a horse, and I've never navigated anywhere out of the city, and I've never had to use a map for that."

...and that was only if he could even walk on his own by the time they left. He'd been getting better at a good pace, but...he didn't want to slow everyone down...

Kaito nodded, smiling gently as he said (quietly. Not certain if this was something he was allowed to talk about too openly), "Yeah, of course. You're gonna get a chance to do all that stuff. But, I think it'd be fun for you to just straight up ride a horse too at some point, rather than just steer the carriage. Honestly, with well trained horses, the person steering the carriage is more just looking out for obstructions of the road more than anything. It's not hard. But riding an actual horse? It's a lot of fun. I think you'll enjoy it."

Kaito was also finishing up his food, just sipping at his wine idly and eating the last few pieces of his sweet bread (he had ripped through them. Fuck he loved sweet bread), before adding in as an afterthought, "Besides, we definitely need you practiced at horse riding before you meet Koh. I mean, that's a long way off, obviously, but still. It'd be worth it to make the effort early, just in case. He's making all the effort learning the trials for us, we might as well know how to ride and care for horses so we're not a total burden on him."

Okay... Alright, that didn't sound too difficult to learn quickly. And...maybe it'd just be a better idea to be in the rear caravan so he could just follow the lead of whoever was in front. Yeah. Okay.

However, riding a horse just because?

"It was pretty cool being so high up," Kokichi mused, remembering the one time he'd been on a horse. It had been so gentle too--the stablehand had let him feed it a few sugar cubes, and feeling its soft snout brush against his hand had tickled. But, uh...

Kokichi just smiled kindly up at his husband. "Sure thing. If it weren't, like, this big important, apparently difficult thing, I'd tease that you'd want me kinda clueless so I'd have to hold onto you if we rode. I think we've both read enough trash novels about serendipitous horse-riding escapades."

He didn't believe in all that stuff, but there was no harm in not fighting Kaito about it all the time. Plus, it wasn't like he didn't want to learn to ride eventually. If Kaito got something more out of it, then good for him.

Kaito raised an eyebrow, against finding himself smirking slightly as he said, "Somehow, Kokichi, I think if we rode together, you'd end up clinging onto me, clueless or not. That's alright, 'Kichi. You're always-"

...the end of the teasing innuendo was going to be 'safe between my legs', but...that wasn't true.

So.

Kaito’s shoulders lowered slightly, finishing lamely, "-welcome to hold onto me. Like I said, it'll be fun, babe."

Done with his own food, seeing that Kokichi looked to be done with his, he said gently, "This has been nice, but are you ready to head back upstairs?"

"I'd have to if you sat in front of me--I wouldn't be able to see a damn thing in front of us, you giant," he teased, reaching over to nudge Kaito a little. But sitting in front of Kaito, the older man reaching around him and helping Kokichi learn how to steer with reins, enveloping him with warmth and his sweet, woody scent while they got up to speed, the wind blowing past them from the front...maybe those romance novels did have somethin' going there...

Grinning up at Kaito, Kokichi gave a nod. "Yupp! I don't think I need to go right back to sleep or anything, so do you wanna start packing? Just the stuff we won't need in the meantime, and we can figure out how much space we'll have extra. I wanna get Ikuo a souvenir for when he comes back, really prove that I left home."

He was still...nervous about seeing his dad again, couldn't imagine how Ikuo would feel about the trip. Would he be thrilled to hear that Kokichi had gone on vacation just with friends and a few precautionary guardians? Would he be mad, hearing that it was Kokichi's first vacation? Would...he even care about hearing Kokichi prattle on about the trip like it was some story he made up when he was little?

...he had no idea. Ten years was a long time.

Kaito nodded, collecting both their plates and kissing Kokichi's forehead real quick as he said, "Sure, sounds like a plan. Give me one second."

Dropping off the plates in the kitchen, grinning awkwardly at the wooden, frustrated stares some of the staff gave him (he wasn't exactly...polite to them yesterday), he quickly headed back to Kokichi, scooping him up and (with some relief) heading out of the dining hall. Mission successful! Totally...probably didn't accidentally do anything that would have horrifying, lethal long term consequences that he couldn't possibly foresee in this moment towards people that beforehand he would have assumed were untouchable!

Yeah!

Totally reasonable expectations!

Clutching his husband close to him, Kaito was quick to hurry back to their room. Glancing at Maki's door as they passed, he wondered if she would have left by now for the doctor. He hoped her questions would result in a future where...Shuuichi was just uncomfortably horny, and not...doing things with Maki watching. Again, ya know...totally reasonable expectation. He could do things in public without anyone he cared about dying! He could hope that a doctor’s official recommendation wasn't a prescription of actual sexual abuse a few times a day! Like...he wasn't asking for much, Atua!? Most people could expect that, Atua! And most of those people weren't even from your chosen family!?? Hint hint!? Wink wink!?

Kaito felt himself getting frustrated, and also feeling a little guilty. Atua didn't work like that, he knew this...it was still...frustrating though. He'd worship later and apologize, but...for fuck's sake Atua, can't you help a guy out, like, a little?? God damn.

Getting into their room, Kaito kissed Kokichi's cheek before placing him back on the bed, positioning a wall of pillows to keep him comfortably propped up as he said, "You write letters, I'll pack, yeah? Maximum productivity!"

"Perfect" Kokichi chirped, getting comfortable on their bed. He'd write the request to Queen Junko, getting input from Kaito, of course, then...he could probably get away with writing to Kaede. He wasn't going to discuss anything terribly important, not in this one. He'd just...send his condolences, throw in something like he wished to talk more often if she wanted to, and see how that went. There...wasn't really a way he could know if Byakuya would still read her mail right now, but it couldn't hurt to get to know Kaito's cousin on a surface level, even for a man who threw the biggest bitch fits.

He already had an excuse for why he wasn't writing to Byakuya anyway. If he knew Aiichi--and he did--then his father had already sent an official letter of condolence on behalf of the Dicean government. Sending something to another branch of the family would just look like covering bases in a friendly manner. And, for continued correspondence...well, it'd just make sense for Kaito to write to his brother more often than Kokichi ever would. And, hey, like in the first letter, who was to say that Kokichi never slipped in his comments in Kaito's letter?

Yeah. All that was good.

"So...do you think we should mention Shuu-chan by name and all that, or would that just be extra information that she doesn't need? Like...would it just be enough to mention that a close friend had gotten sick?"

Kaito had pulled out one of his two spare briefcases out of the closet, already having a few outfits in mind for the trip. What would he need...assuming he couldn't wash them at any point, probably three days’ worth of pants, but a full ten days’ worth of shirts...no, maybe that wasn't reasonable. Shirts could be worn twice in a week without it getting gross. So...three pairs of pants, five shirts then, and that way he and Kokichi could potentially share a bag, freeing up space...but did that mean he was only bringing one pair of shoes? Which ones? He would have to pick one that would look good with any of the pants/shirts matchups...hmmmm this may be tougher than he thought.

As Kaito started pulling out shirts and pants, looking at them with a degree of seriousness that was probably not entirely necessary for the task, he said in response to Kokichi, "Um...there's a part of me that wants to say we should name him, if only because...do you think it's arrogant to think the Queen of Dangonronpa's informants would be aware of who specifically I moved to Dicea with? I just think, I mean...if I was trying to hide a secret medical information thing, my first thought about all personal requests would be that they were making it up. So, mentioning Shuuichi specifically, her informants could confirm to her that he was recently in the Dead Forest with the Luminary Party, and was still with me here, so I would have reason to be personally concerned for him...like, it would take away some of that suspicion if the person in question made sense, right?"

"It kinda sucks to put his business out there like that though..." Kaito murmured, glaring at a few of the shirts...they were cute but...would they look natural in a beach town? Or would he look stuffy...maybe he should just bring two shirts, and then buy some shirts when they got to the coastal town. Could he afford to do that? "Maybe...we could say I need it? I mean, everyone knows I was dosed with the stuff before our wedding. We could say it sorta spiraled from there? Makes it more urgent if a royal’s being affected by it, too."

Kokichi hummed, arranging his papers and pens around him for personal organization. There was just too much about Danganronpa's structure that he didn't know about... He knew they were more of a traditional monarchy like Luminary, but had been for much, much longer than the Momota Family had been in charge. The rumors of 'games' were...pretty horrific, but also incredibly outlandish to the point Kokichi didn't put much stock in them at all.

However, whenever he processed trade receipts and the like, no one had ever really mentioned the Ronpans as being...strange or disgruntled or oppressed or anything. Maybe...the best thing was just to be as transparent as possible...

Certainly not--

"Wait, what?!" Kokichi's head shot up from the blank paper he'd been staring at, looking at Kaito in alarm. “No, no, I mean, other than you, me, Shuu-chan, Maki-chan, and Tim, no one should... Did you tell anyone?!"

Kaito looked startled, glancing up warily, tensing slightly at the urgency in Kokichi's voice, uncertain if he had upset him or...? Had he...what?

Oh, oh! Right. It was a secret. Right, of course. No one was talking about it.

Obviously.

"Oh, no, sorry, I haven't...I mean...no, sorry," Kaito mumbled, shaking his head, looking back down at the shirts. "Sorry, forgot."

Kokichi sighed in relief...then gave Kaito a bashful look. "No, sorry, it's not really a big deal now... But when it happened it was important that it didn't get out, so I was still kinda in that mindset. But we're married and the treaty is signed, and my dad already sorta knows that the situation with Tim was weird so...sorry. But I still don't think we should say it's you."

"I...I don't want this to...like, be a card to play or anything...but I'm just worried about word getting out somehow and your brother freaking out and, like, thinking that we're poisoning you or something..." Kokichi looked into his lap, frustrated. Who knew what crazy leaps of logic Kaito's brother would make from that...or anyone else, for that matter. Kaito was already not the favorite of the public, and...Kokichi wasn't sure if being reported that he was poisoned would inspire sympathy or...celebration.

Kaito's eyes widened. "Oh, right...sorry, I wasn't even...y-yeah, that would obviously not be good," he stammered, wondering how the fuck he hadn't thought of that himself. Fuck, no wonder his parents died. Kaito was a fucking idiot.

Shaking his head, he said, giving Kokichi a grin, "Well! That's why it's good to have two people thinking about these things, huh? Um...I mean...maybe it wouldn't hurt or help anything to put Shuuichi's name in there, so maybe we just shouldn't. If they're the kind of people who wouldn't send out hypothetical medicine advice just in case someone was actually hurt, they may not be the kind of people who'd say anything even if someone was definitively getting hurt."

Thinking about it, he added in, "And, honestly? If we're lucky, this will all be fixed long before they'd even get the letter, let alone by the time we get a return letter? Danganronpa is a huge kingdom, and the capital is in the thick of it, isn't it? It's gonna take a long time for that mail to get there. If it spares Shuuichi embarrassment and rumors to keep his name out of it, it might be okay to not take that risk, since the odds of this paying off are so low anyway....what do you think of this shirt with these pants?" Kaito asked, putting the outfit out on display, "I know it's gonna be a little dark for a beach scene, but the fabric is pretty thin. Good beachwear or toooooo edgy?"

Kokichi nodded slowly, finally bringing up his pen to start the letter. "Mmm...I think you're right. Okay, no name."

To Queen Junko Enoshima of the Danganronpan Kingdom,

Warm greetings and salutations!

We must apologize for this personal correspondence coming without context and asking something of Her Highness, but we have nothing but well wishes for you and yours, and, hoping this letter arrives in a timely manner, we wish you a pleasant Red Moon Festival!

While aware and respectful of the medical embargo in Danganronpa, there has been something of a special case accident regarding a close friend of ours that we thought the Ronpan medical community might have information on, and thought to ask Her Highness if an exception would be made. As we are writing this as a personal message, this request has no official sway, and should you decline, there will be no repercussions or even hurt feelings. We are simply concerned for our friend, and thought to take this chance.

Kokichi read through his words aloud, judging the tone and information, before he looked up, shrugging a bit after a moment. "If you're comfortable in it, wear it. I don't think I'm the best person to ask about beachwear, Kai-chan." He gave Kaito a light grin, the person who had never been to a beach tooootally the most in-the-know person for beachwear.

"Oh yeah. Huh." Kaito hummed to himself...before nodding. "Alright. I'll help pick your clothes for you. Honestly, you're probably better equipped for hanging out on the beach than I am. I brought a bunch of thick, dark clothes for traveling through woods in. Beaches just need thin, light, colorful clothes. You got that in spades."

As he listened to Kokichi read the letter aloud, he picked out the shirts and pants he would need (ugh. He just plain needed more clothes. It's not like he had a lot to choose from right now, and they all seemed wrong for the trip. Hmmm...maybe if he wore this undershirt as a shirt?...well, it was a beach town! Maybe he could get away with just not wearing a shirt while they were down there?...actually, yeah...that could work??? He was brilliant!). "What's the red moon festival?" he asked, having never heard of that holiday before.

Having more or less picked his clothes, taking a lot of comfort in the idea that he might not really need too many shirts for the three days there, he went back to the closet to start picking out some clothes for Kokichi. Silently holding them up for inspection.

"Oh, that's good..." Kokichi hummed, peering over at their closet for a moment as if he could really pick anything out from bed. He'd been worried he wouldn't have the right type of clothes, even aside from the swimsuit thing, but he wasn't gonna go in the water so whatever. Looked like he'd be alright, though.

Checking over what he'd written once more, just in case, he gave a bit of a shrug. "I don't know too much about it myself, just that it's a fall festival in Danganronpa around the same time we have Harvest here. I assume it's kind of the same thing, a last fresh food celebration before winter starts to hit."

Kokichi mostly trusted Kaito's judgment in picking out appropriate clothes for him, so he just gave the occasional nod as he got back to the letter.

Our friend has become addicted to the spores that come from Despair Poppies and has developed symptoms that have us worried for his mental and physical wellbeing. If you would grant us any information on treatment for those who have become addicted to the spores, we would be forever grateful and will show that gratitude more tangibly if you would wish for compensation.

Thank you for your consideration,

Kokichi Momota Ouma, Heir Apparent to the Dicean Throne, and Kaito Ouma Momota, Second Prince of Luminary and Prince-Consort of Dicea

As Kaito put together some more outfits for Kokichi (Ooooh, this one was nice...it's basically see through though. Probably meant to be worn with an undershirt...still cute though. Maybe it'd go with...), testing to see if it would all fit in the same bag, he frowned as Kokichi read to him the second part of the letter.

"Are you sure you should...offer compensation like that? I mean, don't get me wrong, she might ask you for something regardless if you offer or not, but..." Kaito hesitated, not sure if this would be correct or not? Certainly Dicea wasn't anything like Luminary, and knowing that, there was no real reason to believe Dangonronpa followed the same rules, but, "...I mean, if she's going to ask you for anything, it's not likely to be money, right? She's a queen, she's probably got all she could want. What if she asks for, like...unfavorable trade agreements? Or, I don't know..." He tried to think of what Byakuya would ask for. Or would be annoyed being asked for. "Border renegotiation? Or...prisoner exchanges? Or, like, a family member’s hand in marriage? It does happen, ya know," Kaito said, that last bit with a sort of teasing grin.

Kaito started folding the clothes that he had picked, putting them all together and looking over the luggage bag with a frown. It would fit...but it wouldn't leave a lot of space to come back with anything. And it was unrealistic to think they wouldn't buy anything while they were down there...

Going into the closet to get his second, smaller luggage, Kiato pulled it out and opened it up (scrunching his nose slightly. It still smelled of travel. He should probably clean it before putting Kokichi's clothes into it), took it into the bathroom, put some soap on it, and let the hot shower water run over it for awhile as he went back to lean on the bathroom door, talking to Kokichi while the hot water and soap did its thing. "I mean, not that you could give her any of that stuff if she asked...but she might think you have enough influence on King Aiichi to get him to do it, ya know? And if you're offering compensation, that might prompt her to take a shot on the off chance it works."

"...I could be overthinking it, of course," Kaito admitted, giving Kokichi a sheepish grin before going to check on the luggage. Giving it a sniff, it already smelled better, and he took a towel and started the process of drying it clean.

Kokichi frowned slightly, staring at his words. He knew Kaito meant it as a joke, but he couldn't imagine Aiichi agreeing to remarry. And...that was it, when it came to family. Unless he and Kaito agreed to marry off their kid when they got old enough, but...there was no way Kokichi was going to okay that. He'd gotten lucky with his arranged marriage, but he didn't want to force something like that on anyone else, least of all someone who probably wasn't even born yet, and might not even be for years.

An exchange of prisoners...didn't make much sense either, since...they didn't have any Ronpan prisoners? And he was pretty damn sure there weren't any Dicean prisoners in Danganronpa.

Negotiating the borders, though... Dicea was already so small compared to Danganronpa. And while things didn't sound as bad as they were in Luminary--and didn't seem to be on the edge of a civil war--he...still couldn't abandon his people like that.

But Kaito was right. She wouldn't want money. So then...

Kokichi made a small, unhappy noise. "...what if I just write that we'd be willing to discuss compensation if she wanted any? That's not offering anything upfront, and...while there is the fact that we are who we are, this is a personal letter. I don't want official business getting mixed in."

Kaito considered it before shrugging. "I mean, that's basically what you already wrote the first time, right? Again, I'm probably just overthinking it. Danganronpa isn't like Luminary. They, ya know..." Kaito felt a small inclination to say 'have their shit together'...but that felt uncomfortable. He tried to think of a different way to word it. "...they're more established than Luminary is, ya know? Like, just because that's probably what my family would do with a request like that, doesn't mean Queen Junko really needs anything from Dicea."

Kaito finished drying the luggage, giving it another once over and another sniff--much better--before putting some of Kokichi's clothes into it. "Hey, babe, do you want a new shirt for every day, or shirts you can wear once or twice?" Kaito asked, reconsidering now that they both had their own luggage anyway. Maybe he could go to the clothing store in town and just buy a few more shirts... "Also, do you want more than one pair of shoes? Any shoes you bring are gonna get tattered, just letting you know now."

Kokichi's mouth scrunched to the side. There was a bit of difference in the wording...and that might make a difference. Copying the letter over to a fresh sheet, he rewrote, "--we would be forever grateful and would be willing to speak with you about possible compensation for this allowance, as far as our personal reach allows." That would clarify again that this was not official business and that they were not offering anything upfront. Hopefully that would protect them a bit more.

He really wanted to help Shuuichi...but Kokichi could not endanger other people to help him.

Looking up to see Kaito's progress, Kokichi smiled a bit. He had a feeling they'd need both pieces of luggage. "I can reuse shirts. And...hm. I should probably bring more than one pair then, huh. Like, something for walking around, and a more lounge-y pair... I think I'll decide on those later, hun. Pick out a pair I wanna pack and ones I wanna wear while we're traveling."

"...sandals are a beach thing, huh..." he mused, sitting back against the pillows for a moment. "I have a pair, but I don't really wear them ever..."

Kaito, done picking out clothes (for now. He was already rethinking everything he had picked out for himself, and probably would relook through it later with fresh eyes), stood up with a stretch before crawling onto the bed, taking one of Kokichi's feet into his good hand and inspecting it playfully, pressing a thumb testingly against the skin as he observed, "I'd say at the actual beach, you might not need to worry about shoes, since you could probably go anywhere barefoot with no one fussing at ya...but honestly, the bottoms of your feet are so soft, you'd probably end up getting cut up. Which wouldn't be any fun to walk on."

Kaito, more because there wasn't really a place on Kokichi's body that he felt uncomfortable touching more than any fetish-based reason, placed a small kiss on the bottom of Kokichi's feet. "Still, calluses are a good thing. Extremely useful! It wouldn't be a bad idea to walk around barefoot on the beach a bit to get some."

Kokichi giggled a bit when Kaito kissed the sole of his foot, feeling a little ticklish, which was probably just proving Kaito's point. Rolling his eyes a little, he wiggled his toes once Kaito was out of range. "Even if it practically sounds more annoying than nice to get sand between your toes, I do wanna, like, walk around on the sand and where the waves crash, really get what it feels like."

"Buuuuut, it'd really suck if I cut myself on a shell buried in the sand and had to sit out for a while," he pouted. "So I'll probably pack sandals. My whole damn body is soft, so it's not like I could just walk on my hands or something."

For as much as he loved to climb around and get where he shouldn't, so much of Kokichi's life had been spent in bed or sitting in comfortable chairs, so...he hadn't really developed any toughness. He had scars, but they were pale and faded and barely there unless you were looking for them. He didn't have any calluses, no just rough patches of skin... Denji had griped enough that he barely got any acne and it never scarred over. They'd said it was something that people strived for, but he didn't exactly appreciate being told he had 'baby-soft skin.'

Kaito grinned at the little giggle, deciding that was maybe something he'd like to play with when Kokichi's hips weren't hurting him, but for now he just idly played with Kokichi's feet a bit, massaging the muscles a little. He didn't seem to have tension in the bottoms of his feet to coax out though, so Kaito quickly abandoned the massage.

Rolling over and staring at the ceiling a bit, he blinked slowly as he said, "I'm really tired...but I gotta stay up a little while longer for when Maki comes back. I just wanted her to confirm something with Seiko and get back to me about it. Make sure we're not making any hasty decisions...and I guess there will be another healer tonight to watch out for you while I'm sleeping. Sorry it has to be a healer. We really were trying to avoid that..."

Kaito sighed at this, frustrated. "I wish I just never had to sleep. That would make things way simpler...fuck, it's too late in the day to justify having a coffee, huh."

'Sorry' a healer's coming by? Kokichi frowned gently in confusion, then in regretful frustration. "...there's nothing you have to apologize for, Kai-chan. Really, I'd be happier if you'd just let healers do what they've been doing for years before we met and keep an eye on me more so you could rest. Or even go out and have fun. Not have to be cooped up with me inside our room all the time. Or watch Shuu-chan now."

He knew he was sending somewhat of a mixed message. Last night he'd been so scared that his friends were abandoning him, and now here he was asking them to trust the professionals and live their lives. But...it was a matter of who was asking and why.

Sighing softly, Kokichi looked up to the ceiling and rolled a pen around in his hands. "You could actually go to the dances and workshops and, like, shopping in town, and hanging out in pubs like you said you liked...if you weren't stuck in here with me. I can't do things because I'm sick...but that doesn't mean you can't. Kai-chan can go have fun, or even spend more time with his friends, and...I'll just be here, happy to hear about whatever you got up to when you come back at night."

Kaito frowned. "...no? None of that would be any fun, Kokichi, knowing you were here and couldn't come with. It'd be different if you didn't want to go, but...you do. So I'd just end up going somewhere and spending the whole time wishing you had gotten to come with me. That would suck."

"And I know that the healers can watch over you fine...but..." But he didn't trust them to do a good job. And also didn't trust them, period.

It's not like healers were bad or anything, back home. They just...liked to pick and choose who they would help, based on a thousand different whims and societal pressures and, well...he knew it was different here, and even if it wasn't, Kokichi was their prince and obviously they should prioritize his well being, but...

He knew why she did it, he understood, but he couldn't get out of his head seeing what, at the time, had been a random guard, bringing in his unconscious husband, telling him it was for his own good and...

Look. It was just a surer thing to watch over people you cared about yourself. No one could hurt them if you were there. Anything could happen to them if you left them weak and helpless and alone with someone.

As a total off the wall, random, entirely hypothetical worst case scenario, they could, like, kiss or molest him in his sleep or something...people did shit like that. It happened...

"...I'd just feel better sticking by you while you're struggling to move, is all. It makes me nervous to leave you. I don't think I could just stop being nervous and leave to go drink at a pub," Kaito murmured.

"...some of these people have watched over me practically my whole life, Kai-chan," Kokichi murmured, just...wanting his words to get through and ease some of his husband's nerves. "We know how to vet healers. After everything that happened to me growing up, really...no one, including other healers, have any patience for screwing things up, accidentally or on purpose."

Setting the writing supplies to the side--Kaede's letter could wait a little bit, he supposed...--Kokichi rolled onto his side and snuggled up against Kaito. "Anyone in a medical field has to go through years and years of training and practicals under supervision to be given a license, and they get reports from patients every year to confirm that they're still upholding the Healers' Oath--that they have to help any person to the best of their abilities. Everyone in this castle has gone through that training and has taken that oath. If nothing else...you can at least not lose sleep over me."

Kokichi had plenty of reasons to distrust healers...but even more to trust them with his life. Literally. While he grew tired of tea and was frustrated with his long stints of bedrest, those were complaints to his health, not the help he got to live with it. As long as a healer was around, Kokichi knew he didn't have to worry about dying in his sleep, in the worst case, or wetting the bed or getting too thirsty or too cold or anything, which were the more common cases. The healers cared for him to the best of their abilities.

All that could mean is that they had your whole life to hurt you, and you wouldn't even know that anything was wrong.

...

Kaito closed his eyes at that thought. That was...too close. To things he wasn't really supposed to...he couldn't really...

He wanted to protect Kokichi. He wanted to badly. But if he thought too hard about...why he didn't trust that Kokichi was okay, even when he said he was...why he didn't trust other people when they assured him, over and over again, that they were doing their best for his vulnerable husband...like...he couldn't observe that train of thought, really, because it lead back to...things and...

Look...he understood, okay? That some of the things...a lot of the things, in his head, the way he thought versus the way he acted and the way the world actually....looked? To him? When he was willing to look at it?

All of those things, together...they didn't always...line up that well. When you thought for more than two seconds about them, and...that could sometimes make communicating things with other people...challenging....

...

...Kokichi could be getting hurt and just not know it, was the issue. And Kaito didn't know how to express that without providing context to why he thought that. Which he couldn't really think about.

Still.

If Kaito wasn't careful, bad things could happen to his husband...he could be like the rest of these fuckers in this castle, just...ignoring the fact that he was hurting so bad...because everyone had to know, and just no one had decided it mattered because that was how it always was and...fuck he had just totally failed Shuuichi...

...a-and he had snuck his husband out in the middle of the night to a party full of people who had wanted to hurt him and...

Kaito closed his eyes again. Frowning tightly.

Trust. Don't trust.

He was just always wrong.

...

Kaito looked up at his husband. Nodding and giving him a dim grin. "That...that all sounds good. I mean, you've known some of them your whole life? I mean...sorry, I'm being weird and paranoid and doubting again. I told you I was gonna stop doing that..." Kaito grumbled, frustrated with himself. "I am! I trust you! I trust your perspective on things. I just...I don't know. I'm just overthinking everything."

Wanting to lighten the mood, if only for himself, Kaito grinned, pointing out with some delight, "Besides, no one kicked out Seiko! So...that's a real good sign, right? Not that I needed a sign or anything, but I was a little worried that the whole interaction between her and the castle healers was gonna be harder. But they were nice! I think even she was surprised by that. Honestly, for her first time back in the castle taking care of you, I think the stuff with the other healers went really well, right?"

Kaito chuckled at this, though nothing funny had been said. He just laughed sometimes as a placeholder for thinking...before taking Kokichi's hand against his lips, kissing at that particular spot, and continuing. "But...it's still a bummer to go hang out at places while you're sick home in bed. At least this early in our relationship, ya know? We're still in our honeymoon phase! Of course I wanna spend time with you, even if you're not feeling well," Kaito said, his grin becoming more sure, more bright, as he said with total confidence, "I just like being around you, 'Kichi."

Kokichi sighed softly when he saw Kaito close his eyes, a conflicted expression coming over his husband's face. He just...wished he could somehow face Kaito's thoughts physically, smash the chains that other people had put there. Fight a battle he couldn't touch.

Maki had said that no one had found a way. That the best thing you could do was just find ways to cope around it. Part of him wanted to stubbornly believe that no one in Luminary had found a way...but that was just naive. If there was any way to break brainwashing, it would come from the people who actually dealt with it. From those who understood it, rather than strangers who triggered things on accident and stressed the victims out by trying to pry into things that were locked.

Kokichi wanted so badly to be able to help Kaito, but the thing he wanted to help most of all he just...couldn't.

So when Kaito opened his eyes, Kokichi just gave him a sad look and kissed his nose. Wishing he could ask Kaito to trust himself more than him sometimes.

Letting the conversation move along, Kokichi shrugged a little, wrinkling his nose as he remembered the healer that had wanted to tell his father. "She was invited. And almost no one gets kicked out of the castle--only if you're being willfully hurtful to other people, you know? But I'm glad that things went okay. Nobody wants a hostile work environment..."

Kokichi squeezed Kaito's hand a little as he brought it up to kiss, breaking into a soft smile as he leaned up to kiss Kaito's forehead. "I like being around you too. I just worry about you feeling stifled or isolated. I like spending time with my Kai-chan, but I don't want to be the only person he spends time with."

"Hey, I'm...meeting people! I...have a brand new sidekick and...Hajime is nice? I mean, he fights with me, which is fun," Kaito said, grinning with a chuckle. "And he can lift! Broad shoulders, thick pecs--he's got some thick pecs, by the way, you can't see them through that shirt of his, but I could feel them when he helped lift me up the wall." Kaito laughed at this, his grin a little wolfish at this particular bit of gossip. "I bet he'd be fun to wrestle. Do you think he'd want to wrestle me?"

Kaito's grin widened as his eyes went bright, now just straight up fantasizing as he said, 'We could get Katsuki in on it too! I bet she has some great wrestling moves. Oh, man...and the lady at the pub. Fuck, Kokichi, I bet she could bench press both of us. I know Maki wanted a piece of her. She only gets snippy like that with people when she's feeling challenged. Maki vs. the pub lady...that'd be such a good match-up!"

"I mean, obviously Maki would win," Kaito said, looking a little smug at this on her behalf, "But still! One solid hit to the back from pub lady? I bet she's agile too, it's the big ones who are always more agile than you'd think they'd be. One solid high kick to the chest, boom! Out like a light!...what was I talking about? I swear I had a point..."

...to be fair, Kaito had a point. Being friendly with two (Kokichi wasn't counting himself since they had to get married, happy about it or not) in a month wasn't...the most amazing record... But it was still something. Time. Things like this take time. Don't rush things and ruin them.

"I mean, no harm in asking, right?" Kokichi giggled, having a strong idea that Hajime would NOT like to wrestle, but it would be fun to see his reaction to being asked. Katsuki on the other hand--did she count as Dicean friend three?--would absolutely wrestle Kaito if he asked. And would likely subdue him as quickly as possible every round until Kaito pouted and they'd have to pump up his ego. And for Miss Sakura? Kokichi had no clue whatsoever.

Laughing a little more, Kokichi pressed his nose to his husband's. "And you've made it. Kai-chan is making friends, even if I worry about him spending all his time with me. Maybe next time you won't have to make a list deciding who would win in a wrestling match for me to remember."

Kaito chuckled as Kokichi's little nose press, looking up at him adoringly...before shrugging. "Look, I know what you're talking about. I know it's not the same as, like...'socializing' socializing...but I'll get to do that later. And besides, just because Hajime kinda has to spend time around me, because it's his job and stuff...I mean, I can't dismiss a possible friendship with him just because of that. If I did that, I wouldn't have made friends with most of the people I knew. Most people aren't really allowed to be mean to a prince, at home, even if they'd like to be, and, I mean...Indentureds...they all have to be nice to us. I get that. Maki actively tried to get rid of me when I first met her and she couldn't because she couldn't actually reject me in any meaningful way, and, I just didn't know better, back then, to not push. Ya know?"

Kaito rubbed his thumb up and down Kokichi's shoulder, thinking about his wording before saying, "But that's okay. It doesn't mean I shouldn't have still tried to be her friend...we just have to give them a bunch of reasons why they'd want to be around us, even if they didn't have to be. And then one day they're not hanging around you just because you're the prince and they can't tell you off. One day they like you!"

"...Unless I just gave my two best friends, like, a crazy case of stockholm-syndrome and our whole relationship is a lie," Kaito said, eyes wide and far away...before laughing. "Hahaha...ahhhh...Nah. I don't think that's the case. That'd be real fucked up though, huh? God damn."

Well...technically, Hajime didn't have to spend time with them. He could've said no to being the main housekeeper for the Luminaries, he could've said no to helping them sneak out that night, he could've said no to going on the trip...and nothing would've happened. Maybe he wouldn't have gotten his raise, but...like, some extra money wasn't that enticing to be around people you didn't like, right?

And he'd even asked his girlfriend if they could stay at her folks' beach house! That was a totally unnecessary thing that he did just because he wanted to!

That said...Kokichi couldn't ignore the power balance at play. The reason he'd never really felt comfortable declaring someone on the staff his friend, even for the people he'd grown up with. They'd gone out of their ways to be kind to him when there was nothing in it for them, positive or negative, but...he just couldn't shake that...they worked for his father. So it wasn't fair.

Kokichi sighed softly as something sad and a little angry came over his expression, though he cuddled against Kaito. He'd noticed that Shuuichi and Maki spoke the same way, but...calling people who had been in the program "Indentureds" like a title, like a classification, like they weren't people all the same...

"Mmmnnnope!" Kokichi murmured, letting his lips pop out the plosive as he placed another kiss against Kaito's cheek. "Kai-chan is nice to be around, so, sorry, you'll just have to deal with knowing that your best friends love you truly and genuinely. What a heavy responsibility, poor Kai-chan."

Man, Kokichi was all over Kaito's face right now. It was nice. He liked that Kokichi wanted to emphasize things he said with little kisses, with little bumps against his nose, the same way he did when he seemed to just feel like bumping slightly against Kaito when they were just sitting around. It was a sweet way to show affection, and it made Kaito smile.

And it also made him want to show affection his way in return. So, the next time Kokichi went in for a little headbutt, Kaito caught his mouth, pressing his lips around Kokichi's bottom lip and tasting him a little, then doing it again, before opening his eyes and saying with a pleased smile, "Thanks, 'Kichi..."

Then, emboldened, he sat up, snaking his good arm around Kokichi's back and behind his neck, kissing him again. Breathing him in and just...indulging himself. ...he was so soft. His husband tasted good...was kind and said nice, comforting things to him...made pretty noises that drove Kaito crazy...

Breaking the kiss, Kaito leaned his head against Kokichi's forehead. Sighing breathily. "...I really wanna make you feel good right now...darn hips and broken arm. We just both need to get better, already...I really enjoyed the bath the other day. It was nice to hear you make happy, excited sounds like that again..."

Kokichi wasn't too terribly surprised when Kaito captured his lips but he was as pleased as always as he kissed back, nipping at Kaito's lips as he worked on his bottom one. Then, trusting Kaito to support him, Kokichi circled his arms around Kaito's neck, allowing his breath to be stolen, enjoying that temporary breathless feeling that was so, so different to how he felt when his lungs started acting up.

While he blushed at how Kaito described the sounds he made when they got intimate, Kokichi hummed and looked lovingly into his husband's eyes, his own sparkling with enjoyment. "Oh, believe me, I'm a thousand percent ready to be well again. If I wasn't busy being exhausted all the damn time, I would've been pent up as all heck that day."

"Even as it is, I still kind of am," he teased, voice going into a whisper. "I liked hearing Kai-chan's cute sounds too, feeling him shiver against me--I can't wait to feel all that again without having to worry about one of us getting hurt."

Kaito could feel his face warm up at the whisper, kissing him again a...tad more urgently...before breaking the kiss, groaning and resting his head low on Kokichi's shoulder. "Ugh...we're the woooorst. Why do we dooooo this to ourselves?" Kaito groaned, laying Kokichi gently back on his pillows with a sigh, just entirely hot and bothered now.

"I mean, I totally did it first, so it's entirely my own fault, but shit, 'Kichi. Ugh..." Kaito complained...before laughing, lying down beside Kokichi on his tower of pillows, running his hand up and down Kokichi's neck and cheek as he stared at him with adoration in his eyes. "Fuck, just being near you drives me crazy sometimes...you're so perfect and beautiful and fun...I'm so grateful every day...god I want to feel inside you again..."

Kaito frowned, eyes flickering away for a brief, guilty moment as he clarified, "When you're ready! And when you feel like it. Not a second before."

Kokichi snickered to himself and rubbed the tops of Kaito's shoulders, though his tease was kind of a double-edged sword. It would still definitely be a bad idea to try anything, but...he kinda wanted...

It was bullshit. Stupid body. Stupid Kaito being really hot and sweet.

Snorting a bit at how Kaito finished off his compliments with one of the lewdest things he could say, Kokichi shuffled a little closer to him, kissing his husband for a long moment. "I can't wait to feel Kai-chan inside of me again. I'm gonna be so tight again...so he has to be careful opening me up, even when I get impatient because he makes me feel so good..."

...this was a bad idea when he was already getting worked up, but...

Kokichi shifted on their bed a little, pressing up against Kaito and subconsciously parting his legs a little. "Do ya think we could even get to three fingers? I'd need it after having been deprived of Kai-chan's cock for so long, but that'll just make me even more impatient..."

Kaito swallowed the spit that was starting to pool in the back of his throat, taking his hand back from Kokichi's face to press a palm into his eye, which did nothing to block his vision of his small, smirking husband, who was being so...teasingly inviting and...fuck he had to know what he was doing, when he spread his legs like that, even just a little bit, right?

"Careful, 'Kichi..." Kaito murmured, running his fingers from his neck, down his chest, down his stomach... "...you're gonna make me want to check how one would feel by itself..." he said, running his fingers down his waist and around, below his dick, his fingers pressing, through Kokichi's shorts, on the space between his cheeks, Kaito's wrist rubbing slightly against his ballsack as he did so.

Kaito leaned in for another kiss, pressing Kokichi down into the pillow under the weight of it, his hand cupping at Kokichi's ass, exploring and feeling his backside. Frustrated with the layer of clothes, Kaito found himself pushing his hands up the bottom part of Kokichi's shorts, just...wanting to feel the plush pad of his cheeks between his fingers as he squeezed...

There was a knock at the door. "Kaito?" Maki said from the other side of it, "I'm back. Are you still awake?"

Kaito groaned. "One...one second, Maki!" He rested his head on Kokichi's chest and let his hands go slack on his shorts, just...so disappointed...was it that late already!? It couldn't be... Where did the time go...maybe she had left early and gotten back early? Ugh...

Kissing Kokichi on the cheek, he pulled his hand out, whispering, "Sorry babe, just...give me a bit...augh..."

God, Kaito wanted to ravage him...b-but this was important. And besides, they couldn't anyway. It would hurt Kokichi and...auuuughhhh...

Getting up, Kaito threw a shirt on and went outside to talk to her a bit.

It was a good twenty minutes before he came back inside, and during that time there were a few moments where both of them raised their voices, clearly either having a quiet argument, or on the verge of having a loud argument...but each time the voices quieted again, until finally there was silence for awhile, the two talking softly to each other, before Maki eventually walked away.

Kaito came back inside. Looking tired again, crawling back onto the bed.

"She got the medicine. He's taking it tonight," Kaito explained, blinking slowly, before saying, "We're gonna go through with the plan you all made. It's our best option. Thanks again for being a mediator for that, 'Kichi. We, ya know...needed it."

Kokichi felt want start to spark in his belly, and even if feeling Kaito's hand slip between his legs made a tremble go up his spine, got him to part his legs a little more and to move one hand between them to start feeling out and massaging Kaito's chest...he still laughed.

"You really wanna tempt fate that much, huh? I kinda wanna test my limits too, if I'm being honest..."

His teasing voice was soon silenced by Kaito's mouth, words replaced with eager nips and an adventurous tongue, asking Kaito's to come play too. However, this wasn't just another time of them messing around. As much as Kokichi wanted to lift his hips and rock against Kaito's touch...he could barely move them, and he knew if he pushed it he'd be starting to gasp at more than just his husband groping his ass.

...but he still bent one leg up, allowing Kaito easy passage into his shorts and then--

Kokichi sighed, letting go of a deep breath through reddened lips. He didn't blame Maki, they'd planned to talk before all this, and he and Kaito really shouldn't be doing anything...

But now he was getting hard and it wasn't faiiiiiiir!

Nodding a bit as Kaito left, Kokichi just laid in bed, sprawled out, catching his breath and letting the fire in him cool. But...it didn't cool completely, and...this might be a while...

Giving the door a wary glance, Kokichi slowly slid a hand down to his just barely bulging crotch, starting to rub himself from outside of his shorts. He wasn't really thinking about how he'd finish, or really expecting that he and Kaito would resume where they'd left off. Kokichi was just a young man who'd gotten worked up by his lover, and was a little too riled to just let himself be.

By the time Kaito came back in, Kokichi had just been about to unbutton his shorts and let himself free, but quickly moved his hands to his stomach, some reflexive instinct to avoid being caught doing something embarrassing. However, that did nothing to hide how he was tenting his shorts when he'd been just barely getting hard before.

"O-oh..." he murmured, trying to even out his breath, trying to roll onto his side to...sort of hide. "I mean...I'd always do my best for you guys, even when it's for something not as important as this."

"I know, 'Kichi. You'll always come through..."

Kaito's mood had plummeted with the bad news from Maki. That they could just deny Shuuichi the ability to get off, if they really wanted to...but according to Nao and Seiko's own theories, that if they fucked up even once and he managed to get off after all that buildup, that...his body could have a fucking seizure from the pressure...

There was no getting around it. He needed to get off regularly, and he could only get off through stress. They had to be willing to provide it for him, or he'd go looking for it, and put himself into danger doing so. That was just...how it was.

Kaito had made another bid to take Maki's place. Offering to at least trade off every day with her, so it wasn't her all the time, but Maki had refused. Had vaguely referenced a plan she was clearly forming in her head that she was reluctant to share with him yet, but that he was clearly a factor in...said, again, that she wanted to see what a session actually looked like, and they'd probably start tomorrow morning...

...he was so tired...

But he smiled, raising an eyebrow as he heard the...thick need in Kokichi's voice. Not to mention the fact that his dick looked like it was trying to make an escape there... He might be a little unenthused now, under the weight of what was happening to his friends, but someone was clearly still riled up...

...that was good, actually. Kaito liked the idea of someone having a nice time...

Kaito rolled over, putting a hand against Kokichi's cheek and leaning in to give his husband a small peck on the cheek...then a longer one on his lips...lingering...

"Hey..." he whispered, giving his husband a small smile. "Let me show my appreciation..." he said, letting his hand wander down and under Kokichi's shirt...feeling the short, thin line of hair on the lower part of his stomach, running his hands up and down that sweet little happy trail as he kissed him again, letting his fingertips wander beneath the brim of his shorts "I won't let it hurt...I'll be so gentle...if you're up to it..."

Kaito moved his mouth to Kokichi's ear, kissing lightly against his earlobe, before taking the hard edge of his top shell between his lips, pressing his tongue lightly against his ear before whispering into it, unbuttoning his pants with one quick movement between his fingers "...nothing'll spill..."

"Hey...I mean...you don't have to..." Kokichi tried to get his thoughts straight, but it was a little hard when Kaito ran his hand down his happy trail, the touch memory getting him more excited than just the touch itself. He hadn't let his fire go out, and now Kaito was tiredly taking over tending to it and...

His gasp was small, but Kaito would be able to hear it, being so close. Kokichi trembled at the attention to his ear, his shorts giving way and releasing some of the pressure on him, and, fuck, nope, nevermind, he did want to finish now, shit.

But...that was something he could do on his own.

"If you're not into it...I'm not gonna demand that you take care of me or anything... I can take care of myself, just go to sleep, okay? Y-you sound tired..."

...fuck...he was tired though...

It had been a long, long, long two days...his body didn't just want to collapse now. He had been sort of desperate to go to sleep halfway through his watch over Shuuichi, had gotten kind of a nervous second wind for dinner, and now he was crashing...

But...Kokichi needed him, didn't he? Kaito didn't mind making him feel good, especially when he was clearly so compromised. He really liked making people feel good. It made him feel useful...wanted...

...he kinda just wanted to lie down on Kokichi's pillow and bury his face in his husband’s hair and fall asleep more than anything though...but that wasn't okay, was it? He had started this. It wasn't fair to leave Kokichi like this to take care of himself...right?

...'Kichi was telling him to go to bed though...and, frankly, Kaito reallly wanted to listen to him...

"Are you sure?" he murmured, still running his fingers absentmindedly up and down Kokichi's abdominal muscles. "I don't mind...I can do it...won't it be weird for you if I just lie here and fall asleep?"

The fact that Kaito was hesitating at all decided it. Giving Kaito an affectionate yet stern look, Kokichi put his hand over Kaito's, nudging it away from his crotch. "It won't be weird, and I'll be happy knowing Kai-chan is getting rest. I've told you before--I never want to pressure you into sex. Sleep, hun."

At that moment, it didn't occur to Kokichi just how...at the same time, similar, yet different the situation was. How such a regular thing to say to a partner now had baggage for them. That...maybe he wasn't actually as comforting as he'd meant to be.

"We really shouldn't do anything anyway... I was just getting ahead of myself." Kokichi gave Kaito a sheepish grin before gently bringing his hand up to his mouth, giving it a soft kiss. "Nighty-night, my Kai-chan. Sweet dreams."

Something in Kaito's stomach...twisted and curled at that...it was such a sweet, gentle thing to say. It was kind, and understanding, and considerate.

...he hadn't said that, when it was him...

...he had told Kokichi he was sorry... and then told him 'don't move'...

(...evil evil everyone knows the momota family is evil...)

Kaito found himself wanting to insist. Feeling suddenly like a fucking selfish bastard for not just...grinning and assuring Kokichi he was awake enough for this and that he still wanted it and powering through until his husband was spent and satisfied. I-it was what Kokichi had done for him! Under...under way worse circumstances...dealing with his fucking...shitty, barbaric, evil-... Why hadn't he...fuck he was so selfish and self centered and fucking...

He held all that back though. This already felt awkward and weird, at least to Kaito. And, besides, fuck, he was tired. He could honestly fall asleep any second if he allowed himself.

...he didn't really want to let go of Kokichi...

"...'sorry..." Kaito murmured, his hand now just resting on Kokichi's chest, Kaito's forehead pressed against Kokichi's head, his legs pressed to Kokichi's side. He wanted to tell Kokichi that he didn't mind if he got himself off like this. That he didn't think Kokichi would wake him back up no matter how much noise he made, and he wouldn't care if he did.

...but it felt weird to say things like that, not where his head was still at. And he could feel himself fading quickly anyway, so it didn't really matter what Kokichi did next. Hopefully he'd feel comfortable just doing it himself. So, instead of saying all that, he murmured, "...'ealer’s not here yet...pinch me awake if you need anything at all, kay?...love 'ou 'ichi..."

And almost immediately after that, Kaito felt himself drift off. A mixture of anxiety about tomorrow, guilt, and the last two days all swirling in his head to make bad dreams...that were tempered a little bit by the comforting feeling and smell of his husband in his arms...

It was a little awkward when Kokichi held Kaito's hand from behind, his smaller hand just barely fitting his fingers into the gaps between Kaito's. But, despite looking kind of goofy, it was comfortable. Them in a nutshell. Almost unfathomably different, but working together.

"I love you, my Kai-chan, good night." Kokichi rubbed his thumb along the side of Kaito's hand as he felt his husband fall asleep, still not touching himself, and...whatever. There were more uncomfortable things in the world than going to sleep hard. They could have fun together another time.

Buuuuut there still was someone coming by that night, so... Shifting in Kaito's hold a little, Kokichi turned onto his side and curled his top leg over a little, then pulled whatever blanket that would move over his hips, hiding his bulge from view. There. No awkwardness.

Breathing deeply to try and calm down--what he should've done when Kaito left to talk with Maki, actually--Kokichi eventually lulled himself to sleep, holding his vulnerable, needing protection husband.

-

All the Luminaries were dreaming.

Timothy was having an old, reoccurring dream. It wasn't a bad one. It was nice. He dreamt he was running around, exploring a big, strange, pretty wooden house, trying to find its attic. He didn't know where the image of the house came from; he had never lived in a house in the real world, (had, in fact, never had a bedroom to himself before Dicea), and he could count the number of times he had ever even been inside of a house on one hand (he wasn't the type of soldier they sent into homes to drag people out. Too small). So, maybe the dream house came from images in magazines and storybooks and seeing glimpses of inside of them from the street, when his fellow soldiers broke down the doors.

He didn't know. But it was a really nice house. And in his dream, he was always trying to find the attic.

He just wanted to see it. For all the reasons a child might take delight in crawling into strange, odd rooms that everyone else would dismiss as storage space. He climbed the stairs, searched through rooms, found secret passageways that led upwards, always upwards. There were a thousand floors to this house, but Tim was happy to climb all of them, in search of the attic.

He wouldn't find it. He never found the attic. But that was okay. The fun in the dream wasn't the attic itself. The fun was in looking for it.

Maki was having a violent dream.

It was an old dream. It was also a memory, though exaggerated in the dream--the bridge was longer, the fall to the river below farther, he put up more of a fight. She tended to have it when she was stressed. It wasn't...the worst hit she had ever had. Children and pills tended to hold that distinction to her. But it had definitely been one of the worst hits she had ever been sent on, and honestly, couldn't have gone any more poorly than it had. Her heart hadn't been in it. She hadn't wanted him to die, and he had known it. Tried to take advantage of it. Tried to use his voice as a way to trick her conditioning. She had wanted it to work...but of course it hadn't.

Then they had wrestled for her knife, and they had both fallen off the side of the bridge, into the river before and she knew...she knew she had gotten his throat, before he fell into the water. Was certain she had cut deep into his jugular. Was certain of it....

...but his body had been taken downstream before she could recover, and she had never been able to find it. Had never been able to confirm the kill. He had to be dead. He had to be...but the doubt. The uncertainty...it still randomly triggered her conditioning sometimes. Even all these years later. When she was stressed about other things, she thought about the cut in the neck (he couldn't have survived that, right? There was no way. He had to be dead...right?) and agonized over it, her body suddenly, desperately wanting to go back to that bridge, to that river. Find the body. Confirm the kill, Maki, you had an order you have to everyone will die if you don't you have to...

The feeling always faded eventually. She was more or less certain he was dead. Had reported her mission complete for that reason. It just...hurt her to not have confirmed it.

Shuichi had reached out and put a hand on Maki's arms, while they had been going to sleep. She had allowed it, partly because in any other circumstance, she would have taken comfort in feeling him so close to her while asleep, pressed safely against her side. Now, though...she was still trying to work out what their new normal was. And she hadn't been willing to let him get any closer to her then that.

Shuuichi's dream wasn't a dream. Not really.

But he didn't know that.

In his 'dream', there was a form in the darkness, reaching out to him. Touching his face. The darkness was awful...suffocating. He felt alone and isolated in it, lost and adrift, and when he realized someone was there, he had been desperate for them to reach him, even though he couldn't move at all to move towards them.

He could barely feel their touch. They were so far away...the darkness was so thick around him...

The person was trying to say something to him. They sounded frustrated. Annoyed. Shuuichi, at first, felt nervous and intrigued at their anger. Was he in trouble? Would they hurt him? It was okay if they did...he was okay with it...wanted to be touched so bad...

"...what the fuck did those bastards pump you with this time...!??" the voice said, furious, causing Shuuichi to flinch under their touch. To his surprise though, the touch against his cheek almost became...more gentle. Little soothing rubs of thumbs just below his eyes. It felt nice... "...fuck..." grumbled the voice, "...whoever's fucking with you is making more progress way more quickly than I expected... some human too clever for their own good...something will have to be done about that..."

Shuuichi swallowed hard, something genuinely nervous swirling through his stomach, among the heat of his arousal and the sheer need for the figure’s touch. He felt like he needed to make a plea for his friends’ defense. Felt like they were in danger. "Th-they're...trying to help me..."

"No, seedling," the figure said, and they leaned forward, a ghost of a kiss against his cheeks, causing Shuuichi's eyes to sting. He wanted more so badly...please... "They're a bunch of fucking upstarts, is what they are. Don't worry, baby sapling. I haven't abandoned you yet. You're not getting away from me that easy!"

Then there was that strange, mad chuckle ringing through Shuuichi's head, and he found himself sleeping easier.

Comforted.

Kaito's dream was just a dream. It was, in fact, a lucid dream.

He desperately wished it wasn't though.

He was a child again. Younger than Timothy was now. And he was home. Actual home. Luminary.

Specifically, he was in the temple.

It hadn't been a lucid dream in the beginning. In the beginning it had been a nightmare. Byakuya had burned him. Or, no...Kaito had made a mistake and had burned himself. Byakuya just...happened to be the one holding the gas lamp under his arm. Master Tengan had chuckled, but Kaito remembered how genuinely disappointed his brother had looked, that Kaito had gotten himself burned again. His brother was trying to teach him. Why wouldn't Kaito just listen? Why couldn't he learn?

Kaito had apologized and thanked them for the lesson and had immediately run for the temple. Wanted the comfort of the priestesses.

They were all nice to him, there. Their faces lit up when they saw him come in, in a way his mother’s (how had she died? Kaito didn't know) never did. They asked how he was doing and listened to his rambling, excited answers. They played games with him when they had time, and let him play games with himself around them when they didn't. They were the only ones who didn't look profoundly worried or disturbed when he talked aloud to Atua and acted like Atua was actually saying things back, holding entire conversations with him. Playing games with him, roleplaying as the Saints. While everyone else saw the development of Kaito's madness, the priestesses saw an imaginative child, at worst, or at best...well...he was a Momota Prince.

Maybe he could hear Atua?

So Kaito had run to the shelter of the temple, to be around the woman who smiled in delight at his antics and to play with his friend Atua, and to be in the place his family hated to be, and it was only when he came across Priestess Meruko that he discovered he was dreaming...because she told him so.

"Are you visiting me?" Kaito asked, staring up at his mentor with awed delight, clutching at her hips as she ran her hands through his hair. "How are your trials going, Mery?!"

"No," the priestess has said, smiling sadly at him, "You're dreaming, baby. I'm not Mery. I'm sorry."

"Oh," Kaito said, pouting, putting his head in her lap, feeling frustrated. "...you seem like Mery."

"I would, yes?" she said, that slight accent (he never found out where she was from. He hadn't thought to ask when he was a child, and no one had known or remembered when he had grown up and thought to ask) making everything she said sound slightly like music. A constant rising and lowering lilt to it. "As well as I can. As well as you remember me, baby king."

"Oh, no, uh," Kaito straightened up, giving his mentor a sheepish smile, "No. I'm not in line for the throne anymore. I gave it up. There was a ceremony and everything. It was weird."

The priestess made a small face at this (how strange. That Kaito would dream up this person, be aware he was dreaming her...and still not be able to read what her expressions meant), before relaxing. Shrugging slightly, before looking around carefully to see they were alone, leaning in and saying quietly, "Good. That crown makes people evil, baby. I would be sad to see you in it."

Kaito tensed at this, placing his head back in her lap. Saying quietly, "Come on, Mery...don't say things like that...it always scared me when you said things like that..."

She went back to running her hands through his hair. Her voice both soft and stern as she said, "Atua be pleased, then. Fear will make you remember. Fear will make you remember for decades. You are my good, sweet one. Atua's true chosen. You aren't meant for the crown, baby. The crown wasn't meant for your family. Atua protects whores and concubines, Kaito, not royals. He picked your family to protect those who could not protect themselves. And your ancestors forgot this."

"...B-byakuya says we've improved the conditions of the bro-"

She, ever so slightly, tightened her grip in his hair. Kaito stilled, quieting. She didn't like it when he talked about Byakuya. Or Tengan. It made her angry, when she heard about the lessons. She was fighting...so hard to untangle them as they happened...

Her efforts would get her killed. But Kaito pretended he didn't know this, and closed his eyes. Wishing this mean version of Mery would stop. Wished he was dreaming of the nice one again. Both of these versions of his mentor were true ones: Mentors don't teach their charges gently, in Luminary. Lessons are always hard there. Kaito's own lessons were no different.

Perhaps realizing she was pushing too hard, she relaxed slightly. Let him dig his forehead into her stomach, lying against her lap on the pew they were both sitting on. Her hands gentle in his hair again.

"You've stayed away from the city temple, like I have asked you?"

Kaito nodded.

"You did not participate in the coming of age ceremony? Neither your own, nor anyone else's?"

Kaito nodded again.

"Good," Mery said, smiling. The tension leaving her voice as she said, "Good...bad things, both of those. They bastardize our religion. They make up rituals meant to take advantage of the vulnerable, forgetting the point of the god they 'raised'. Atua protects those who are used for their bodies. He does not demand their abuse. Do you understand, baby?"

Kaito wanted to shrug, but she had never liked answers like that. So he nodded instead...though he said, sadly, "I won't be able to remember your lessons, later. I won't be able to think about these things when I wake up, Mery. I just can't. I'm sorry."

He had hoped she'd say something soothing. Something that would make him feel better. But instead, he felt his hair tighten in her grip again, and she turned his head to look up at her.

She looked...monstrous. Half decomposed. Eyes yellow and bright and shining. There was the smell of the beach in the air. Behind her, the behemoth version of Koh that he remembered from his old dream. A different version of himself, fishing in the ocean. The monstrous titan staring down at them with big, black eyes, somehow still less frightening then his old, loving, furious mentor.

"Try harder," she said.

-

Maybe it was luck, but Kokichi actually managed to wake up on his own that morning. And luckily with dry underwear. Sighing softly, he nuzzled Kaito a bit before starting to untangle himself from his husband's grip.

They didn't want Shuuichi to know where the doses were, or for him to suss out a pattern with them. So...that meant that Kokichi needed to get the sticker ready before he came over.

Rolling over to his other side, Kokichi opened the drawer of the nightstand, planning to hide the booklet somewhere else later that day, and looked at the page of stickers, taking out the next one in the line, feeling...a little better about the dwindling numbers if they had to give Shuuichi this stuff at all. He set the sticker on the nightstand before putting the booklet back away, and, well, since Shuuichi wasn't there yet...and Kokichi wasn't sure if he wanted to try out walking just yet...

Kokichi rolled back over into Kaito's arms, nosing his way under Kaito's chin and placing soft kisses against his collarbone, holding his husband tenderly.

When Shuuichi woke up, he didn't remember the dream. And all the comfort he felt under the gaze of the nice, angry being in the darkness faded as he woke up just...tense...

...fuck...he didn't feel good...

Maki had already been up and about, and had insisted that Shuuichi take a shower and get dressed before going to get his dose. He had reminded her, quietly, that he'd need another shower soon either way, and she had refused to answer this. Apparently determined to treat this morning like it was normal. As normal as a morning of Shuuichi waking up in her bed could be, anyway.

So he had showered, and in the shower, he had played a little bit with himself...but he soon stopped, afraid of riling himself up too much. He almost felt...well, no, he didn't feel okay down there. There was a consistent, aching heat in his body, the way it was every morning, but...it didn't feel...maddening? This morning. And he was a little afraid to get to the point where it did again. It was nice, feeling calm for once. He wondered what was different this morning? He had taken the medicine from Dr. Kimura last night, but she said the medicine was an attempt to help with his exhaustion. He did feel better in that regard, at least. He had barely been able to stay awake yesterday before having his dose. Now he felt, while still a little sore...rested...so that was nice...

He wanted...he wanted to spend time with Miss Nao...Maki said he was getting a visit from her this morning. She had also said, sternly, that he didn't have to...if he didn't want to. That he could always say no.

Why would he say no? He missed her so much...she was so good to him, so...s-so...

Shuuichi ignored the sudden nervous energy in his body. He wanted to see Miss Nao. Of course he wanted to see Miss Nao. He loved her. O-of course...of course he wanted to see her...

He shivered in the shower. Not sure why. Biting at his thumb and...not feeling as comforted by that as he had in the past.

...when he pressed his arm against himself to bite at his thumb...did his chest feel...

He didn't want to think about it. He needed his dose. That would make everything better. He wasn't gonna look. He wasn't gonna think about it.

Frightened, avoiding his gaze in the mirror, Shuuichi quickly left the shower, getting dried and dressed as quickly as he could. Trying not to look at his body as he did so. Didn't wanna know, didn't wanna know, didn't-

He was so relieved when he finally left the room, away from the mirrors and tension and anger that was radiating off his friend, heading down the hall towards the princes. He'd feel better on his dose. He was certain of it.

-

Kaito had woken up a few hours before from an intense dream that had left him shaking...before relaxing again, his mind rejecting it for the most part, settling back in around his husband. Dreams about his old mentor were always a mixed bag. They were always either extremely comforting or extremely distressing, never really an inbetween. She had been a...complicated woman. Had said a lot of urgent, frightening things to the small prince, things she had wanted him to remember. To take to heart.

He had used to be able to think about those things, when he was young. Before everything was finished. By the time he had hit thirteen, it was almost impossible for him to do so, so he was quick to dismiss the bad dreams to the furthest corners of his mind, unexamined and unchallenged.

She had loved him and taught him a great deal about his religion. That was all Kaito really needed to remember about his old mentor.

Kaito had gone back to a relatively restful sleep, and had been surprised to be woken up by small, gentle kisses to his collarbone. Blinking slowly and momentarily squeezing at the warm body in his arms, a small, confused, "Hnnn?" sound humming out from the back of his throat as he tried to get his head out of the fog of sleep.

Not really wanting to be up yet, Kaito pulled Kokichi closer to himself, burying his face into Kokichi's hair and sighing softly. "No," he said. Not getting up yet. Can't make him.

Once again, Kokichi misinterpreted Kaito's first-waking-up words. Right...Kaito hadn't wanted anything the night before, and just because he usually liked kisses didn't mean he always would. Wincing to himself a little, Kokichi stopped his kisses and just pressed his face into the nook of Kaito's neck and chest, happy that Kaito at least wanted him there, if the encapsulating hug was any indication.

"Sorry, love..." Kokichi mumbled into Kaito's chest, letting his arm more just rest on Kaito's waist than actually hugging him. He wasn't sure how much affection Kaito wanted so...he'd let Kaito set the limits. No pushing just because he was feeling cuddly.

"...'ve already got Shuu-chan's dose ready, you don't have to get up or anything. Can wait for my tea too--no rush."

Kaito had been on the verge of falling back asleep again, when two hot words roused him: Shuuichi, and Tea.

Kokichi would need his dose of tea. And Shuuichi...would need his sticker things. That's right. That was going to be part of the morning routine now...come on, man, wake up. It was maybe going to be a tough day. You have to be awake and prepared. You can't leave this all on Maki. Be responsible!

So, forcing his eyes open, Kaito looked down at his husband and smiled, kissing him on the top of his head and sighing. "Thanks, babe...but it's okay, I'm up. Up, up, and about," he murmured, his eyes closing again, trying to overrule him...no! Up!

With a grunt, he pulled himself away from Kokichi, running a hand over his face and looked around blearily for the kettle. It was usually on the vanity desk...right. Right. No more desk. Gotta replace the desk...destroyed it while acting like a stupid, violent brute...maybe he could go get one today? There had to be some in town, right? Could he pull that off?

"Be right back, babe," he promised, leaning over and kissing his husband on the forehead again, before getting out of bed to go set up the tea.

As he was pouring it, there was a knock at the door. Kaito sighed. Here we go...come on, Kaito! Being fucking down wasn't going to help anyone or anything! Keep fucking sighing like that and it was going to become a bad habit! Step up!

So, forcing some lightness into his voice, he said, "Give me one minute, Shuuichi, my hand is full!", taking the cup back to Kokichi and placing it on the nightstand. "Are you ready to sit up? Or do you wanna lie down a bit more?" Kaito asked. "Thanks for getting the dose ready, 'Kichi. But you can go back to sleep if you want to, I can take it from here."

Snorting a bit at Kaito's tooooootal wakefulness, Kokichi started to adjust himself as soon as he was freed, first rebuttoning his shorts from the day before and then sitting himself up. Nothing had happened, but...it would still be far too mean to even imply anything to Shuuichi. Not to mention it would fluster the hell out of him.

With grunts and struggles, Kokichi managed to prop himself up, the pillows still more or less in a position to keep him up. Maybe later he'd try walking, but for now...he could just stretch out his limbs, focus on moving them one at a time in bed. Get used to using them again.

Which was a process that was usually super embarrassing to do in front of people, but... Kokichi gave Kaito a smirk, smugly already sitting up by the time his husband had finished pouring the tea. "Nah, I think I'm good for now. I can drink while you give Shuu-chan his dose too."

He... His arms were feeling stronger. He could drink by himself, he was sure of it.

Kaito looked a little surprised, by the time he had turned around...but his eyes lit up, and a wide, proud grin split his face as he said, "Hell yeah, 'Kichi. Fuck, that's awesome, dude!"

He didn't know if it was mean or patronizing to be genuinely praising someone's ability to sit up and hold a tea cup, but Kaito wasn't really thinking like that right now. His husband was moving around on his own! Look at him go! He was so excited!!

Giving him his cup carefully, not wanting to discourage him by accidentally letting it spill while he gave it to him, Kaito waited just a second to make sure Kokichi really did have it before nodding, looking over to the little...sticker thing… "This just dissolves on his tongue, right?" Kaito asked, picking it up between two fingers. "Well, I'm sure Shuuichi knows how to take it. Alright, let's see how he is today."

Kaito hadn't really left him in the hallway that long, but by the time he had gotten to the door, Shuuichi had already convinced himself that his friend didn't want to see him...that Shuuichi was so ugly and repulsive now to him that...of course Kaito would just...leave him out there. He probably was hoping Shuuichi would leave once he got the hint of how unwanted he was right now. Would just run away before he got his dose, shamed and humiliated and no longer a burden on Kaito just by being around him...probably didn't want Kokichi to have to see his morphed, drug addict Indentured fucking...swinging by his door and begging for what was rightfully his...

Shuuichi's hands were gripped into angry fists by the time Kaito got to the door, and his eyes were burning red, though he wasn't quite at the point of crying yet. His heart leapt into his throat when the door opened though, and all the anger bottomed away from him, giving way to need and hope as he said, "H-hi Kaito...um...M-maki said-"

"Shuuichi!" Kaito said, a wide, bright grin on his face as, to Shuuichi's absolute shock, the taller man put his arm around his shoulder, and drew him into a hug. Maki...had barely been willing to be close to him last night and...Shuuichi stared at his prince in utter bafflement as Kaito said, just as cheerfully, as if he were thrilled to see him, "Sorry about that! Didn't mean to make you wait. This whole being one handed thing can kind of slow me down sometimes. How are you feeling, come on, come in."

Kaito pulled Shuuichi into the room, who was still stunned by the positive attention, looking warily between Kaito and Kokichi. They...they knew he was here for drugs, right? Maki had said they had it. Wasn't that...shameful? Embarrassing?

Weren't they disgusted by him?

"U-uh...'m okay..." Shuuichi murmured. He wasn't. He felt terrible. But he didn't know how to even begin explaining that, and a part of him didn't want to bring down the mood that Kaito was so clearly trying to keep high...though he had to say, "Uh, Kaito, please, I really need-"

"Your dose? Yep, got it here for you," Kaito said, taking a step back from him and holding it out for Shuuichi to take. "All good and ready to go!"

Shuuichi's eyes widened at the now familiar little thin sticker, in between Kaito's fingers, the back of his mouth immediately starting to fill with drool, a sense of...hunger and need at it. It...they were really just gonna give it to him? No...no name calling or...making him feel small and stupid to want it so badly or...really?

Incredibly confused by this (he was sick and dirty and repulsive...certainly Kaito saw that now? Why was he acting like this was normal...??), he still just wanted his dose more than anything. So, with practiced ease, he immediately leaned down and put his lips between Kaito's fingers, taking the sticker onto his tongue and before straightening up again, closing his eyes and...yes, there...that good, spoiled wine taste...he was gonna feel so much better in a second...

When he opened his eyes, starting to feel that familiar burn as his blood started to rush faster in reaction to the pollen, Shuuichi saw that some of that normal calm had left Kaito, his friend staring at him in what could be best described as 'stupid surprise'. "What?" Shuuichi asked, genuinely confused and now a little nervous. Had..had something changed?

Kaito, trying very hard to be..not totally weird about it, wiped his drool covered fingers on his shirt now, plastering a grin back onto his face as he said, "Nope! Nothing’s wrong! L...like I said! How are you feeling?"

When they had first met, Kokichi had assumed that Kaito's compliments were just snarky sarcasm, but...Kaito just liked giving out praise. Liked commenting on even the smallest achievements, liked pumping other people up. It could be taken poorly, but Kokichi really thought that was one of his husband's best qualities. People needed more random compliments anyway. The side of 'just being honest' that people seemed to always forget about.

Giving Kaito a nod--that's as much as he'd understood the stickers to work, anyway--Kokichi took the cup, holding it carefully with both hands, but it didn't waver as he took its full weight. And, with slow, steady movements, he brought it to his mouth, not spilling it down his front.

Take that!

He got one sip down before Kaito let Shuuichi into their room, and...god, he looked miserable. Good thing he had a whole team of people to help him out now! ...even if some of that help was necessary harm.

"Hi, Shuu-chan!" he chirped from bed, not wanting to risk taking one hand off his cup to wave, but wanting to echo Kaito's enthusiasm. Confusion was...probably better than despondency.

...though it got kind of confusing for them all as Shuuichi laved his tongue on Kaito's fingers but...

Kokichi only blinked for a moment before bringing his friendly smile back up, drinking more of his tea.

Okay. That was probably a...Nao-based muscle memory, to take his dose like that. Kaito would work on that tomorrow! Nothing that was too big a deal, nothing that couldn't be fixed.

Shuuichi in turn, didn't really know what to say to Kaito's question. He had already said he was okay...but Kaito was clearly looking for a more in depth answer then that. So...

The detective rubbed his arm a little, dipping his head under his cap and shrugging. "I was feeling kinda...bad this morning. But I always feel bad before I take my dose, so..." He gave Kaito a small, appeasing smile. "I'm sure I'm okay...I already feel a little better..." Though, not as good as he usually did. He had been hoping his dose would take all of the sadness away, like it usually did...well, usually did when he had a full cut... "Though...did you give me enough?" Shuuichi asked, looking up at Kaito imploringly, before frowning unhappily, "You...you didn't undercut me, did you? Kaito?"

Kaito...didn't actually know? Maki had explained the booklet chart to him briefly, but he hadn't entirely understood it. But he knew from general context that they were giving him less than what he had been giving himself, according to Seiko, so. "...it's for your own good, bud. I know it sucks, but you're gonna feel better in the long term for it, I promise," Kaito assured, putting a companionable hand on his friend’s shoulder, squeezing it gently. "Seiko says it's all just part of the process!"

Shuuichi scowled at this, anger starting to lick his stomach now that the dose was making him more excitable, more confident. "Oh, sure. If Seiko says so...not like she's not just making this all up as she goes...playing games with me..."

Eyes widening with an idea, Shuuichi looked up at Kaito, putting his hands around the arm holding his shoulder, causing Kaito to frown slightly as Shuuichi took a step closer to him. "I just...I just need a little more, Kaito...they're just guessing on my doses, it's not...I'm gonna feel terrible all day, please...can't I just have a little more...?"

Kaito's heart sank. "Uh..."

"Sorry, no can do, Shuu-chan!" Kokichi chirped from the bed, taking another sip from his tea, figuring he needed to step in here. "You're gonna feel bad because you're in withdrawal, which sucks, but it'll feel waaaaay better later to not be dependent on the spores. It's like a worse version of when you and Maki-chan took all Kai-chan's painkillers away."

He knew Shuuichi knew how addiction and withdrawal worked, but...maybe saying it out loud again would help bolster Kaito's conviction, at least, if his words never reached Shuuichi.

Not expecting Shuuichi to allow that logic, Kokichi moved the subject along. "Nao's coming by this morning, right? If she's gonna be a bit, do ya wanna hang with Kai-chan and me for a while? We pretty much just got up, but I'd be down for some company."

Right! Right! It was like when Kaito had been begging all of them for painkillers for three days. He had felt...he had been in agony...crying and stupid...but Shuuichi had held strong for him! Hadn't buckled down! Kaito could do that same for him!

Kaito nodded along with what Kokichi said, taking his grip on Shuuichi's shoulder and pulling him into a hug again, saying soothingly, "'Kichi's right, Shuuichi. This is gonna suck for a while...but it's gonna get better. Just have some faith in us, okay? You're gonna be fine."

Shuuichi was again taken off guard by the hug, a flush burning his cheeks now as he felt the hard press of Kaito's cast arm against his ribs...and beyond that, could feel his...chest press...

His face burned hotter, gently shaking himself out of Kaito's grip and stepping away from him a bit, trying to escape that heat. He was a little...annoyed at Kokichi, and he felt himself wanting to give the other prince a dirty look… If Kaito had been alone, he had a feeling he could have...but, well...of course Kaito would listen to his husband...a fucking...heir-apparent...course...

Thankfully, he was slightly too distracted by how flustered he was being near Kaito to really feel the jealousy burning in his gut, let alone act on it in any way. He knew Kokichi didn't really deserve any sharp words or dirty looks...but it still felt bad. It was like being in front of the lawyer again. Just...knowing how fucking out-classed he was...how entirely beneath them he was...

The mention of Nao got him out of his funk though, Shuuichi smiling slightly, a haze coming over his eyes. "Y-yeah...she's coming to visit me...d-do you think she missed me? I missed her...I was afraid you all were going to make me stop seeing her, yesterday..."

...maaaaan, Kaito did not even know how to begin untangling that. He hadn't gotten too much of a chance to speak to Nao, one on one, since his, ya know...murder attempt. But even he had gotten the clear impression at the mission yesterday that Nao wasn't even kind of interested. She had barely looked at him...Kaito still wasn't even entirely certain why she was still even helping them. He didn't know what she was getting from all of this. (There was no part of him that considered the possibility she was still helping just to be nice. She had to be getting something from this...)

...well, they had time! And...h-hopefully with Maki watching over him, any more damage to his head could be...tempered? At least. Kaito wished he had a better idea of what the old sessions had looked like. Maybe things like Shuuichi just randomly sucking at his fingers, like he wasn't even aware just picking up the sticker himself was even an option, would catch him off guard less then...well, at least Maki would know from now on. Then they could fix it as they went!

Shuuichi shook his head nervously at Kokichi's invitation. "Maki said I needed to come right back. I think she's worried I'll...wander away or something," he said, frowning with a slight roll of his eyes. "Honestly...I'm not some kid. I'm not just going to run away the second she takes her eyes off me...I can still do some things..."

Katio frowned at that. Not liking the 'some' part of that sentence. Thinking quickly...

"Well! When you're all done this morning, you and Maki should come by and see us! As soon as you can! I..." Kaito came up with an idea. Grinning wide. "I have a request for both of you, if you guys have time today! I need someone to go to town and get a desk to replace the one I broke. Do you think you could help me with that?"

That would give both of them a reason to get out of the castle for awhile, take a walk, give Shuuichi a reason to stick with Maki beyond just Maki not feeling comfortable leaving him alone, and give Shuuichi a task to accomplish, which should help his self esteem, at least a little bit. Please, please take the bait...

Shuuichi gave him a small, confused look that worried Kaito for a moment, thinking his friend was gonna say no...but Shuuichi nodded slowly. "Sure? Okay. I'll tell Maki..." Shuuichi fidgeted a bit, looking at the door nervously. "...I should go. Miss Nao could be here any minute. I don't want to make her wait for me...I should always be the one waiting for her..."

Kaito wasn't ready to touch that one, so he just nodded, seeing Shuuichi off...taking a deep breath as he closed behind him. "Phew...that...went well, right?" Kaito said, looking back at Kokichi for reassurance. "That went about as well as it could have?"

"I think she's been missing you since you started taking that stuff..." Kokichi mumbled into his cup, not really...wanting to get too into it. He couldn't speak for Nao, but knowing her...she could've been a friend to Shuuichi had this not happened. Maybe in that other world, she would've slept with him, maybe Shuuichi would've fallen for her anyway. But there was no way to know now, and if Shuuichi just liked her because Nao was very good at being scary...

Despite everything, he knew he was going to miss her when she resigned.

Kokichi looked up from his tea in surprise, hearing Kaito's plans for the day, almost missing Shuuichi excusing himself. He quickly got out a goodbye before Kaito looked back. "I...I guess? He didn't try to fight us or search the room so...take it as a win?"

"But, I mean, if you want to get a desk, sure, but you don't need to replace it, Kai-chan. It was an accident, and nice desks can get expensive..." Kokichi set his empty cup in his lap to wave his hands a bit, giving his husband a worried but careful look. "I don't expect you to blow through your savings, right before a trip too."

...accident?

Kaito had known what he was doing, when he flipped the desk to stop Shuuichi from getting back in or Nao from getting out. That...that hadn't been an accident...he had just decided destroying the desk would be worth it to kill Nao. At the time, it had barely even been a consideration. Not something that Kokichi owned, something he might value, that Kaito didn't have the right to destroy. Just a useful tool for the moment...

How had Kokichi interpreted that as an accident?

Kaito shrugged awkwardly. "I just...are they?" he asked, grinning sheepishly at Kokichi. "I didn't know they would cost that much...I mostly just wanted to give Shuuichi and Maki something to do today, honestly, get their minds off other things if I could. Um...maybe they could just go find a nice type of desk, find out how much it costs, and I can save up for it when we get back?" Kaito said, feeling...a little dumb. And a little frustrated with his lack of funds. He couldn't even afford a desk??

Ugh, being poor sucked. No wonder people didn't like it.

...man he had to figure out how to make some money before Kokichi had a feeling on some random kid. If getting a desk would wipe out the last of his funds now, what if they stumbled across some stroller tomorrow and??? Kids needed things! Diapers! He was pretty sure the cost of diapers added up!! How was he going to afford diapers??!

As Kaito had a mild paternal panic attack over the well-being of his entirely imaginary child that he was now convinced could just...show up?? Tomorrow??? Today even!?!? He didn't know the timeline magical feeling babies worked on!!!! He went to sit on the bed, flopping next to Kokichi, lying there and panicking for awhile...finally just whispering to himself, "Atua save me...I know I keep saying this, but I really need to get a job...forget even diapers, what about baby formulas? That adds up too, doesn't it? ...if you get a feeling baby today, do you think Shuuichi could safely donate some nectar to us or...ha!"

Kaito covered his mouth, suddenly feeling himself laugh. "Oh no...that was a terrible joke, wasn't it. I shouldn't joke about my best friend’s weird...breast nectar thing, should I. Oh no...thank god he didn't hear me say that...pffff, oh god. Our lives are so stupid." Kaito laughed, just...the sheer ridiculousness of this whole situation finally hitting him. The second son of the wealthiest family in Luminary couldn't afford a desk for his husband, who could have a feeling baby, just...whenever. And Shuuichi was growing boobs.

For...fuck’s sake Atua...

Oh...oh. That... Kokichi had just been worried about this being some sort of...guilt thing with Kaito. But if it was a distraction... Kokichi sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose a little, giving Kaito an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I'm just... Forget about it. I hope you guys have a great time in town! If you wanna spend more time out, you guys should check out the market--there'll be different stuff than, like, when we met, since different things will be in season."

And maybe they'd come back with some funny stories. The market was good for that. And...maybe by the time they came back...Kokichi could open the door for them himself. Or, for Kaito, at least.

As Kaito flopped back on the bed, Kokichi just blinked at his rambling before...ah...oops. His bad. Reaching out, Kokichi rubbed a hand up and down Kaito's shoulder. "...I know it's not what you're used to but...I didn't mean that you wouldn't be able to afford a desk, or any kind of expensive item. Kai-chan just doesn't have any savings, so he'd just feel the price more, is what I meant. If you bought it in full, then you wouldn't really be able to buy a ton on our trip, not without going broke again. I don't want you to have no savings...but it's your choice how you spend your money."

"You can go out to buy a desk today, or just go window shopping, or pick something out and ask to have it put on hold, or ask if you can pay it in installments...and...for paying for a baby?" Kokichi asked that as more of an unsure question, not clear on how Kaito had gotten to that line of thinking. "We'll be alright, and, yeah, I guess hypothetically I could get a feeling any time, but...I'm not ready to be a parent yet. It'd be really shitty if I got a feeling about someone I wouldn't be able to care for properly, and I'd tell that feeling to go fuck itself."

Kokichi made a face, the issue of being an unfit parent...something he had a lot of feelings about. Sure, he was the same age as Aiichi had been when he had him, but look how that turned out. Kokichi had never felt close to his father, never felt cared for or comforted or proud of himself...

...and...he didn't want to tell Kaito this, but...forget being a parent, Kokichi hadn't been ready to get married. Thankfully he'd been paired with someone so amazing, but...he'd never even had the time to get close to anyone else romantically before. Giving yourself so fully to someone else...he loved Kaito, he didn't regret any of the vows he'd made...but...it was...a lot...sometimes...

Putting his cup on the nightstand, Kokichi scooted back down and pressed up against Kaito's side, pressing his cheek into his shoulder now. "...and we're doing everything we can for Shuu-chan. Things will be alright, because we'll make it so."

...awww...Kaito didn't want to tell the feeling baby to go fuck itself...

I mean...he wasn't really...ready to be a father either. Had, in fact, been very, very careful over the years to not be a father too soon (you didn't get a reputation for sleeping around and not leaving any babies in your wake by accident. Kaito had taken precautions). But...if a feelings baby showed up...he wouldn't want to leave it. Kaito would just...want to be a good dad. Found the idea a little exciting.

Well...someday. Not now, obviously. They were lucky neither of them were girls. No surprise babies in the future due to condom failures. Oooooonly feeling babies.

Yep. Definitely literally no way Kaito could accidentally have a kid at this point in his life. Not a chance. Literally can't happen.

Phew.

...annnnywaaaaaay, Kaito smiled at his cuddly husband, again, just...so proud of his range of motion right now. Look at him, shuffling around the bed, using them hips...fucking awesome… He wondered if he should mention now that he hadn't had any intentions of going with them into town or if he should bring it up later...like, they had just talked yesterday about how Kaito wouldn't feel right leaving without him...

...he'd just hold Kokichi for a bit now. The 'I'm not going to town' thing could turn into one of their 'not quite an argument' arguments, and...well, that could wait a little bit. Instead he just held Kokichi close and cheerfully agreed with him..thanked him again for being there for himself and his friends... told him he loved him...a small kiss here, and a small kiss there... and a little nibble right there and- he broke the kiss, a serious look suddenly on his face as he said, "Sorry about last night. I didn't mean to rile you up and then leave you like that. I would have done it, I just...I couldn't really keep my eyes open. Thanks for not getting frustrated with me..."

For everything Kaito told him, Kokichi was right there with an assurance or an echo, telling him that of course he'd be there for people he cared about, that he loved Kaito with all his heart, and...oooh, yeah, kisses. Stealing his husband's lips whenever they returned to his face, holding him close and rubbing his back a little, and, oooh...a little gasp at that nibble and

Giving Kaito a fond, yet slightly exasperated look, Kokichi freed his arms and took Kaito's cheeks in his palms, booping their noses together for a moment. "Kai-chan, I riled myself up the same amount if not more than you did last night. And even if it had been all you...I respect a no at any time, you know? You could be balls deep in me, then have a change of heart for any reason, and we'd stop. I might whine, but I'd stop. There are plenty of worse things than having to go masturbate for a bit."

Giving him a soft kiss, Kokichi tried to impart his words that he truly thought would be comforting. "I would never be mad at you for not having sex with me. That's not the only reason I love you, and, really, it's not even one of the main ones, though it is a very nice bonus."

Kaito nodded, feeling comforted by this...wanting to say the same thing back but...it still felt weird to talk about that stuff. He kept finding himself worrying that he'd, like...remind Kokichi? Of what had happened? And this time Kokichi would just get...really mad or fucking...traumatized...start crying again...

Fuck, if Kaito could just avoid making Kokichi cry again for the rest of his whole damn life, that'd be great.

He blushed a little at the balls deep comment, the imagery that came with it riling him up a little...but even besides Kaito feeling bad about just falling asleep on him, it still would have been a bad idea to put Kokichi's body under any kind of stress. He didn't know how much would be too much, and Kokichi had to be well for this trip, dammit! Nothing could go wrong! It was his first time out of the capital! Kaito wanted him to have a good time, and not be immobile for the whole thing.

So he calmed himself down, kissing Kokichi's cheek, and just said again, "Thanks, babe...I love you."

-

Nao had spent a...frustrating amount of time overthinking this visit.

She kept telling herself she wasn't. She had better things to do then worry about helping a drug addict get off and dealing with his pseudo-sister pointlessly punishing herself by being there to witness it. Just because this was the biggest thing going on in their lives right now didn't mean it was the biggest thing going on hers, and she didn't want to put any more time or thought into it than was necessary.

...and still she kept thinking about it.

She talked it out with Yasu a bit, who was also a little bewildered by the Luminaries’ choices. Why would his...sister?? Want to watch?? Nao had tried to explain to her the often crooked, broken logic that came from growing up somewhere like Luminary, at least as far as she had managed to observe, but at the end of the day she didn't think she had managed to convey it that well to her wife, and honestly, Nao wasn't sure she really understood it herself.

She could understand that Maki didn't trust her. Could understand wanting to set limits. But honestly...to Nao, it just looked more like Maki was concerned about solidarity, more than anything. Solidarity, but...not like here. It was such a different mindset from Dicean solidarity, where pain for one is pain for all equals, well...don't let anyone be in pain. Because everyone's individual pain should matter to the community.

For Luminary? It seemed to be more, 'I see you are in pain, and will join you so you aren't alone'.

...Okay, maybe this exact, specific scenario was coloring her observations a bit. What was that phrase the boy kept writing in his journal, over and over again? Insufficient data, observer biased? Shouldn't speculate?

The journal really had been an interesting read. She had gotten a lot of character, plot, and theme ideas from its uniquely Luminary perspective that likely wouldn't have occurred to her through Dicean literature. But it also had kind of made her sad. He really had been very clever, once...

Oh well. Time to get this over with. She wasn't even planning to hurt him, really. She had put some thought into the morning session and had packed a few things, and while it would all still likely make Miss Assassin quite frustrated, maybe seeing this session for herself would get her and Prince Kaito to stop referring to their sessions as her 'beating' him. Honestly, the assumptions those two made...she had only ever let herself hit him once...

...okay, she had kicked him quite a few times too. And the lashings had more likely than not hurt quite a bit. But, well, that was the point. He had needed her to do those things. He had liked it. He wasn't in danger around her, no matter what those two thought. She had kept things under control. Beyond that first day, she hadn't gone too far...I mean, no more so than anyone else might have, in her position...

Yes.

Right.

Giving a few pleased smiles to people who recognized her in the castle, stopping for a few 'how do you do'es, how's the families', Nao made her way upstairs.

Shuuichi made his way back down the hall, like he'd said he would, despite the demand being way too controlling--but that was the whole of it yesterday, everything, everybody, just controlling him--knocking on the door to announce his presence before hurrying in, hoping he hadn't made Miss Nao wait.

And he hadn't! So that was...at least one good thing. Among a...whole lot of bad ones...

"Kaito wants our help in picking out a new desk today," he told Maki at his return, going to sit down to wait for Miss Nao. They'd gotten a few packs of pads for him, but...he could feel himself dripping, his gross, freakish mucus soaking into them...better to not let it drip down his legs. Not yet. Not until Miss Nao wanted him to.

Shuuichi felt something in his stomach clench at that thought--just butterflies, right?--and he looked away from Maki. "...gonna head into town later, it sounds like."

Maki nodded, though she was momentarily caught off guard by the idea. Going into town? Today, of all days? When there was so much going on??

...well, actually, she supposed, no. There wasn't a lot going on. Just...this thing this morning, and potentially again this evening...and maybe even once more before that, depending on how she and Nao gauged Shuuichi was doing...but beyond that, no, she supposed they didn't have any plans today. It just...this just felt like a lot already and...shouldn't they wait for a more normal day to do normal things...

And then she got the extremely frustrating thought that this might be the new normal, for a while. That Kaito was probably trying to make a point, suggesting a town trip today of all days, that they had to keep doing things even among all this. That they had to keep living their lives...

She wondered if this meant Kokichi was walking again? That was something, at least...though even if he was, a trip into town on his first day on his feet again was probably too much. She hoped Kaito wasn't needlessly pushing his hus-

There was a knock at the door, and Maki felt herself stiffen.

...okay, there was no more time left. She had to do it. Get herself in the headspace.

So, Maki took a second, looking inside of herself. Doing a mental practice that she had perfected over the years, ingrained into her since childhood. Trying to find the worst parts of herself and embolden them. "There's every feeling possible inside of you. Good, bad, all of it is there! There are no exceptions!" her mentor had yelled-

(he had yelled most things. For being a top-tier assassin, he was an extremely loud, rambunctious, obnoxious...happy man, whose emotional self control she absolutely envied, able to do everything he did and still be warm and happy and kind, when he was allowed to be... who had loved her dearly...she missed him...)

-looking at her sternly as he told a young Maki, "People ignore or suppress those sides of themselves that make them unhappy or ashamed, for good reason! People who lean into those sides of themselves suck! But!! You need to know where those parts of you are: Sadism, apathy, selfishness, self-centeredness, narcissism. None of these are good traits. They're not traits to be proud of. But they are useful tools, and when targets are pleading for their lives, trying to play into your compassion or mercy, you're going to need those tools to finish the job. You'll need to practice indulging in those sides of yourself, without letting those sides consume you. It's key to our lifestyle..."

...and then he would have likely veered the conversation into another lecture to her about the values of taking regular, healthy shits, and Maki would have had to tap into apathy in order to not be, just, entirely embarrassed...

Apathy was the name of the game today too. God knows she wasn't going to pick sadism. Where were the parts of her that didn't care about this? That were honestly, entirely disinterested? Find it...it was there...human beings are extremely emotionally complicated creatures. Every emotion for every scenario, no matter how foreign or repulsive it felt to the rest of her, was in there somewhere...where was the part of her that genuinely didn't care...

She found that mental headspace...and relaxed.

She glanced over at Shuuichi, her face now impassive. "I don't think I've mentioned this yet; I'm staying to supervise," she said, not really caring how it made him feel, before heading to the door and to let her in.

Maki's emotional control wasn't perfect. She had never fully mastered it, like her mentor had. This was why she often found herself boiling over and going into blood-rages, the act of suppressing her emotions all the time often randomly overwhelming her and turning her crazy. It was why she had to be so emotionally in control right now, since...honestly anything could...

Despite herself, she felt a spark of fire in her stomach at the sight of the librarian. She suppressed it quickly, covering herself more thickly in the side of herself that didn't care about what was going on...but it was there, buried, somewhere. Waiting for its opportunity to grow wild and out of control.

"Is there anything we need to talk about before I let you in?" Maki asked the librarian, standing in the entrance way, a clear barrier between her and Shuuichi.

Nao smiled at her. "You mean other than everything that's already been discussed, dear? Not really. I'd like to say one last time that your presence here isn't necessary. I've worked out his limits by now; he's not in danger with me."

Maki didn't answer. But the fire she was ignoring in her belly heated, ever so slightly, and that heat started to radiate off her, like it always did when the blood-rage embers started. Nao observed this and...sigh. Extremely high-strung, this one. Honestly? Maybe this girl just needed to get laid. She was...pretty, in a way. Not Nao's type, but if it would get that enormous chip off her shoulder, and the stick out of her ass...

Nao was just making jokes to herself. But still. She frowned at the assassin, simply saying, entirely sincere, "Just try to trust me a little. I will stop what I am doing if you decide I am going too far, but try to remember that making him stressed and uncomfortable is the point, and that stopping me from doing that only prolongs this whole thing. Give me a chance."

Maki's eyes narrowed slightly. "...you'll stop if he says to stop too."

"If I think he means it? Certainly. I've never forced him to do anything. He'll tell you that himself, if you ask him."

Maki's eyes narrowed at this as well...before taking a step aside to let her in.

Nao rolled her eyes slightly. "We're not doing it here, in your room. Isn't he sleeping here, from now on? I thought the point was to not traumatize him any further? He has a room for this sort of thing." Then, louder, she said, "Shuu? Are you trying to cover Maki's room in your disgusting fluids? Why aren't you already waiting for us in your room?"

"What?"

Shuuichi stared at Maki in horror--she was staying?!? Nononono, she couldn't, she’d see, she'd see his horrible, disgusting body, a body designed to only be fucked... Maybe she'd want to join? Surely...Maki needed some stress relief--he was perfect to take that out on. Not good for anything else...

Shivering, Shuuichi kept his head down but looked at Maki from the edge of his vision, feeling both excited and terrified about what was going to happen. He stood up eagerly when Maki opened the door, feeling himself gush a little, and tried to peek around his friend, looking up at Miss Nao with a smitten expression as he felt his stomach turn in on itself.

She was here! For him!

B-but they shouldn't be here here.

"N-no! Sorry, sorry, sorry, Maki, I-I..." Flushing, Shuuichi quickly exited and headed next door, opening up his room. It didn't smell like sex...but memories could be engraved in locations. This room, already too good for him, was a room for Miss Nao to fuck her whore. His gaze drifted to where the stain he'd made once was, wondering if he'd make another, show Maki what he really was.

Turning to face the women, Shuuichi put his hands on his belt, looking at them nervously. "Should I undress now?"

Maki could already feel the fire growing hotter...calm, Maki. Apathy. You don't care. He needs you to not care. Feel your feelings later. Be who you need to be right now.

Keeping a step behind Nao (Maki knew she wasn't in danger, but her danger reflexes were going off regardless, and she wanted to stay in a position where she could keep an eye on everyone), matching her easy, slow pace to Shuuichi's room, both of the women entered with Shuuichi already looking towards the door, his face...excited. There was no getting around that. He looked genuinely excited. Happy, if incredibly nervous, with the situation. Maki understood, technically, what Nao and him had been saying, when they said he hadn't done anything against his will, but...it was still disturbing to Maki, to see him looking so eager.

Quietly, disregarding his question, Maki went to grab Shuuichi's desk chair, taking it and bringing it with her to a corner of the room, giving her vantage over every part of the room, including keeping an eye on the entrance and the far window, curtains closed. Deciding this was as secure a spot in here as she would get, she took a seat, crossing her legs and putting her arms over her chest. Watching closely, but still keeping that level of protective disinterest. Trying to be separate from all this.

Dropping her bag on the bed, Nao decided she wouldn't allow that. Little Miss Assassin wanted to be here so badly? Then she would be here.

"Shuu, you're going to shock her if you just rush to show her every filthy part of yourself. No one else has seen what you've done to yourself yet, correct? I believe even Dr. Kimura couldn't bring herself to actually look at you. Come here," she cooed, taking Shuuichi by the collar, gently dragging him closer to the corner that Maki had tucked herself into, walking behind him and saying, almost sensually, as she snaked her arms around him, undoing the buttons of his jacket little by little, a show for Maki, "You have to show her piece by piece. Get her used to it. Has anyone but me seen what you've done to your chest yet? It's really quite funny, Maki-"

Maki's eyes narrowed at this. The fire burning a little brighter, radiating a little hotter off her as she said, a warning in her tone, "Don't involve me."

Nao gave her an easy, dismissive look back. "You're already involved, dear..." she said, unbuttoning the rest of his jacket and pulling it off him. "Off with that shirt, Shuu."

O-oh...right. He supposed...he was quite shocking. Especially for Maki, who had known him before...when he was still worth something... If his gross, morphed body was disturbing to him, then for a normal person...right. Discretion.

But...there was one other person that had seen at least a little of him... Takashi hadn't seemed disgusted...until he'd cum on him at least... Even with someone who wasn't appalled at first sight, he'd managed to show his true, disgusting colors.

Though, Shuuichi flinched when Miss Nao told him what part he should start with. He cast a nervous, fearful look over his shoulder. No! That... He didn't want to think about it! If he showed someone, that made it real, he'd have to think about it!

Opening his mouth to say no, Shuuichi caught himself just in time. What...what right did he have to refuse! He was to be used as his master saw fit...that's all. Nothing more...

Lips quivering, Shuuichi slowly started unbuttoning his shirt, looking off to the side, not looking at anyone as he sloooowly exposed small, swollen breasts, his nipples reddened and puffed already...or, having been so for...days. They were still nothing to gawk at, but their roundness was starting to be defined, starting to look like an unmistakable pair of boobs.

This fucking bitch...wanna play games? Fine. She didn't care if this prolonged this. Maki could play games.

Maki didn't shy away from looking at Shuuichi's chest, her face...impassive. Unimpressed. She made it entirely apparent that she was honestly looking him over... before saying, "You look fine, Shuuichi. They're nice. Honestly, Nao, making fun of developing breasts? What are we, eleven?"

Nao looked over at Maki curiously. What was she...? Really? Fucking Luminaries...they couldn't just let anything be easy. Still, if she wanted to actively undo any progress Nao made, the librarian could work with that. She wouldn't have survived the riots if her first ideas were her last resorts. It was all about adapting.

Plus...this might be the kind of memory Shuuichi would need, in the future.

So, she tightened her grip on Shuichi's shoulders. Feigning anger.

Then she draped her arms around him, grabbing Shuichi's hands and placing them on his breasts, encouraging him to rub at his nipples, as she said to Maki, "Maybe that's a bit immature, sure...but I'm pretty sure eleven-year-olds don't start dripping nectar when you touch them. You can't deny he's a freak. Show Maki here how quickly it happens, Shuu. I've heard nectar doesn't taste bad. Maybe she'll want a sip?"

Of all the reactions, that one got Shuuichi to look back at Maki, the same sort of shocked, confused surprise as when Kaito had just treated him like a normal person showing on his face. He... They were...

His face lit up and he scrunched his eyes closed. Nonono, they weren't nice, he wasn't developing... No! Seiko was crazy, there was no way he was...

Shuuichi groaned softly as Miss Nao guided his hands to his nipples, even if he had to touch the weird softness around them. Just like his dick and his ass, his nipples just...ached, all the time. As soon as his hands were near, he latched on, rolling the puffy nubs between his fingers, quickly getting rougher, trying to mimic how Miss Nao had made him feel so good before...she was so good to him...

"Nnnm...a-ahhh..." A quiet moan escaped him as he felt wetness on his fingers, that thick, clear liquid starting to ooze out of his nipples, as Shuuichi didn't stop his ministrations even as his flush deepened. He couldn't look at Maki, but... "I-if you wanted to touch...Maki can use me too..."

Maki's heat...dimmed at this. Some of her concern for Shuuichi breaking through the wall of apathy and the violent fire in her as she looked at her friend with something close to sadness as she started to say, "Shuui-"

Nao interrupted though, taking Shuuichi's hands off of himself with a tug at both of his wrists, feeling him slump slightly against her stomach and shiver as she said, "Why do you keep offering people that, Shuu? How has it not gotten through to you yet that no one wants to actually touch you? Yasu said you came to her with that same, desperate look on your face, and how did that turn out for you? Is Maki lesser than Yasu, in your eyes, that you'd be good enough for her, but not my wife? Is that how low she is to you? What a dumb whore. You should only open your mouth when prompted, or when I'm ready to put things inside of it."

As she said this, she took one of Shuuichi's hands inside of her own, taking two of his fingers in her grip and rubbing them below and around Shuichi's nipples, collecting some of the nectar dripping from them, coating them. Then she shoved his fingers into his mouth, a clear order to clean them off, as she said, "Show her the rest of you while I get things ready. We have a schedule to keep. They won't wait forever for us."

Maki...might actually kill her. It was a real possibility. She was struggling to find and keep that apathy as this stranger called her friend (brother) terrible things. She understood why Nao was doing so...but she was struggling to control herself either way. Still, one thing did stand out to her, and it distracted her enough to ask, "Schedule with who? Are you going somewhere?"

As Nao opened up her bag, she took out three things. A collar and leash. A giant, black permanent marker. And a massive dildo vibrator. One that she had bought with Shuuichi in mind, considering what he was capable of forming around. The shop she had ordered it from, which she was a frequent customer for, had asked her if she was sure, said it was designed to be a gag gift, that no one actually wanted one that size. She had assured him she knew what she was buying, and no one would be getting hurt with it.

"Not me. Shuuichi," Nao said, placing the items on the bed with care, "I'm renting him out to the stables."

He didn't fight when Miss Nao took his hands away--couldn't fight. She was so strong. So big and overwhelming...--but his nipples just ached even more as they continued to drip...he...he needed stimulation, he needed someone to touch, to suck or he was going to go crazy.

There was a memory in the back of his mind that popped up, Seiko explaining that the pollen--the spores. the fungus--would encourage growth in sexual organs, but that constant stimulation would do that too... His dick had gotten so big...would his chest...?

A burst of giggles escaped him as he shook his head, wondering if his chest--his breasts--would grow so large he could suck on his nipples himself, like he could for his cock. "No, no, you're right, I--"

He looked at Maki, something pleading, despairing in his eyes as he choked on his next laugh. "You never touch me...not while we're sleeping, not when you know you could do anything you wanted... You liar...I'm repulsive..."

But at least there was still one person that cared for him... Shuuichi melted a little bit as Miss Nao held his hands, let him rub himself a little more, and he sucked eagerly on his fingers, looking at her adoringly the whole time.

"Yes, Miss Nao..." Quickly, Shuuichi's slicked hands went back to his belt, this time quickly unbuckling it and shucking his pants, his briefs bulging a little, but not a lot since... Again, Shuuichi sent Maki a nervous giggle as he lowered them, pulling his cock out and allowing it to stand up against his stomach, his weird, gross mucus almost immediately slicking his plump cheeks as he bent to get rid of his underwear.

He mumbled something like a guilty, excited apology to Maki before he turned to see what Miss Nao was doing, and...

"Mmm!! Mnn!" His shivers were visible, his cock twitching at the sight of that huge dildo, knowing that it would slide in just fine into his whore hole, and Shuuichi instinctively parted his legs, slick starting to drip down his inner thighs, before his brain caught up with his love's words.

"Wh-what?!"

Maki shoulders hunched up, ever so slightly, to her ears at Shuuichi's words. The actual...despair she could hear in them, as he accused her of finding him repulsive. And while he didn't say it...she had a feeling what he actually meant was that she didn't care about him. Didn't love him anymore.

The three of them had started telling each other they loved each other at sixteen. It was Kaito who started it, in the middle of a heated fight between herself and him. She couldn't even remember what the fight had been about, just that she and Shuuichi had been doing something that had worried him, and he had wanted them to stop doing it. Then, because, again, she was sixteen, she had said something that had alarmed him, and made some snide remark about him being a prince, something she used to say a lot in anger, and he had said, "I'm not demanding because I'm your prince, I'm telling you both this because I love you, Maki!"

And there had been a...long conversation after that and somehow, after that day the 'I love you's' just...stuck. Just another aspect of the three’s relationship, at first said quietly, in private, and then eventually casually, in public. Just a truth.

...and here was Shuuichi...doubting that truth after all this time...and suddenly just all ears and eyes for Nao, because she was giving him what he, apparently, wanted right now. Needed. The dildo sent a wave of concern and repulsion through Maki, but Shuuichi looked enamored. Thrilled. Immediately dismissing his anger and accusations on Maki to focus on Nao and her 'gifts'. It was...getting harder to look at him, like this. His dick was...fuck, what had he done to himself...

Maki wanted to tell him to stop, to listen to her, wanted to get angry and shove Nao out of the room and sit down and talk to him, talk this out...but she could tell by the look on his face that doing that wouldn't work. Not this time, not with the pollen still in him.

He'd only listen to someone who was giving him something he needed.

...she was going to have to talk to Kaito...

...wait.

What?

"No, he's not," Maki said automatically. Giving Nao a confused look. What was she playing at? Of all the things to try...she couldn't have possibly believed for a second Maki would let him leave this room. "What are you talking about?"

"It's an idea that came to me after the meeting yesterday," Nao said, taking the collar and unbuckling it, turning to Shuuichi and frowning at the sight of him. "Ugh...knees," she ordered, watching him fall to them quickly before taking the collar and putting it around his neck, closing it tight and letting the leash fall behind his back. "Dr. Kimura says he's in heat, right? Something about needing to be pollinated. Fascinating, Shuu. Not only did you make yourself a whore, but you made yourself a plant. I wonder if you still count as human? If not, I should ask the boss about how certain laws apply to you, now. Or, rather, don't. On your back."

She went back to get the marker, popping off the top and going to sit, cross legged, next to his form, considering his body for a moment before deciding to start with his stomach, starting to write something. "So, he's in heat, essentially, right? His body is prepping for a child, and that's why he's been acting so intolerable for the past month. That's not going to be any fun for your trip, right? Shuu will ruin everything, if he goes still like this. Kokichi will have a bad time, Prince Kaito will feel bad for letting one of his escorts ruin his husband's first trip out. It's just no good. So! My thought is, if Shuu here was filled up, so to speak, his body would ease up the pressure, and he'd stop acting like a lunatic. At least long enough for you all to have some fun. But, we can't have something like Shuu here bring an actual baby to the world. That'd be irresponsible."

Finishing her writing, she drew an arrow pointing to his dick, the words written darkly against his stomach, DO NOT INSERT. "But, well, a young foal? That's quite alright, isn't it. Maybe when it grows up, Prince Kaito could ride it? That would be a halfway useful thing you could do for your friends, Shuu. The only halfway useful thing."

She took his dick in her hands, and started to write on that next.

She'd barely talked to him--as was her right! They didn't need to talk to show love!--but Miss Nao had been thinking of him at the meeting, even after it?! Despite the dread at hearing her talk about the stables again, Shuuichi gave Miss Nao a thrilled look as he dropped to his knees, still keeping them open as his gaze flicked to the dildo over and over.

However, he fell into another fit of desperate giggles, covering his face as he vehemently shook his head. "I-I'm not--! Seiko's just guessing, it's not like anyone really knows about the pollen--i-it! I'm not in heat, tha-thaaaaat's impossible, I can't!" Shuuichi started panting into his giggles as he fell onto his back, his dick wet and twitching as Miss Nao wrote on his abdomen. Even if Bear had said something about pollination too...

"YOU'RE INSANE IF YOU THINK I CAN HAVE A--A--AAAAAHHH~!!" Spasming, Shuuichi came the moment Miss Nao started touching his cock, cumming the absurd amount he'd started to lately. Tears dotted his eyes as he arched, his ass spilling onto the floor.

He couldn't, he couldn't have a horse?! Fuck him?! Couldn't carry a baby, not even a foal, even if he was only good enough for animals, for breeding, carrying a litter or a clutch or--

oh god he wanted to be filled

As Nao gave Shuuichi a mildly surprised look, both surprised at how quickly he had cum, and also this being the first time Shuuichi had ever yelled at her. She covered his mouth with one hand as he moaned, shaking and trembling under her fingers, and started to say, "I told you, Shuu; whores don't speak out of tur-"

Maki, though, immediately stood up, walking over to them. "Alright, enough. He came. We're done."

Nao immediately took her hands off him (she wouldn't be accused of not respecting Maki's role here), the word DEFORMED just about halfway finished being written on his cock, and just in case Miss Assassin felt grabby (or, possibly, stabby) she stood up, backing a few feet away as Maki went over to Shuuichi's side, worriedly looking over him. "You're done. You're not going to a stable. Nao is..." Maki gave the librarian a dark look, "...joking. We're not doing that to you. Get up and go to the shower. Now."

"Give him a second, Maki, his orgasms always shake him up a little bit." Sometimes more so than others; Nao still remembered sessions where she was afraid she had done actual damage to him, when she had made him wait too long or work too hard for it... but Maki didn't need to know that yet. "And he may need more. He's not exactly a one and done kind of slut."

"Besides, I haven't finished writing instructions for the stable hands. And I need to get him prepped for the horses," Nao said, nodding towards the overly large dildo, "Don't want them straining themselves."

"He's done," Maki practically growled, crouching protectively over him. The fire burning dangerously hot now at Nao's teasing. "Stop playing games. He's not fucking any animals, we're not getting him pregnant. Take this fucking thing off," Maki murmured, going to the belt around his neck and starting to undo it. "Shuuichi, you're fine. Everything’s fine...that's enough, isn't it?" she asked him. Vaguely worried he would want more, as she tossed the belt aside.

Nao shrugged. "I guess I could ask them to reschedule for later today...how about lunch, Shuuichi? You think you'd be ready to take on some stallions by then? At least they'd be willing to touch you--they wouldn't know any better."

The orgasm was nice...but...only for a moment. There was still a burning need deep in his body, but, like that morning, it...wasn't overwhelming. It wasn't something that he couldn't function around...not that he could ever really function in the first place.

Instead of feeling relieved, Shuuichi just felt...sadness crash back over him, the distraction Miss Nao had so kindly given him no longer working. He felt his breath catch as Maki undid his collar, and he almost wanted to ask her to leave it alone, leave it on him, he'd never get a ring, but a collar...he could still show who he belonged to...because of course he'd screw up so bad that he could never really be free...

The tears in his eyes started welling double time, and Shuuichi curled into himself, knowing he was making a mess on the floor, but wanting to hide his body. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry... I-I don't want to fuck a horse...please...just..."

He wanted her to leave. He wanted her to stay like she had started doing, pressing her scarred, bare skin against him and holding him as he slept. He wanted Maki to leave, to forget all his shame that she'd seen. He wanted to sob into her shoulder like it'd somehow undo all his mistakes.

Squirting a little more onto the floor, he tried to cover his face as a few tears escaped.

Nao looked at him, once again filled with...frustrating doubt. She had thought this would be relatively harmless. Something so outlandish and ridiculous that once Shuuichi had calmed down, he'd see how foolish the whole, obviously false premise had been to begin with and not feel any lingering stress or trauma over it.

...looking over him, considering this was one of the first times he had ever just blatantly rejected her, though she had assumed he'd want the vibrator more than he feared the trip to the stables, she considered the possibility again that she didn't actually know what Shuuichi's limits were...and, well. Again. She would respect Maki's role here, even if she wasn't convinced the assassin was necessary. If this had been too much, if he was done...then fine. He was done.

"Fine. No horses," Nao agreed, straightening her skirt and going to collect her things, including her dismantled collar, to put them back into her bag. "But he's lost his appeal now, anyway. I may feel like playing with him again this evening, though. I'll come back and see if he's worth my time then...oh. Shuu," she said, knocking her boot against the bottom of one of Shuuichi's feet, ignoring the open glare on Maki's face as she did so. "I'm certain it's in here somewhere. Make sure you put that ring back on. Unless you enjoy having accidents like the one yesterday? Ugh, actually, knowing you...do it even if you did enjoy that. Your friends shouldn't have to put up with you randomly cumming everytime you feel like it. Maki, why don't you walk me to the door."

Maki almost told her to go fuck herself...but recognized that Nao probably just wanted to talk to her out of earshot of Shuuichi. She ran a hand through his hair, and said quietly, "I'm coming right back. You're okay. Everything's fine. If you can't get up, I'm going to help you to the shower," before standing up and following Nao to the door.

When they got there, Maki said, quietly, but full of rage, "What was tha-"

"I didn't hurt him. Not even a little bit," Nao pointed out, interrupting her fury. "And obviously I'm not bringing him to a horse. It stressed him out, didn't it?"

Maki scowled at this...but she had to admit...he...he hadn't actually been hurt, through any of that. Hadn't even actually been fucked. Just talked to until he came...and then started to cry… "No more horse stuff," Maki said, "Or breeding or animals or anything like that. It clearly freaks him out."

Nao sighed and rolled her eyes slightly. "You really don't understand my job here...fine. But that just means I have to replace it with something else. I'll check in with you both this evening. Though...it's not like Shuuichi to reject anything I do to him. You started his medicine last night?"

Maki nodded, feeling...a little conflicted at how casually they were talking. She still sorta wanted to kill her. And she was worried about Shuuichi and wanted to get back to him. "Yes..."

"Maybe Seiko is working miracles then. We'll see how it goes," Nao murmured, before giving Maki a small, professional nod, and heading off.

Maki closed the door behind her...and then, in a flash of fury, took out a dagger and slashed at the wood. Scratching into it, once, twice, imagining her face there...before taking a breath. Putting the dagger away and heading back to her friend.

God...pathetic. Maki had to see how useless he was now, right? Asking if he could even stand after cumming from barely anything... Why wouldn't she ever hurt him?

Shuuichi scrubbed at his eyes as he rolled onto his side, slathering his hip in the pool starting to form under him, half-sitting up...then scratching at his temples, his cheeks, frustrated with himself, not being even interesting enough in a trainwreck sort of way for Miss Nao to stick around...

...the ring. He needed to put the ring back on. Can't cum without Miss Nao...even if he had already... ...at least he wouldn't feel like he was about to piss himself all the time...That was one thing he still had above most animals--he was potty-trained.

Looking around, Shuuichi found his abandoned ring and pushed it onto his dick, feeling that familiar squeezing hold, feeling something in him relax...though he didn't let himself go. The ink of the marker had smeared a bit, but...deformed. He was morphed, deformed, a freak.

And now everyone knew.

Taking his shed clothes after giving himself a painful squeeze to remember, Shuuichi started cleaning up his mess...even if he could still feel the mucus bubbling out of his hole, dripping down his legs.

When Maki came back and saw him… "What the fuck are you doing!?" she said, rushing over and grabbing him, pulling him away from the...puddle, ripping the clothes from his hands as she glared at him. "Shuuichi, stop! That's not...we have towels...ugh!"

Taking his clothes and throwing them in the hamper, feeling the fury lick and bite in her stomach, Maki was once again reminded how...unsuited for this next bit she was. She wasn't a comforting presence. Not really. She prided herself in making people feel safe from others, but...that wasn't the same as being safe from her. Seeing Shuuichi do that made her want to scream at him. To lash out and shake him until he stopped...being like this...

She couldn't do this. Not this part.

She needed Kaito.

"Come on. Come here," Maki demanded, grabbing Shuuichi's arm and bringing him into the bathroom, before telling him, fury still in her voice, "Start a bath. Wait here. Don't...worry about the mess outside, I'll take care of it. Just...wait here."

With that order given, Maki headed out, closing the bathroom door behind her. Then, walking past the puddle, she headed out of the bedroom, walking quickly towards the princes' room. Knocking heavily on it as she said through the door, "Kaito! I need you."

Shuuichi snapped his head up, stumbling as Maki pulled him, a bit of a blush coming to his cheeks again at the rough treatment. That was the only way she'd touch him, to pull and shove... "I made a mess so I should clean it..." he mumbled, not seeing why towels would be much of a difference. His clothes were on him--no way they could get any grosser.

And then she left him in the bathroom. Alone. Not wanting to punish him, or getting curious about all the mucus he was making...ah, his chest was wet too from his... Shuuichi closed his eyes and started a bath as requested, shivering a bit as he recalled all the times Miss Nao would scrub him down. Cleaning him, making sure he could at least lie in bed without ruining things. Wrapping him up in a towel and holding him...

But she wasn't here. He was alone, unfit to even be subservient to others...somehow even lower.

As Shuuichi watched the water fill up the tub, feeling like his ass was a faucet too...he remembered something else. How nice it had been to lie in the tub, under the water. Miss Nao had held his head up, but...she wasn't here anymore.

...after a glance at the closed door, separating him from people who actually mattered, Shuuichi climbed into the tub and laid down, closing his eyes and waiting for the water to cover his face.

Kaito, who had been in the middle of explaining to Kokichi how his book ended, told his husband to give him a minute at the knock at the door, and was quick to hurry, noticing the urgency in Maki's voice. When he opened the door, she immediately started whispering to him, mostly between the two of them, but every now and again one of them said something loud enough that Kokichi could hear.

"...-ot suited for this, I'm just gonna make it wor-..."

"...-e's fine, right? Does he need a-..."

"-...he's not gonna listen, that's what I'm telling you! He's only listening to her bec-..."

"-...aki? I can't."

"Look, just go and see what I'm talking about, okay?" Maki demanded, losing her patience and stepping back, pointing down the hall. "I'll stay with Kokichi. Just...come back and get me when you think he's good."

"How am I supposed to know if he's good? You said he's not doing anything, you're just worried you'll...fine, okay, fine, I'll see what I can do," Kaito said, running a hand over his face before looking nervously back at his husband, going back to him real quick and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Maki's worried about Shuuichi. Or, really more...worried about how she'll be around him right now. I'm gonna go make sure he's good, babe. I'll be back in a bit."

Kissing Kokichi quickly, this time on the lips, he headed out, heading towards Shuuichi's room. She said she had left him in the tub. Kaito didn't understand what was freaking her out so badly. She hadn't been able to explain it to him, just said that Shuuichi was treating himself badly and she was afraid her reaction to that would make it worse. But when Kaito had asked how he was treating himself badly, she had stumbled, not sure how to explain it.

As Kaito entered the room, heading towards the bathroom, he hoped that Maki was just...maybe overreacting (what was that...on the ground? Wow, it smelled...a whooole lot like sex as Kaito walked past it. Was that from Shuuichi?). They had barely been gone that long since Kaito and Kokichi had given Shuuichi his dose, what could have possibly happened in that small amount of--FOR FUCK’S SAKE!!

Kaito, knocking lightly, had walked in announcing himself after not getting an answer for too long, and fucking...what the FUCK! Bolting to the bath, he immediately turned off the water, wincing slightly at its actual boiling temperature, before shoving his hand into the water and taking Shuuichi firmly by the back of his neck, lifting his head above it.

"No, no, out, out, this is too hot." Kaito, not giving a shit about his cast right now and reaching in to grab around his waist, pulling a red Shuuichi out of the the water and into his lap, soaking him, as he looked over Shuuichi in concern as he said, "Holy shit, dude, what were you doing!?"

The novel was fascinating to hear about, even knowing about the "twist", or maybe just subversion of expectations, from asking Kaito about it mid-read. All these people, acting out selfish interests or falling into them, leaving the world just as grey as when it had started... Maybe this was the author's bleak view on the human condition, explored in fiction.

Kokichi knew he was a bit of a bleeding heart, but he couldn't help thinking how, just...sad it would be to see the world that way. How it would drive you to cover yourself in a shield of spikes to protect yourself...

He looked up as Maki came in, frowning in worry over Shuuichi, but...crowding him would be bad, especially right now. Returning Kaito's kiss, he sent his husband off with a nod.

-

Shuuichi sputtered as his lungs involuntarily sucked air in, keeping him breathing despite the calmness he'd finally achieved. Flailing a little in confusion, Shuuichi hissed, feeling his skin tingle in the air and then--

"...when you boil certain types of shellfish, bivalves especially, their impurities rise to the top and are skimmed off, just leaving edible meat behind..." Shuuichi wasn't even really sure what he was talking about, voice wavering as he trembled in Kaito's lap. His fetid, now red body on display to his other best friend...not that he'd ever deserved that title...maybe it was just a nicer way Kaito wanted to call him his Indentured... "...I was happy...why did you pull me out?"

Kaito froze, listening to Shuuichi talk...in that tone of voice...

...when was...the last time Shuuichi had talked to him like that...that calm, impulsive spilling of information...Kaito wasn't better than him. Shuuichi knew Kaito wasn't better than him. What...

...what the fuck was written all over him?

It maybe said something about Kaito, that he noted that before he noted...everything else about him. This was the first time Kaito had gotten a look at Shuuichi's body since everything had happened and...yeah. The effect was dramatic. He had put on some weight, at least around his hips, and, even if he hadn't had additional weight there, there was a clear difference in his waistline, his hips expanding out. And while his chest wasn't as bad as Kaito had been imagining, there were still clear signs of breasts developing, the smallest, round raising of his skin, which looked especially red around his nipples.

And his dick...holy shit.

Kaito realized he was staring for a second before shaking himself out of it, just...wooooow. He had...that was definitely a record breaker, for Kaito. Holy cow. You could knock someone out, with a dick like that. Shit was a fucking club. Shit was intimidati-wait, pull yourself together, Kaito, your best friend just said something really alarming and you need to pay attention.

Turning his eyes away from Shuuichi’s fist-dick (which also had writing on it. What did 'defor' mean? Defor...estation? Was Shuuichi concerned about trees? And why wasn't he supposed to insert the deforestation dick anywhere? Seemed sort of a waste, really. Fuck.), blinking in confusion at his sidekick, Kaito said, "Uh...because you were drowning yourself?? And also burning yourself. Geez, Shuuichi, you could have really hurt yourself! What if the heat had made you pass out under there and I didn't get here in time!? What were you thinking!?"

"That I'd die..." Shuuichi sighed wistfully. Like there had been a book he really wanted but missed out on and they were all sold out. How many times had that thought drifted through his mind in his life? When it no longer was about avoiding immediate discomfort, but wanting to escape everything. Normally the thought scared him, had driven him to seek out the people who meant the world to him...

...but now it just sounded enticing. Not as much as being filled, but close. Just stopping all of this, hiding from all his mistakes forever.

Actually...

Shuuichi looked up at Kaito with slow blinks, knowing he was already dripping into the prince's lap, already sullying him, so... "Aren't you disgusted? Though...I guess you'd never tell me, since you ignore everything that bothers you if you can't kill it... But you could stone two birds at once, here. Kill the disgusting thing in front of you, and take responsibility for me...like you always have."

Moving to guide Kaito's hand to his neck, Shuuichi tilted his head, a coy smile on his face. "You could just put me in the bath if you don't want to bother...but maybe you could at least get some practice in for the next time you choke your husband."

Kaito stared, wide eyed, as his friend just...feeling his stomach twist nervously as he said...K-kaito didn't just...ignore things! They...they weren't supposed to talk about them, he was just...he didn't want to make things worse...

He stared at Shuuichi in hurt confusion as he basically dared Kaito to kill him, taking his hand and putting it around his throat and...Kaito closed his eyes, feeling his anger sitting in his stomach. Understanding Maki's fear now. If Shuuichi had behaved like this around her? She'd have...

But...that was why she wasn't here, and Kaito was. She had trusted him with this. So...even bringing up Kokichi...

Kaito took a steadying breath, keeping his eyes closed for a moment. She had said he wouldn't listen to her because, as she put it, 'I'm not willing to fuck him. He doesn't think anything I say is sincere because of that. It's why he's only listening to Nao.'

'I can't do it,' Maki had said, something insistent. Urgent in her eyes.

'You have to do something or we're gonna lose him entirely to her.'

...o...

...okay...

Feeling...guilty. Feeling gross and awful and like he was betraying his husband, but...feeling Shuuichi with his hand on his throat. Begging him to die. Trying to goad him into anger. Into killing him.

'Atua isn't for royals. Atua protects whores and concubines.'

Kaito opened his eyes, gave Shuuichi a gentle smile, tightened his grip on his neck, and, "I'm not gonna kill you, Shuuichi."

And pulled him in for a kiss.

Shuuichi froze. He had felt...good, making Kaito close his eyes, take deep breaths in the way he knew Kaito did to control his temper. Make him angry, make him furious in the way that he'd lose himself, and his grip would tighten, and then--

And then Shuuichi had frozen. Because instead of his trachea being blocked with pressure, there were...lips...against his... He...what? This wasn't... Shuuichi sat there, unsure and confused, Kaito's lips feeling...well. Not unpleasant. But not...

Without pulling away, Shuuichi looked over Kaito's face, right in front of his, some life sparking back into his eyes. "...are you going to fuck me?"

Kaito was the type to get feelsy with even brief forays. Kissing and embraces and everything. So...if Kaito was kissing him then... Shuuichi somehow doubted that Kokichi had okayed this so...was Kaito going to cheat on him with Shuuichi? A spark of excitement alighted in the constant arousal in his belly, making Shuuichi part his legs, showing what was there for Kaito to take.

"Mmmmm," Kaito murmured, kissing Shuuichi on the cheek now, on his jaw...he...knew that there was a reason Nao didn't touch Shuuichi like this. That, more likely than not, Shuuichi couldn't get off on kind words and gentle, sensual touches alone right now...but...

...the guy couldn't still believe Kaito found him repulsive and unworthy or whatever it was he was thinking, if Kaito was still willing to try, right?

But...he couldn't actually fuck Shuuichi. Not right now. He couldn't cheat on his husband, not like that. Kaito had already done so many bad things to him...he couldn't do that. Even if it hurt Shuuichi to not do it. Kaito couldn't make any more mistakes with Kokichi.

And leading Shuuichi on...would that make this better or worse? He had a feeling that if he told Shuuichi no, then his friend would dismiss all his advances as, well...insincere. But he couldn't say yes either. That would be cruel when Shuuichi was waiting for it and it didn't happen. So...

Hoping desperately that Kaito wasn't making a mistake, he said, "...I..." Kaito kissed at Shuuichi's neck, gently...careful not to leave a mark. Definitely couldn't leave a mark... "...am going to wash those fucking letters off you. And you're going to let me, and we're going to talk while I do...what does defor mean?"

Shuuichi sighed, feeling...annoyed. Of course Kaito was too good to cheat with him. Oh, he'd rape his husband fine, but that was still with him, nope, no cheating with the ugly, freakish whore. Not even Kaito, who slept with anyone who gave him a smile, would fuck him. Ugh.

Sulking a bit, Shuuichi nodded in compliance before looking back up at Kaito in confusion. "What? I...don't think that's a word? If you meant 'refer' that comes from "to reference,' but..."

Then he remembered the words on his body, already smeared from the water...that Kaito wanted to wash away...the words Miss Nao had given him...for the stables. Rubbing the arrow on his belly, ignoring how the tips of his nipples came into the edges of his vision, Shuuichi gave a displeased hum before smiling up at Kaito, gripping his dick and tracing every letter that she'd managed to write. "I think it's supposed to be 'deformed'."

Kaito frowned at this. 'Do not insert', and 'Deformed'...yeah, let's get these things off him.

Testing the water a bit with his fingers (yeah, no, still WAY too hot. It was literally steaming. Best let it cool), Kaito reached over and grabbed some of Maki's soap and a loofah she had bought, shifting Shuuichi around on him so that Shuuichi was leaning onto his chest, lathering the loofah up. "...you know you're not, right? Deformed, I mean? Not even Nao thinks that. She just says things like that to get you, ya know...excited," Kaito murmured.

Starting to scrub, gently, at the words on his stomach, each brush wiping the words away a little more, he said to Shuichi, kissing his ear as he worked, "It's all a show...you know that, right? No one actually wants to treat you badly..."

Oh, so Kaito really was ignoring him now, huh. Sure, his body wasn't deformed, just like Byakuya was cool, and Luminary wasn't evil. The world in Kaito's head.

Shuuichi let the letters be scrubbed away, wondering if Miss Nao would write on him again later...maybe something different. Maybe an ownership title...m-maybe if he was really good for her, she'd get a tag to put on his collar...

Any relaxation he got from those thoughts was immediately erased, Shuuichi stiffening and looking up at Kaito furiously. "It's not a show! We're really in love! I love her, Kaito, and she just...she shows her love in different ways! There are different ways of showing love, you know!"

"A-and she doesn't treat me badly!" he insisted, his voice cracking a bit. "Miss Nao treats me so well, takes care of me, does everything I could ever want even when I'm a filthy fuckhole beneath any person. I-I...She'll let me touch her back one day! I keep asking...I know I'm too gross, b-but... Sex is the only thing I'm good for, I can make other people feel good, they can use me all they want for that!"

"It's not a show!" he grumbled, feeling himself gush a little more.

Kaito felt something...warm? Start to pool in his lap?? And he shifted slightly, concerned by this, but...uh...maybe he shouldn't ask what that was. Shyuichi already seemed frustrated by all this. Shit. He had...fuck, he hadn't thought this through...Maki was right. Shuuichi wasn't going to listen. Had probably dismissed anything Maki said out of hand...

But! Fighting was communicating, right? If Shuuichi was paying enough attention to him to get angry, that was progress! So...yeah! They'd have a fight, and they'd get past this, and hopefully by the end of it, Shuuichi could...at least trust that Kaito cared about him? That he and Maki both did. That was the end goal. Just to get some of Shuuichi's trust back. If it was an uncomfortable conversation, well...Kaito could handle it!

Kaito closed his eyes, kissing at Shuichi's neck. "You're not gross..." Kaito took out his tongue and licked lightly at that long, thin back muscle leading up to his jaw, hoping to get Shuuichi out of his head a little bit. "And you're not a fuckhole...you just...like sex a certain way now, and Nao understands how you like it. And...I'll admit. I don't. And I'm not saying Nao doesn't care about you...in her own way," Kaito begrudgingly admitted.

"But, when she says those things? Calling you gross and deformed and all that? It’s because she wants to make you happy. Not because it's true. You're both just...roleplaying. And me and Maki are just worried because you keep talking like those things are true, even when you're not roleplaying. And it scares us," Kaito said, looking curiously at the ring thing on the edge of Shuuichi's dick, putting the loofah aside for a moment, taking it in his fingers and turning it a little curiously to see what it was. Shit, was this a cock ring? He was pretty sure he saw something like this in Korekiyo's chest full of toys once... "Can I take this off?" Kaito asked, running his fingers around it.

Shuuichi rolled his eyes a bit, though his scoff turned into a quiet groan, feeling Kaito lick up his neck. "Kaito, look at me. I can't think of anything other than sex, I'm a drug addict, Seiko said I gained thirty pounds in a month, my hips are so wide now I barely know how to walk, and even if I figured it out, my dick is so huge and always hard so I have to tuck it back."

Swallowing a bit of drool, Shuuichi sat up more, looking at Kaito over his shoulder, a strange gleam in his eyes. Something manic and mad and hungry as he moaned, feeling Kaito touch his cock but ignoring his words. "Look at it. My dick is practically all stretch marks--did you know I can fuck myself?" he giggled, starting to rub his body, all the parts that he hated, all the strange, new, deformed parts. "I can blow myself too. The only time I'll ever feel someone's mouth on me...haha! I'm all loose and soft in my ass too! And, fuck, so wet...I'm spilling on you right now, I have the entire time! I'm leaking all the time!"

Grabbing his cheeks, Shuuichi pulled them apart, showing off his slick, reddened insides for a moment before turning around, pinching and rolling his nipples to get them dripping again, hefting up his small, yet far too large breasts, shoving them at Kaito. Nao did ask him to show them off to show Maki what he'd done...maybe it'd work for Kaito to. "I HAVE BOOBS! They've grown, and I'm dripping. LOOK at me and tell me I'm not disgusting, Kaito! Stop LYING TO YOURSELF!"

Kaito pressed back into the bathroom wall, alarmed as Shuuichi pulled himself off him, averting his eyes slightly as Shuuichi displayed his ass to him, his breath quickening slightly in (fear) concern as Shuuichi got more and more alarming. Though, he did see the fluid dripping from his hole before Kaito had to look away. Ah, so...that w-was the warm stuff in his lap. Th-that wasn't so bad. Kaito had been worried that Shuuichi had diarrhea or som-

Kaito looked, genuinely fascinated as Shuuichi's nipples started to drip. There were...so many timelines where Kaito would have liked to have told Shuuichi how strange but...cool he thought that was. Look at what your body could do now, Shuuichi! That was...it was interesting, at the very least! Fascinating! H-how many people could...but Shuuichi's maddened despair as he showed these parts of himself off to Kaito made it difficult for even Kaito to see the bright side of this. Honestly to even really think straight. It was...alarming, to have Shuuichi talk to him like this. Kaito felt guilty. It was Shuuichi...his best friend wouldn't yell at him unless Kaito deserved it...but...but the stuff he was shouting about...

Kaito frowned. Something hardening in him. He...wasn't lying to himself. Not about this.

So, with all the confidence of at least knowing that was true, Kaito wrapped his arm around Shuuichi's waist, pulled him in and up, and wrapped his mouth around Shuuichi's breast.

He bit, slightly. Wanting to get Shuuichi's attention more than anything else. But after that bite he sucked, closing his eyes, just...okay. This was alright. It tasted...a little strange, sure. But not bad! Not disgusting. Kaito ran his lips over Shuuichi's nipples, sucking the juice (nectar?) from it, as he pushed himself onto his knees, holding firmly onto Shuuichi's waist and, biting at his nipple again to force his chest to move where Kaito wanted it to go, he guided Shuuichi onto his back, letting go of Shuuichi's waist once his friend was on his back, taking his hand and working on his other nipple, coaxing the nectar from it. After a moment, he moved his mouth to the other breast, to lick and clean and suckle at it.

When he was finished, he lifted himself off of Shuuichi's chest, practically glowering at Shuuichi as he held himself up by his good arm, on his hand and knees above as some of the nectar spilled from the edge of his mouth as he said, "You are not disgusting..." And then, something dark...and possessive...and familiar licked inside of him. A fire that he had been afraid of, ever since it had hurt Kokichi, starting to burn, as he grabbed Shuuichi's hair, lifting up his head a little so that Kaito had full access to his mouth, pushing some of that nectar taste into Shuuichi, lapping at his tongue, breathing in his breath...

And when he broke the kiss, he whispered, "Don't move."

"Hhn - aaaunn~!" Shuuichi's back arched as he felt - oh god what?! Even before his chest had...his nipples had been so sensitive, and feeling the slight sting of a bite... He couldn't help the moan, could only shiver in Kaito's grip as his ass gushed and sparks perked his dick back up. And then as Kaito started to suck...

Shuuichi went pliant in Kaito's firm grip and massaged whatever breast Kaito was on, encouraging more nectar to build and feed the hungry mouth at his teat. And each suck sent a jolt of pleasure into his gut, widening Shuuichi's stance, coaxing more moans from his mouth and more mucus from his ass.

He wished Kaito had thrown him on his back, but...well, he couldn't ask for everything. Swallowing his own nectar, Shuuichi grinned sharply up at Kaito, tilting his hips up and spreading his legs. "I gave you something of mine," he giggled, jostling his breasts again, his nipples now a darker pink and somehow even puffier, "so how about you give me something of yours? I promise it'll feel good--I don't even need any prep, not like that fragile doll you fall over yourself for."

Kaito stared down at Shuuichi, something...dark and hungry and needing in him...Shuuichi just lying there, willing and pliant and obedient and...

...fragile doll?

Sex toy.

"Oh, fuck, Kokichi..." Kaito murmured, blinking as some of the...haze went away. Looking over Shuuichi in concern as some of the Conqueror eased away, unable to defend against...Kaito couldn't do this. Kaito couldn't do this. He had a husband. He had a responsibility...Kokichi, this would hurt Kokichi, Kaito had already hurt him so much, he couldn't hurt Kokichi...

Feeling sick and...frustrated because he wanted to and...incredibly sad because...fuck, Shuuichi??? What's happened to his friend??? Kaito took his hand out of Shuuichi's hair, moving away from him so quickly that Shuuichi might as well have been burning Kaito at his touch, wiping the nectar from his mouth as Kaito said, stomach literally nauseous with regret, "...'m sorry. I'm sorry. I can't...I'm sorry..."

And realizing he couldn't be here anymore...realizing that he couldn't trust himself around Shuuichi any more than Maki could, Kaito got up and ran out of the bathroom.

He stopped as soon as he was out, though, eyes wide, heart pounding...Shuuichi had been trying to kill himself when he had first gone in there...could have easily succeeded...he couldn't leave him alone...

Steeling his courage, biting his lip, he went back inside the bathroom. Face flushed and stomach still rolling with nerves as he said, "Get in the bath, wash yourself off, and then get dressed. We're going to the healers."

Stretched out on the floor, hot and eager and wet in so many parts, Shuuichi was waiting with bated breath for Kaito to shove into him, fill him, and...and he stopped. Shuuichi blinked up at Kaito for a moment before anger passed over his face...and then horrible resignation.

...he knew it. Not even Kaito could bring himself to fuck him...

Curling into himself, he just nodded and got into the bath, now no longer hot enough to boil his impurities away...

25 years later...

A counsel of gods are all looking at a somewhat sheepish Atua, who of course does not actually exist, as he holds in his hands four somewhat recently dead spirits, who were all looking at the gods with a mixture of awe, disappointment, suspicion, and disbelief.

"So..." aaid the imaginary God of Thieves and Rogues, "...HOW??? Does the end of the world all link back to these four spirits????? Also, one of those is mine, whore god. She's definitely from my realm."

"I'm pretty sure that one is meant to be in my fields," said the Goddess of Wisdom, who also super doesn't exist, squinting at the smallest, "My, he's been dead for ages too! How long have you been holding onto him??"

"Dammit, Atua, you can't keep stealing spirits from our domain just because of that 'bonding ritual' bullshit you do," the Goddess of Intelligence scolded, also spotting one of her charges, "Only one of those spirits suits your realm and you know it. Honestly, you get one fanatic country and a big temple and you start thinking you can just have any spirit that dies!"

"Please, you can't separate them! The four of them are soulmates! It'd be cruel to separate them!" Atua pleaded, his favorite spirit animal chilling out on his shoulder, the horse looking down at the charges in the imaginary god’s hand with interest. "Also, yes...they're definitely the starting point to everything that happened. In fact, they'd...accidently started it a feeeew times now. I may have reset existence a few times," Atua admitted sheepishly, wincing at the cries of outrage from the hundreds of gods in the room, "The God of Time gave me permission! I can reset up to a day, that's a gift he gave me! It's a right I have!"

"That's a hell of a gift for a small god like you. What, did you earn it on your hands and knees?" The God of Fools snickered, giving a high five to the God of Petty Vengeance, who laughed loudly beside him.

Atua scowled at the trickster god, before saying to the counsel, "Look, I'm telling you. We need another reset. It all leads back to them. 25 years ago, this one has this one," Atua says, pointing to his spirit and the Goddess of Intelligence's spirit, "committed to an asylum, and that all started a ripple effect that gave the Plantlife far too much power-"

"-hey, don't pretend this is all my creations’ faults!" said the God of Dirt and Plants, "-They were doing just fine keeping balance before the fucking vampires and high elves fucking started conspiring against them! They didn't start the war, they just finished it!"

"Oh, really bitch!? The vampire community only ever made up 1% of the world population at their PEAK, but SOMEHOW it's THEIR FAULT!?? Fuck you!"

"Fuck you!"

"FIGHT ME!!"

As the two gods got into a rumble, the Goddess of the Universe, otherwise known as the Goddess of Creation, sighed, rubbing her temples. "Look, Atua...are you sure if we give you permission to use Time's gifts to wind back 25 years...this can all be prevented by changing these four’s fates?"

"Yes!" Atua said cheerfully.

"...And this isn't just you being biased and playing favorites?" the Goddess asked, giving him a knowing look.

"...Yes?" Atua said, chuckling nervously, before saying, "I love everyone! I want all of us to survive...and it's just a coincidence that one of my chosen in particular needs to survive as well for that to happen. It'll work! Trust me!" Atua said, giving the Goddess a wink.

The Goddess sighed again. "...well, I was just going to make a whole new universe but...if this one can be salvaged...sure. Let's give it a go."

Atua gave a little "yes!" before looking down at his four favorite beings, giving them an imploring smile. "Okay...so this time, try to remember, that you need to trust people. Including yourselves. Be honest and open in communicating. Stop keeping secrets. I believe in you four. You can do it. Atua loves you."

And with that, the God of Time gave Atua another blessing, Atua pulled from that strength, and-

B A D E N D I N G

{....................................................................}

L O A D S A V E F I L E

{....................................................................}

"...Maki, please, I can't," Kaito insisted, running a hand through his hair in frustration at the door, the two of them whispering to each other. "I get what you're asking me to do, okay? But I'm married! That's not fair on Kokichi."

"Kaito, you don't understand how bad it is!" Maki whispered harshly back, pulling at her own hair nervously. "He won't listen...he's only got eyes for her and...ugh. You just won't understand till you see it for yourself," Maki said, shaking her head. "Shit, I probably shouldn't even be leaving him alone this long...are you sure you won't do it?"

Kaito glanced over his shoulder, looking with concern at Kokichi, before looking back at Maki. "Look, I have to think about my husband. Let me just...let me talk to him, okay? We'll work this out later. It's waited this long, right? Just...come back and find me when Shuuichi's clean and stable, and we'll rediscuss this. And...don't worry about going to town," Kaito murmured, seeing the sheer distress in his friend’s eyes. "Forget it, that was a dumb idea. We'll just...we'll relax today and work this out."

Maki looked like she wanted to argue some more...but just shook her head, saying harshly, "Fine." Before storming off.

Kaito, with a sigh, closed the door.

The novel had been fascinating to hear about, even knowing about the "twist", or maybe just subversion of expectations, from asking Kaito about it mid-read. All these people, acting out selfish interests or falling into them, leaving the world just as grey as when it had started... Maybe this was the author's bleak view on the human condition, explored in fiction.

Kokichi knew he was a bit of a bleeding heart, but he couldn't help thinking how, just...sad it would be to see the world that way. How it would drive you to cover yourself in a shield of spikes to protect yourself...

He looked up as Maki came in, frowning in worry over Shuuichi, but...they would figure it out. He'd promised, after all. He wasn't giving up on his friend, and neither was anyone else.

"Kai-chan...?" he questioned softly, looking over his husband in worry. "I really am doing a lot better--are you sure the four of us can't just hang out together. If we're all looking after Shuu-chan, then we'll cover all the bases. We can make sure he'll be okay."

Kaito ran a hand through his hair, squeezing at the back hairs a bit as he closed his eyes, composing himself. For some reason he felt...weirdly overwhelmed. Like he had just been through an ordeal, rather then just had a strange, hushed conversation with Maki where she was basically begging him to...somehow fix their friend with sex...

Fuck...he didn't actually know if he should be flattered or disturbed that Maki thought that Kaito could do something like that. Sure, it...it wasn't like it wasn't something he hadn't been kind of known for, back at home...you could always count on Kaito Momota if you were lonely or needed an ego boost or were just looking for a good time or a distraction...he had even done that for Maki herself, a few times, while they were dating...but...Kaito couldn't just...fuck Shuuichi normal again...right??

The Luminary Prince looked nervously over at Kokichi, wondering how much of that his husband might have caught...before nodding. "Yeah...'course. Maybe that would be a good idea...I think Maki's a bit overwhelmed...I told her to come back after Shuuichi was cleaned up. I guess...his session or whatever we're calling it went well enough..." Kaito murmured, going to sit with Kokichi, scratching at the skin next to his cast as he said, "Hey...before they get a chance to get here...Maki said something that I...probably need to talk to you about in private."

Kokichi sighed softly and brought his knees up, hugging them loosely. If Maki hadn't tried to hurt Nao, then Nao hadn't done anything...too bad to Shuuichi... But too bad was still bad. Why did the pollen even have to screw with people that much!? In that way?! It would really be bad enough if Shuuichi had just become addicted to sex, but for him to want to be tortured for it?

Kokichi laid his head on his knees, giving Kaito another worried look. "Okay? You can tell me anything, Kai-chan, I hope you know that." Though...he wondered if it needed to be a private conversation because it would upset Shuuichi, or if it would upset him.

Kaito scratched his arm some more, just...uncomfortable and nervous. He was pretty certain he hadn't misunderstood what Maki was saying. What she had been asking him for. Had that been the 'plan' she had kept vaguely referring to? Why Kaito hadn't been allowed to even consider taking her place?

"Look...before I say it, just remember, Maki is stressing out," Kaito said, looking at his husband imploringly. "She's like me, ya know? We're a lot alike...we keep looking for simple answers to complicated questions, and we freak out when we realize that's not going to work...there's nothing Maki can, ya know...stab? Into making this better. So now she's trying to think creatively and..."

Kaito rubbed the back of his neck, easing some of the tension from his muscles there. "I think this is what she was asking me. I might be mistaken...but I think Maki's convinced that Shuuichi's just...not gonna trust us or listen to us...unless one of us has sex with him? And...Maki can't bring herself to do it because...well, for a lot of reasons, probably, so...I think she was hoping I'd be willing to..."

He laughed, suddenly nervous, glancing at Kokichi as he grinned awkwardly at him, "uh...ya know...get him to trust us?"

Well, duh Maki was stressing out. Kokichi couldn't think of a single person who was calm about this. ...maybe Katsuki, but he'd never seen anything freak out the woman in the fourteen years he'd known her. But, anyway, it was usually good to keep simple solutions at hand, but...sometimes they just wouldn't work. So that's why you needed other people and other ideas!

Nodding a little to himself as he settled that in his mind, Kokichi heard out what...was apparently maybe? Maki's idea?

And then he felt himself go cold.

Kokichi so desperately wanted to be a good leader, wanted to think through the idea, but... His face fell into a deeply hurt expression immediately, a million hang-ups and insecurities shouting in the static in his head. "...I..."

...Kaito wanted to have sex with someone who wasn't him. Not for lust, at least, but...

...maybe...Kaito would like it better...

Kokichi hugged his knees tight to his chest, looking away from Kaito, his voice small as he remembered that question Shuuichi had asked him. "...could...we try? ...maybe just all being together first? ...maybe..."

...he certainly felt better when Kaito would just hold him while he cried, when he'd say sweet things and get him out of his head. Maybe...if they could just try that first...then...

"Hey, hey, I won't do it, okay?" Kaito said immediately, his heart sinking into his stomach as he immediately scooted over to Kokichi, pulling him into a hug and running his hand through his hair as he said urgently, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have even brought it up...like I said, Maki's just...she wants a solution, ya know? She wants Shuuichi to..." love us, "trust us again, but...so long as this pollen stuff is in his system, there's no easy way to get him to do that. Me sleeping with him probably wouldn't even work...and I don't want to, okay? I only want my 'Kichi," Kaito murmured, kissing into Kokichi's hair, holding him tight.

"She's just scared...we both are," Kaito admitted. He had thought, briefly, about taking her up on her idea, right then and there. It wasn't like he liked seeing Shuuichi like this either. "Shuuichi's always been a constant in our lives, ya know? Something we could count on. And now..." Kaito sighed, resting his temple on the top of Kokichi's head, rubbing his back soothingly. "Now he's different. And it's scary. But it'll be okay...and I don't want to do something that would hurt you," Kaito said, leaning back and pushing on Kokichi's shoulder a bit, to look him seriously in the face, "I never want to hurt you, 'Kichi. Okay? So I won't...we won't do that."

In Shuuichi's room, Maki was currently freaking the FUCK out, having pulled a red, drowning Shuuichi from the tub, who had passed out in the heat this time...

It...was kinda reassuring to hear that Kaito wasn't, you know, jumping at the chance to sleep with someone else, but... ...if it weren't for Kokichi, then Kaito wouldn't have had to move, and they wouldn't have gone through the Dead Woods, and Shuuichi wouldn't have gotten addicted and...Kaito could just love his best friends freely without a shitty burden weighing on him all the time...holding him back...holding them back.

"...he's getting really low doses now...he'll be off it soon, a-and Seiko will figure out a medicine that works...so..." So please don't abandon me. So please give me time to fix this before I permanently ruin this.

Kokichi hid his face in Kaito's hug, trying to...not be himself. Be more than weak, unstable Kokichi...

"...I'm really biased," he murmured, leaning into Kaito's touch. "But...I don't know if I really agree with the logic of Shuuichi coming to trust someone who'd have sex with him... Based on everything he and Nao and Seiko have said...I think he needs to be accepted. But...how he is right now, not just for the memory of what he was like. He...needs to know that we see and acknowledge everything that's happening...and that we're still gonna stay..."

"...s'jus a guess though..." A desperate option born from not wanting his husband to leave him.

Kaito nodded, still rubbing his hand up and down Kokichi's back, feeling bad that he had...ya know. Clearly worried him. The look on Kokichi's face had immediately shifted. Fuck. Thank fuck Kaito hadn't actually tried to do it. It would have really hurt Kokichi...and, again...Kaito didn't know if Maki's 'fuck Shuuichi happy' plan had any actual chance of working here. Like...wasn't the whole point of the Nao thing because...you couldn't just fuck him happy?? Like, wasn't that the whole issue? Or???

"You're probably right," Kaito murmured, not just saying it to make Kokichi feel better. "Sorry...that makes way more sense than everything me and Maki keep wanting to do. We're not very good at thi-"

There was a heavy, violent knock at the door that made Kaito jump a bit, instinctively pulling Kokichi closer against him, protective...but Kaito sighed as he heard Maki's furious voice come through the door. "It's us, we're coming in."

It was...weird, that Kaito felt the need to protect Kokichi around his friends, as Maki opened the door and dragged in a still wet, newly clothed Shuuichi, who seemed just annoyed with her as she led him by the arm. Kaito, without asking, gathered up Kokichi into his lap, taking a lot of the blanket with him to keep his husband warm in and...again, just feeling protective, the covers and Kaito's grip around him all meant to be a barrier between him and everything going on as Kaito said, a sigh in his voice, "What's happened? Shuuichi, bud, why are you all wet, man? We have clean towels in our bathroom if you want one."

Also, why was he red? He looked boiled.

"I was just getting clean, like Maki told me to," Shuuichi said, crossing his arms and looking crossly at the assassin, "and the next thing I know, she's pulling me out of the water and screaming at me to get dressed. I didn't have time to dry off."

Maki, who looked like she wanted to strangle him, let go of his arm and glared at Kaito, opened her mouth to say something...and then just growled in frustration, heading to the bathroom. She grabbed a towel, brought it out, bundled it into a ball and just threw it at Shuuichi, the towel bumping softly against his head before falling into his arms, who just...smirked a little at this, before starting to dry off his hair.

Shivering, partly out of fury, and partly out of fear, she said, "I took my eye off you for five minutes, Shuuichi..."

Shuuichi just shrugged, still drying himself, going to sit on the window seat.

Kokichi was almost ready to be annoyed even through the...whatever he was feeling, but...Kaito didn't sound placating. Like he was blindly accepting Kokichi's idea. So...he had to accept those words.

Just about to start to relax in his husband's embrace, Kokichi jumped a little at the loud knock on their door. But...just Maki. Sounding...less worried and more angry, which meant she was a whole hell of a lot more worried. Which...meant Shuuichi had done something even worse than what had gotten her to come and speak to Kaito in the first place.

Gaze focused with concern, Kokichi tried to look over the two as they entered, but had his attention shifted to something a little closer. He made a small, confused sound as Kaito lifted him into his lap, bundling him up, and...normally, this would just be sweet. Kaito wanting to cuddle him so fully. But...this felt more like Kaito was trying to put him in an easily defensible position...

...Expecting the worst from the world so you have to protect yourself all the time...

Now that wouldn't do.

Pouting a little at Shuuichi, Kokichi wormed an arm out of the blankets and gave him a little wave, making it clear who he was talking to. "Hey, once you get dry, why don't you come and join the cuddle pile. Trying to burn yourself in the shower doesn't do much aside from dehydrate you and your skin, I'm afraid. Shuu-chan can borrow some lotion from me if he wants."

He then turned to Maki and patted the bed. "Maki-chan gets an invitation to the cuddle pile too."

Both Maki and Shuuichi frowned at him, both of them clearly still tense from whatever just happened. Shuuichi looked away, something dark coming across his face as he stared at the two princes literally on top of each other, and Maki, noticing his attitude, looked like she was on the verge of shouting at him...

Kaito, taking his cue from Kokichi (even if he was still very, VERY worried about his friends’ tempers right now. Shuuichi he...didn't really know what to expect right now, but Maki he DID and...Kokichi didn't like blood...), still put his arms around his husband protectively, but grinned at Maki, saying, "Come on, Maki-Roll. If you're gonna be mad and stressed either way, come be mad and stressed with me and 'Kichi. I'm sure Shuuichi will come lie down when he's ready. Right, Shuuichi?"

Kaito's sidekick just shrugged, drying off his neck and patting the inside of his shirt as he stared out the window. Clearly just...down and not wanting to engage them right now.

Maki, at least...sighed. Some of the stiffness from her shoulders easing ever so slightly as she considered Kokichi. Unlike Shuuichi, at this moment, Maki really liked Kokichi...he was proving an amazing confidant, someone she could trust, someone she wanted to confide in more, even outside of Luminary murder plots...so she crawled onto the bed. Considering both Kokichi and Kaito for a moment before, with a sigh, she put her head down beside Kokichi, on Kaito's lap.

"...he didn't just burn himself. He almost drowned himself," Maki muttered into Kaito's pant legs, "He was unconscious under the water when I went to check on him. That's why I pulled him out."

"You should have just left me," Shuuichi muttered from the window.

Kokichi looked down and gave Maki an appreciative smile as she joined them, and as much as he wanted to reach out and comfort her through touch...he also recognized Maki's boundaries. Just her being there and establishing the contact she wanted was great.

Even if what she said was...

His expression fell just a little before Kokichi collected himself and he sighed, turning back to Shuuichi. "Nu-uh. It's cool that Maki-chan stopped a death, and if I'm not allowed to die, then neither is Shuu-chan."

While he'd never told Kaito any specific events, his husband still knew this about him, and...it wouldn't be shocking if he mentioned it to the others. Still...it was hard to just tell them that he had tried to kill himself before. Multiple times.

"I'm good at climbing and I can pick locks, so the only deterrent is other people." He refused to look away from Shuuichi, refused to hide even if the detective wouldn't look at him. "So, until Shuu-chan can choose not to die himself, we'll be his deterrents."

Kaito flinched at this, not...liking the casual tone taken about something that scared the absolute shit out of him as he clutched Kokichi a little tighter, staring worriedly back and forth between his husband and best friend, who...what, like...just now had tried to...??

As Kaito tried to grapple with this new information, his heart sinking fearfully into his stomach, Maki sighed as she rolled over, resting her forehead at Kokichi's knee. Kaito had said something about this...it wasn't something she could really understand. She always found herself assuming people didn't really mean it. How could they? She had seen so many people desperately fight to save themselves, had been taught how to violently take it away from people, that she honestly couldn't fathom anyone actually wanting to die. Didn't understand the mindset. Especially as someone who didn't believe in an afterlife herself...she couldn't see the point of not existing. It seemed like only the sort of thing you'd wish on your worst enemies. Or, if you were a Momota, on people you were mildly annoyed with.

Shuuichi believed a little bit; maybe he was hoping the trials would be better? But Kokichi...

Did he believe in anything?

She was still furious with Shuuichi. How fucking dare he...but she was afraid she'd say something she'd regret if she piped in right now, both to a future version of Shuuichi, and to current Kokichi. So she kept quiet and listened.

Shuuichi, in turn, looked over to glare at Kokichi. His eyes, for a split second between looking out at the sun and coming back over to the shadow, flashing a bright pink before going back to their yellow hue. Fury and frustration and...a dark desire to see pain in his friends’ eyes, now that he hadn't been properly tired out by Miss Nao's care (and a mixture of all this with the medicine) licking cruel flames in him as he said, "What are you...heh...if it's either both of us or neither, my prince, I say we both go...it would make me feel good, and...you're just a matter of time, after all..."

The detective’s eyes squinted upwards, slightly, a cruel smile on his face as he said, "Ya know, Kokichi. You actually could die literally whenever you wanted to now? Literally any time. Painlessly, if you wanted. No one can stop you now. That girl all curled up sweetly next to you?"

Kaito's eyes narrowed. "Shuuichi, st-"

He went on, talking over Kaito. "She's a top class assassin. No one gets away from her...and she literally has to obey you. You're the top of her chain of command. Kaito could beg her to stop, and she wouldn't...any random suicidal whim you ever have from now on? So long as she's around, any of them are possible now..." Shuuichi smiled sharply, his eyes a haze of cruelty, despair and, perhaps oddly enough, grief as he said, "Aren't you lucky to have such good, well-trained Indentureds around?"

Kokichi's eyes narrowed a little wondering if it was just a trick of the light or... But that wasn't important right now. A change of eye color was really not that big of a deal compared to all of Shuuichi's other symptoms. So, he just shrugged a bit. "We're all just a matter of time. And it wouldn't make you feel good--it would make you feel not bad. If Shuu-chan actually wanted to feel good, then we'd have to hold a party to celebrate him getting clean."

He wasn't sure if he'd get to say the right thing that would actually reach Shuuichi, but...Kokichi was used to battling sharp words and flawed intentions. If Shuuichi wanted to battle on this field, then Kokichi could meet him blow for blow.

"I suppose that's where we differ right now," he sighed, looking at Shuuichi sadly. "When I want to die, it's because I think it'll make things better. Not for me--death isn't any sort of continuation that has any meaning of good or bad. For everyone else, I feel like if I'm not around anymore then things will get better for everyone. They won't be brought down by a burden, to have to suffer for any mistakes I may make."

"However, with Shuu-chan...it's just like that conversation we had under the tree, remember? You're selfish, so you want to double-dip with death. Let the pollen twist the pain of dying for you, and then hurt everyone that loves you when you leave them behind. How satisfying it would be, to cut everyone so deep, right?"

Wrinkling his nose, Kokichi stuck his tongue out. "I don't want anyone to hurt, so I would never ask Maki-chan to murder me. And, as much as I wish those people would be taken out of power and never given an opportunity to hurt anyone ever again, I wouldn't order her to kill the people who hurt you two and are continuing to hurt countless people with that disgusting program," he...sort of lied. Covertly, Kokichi nudged Maki's shoulder, letting her know that he hadn't forgotten the plan. As much as he wished he could rationalize that he was just giving Maki the means to complete her goals...he was still going to trigger her brainwashing. And even if it was for a good cause...that would be something he would have to bear for the rest of his life.

"People are not commodities or tools or toys, and free will is one of the great meanings of life. You can believe what they forced into your mind, but I will not indulge it. So we will stop any attempt Shuu-chan makes on his life, and we will refuse to hate him, and we will refuse to hurt for him." Kokichi sat up in Kaito's lap, looking incredibly like the king he would one day be. "We will continue to love you, no matter how you try to bring yourself pain by getting us to feel otherwise. Because Shuu-chan is special. Because he is a friend and a brother and someone worthy of love and care."

That was all...way better than what Kaito was going to say. Which wasn't going to be much of anything.

He had been about to get up and go beat the shit out of Shuuichi before Kokichi started talking, though.

Maki and Kaito had always played by different rules for Shuuichi. You didn't spar him when you were angry, you didn't hit him or cut him or try to intimidate him. Because he wouldn't put up a fight. He couldn't play at their level, didn't communicate the same way they did. All hitting him would do was scare him until he was ready to agree with whatever they said, and that, in Maki and Kaito's minds, wasn't the point of fighting. So they never did it with him.

But...Kaito couldn't just let him say shit to Kokichi...and he had been ready to put Kokichi aside and lay hands on Shuuichi for the first time in years...

But Kokichi took charge of the situation and Kaito felt himself...relax was the wrong word, but...get less on the offensive. Preferring to stay still and hold Kokichi and let him say his piece, rather than put him aside and act on his own violent impulses. It didn't stop him from commenting though, his shoulders tensing..."...it wouldn't make anything better..." Kaito muttered, knowing that he and Kokichi already had this conversation, but...it wouldn't. Kokichi dying would only make everything worse. Would devastate Kaito, for one thing, and so many others, for another...Kaito's personal grievance towards the employees of this castle didn't mean he didn't see how much they cared about Kokichi, in their own shitty ways...Kaito wasn't Kokichi's first friend. Sure, maybe all of his other friends were kinda obviously more devoted to pleasing his father than being there for Kokichi, but...they still clearly cared. He didn't understand why Kokichi couldn't see that...

Kaito's internal raging debate between seeing the value these people clearly had for Kokichi and his own frustrations for what they had allowed to happen to him his whole life all immediately dampened under the comments about the program back at home...about the idea of sending Maki to go kill the people who controlled it...

...who did he...that was a weirdly specific...did he mean the Togami Corporation or...

Kaito closed his eyes, checking out for a moment, needing to regroup.

Maki, in turn, stiffened at the EXTREMELY SPECIFIC ANALOGY...WHAT DID YOU MEAN YOU WOULDN'T...

She stifled the anger a little at the little knock against her shoulder, Kokichi clearly trying to communicate something to her. That it was a lie? Or, that...well, that had to be what he was trying to say. Anything else would be...this would be a very shitty way of telling her that he had rejected her plans...in a group pile with Kaito, Maki not even allowed to react without bad things happening...that couldn't be what he was doing. It'd be cruel to tell her like this...

Shuuichi...didn't know what to say to any of that.

He didn't...feel good...he wasn't tired, but there was still a terrible weight all over him, like his brain was filled with hot, burning acid of just...fucking sadness. He wanted Miss Nao to come back and hurt him properly, work his body until his stupid, useless brain couldn't even think anymore, wipe him out until he could barely move...and he also kept worrying about her coming back this evening. Of Maki sitting there and watching him be humiliated again. Of Seiko filling him with medicine that he didn't understand and his body doing things he didn't understand and he just wanted it all to stop and-

He jumped. Looking outside the window again, having gravitated immediately to it for a reason. There weren't...any clouds...

"I-it's not fair," Shuuichi said, frustrated and frightened and looking back at them. Not realizing he was crying until he heard himself trying to talk through it. "W-why does everyone else get to decide everything!? I-I was fine b-before she helped me back to my room...I was coping and now...e-everything is worse and e-everyone's trying to fix me a-and...my brain doesn't work and my body is weird and..."

He jumped again. Looking out the window in confusion. "Has no one else been hearing thunder all morning!? Why isn't it raining!??"

"What?" Maki asked, that last bit seeming to come out of nowhere, as she sat up, looking at concern at Shuuichi.

"It's been thundering since I woke up, but everytime I look out the window it's bright and sunny a-and everything is wrong..." Shuuichi flinched again, hearing something, tears running down from his eyes, blinking miserably as he murmured, "Everything's wrong..."

He looked over at Kokichi suddenly. "You don't even know why I asked you that," Shuuichi said, realizing that was true. Just annoyed and frustrated. "Under the tree, I mean. How did I word it? If you'd do something bad to yourself to make things better for others? Do you know what I was trying to decide that day? If I was going to turn in Itch and the others when I realized what they wanted from Kokichi, and give up what was likely going to be my only lasting source of despair pollen...and I had decided to do it. To turn them in...I had decided to do it, and was just waiting for everything to calm down from the heart attack...and then she helped me up to my room from the library and...and I stopped getting a choice on anything..."

Shuuichi put his head in his hands. Shaking. "I was...trying to be good...I didn't want to be this..."

Kokichi relaxed from the stern, caring regality he hadn't even realized he'd fallen into, looking at Shuuichi with sympathy, wishing that he could make decisions for himself...but Maki had literally just stopped him from a suicide attempt. If they all stopped and let Shuuichi care for himself...he wouldn't. He would keep taking the pollen, would maybe kill himself in a variety of ways from it, would lose any sort of trust and love that lingered for Kaito and Maki in him, would maybe even get pregnant...

And, though the thundering thing was...concerning, Kokichi didn't know what to do about that...but he did know something else. Squirming his way out of Kaito's lap, Kokichi slid himself off the bed and, with shaking legs, walked over to the window seat, stumbling and looking like he'd fall a few times, but...he made it, sitting down beside Shuuichi and putting a hand against his back.

"...then I owe you an apology. When you said you couldn't think the way I do about putting other people before yourself, I had assumed whatever you were struggling with, you'd decided to give up on. But there is a middle ground in altruism, and it's my fault for making assumptions. And, even if it didn't work out that way...thank you. Making that decision is something very brave and very selfless, and you don't deserve for me to call you selfish for that."

Gently, tentatively, Kokichi started rubbing Shuuichi's back. "...until recently, I didn't think that there was anyone who did things thinking that they were bad. But I don't believe Shuu-chan is one of those people. I believe he started taking the pollen to help Maki-chan, to study it to heal Kai-chan's arm...and maybe even my illnesses. But we cannot hide the fact that it's done really scary things to you, and that, if Shuu-chan is trying to kill himself, if he's purposefully talking about things that will hurt us just to cause pain, then...your perspective is skewed. We're trying to help you realign it, and, when Shuu-chan stops trying to hurt himself and others...then you can decide things again. Then we can trust that you'll actually say something when you need help instead of trying to hide it."

"...but we'll always be here for you." Kokichi sent a look back to the bed, looking back at Maki and Kaito. "...I only made vows to Kai-chan, but...I did make a vow to protect Diceans, and Maki-chan and Shuu-chan are Diceans. Even in times of strife, I will refuse to abandon you."

Kaito looked down in alarm when he realized Kokichi was trying to squirm himself out of his arms, not wanting Kokichi to hurt himself trying to help Shuuichi...but he couldn't bring himself to stop his husband from getting out of bed, and he let his arms fall away as he looked on, worried and proud and worried...

...but Kokichi made it. Of course he did! O-of course, though...it still made Kaito nervous, Kokichi away from his protection, towards Shuuichi, who was...Kaito didn't know if Shuuichi was dangerous or not right now. But if there was anyone in the world a violent Shuuichi could actually manage to hurt, it was Kokichi...he didn't want them to hurt each other...

...but Shuuichi didn't seem violent, now. If anything, he just looked miserable and defeated. Nothing he was saying getting the reactions his body was craving, and none of the freedoms he desperately wanted returned to him. He knew they were just trying to help him. He knew that. He wasn't so far gone that he couldn't understand that, technically, everything they were doing was the right thing to do.

But it didn't stop Shuuichi from feeling weak and helpless. Powerless in the face of his friends’ 'love'. There was nowhere for him to go, the doses were here, and Maki would find him, anyway. He couldn't fight back or argue, Miss Nao was overwhelming in everything she did, and no one was going to argue on his behalf to the princes. Even the brewery, which had been a possible escape to him, wasn't an option anymore.

He was trapped. Trapped and miserable and wishing he was dead with no actual power to pursue it...and no hope for the future. No end in sight...

Shuuichi curled his legs into his chest and sobbed. Heartbroken.

He wasn't getting out of this.

There was no getting out of this...

Dumb, stupid, worthless, pathetic, powerless whore...only good at making your friends worry...not even good enough to be touched by Miss Nao...not good enough to be touched or filled by anyone...even Kokichi's hand on his back made him ache with longing...if they were going to treat him like their own personal pet, couldn't they at least pet him a little??? He wanted his collar back...

Maki sighed. They were beautiful words, but Shuuichi clearly couldn't actually take them in. Still, Kokichi's speech seemed to have at least broken Shuuichi's resolve to try to talk them all into being angry with him. If it had just been Maki and Kaito, it would have worked. But Kokichi was just the right amount of compassionate and, well...just enough of an outsider that Shuuichi couldn't get to him. So...it had been for the best to let him take the lead on this.

But now that Shuuichi was defused...she felt Kaito start to shift on the bed, going to stand up but put her on him. "Wait here, I'll bring them back."

Kaito settled, and Maki got up, much calmer now than she had been before, going up to Kokichi. "Well, look at you, walking. Glad to see you're recovering. Here, let me help you back though," she said, offering him an arm.

With the other arm, she took Shuuichi by the elbow, Shuuichi looking up miserably at her as she said to him, "And you...are taking a nap. You are cranky as fuck right now and sleep will at least give me a break from that, and you may wake up feeling better...you said you're hearing thunder?"

Shuuichi glared at her a little...before nodding reluctantly, not able to do much about it anyway as he was led back to the bed by her grip. "Yeah...since I woke up..."

"Right...one of us should take a trip into town and tell Seiko that. That sounds like a new symptom to me." Maki sighed, gently steering Shuuichi onto the bed. "Middle of the bed. You're taking a nap. Here," she said, fishing something out of her skirt, passing him some pills, "Take these. It's the sleeping medication the healers gave me."

"I don't want to-"

"Take them, Shuuichi," Maki demanded. "You can stick them under your tongue all you like, but that just means you're gonna lie there sucking on those pills for the next few hours. We're not going anywhere. We're staying here, looking after you. Like a big, highly dysfunctional family."

Shuuichi scowled at that...but popped the pills in his mouth. Making a show of swallowing and then, since she had made him do it before, opening his mouth and rolling back his tongue to show he had actually swallowed them before lying down in the middle of the bed, faced away from them, pouting and frustrated.

Maki sat on the bed, looking at the princes with a sigh. "This. This is what I was talking about."

Sighing quietly, Kokichi gave Shuuichi's back one last little rub before looking up at Maki with a melancholy but appreciative smile. Carefully standing back up, he took her offered arm as he wobbled, trying to keep upright mostly by himself, but relying on her help. "Thanks--I was gonna practice and surprise you all later, but this was more important. Shuu-chan's more important than a fun surprise, by a long shot." One last time--for now--he tried to break through Shuuichi's misery. If you forced someone to look at the sunny sky above, you might accidentally break their neck...but you could keep reminding them that it was there, and one day they might decide to look up on their own.

Climbing back into bed, Kokichi sat next to Kaito, leaning against him a little as he tried to be subtle about catching his breath--he didn't want to be fussed over right now, and it was a little embarrassing still.

Maybe Shuuichi really would feel a little better after some sleep, but... "...talk about a day packed before breakfast..." he mumbled under his breath. At least Shuuichi could always eat later. ...he hoped they wouldn't have to insist.

He nodded sadly, understanding Maki's concern, understanding that as long as the fungus was in Shuuichi's system, he'd likely be this brand of miserable...and then there would be all the frustration he'd have even after he was clean, wanting to relapse. It was in no way going to be easy...but it wasn't something they were going to give up on or pass off to someone else.

Kaito immediately put his arm around Kokichi's waist, leaning over to kiss him on the head. "That was really good, Kokichi. Thanks for talking him down a little… Maki, are you sure giving him sleeping pills is a good idea? Aren't we not supposed to, ya know...mix medicines?" Kaito asked her, looking over at Shuuichi's stiff, curled form in concern.

Maki shrugged, exhaustion in her eyes. "I don't know. It's probably fine. Sleeping pills mixed with anything doesn't usually kill people in low doses. He'd need a lot more than that to hurt him, and even then he'd probably just vomit it back up before it did any damage...and like I said, I needed a break. Like Kokichi said, it's not even breakfast yet, and I had to watch Nao try to convince Shuuichi she was going to breed him with a horse till he came and then cried, and then pull him out of suicide by bath...I'm not made of stone. That was a lot," Maki murmured, half frustrated with the situation and half frustrated with her own inability to just shake it off.

Kaito, in turn, glanced worriedly at Kokichi and Shuuichi before saying quietly to her, "Maki, maybe you shouldn't...say around certain people what happens during the sessions..."

Maki gave Kaito a blank look as she said, "No. I'm going to need you to know, Kaito. If Shuuichi has a panic attack next time we go to the stables, I don't want to be the only one of us who understands why."

"You can tell me, I'm not saying don't tell me," Kaito said, glancing down at Kokichi, "But...Kokichi, you don't want to know those things, right? This isn't me being overly protective? There's no reason for you to know."

Kokichi looked over at Maki in greater concern, everything bad enough on its own, but then hearing what the session had been like...well, Nao knew how to scare people. Being told you were going to breed with a horse was disgusting and terrifying so...a good scenario, he guessed. Still, not pleasant things to hear.

...but that didn't mean that they were something you could just shove away, not when people were being hurt from it.

Shooting his husband a slightly incredulous look before taking a breath and tempering himself a little, Kokichi pressed his knuckles against Kaito's lower back, rubbing gently as he did for Shuuichi. "For Shuu-chan's privacy, I would agree. Once he's better, it's going to be horrible for every person who knows what happens when Nao gets him off. However..."

Kokichi sat himself up a little more, looking between Kaito and Maki. "If there's something that's going to hurt him down the line? I'm not going to be able to help if I don't understand. And Shuu-chan isn't the only one being hurt anymore."

He turned his gaze to Maki. "You're right, you're not made of stone. Maki-chan is a person like any other, and even if she knows everything Nao says is a lie, it still hurts to see Shuu-chan suffer. I'm not going to advocate for your punishment by not being able to talk about it, to vent, to seek comfort. If Maki-chan just wants to confide in Kai-chan, that's fine by me, but I'm not going to remain in ignorance if she's hurting."

Maki nodded, looking over to Kaito. "See? You heard it from him--he can handle it."

Kaito frowned, looking away from them and mumbling, "I didn't think he couldn't...'s just why should he if he doesn't have to? ...Sorry, sorry. I'm feeling a little freaked out and protective. Of course if Maki wants to talk to you, and you're fine with hearing it..." Kaito shrugged, giving Kokichi a nervous grin. "I'm not gonna stop either of you or anything. I just was worried."

The Luminary Prince glanced at Shuuichi. "Do you think he's even asleep yet?"

"It took him about twenty minutes last night, so...probably not. Hold on," Maki reached over to put her fingers against his neck, checking his pulse. He didn't move, but that could just be him playing games, listening in on what they were saying about him...no, pulse was too slow and steady for that. "Nevermind, guess I was wrong. He's out. Probably shouldn't be surprised. That was all probably a lot for him too. I wouldn't be surprised if half the moodiness was just from being tired...though, him hearing thunder all morning...we really do need to report these things to Dr. Kimura. It's possible this is all at least partly the medicine."

"If you want to make the trip, Maki, we can watch him. He'll be asleep all morning anyway, right?" Kaito said. "Unless you think he should go too?"

"I'd hate to put her through it. Shuuichi's not exactly thrilled with her right now, and he wasn't exactly polite last night either," Maki said, pulling at her hair a little. "She handled it fine, but still."

"We'll watch him then. Go to town, talk to the doc, get some air, Maki-Roll...on your way down, could you ask Hajime to send food up? Me and 'Kichi are trying to visit the dining hall more, but, if we're watching Shuuichi...well, maybe we can go down for lunch, 'Kichi?"

Hmm... 'Why have to face something bad if you don't have to?' ...something about that stuck in Kokichi's mind, something that he'd likely puzzle over in idle moments until it smacked him in the cortex.

But, for now, Kokichi just kept rubbing Kaito's back and bopped his head against his arm, nuzzling the older prince for a bit. Just like he'd told Shuuichi, he had a feeling there were only a handful of people who actually did things with malicious intentions. But that didn't justify any actions. It just illuminated an avenue of hope for the future.

"'ppreciate you, Kai-chan," Kokichi murmured, turning to press a kiss to Kaito's shoulder. He didn't want to keep putting all these responsibilities on Maki, but, even if he could manage walking short distances, there was no way Kokichi was up to a trip to town, and he had a feeling Kaito would have to be dragged away to leave both him and Shuuichi right now.

And...maybe going out and getting some air and scenery out of the castle would be more of the kind of break Maki needed. She could always come back for another nap time later.

Kokichi shrugged a bit to the question of heading down for lunch, several things seeming more important than eating in the dining room. "If Shuu-chan is feeling better later, sure. I don't feel good about leaving him alone right now, and he should probably eat when he gets up. I wouldn't mind eating up here again if he's not feeling it."

The Luminary Prince gave Kokichi a soft smile at the thanks, realizing that Kokichi was likely...not happy with how that whole conversation went. Wasn't pleased with where Kaito's head was at. Kaito appreciated Kokichi letting it go, though he didn't feel good about it either way. He knew he was maybe not reacting to things in the most...rational way right now.

Kaito was, again, just sorta...trying to cope with things by solving any problem that currently could be solved. And, funnily enough! In the wake of everything else, Kaito's fears on Kokichi's isolation in the castle were suddenly extremely reasonable problems to solve! Hurray for forced perspective changes through face-slapping sudden life problems!

Ah. Except Kokichi's isolation hang ups couldn't be solved right now, because the other problems were having ripple effects. Shoot.

Kaito suspected his intense desire to separate Kokichi from his friends’, particularly Shuuichi's, problems was probably bordering on...Aiichi-level paranoia and condescension. He felt better in that, at least his own fears and protective instincts for Kokichi were at least just that. Instincts that Kaito wasn't, ya know...actively acting on.

He was just scared. Kokichi had heart attacks when he was stressed. He also had really, really active, really terrifying suicidal tendencies when he was stressed, if today's conversation and, of course, the day in the closet were any indication. He also had kinda...basically no life experience and no real social experience. And his husband had come in like a whirlwind, brought one friend who just, regularly had blood-rages even during good times, and another friend who had decided now was the time to literally fall apart in the most extreme way Kaito could imagine (and was disrupting the career and lifestyle of a woman that Kokichi seemed to respect in the process, though Kaito was way less concerned about that, because also kinda fuck her), not to mention Kaito himself, who was his own laundry list of stress-inducing hang ups, and now, among all that, was trying to take Kokichi on his first trip farther than downtown.

Oh. Not to mention that whole 'death cult targeting Kokichi' thing, and wow, didn't it say something that that particular problem felt like an afterthought??

All that to say, Kaito desperately wished he could shield his small, extremely fragile husband from...at least some of this?? He knew...he suspected...that Kokichi could handle all of this. That it would be fine! Kokichi was fine...

But between what Byakuya had done and then seeing the seemingly overnight change in one of his lifetime closest friends, Kaito's ability to unwaveringly have faith in things was...a little shaken, to say the least. Byakuya's actions had been Kaito's fault, and he was ready to take responsibility for Shuuichi's mistakes, especially considering all of this had happened under Kaito's nose, but...it had still shocked Kaito to his core that either of them would do anything like this.

So, yes. He was feeling a little protective of Kokichi. And was maybe hyperfixating a little bit on small problems.

...well...at least there was always Maki. Kaito knew he could always place his trust in her, at least. Without her blood-rages taken into account, Maki was easily the most steadfast and reliable person the prince had ever known. He could count on her...

And, as she stood up, checking on Shuuichi again, squaring her shoulders and clearing her face of all the frustration she was likely still feeling before she faced the world, Kaito again felt just so...fucking endlessly grateful for her. Dealing with all of this would be literally impossible without her. Kaito would have had a meltdown from stress the second time Kokichi's heart collapsed, easily. And he'd be entirely lost on how to handle Shuuichi, even if her latest idea on how to handle the situation was...uncomfortably misguided, maybe. Still. Thank god for Maki.

And when she promised them food would be up soon and to not take too long in town, mentioned that she was going to check on Tim but that she'd still be back before lunch started, Kaito watched sadly as she left, taking some of that much needed stability with her.

...okay...time to pull it together, Kaito. Your drug-addled, passed out friend was on your left, and your still kinda crippled husband was on your right. What could be solved for now?

Kaito blinked, thinking about it, before reaching over to put a hand on Kokichi's forehead. Eyes widened in surprise a little as he noted, "Hey, look at that. You're not sweating… That really was, like...really impressive, Kokichi. Shuuichi was kind of all over the place there before you talked him down. I'm sorry I wasn't more help. I was kinda...trying not to lose it on him...I'm sorry he said all that stuff to you. Especially all that about suggesting you use Maki to hurt yourself...I promise, he'd have never said it in his right mind. I mean, he's not...he's not like that...are you okay?"

Kokichi looked up as Kaito just...kinda suddenly felt his forehead, a little confused until his husband started to speak. Ah... He didn't think it was so impressive, walking again and trying to get through to Shuuichi...which he still didn't do, but at least he'd talked him down a bit. But...maybe for Kaito, it was. Deescalation didn't seem like a much used tactic in Luminary.

Giving Kaito a soft smile, he nuzzled his arm again. "It's alright--you not blowing up at him was an important thing to do too. It's like we talked about in the greenhouse that night--I fight with avoidance and words, you fight with fists. They both have their uses, but fists just weren't the answer this time. I'm learning how to fight your way, and I know even if Kai-chan puts in no effort whatsoever he'll pick up some tips for mine...but he is putting in effort, so one I day won't be able to get a word out before he's gotten everything solved."

Kokichi giggled a bit at that, a little teasing, but mostly just telling what he was sure would be the future one day. Their future was bright, even if things were stormy now...

"And, for what he said..." Kokichi sighed softly, looking over at Shuuichi snoozing away. "It's easier to hear those kinds of things when you know they're lies. Hurting Maki-chan like that is just...something so absurd that it's not even really a jab. It hurts more to hear how much he hates this... I wish there was, like, a magic spell or something to fix what the pollen did to his brain instantly, but...it's really gonna suck to get to that point. And besides just being here for him...there's not a lot we can do about it."

He sighed again and pressed his cheek against Kaito's shoulder, just...frustrated there wasn't more they could do. But trying to push would make it worse, so...

"...do you think you could help me change? I feel kinda gross still wearing yesterday's clothes..."

"Did you wanna take a shower? Or a bath? I, uh... think we have time now for both," Kaito said, glancing over at Shuuichi's still form. "Maki said he's going to be out for awhile. I know we need to keep an eye on him either way, in case something changes and he wakes up or something, but just being in the bathroom for an hour probably wouldn't hurt anything. Or just you being in the bathroom," Kaito said, suddenly laughing as he realized he automatically lumped himself into that thought process. "Sorry, I've been watching you bathe so much lately that I just kinda automatically assume it now. But you're doing better, so you don't need Kai-chan hovering over you if you just want to relax for awhile."

"Actually..." Kaito murmured, reaching out to Shuuichi and pulling at his shoulder a bit, rolling the guy over to be lying on his back so Kaito could see him. Kaito was a little relieved to see that Shuuichi at least looked peaceful in his sleep, though he had bags starting to puff under his eyes from crying. "I wish I could take Shuuichi to my shrine for a bit. We could just go while you were in the bath, I could lay him down in front of the altar a bit, do some healing requests...I know it wouldn't help anything," Kaito admitted, shrugging. "Atua doesn't interfere like that, and he's always listening anyway, so talking to him in my shrine won't change anything...I don't even think healing rituals were originally an Atua thing? I think it's something the religion adopted from one of the lesser gods when the pantheon was re-evaluated? I think I remember my mentor saying something like that that...but still..."

Kaito smiled, running his hand over Shuuichi's hair, pulling it from his face a little. The process was a little bit more hopeless for his sidekick than it was for his husband; it was like Shuuichi specifically got his hair cut to fall into his face. "It's just a nice thing to do for someone. When I was kid, and I got, like, small injuries I'd make a big fuss at, like jabbing my elbow or something, two of the priestesses used to make it this whole production of laying me in front of the altar and praying, 'Oh, Atua! Heal this poor, doomed child!', and they'd do it in this big, over-dramatic fashion that always had me giggling by the end of it...I don't know. It's nice to have people do things like that for you, even if they're kinda silly and pointless."

"Guess it kinda ruins the effect when he's unconscious though...and also I guess Shuuichi isn't in the right headspace for pointlessly kind gestures...nevermind." Kaito sighed, taking his hand away from Shuuichi, realizing how futile the whole thought experiment was. "I couldn't get him upstairs either way. He's too heavy for one arm. But! Not a problem with my sweet, tiny husband!" Kaito said, grinning down at Kokichi now, kissing him on the forehead. "Sorry, rambling again. So, just a change of clothes? Bath? What are we thinking?"

Ah...a bath would probably be a good idea. Like Kaito had noticed, it wasn't like his body had been freaking out with sweat, but...he'd still been in the same clothes through the day before and overnight...and even if he didn't technically need to wash up everyday, it felt nice to do. Kokichi didn't mind getting dirty, but it felt nice to be clean.

He opened his mouth to tell Kaito so, but his husband seemed to be on a roll in his rambling, so Kokichi strapped in for the ride. He laughed a bit along with Kaito automatically assuming he'd join him in the bathroom, considering he really wouldn't mind Kaito joining him in the slightest in a different scenario, but...even if Shuuichi was sleeping, Kokichi knew he'd be a little more comfortable if one of them had eyes on him.

Of all the bullshit Shuuichi had said...Kokichi felt the worst about the loss of agency and power... Having to insist that they take over almost every aspect of Shuuichi's life... He knew why they had to. He knew why his father had insisted on it for his own life. But...it wasn't going to be forever. Once he was off the pollen, once Seiko's medicine started working...Shuuichi would have his freedoms returned. And...Kokichi knew he'd do everything he could for the rest of their lives to ensure that they'd never be taken away again.

A life without choices was a terrible thing...even when it was for your own good.

Kokichi looked over his sleeping friend with a complicated expression, worrying over the tear-swollen areas and the slight blush that was probably from the pollen. It wasn't fair...

Jolting out of his thoughts, Kokichi looked back up at Kaito, giving him a softer smile back in return for his grin. "I think I'll take a bath; can manage that by myself. You can stay out here with Shuu-chan, or...if you wanna bring a chair to the bathroom door? We can talk and you can keep an eye on him alright?"

"Perfect. I like that idea," Kaito said, wrapping his arms (he was starting to wear the sling less and less these days. He didn't know if he was just getting more reckless with his cast or if maybe he was just getting to a point in his recovery where he genuinely needed it less...he supposed it was something he could ask a healer at some point. For now, he was just enjoying having more mobility, even if he sometimes hurt himself) around Kokichi and pulling him into a hug, kissing his head enthusiastically before tucking his good arm under Kokichi's ass, lifting him slightly as he said, "Alright! Let's go!"

Kokichi could walk now, but again, so many things were becoming habits by this point that Kaito wasn't even really thinking about it as he picked Kokichi up, pulling him to his chest, thankfully having no problem supporting Kokichi's weight with more or less one arm to lift with. Taking him to the bathroom, he sat him on the closed toilet seat, getting to work on the familiar process of helping his husband get undressed.

While Kokichi waited, a towel around his body for warmth, Kaito got the bath started, careful to keep the temperature even...and then, thinking of what Maki had said about Shuuichi passing out in the heat, even if on purpose...being even more careful. Kokichi wasn't in danger of that, Kaito was certain, but...still.

Some bath soap added after a moment, making the bathroom smell good and floral, Kaito helped Kokichi into the bathtub itself, before telling him with a soft, adoring grin, "Give me one second, 'Kichi. Be right back."

Heading out of the bathroom, leaving the door open, Kaito grabbed the desk chair like Kokichi had suggested, placing it in the bathroom doorway, before stopping by Shuuichi one last time. If his friend woke up, Kaito wanted to be able to tell at a glance, so gently, he rolled him back into his original position, pulling covers over him to his shoulder, doing his best to make him comfortable before going back to the chair.

Taking a seat, Kaito crossed his legs and leaned back into the chair with a sigh. Able to get an eye on both of them now. Looking over to Kokichi (who of course looked adorable within the bubble bath...oof. Maybe Kaito had overdone it with the soap, actually) he said, "You good, 'Kichi? Did you need anything?"

Kokichi had been preparing to step off from the bed again when he was hefted in the air...or his husband's arm, but there was still a little airtime there. He had been planning on walking to the bathroom himself, but...well...it was a longer walk than from the bed to the window seat. Or...maybe Kaito just wanted to carry him. Or was in the habit.

...it didn't matter that much.

While Kaito still helped with his clothes, Kokichi mostly took them off himself, wiggling out of his shirt and able to lift himself up enough to rid of his shorts and underwear, thankfully unstained by the night before. And then it was bathtime!

It was warm but not too much and there were more bubbles than usual, but more bubbles was never a bad thing. Kokichi lowered himself comfortably in the water, sighing happily at the warm water starting to warm him down to his bones immediately. He hadn't been particularly cold, not when Kaito had been holding him so close, but it was still a lovely sensation to relax into all the same.

Lifting his legs slowly, carefully, Kokichi wiggled his toes where the foam met the water, snickering a bit at the feeling before blowing bubbles away from his mouth. He wasn't gonna bring bath soap on their trip, but still... "Been takin' a lot of bubble baths lately...should probably get a backup of it soon," he quietly mused aloud.

Relaxing was all nice and stuff, but Kokichi wanted a bath for a reason, so he soon started lathering up some shampoo in his hands, knowing that lying in bed for hours upon hours did nothing to help his hair. He looked up to smile at his husband as he called out. "I'm good, hun. Kinda bummed, actually--my cute husband has been picking out all my clothes lately and now I don't have an excuse to ask him to keep doing it. I guess I'll just have to pick out my own clothes again, tragic."

Kaito was somewhat guiltily startled at the reminder that he wasn't going to have to pick out a new outfit for Kokichi in a bit--it was another habit of the last week that he had been planning to do sorta mindlessly. Right. Right. Kokichi could do these things for himself. His husband was on the upward bend of recovery. He could move now. Kaito had to stop being in the headspace of doing everything for him.

Kaito closed his eyes for a moment, sternly reminding himself that his husband was strong and capable. Sure, he had days where he literally, physically couldn't move...but that wasn't the usual, and Kaito would be doing Kokichi no favors acting like it was.

Don't be Aiichi.

Opening his eyes, Kaito grinned at Kokichi, saying playfully, "That's a relief. I actually need to see how you put outfits together more, since I keep having to just kinda guess?? What goes together?? Nothing you have matches, Kokichi! It's like you bought each piece of clothes individually, rather than as outfits! Madness."

"It's not "like" I did that," he snorted. "I see something I like when I go clothes shopping, then I buy it! Why should it have to match? If I like all my clothes and they're comfortable, then I can just wear everything with everything, no busywork needed."

Though, saying that he'd "see" something and get it was a bit of a stretch. Sure, every now and then he'd buy something when he snuck out, but it was hard to smuggle more than one item back when he returned. So, once he'd gotten old enough to pick out clothes for himself--or...more just after Ikuo had left, since his nanny had done all of Kokichi's shopping for him--he just described the kinds of things he liked, and then someone would pick out stuff for him. Anything he didn't like they returned, and, after enough times, he barely had to return anything.

His clothes were in good condition so Kokichi doubted he'd have to any time soon, but...he'd be able to go clothes shopping for himself next time.

Carefully washing the shampoo out of his hair, Kokichi sent a teasing smile to his husband. "Not all of us have the patience to spend an hour getting ready every day. Half the time I don't even bother brushing my hair."

"Yes," Kaito sighed, looking visibly pained. "I'm aware. You're lucky you're naturally cute...and I don't take an hour." Kaito pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Forty, forty-five minutes, tops...unless it's a special occasion or something. Then I may put another, ya know...half hour on it." Kaito shrugged, smirking slightly as he said, "That extra half hour works, though. It gets results."

Kaito's memories got far away for a moment, a whole list of examples of when a little extra time spent on himself during the day had ended with a real fun night...ya had to put work into things like that. Kaito had always found himself a little...offended? On his own and other people's behalf, when he saw someone trying to flirt or woo someone in an outfit they had clearly only spent ten minutes thinking about. Like, what...the person you liked wasn't worth the extra effort?

He could maybe understand it when the person just happened to be in a position where they hadn't expected to talk with someone they liked, like seeing someone by happenstance at a park or something, but Kaito couldn't believe the number of times he had seen it at dances or pubs or parties, places you specifically went to in hopes of meeting someone, wearing nothing special and were baffled that no one wanted to give them any extra attention! And absolutely forget those motherfuckers who went on dates like that, especially when it was obvious their date had taken the time to dress to the nines and-!

Oh, but then I'm the royal snob for not being interested, when the only reason you took a shot on me wearing that was because you were banking on that rumor that I'm an easy la-!

Kaito suddenly chuckled to himself, running a hand over his face as he said, "You ever just find yourself having imaginary arguments with people you wish you had talked shit to, like, five years ago and still think about what you should have said...and then get genuinely angry at what you imagine they would have said back? Dude, my mind just spiraled down one of those holes. It's so stupid."

Kokichi snickered to himself, taking a few pumps from his soap to start cleaning his body. "If I didn't love you so much, I'd just leave after my reasonable ten minutes of prep time, probably have time to eat breakfast and bring some up to you by the time you finish. Luckily, I'm appropriately thankful for every second I get to spend with my dear husband, so maybe I'll take the extra time in the mornings to get some work done. There must be so much to catch up on..."

He trailed off with a sigh, thinking of all the tasks waiting for him...that would have to wait a little longer since he wasn't going to bring official business on vacation. He knew that his father and Hideki were working through the letters he usually took care of, but...it still left a bad taste in his mouth to have to ditch work for so long...

And for his more personal work... He could ask Hajime to send out the letter to Queen Junko, but he still needed to find a good time to write to Kaede. Hopefully some time Kaito was...more occupied. It would be fine, content-wise, if he read what Kokichi wrote, but...it would still hurt to be reminded of his parents, no matter how Kaito had managed to cope with it so far.

Kokichi's mind had gotten away from him, as it had for Kaito, apparently. Laughing quietly, he shrugged a bit. "My arguments tend to be less imaginary, but I get what you're talking about. Happens with embarrassing memories too, yeah? Like, it happened ages ago, but you just have to sit and cover your face for a sec before you're good."

Kaito nodded, feeling comfortable as they talked idly. It was like their novel conversations, but with...life. Casual and basically inconsequential. It was nice, after this whole, ya know...morning.

"For me, the worst ones are the ones I didn't realize would be embarrassing at the time," Kaito confessed, thinking back to a few things that made him wince. "Like, where I was real confident in the moment that everything was cool and chill and fine, and then I look back at it years later and I just go, oooooh...that...man, that was embarrassing. Like, I just sit there wishing I could go back to younger me living in that moment and at least tell him, bro, you are making an ass of yourself right now."

Kaito grinned at his husband, giving him a wink as he said, "Come on, story time. Ya gotta give me one. What counts as an embarrassing memory for Kokichi Ouma?"

Kokichi gave an exaggerated sigh, leaning back in the bath to take a quick break. "Are you sure you don't wanna ask for a lie this time? Especially when it's embarrassing enough when I fall asleep in the middle of things or when people have to help me use the bathroom, which Kai-chan has seen first hand... Fine, fine, but you're not getting out of sharing a story of your own."

"So, I think I was nine, and there are all these cool alcoves in the upper walls of the library, right? Super sneaky hiding place, especially since they're really hard to get into." He sent Kaito a look, figuring his husband could see where the story was going. "Ikuo warned me over and over to be careful if I tried getting into them, but there's nothing quite like the hubris of a child."

"I was done with lessons for the day, and decided to spend my afternoon getting into one of the alcoves. It took foreeeeever, but I made it up! And it was cool, being able to see out above the whole library! I got my curiosity and fun out, but, when it was time to climb down..."

Kokichi sighed at his youth, playing a bit with some of the bubbles in the bath. "Look, I'm not really scared of heights or anything? But fifteen feet is still a daunting drop. None of the footholds seemed like I could get to them from the angle I was at, the closest bookshelves still seemed too far away..." He laughed a bit at the memory, cheeks growing pink. "I was like a damn cat stuck in a tree, you know?"

"I stayed up there, stuck, for a good few hours. Dinner came and went, and people came looking for me, but I didn't call out since...like, they'd ask me to climb down, and I didn't want to say I couldn't." Getting back to work cleaning himself, Kokichi shook his head with fondness. "It was only when it was my bedtime did my dad find me. And he asked me to climb down and go to bed, and I said I couldn't, and...he just climbed up, no problem, had me hold onto his shoulders, and carried me all the way back to my room."

Closing his eyes and cringing a bit at the memory, Kokichi sighed. "...he got me a pair of cat footie-pajamas after that. Said the grips would help me with clambering. They were probably the best pair of winter pajamas I've ever had, but they were just...embarrassing."

"Awwww...not gonna lie, 'Kichi? That's adorable. Oh my god," Kaito said, eyes widening. "I need to see you in a one-piece pajama now. This has to happen, 'Kichi. We need to go shopping. This has to happen," Kaito said, his face reddening at his imagination, overwhelmed by cuteness overload.

Kokichi pouted at Kaito, the color in his cheeks deepening. "Sure, some of them are cute on their own, but on me? I just look like a little kid. Even more than I usually do. Plus..." He smirked a little, trying to shake off his embarrassment. "You can't exactly slide your hand into the leg to feel me up in footie-pajamas, huh?"

"Kokichi, no! You will not distract me with sexiness! Footie-pajamas are not for sexy times! They are for adorable times!" Kaito scolded, before snickering to himself, looking genuinely pleased as he said, "Great, now I'm imagining you in a one-piece pajama looking all pouty and annoyed with me...that's pretty cute too, if I'm honest. Oh my goooood."

The prince's eyes went wide and sparkly with wonder. "I could get you and Maki-Roll complementary footie-pajamas and you would both look like adorable, angry little monsters...they could have really long claws and teeth on the sides of the hoodies...Maki-Roll in a cutesy dragon costume!" Kaito suddenly stood up in his chair, radiating passionate, fiery determination as he said, "It's gotta exist somewhere! I will find it and I will get her in one!! This is happening!!!"

Somewhere out in town, out of nowhere, Maki felt a fresh, brand new wave of blood lust.

Groaning, Kokichi leaned back into the water, crossing his arms over his face, resigning himself to a future of childish, yet delightfully fuzzy and warm, footie-pajamas. He wondered if Ikuo would get a kick out of it too...his dad had seemed to enjoy the joke of calling him a 'cuddly little kitten' when Kokichi would snuggle up to his side before bed, wearing the cat pajamas.

Peeking out from behind his arms, Kokichi huffed a bit, not really put out all that much. "Sure, sure, risk another stabbing, why don't you. C'mon, Kai-chan, your turn. Embarrassing story time."

"Ahhhh, yeah. I've got loads of those, and most of them are how I described earlier--had NO idea they were embarrassing at the time, make me want to crawl under a rug and hide upon reflection. Thankfully they're also, by and large, hilarious. Or, at least that's what I tell myself to justify having so many of them." Kaito snickered, shaking his head. "Which one though...oh, I know."

Kaito's face reddened a little as he said, good-naturedly, "I was there for your first kiss. Wanna hear about mine?"

"So, I was thirteen. And, I think I've told you about this before? But at the time, I had never been to any kind of school, just getting one on one tutoring sessions, but Maki and Shuuichi had, by this point, been going to middle school for a few months, and I was crazy jealous. I hadn't had too much opportunity by that point to really meet anyone who wasn't regularly coming to the castle, which wasn't like here, by the way. People couldn't just come in and out. You had to come by invitation or appointment, no exceptions. Like, there were entire wings of the castle that could be entirely empty, indefinitely, with the exception of the housekeepers cleaning there to keep the dust away. So there weren't exactly a loooot of new opportunities to meet people? Nothing like your situation," Kaito was quick to point out. "Like, I wasn't confined to the castle, and I was taken to, ya know, gatherings and parties and events and stuff and met people there. But I wasn't really conscious that inviting people over was something I could do yet, so I just didn't," Kaito said, with a 'coulda-woulda-shoulda' shrug.

"But, either way, that had been fine up till that point, because, obviously, I had Maki and Shuuichi and Kaede and Byakuya to hang out with. Like, even though they were all busy with their mentorships by that point, between the four of them there was always someone who had time...riiiight up until the eighth grade started for Maki and Shuuichi." Kaito groaned. "Then, wooow, suddenly they were busy. Between their mentorships, school, and the new people they were meeting? Ooof. I got real insecure real fast."

"Sorry, that's a lot of prelude. I just want you to kinda get where my head was at, right? Because I did something real bratty and....ughhhh." Kaito groaned, his face reddening, putting a hand over his eyes as he said, "Ugh. So, okay...I had that crush on Shuuichi, right? I told you about that? This was after he had rejected me, and Maki made us make up, but I still kiiiinda wasn't over it? See, I had gotten convinced, somehow, that everyone in middle school was hooking up. Or, 'hooking up' has strong implications...thirteen-year-old me was convinced everyone was making out at schools, and that the reason Shuuichi wasn't interested in me was because, gasp...I was 'inexperienced'," Kaito said with a roll of his eyes.

"And I had gotten permission to go to high school by that point! I was going to be going to school with them freshman year! And here I was, brand new to school, rejected," Kaito said, putting a dramatic hand to his forehead, "by my best friend already, and when allll the other students inevitably realized that I was fresh and green and so immature as to have never even kissed?? Ugh. I was gonna be a laughing stock, I just knew it. So...wanna know what I did?" Kaito asked Kokichi, his face somber and deadpan.

"I went to a party that Maki invited me to, full of children I was definitely going to be going to school with next year...and as a first impression went around, entirely confident this was how people did it... went from person to person, basically begging for someone to kiss me."

The hand went back over Kaito's eyes, shivering with horror as he groaned at the memory. "Like a god-damned door to door salesman."

Kokichi blinked and looked over in interest and surprise. Kaito's first kiss? Like...he knew Kaito hadn't always been experienced, but with all the stories of past partners, it was something that didn't quite register in Kokichi's mind, Kaito having a first kiss.

Finishing up his bathing portion of his bath, Kokichi stretched out in the water and crossed his arms on the ledge, resting his head on them as he listened to Kaito's story. A wave of confusion at...the capitol castle being closed? And not even because it was more of just a smaller home for the Momotas--entire wings, more than one, being just...empty. Indefinitely? Sure, like not all of the rooms in the Dicean castle were used every day, but...Kokichi couldn't think of a single space in the castle that wasn't used on at least a weekly basis. Even supply closets, since there was always something that needed to be cleaned or prepped for use.

...it wasn't as important, but maybe, on a more casual note, he'd ask if Kaede had any ideas for what to do with the space. Extra housing or community spaces, or even turning the empty wings into greenhouses!

Kokichi's eyes widened in a bit of surprise and...a little insecurity, amazed that Kaito had ever had his same issues with being inexperienced...though...it was probably more normal for a thirteen-year-old to have those feelings than a twenty-year-old...

"Oh no you didn't!" he gasped, sinking in the water a little, feeling the second-hand embarrassment in the story. Kokichi had to hide his eyes even as he giggled a bit, just, amazed that Kaito would do that. "Did anyone take you up on it?"

Kaito's face went beet red at this, practically trying to bury his face in his hands as he went, "...yesssss...but it kinda got worse...that's where the 'bratty' part comes in, and also...hnnnnggg...looooook, I was a reaaaalllyyyy dumb thirteen-year-old...like, sooooo dumb...okay. Okay. So-"

He continued on, his face still beet red, but again, a grin on his face that suggested he was long over it. "So, everyone's rejecting me, right? For a LOT of really good reasons. I think literally only the fact that I was a prince kept people from openly telling me how fucking weird it was to just go up to random groups of people...and just ask if any of them would be up to giving me a kiss. Like, didn't approach people when they were alone, even! Approached them, with nary a damn care who was around to witness both of our shame. So dumb. I honestly couldn't explain to you what I was thinking. But anyway, I was getting really frustrated because everyone was saying no, and I couldn't understand why. I had asked some of the priestesses how to do it, and Atua bless them, they told me 'all ya gotta do is ask', and fuck me, I took that super literally. So I didn't get what I was doing wrong."

"So, finally, too many rejections in, I threw a hissy fit, found a random closet, and hid in there and just had a full blown tantrum. Just a load of angry, heartbroken tears. I could have easily been five years old in that moment, 'Kichi, just, ugh. Then...a guy walked in."

"He was older? Not old, just older than everyone at the party. Maybe seventeen? Or maybe he just looked that old to my thirteen-year-old eyes, he could have been fifteen for all I knew. Anyway, clearly someone's older sibling, either escorting someone at the party or who, ya know...lived in the house Maki had taken me to. And I have no idea if he knew I was in there before he walked in, but he sees me crying and angry and pouting, and he closes the door behind him, crouches down in front of me, and asks me what's wrong."

"So, I tell him," Kaito said with a small sigh. "And he asks me, well, how are you asking people? And I tell him that too and he laughed. Not, like, a mean laugh, but he laughed and said, nope. That's not how you sell yourself. You really want your kiss? And I said yes, so, he said, stay here. Keep the lights off, and everytime you hear the door opening, keep your eyes closed till it shuts. I'll help ya out."

So he gets up and leaves, and that's the last time I ever saw him. But the light is off in the closet, I'm just now standing there in the dark, wondering what he was planning to do, and I hear the door open, and close my eyes. Door closes, I open them up, but it's still super dark, right? And there’s someone in there with me, and I know it's a girl, because I can hear these small, high breaths coming from her as she reached around in the dark, looking for me. She finds me, and I don't know what to say, so I don't say anything, but she gets her hands on my shoulders, feels around my face for a moment till she finds my lips..."

Kaito suddenly had a small, pleased smile on his face as he said, a small blush to his cheeks, "And she's a little bit smaller than me, so I can hear her jump onto her toes for a second, and kisses me on my lips...it was really short, but it was nice. She smelled good. And then she gave me this cute little 'thank you' and ran out of the closet before I could say anything, because I was just standing there, stunned. I tried to leave the closet to go find her, tell her I liked the kiss and thank her back, but the door wouldn't open, so I just ended up standing there, feeling happy and weird."

Kaito had a dreamy, far away look on his face as he said, "Never ended up finding out who that was..." before he frowned, looking distinctly more embarrassed. "...and then that happened six more times."

"So, I find out later what the guy had done was he had gone back to the main party room and set up a game. I don't know what they were playing, but he told everyone there that whoever won got to go into the closet and kiss the person in there for however long they wanted. Now, going around asking them all randomly in groups? That makes you undesirable. Turning kissing me into a prize? Suddenly, I was a hot commodity. The guy really knew his stuff, to be fair to him. Every five minutes, a new person entered the closet, and then they'd kiss me for a while. It was...weird, but it was fun. I liked it...thennnn Maki found out exactly who was in the prize closet, annnnnnd...yeaaaaah." Kaito winced. "We didn't make any friends at that party. I heard that two of the kids there changed schools when they found out me and Maki were going to be in their classes next year. It was bad."

Kaito chuckled at this, shrugging. "She was mad, but I had fun! Still super embarrassing how I got to that point, but for the kisses themselves, there are worse ways to get your first, uh, seven kisses, and it's not like any of the kisses were bad. Found out I really liked kisses at that party," the Luminary Prince said, all the embarrassed shame from before bleeding away into a contented sigh at the happier part of that memory.

Kokichi hummed softly, not thinking it was an unreasonable reaction to have. If you were convinced that you literally just had to ask random people to get a kiss, and everyone said no? That would hurt a lot, and wanting to hide wasn't a very uncommon reaction to being hurt.

Though...the almost Seven Minutes in Heaven thing that the older kid set up...that wasn't common at all. Kokichi's brow drew in a bit, though...he couldn't even really explain why it made him so uncomfortable. Kaito had consented, had gone to the party with the intentions of kissing strangers so... But Kokichi couldn't shake the feeling that Kaito had been used somehow.

But Kaito didn't seem torn up any, and in fact seemed to think upon that part fondly so...

Kokichi shook his head with a bit of a sigh. "That's wild. Kai-chan has a lot of crazy stories."

"Nah, no more than average, I think," Kaito said sincerely, placing his feet up onto the edge of the door, tipping his chair back a little before the back part, almost immediately, hit the wall, balancing it the best he could with the limited space available. "I just like telling stories about myself, so I think I'm just more practiced at making them sound halfway interesting to people. Gotta be interesting to get people to indulge that narcissistic side of me," Kaito joked, rolling his eyes at himself a little.

He glanced over at Shuuichi. Still exactly where Kaito had left him, sleeping away the pills. He looked slightly more curled up, and there was a tint to his face...maybe having a dream. Well, hopefully it was a good one...

Looking back at Kokichi, he smiled. "Though, I love stories about other people as much as I love telling my own. And I love your lies. They're cool! I know you already know that, but I really can't stress it enough. You're really good at making them engaging and fun...though, I'll admit, I find some of your lies more fun and engaging than others." Kaito said with a small wink, "Those might be my favorites."

Kokichi raised an eyebrow at that. If anything, at least a little more than average, just from the odd conditions of Kaito's life. Sure, Mikaku knew a lot of weird stories from around the world, and he'd sometimes be able to convince Hideki to tell him stories from his university days, and those could get crazy, but...he really hadn't heard anything like the stories Kaito told him.

How lucky for him, then, that he'll get to keep hearing more.

And he'd get the chance to tell his own. Kokichi smirked a bit at his husband, idly moving dunes of bubbles back and forth beside him. "It's easier to make a fun lie if you have someone to play off of, so I should thank Kai-chan for that. He's quite a well of inspiration. Maybe I'll get some ideas for a good lie while we're traveling--even if there aren't enough rooms for privacy at the Nanami beach house, I'm sure we'll find somewhere to get a little time to ourselves."

"We are not having sex on the beach, though," Kokichi laid down firmly, sitting up and giving his arms a stretch, preparing to get out of the bath. "I don't want sand involved in something like that at all."

"Awwwwww," Kaito pouted, though there was a smirk on his face as he did so. "Now all I wanna do is have sex on the beach. Waves rolling over our naked bodies, a freaking...starfish or something clamping onto one of our asses that we don't even notice till we're trying to find our long washed out to sea clothes...okay! Let's play a game then!" Kaito said, a mischievous glint in his eye.

Glancing, again, quickly at Shuuichi to confirm he was still asleep, Kaito grinned wolfishly as he said, "Let's play the 'where can I convince Kokichi to sleep with me’ game."

"So, beach is out...how about the park?" he asked, "the one we had our first fight in?"

Kokichi made a face, exaggeratedly gagging and sticking his tongue out. Nevermind all the health, safety, and privacy concerns, the thought of nature coming into play in their private life just grossed Kokichi out. Maybe the whole trope of scattering flower petals on their bed, but that's about as far as he wanted to go with it.

Pulling himself up to sit on the ledge of the tub, suds dripping down his body, Kokichi pulled the plug and rolled his eyes a bit at the game Kaito proposed. "That's a public park, Kai-chan. No way. Being seen would be horrendous enough, but I really don't want to be arrested and put on a sex offenders list. Would have to find a new future job too."

He grabbed a towel and drew it around himself, spinning on the ledge to touch his feet to the floor outside of the tub. Flushing, he gave a nervous glance to the doorway, but offered Kaito a small, nervous, impish smile. "If we drew the blinds or did it at night with the lights off...I wouldn't mind sleeping with you on the window seat."

"Awwwww," Kaito said, giving his shy husband an adoring smile as he stood up, leaning against the door frame as his grin, all teeth, widened as he looked down at his husband’s sweet frame. "You're so cute...alright, so, window seat is on the table, public park is off the table. I think we can accommodate that. How abouuuuut..."

Kaito tried to think. Kokichi was really shy, so it had to be somewhere no one would ever stumble upon them. Also, nowhere, like...strictly illegal. And he didn't like the idea of sand, so probably dirt and things wouldn't appeal to him either. Hmmmm. "What about the observatory? ...actually, no, maybe I wanna say no to that. I feel like the picture of your mom would be watching us...judging," Kaito murmured. Horror in the idea.

"Hmmm...what about other bodies of water besides the ocean? Like a...really clean pond. Or the rocks around a waterfall? Somewhere isolated, but without a lot of chances of anything getting where it shouldn't, especially if we put a towel down?"

Kokichi made another face at the mention of the observatory, for the same reason Kaito backtracked on it. The room itself? It seemed like a lovely, cozy place to be intimate, especially if they opened up a viewing hatch to the stars above. But...Kokichi was pretty damn sure his parents had had sex up there, and there was a non-zero chance that he'd been conceived there. The idea didn't come up in his head often, and it didn't bother him enough to keep him from going to the observatory, but...he didn't want to echo the actions of the past, if you caught his drift.

Carefully standing up, Kokichi started to pat himself drier then approached Kaito on wobbly legs--or, rather, the doorway, since he needed to get clothes.

"Well...we've already had sex in the bath so...but the water's filtered here," he hummed. "Don't think I wanna risk getting an infection from microbes or whatever. But...just beside somewhere like that..."

Kokichi felt his cheeks warm and he held an arm out to brace himself on the wall as he stumbled. "If...we could be sure that no one was around...and we did put a towel down...maybe."

Kaito practically giggled in excitement, leaning over to kiss his husband, running a finger along his jawline before, breaking the kiss with a grin, he said, "I will absolutely run with a 'maybe'. God damn I can't wait to find our first vaguely defined private body of water."

With that, he stepped outside the doorway, standing by in case Kokichi needed any help, though glancing over at the window seat with renewed interest. Mmmmmm...

Kokichi gave Kaito's lips a nip as he rolled his eyes, passing his ever-horny husband and tottered his way to their closet, picking out the first comfortable things he saw and started to get dressed. Normally Kokichi changed in the middle of their room, but, even if Shuuichi was sleeping, he felt a bit more modest and kept himself hidden in the closet.

"Oh, I'm not having sex with you in snow either, though I hope that should be a given. Even if you make a snow house, sweating when it's that cold out is super dangerous and pneumonia might be the best case scenario," he sighed, slightly muffled. "Though...I would like to make a snow house with you guys. They're actually really cozy, but we should still sleep indoors."

"Oh, oh!" Kokichi peeked his head out of the closet, his towel draped over his damp hair. "Has Kai-chan ever been ice skating?"

Kaito leaned on the wall just outside the closet door, listening to Kokichi, brow slightly raised in curiosity. Snow...house? That sounded interesting, but, uh...yeah, Kaito probably agreed with Kokichi on the 'no sex in snow' thing. Oof...that sounded a little tough on the old dick...Kaito actually shivered at the idea.

"Ice skating? No, actually. We were going to once, during one of the colder winters we've had and we just happened to be in a more northern town, but we got distracted shopping and," Kaito shrugged. "I'd like to, though! It sounds like fun...nooooot sure I could fuck you ice skating though," Kaito observed, entirely joking as he pretended to give it serious consideration, "Maybe...sledding? I could manage?"

Awww, Kokichi looked cute half dressed in towels. Kaito was so lucky...he hoped he wasn't making Kokichi actually uncomfortable. He was just trying to be playful, but he hoped Kokichi knew that Kaito wouldn't actually, like...insist they sleep together anywhere his husband would be uncomfortable with...he just wanted to make Kokichi flustered more than anything else (while also exploring Kokichi's boundaries more. That was a nice bonus).

Kaito gave his husband a fond smile, before a grin split his face wickedly. "Shoot, man... You guys probably don't have a throne room anywhere..."

Now dressed in a pair of green shorts and a light purple sweater, white and black checkered socks lazily pulled halfway up his calves, Kokichi came out of the closet, leaning against the wall as he rubbed the towel around his head. "We should definitely skate this winter, then. I've only been a few times, but it's a lot of fun! Though, I wouldn't think you'd be in the mood after falling on your ass a million times," he teased back, peering out of the towel for a moment to smirk up at Kaito.

He'd only ever been able to skate in secret since, well, skates were knives attached to your feet. Sure there were accidents every now and then, but only from the law of large numbers--much more common were just bruises from bad falls. Which, from the last time he'd been, he didn't have to worry about as much; Kokichi had managed to even perform a few simple tricks without falling!

...he wondered if something like that would impress Kaito and the others...

Once his hair was more dry than not, Kokichi tossed the towel into the laundry basket and made his way to Kaito's side, giving him an unamused look. "We don't, but I'm not fucking you in the courtroom or in my dad's office either. For one, they're open to the public, and I would be quite happy never having Aiichi involved in any part of my sex life."

Kaito smirked, leaning down and running his hands down Kokichi's back in a smooth, gentle glide as he, not quite kissing Kokichi...just lingering his mouth in front of him, tasting Kokichi's air, slid his hands over Kokichi's cheeks, giving each one a squeeze. "Sure, sure, totally understandable...but what about someday in the future, when it's your office and courtroom?"

Kaito kissed lightly at Kokichi's bottom lip, his eyes slightly hazy with lust as he looked down at Kokichi, whispering sensually as his hands explored where they would, "Getting to please my husband, the most powerful man in the kingdom, in the same spaces where he decides the futures of millions of people, every day? They wouldn't have to be public spaces those days...you could order them closed...giving everyone working there those days holidays...tell them only the Prince-Consort is working those days...working very hard...all that sounds very appealing to me..." he murmured, kissing him more fully now. Excited and aroused...

A lot of the time, Kokichi didn't really think about when it would be his turn to lead Dicea. He was the heir, he took that responsibility seriously and always had, but, especially when he was younger, he...always had the inkling that Aiichi would suddenly announce a new heir out of the blue one day. Someone strong and who never got sick, who wouldn't have to speak up to get their voice heard...

But especially after he started working on administrative duties, Kokichi felt more secure that, for some reason, his father really did intend for him to take the mantle someday. And..."someday" had always seemed so far away. Aiichi was only going to be forty next year--accidents could happen, but...Kokichi didn't expect to have to step up any time soon.

All that to say, that when Kaito said things to him like calling Kokichi his future king, it was...weird. In a way that was weirdly flattering and anxiety-inducing and exciting and...he didn't know.

And that weird feeling only got weirder when Kaito brought it all up in a sexual way.

Flushing deeper, Kokichi kissed his husband back, getting a little into things as Kaito's hands wandered, grabbing at his ass...but there was still a part of him that couldn't drop his responsibility. "Mmn...sounds like an abuse of power to me...at least for the courtroom..." Kokichi's own hands started to wander, one letting his fingers card through the side of Kaito's hair and the other lingering around his waist and hip, sliding to the back, almost to Kaito's rear, then to the front, tracing his adonis belt before going back again. "But...I could close my office for a bit...clear off letters and reference folders...have my dear husband fuck me into my desk, litter my back with ink stains from accordances I've signed..."

"It'd only be fair," Kaito murmured, leaning down further, rubbing his hands slightly down the backs of Kokichi's upper thighs, before lifting Kokichi by his backside, not enough to pick him up fully onto his hips, but enough that Kokichi was now on hovering ever so slightly on the tip of his toes, Kaito's ever so slightly but steadily increasingly bulge rubbing against Kokichi's abdominal muscles as Kaito leaned Kokichi into him, saying as he breathed hotly onto Kokichi's jaw, "It's a stressful job, leading...everyone needs a break...a stress reliever..."

This time, Kaito did pick Kokichi up, getting a little lost in his lust as, supporting Kokichi with his good arm mostly, but steadying his back enough with his cast arm that he had more flexibility in his hand to it let explore around the dip of his cheeks, Kaito looked at Kokichi hungrily as he considered heading towards...any random wall... "Besides, being that important can get to people’s heads...always need that one person who can make you need...keeps you humble...makes you beg for it..."

Kaito glanced to his right. Considering Shuuichi's sleeping form for a moment.

Carrying Kokichi, he headed into the closet. Closing the door behind him with an ankle. Full of intent.

Kokichi's hand fisted in Kaito's shirt for a moment, losing his balance as Kaito tipped him over, having to lean into his larger husband to not just fall on the ground. Which...made Kokichi press his body into Kaito, feel his warmth and presence and arousal... With a coy look, Kokichi tipped his head to the side and kissed in front of Kaito's ear. "More like an end of the day treat. I don't think I'd be able to get back to work after you're done with me..."

Keeping his hum just barely above a whisper as he felt Kaito's fingers slide into the dip of his crack, still aware of their friend sleeping in the room, Kokichi carefully wrapped his legs around Kaito's hips, using his new elevation to start kissing down Kaito's neck, starting light and growing in duration and pressure with each subsequent.

And, in the nook of Kaito's shoulder and neck, he gave a little nip, giving his husband a small warning as they went inside the closet. "Careful. I wanna keep being able to walk...and Shuu-chan is right here...we're taking care of him...not to mention Hajime-chan is probably coming by soon..."

It was bad timing. But...Kokichi still felt heat growing in his belly, felt himself press against Kaito more, indulged in the feeling of his husband feeling out his ass. After holding off before...he wanted this. ...they could be quick, right?

Kaito felt himself shiver at the bite on his neck, that sweet, small little nibble enticing and inviting as Kaito found himself wanting to rut into Kokichi's legs then and there, his hips rolling slightly against him in pure, heated desire...

Careful, careful...Kaito almost growled at the idea. Just...burning with lust, having gotten himself way too riled up with imagining fucking Kokichi into his work desk, in his courtroom, into his (entirely imaginary) throne. Kaito had been baffled at the idea of how someone could sexualize the idea of finding leadership roles attractive, had dismissed it out of hand as he had never seen it done before (outside of childhood dreams that he determinedly didn't think about anymore), but fuck...the idea of Kokichi working as a king...of his husband actually acting and being respected as a leader...

God he wanted to fuck him.

Careful, careful...

In this moment, Kaito wanted to pound Kokichi's body into a wall and never let his husband’s feet touch the ground...but that would put his hips under a serious amount of strain, and Kaito didn't want to hurt him...their trip was the day after tomorrow...Kaito wasn't going to hurt him...

Fuck, fuck he wanted to fuck him...

Gentle.

Kaito could fuck Kokichi without hurting him. He just had to be careful and gentle. Patient. And it had to be quiet. They couldn't wake Shuuichi. Not only would it horrify Kokichi to be caught, but...it wasn't fair to Shuuichi right now, to see them like this. Shuuichi was struggling so much with sex stuff right now. It wasn't fair to him to wake up after a morning like that, alone and struggling with being endlessly horny, while the people meant to be looking after him fucked each other in a closet. Kaito knew that wasn't fair...so he'd be quick. Quick, quiet, gentle.

Which was going to be tough, since those were the last three things he wanted to be...b-but that was fine. Kaito wasn't a slave to his hormones. And besides, Kokichi had said to be careful. He wouldn't push harder than he needed to, wouldn't rush him...couldn't hurt Kokichi...didn't want to scare him...never, ever wanted to hurt him or scare him...didn't want to use him...not a sex toy...

Kaito, kissing him deeply, gently laid Kokichi down, letting his hand run back up his back for a moment before looking around. The ground was hard and Kokichi was painfully thin. He needed padding...Kaito spotted the long, puffy jacket Kokichi had bought him for the snow and grabbed it, pulling it from the hanger and laying it flat and closed beside Kokichi. Then he reached over to Kokichi, picking him up from his knees and back and putting him back down on the coat, before shifting both him and the coat back to the middle of the closet. "Gonna be careful, 'Kichi..." Kaito murmured, crawling over him on his hands and knees, careful on his bad arm as he looked Kokichi up and down appreciatively, a hint of his old, eager possessiveness glinting in his eyes...before he blinked and said, looking at Kokichi earnestly, "...need you to tell me if I hurt you, 'kay? Can always tell me to stop. I'll always stop."

He then leaned back down, kissing into Kokichi’s neck for awhile, tasting at his skin as his hips leaned down to touch Kokichi's, once again rolling them, causing friction between them through their pants, his own bulge already pressing and solid and responding excitedly to even that small stimulus, Kaito's hand on the small of Kokichi's back, for a moment lifting his hips up slightly to better roll against...

Kaito pulled his hand back and sitting up above Kokichi's hips, not putting any weight on him but liking the look of him lying there between his knees looking up at him, took off his own shirt, tossing it aside, as he said, a wide, wolfish grin splitting his face, "Gotta get these clothes off first..."

Even though Kaito's kisses were all he wanted to focus on, Kokichi still was aware enough to let his legs drop when he felt Kaito start to lower him, one of his knees dipping a bit, but he kept upright. Even with their stint in the bath, it had been...too long. Like they'd been teasing the night before, he wanted to feel his Kai-chan inside him, touching all the places that made him shiver and moan... Though he couldn't make all the noises that Kaito embarrassingly called 'cute.'

Kokichi sent a nervous look to the closet door as Kaito laid him back on...his jacket? Would need an extra clean before he used it, then... Shuuichi was right outside, sure, in a drug-induced sleep, but after what happened with Timothy, Kokichi wasn't going to trust sleep as a security measure ever again. Best-case scenario, he wouldn't wake up, and Kokichi would just feel guilty later about having sex with his husband while they were supposed to be looking after their sick friend.

That thought broke through his lust a little, actually. This...was pretty cruel to do to Shuuichi. Even if he wasn't sick with the pollen.

A soft frown settled on Kokichi's face, but then Kaito started kissing at his neck, grinding against him...he couldn't help letting out a breathy sigh, pressing his hips up into Kaito's, appreciating the help, feeling his arousal grow...

They'd be quick!

Rolling his eyes a bit, Kokichi huffed but started taking off his shirt. "I literally just got dressed... Clean too. Kai-chan just can't stand me smelling like anything but him, huh." Then went his shorts and underwear, his chubby dick already reaching up towards his husband. "Might have to do a wash down after this--quickest time between baths ever."

The socks could probably stay.

God, look at him...he was so alluring...did he have any idea what he looked like...???

Gentle, gentle, careful...

Taking another quick look around, Kaito pulled down two more of his shirts, soft and dark colored and rejected from the luggage group, so he likely wouldn't have worn either of them any time soon. So, with that in mind, he bundled both shirts up together into a ball and, thinking of Kokichi's hips, he took Kokichi's knees both in one arm, and lifted him up a little by them, just enough to push the small, soft ball of shirt underneath his hip bones and just slightly overlapping where his ass began, arching his hips without putting any pressure on them, with the added bonus of protection against the pressure of Kaito's occasional additional weight.

Not...gonna hurt Kokichi...

Kokichi adequately set up, Kaito stood up for a moment, undoing his pants and staring down at Kokichi, who just looked...breathtaking...absolutely maddening, lying there, waiting for him, as Kaito dropped his pants and his briefs in one go, his own dick high and eager. "You could just carry me inside you for the rest of the day," Kaito teased, keeping his voice low, making an extra conscious effort to keep quiet now that lust was starting to make him a little stupid. "Let me soak into you...till you only ever smell like my love for you..."

His responsibilities were all very far away in his head right now. All he could really think about was Kokichi as he knelt back down, running his hand appreciatively up and down Kokichi's stomach and chest, catching one nipple in between his fingers and playing with it for just a moment, just for the fun of it, before reaching down and taking Kokichi's dick in his hand, holding it in a slightly flat position against his stomach as Kaito, scooting up behind him, lined up his own thick, pulsing dick on top of it, holding them together with his thumbs as he rutted and waved his hips forwards and backwards, their dicks rubbing against each other in a similar way as they had in the bath. Kaito did this slowly, taking his time, playing with both of them as his face reddened, eyes entirely on Kokichi as he worked. Wanting to take in and memorize every part of him.

Leaning down his head and kissing at Kokichi's chest for a moment, each kiss a gentle declaration of devotion with the exception of the last one, where he took Kokichi's nipple between his teeth and lapped his tongue over its point, never letting up on the sway of his hips until the nipple was hard and high against the tip of his tongue, and only then did he let go, looking up at his husband, lust and hunger in his face as he said, quietly, "Any requests, babe? Cause otherwise I'm just gonna stretch you out and fill you up...mark you so deep you can't wash me away..."

Kokichi smiled softly at Kaito thinking to give him a little extra padding before the look on his face turned excited and expecting in the wake of Kaito's cock. Though, Kaito's words make him snort and giggle. "Somehow, that's both very enticing and very gross. You wouldn't believe how many times I've wished you'd just stay in me..."

He was keeping his voice quiet, but the focus needed for speech was transferred to trying to keep his sounds quiet, his little hums and sighs as he rolled his hips up against Kaito, not picking up the pace his husband had set, but contributing to it. Enjoying it.

When Kaito leaned down to kiss at his chest, Kokichi was eager to touch back, able to reach now from his position. His hands rubbed along Kaito's neck, massaging those tense muscles and continuing out to his shoulders and upper back, touching everything he could. Getting his fill before his hands wouldn't be able to do anything but clutch the jacket under him.

"Mmph! Mmm hmm..." Kokichi pressed his lips together, trying to stifle his groans as he squirmed under Kaito, the attention to his nipple sending shockwaves right back down to his crotch still being loved and worked...

"Sh-shit..." he quietly groaned, his hips breaking rhythm with a twitch. "Lube? S' still in the nightstand...i-isn't it..."

Kaito bit his lip, looking back over his shoulder. Lube would absolutely help with keeping Kokichi comfortable and at ease better than anything else would, but...did Kaito want to risk opening the door back up and getting it from the nightstand with Shuuichi still sleeping right next to it? It was imperative not to wake Shuuichi...he couldn't know this had happened...Kaito had a feeling it would hurt him...

Oh, and if Maki found out, she'd fucking kill Kaito.

So...yeah...no good.

Looking back to Kokichi, he considered what was available to him. Pre-cum would do wonders, but also if Kaito fucked him and edged him at the same time, there was no way the Kokichi he knew and loved would be able to keep his voice down. Too risky. So...

Kaito leaned down over Kokichi, kissing him deeply, running his tongue over Kokichi's tongue, getting himself wet and warmed up, though he was hesitating to do this. Not everyone liked this...he didn't want to gross Kokichi out...hell, even Kaito got a little nervous and uncomfortable when people tried to do it to him. But it really did work wonders...

Steeling his resolve, Kaito broke the kiss, gently kissing Kokichi on the cheek before giving his husband a slightly nervous grin as he said quietly, "Okay, um...I won't kiss you after this, okay? I'm going to do something that can be a little weird, but I swear, it's gonna warm you up and ease your walls so much. It's going to feel really good. Um...could you close your eyes? This can kind of be embarrassing sometimes..."

Even though he really wanted it...they didn't have to do any penetration. Grinding was still good, would still satisfy him enough to hold out until a not kind of terrible time to fuck. Though they wouldn't be able to really do anything while they were traveling...and if rooming was tight at the beach house then they'd have to figure out somewhere else...

Kokichi sighed into Kaito's mouth, aroused and a little disappointed but mostly just enjoying the kiss and the feel of their bodies pressing up against each other. Though, when Kaito pulled back, leaving Kokichi breathing heavily, he thought Kaito was going to come to the same conclusion...and was very confused for a moment before his cheeks went red.

"Uh..." It...wasn't like he was dirty down there or anything. Even before he and Kaito had started having sex, Kokichi kept himself clean. But he wasn't like...enema clean. ...but he was bath clean. If Kaito didn't mind, then... "...o-okay. If you're fine with it..."

Spreading his legs as much as he could while he was still under Kaito, Kokichi first closed his eyes then covered them with an arm, reassuring his husband doubly that he wasn't going to look. "I love you," he murmured.

Trusting Kokichi would keep his eyes closed (or, really, deciding it had to not matter if he did so or not. Kaito was trying to order him around less. Didn't want Kokichi to feel like he didn't have choices...even if they were choices that made Kaito uncomfortable), Kaito scooted backwards, looking over Kokichi, considering. Kokichi was trying to keep himself wide enough, Kaito could tell, but...putting a finger in his mouth to warm it up a little, he got down onto his elbows in front of Kokichi's ass, putting his legs over Kaito's shoulders, before gently pushing them wider, still needing the extra space for his broad shoulders.

Kokichi, for as beautiful as he was and as much as Kaito loved him...didn't exactly have much of an ass, so thankfully Kaito didn't need to spread him too uncomfortably wide before he had access, warming the finger up one more time and then rubbing it around that small, wrinkled sphincter, massaging it for a moment before he saw it start to open, Kokichi clearly trying to let him in. Pushing in the finger just a little, easing the opening, Kaito widened it in little, soothing circles...but could still feel his walls catching already, too dry to get any benefit from Kaito's massage.

Really, really hoping Kokichi wouldn't think less of him now, Kaito spread his cheeks ever so slightly further with both hands, and leaned in, licking the outside of his ass first, just so Kokichi understood without a doubt what Kaito was doing and wouldn't be overly startled. Feeling that initial jump, Kaito ran his tongue over one more time, running his fingers soothingly up and down the back of Kokichi's thigh, before pushing his tongue through.

Between the drool Kaito had built up and the heat and drool he had gotten from kissing Kokichi, Kaito immediately felt the walls start to give, responding to the wet heat of his mouth as Kaito massaged his way through. Each push and twist of his tongue forced Kokichi's ass to give way a little more, but without the strain and potential scratching and snagging trying to do this with drool-covered knuckles would.

As Kaito could feel his tongue gain more and more room the more he lapped, he still kept at it, determined to use this soft method for as much give as he could get. Not gonna hurt his husband this time...not gonna hurt Kokichi...

Eventually, Kaito recognized that the walls were as wide as they were going to get from his oral ministering, and finally pulling his tongue back and taking a much needed clear breath, Kaito did stick his fingers into his mouth, lapping at them and warming them up, getting them wet. When he pushed two of them in, he was incredibly pleased to feel the walls immediately giving way. His efforts paying off as he kissed gently at the backs of Kokichi's thighs, putting in a third finger to ease the walls further, being careful, taking his time...playing with the spots that he knew made Kokichi wild...just a little bit...

Kokichi's breath hitched just a bit when he felt Kaito guide his legs over his shoulders, reminded of the first time Kaito had entered him. For as awful as all the context they'd gotten after the fact...it still was a nice memory. If only he hadn't been drugged...Kaito had been so fun and kind and enthusiastic and gentle... It had been so close to a perfect first time, and so some of the memories stuck around in that nice part of Kokichi's mind.

Even if this was quite a bit different.

He sighed a bit as Kaito pushed one finger in, though...he really had gotten tight again. Just one finger, as nice as it felt, was...just about as much as he could take though Kokichi did everything he could to relax and let Kaito loosen him. He could get off just fine being fingered, but...he wanted to pleasure his husband too. Squeeze and allow his body to cling to Kaito's grand endowment. So...he'd need more than one finger.

And, feeling Kaito spread him, that was what was coming up. Keeping his eyes shut tight, Kokichi tried not to jump at the unfamiliar feeling of Kaito's tongue that far down, tried to keep himself relaxed and pliant and-

"O-oooh~" Kokichi quickly moved his free hand over his mouth, cutting off the moan that had escaped him, his hole twitching at something soft yet firm and warm and wet pushing into it. It was much easier to relax than he had anticipated, the wet muscle touching areas of him that had gone unplayed with for far too long.

Kokichi found himself widening his legs a little more, beginning to roll his hips into Kaito's mouth, his breathing growing quicker and heavier, sounding loud in the closet, but it was still better than the sounds he had to stifle. This was...far from being weird and uncomfortable, as he'd expected. Kaito's tongue wasn't the overwhelming presence his cock was, instead softer and exploring, playing with his insides like he played with Kokichi's tongue when they made out. I-it felt...oooh...Kokichi's dick twitched, starting to wet at the head.

He moved his hand just a bit when Kaito pulled back, sucking in a gasp before Kaito inserted fingers in his tongue's place, making Kokichi's hips bear into them and made his toes curl. They weren't as soft but they had a longer reach, and Kokichi had to swallow down half-formed grunts and mewls as Kaito worked him over, starting to have trouble as-

"NnnMMMAH~!" His eyes opened wide under his arm as Kokichi arched his back and tensed his legs, his dick jumping and dripping pre-cum. "Shit shit shit--Kai-chan fuck!"

Kaito immediately stopped, fingers still inserted but hand and body totally still, eyes widening as he paused, listening for any movement outside. He didn't hear anything...

"Shhh, shhh, 'Kichi, babe, we can't wake Shuuichi..." Kaito murmured, being quiet for another moment before deciding he didn't hear any sound like the mattress from the bed shifting. Honestly, it hadn't been as loud as Kaito knew even a quiet Kokichi could be, but fuck...kissing the back of his thigh again, Kaito whispered, "We gotta try to stay quiet..."

Not playing with that spot anymore, Kaito just focused on making sure Kokichi was as stretched as he could be, inserting that third finger and gently widening him further, until all three fingers moved comfortably in and out. While it still wasn't as wide as his own girth, Kaito knew three fingers was kind of all he really had available to him to widen Kokichi with, so...it would just have to do. He'd be careful.

Giving one last kiss to his backside, Kaito wiped his mouth a little as he got back up to his knees, Kokichi's legs following him up, still resting on his shoulders. Kaito grinned as he looked down at his husband, enjoying the sight of his flushed red skin, his eyes dazed and hips trembling. "Beautiful..." Kaito murmured, putting his hand on one of Kokichi's socks, his other one running light fingers up and down his leg, "...so beautiful...tell me if anything hurts, babe...gonna go slow and easy..."

The shirts helping quite a bit with alignment, Kaito rubbed at himself just a little bit, knowing that he wasn't as erect as he could be right now, but confident his fullness would come after some time inside of his husband. Noticing Kokichi's pre-cum, Kaito reached out and collected some of it, rubbing his fingers soothingly and slowly up and down Kokichi's dick, before taking what he gathered and wetting his own dick with it.

Lowering his hips, Kaito, with no false starts this time, pushed himself through Kokichi's cheeks and into his ass, a small, proud grin on his face as, for the most part, he slid in easy (with the exception of past where Kaito's fingers had been able to reach, the hole growing more narrow the farther in he got, but that was okay. That was always the case. Kokichi would be okay).

O-oooh...that felt good...that felt so good...Kaito had missed this...

Carefully watching Kokichi's body and expressions, Kaito moved his hips slowly, pulling himself, testingly, then confidently, in and out of him...his long, thick cock warmed and squeezed by his husband’s insides, the warmth in his stomach growing like a knot as Kaito mused, quietly, "God, 'Kichi...fuck, you feel so good around me...your perfect, little body fits me like a glove...I've wanted you so badly for so long..."

"I know!" Kokichi whispered back, peeking out from under his arm to give Kaito a half-hearted glare. "'s easy for you to do when someone isn't fingering your sweet spot!"

Before Kaito, Kokichi had never experimented with his prostate, even if he had been curious if it really did feel as good as people said. He really hadn't experimented with his ass much at all, too nervous to do anything more than touch the outside of his hole. Kaito had introduced him to a whole world of pleasure so excuse him for getting a little too excited over it!

Hell, even feeling that third finger was enough to get him moaning, but Kokichi was careful to keep his mouth covered, to swallow down his noises. They still had a good bit to go so...it wouldn't do him any favors to lose his mind now.

Kokichi hummed an "okay" as Kaito lifted his hips a little higher, getting ready. Even as he grasped his cock, making Kokichi squirm a little more with little huffs--calm down, calm down, don't be loud! He ran a hand through his hair, breathing quick gasps as Kaito started to fill him, much preferable to the moans and mewls he could feel so close behind. Stretching every ring and every wall, pushing that solid warmth into him, so, so deep, nothing hurting but feeling that delicious slight burn...

"Nnm... I've missed this...missed you," Kokichi murmured, letting himself groan just a little. "...ung...hate when I forget the feeling of Kai-chan inside me. Want him to remind me more than once every other week or whatever...feels too good for that..."

Kaito had promised to not kiss Kokichi, and he wouldn't. Kokichi had seemed to enjoy it, but Kaito was still worried about grossing his husband out. But he still kissed at Kokichi's body, his leg through his socks at first, the only bit of Kokichi he could reach as he moved his hips a little harder now, steadily pumping into him as he got into a rhythm, looking down at Kokichi, just...enjoying the view...

But then he needed more of him, more of his skin, of his chilled body warming up against Kaito's own heat, so, taking Kokichi's legs off his shoulders and putting them around his waist, Kaito leaned down over him, rolling his hips into him, feeling his groin start to build as Kaito kissed as his collarbone, feeling out his arms to his hands, careful not to scratch at his soft, fair skin with his cast as he grabbed at Kokichi's wrists, enjoying feeling his pulse against his palm as he moved a little harder... a little faster...

"You forget me?" Kaito whispered into his chest, sounding hurt at the idea, kissing upwards, each kiss a little rougher, a little more urgent, as the rolls became more like hits...pounding into Kokichi's backside, encouraged by Kokichi's barely repressed groans and cries. "That won't do...can't have my 'Kichi forgetting me...what I feel like on and inside of him...marking him," Kaito whispered, biting down onto his neck, sucking at the spot, leaving a new, fresh bruise, the first to replace all the ones that had tragically faded, his arms slightly squeezing Kokichi's wrists as he moved harder still. Faster still.

His body starting to sweat as Kokichi's body bounced and shook against his pressure, rolling against the shirts and jackets, Kaito lifted himself higher, putting his chest and head over Kokichi, looking down at him, wanting Kokichi to only be able to see him as he said, "...want to be 'Kichi's whole world...his whole sky...want to make his eyes roll into the back of his head and his body shake until there's nothing else but me...just me and 'Kichi...unforgettable..."

And Kaito leaned down, not to kiss Kokichi, because he had said he wouldn't, but just wanting to be right in front of him. Staring into his eyes and breathing his air as he held Kokichi's arms to either side of his head, pounding into his backside, panting and sweating, face red as he felt his groin start to fill to bursting, lust and arousa-

There was a knock at the door.

Kaito froze. Eyes wide. Immediately, without thinking about it, he shot a hand over Kokichi’s mouth, balls deep into his husband and frozen solid. Listening.

Another knock at the door...not the closet door.

The bedroom door.

And then, after a moment, a confused, sleepy sounding Shuuichi called out, "...Kaito?"

-

The knock at the door awoke Shuuichi with a start, his heart still pounding in his chest from the nightmare that he had been enjoying… Maki had been furious with him…cutting his skin open and ripping it into small, horrifying strips and…peeling…Kaito had been begging her to stop, but Maki wouldn’t listen.

“Gonna replace him piece by piece,” Maki had promised, blood red eyes staring at Shuuichi murderously, falling from the sky, dagger in hand, stabbing into his shou-

It had been terrifying, and the knock had been an equally frightening intrusion on it, Shuuichi’s whole body practically jumping in the bed at the sound. The detective had woken up with his pads soaked and his arousal pressing uncomfortable into his briefs, trying desperately to escape his tuck. Shuuichi groaned, his eyes blinded for a moment at the sunlight that was coming in from the cracks in the curtains. What…what??

Shuuichi sat up, looking around in open confusion…where was he…right, right. Kaito’s room. Kokichi’s room. So…why was he…

Little by little, his mind still foggy from the pills in his system, Shuuichi remembered everything that had happened that early morning…ugh… Shuuichi’s stomach curled in mutual frustration and shame at the memories…fuck…

…how long had he been asleep? It couldn’t have been long?? The sun was still low enough in the sky to suggest it was still breakfast…actually, Shuuichi could even smell breakfast…what??

“…Kaito?” Shuuichi called out, looking around warily. He was in the princes’ room…where was…??

There was another knock at the door, and Hajime’s voice called through. “Shuuichi? Was that you? Hey, this tray is heavy, I’m coming in.”

The door opened, and Shuuichi felt mildly panicked at this, feeling somehow he was being caught in…something? Caught doing something wrong? Was he in trouble? Maybe?? Was he supposed to be in here alone…??? Shuuichi stared miserably as Hajime walked in, holding a large silver tray on one of his broad shoulders, looking at Shuuichi in mild surprise before looking around in mild confusion. Then he sighed. “Right…no desk,” Hajime muttered, before, no other surface wide enough for the tray, he went and just put in on the bed, giving Shuuichi a somewhat warm smile in greeting before looking around. “Uh…just you, Shuuichi?”

“I…guess so…” Shuuichi murmured, looking towards the bathroom. Maybe? “…just woke up…”

Hajime followed Shuuichi’s view, and giving him a one second motion, walked to the open bathroom, knocking on the wall next to it saying, “Kokichi? Prince Kaito? Hello?” He called out to them, peeking his head into the bathroom, before turning back to Shuuichi, shaking his head. “Nope, not there either. They just left you in their bed?”

Shuuichi shrugged, not really feeling a whole lot better since before he went to sleep…maybe just a tad more guilty…more self loathing…his friends probably hated him…

Hajime gave Shuuichi a concerned look. There was…kind of a lot going on with the Luminaries, and with the Luminary Detective in particular… Hajime was privy to more of it than most people in the castle were. He knew about Kaito’s parents because the king had told Hajime himself, wanting the favored housekeeper of the Luminary Prince to be ready, in case Kaito made any strange, grief-induced requests. He knew about Shuuichi’s stuff…like, ALL about Shuuichi’s stuff, because of the meeting…and, well, Hajime didn’t have any specifics on Maki, but let's face it, the girl was clearly her own mess of hang ups.

The point to this being, Hajime was mostly an outsider looking in who just happened to know…basically almost everything about the Luminary Trio, as far as being a Dicean went. And he hadn’t had to torture anyone or have any deep, meaningful conversations with anyone for all that knowledge. He just kept kinda…being around.

The point to that being…didn’t they say at the meeting that they were keeping Shuuichi’s drugs in this room???

“You…shouldn’t be in here by yourself,” Hajime said, realizing this as he pointed it out, looking at the detective in concern. “Like…right? This is a no-no.”

Shuuichi glared at Hajime. Coming to the same conclusion roughly at the same time, but…for opposite reasons. His pollen…it had to be in here…didn’t it?! If he just had another dose, just a little more, he’d stop feeling so bad…stop being so mean…it would fix him…

“I’m supposed to be here/I can’t leave ya here, buddy.”

Both men looked at each other in some surprise, before both of their stances got harder, Hajime’s look getting very no-nonsense as Shuuichi looked borderline furious.

“I’m not leaving you in here,” Hajime told him, squaring his shoulders.

“Maki wanted me to sleep in here. I’m supposed to be here,” Shuuichi retorted back, his eyes flashing pink in the sun.

“Then they were wrong to do it. Which is weird, since those two friends of yours have been kind of borderline paranoid about watching over you before this. But this isn’t safe. You shouldn’t be in here alone.”

“I don’t belong to you. I’m not gonna leave just because you say so.”

“Belong…look, this isn’t a debate. I can’t stay here to watch you and I can’t leave you here in good faith knowing what that could lead to. So. I’m taking you downstairs.” Hajime smirked, his voice now light and somewhat teasing. “Guuuuuess who's on cleaning duty with me until we find one of your people? Though, we’ll go to the dining hall and sit down and get some food in you first. Thankfully, they still have a ton of fruit left! And waffles!”

“I’m not…h-hey! Stop, get off! I don’t wanna—!!"

But Hajime wasn’t listening, grabbing Shuuichi’s arm. When Shuuichi fought him, Hajime sighed, decided, well…he had gone this far, and with barely any effort, threw Shuuichi over his shoulders, years of taking heavy trays of food up and down three flights of stairs making this easy as he said, “Alright. If this is how you want to go downstairs. Let’s go.”

As Shuuichi viciously fought him, shouting and trying to kick his chest, Hajime left, undaunted. Closing the door behind him.

Almost as soon as the door was closed, Kaito burst out, running to the dresser to grab a new shirt and pants as he said, “Shit-shit-shit, sorry, Kokichi, I gotta go get him, fuck!! Fuck!! Maki’s gonna kill me!!”

Kokichi could feel Kaito grow in his ass, could feel him get harder and thicker, coincidentally at the same pace as he loosened, grew warm and slick and pliable to the member rolling, then pounding into him. With every thrust it felt like Kaito was pushing deeper, imprinting himself in Kokichi just like he said he would.

He loved it. He loved it! He loved Kaito, his enthusiastic lover, his dedicated husband, the person who had seen him escape from his cage and had stood by him to see it opened up...

"A-ah..." Kokichi traced his fingers on Kaito's hands, allowing Kaito to pin his wrists as he liked, curling his knees at his husband's waist as he pounded him into the ground, thankfully not honing in on his sweet spot because there was no way Kokichi would be able to keep quiet through that.

As it was...Kokichi couldn't keep down soft mewls, punctuating every thrust Kaito pushed into him, the heat in his belly already at inferno status, just a little more and

There was a knock at the door.

And it was too late.

Horror passed over Kokichi's face as Kaito pressed his hand over his mouth, at least keeping quiet as his hips shook through his orgasm, his chubby dick spilling onto his stomach as tears started to fill Kokichi's eyes.

They'd taken too long.

...this had been a mistake.

Kokichi kept still and quiet in the wake of the voices in their room, even when Kaito pulled out, making him shudder, and...

It was only when Kaito had run out of the room to retrieve Shuuichi did Kokichi allow his chest to hiccup with a quiet sob, sitting up and wiping himself off.

What were they thinking?! Yeah, that they were horny and hadn't been able to bang in ages, not to mention the last time they had, Kaito had raped him so...

Kokichi let his tears fall, but he got to work, bringing his clothes into the bathroom and giving himself a quick wipe down before getting re-dressed. Sniffling, feeling, just, like garbage to do something so stupid while his friend was feeling alone and helpless and struggling with sexual things... He got the booklet out of the nightstand and hid it in the closet, under his rabbit's box, endlessly thankful that at least his dumb, idiotic mistake hadn't resulted in Shuuichi finding extra doses.

Then...he climbed into bed, where he should've gone back to after his bath, held his bunny in his lap and...took a look at breakfast before feeling his stomach churn with self-disgust and laid down, turning away from the tray. Hiding his shameful face and tears in his bunny.

What a monster...

Fuck, fuck, FUCK, GOD DAMMIT!!

What was wrong with him???! No, seriously!? What the fuck was wrong with him!? God, why was he...why was he failing his friends so much lately!? This was the one thing, the ONE FUCKING THING, Kaito was supposed to be good at! Being there for his sidekicks!! Protecting them!! And now Kaito was running around with half a hard-on that was, thank GOD, going limp quickly due to Kaito’s sheer frustration and terror and guilt and fuck!!

He had raped Kokichi. And then socially isolated him from everyone who cared about him by being dicks to everyone who came to talk to them. And then, for good measure, raped Kokichi again.

He had, so far, completely failed to help Maki after dumping the responsibility of raising a child on her. Not to mention she had basically taken over the job of keeping their whole group functioning lately.

There was now a whole LIST of ways he had completely failed Shuuichi, but, alright, let's go ahead and add 'leaving him alone in a room with his drugs when Kaito was supposed to be watching over him, and then having to keep quiet and hide while Shuuichi called out to him and fucking kinda got kidnapped again??? all because Kaito had to hide the fact that he was balls deep in his husband, who Kaito was literally fucking into the ground and, oh, BY THE WAY, KAITO SHOULDN'T BE FUCKING HIM IN THE FIRST PLACE BECAUSE KOKICHI WAS STILL RECOVERING FROM A HEART ATTACK AND THEY WERE LEAVING TOWN IN TWO DAYS!!

Oh. And he had gotten both of his parents killed.

What the FUCK was WRONG WITH HIM!??

Also, where the fuck were Hajime and Shuuichi!??

Dining hall!? Hajime had said he was taking Shuuichi to the dining hall. He had thought he could catch them on the stairs, but maybe they had already gotten to the dining hall. Okay. Okay. Kaito could still salvage this. Go find your sidekick. Take care of him! Don't let Maki find out what happened!!

Easy!

As Kaito got to the dining hall, he slowed down, taking deep, calming breaths. It wouldn't do anyone any good to go in there acting like a crazy person. Shuuichi wasn't in danger right now. Hajime hadn't taken him to hurt him. The housekeeper was trying to help. Was, in fact, doing a better job of helping Shuuichi than Kaito was right now. Don't lose your shit on anyone. Shuuichi is not in danger. Everything is okay!

Kaito walked in, looking around...and spotted Shuuichi, sobbing into his hands, a barely touched bowl of porridge in front of him, a stranger talking quietly in concern to him.

The Luminaries were strange, no doubt, but strange things had never bothered Mikaku before. In fact, he adored strange things--odd moving lights in the sky, the whole list of reported deaths of the Danganronpa Queen, the possibility of sound frequencies in the mountains that made people go nuts... There were...some mysteries and conspiracies that he wished were just products of overactive imaginations, but theory had never changed anything. Only action.

His face mostly shrouded in the hood of his usual cloak, Mikaku found himself taking action, speaking quietly to one of the new additions of the collection of quirks and mysteries of their home.

Mikaku had never considered himself particularly paternal, especially compared to Ikuo. But he did care about all the kids that came into the care of the castle. If he could lend Kokichi some of his massage oil, tell Waku puzzles to occupy her when she started getting too stressed out, give Tomomi a compliment when she started pouting in corners--a strategist rarely worked in the light, but they were rarely idle.

"You can take breakfast somewhere private, if you want," he gently told the sobbing boy next to him, refraining from touch. "I'd be surprised if Kokichi and Kaito weren't running around in worry looking for you right now--they care about you, Shuuichi, and when you care that deeply, that fact won't change. It's funny how things like that don't change, while pain always does."

"I can go look for them--Hajime is right here, and while he's busy, the fact that he brought you here means he cares too. Look, I'll just--" He hadn't even begun to stand when he looked to the open door, face relaxing into a little smile as he saw the Luminary Prince. "Kaito's right here; talk about timing."

A sob wracked through Shuuichi's chest, barely able to breathe through his own stuttering, gasping breaths. Shuuichi knew the man was wrong. He k-knew it...K-Kaito and Maki had decided they were done with h-him...th-they had left him for the newer, b-better version of him! K-Kokichi wasn't a-addicted to any drugs! H-he w-w-waa--sob-- wasn't a stupid, disgusting whore th-that said bad things to them t-trying to get off! M-maki and Kaito could c-count on him to be the smart one now! Sh-shuuichi was useless! They had left him!

Not good enough to love...not good enough to hate...n-not even good enough to be a s-slave a-anymore...

N-no one wanted him!

Heartbroken, Shuuichi sobbed into his hands as the stranger tried to talk soothingly to him, Shuuichi, between the pollen, the sleeping pills, and the medicine, just entirely unable to control himself as he broke down over the breakfast Hajime had brought him.

Hajime, who was busy, kept coming in and out of the kitchen more than he would have otherwise, taking the dishes left on the tables back into the kitchen in shorter bursts rather than all at once, trying to keep an eye on Shuuichi, who was just melting down. He gave Mikaku another grateful look as he headed back into the kitchen, planning to just finish the clean-up as quickly as he could before taking Shuuichi to go find the other Luminaries.

Kaito, just getting into the room, looked at all this with despair, hurrying over as quickly as he could as he saw his friend cry harder right now than the prince had seen him cry in years. Like...not since Kaede, even. Fuck...

"Shuuichi, what's happened?! Are you hurt!?" Kaito asked, terrified in the five seconds that he had lost track of his friend, something must have happened. Why else would he be reacting like this? "Did someone hurt you?!" Kaito demanded, taking Shuuichi's wrists in his hands and taking them off his face, spreading them wide as he looked Shuuichi over for injuries, any signs of liquid red, o-or, pink?? Or--...uh...

Kaito looked in open concern as Shuuichi, along with the normal awful look of just being puffy and swollen and red-rimmed from crying so hard...his eyes...

Under the strain of crying, the color of his eyes had turned neon pink, the wet tears overflowing them reflecting light consistently in the exact way it needed to hit for the pink to shine through and overpower the gold...for a second, Kaito thought he had the wrong person...

But Shuuichi, who was looking up at him in dull, hazy surprise...scrunched his face in agony and latched his arms around Kaito's waist, burying his face into his shirt as he sobbed harder.

"P-please d-don't hate me...SOB...I-I'll be better...K-kaito please!"

Kaito pulled Shuuichi into a hug, but stared down at his back in shock, not...entirely certain what to say... "I don't hate you, Shuuichi, I'm sorry you woke up alone, I'm sorry, we're going to go back upstairs, okay? I'm sorry..." Kaito looked up at the strange, hooded figure and said, "Uh...th-thank you, uh...s-sorry, he's not himself right now..."

Mikaku nodded somberly. "If any of you need anything or anyone...all you have to do is ask, Prince Kaito. Shuuichi can as well, of course, but...I think the person he needs most right now is you. Please take care of yourselves and each other--friendship is a special thing."

"...uh...yep," Kaito said, nodding as he started carefully leading Shuuichi away from the strange hermit person, recognizing a damn fucking...wizard or whatever when he saw one. "Appreciate that. Will...take it to heart. Thanks."

They needed to get out of here before this dude cursed him. Hooded magic people fucking loved to curse princes. Kaito had read a thousand stories by this point saying so.

Hajime came back out, sighing in relief as he saw one of the Luminaries had finally shown up. Thank fuck. Though...his mouth twisting a little, Hajime went up to the two Luminaries, crossing his arms as he said, "Hey...he's not supposed to be in your room on his own, right? Isn't that where the, ya know...you-know-what is? Like, unless after that whole big meeting thing, we just, what, don't give a shit how much of that spore thing he's taking now? Is that what we're doing now??"

Kaito gave the housekeeper a sheepish grin, still taking worried glances at the hermit wizard dude, taking more careful steps to the door, as Shuuichi just still sobbed into his shoulder, basically being dragged with him as Kaito said, "Uh...yeah...sorry. We just stepped out for a minute, and when we came back...thanks for your concern, Hajime, but w-we have Shuuichi. He's fine. He's just..." Shuuichi whined, high and miserably, against his skin, his whole body trembling, "...a little emotional right now."

Hajime gave Kaito an obviously disapproving look, before saying, brow furrowed, "Hey, Mikaku's right, by the way...if you're overwhelmed watching him by yourselves, that's understandable, ya know? There's a whole castle’s worth of people you can reach out to here for help. If you brought up the issue with the boss, I bet he cou-"

"Definitely something to think about!" Kaito said, way too loudly, moving quickly now as he disentangled Shuuichi from himself, taking him by the arm and now just rapidly heading out. "Thank you for the help, Hajime, really appreciate ya! Thanks for bringing up breakfast too! We're gonna go up and eat it with Kokichi! Nice meeting you, hermit wizard guy!" Kaito said to the hooded figure, before finally dragging Shuuichi out of the dining hall.

As Kaito started to lead Shuuichi upstairs, Shuuichi stumbling, barely able to keep up with Kaito's hurried pace, Kaito could feel the stares of a bunch of guests and castle staff, watching them as they headed up.

...they weren't going to be able to keep this secret. This was only day one. It wasn't even noon...

...What were they going to do? People were going to find out Shuuichi was compromised. They were going to find out that Maki and Kaito were struggling to take care of him. Someone could...someone could...

Kaito wasn't sure. Back home, people would have known the trio's defenses had weakened. They would have tried to take advantage of the situation. Enemies at all sides, all looking for an opening...there would have been so many people absolutely giddy to see that the royal detective was weak...that he could be taken out...either for vengeance or hoping that his death...that the royal assassin and the second Momota son could be approached at new angles...

...But that wasn't the case here...

...Kaito wasn't sure what to do with that thought. Not sure how it changed the situation. Maybe it was something to talk to Kokichi about...but that wasn't the main problem right now. The main problem was that Shuuichi had apparently convinced himself of something during the time he had woken up and the time Kaito had found him.

Or had believed something this whole time and was now too overwhelmed to ignore or hide it anymore.

Kaito didn't know. But this couldn't be allowed to continue. Something had to change.

The prince sighed in relief when they finally got back to the room, knocking on the door. "Kokichi? It's Kaito. I've got Shuuichi. Coming in," Kaito said as a heads up, opening the door.

Mikaku huffed a soft laugh to himself despite everything. Hermit wizard guy? Another person to add to the survey of that, he supposed. Maybe he should play into the role a little--the kids needed more people looking out for them, after all. They'd already put plans into effect for stopping the spread of despair ideology, but for damage already done...time and care.

-

Kokichi flinched as he heard Kaito's voice but...he couldn't hide. That wasn't fair to Shuuichi, and he'd already hurt him so much. Sniffling, he wiped his eyes and sat up, keeping the bunny in his lap, facing the Luminaries...and feeling his heart break when he saw the state Shuuichi was in.

"Oh, Shuu-chan..."

Ahhh, shit...Smug Rabbit was back...that couldn't be good.

As Kaito fussed and worried about the re-appearance of the suicide doll, Shuuichi suddenly took a half step behind Kaito, trying to hide his appearance from Kokichi as he furiously tried to wipe his tears away with his sleeves. He didn't need fucking...new Shuuichi to see him like this...he didn't need the clear differences between them highlighted any more than they already were, thanks...

Shuuichi groaned as Kaito immediately reached back and started leading him to the bed though, pulling back as he said desperately, "Noooo...I don't want to go back to sleep!"

It didn't matter that he...kinda did. The sleeping pills were still fresh in his bloodstream, and sobbing down in the dining hall for the last twenty minutes hadn't helped his energy levels any. If anything, in another ten minutes, his body was going to crash on him completely, and Shuuichi would be genuinely struggling to stay awake at all...

...he was tired of being confined places...tired of being put somewhere and told to stay...the handcuffs, his room, the archive, the medical wing, Maki's room, now the princes' bed...it was all kinda starting to get to him...

He'd do it if they would just...own him already! Just admit that Kokichi was the new Shuuichi and just give old Shuuichi a new role! He'd serve all of them! He wanted to! B-but...all of this pretending that Shuuichi was still a person, and then controlling every single thing he did all day every day...he liked Miss Nao's methods better. Back when Maki wasn't watching and she was allowed to act like herself. Miss Nao didn't pretend Shuuichi was still a person while she was busy degrading him...all the things she had said at the meeting!? Was just her pretending like the rest of them...she didn't actually think those things. She knew what Shuuichi was. She understood...

Everyone else kept pretending like Shuuichi still mattered and...a-and it hurt...and then they'd turn around and make him do things he didn't want to do and that was confusing...was he an Indentured or a Civilian!??? Just pick one already!! He could adjust to being one or the other, but being the worst sides of both was bullshit!

Shuuichi pouted miserably as Kaito, with a sigh, put him back onto the bed, saying, "Shuuichi, you don't have to go to sleep yet...you need to eat, okay? Just eat and try to calm down..."

As Kaito left Shuuichi sitting there, glaring at the food, Kaito went to go check on his husband, running a hand over his forehead and his brow furrowing in concern over the signs of his tears as he whispered to him, "Are you okay?"

Kokichi watched Shuuichi sadly, feeling useless in the wake of his friend's misery. He knew what they had to do. Keep an eye on Shuuichi, reaffirm that they cared about him, wait and place their hopes in Dr. Kimura to figure out a medicine that would work. But...none of their words got through, and all the while Shuuichi was suffering. It was easy to feel like they weren't doing enough...

Or even the basic things they were supposed to do.

Kokichi sent his husband a slightly incredulous look. Of course he wasn't alright! They abandoned their very vulnerable friend to bang in their closet. There...there was nothing okay about that.

Sighing softly, Kokichi scooted a little closer to Shuuichi, though he left plenty of space, not wanting to crowd him. "I'm so sorry, Shuu-chan... We...really fucked up."