"How did you fuck up?" Shuuichi murmured, looking at Kokichi in annoyed confusion. "You just left me alone for a little while...I should be able to be alone for a little while...I'm not a child..." he growled. As if he hadn't just been sobbing downstairs due to the fear of waking up alone.

He looked at Kokichi, at his wide, sad, sympathetic eyes...

God, Shuuichi hated him.

He didn't. He didn't. He didn't...

But he did. He hated Kokichi for all the same reasons he hated Yasu. He just...had everything Shuuichi had ever wanted. A relationship where the other person was devoted to you. A station in life that required the respect of other people. Power, choices, in his own life.

Sure, sure, Shuuichi knew he had been confined to the castle his whole life and the chronic illness thing sucked, but...Shuuichi thought there were worse things than being born into leadership over an entire kingdom and then having a castle full of people devoted to your care. And then, on top of all that, Kokichi got Kaito just...fucking handed to him on a silver platter. Here you go! A royal, strong, sexually experienced prince with literally nothing to do with his time but take care of you! Served hot!

Very hot! ...fuck, Kaito was hot...how had Shuuichi not noticed what his friend fucking looked like all these years...

...A-anyway, the point was, he didn't have to work for that relationship! Kokichi barely knew Kaito! But Shuuichi, who had been there for Kaito since they were ten...

...It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair.

He should kill him. It wouldn't be hard. Just grab Kokichi and start whispering into his ear a thousand horrifying things. Just start talking about Luminary until Kokichi's heart stopped. Wanna hear about Maki's siblings? Have you heard they don't put kids in the brothels? No sexual exploitation of the kids in the program? Wanna know all the creative, horrifying ways people get around that particular law...want it to be the last thing you ever hear...

...Gooood, what was happening? What was wrong with him? Shuuichi didn't want to do that. Didn't want to hurt Kokichi, and definitely didn't want to talk that lightly about things that dark. Things that Shuuichi hated about Luminary.

Shuuichi didn't resent Kokichi and Kaito's relationship. Somewhere, in the mess that was his head and feelings and that burning pit of jealousy, he remembered how happy he had been for Kaito when he realized he and Kokichi could actually make this work. He didn't hate Kokichi. The same way he didn't want to hurt Maki and Kaito! He had been literally devastated, like, ten minutes ago just at the mere idea that the two wouldn't want to be around him anymore...why couldn't he take that fear and turn it into action? Why did he keep thinking things and doing things that just made him miserable?

...ah, right, the...the pollen stress/arousal thing everyone keeps talking about...probably has something to do with it.

Shuuichi frowned. Trying...desperately to think through this logic. The pollen...made him want to seek out stress. It was stressing him out to think of his three (yes, three. Kokichi had been starting to become a friend before everything just went...wrong...Shuuichi had to remember that...) friends hating him. So he just...kept thinking of new and worse ways to get them to do it...

...he didn't know what to do...

"...there's something wrong with me," Shuuichi murmured. Kinda...really understanding this for the first time since he had started dosing. "I keep wanting to say bad things...I don't want to say them… Maybe you all should, I don't know...muzzle me for a while or something..."

...a muzzle sounded...kinda sexy actually. Between the muzzle and the collar...Shuuichi felt a small blush work its way onto his cheeks.

"You should be able to be alone for a little while," Kokichi murmured with a slight nod, empathizing with this particular hurt. "But it's still not fair to you for us to just suddenly disappear when we said we'd be here for you. You're more important than, like, random whims or whatever."

More important than his sex drive, that was for sure. He and Kaito had...just been idiots. Making a stupid, awful mistake. Thankfully Shuuichi hadn't gotten hurt or had found the pollen, but...it had to still have hurt him emotionally. And right now, that was just incredibly cruel. Not when Shuuichi couldn't regulate his emotions and responses well.

Kokichi pressed his lips together with a worried expression as Shuuichi explained some of his thoughts, feeling...a little relieved that Shuuichi was at least admitting to the problem, but just feeling worried with his solution. He hugged his rabbit tighter to his chest, rubbing the ends of its ears in comforting circles. "If we know you don't want to say bad things...then we'll know they're lies and they won't matter. We don't have to muzzle you..."

Even if...Shuuichi was kind of acting like someone who would do well going to a mental health hospital, he...he didn't need a muzzle or any other restraints. It was bad enough all the restrictions they had to put on his activities--Kokichi didn't want to add any more. Wanted to let up on them as Shuuichi got better.

Shuuichi glanced at Kokichi, blinking slowly, miserably, before staring vacantly in the middle distance, saying, almost as if entirely to himself, "Lies...I used to be good at lies. I was smart. I could think around things...they couldn't make me obey. Not the way they meant me to. I figured out how to think around that. It doesn't work if you can think around it...I used to be smart...I was proud of that..."

Kaito, who had been standing by the bed uncomfortably, listening to all of this, feeling just still...overwhelmed and like he was just making things worse all the time...frowned at this. Furrowing his brow.

Anger suddenly flashing through his eyes.

"Why do you keep talking like you aren't anymore?" Kaito demanded, walking around the bed, standing in front of where Shuuichi sat on the edge of the bed, his sidekick glancing up at him for a moment before just going back to staring blankly at the middle distance. "Hey! I'm talking to you! I'm getting real, real sick of hearing you talk shit about yourself."

Shuuichi looked up at this, looking at Kaito neutrally for a moment...before a smirk twisted his features, a small giggle in his voice as he said, voice mocking, "So? What are you gonna do? Wanna spar me about it?"

Kokichi deflated a little more hearing Shuuichi talk about himself like that...but he blinked. Kaito...was right. Just like when Kaito blew up over hearing Kokichi talk poorly about himself...sometimes what someone needed to hear was someone being aggressively kind to you. To be outraged that anyone would say horrible things about you, even yourself.

"Nope," he said bluntly, scooting over into Shuuichi's space. Kokichi looked up at his husband, not having that ability of knowing someone so well that you could communicate with a look, but trying anyway, knowing that they both cared about Shuuichi. "Well, Kai-chan might want to spar you, but that would be an awful idea. Since you're still on sleeping pills and you'd probably throw yourself at him in the hopes of getting hurt rather than talking things out."

Slowly, Kokichi set his bunny to the side and wrapped his arms around Shuuichi instead, tucking his legs under himself to get closer to eye level. "Instead...we're going to tell Shuu-chan over and over how brilliant he is. How much he wanted to help people but knew better than to use other people as test subjects. How he's still a big smarty-pants that's good at lies and managed to hide his pollen use from us for so long."

Placing a soft, gentle kiss on Shuuichi's cheek, Kokichi caught Kaito's eye and nodded him over to do the same. "Shuu-chan is our brilliant, cute, brave, determined, caring friend. You are, and that's not a lie."

Shuuichi instinctively drew back as Kokichi approached him, instincts that had nothing to do with the pollen warning him against seemingly friendly touch from people he didn't trust, his whole body going rigid under the hold. Shuuichi was entirely unable to make eye contact as he suddenly found Kokichi’s face uncomfortably near him...his face starting to burn hot as nerves and anxiety and paranoia shot through his veins… Kokichi couldn't hurt him. Couldn't. And also probably wouldn't. And...K-kaito wouldn't let him, right? A-and, and, Maki would get mad if Kaito let hi-...

The detective looked at Kokichi in open confusion, just...flummoxed. As a gentle kiss pressed against his cheek.

The gesture, coming from Kokichi, almost made Shuuichi nervous enough to actually feel good. And Shuuichi found himself grasping the end of his shirt, twisting it in his hands uncomfortably as Kokichi said sweet, kind things to him. He w-wasn't...he wasn't any of those things. He was gross and ugly and repulsive and so fucking dumb and look at what he had done to himself and Kokichi, this isn't our first kiss, I fucking molested yo-

"Well, yeah, obviously," Kaito said, interrupting Shuuichi's spiraling thoughts, sounding befuddled that the positive qualities could even be in question to the point of needing it clarified Sitting on the other side of Shuuichi and putting a hand on the back of his neck, firm, strict, but clearly intended as a comforting gesture, a sturdy presence, as he caught Shuuichi's eyes next, Shuuichi just looking more and more distressed as Kaito said sternly, that anger still in his eyes, "And I do kinda wanna spar you...but, like Kokichi said, more when you’re better than anything else. 'Kichi's never seen it, but just because you don't usually like to fight doesn't mean you can't. The way you use those batons of yours is insane! You can fight like a whirlwind when you want to. You're strong, and capable, and fucking...me and Maki would have been lost without you a thousand times by now. We need you, Shuuichi. I..." Kaito scowled further in anger, his eyes suddenly burning a little red as his hand squeezed the back of Shuuichi's neck ever so slightly, not threatening, just...impassioned by his own emotions for a second as he said, earnestly, "I really need you, Shuuichi...I'm struggling so much with how to help you through this, because if you were any other person, you'd be the one I'd be counting on to get us through this."

Kaito suddenly laughed, a tear spilling out of his eye just at the pressure of the laugh against his burning emotions, as he said, "I'm sorry I've been failing you so much...I guess I got kinda dependent on you to think things through for me, and...I'm gonna do better, okay? You're still the smart one...but I'll do my best to think this situation through from now on, while you just focus on getting better, okay?"

Kaito then, too, kissed Shuuichi on his other cheek. Both men surrounding the detective with as much love and support as they could in this moment. Radiating love.

...Shuuichi buried his head in his hands. Not knowing how to feel. Feeling bad because he was making his friends worry and all this attention made his normal, anxious personality overwhelmed, and feeling kinda good because it felt bad, and not knowing what to do with that...either way he felt horny again, and felt shitty about that, which also made him feel good, which just made that worse...

"...sorry..." Shuuichi whispered. Shoulders shaking. "I don't know what to do right now."

Kokichi hummed softly with a nod, not wanting to interrupt Kaito, but agreeing with his words. After Shuuichi had completed his run of Prince Hefting, Kokichi definitely believed that he had the strength and deftness to fight. And while some of it was surely Shuuichi's personality, still, being able to fight and then choosing not to...that was strength too. Another thing about his friend to admire.

His look softening, Kokichi gave Shuuichi's arm a pat and loosened his hug a little, still providing unmistakable adoration, but letting up on the overwhelming aspect of it. "That's okay. If this had an easy answer, then Shuu-chan would've figured everything out aaaages ago. Just remember that we care about you, okay? And, that if Shuu-chan forgets and starts thinking lies about himself, then we'll get back in his face and remind him of the truth of how amazing he is."

Then he sat up out of the hug properly, giving Shuuichi's arm a rub and another pat. "...maybe we could eat breakfast? I'm not really hungry...but I think Kai-chan's gonna yell at both of us if we don't eat." He sent Kaito a look somewhere between sheepish and teasing, not wanting to risk that sort of worried husband wrath.

Kaito blinked, putting both hands around Shuuichi now that Kokichi was cleared from the other side and squeeeezing as he looked at Kokichi quizzically. "You didn't think you were not gonna eat, did you?" Kaito asked, genuinely baffled by the idea. Giving one final wet, obnoxious kiss to Shuuichi's cheek that made his sidekick flush even harder and squirm in Kaito's grip, the prince let go of him, flicking Shuuichi’s ear as he said, anger back, "Are you trying to get me killed?! If Maki comes back and I haven’t even managed to get food into you two, I'm gonna end up with another damn piercing by the end of the day! This one finally stopped turning red every time I poked it yesterday. I'm not getting a matching set! Eat!"

Kaito got up at this, going to the food and sorting it out, passing Kokichi his bowl, making sure his husband could balance it in his lap safely, before moving onto Shuuichi, giving him a plate of much more hardy stuff and passing it to him, telling him firmly, "You're not done till all of its gone."

Shuuichi looked warily down at his plate...man that was...a lot of vegetables and meat for a breakfast meal...it was absolutely the kind of meal Kaito would look at and go: yep. This is how you fix people. Protein and vitamins!!!

Which was a relief. Kaito had gone through a phase for a few years there where he had been convinced that if he wanted to be attractive to people, he had to be as thin as possible, and had taken to that idea with, well... as much passion as he put into everything else he decided on...thankfully that poor bastard Togami had managed to talk some sense into Kaito...and now the guy was just endlessly into what he referred to as 'real food'...had spent all of highschool trying to bulk Shuuichi up in the same way, hoping muscles would help his anxiety, but Shuuichi didn't eat that much to begin with and didn't like to work out, but man, Kaito was relentless, always filling his plate and dragging him to training and congratulating him loudly at every small sign of improvement...

The detective suddenly snickered, staring at his waaaaay too much protein plate...a sudden burn of familiar, genuine affection running through his stomach...which made him pause.

...when was...the last time he had felt like that...

It was there and gone in an instant. Kokichi and Kaito's relentless love couldn't solve Shuuichi's many, many issues overnight, and his emotions were still battling an almost insane amount of contradicting, conflicting chemicals, each fighting for dominance in his body. He still mostly felt tired and sad and horny and hateful...but that brief flicker of honest, childhood affection, burning through the rest of the emotions, just a little bit...

Shuuichi ate his breakfast.

Kokichi shrugged a little with more of the same look before turning to his porridge, mixing some of the softened strawberries into it. He...still felt a little sick from what they'd done, but...there was a line between having a conscience and torturing yourself. They were going to put everything they had into helping Shuuichi, no more mistakes. Or...at least easily preventable ones.

Slowly eating through his breakfast, Kokichi hummed in thought and, judging the mood of the room, decided it was safe enough to bring up something he'd been trying to think through. "Hey...what's Maki-chan's favorite way to relax?"

Playing with a berry in his bowl, Kokichi sat back a little. "I've been trying to figure out a good way to thank her for everything she's done, especially with the trip since I don't think she's gonna take it as much of a vacation, so... I've invited her for nap times, but...I was wondering if you guys would know something she'd like more."

He knew that the greatest thing he could give her would be the okay to go on the mission to Luminary to fix things, but...he couldn't do that yet. And he wanted to give her something resembling a proper break before then. Maybe just not having a huge disaster for five seconds would do that, but...hahhh.

Shuuichi and Kaito glanced at each other, Shuuichi looking increasingly tired, but still aware enough to answer, and Kaito in a better mood now that Shuuichi wasn't, like...actively destroying himself this very second, anyway. As Kaito sat at the corner of the bed with his own plate, starting to eat as well, the two of them considered it...before listing, one after another, some of the answers quick and some of them taking a moment to consider how to word it:

"When she's relaxing?" Kaito asked, to clarify...trying to think as he tried, "She likes to drink. Not every night or anything, but she can get obliterated when she wants to. And then she gets real...loud and argumentative and...well, I guess it’s her own idea of fun." Kaito shrugged.

"She doesn't get drunk for the fun of it, Kaito," Shuuichi said, rolling his eyes at his friend. "Drinking helps her get around her emotional conditioning. She gets drunk when she wants to get really emotional about things, and most of Maki's emotions are 'Anger'."

"Whiiiich, she has fun doing," Kaito insisted, "It might not be relaxing in the moment, but she always feels better for a while after that. So it counts as a relaxing activity."

"That's not what Kokichi's asking for," Shuuichi muttered, pushing his hair out of his eyes as he said in between bites, "She has fun with physical challenges, both watching and participating. She's into sports and really into wrestling and fighting arenas. Please do not get her talking about Luminary soccer teams. She has opinions."

"She likes quiet, outdoor places," Kaito added, "Places away from a lot of people, ya know? She didn't get to do it often because she couldn't be away from the castle for more than a few days unless she was on a mission, and she needed permission to go anywhere, but she was really into nature trails for awhile there, like climbing mountains or exploring woods for a couple of days at a time. And she told me once she'd really love to explore a cavern system someday."

"I don't know if it qualified as 'relaxing', but she'd go visit the capital orphanage on a lot of her days off, entertaining and checking in on the kids...again, not really 'relaxing', but it’s how she spent her off time..."

"She likes breasts!" Kaito said, suddenly inspired, a blush spreading across his grinning face. "She's a breasts girl, through and through. She's bi, but...like, barely, ya know? I think me and one other guy have ever had that honor. Otherwise? Breasts for days." Kaito laughed, shaking his head. "Me and her used to play wingmen to each other at bars and stuff, when she was off duty. I rarely had to hype her up though; Maki's very good at being seductive. She's got this way of staring at you that's really intimidating and flattering at the same time. Both very scary and very sexy."

Shuuichi sighed, his face flushing even hotter as he said, "Tell me about it..."

Kokichi considered each idea, his fingers tapping against his bowl as his head slowly tipped to the side, eyes going distant.

Maki had mentioned wanting to get a drink with him sometime, and it was a request he definitely wanted to honor. Moreover, she knew Sakura's pub for sure, and there were plenty of others in the city to go out and get a drink...but she'd said that she didn't drink on the job, and that she hadn't felt like she was off the job since they'd come to Dicea so...that was a future thing. An open invitation for whenever Maki felt like she could relax.

For physical challenges...well, there were plenty of sports teams in Dicea, and the capital had a team for nearly every one that people played. Hmm...maybe he'd take Maki and Kaito to see Susanoo's dojo sometime. There were tournaments for all sorts of weapons and fighting styles held there... Oh! Maybe he'd take her to a hockey game when the season started!

And...maybe they'd take a trip to the mountains sometime. The woods just outside of the city weren't exactly wild...but people tended to stick to the paths. Maybe she'd enjoy exploring the less traveled areas, and they were close by! Wouldn't even have to worry about the stress of planning a trip!

As for the Luminary capital orphanage...well. Kokichi knew that it was the people there, not the fact that it was an orphanage. There wasn't anything he could do about that, other than their plan... Maki could visit the orphanage in the Dicean capital, of course, but he knew it wouldn't be the same.

And...breasts...

Kokichi made a bit of a face before sighing and refocusing, eating a spoonful of his neglected breakfast. "Think I'll leave that one alone. I'd put in a good word for anyone Maki wanted me to, but, really...I don't get what you guys see in women. Can't relate."

"...they're really tall..."

"I don't know how you can't find them attractive!" Kaito said, eyes widening, mouth full of food, "Though, I also don't know how people can't find guys attractive either...oh! And the in-betweens are so much fun! You never know what you're gonna get! How is that not exciting?!"

"...real strong...."

"Or, like, how some people can't find big people attractive? And others can't find small people attractive?? Like...they're all really hot???"

"...kinda feel like they can kill you whenever they want..."

"And people with really fair skin and, oh man, people with that real dark ebony skin that shines in the sun? Fuck dude! Older people can be pretty attractive too if they hold themselves right. Especially with that fading silver hair look? Oh, and wrinkles around the eyes! Those are so cute..." Kaito said, face turning red and excited, though he frowned as he said sternly, this clearly being something he's had to put time into thinking before, "I strictly keep my mind from going the other way with that though. Teenagers gotta wait a few years and get grown before I'll start letting myself look at them like that...it's not fair to have a grown person looking at them. They need time to just be young, ya know?"

"...really intense orange eyes..."

"Yeah, I kinda find most people to be really hot, if I'm honest," Kaito admitted, before giving Shuuichi a deadpan look as he said, "Unless they're evil pieces of shit who feel entitled to dramatically overstep my best friend’s personal boundaries. Then they get real fucking ugly real fast."

"...nah..." Shuuichi sighed, blinking sleepily, most of his plate done by now "...she's beautiful...'s like being held by fire...Maki barely let her touch me this morning, and then she left right away. I miss her..."

Kokichi sighed and flicked some of his hair out of his face, listening to the two overlapping conversations with a look that semi-suggested that he regretted asking. Personally, he fell in the middle of the two extremes--Kokichi had found himself attracted to more than just one specific person but didn't find himself falling for nearly every person he saw. Or even for nearly every guy.

Smirking a bit at Kaito, Kokichi snickered softly. "How funny is it that you married someone who looks like a teenager then, huh? At least I know you didn't marry me for my looks." A clear tease, though his smile faded quickly after.

Nao wasn't evil, but what she'd done was...horrible. Even if it had been what Shuuichi wanted at the time. Hopefully one day Shuuichi would be able to move past the twist of trauma and attraction she'd given him...

Giving Shuuichi a careful glance, Kokichi shrugged. "She wants to make sure you get better, so she's staying away, but...she said she'd check on you twice a day, right? I think Nao's plan of leaving once you're okay is best...but I still hope you guys can talk things out before she goes."

Or at least for Shuuichi to realize that it was the mess of chemicals in his body telling him that he loved her. So there wouldn't be any unnecessary heartbreak. So they could part with regret and not rage.

Shuuichi stilled, brow suddenly furrowing, but his eyes wide. A sudden tremor in his hands.

"...she's leaving?"

Kaito also raised an eyebrow, his face full of suspicion. "She is?"

Kokichi looked between the two of them in confusion before he blinked and cursed softly to himself. "Shit, right... You guys left before that..."

"Nao said that after Shuu-chan is okay, she's resigning from her job, and wouldn't really be coming by the castle anymore. She doesn't wanna traumatize you any more than she already has, doesn't wanna torture you by making you see someone who abused you around all the time," Kokichi explained, growing a little worried of Shuuichi's reaction. This would likely be horrible news now, but...it would probably help him a lot down the line.

Shuuichi stared at Kokichi in open, hurt despair. His whole body trembling now. "She...she's not gonna leave. W-we're...she loves...you're lying!" Shuuichi suddenly accused, all the calm that the three had managed to get by this point evaporating as his face went red with fury, his mostly finished plate falling from his lap onto the ground with a crash as he pointed accusingly at Kokichi. "You're lying! She's not leaving on her own, y-you're making her leave! She wouldn't leave me!"

Kaito immediately got off the corner of the bed, looking down at the shards of glass on the floor with concern as he said sternly to Shuuichi, "Shuuichi, calm down! Kokichi wouldn't lie about something like this, and he wouldn't make her leave. He likes Nao." The distaste at the idea was clear in his voice.

As Kaito started to pick up the pieces of glass and the food, Shuuichi shook his head furiously, tears in his eyes as he said, "No! Because she wouldn't leave me on her own! Sh-she...w-we have our own kind of relationship, b-but...she wouldn't...she's not abusing me! I like it when she hurts me! Sh-she's always thinking of new ways to hurt me because that's her way of being kind! She knows I need it! You can't send her away!! I want to be her whore!!"

Kaito growled from the floor. "I swear, if I have to hear you fucking call yourself that one more time...Shuuichi, hey, stop!"

Shuuichi had gotten up, walking backwards towards the window, staring at them both in fury, his face red and sweating as he shouted, "She's the best master I've ever had! Sh-she's so good to me and she teaches me amazing tricks a-a-and she gives me purpose and worth a-and I don't give a SHIT what you say Kaito, you couldn't have killed her, she'd have DESTROY-"

"Okay! Enough!" Kaito said, putting the glass and food back on the tray before, stretching out his neck, he went to go grab Shuuichi, absolutely no-nonsense in his expression as he grabbed him by the collar and pulled at him. "Back to bed. You were half falling asleep over your food anyway. You're gonna sleep away this fucking tantrum you're having."

"No, no, NO!" Shuuichi cried, trying desperately to pull himself away from Kaito as the prince dragged him to the bed. "You can't KEEP ME IN THERE!"

"Oh? No? Fucking watch me," Kaito muttered, opening up the covers and throwing in Shuuichi first, getting in alongside him before his friend could get himself back up, grabbing Shuuichi with both his good arm and his cast arm and pulling him into his chest, looking just annoyed as the detective thrashed in his arms as Kaito looked to Kokichi with a sigh. "Uh...sorry, babe. I think I need to take a nap with Shuuichi for awhile. We're going to lie here until he calms down," Kaito said pointedly, as Shuuichi tried to pull and thrash his way out Kaito's arms, his own arms mostly pinned to his sides under Kaito's hold.

"-hate you, hate you, hate you!"

Kaito just frowned at this, before looking over at Kokichi sheepishly. "Maybe...I mean, if you're feeling strong enough...maybe you should go for a walk? This may take a minute. But he is going to sleep."

Kokichi winced, feeling his heart sink in guilt as Shuuichi got worked up again. He should've just kept his dumb mouth shut... Despite being a liar, he'd never really shied away from difficult truths. It just...wasn't the culture he'd grown up in. So, faced with Kaito, and then Shuuichi in this...it meant that he'd hurt them, and they'd double down in their self-told lies.

It was a trait he often found annoying, but...he couldn't blame them. Or even be annoyed at anyone but himself for triggering that reaction over and over.

Only getting out a soft, "Just because you like it doesn't mean it's not abuse..." Kokichi could only watch in sorrow as Shuuichi shouted at them, but...

Something hurt flashed across his face as Kaito physically held Shuuichi and kept him in the bed, their places too easy in Kokichi's head to replace with himself and one of his caretakers over the years. He knew Shuuichi couldn't take care of himself right now...but that's what they all said about him.

Being put to bed. Being told he was having a tantrum. Being told he didn't know what he was talking about.

Putting his half-eaten food to the side, something determined in his face, Kokichi avoided thrashing limbs as best he could and tossed himself on Shuuichi, crossing his arms on the detective's chest, eyes intense as he looked right into gold. "If I'm lying, then why are you upset? Just ask her yourself later. Decide for yourself once you gather all the information you need."

Pressing his lips together, Kokichi looked up at Kaito then, giving him a slightly pleading look. "Please let him go. If Shuu-chan's tired, he'll sleep, but...don't force him to bed."

Kaito's brow knotted even further, clearly not...thinking it was best he let Shuuichi go. He was afraid of the guy throwing himself out the window or trying to fight Kokichi or something...but as much as he didn't want to let Shuuichi go, he didn't want to disappoint Kokichi either...

The prince sighed. "If you say so...but if you move to hurt yourself or Kokichi, Shuuichi, I'm grabbing you again and I'm not letting go this time," Kaito said, again, his voice strict, no nonsense to it as he looked down at his friend, who just glared furiously back at Kokichi for as long as he could before the direct eye contact got to be too much, his eyes drifting to the left in self-defense.

As Kaito loosened his grip, he watched carefully, mostly afraid in this moment that Shuuichi would try to throw Kokichi off himself as Kaito let his grip fall off him. But Shuuichi didn't move, just still trembling where he laid, seeming to be thinking hard about something...before stammering out, "F-fine! I w-will ask her! She...sh-she'll tell me the truth. She'll tell me you all are m-making her abandon me. Miss Nao wants me. She wants me. I've been good." Shuuichi lied to himself, eyes reddening with grieving tears as he said, "She still wants t-to keep me...I k-know she does..."

Kokichi stayed on top of Shuuichi for a beat after Kaito let him go before rolling off his friend, lying at his and Kaito's side with a sigh. "If you know that, then you'll find out for sure later." He wanted to give Shuuichi's arm more comforting rubs, but...Shuuichi likely wouldn't appreciate it much.

Nao had been a resident of the castle since Kokichi had been born, he'd known her his whole life. He'd spent countless hours in the library talking with her about books and just...life. It wasn't fair to Shuuichi, but...he didn't want her to go. It was for the best, she'd hurt Shuuichi badly but...she was still his aunty that showed him the really scary horror books when no one wanted to let him read them, had rushed him to the med bay countless times when he would collapse in the library.

But, even if she was planning to stay, she...wouldn't want Shuuichi the way he was speaking. Not as a...pet. A slave. A toy. If things had been different, she might've enjoyed his company as a friend, but...

...but he'd believed the lies she told him. And that was going to hurt for a long time.

Now free of both Kaito and Kokichi, Shuuichi turned onto his side away from them, grabbing the cover of the blankets and pulling them over his head, just...so done with them by this point. He wasn't tired! They couldn't make him sleep! He just...they weren't going to fucking let him leave the room either so...he just wanted some privacy...

...he cried into the pillow he had dragged under the cover with him, each tear burning his already swollen tear ducts...each blink of his eyes getting slower. Harder to keep open...he wasn't tired...he was a grown man, he didn't need naps...he wanted his master. He wanted Miss Nao...he wanted to feel better...

As Shuuichi struggled fruitlessly not to fall asleep as he hid under the covers, Kaito ran a hand over his face, sighing, before looking over at Kokichi. He glanced over at the covered Shuuichi, hearing his quiet, angry crying...whispering as quietly as he could to Kokichi, practically just mouthing the words, "Did I fuck up?"

Kokichi winced a little and, hesitating, wiggled his hand back and forth for a moment before pointing back at himself with a regretful expression. They'd...both kind of fucked up. First, by fucking in their closet while they were supposed to be caring for their friend, then by touching on a point Kokichi knew was sore, and then by physically holding Shuuichi down and taking away another choice...

...they kind of really sucked at this. But...now they had painful reminders to do better in the future. For Shuuichi's sake, they needed to be better.

Shifting as quietly as he could, Kokichi pressed his nose against Kaito's arm then smushed his face against it even more, tired and frustrated and guilty over the morning already.

Kaito closed his eyes and sighed again as Kokichi tried to take blame for it...but, no. Kaito had gotten frustrated. He shouldn't have tried to manhandle Shuuichi like that. He had been worried the guy was gonna hurt himself, but...Shuuichi hadn't actually done anything right then other than yell at them. And, like...you probably shouldn't physically restrain someone just because they're yelling. It's the sort of thing that would have made Kaito furious if he had seen someone do it to Kokichi...or, hell, just someone who wasn't himself or Maki doing it to Shuuichi. He guessed Hajime now, too, since the guy had dragged Shuuichi downstairs and Kaito's concern for that had been...less about it being Hajime and more just the fact that he had lost Shuuichi.

Seeing Kokichi (Atua bless him, the little guy was clearly trying so fucking hard to keep it together) try to softly brain himself against Kaito's biceps, Kaito, careful not to jostle Shuuichi (whose cries were becoming quieter, his breathing evening out into a slower tempo with each sobbing breath), put his arm around Kokichi's shoulders, drawing him in.

Noting Kokichi's half-finished plate, he whispered to his husband, "Did you eat enough?"

Kokichi nodded a bit before glancing over Kaito's chest to where the lump that was Shuuichi was. In just as quiet a whisper, he squished his cheek against Kaito's shoulder as he replied. "Not that hungry."

Despite what his appetite had been like lately, Kokichi had always found it difficult to have much enthusiasm for food when he was upset. Whether it was his father just being a general jerk, or if something actually horrible was going on, he just...never felt very hungry. Just wanted to sleep or work instead.

Though Shuuichi sounded like he was falling asleep, it was probably still a horrible idea to talk about what had happened, but...

"...you okay?" Kokichi whispered, glancing down and nudging his knee against Kaito's thigh.

Kaito raised an eyebrow, not sure what Kokichi was referring to for a moment...before glancing down towards his bottom half and just rolling his eyes, shaking his head in a 'don't even worry about it' fashion.

Whispering back, he said, "Fine...'m sorry 'bout all that, by the way...I should have never carried you in there. I was being...I didn't mean to hurt either of you...I was being selfish and dumb...are you hurt?"

Kokichi sighed softly. It was a dumb thing...but it was something they decided together. ...but that was something to maybe insist upon another time when they weren't right next to a fitfully maybe sleeping friend.

Pressing his lips to Kaito's chest, Kokichi shook his head, assuring his husband first and foremost. His ass was a little tender but...Kaito had taken the time to prepare him. And had done a damn good job. Blushing a little, Kokichi looked to the side as he whispered, "It felt good."

Physically, the entire time, even when Kaito pulled out in a hurry. Emotionally...knowing how awful the whole thing had been to Shuuichi definitely made Kokichi feel bad, but he still loved Kaito. Loved how he treated him, always making sure that he was comfortable.

(...almost always...)

Kaito nodded, a little relieved at this. He had been trying so hard to not, at least, physically hurt Kokichi throughout that. He was so small, and Kaito was so big on top of him, inside of him...there were a thousand different ways Kaito could accidentally seriously hurt his husband during sex...and he had already done too many of them.

He kept pushing at those boundaries, being too forceful, too insistent, even when he kept telling himself over and over he was gonna let Kokichi take the lead from now on...he had fucking picked him up and closed the door behind them...fucked his recovering husband into the literal, actual ground...while his best friend slept right outside, counting on them to watch over him...

...Kaito needed to give that conditioning idea more serious thought...

But those were thoughts for later. If he dwelled on that too long right now, he couldn't...he had promised Shuuichi he was going to be better. Think through this whole thing more. Be the prince Shuuichi and Maki and his husband were supposed to be able to count on. He couldn't keep...buckling down and falling apart on them, just because he was frightened and overwhelmed about all the changes happening to the people around him. He had to be strong! Decisive! Like Byakuya!

...yeah, like...yeah...

Finding the thought uncomfortable, and finding that realization that the thought was uncomfortable, uncomfortable, Kaito closed his eyes and banished it to the same nether realm that all the 'no-no' thoughts went, leaning down and kissing the top of Kokichi's head as he whispered, "Okay...but let's...let's take it easy, for a while, okay? Big day coming up. I don't wanna ruin that for you by fucking up your hips. I want my 'Kichi to learn how to ride a horse. And I want you to be able to see all the cool things you want to see...want you to be safe kicking through a wave in the ocean. We gotta keep you healthy, babe. There are too many cool things coming up for you to do to get reckless now."

Nuzzling Kaito's arm a bit more, Kokichi just raised an eyebrow. Other than the first time, which had probably been more the aphrodisiac than anything Kaito did, Kaito had never put Kokichi in bed from fucking him. He'd had a limp a couple times but...that was nothing. Something he could maneuver around, and they'd still started to take extra precaution for that too! Making sure that Kokichi was stretched and prepared before Kaito entered him.

...but...maybe this was the way Kaito wanted to express all the other...baggage that came along so often when they fucked. The guilt and doubt and fear and-

Fear?

Kokichi blinked at his thoughts, not sure where that came from...except he did. Sure, he was always scared that Kaito would find him lacking, unsatisfying...but..."fear" meant...

...he had been afraid when he'd woken up that night. Afraid that he was so lacking that Kaito just had to take what he wanted. Afraid that his husband saw him as nothing more than a sex toy. Afraid that he couldn't breathe. ...afraid of what else Kaito might've done to him while Kokichi was sleeping.

...afraid that...if he hadn't said yes then...Kaito would've just taken him more forcefully...

...that feeling wasn't fair. Kaito had assured him over and over that he loved him, was so gentle and loving, always wanted to respect Kokichi's boundaries.

So why had he raped him?!?

But none of that was fair to put on Kaito. So Kokichi just smiled softly. "I'm excited...but mostly to have fun with everyone else too. Fun is best when you share it with others."

Kaito nodded at this, pressing firm little soothing pressure points into Kokichi's shoulder and lower neck, since his hand was there anyway, taking out some of the tension there that this morning had brought on as he said, "Well, we certainly have an...interesting group to share it with. I don't really know Katsuki that well, but the few days we had traveled back here together had been...um...she's..."

Kaito didn't know a kind way of saying 'weird as fuck', so...he moved on. "Well, I'm sure it'll be interesting to travel with her again. And Seiko should be fun! I get the feeling from her that she doesn't socialize a lot, so we'll have to coax her out of that shell, but I get the feeling there's a really cool person under all that flustered professionalism...and I'm gonna wrestle Hajime," he vowed, eyes totally serious as he said, still quiet, trying not to disturb Shuuichi among his rambling, "he carried a thrashing Shuuichi all the way downstairs, and when I saw him later, he didn't even look winded. I am so gonna wrestle him."

Sighing into his husband’s hair, holding him closer, he said, "And Maki's always a good time...Shuuichi..."

He didn't know what to say about Shuuichi. There was an unacknowledged time limit hanging over the blue haired man's head, when it came to this trip. He was emotionally unstable, apparently physically had to get off regularly under the effects of the pollen, and the person who could guarantee that he safely did that every day was...not invited. And he was suicidal. And he was almost impossible to control, even in the safety and privacy of the princes' own bedroom.

The Shuuichi that Kaito had seen this morning, the version yesterday...wasn't going to be able to handle going on a week long trip. Something had to change before then, or...decisions had to be made about that. Decisions Kaito didn't even really want to consider.

"...we'll figure out something with Shuuichi. There has to be a way to make this trip work with him."

Even though half their group was there for protection...Kokichi still enjoyed their company. Giggling softly, Kokichi closed his eyes, enjoying the sort of massage Kaito was giving him. "Katsuki-chan's fun. And her being there will give Maki-chan some peace of mind, so Maki-chan will be able to relax more."

"Hajime-chan is under no obligation to indulge you, but if you manage to convince him...I wanna watch," Kokichi snickered before sighing softly, both at Kaito poking at one of the knots in his shoulder, and at Dr. Kimura spending any time on the trip as more than a supervisor. "...maybe I'll actually gather the courage to thank her properly..."

If she had any time where she wasn't desperately trying to help Shuuichi. If Shuuichi would be able to handle the trip at all.

Kokichi really wanted this vacation. For his first time leaving the city, and for all of the reasons that Maki had explained before. But...if Shuuichi really wouldn't be able to handle it... Like, there was no way they'd leave him behind. A vacation could wait.

...even if... "...I hope Tim will have fun too. I hope school will be good for him, but...it might help if he can get any sort of idea of Dicea that isn't the castle before then."

Kaito winced. Right! Tim. Fuck he...kept forgetting about the kid. He really, really needed to make more of an effort there. Kaito hadn't intended to leave the Luminary Drummer Boy as strictly Maki's responsibility to mentor, but Kaito had literally done nothing in pursuit of that goal at all yet. He hadn't even properly met this famous 'puppy' he had heard so much about, beyond seeing it for a moment. Though, at least Maki was keeping him updated on what was going on with the assassin-in-training...

"I heard he's made a friend? Or, the way Maki puts it, apparently some little girl has become mildly obsessed with him. She comes to the castle every day to ask him if he wants to hang out, and I guess, so far, he has been? So...would it be kinda dumb to pick a school entirely based on just where his one friend so far is going? Because me and Maki were talking about kinda doing exactly that. She says he doesn't seem as enthusiastic about their playdates as this Cali kid does, but he doesn't send her away either, so...that's still, like, a really good sign, right? Knowing at least one person kinda puts him in a way better spot than we were hoping he'd be in."

"Though, Maki's a little worried about her parent situation..."

Right... Kokichi had only seen Chase and Cali briefly when Kaito carried him back inside after their nap in the courtyard. It was awesome that Tim had found friends! Or, at least a lovable responsibility and someone who enjoyed being around him. It could still be the start of a friendship.

"Hmm... We could ask Cali what school she goes to and check it out. If it seems like the kind of place Tim would do well in, then I think it'd be a good idea, just so he's not totally alone... We could ask him what he thinks about it, going to the same school as her." If he specifically didn't want to go to the same school as Cali, then that would be important to know.

Blinking up at Kaito for a moment, Kokichi sighed, remembering that update he'd heard from Maki. "Oh...her mom is part of the militia, right? That...yeah." Considering some of the front line fighters were coming back to the castle, Tim wouldn't be able to avoid every veteran, but...it was probably different with the personal connection. His friend's mom.

"...Haneda-chan's been watching over their playdates, and she won't let anything happen to Tim," Kokichi muttered with conviction. "But...maybe one of us should stick around him after the veterans return. If Cali talks about the war or her mom comes by..."

"Yeaaaaah," Kaito said with a small yawn, feeling comfortable and cozy with Kokichi pressed against him in bed, Shuuichi safely...probably asleep on the other side. At least Kaito couldn't hear crying anymore, anyway. He'd check on him in a minute. "Myself and the others are all absolutely hiding in Maki's room for a little while when they all get back, 'Kichi. Just...giving everyone some breathing space. Don't want to cause any problems. After that breathing period is done though? ...I don't know." Kaito shrugged. "We'll play it by ear, I guess."

"Living with the non-fighting part of the enemy hasn't been bad so far. That's a good sign, right? You all are ...maybe a little tough to get my head around, but...relentlessly nice, in your own ideas of what that means..." Kaito pointed out, half reasoning to himself why he shouldn't be low-key terrified of the near future. "Obviously I've never tried to sit down and have a talk with a Dicean fighter before, but...well, honestly I've never met a Dicean fighter, period. Was never on a battlefield, or, not an active one, anyway."

"We met a few veterans on our travels here, but that was mostly handled by the secretaries and the guards. Some of them were...angry, but, knowing how different our cultures are, we probably didn't help that just by, ya know...being us. For our small group here, though, only Maki and Tim have ever had any actual, one on one experience with Dicean fighters...and Maki doesn't seem...too freaked out by the idea of them coming back. Maybe they're not the types to hold a grudge?"

Kokichi knew it wasn't fair to those who had been on a battlefield, but...he was endlessly thankful that Kaito had never been on one. That the peace talks had started before Kaito finished his degree and would be enlisted in the Luminary military. That he wouldn't have to reconcile his new husband having personally hurt his people.

...even if he still had to reconcile his dad and childhood caretakers having hurt Kaito's people.

Kokichi blinked in surprise at hearing that Maki had encountered fighters but... He just sighed and nestled in Kaito's shoulder. "I don't know... Even among people who hadn't volunteered...there are still a lot of people who are angry at Luminary. I would hope they wouldn't take it out on Luminous people but...people don't always react in the most reasonable ways..."

"And, for the people coming back that I know personally..." He closed his eyes again, feeling those familiar nerves in his stomach. "...it's been a long time since I've seen them. I don't know how they've changed...how war has changed them..."

Kokichi shifted, wrapping his arms around Kaito's waist, feeling worried and protective. "...I just hope they'll like you guys."

"I'm sure...for the most part, they'll follow your and King Aiichi's lead. Especially the ones devoted to you personally." Kaito hugged Kokichi back. "And I'm gonna do my damn best to make a good impression on your dad. Don't want him telling me I can't date his kid anymore."

Feeling actually fairly confident in that first thought, Kaito decided to explore it more, again, mostly for his own reasoning and comfort. "People look to their leaders a lot, when they're trying to gauge how to react to stuff, right? I think that's a reasonable assumption to make. And, if King Aiichi has any specifically anti-Luminary feelings, he hasn't expressed it to me or the others, as far as I'm aware. So people will notice that. And you..."

"You love us," Kaito said with a smile, kissing Kokichi on the top of his head, genuinely comforted by the thought. "People will look at you and how well you treat your Luminary-Diceans and will think to themselves, okay...that's how we treat those kinds of people. We'll take their lead. That's half the point of leaders, right?"

"I...maybe haven't been the best influence on Tim when it comes to trusting Diceans, thinking about it. I've been telling him to be patient and stuff, to try to understand you guys, but...there's no doubt he's seen how frustrated and closed off I get. No doubt Maki and Shuuichi have been better influences in that regard, but...I really gotta try to be better with that. Sorry, 'Kichi."

That was the hope. Just as Aiichi had never forced anyone into the war, he made sure to make the point that it wasn't Luminous people that were the problem. It was the government policies, and people got swept up in those decisions. Though...Kokichi knew now it was the people in the government itself too. There were good reasons to dislike certain people for what they'd done in Luminary, but for the average person? He really hoped that Diceans took that knowledge to heart.

Kokichi flushed a bit but gave Kaito a little nuzzle--he did love Kaito, and he'd come to care deeply for Maki and Shuuichi, and Tim to a point. At the very least, he cared about Tim as he cared for any Dicean--someone he was sworn to protect, someone whose happiness he wanted to allow to flourish. And the fact that the kid was a trickster just grew Kokichi's fondness.

"He'll come around," Kokichi murmured, giving Kaito a squeeze. "Just like you. I worry, but no one's asking you guys to adapt in a month, let alone one as crazy as this has been. You'll get more comfortable day by day, and eventually...I hope this place will start feeling like a home. It'll just take time."

No rushing. This was something worth doing right.

-

Susan was, sort of...not allowed to do laundry duty anymore, according to their shift supervisor, Hajime Hinata. This was an unofficial order to his housekeeping shift team, as while he strongly suspected that Susan was regularly stealing the castle towels, along with being an insufferable gossip and kind of a bitch, he couldn't actually prove it. Towels were going missing on her shift, yes, but so long as she denied having anything to do with it and his accusations were purely circumstantial, no one wanted to actually, officially accuse her of theft. So, instead, they were simply starting to just take her off of laundry duty.

But, Hajime was going on vacation soon. Or, at least, was taking some sort of trip with Prince Kokichi and his Luminary posse. So, while Susan wasn't technically supposed to be on laundry duty, the shift being short one person, and that person being the one who cared the most about the theft of the towels, all quietly led to Susan being put back on the laundry shift rotation.

...which worked out really well for Susan, since she had been running a little low on towels.

She wasn't actually stealing them. That was the thing. Susan was guilty of quite a number of crimes, but towel theft wasn't among them. The towels never left the castle. She just...took the towels to rooms and areas she was responsible for cleaning, found cracks and spaces that were highly unlikely to be explored by other people, such as behind dressers and in the back of top shelf space, and she put down two items to leave there for a few weeks.

A towel, to use as a nest, and wood shavings.

That was what was needed to summon a Kobold.

Oh, sure, the myth was that the Kobolds put the wood shavings down themselves to see if the home would actually need a Kobold, if the humans were messy enough to leave them behind, but that was just propaganda witches came up with during the worst of the 'burning trials' era, to keep eyes off them and their extremely convenient way of keeping their homes clean. It didn't even make any sense, when you thought about it for more than a moment. Why would a Kobold want to live with a messy human? The whole reason they cleaned so obsessively was because they wanted to live in clean spaces, and clean humans would make that easier. Honestly, to think that the Kobolds were looking for humans to take care of was such silly human elitism… Susan was quite happy to be above all that, really. She barely remembered her human days now, all these years later, and never missed them.

But! Just because she wasn't human, didn't mean it wasn't convenient to live in their society and use their currencies. And even basically immortal beings had to make a living. Though she really, really hated dusting and the smell of metal polish.

So, Susan, the kind of brilliant but extremely lazy vampire, continued taking towels to replace the ruined towels the Kobolds nested in, leaving wood chippings, the fresh wood scent extremely alluring to Kobolds looking for new homes, so that the neat-freak creatures could continue to deep clean the rooms that Susan was responsible for.

And if Mr. Hinata wanted to keep poking into her business? Well...Susan didn't have to drink from humans.

But they did taste very good.

-

"I still don't think I should even be here."

"Dudette, like...nooone of us should be here. Getting dragged into totes shitty death games ain't usually what happens when you date a dude, ya get me?"

"The way I've heard it, this is actually the second time you've very nearly died for the crime of dating one Kaito Momota," Korekiyo pointed out to his two new acquaintances, Chad and Komaru, the three having sort of by chance grouped together when everyone felt inclined to go their own separate ways in exploring the closed up and confined castle. "I've heard that particular story two different ways though. One paints you as a hapless victim of circumstance. The other...a bit monstrous," the masked man said with a snicker, though his eyes seemed to narrow inquisitively, a hint of suspicion in him.

"Duuuuuuuuude, could we not? Get into that?" Chad groaned, rolling his eyes and running a hand through his hair as he said, "That fucking psycho Byakuya tried to cut my head off for that shit. Not sure what my boy Kaito said to him to get him off my back, but shit, dude, they already had me kneeling with the sword raised before those excitable fucks got their shit together. The whole thing was such a misunderstanding, fuuuuuck. Me and Kaito were tight, I don't give a shit what's spreading 'round the rumor-mill."

"Guys!? Could we focus!? Death game, remember?" Komaru said, fretting as she held onto her megaphone. It wasn't originally her megaphone--one of the mechanical bears had dropped it when it exploded, and she had picked it up just because it landed near her, but it was quickly becoming a comfort item for her. She held onto it like it was a weapon as she said urgently to the others, "Look, some of these people are crazy, okay? You ever tried to reason with nobles before? They're nuts! And some of these people I recognize as being from, like, top families, you know? The kind of people who could totally justify to themselves killing all of us to escape on their own."

"You suggest that we align ourselves together as commoners?" Korekiyo snickered. "Then certainly we should be offering this to Rawr and Monique, as well? They don't belong to any noble families."

"Those two are rich as fuck though. You can tell. I got a thing for shoes, and the kind they’re both wearing are hundreds of dollars, and they're running around in them like they don't give a shit if they scuff or not," Chad said, though not with any resentment. If anything, he sounded like he found the idea of treating extremely expensive shoes roughly as an amusing character quirk more than anything envy inducing or offensive. "And those prosthetics Rawr has? Duuude, that shit’s got to cost a pretty penny, right? That shit looks fucking dope as fuck, my dudes."

"They do seem rich. Rich people can be worse than nobles, honestly." Komaru sighed, rubbing her temples. "I date one high class person. Just one! For a week! And now I'm in a death game for it. This is why you don't mix the classes!"

"I don't think this is the usual consequence for just dating someone above your station, as Chad already pointed out. This is...extremely unique. A fascinating human experiment, really...I wonder who will end up being the first to try to sacrifice us all in the name of their own life and freedom. I wonder how they will try to justify it to themselves..."

"You don't think any of these dude-bros would actually go for the win, do you? That's a loooot of blood on your hands just to get out of an otherwise pretty lit living situation. This castle ain't exactly hell on earth, ya know? They got a pool and everything!" Chad said with a laugh, looking entirely at ease as he added on as an afterthought, "Besides, we just gotta be patient. We ain't here forever. We're all close with the second son of the Momota family. I wouldn't be surprised if our dude hasn't already reached out to people to look for us. We stay patient, we don't make any rash choices...shit, dudes, I bet we're rescued within the month."

"A month!? I can't stay here a month! I have finals in a few weeks!" Komaru groaned.

"Are you willing to kill people to make it to your final exams?" Koreikyo asked, snickering at Komaru's offended look. "Then Chad here likely has the right idea. Patience and persistence are the virtues of choice here. Hopefully..." the masked man looked down the long halls, where he saw two other contestants talking quietly and urgently together, stealing glances down at them, "The others will come to the same conclusions..."

-

"Haa...haaa-AA...h-harder Tom! Right there, oh, right there, please!"

Itch rolled his eyes as he heard Aba cry out and moan as his brother tried to satisfy her again...but the girl was impossible to satisfy lately. Ever since they had gotten to their hideout, she had been entirely insatiable, constantly trying to lure and coerce either Itch or Tom to sleep with her. Getting her off didn't help the situation much--she just always started coming around again in a few hours, draping herself over them at first, just trying to entice, and then trying to pick fights if they weren't in the mood.

The crazy thing was, she wasn't taking the pollen anymore. They had lost access to their supply when they had lost access to the brewery, Aba only managing to drink a bottle she had been keeping at home when they had gone to go pack up some of her things for the run. She hadn't had any since that bottle...but now it was almost like she was on it all the time.

Which was, in its own ways, a blessing. Tom and Itch were absolutely the kind of guys who could find some genuine stress relief nutting inside a woman who wanted to be hit, choked, and cut and would thank them for it. And fucking everything was stressful now.

It had all fallen apart. Maki had come and raised hellfire on them, and by the time the trio had snuck back to the brewery to see the damage, Dicean officials were doing inspections on the place, and that was when Itch knew they were done.

Monokuma had vanished. The brewery was a failed project. Itch didn't know of any other ROD members in the area that would be willing to take in the three, hide them from...well, Itch had to assume the law was looking for them by this point. Sex rave parties was below local law enforcement’s notice, but they had made a mistake with the detective. Too many mistakes with him, really. No one else seemed to care what the trio were doing at the brewery, not that they ever found out about, but Maki? Itch should have fucking guessed she'd show up if they took one of her people...it was just the kind of person she's always been.

...it had been scary to see her like that. As Itch stretched his shoulder experimentally, wincing at the shock of pain, he couldn't help but be disappointed that she...hadn't recognized him. Or, he hoped she hadn't. He hated to think she would have still done that, knowing who he was. She had always been so kind to them as kids...for her to try to kill him? After being such a...well, the closest thing he had to a maternal figure in his childhood, really...

Life was just fucked up sometimes.

"Turn around, Aba...ha...f-fuck...one more cut for your back. We're up to five now...I can't believe you're not full yet..."

"F-fill me, fill me, please, please, Tom, I need it, pl-AHH! Ah...ahhhh...w-wait! Where you going!?"

"Oh, for fuck’s sake...Itch? I'm spent, man, could you take her?"

"Aba, just fucking lie there and be horny for awhile, chick, you're clearly not gonna feel better any time soon. Just get used to it. I'm trying to fucking think right now." Itch growled, rubbing his temples. "We could...we could go to Danganronpa. Join the movement there..."

"Didn't Monokuma say they'd just use us as sacrifices unless we brought something good with us?" Tom said, not at all aware that he was currently resting his dick inside one of the things RoD would be quite cheerful to get their hands on, if it was offered to them. Aba had come along quite nicely, and it looked like she’d be able to survive, considering she hadn't killed herself yet with no one watching her at all. "Gotta get something, dude. Otherwise we're just taking a long ass trip to our own executions."

"Fuck...fuck...fucking the prince's chronic illness bullshit...we'd be fucking legendary if we got him in on it. They'd treat us like damn kings ourselves..."

"T-tom, please..." Aba moaned, reaching up to him with shaking hands, her back bleeding against the floor. "One more tim-mmff!"

Tom knocked her hand away, putting his own hand over her mouth, though he still didn't pull out of her. He'd go again if he could get it up, but maaaan...Aba had way more stamina than he did right now. Crazy... also, her blood had turned pink. So that was pretty weird. "Bro...you're not addicted to this pollen shit, and you're in the movement. It's stupid, but, I don't have any reason to believe Prince Kokichi is smart, so..." Tom shrugged. "Why don't you just try to pitch it to him the old fashioned way? Humanity sucks, everyone’s unhappy, let's just kill everyone in a big old mercy kill. What about that isn't appealing to anyone not crazy on this stuff," Tom said, rolling his eyes.

Itch glared at his brother, annoyed at his teasing. It didn't matter how addicted to the pollen Tom got. Its influence on him seemed slow and minimal, at best, and he treated the movement like it was a big joke...but he had a point. A point that Tom has brought up before. You didn't have to be addicted to believe...Itch was proof of that.

Maybe he could just...talk to him?

...feeling a little better, Itch looked over at Aba, who was still fruitlessly trying to get Tom's attention again, and sighed, standing up. "...Alright, Tom, get out of the way. Aba, girl, you better be grateful. I wouldn't be wasting my time with all this begging and whining if you were anyone else. Get on your knees, time to put the work in..."

-

Despite everything, it was nice to just cuddle and whisper to each other. Spend quality time talking about, yeah, some important things, but also nonsense. Kokichi talking about the request he'd sent in for armor stands so Kaito could actually set up his armor rather than have the boxes just sit in the corner of their room. Asking about more school stories.

Eventually Kaito drifted off and, surprisingly, Kokichi didn't. He was warm and comfortable, which was usually the perfect recipe for sleep but...he just didn't. Maybe his body was getting fed up over being stuck in bed all the time too. He could get a book to while away the time, there was no way he was just gonna leave Kaito and Shuuichi to sleep without anyone else around, but...

Kokichi glanced to his writing supplies, the sealed letter to Queen Junko still sitting on top. He...hadn't exactly been able to ask Hajime to take it down... Covering his face in mortification for a moment, Kokichi took a breath and untangled himself from Kaito just enough to gather his supplies, sitting up just enough to write.

Dear Lady Kaede Momota,

...that was her title, right? Hopefully she wasn't super anal about it...

While the Dicean government has sent our official condolences, I wanted to send my own personal ones. Kai-chan has portrayed you in nothing but affection and positivity, and I have been meaning to write to you for a bit, at least to thank you for the kind congratulations on our marriage--I only wish I had done so sooner so my sympathy for you and your family would be more personal.

I would understand and forego any sort of grudge over the matter, considering what's happened, but I was hoping to correspond with you more often going forward in the future. Maki-chan and Shuu-chan too have painted quite a flattering picture of you, and knowing that someone like you is so involved with your nation's matters gives me a bright vision of our respective homes' interactions. So, if you would choose to indulge me, I would hope to get to know you more.

That seemed...reasonable and innocent enough. Nothing that an outsider would consider suspicious...he hoped. But while it was a cover...it still seemed rather impersonal. Kokichi looked over his sleeping boys before lifting his pen again.

If you are interested, I'll be writing some of the more relevant happenings over here.

We've been rather busy lately, since Kai-chan and I have been planning to do a sort of honeymoon trip to the Dicean coast--we're leaving in two days from the time I'm writing this letter, and will likely already be on the way back, if not home already by the time it reaches you. I don't know if Kai-chan talked about it in his letter to you, but our original plan of visiting the Danganronpan Kingdom has been indefinitely postponed due to the general unrest lately in the area. I do hope to see it one day, as I do Luminary.

Maki-chan's mentee, Timothy, has recently gotten a puppy--an adorable black lab he named Chase. Maki-chan wasn't exactly thrilled, but Tim has been taking the responsibility of looking after the dog quite seriously. I doubt she'll ever tell anyone if she is, but I think she's proud of him for it.

Unfortunately, Shuu-chan has fallen ill within the last week. He's doing a lot better now, but we're still seeing things day by day to see if we should postpone the trip. The best healer in the city has been attending to him, so his full recovery should be well on its way!

Again, I'm sorry for all that's happened, and I hope for a brighter future coming up for you and yours,

Dicean Heir Apparent Kokichi Momota Ouma

Carefully getting out of bed, Kokichi tracked down someone nearby to take his letters to the mailroom before slipping back in beside his husband, hoping upon hope that he'd be able to talk with Kaede…

-

Maki was currently sitting on the doctor's counter, cross-legged, pitching to the doctor, "Okay, it's a fungus, yes? So...pesticides. We just take a needle full of pesticides, inject it into his bloodstream, and, like, plant poison doesn't hurt people, right? It'll ignore all the healthy, human stuff in him, and just, boom! Target all the fungus! Problem solved!"

Maki looked entirely serious, giving the doctor a long, intense look...before smirking. "That's how science works, right? Poison can totally tell the difference between human organs and fungus and will just target the fungus?"

It was an idea entirely made in jest, and it was the fourth such type of proposal she had made so far. The other possibilities she had brought up were, arguably, more extreme and ridiculous: filling his womb full of cement as a type of birth control. Doing a full body blood transfer to get the fungus out. And, finally, "Keeping him entirely in the dark for, like, two weeks...plants need light to live, right? Wait...do fungus work by those rules?"

Maki was, in her own way, just relieving some stress right now. She planned to head back to the castle as soon as this conversation was done, it being just about noon. She had spent this morning checking on Tim, going and finding a vanity desk largely like the one Kaito had destroyed and paying to have it shipped to the castle by the end of the week (It had been expensive. Kaito was absolutely going to pay her back...but she had figured it was an errand she could get done while she was out here), and now at Dr. Kimura’s to let her know about the new symptoms and offer her own, entirely joking, 'solutions'.

She was just taking a moment, okay? She just needed a moment before she went back.

Hallucinations were...quite the symptom to just show up. But not something Seiko couldn't work around. While she did have to wait and see how Shuuichi reacted to each iteration, she had kept working on the cure, doing her best to improve everything she could think of, running it against tests with the pollen Shuuichi had collected. It...there was a good deal she had managed to do with the amount he'd given her originally, but having more was...paramount to making a cure that wouldn't end up killing him.

Huffing a quiet laugh, Seiko looked up from her work on version number three, giving the young woman an amused look. She'd been worried by some of Maki's suggestions...until she realized they were jokes.

"Well, that's essentially what I'm doing. Targeting the fungus and ignoring his 'healthy human stuff'." With a small smile, Seiko looked back down to her work. She wouldn't risk Shuuichi's health by unnecessarily rushing, but...it would make things easier if she could finish the latest version soon for Maki to take back and give to Shuuichi that evening.

"Though...if I can get the right solution to help with his mood...that might be helping with some of his natural personality," Seiko mused softly. "I would never condone him to keep using this compound after the fungus is out of his system, but... If he chooses that path, there are plenty of options regarding mood stabilizers. Antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication and the like. I'm not sure he'd be very open to trying out new medication after this, though..."

Maki shrugged, saying honestly, "Me and Kaito would probably argue more about new medicines than he would. Shuuichi used to be very, sort of...like, a little passive...well, no, maybe just in comparison to me and Kaito he's passive. He's actually really not. Not being able to maintain eye contact with people isn't the same as being a doormat. He can argue with the best of them, he just...picks his battles more carefully than the rest of us. Like, for instance, his hat? Don't make fun of the hat. Shuuichi would go to war over that hat."

Maki started running her hands through her hair, feeling talkative, again, just trying to kill a little time before she went back and had to continue being, well...herself. "Maybe it's just because his training is to spot tricks and lies and evidence of crimes, but he seems to feel more comfortable being less paranoid than me and Kaito. Well, paranoid is maybe the wrong word for Kaito...his version of trust is based way less on evidence and more 'initial gut instincts' that he goes waaaay too all in on...I mean, you've seen it for yourself...anyway, all that to say so long as he believed you weren't out to hurt him, I think he would take your advice on medicine."

"I mean, that's how I'd guess he would have acted before all this. Now? Who knows..." She stared up at the ceiling for a moment, just a little lost as she tried to imagine how this new version of Shuuichi would react to anything...and just coming up blank. "Taking care of people is exhausting...oh, that's right. Not to put anything more on your plate, this isn't urgent or anything. But do you have any medicine for stomach aches that I could buy off you? Prince Kokichi apparently had a pretty rough one the other day, and I decided, if he's prone to them or something, maybe I'd take some medicine for it with us on the trip, or at least just keep some in my room from now on."

It was somewhere between interesting and sad, hearing about how Shuuichi used to be. Seiko hadn't been as thorough reading through Shuuichi's journal as Nao had been, more focused on just reading his notes on the pollen, but...he really was so clever and caring. It just made her want to work even harder to help him get rid of the fungus. The changes to his body likely would only be reversed through surgery or a concerted effort towards weight loss if he so chose, but, compared to his mind? If she could give the young man his mind back...

With a soft sigh, Seiko nodded a bit to Maki's explanation of Prince Kaito's trust. He was...overwhelming, but she would never think to lead him astray on purpose. Or any of her patients. She would only hope to prove worthy of the great amount of trust the prince and the others in the castle placed in her.

And providing aid for stomach aches was definitely something she could do.

"Ah, yes. I have a medicine for just stomach aches in general, so...i-if you don't know if anything in particular caused it, then I can give you a generic pack. Those usually run for five copper...i-if that works. I can ask Prince Kokichi about it in more detail later, and if he has a specific reaction to something, I'll swap out the medicine for you. Or..." Seiko furrowed her brow a little, leaning down into her work a little more, focused. "You can hold on to the generics, use them as you need...a-and if Prince Kokichi needs something in particular, it'll go into his care plan...so you won't have to buy any..."

Maki watched the woman work, a little...envious, honestly.

"I'll buy the generics for now, and yeah, if he needs something more complicated when you talk to him, I'll just hold onto those in case anyone else ever needs it. Can't hurt to just have it around, right..." Trying to keep the same casual tone as she had had this whole conversation, still watching the woman, fascinated, she asked, "...was it hard? Learning all of this stuff?"

Being trained to be a doctor, to heal people, was, as far as Maki understood, a complicated, extremely useful skill and...it wasn't something that Indentureds could do. It was always a bad idea to give extremely important jobs like that to people who couldn't actually make intelligent and creative choices for themselves, and if they could, would probably choose to kill you with it. She didn't really understand what the doctor was physically doing right now, but...there was a focused sort of intelligence in her gaze that was enviable...

Leaning on her knees, she continued on, "I mean, you went to some sort of school for all of this, yes? I don't know the details, but I've heard things like that take awhile. You must have had a lot of commitment, to get this far in it."

That was the reason Seiko tended to carry around all sorts of medicines herself. Painkillers, things for headaches, things to aid periods, including extra pads...of which she'd probably need to bring extra for Shuuichi...

"A-ah?" Seiko looked up in surprise, taking a moment to register the change in subject. "Well...it was a lot of work...and it took a long time, but..."

Seiko offered Maki a shy smile. "I've known for so long that I wanted to study medicine, so...no matter how difficult some of the work was, I was always excited to do it. In Dicea, our schools provide specialized learning--if you're interested in a certain subject, as much of your basic education as possible is taught through that lens, and you can start learning what you're truly interested in early on. So...I started my medical education quite young."

"Then, when I graduated high school, I went to the university in the city through my undergrad and then studied with my professors through my masters and doctorate... I...actually was granted my doctorate through my work on developing Prince Kokichi's medicine..." Her expression fell a little, both as what happened through that time of her life and her dissatisfaction with the medicine. She could surely make it better...

After a pause, she looked back up to Maki. "Medicine has...pretty much been my whole life."

Maki listened to this, feeling another flash of...envy. Which was foolish. It didn't do to dwell on things other people had. She had listened to dozens of conversations with other Indentureds, in the privacy of their own spaces and usually a few drinks inside of them, viciously mocking the temperament and decrying the wealth and opportunity of the citizens who surrounded them. That was fine enough on its own, cathartic, even, but then that talk always ended up turning against other Indentureds, furious at the favoritism of some over others, envious over the ease or benefits of the careers assigned to some and not others and--

It was a poison, envy. A terrible habit, and not a particular useful one. It didn't inspire action, or courage. All of those people who whined bitterly to her had turned their eyes away, afraid, when she had started bringing up ideas of actual attempts at change...cowardice, she had found, often being the close cousin of envy.

Vengeance, now?

Vengeance was much more useful.

So she shook away that envy inside of her, and if there were any hurt feelings inside of her at all, she would turn it into vengeance towards Luminary, for a lifetime of choices that had been denied to her. But to the doctor...she just nodded. "It's good to be passionate about your work. Prince Kokichi is lucky to have someone so dedicated."

Hopping off the counter, she shifted her shoulders, taking a creak out of them as she said, "I apologize, I've lingered in your store and distracted you enough. I should be getting back to the boys. Hopefully the morning went by smoothly enough...don't leave your work, I'll just pick up that stomach medicine when I come to check on the medicine update tonight. Would you like me to bring anything when I come back? Any information you need, supplies?"

Seiko's gaze drifted to the ground, the mix of pride and regret forming an odd feeling...but the pride was stronger than it had been in a long time. Giving her head a shake, she gave Maki a grateful smile. "Thank you, Miss Maki, and you've been far from a distraction--your company has been quite pleasant! If Shuuichi has any new symptoms, I'd appreciate knowing, but other than that...there's nothing I can't r-really think of..."

She had everything she needed to work on the antifungal medicine in her lab, and she'd received a preliminary stipend from the castle, providing the projected loss of revenue from being closed for a week, as well as personal payment from Aiichi for her services looking after the princes and the rest of their party. She did still have to pack, but...that was a later issue.

Carefully placing down the pipet she was working with, Seiko gave Maki a wave and a nod of her head. "Thank you for your time this morning--I will see you tonight, Miss Maki."

Maki nodded back in kind, and was off.

It was good to take a break sometimes. Going non-stop, trying to wrangle all the problems around her constantly...it was a nice goal, but an impossible reality. Sometimes you just needed to stop and breathe in the moments that you could. And there was no actual danger to leaving the princes and Shuuichi alone for a few hours. So long as all three of them were watching out for each other, what possible trouble could they find themselves in?

So she didn't hurry on her way back, and when she spotted Hajime in the main hall, stopped him with the intentions of asking him to bring lunch up, and-

"Yeah, I kind of figured that already," Hajime had said with a sort of awkward chuckle, giving Maki a borderline, 'yeah? No duh?' look. "Geez, after this morning’s meltdown? No way did I think you all were going to try to come down for lunch. I could barely convince Shuuichi to eat any breakfast to begin with."

Maki's whole body stilled. "...you were trying to feed Shuuichi this morning?" Maki asked. Her tone neutral. Her face calm. "Why...wasn't Kaito doing that though?"

"Uhhhhhh." Hajime wondered if this crazy bitch was about to attack him, as he suddenly felt, just, like...heat?? Radiating off of her. Taking a step back and putting up his hands, he said, "Look, I'm not looking to overstep any boundaries, okay? But I found him alone in the princes' room and didn't think it would be a good idea to leave him there. So I made him come downstairs with me to eat breakfast. I didn't do anything weird to him, okay, I just got him some porridge and tried to keep an eye on him and he freaked out on me...shit, please don't kill me." Hajime took another step back as the heat became an inferno against his skin.

For all the heat radiating off of her though, Maki's face never changed, and she shook her head calmly as she said, "So you found Shuuichi alone and you tried to feed him breakfast...thank you for that." To Hajime's shock, she bowed low to him from the waist, before straightening up. "And where is he now?"

"Back upstairs? Kaito found us and brought him back upstairs. Uh...is everything oka-oh! Okay? Bye?" Hajime said, watching the woman turn around and start walking up the staircase for a moment...and then running up the staircase.

Kaito was sound asleep next to Shuuichi, the two not quite pressed together but close, the detective, just from moving around in his sleep, no longer under the covers. When Maki came into the room, she didn't burst open the door, or kick anything, or yell. She just opened it up and took a quick look around, gauging the situation. Murder radiating off of her as her eyes focused on the sleeping Kaito.

Kokichi had gotten out of bed one more time after he'd returned to it. For one, he had to use the bathroom, and when he came back, he actually remembered to grab a book before climbing back in beside his husband. As much as he wanted to finish the Circleworld book they'd gotten...he sort of wanted to continue it with Kaito? If he'd be interested...

So, ignoring the blush that came to his cheeks, Kokichi started up a high fantasy novel from an author that lived in southern Dicea, the story focusing on the area--a surreal tale of unknown creatures from the sea coming to land and living among the humans. Part of him thought it might've been a metaphor for immigrants who came to Dicea by sea, but it was an engaging read even with the fantasy elements, the struggle of culture shock and strength of community.

He'd just gotten to the part of the creatures and humans having a fishing competition with their respective methods when he heard the door open, looking up at the sound. With a smile, he gave Maki a wave and nodded to the two men at his side, pressing a finger to his lips. Carefully, he set his book aside and got out of bed once more, aiming to join her in the hall.

...hopefully he could ease her rage a little before Kaito and Shuuichi woke up.

She should take him by his stupid, gelled hair and fucking drag him out of here and fucking spar him in the courtyard and-

Maki's eyes involuntarily shifted to Kokichi, drawn partly by his movement and partly by her concern for him as he got out of bed on his own. His movements were slow and unsteady, but he was walking. She watched him carefully, frozen between her rage at Kaito and not wanting to dismiss Kokichi's request of her, she clenched her fists and eventually managed to take a few steps outside the door, allowing Kokichi to walk past her as she gave one last heated look to Kaito before closing the door behind him.

Looking over Kokichi, again, conflicted by her concern for his well-being and her total fury right now, she growled, whole body ready to spring into an assault on the Luminary Prince on the other side of the door, "What...happened...!?"

Kokichi let his smile drop with a sigh, looking appropriately shamed. He didn't want to lie to Maki, not when it concerned Shuuichi's health, but...he couldn't make himself say what he and Kaito did. His shoulders slumping, a blush steadily grew on the small prince's cheeks. "Kai-chan and I were...really dumb..."

"Shuu-chan went to sleep, and I took a bath while Kai-chan watched over him, but...we..." Kokichi's flush ramped up a few shades as he pressed his hands together over his stomach, feeling sick again. Good thing he hadn't eaten more. "...we never left the room. We were in the closet when Hajime-chan came by, but..."

Noooope, nope, nope, can't say it. Kokichi scrunched his eyes together as he steamed in mortification.

Maki twitched, listening to him start his explanation...but little by little, her muscles untensed, partly in understanding the situation more fully now, but also...her frustration a little muted in the face of the prince's clear regret and embarrassment. They were in the closet? At least that didn't mean they had decided to take a stroll or anything absurd like that, but why would they be-

...

Maki smacked her hand over her forehead, genuinely exasperated as she said, "Oh, for fuck’s sake, Kaito!" Shaking her head, she grabbed both ends of her pigtails and pulled them as she said, frustrated, "Next time we spar, I'm kicking him square in the testicles. Gonna have to end up...neutering this man before he gets his fucking libido under control...ugh..."

Still, a lot of the anger was draining out of her now as she said to Kokichi, "At least you guys didn't actually leave him. Being in the closet when Hajime came in sounds like bad timing more than anything... Hajime told me he had found Shuuichi alone and...I don't know. I couldn’t even imagine a scenario where you and Kaito would just leave him?? But I knew whatever the explanation would be wouldn't be good enough...but you didn't leave, so...why are you looking like that?"

Maki considered Kokichi, his face pale, like he was feeling sick. "What's the matter? Do you need to sit down?"

Kokichi straight out had to cover his face as Maki understood, but...it was his fault too. He'd agreed. Enthusiastically. He could've said no when Kaito laid his jacket down, making it clear what he wanted to do, but...Kokichi had wanted it too.

Stupid, stupid, IDIOT!

Making a small, high-pitched distressed sound, Kokichi shook his head still behind his sleeves. "We practically left him! What kind of assholes leave their sleeping friend like that, just to...mmph!"

Kokichi, still unable to say the words, just made a frustrated sound, the guilt from earlier hitting him like a train. "I already apologized to Shuu-chan, I'm going to be better, but...I still feel awful. It was dumb and selfish and I feel sick..."

Maki considered him some more, not quite sure what to do with...open regret? It wasn't something she had seen much of in her lifetime, and she wasn't that good at comforting people to begin with...in any other circumstance, she'd tag Kaito in by this point, tell him to hear the person out and say some stuff to bolster their self esteem, but Kaito was half the problem right now so....

Ugh. They were all so much maintenance.

Shuuichi was asleep with Kaito, so that was probably safe enough. If the detective tried to search the room for his pollen, the noise would no doubt wake Kaito, who wasn't that sound of a sleeper to begin with. Looking around the hallway making certain no one was passing by who could make this whole situation more embarrassing than it was, she sighed, leaned against the closed door, and sat down. "Shut up, sit down, talk to me...don't be a smartass and point out those orders contradict each other. Just sit."

Groaning in embarrassment, Kokichi carefully sank to the ground, feeling...at least a little less dizzy. He knew he was just feeling useless emotions, but...just because emotions were inconvenient never meant you could just stop feeling them. Even for Maki, they were probably still there--she was just better at stifling them.

Bringing his knees into his chest, Kokichi took a few breaths and tried to think of what even to say that wouldn't just make him burn in humiliation. Admitting straight out that they were fucking in his closet would plain out kill him. Really...talking about any of the times he and Kaito had been intimate just made Kokichi feel sick. It was his own issue, he knew, but...

Kokichi swallowed and, ever so quietly, whispered to Maki, "...when you were dating Kai-chan, did you ever feel...bad, after you did stuff?" Surely not. Kaito was so lovely to him as a partner. It was just Kokichi's stupid brain messing everything up...

"All...the time," Maki muttered, gripping one of her pigtails and just...twisting it in her hair. Old hurts coming back to the front of her mind as she grit her teeth. "All the time. For a thousand different reasons."

And, because it's always tempting to talk shit about an ex, even if that ex happens to be one of your lifelong best friends, Maki continued on, "Dating a Momota is always...fucking complicated, and Kaito, unfortunately, doesn't rise above his family in that regard...ugh..." Maki thumped her head ever so lightly against the wood of the door, just pouting as she said, "There's a reason we didn't last. Fuck, there's a reason Kaito could never keep a relationship longer than a few months...it's hard to date a Momota..."

Maki sighed at this, feeling herself wanting to rant, but...she looked over at Kokichi, her eyes suddenly narrowing in inquisition as she asked, "...are you feeling bad?"

Kokichi peeked over at Maki in surprise, not expecting that answer at all. Like...Kaito had told him that he and Maki had already mostly been over each other by the time they dated, but...

He chewed on his lip nervously, hearing that Kaito had never had a relationship last more than a few months. A few months? He knew Kaito'd had a lot of relationships, but...he figured at least some of them were longer lasting? If he'd never had a long term relationship, then...

...would Kaito's assurances that he loved Kokichi one day be a lie?

Kokichi felt like there was a hole in his stomach, a black hole, sucking everything around it into the void. His doubts and fears given a very real possibility to latch onto.

Shrinking into himself, Kokichi shrugged a little, noncommittal, but muttered tentatively into his arms, the corners of his eyes growing a little red. "I love Kai-chan... He treats me really well, and I've never... This is all completely new to me, but he makes it easy."

"...but every time...things go wrong and it just feels like a mistake..."

"Like what?" Maki asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously as she turned to look at Kokichi, "What's going wrong?"

Kokichi opened his mouth...then closed it again. Open...then closed with a shaky breath. Then...

"Well...like now. We left Shuu-chan alone. While he was on sleeping pills and expected people to be there when he woke up... And...everything at the wedding..." Kokichi curled into himself a little more, finding words spilling from his mouth now that he'd said some of them. "Then...while Kai-chan had his concussion...he got so sick after... And...i-it was fine, but he put ice on me once, and...it hurt? And..."

He hid his face again, back shuddering in a sob, his worries bursting out, given an avenue that wouldn't just be hurting the other person who was involved. "The d-day before my attack...he raped me again while I was sleeping..."

...

Okay...where was the danger?

Kaito? No...not at the moment. Maybe later, when Maki was ready to fight him over this, but even then, probably not...

Maki herself? ...no. No, she wasn't in danger, no matter how murderous and on the defensive she felt... though she could potentially be a source of it, if she wasn't careful.

Kokichi?

...if Maki reacted too strongly at this, too violently, dragged Kaito out of bed and beat him until he wept, the real danger in that scenario wasn't to Kaito, who could stop her whenever he wanted, or to Maki, since Kaito wasn't the type to take vengeance on people he had power over, but...the stress and mess of that situation, that scenario, could stress Kokichi's heart out to the point where he was back on the heart monitor again, unable to move. The danger was to Kokichi. There was the danger.

Good. How do we prevent the danger?

...don't overreact. Feel your feelings later. Patience was key. The only physical danger right now was to Kokichi's heart, and maybe his psyche, a little. She had a feeling if she reacted harshly, he wouldn't feel safe coming to talk to her about things like this. So...how do we prevent the danger...

Maki sighed, looked around suspiciously for prying eyes, before putting an arm around Kokichi and pulling him to her side. Resting her temple against his head as she said, quietly, patiently, "It's okay...well, no, it's not, but it's okay that it's not okay. You're not betraying Kaito by hurting from something he did, or admitting that it hurt." She assured him, since by his talk of defending Kaito's kindness early, she had a feeling that Kokichi felt like his husband needed his defense or blind loyalty or some other dumb thing that wouldn't help Kokichi right now. "Talk to me. What happened."

Kokichi warbled something indistinctly, perhaps resembling an, "I don't know!" before he sniffled and curled against Maki's side. "It w-was the middle of the night, a-and I woke up because I c-couldn't breathe. I didn't...I-I didn't know what was going on, but...K-Kai-chan was hard, had his dick in my mouth...in my throat..."

He trembled, the fear of the moment still potent in his memories. "H-he apologized right away and we..."

"..."

"...what happened after the wedding wasn't his fault," Kokichi whispered, the change in subject maybe jarring, but it was the way his mind wanted to explain. "We were both tricked into it... And since then...he's always b-been really sweet and caring, a-and doesn't get annoyed when I don't know what I'm doing, and...he...he seems happy? I was so scared he'd be disgusted by me...or...that he'd get bored of me..."

"And... But...that night, and pretty much every time before...he always stops me when I try to...reciprocate. Holds me down, tells me not to move... I don't mind, but...I want to do something too, you know? I don't want to feel like he's just...using me as a t-toy..." Kokichi scrubbed at his eyes a bit and pulled his legs in tighter, hiding in Maki's arm. "We talked about it, it's fine... I...started crying after, that night. And Kai-chan said that...he'd never felt so powerful around someone before, and it got to him. That's...that's when he put the knife in my hand and did that bow..."

"I know he doesn't want to hurt me ever...I know he trusts me... But..." His voice cracked, and Kokichi peeked out at Maki, a horrible fear in his eyes. "Even if I don't say yes...what if he doesn't stop next time?"

Maki felt herself grit her teeth some more, holding Kokichi closer, fury boiling in her stomach. God...dammit Kaito...fucking dammit...

...don't move?

...fuck... she hoped she was wrong about where he might have learned a fucking habit like that from...

...no. No. There was no reason to assume something like that. Maybe she was just trying to rationalize why someone she loved so much would behave that way to someone who didn't know how to fucking fight him...still. Powerful? And feeling powerful somehow leads to fucking power games in bed and ice, somehow, and fucking his COCK WHERE!???

God dammit

"Then you stab him?" Maki said, the answer seeming...sort of obvious to her, as she furrowed her brow down at Kokichi. "Or you ask me to stab him. I'll stab him. I love stabbing people. It really gets the point across..." she said darkly...before shaking her head, grumbling, "God dammit, Kaito...I cannot believe he would...what a stupid, selfish, evil...fuck I'm so mad at him right now… God I can't wait to spar him...."

Maki looked down at Kokichi, at his worried, frightened gaze...and softened a little. He was looking for actual advice from her. Her anger wouldn't help him in this moment, beyond just...showing she thought it was something to be angry about. That it wasn't acceptable. So she took a gentle thumb and brushed a tear out of the edge of his eye. "Kaito was wrong to do all those things. Him being nice and kind when he's not doing those things doesn't justify it. You're not wrong to be afraid of him, if that's how he wants to treat you when he's feeling 'powerful'," Maki said, rolling her eyes in distaste. "Honestly...I'm so disappointed in him right now..."

Looking back down at Kokichi she...hesitated for only a moment. She had never intended to bring up this suspicion of hers, but...if Kaito was doing things like that, then fuck it. "I know that my 'stab him' comment doesn't really help you. You're not the stabbing kind. So...if you are afraid of Kaito when you're having sex... and even when you’re not...have you worked out yet that you could probably always get him to stop? So long as you don't word it as a request...just by virtue of who you are to him?"

...Kokichi did know that if he was ever in real danger around Kaito, if somehow Kaito wouldn't stop if Kokichi told him to, that there were other options besides lying there and taking it. But...why couldn't Kaito just be better than that? Like how he usually was? Why did he have to...

He flinched, that option filling him with about as much guilt as leaving Shuuichi alone. Kokichi shook his head a little, expression pained and grief-stricken. "...I don't want to be that kind of person to him. To you or Shuu-chan or anyone. I don't want to make anyone do anything; I just want them to be better."

"...it's bad enough that I probably did that to him when he was going to kill Nao... And he thanked me for it...though who knows how genuine that was." Sniffling, Kokichi let go of a shuddering sigh. "...I sent out a letter to Kaede today."

He hated Luminary. Hated how it hurt so many people so badly. Hated that it made him afraid to speak plainly to his husband. But...he'd just started the one thing he might be able to do about it.

Maki's eyes widened, excited by the letter to Kaede. A first step...it would take a long time for the letter to get to her, and for them to receive one back, but...it was a good first step...

"Good. I'm glad..." she murmured...but she couldn't let herself get distracted from this. Kokichi was unwilling to protect himself. That couldn't be left to stand.

"Look...I'd love to just let you vent to me and for that to be the end of this. That the only help you needed from me was to be a listening ear...and I'd love to put my faith in Kaito and assume nothing like that would ever happen to you again. But, if you had asked me before you told me what had happened, I would have argued he'd never do something like that in the first place. Not to someone who couldn't fight back, I mean. So..."

Maki sighed.

...all lessons in Luminary were painful ones.

"Come here," Maki said, reaching over and scooping Kokichi up into her arms, pulling him onto his lap. Her eyes cold. Voice unwavering as she grabbed him by both of his wrists, holding them up into the air between them.

"Ask me to let go of you," she said.

Kokichi made a small confused sound as Maki scooped him up, looking between her face and his wrists with a worried frown before he sighed with all the sadness the entire subject spurred in him. "...I'm not going to take advantage of you guys. And..."

He looked off to the side, ashamed and embarrassed. "...I've never told him to stop, and I've always said yes. I've always given consent...except for when I couldn't, and when I was asleep, but...he's putting effort in too. If...if I want Kaito to stop, then I actually have to say it..."

And horribly tangled with the fear of Kaito taking him regardless, was the fear that if Kokichi did say no, then Kaito wouldn't want him anymore. That Kaito would see him as being weak and inexperienced and so fucking stupid and unreasonable and...

He hiccuped in his fear and sadness, woefully unprepared for a relationship.

Maki's eyes narrowed at this. She was still tempted to continue with the lesson...but hearing that Kokichi had never actually asked Kaito to stop before this did kind of put a new context on the problem… Kaito was still in the wrong. Especially when it came to molesting his husband in his sleep. But, well, for the rest of that...he wasn't psychic...

Sighing, Maki relented, letting go of Kokichi's wrists and drawing him into a hug as she said, "Not saying no doesn't absolve him of taking advantage of you...Kaito's in the wrong for all the reasons I wanted to see Nao die. Consent doesn't allow someone with a power advantage over you to just do whatever they like...and I'm sorry, but Kaito is stronger than you. Much stronger. So long as you can't physically fight him off, Kaito will always have a responsibility to not take advantage of that strength...not to mention the experience difference between you too, though that'll lessen over time..." Maki sighed. "It all matters, Kokichi."

Petting his hair, Maki complained, "Diceans are too forgiving. I'll never really understand it...but fine. I'll let it go. At least in regards to pushing you to defend yourself...but if he ever does it again, or he puts you in a position where you're afraid again, you're going to tell me. You won't have to defend yourself. I'll defend you."

Sniffling a little more, Kokichi hugged his kind assassin back, still feeling guilty over everything...but feeling a little better about it all. Knowing that he wasn't just...overreacting over everything. He knew his fear didn't rule out his love, but...it was a little relieving, knowing that his fear wasn't just...childish and absurd.

"I don't think I'll ever totally understand you guys either," he murmured into Maki's shoulder, tears slowing though they had never really flooded out in the first place. "But...I want to believe in Kai-chan, that he won't do anything like that again. If you're willing to put in the work...people are capable of a lot of goodness if you give them the space to. You guys have a lot of good reasons to not forgive or trust people when they do wrong...but people can grow a lot..."

Nuzzling her a little, Kokichi sighed out a slow breath, all those feelings taking a lot out of him. "It makes me happy knowing Maki-chan is here for me...but I'll be happier if I never have to tell you about Kai-chan doing something like this ever again."

Maki nodded, still running her hands through the back of his hair, at least feeling him start to relax against her. She would have preferred to end this conversation feeling confident he could defend himself against the worst of Kaito's instincts, but...well, that was a Luminary way of handling problems. She couldn't expect the Dicean to start sleeping with a dagger under his pillow...even though she'd quite like him to.

...and she was still going to beat the absolute shit out of Kaito later.

Kaito was sorry? Oh-hohoho, nooooo...her prince didn't even know what sorry felt like yet...Atua might love him, but Maki was pissed...

Later. It could wait till later.

"I'm glad you talked to me about it," Maki murmured, running her hand through his hair one more time...before sighing, grasping his shoulders and pushing him off of her slightly, looking sternly at him. "Alright. Are we done feeling sad? It's time to put our faces back on. No one has any right to your tears," Maki said, taking out a handkerchief that was placed cutsily in her front breast pocket, a little smiling cat embroidered on it that Maki didn't consider twice as she used it to dab away at the last of Kokichi's tears as she repeated one of the mantras she was taught when she was young, "Your grief is your own. No one is entitled to it. They've served their purpose, and now it's done. Do you want to go back inside?"

"Thank you for listening to me," Kokichi said in turn. He knew he could be overreactive but...it meant a lot for someone to listen to him with seriousness. That even though he was talking about hurting one of her best friends, and then being hurt by the other, Maki would still listen to what Kokichi had to say about everything and would consider his words with the same weight.

...he was really lucky to have her as a friend.

Kokichi sat back and let himself fall off Maki's lap when she nudged him away, respecting her wish for distance. He gave her a nod and kept still as she wiped his face, taking a breath before nodding with more strength, offering up a small smile. "I'm okay. Though...I think I might need to join the nap party inside."

With a soft sound that was maybe a laugh, Kokichi pushed himself up from the ground...and fell right back down with a breathless gasp. Ah...too much... Keeping his eyes turned away in embarrassment, Kokichi used the wall to push himself up, shaking a bit as he reached for the door to return inside.

Maki stood up, watching him warily as he fell...but saw him immediately start to pick himself up again and restrained herself, staying nearby to catch him, but pleased to be able to see him work his own way back to bed.

Inside, the boys were basically where they had left them, though it looked like one of them was determined to try to kick the covers off of themselves, the blanket halfway down their bodies. Making certain Kokichi made it to the bed, once he was in she then immediately moved to take a seat at the window seat, ready to watch over the three of them for however long they planned to sleep.

Kaito, in turn, blinked his eyes open when he felt the bed shift.

Looking around in confusion, having thought the dipped weight to his left had been Kokichi, but opening his eyes to see Kokichi only just now crawling into bed, he murmured a pleased, "'Kichi..." before reaching out to him, putting a hand around his waist and drawing him into himself, sleepily blinking over him at Maki...whose face betrayed nothing. Just observing him for a moment before turning to look at the scenery out the window.

Okay....Kaito's tired, sleep-hazed brain rationed it out to him. Shuuichi was to his left, still asleep...Kokichi was back (he had left?)...Maki was back...everything was good. Everyone was safe. Maki was gonna look after them...everything was fine...

Kaito sighed, pulling Kokichi into his chest, letting himself fall back asleep.

He was alright...just overdid it a bit. A little rest, then he'd be back in action. Right in time for their trip, and without having to separate himself from his friends. He could handle caring about people, having people close to him. He didn't have to be alone.

Kokichi offered his husband a soft smile as Kaito drew him close. Kaito could be better. Better than his anger and power fantasies. Better than his brother and that dick Tengan thought he was capable of. Better than the standard his family set. Kokichi could see it in him, and he knew Kaito could rise to those expectations.

Cuddling into Kaito's chest, Kokichi settled himself and closed his eyes, letting himself drift and get some much-needed rest.

Shuuichi would get better, and they would be better in looking after him. One day, they could get their shit together, and Maki could rest. One day, the people she loved would be freed, and no more would be hurt. Things would be okay. You just had to work for it.

For all the drama happening between them...they really did seem to function better as a group.

You take away any one of them, and things start to go wrong: take away Maki, and Kaito starts to flounder, insecure in his own leadership abilities, constantly going back and forth between painfully meek and overly aggressive, while Shuuichi, as he was now, got emboldened to be meaner, less afraid of the consequences, and Kokichi was left trying to mediate between the two. The group suffered without her.

You take away Kaito? Maki starts to get overwhelmed, lashing out and frustrated, looking to more extreme solutions to problems that didn't necessarily need to be solved via stabbing by dagger. Shuuichi becomes more meek and frightened with only Maki around to act as a warden, but that frightened energy just fuels his horniness, making him more daring in offering himself, which just frustrates Maki more. Kokichi, meanwhile, becomes background noise between the two, feeling like too much of an outsider between the two pseudo-siblings to step in on their disputes.

Take away Kokichi? Every single terrible Luminary trait in the Luminary trio gets ten times worse without the Dicean Prince reining them in now and again. Kaito and Maki start picking fights with each other, both of them fueling each other's anger as often as they calm each other down, too alike in their temperaments to ever be really at peace with each other. Shuuichi, in turn, taking advantage of their distractions to do his own thing un-interrupted, as he had for the month he had managed to hide his addiction.

If you take Shuuichi away...

Shuuichi was already away. Had been for a while. Too long. As it was already stated, the four functioned better as a group, and if he was himself right now, the harmony between the four of them would be complete, with Kaito and Maki heeding his decisions on matters that required more thought than brutality, thus taking the pressures off them to constantly be on the defensive, and Kokichi having backup to help him mediate and take care of the group emotionally. 

Together? The four would be unstoppable.

If you believed in that sort of thing, you could almost argue they were, fundamentally, designed that way, each of them incomplete and weak without the other three.

Soulmates.

...but that's just a little bit of narrative purple prose to essentially justify why, once Maki had returned and the four of them were together again, the rest of the day had seemed to go so much more smoothly. Lunch had been brought up to them, and Maki had awakened them all to eat after letting them rest awhile, and after that the four just sort of...more or less comfortably existed around each other. Kokichi talked Kaito into reading more Circleworld with him, and while the other two listened in, Maki convinced Shuuichi to sit down and play some chess with her, finding a board after Kokichi clued her in where to look.

And the rest of the day sort of went the same way. Calm. Calmer than it had been for a while. The peace healing, in its own way...

...then dinner was over and Shuuichi said, suddenly, "I...I should wait in my room, right?"

Kokichi looked over at Shuuichi in confusion for a moment, the color returned to his face and his eyes healed from the swelling of tears. Then he sighed. "You guys are welcome to chill in here, as always. Nao can knock when she comes up. Unless there was something you wanted to do in your room beforehand...?" He shrugged a bit, trying to keep it casual like this wasn't weird at all.

Nao was, in fact, on her way up to the third floor, her shift done for the day and her nerves steeled for whatever this session would look like. How Shuuichi would react now. How much he would be able to take with his shifting boundaries.

Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. He was on his way back.

Maki huffed and rolled her eyes, having had all day to feel a little less hot under the collar about what had happened that morning (the whole thing had pissed Maki off endlessly, but...the woman hadn't actually hurt Shuuichi any beyond just freaking him out...if that was what all of their sessions had been like, Maki was...a little less murderous about the librarian), as she stood up, smoothing out her skirt as she said, "No, he means...she made a comment this morning that he should have been waiting in his room for her. It was just to stress him out, but, Shuuichi, if you want we can go wait in there."

"You don't have to go at all," Kaito muttered, feeling some of the tension return to his body, having actually kinda forgotten that this was happening still. "You seem fine to me, Shuuichi. You can just say you don't want to do it, take a break tonight."

"N-no, I...I want to see Miss Nao!" Shuuichi insisted, looking anxiously at the three of them, fidgeting with his cap as he said, "I do! I...I need to see her."

Even though he...kind of didn't? Not for the reasons he usually needed to see her. The calm afternoon had been, well...calming. He felt a little horny of course, still, and he was soaking against his pads, but...it wasn't that desperate, maddening need from before. It was the kind of horny he could ignore, so long as nothing exacerbated it...

...but he s-still wanted to see her! Relationships were more then just about sex, right? Miss Nao knew that! She apparently didn't fuck her wife at all? S-so...she knew there was more to a relationship than sex! And...and...

...she'd want to see him even if...he didn't want to have sex...

...wouldn't she?

Plagued with doubt, his face distressed, Maki sighed. "It's alright, no one’s saying you can't see her. Let's go, alright? Everything's going to be fine," she said, going to the door, that last line clearly directed at Kaito, who just tensed some more and looked down at the chess game that he was trying to play with Kokichi, the game horribly one-sided as Kaito kept asking over and over again how the pieces were actually allowed to move.

That was one benefit to Maki going, though Kaito still felt sick about the whole arrangement--he didn't trust Nao, but if Maki said it would be okay...he wouldn't let his anger get the better of him. Shuuichi was fine. Everything was fine.

As the door closed behind them, Kaito sighed, looked back at the chessboard...and frowned. "Wait...I know the horse piece can do the L thing, but how many squares can it go out again before it turns?"

Kokichi gave Kaito a fond look and started explaining how the pieces moved once again.

Outside, Maki and Shuuichi headed down the hallway, and just before they got to the door, Shuuichi noted with delight Miss Nao turn the corner. His face lit up, thrilled to see her...

And then he felt a flash of fear, not quite in his room yet, and immediately bolted to the door, making sure he was inside and waiting for her. No need to make her mad....didn't want to make her mad...

Maki watched this with a slightly disappointed look, before looking back to the librarian.

As she approached, Maki said, quietly, so that Shuuichi wouldn't hear, "...honestly? He seems fine, and has been for hours. Doing this now might be a waste of all our time."

Nao raised an eyebrow as she saw Shuuichi bolt into his room and hummed at Maki's update. "That's good... If he doesn't need help getting off, that would make things a lot easier both on all of you and his body. I won't ask him to take his clothes off or anything then."

She couldn't just leave, not when he'd already seen her. That might provoke him into running away from his friends and...ugh. Last time she hadn't shown up he'd gone to harass her wife, and then had gotten kidnapped.

Pushing the door open, Nao looked over the young wreck waiting for her. "So? Sounds like you've been doing well--I'm not your therapist, dear, so I can just leave and save us all time if you don't need someone to scare you into orgasming."

Maki’s chair was where she had left it yesterday, and while hopefully this was going to be quick, based on her guess that Shuuichi didn't actually need to get off, she still went to take a seat in it anyway, wanting to be prepared just in case. She sat down and observed the two, frowning slightly as she could see the distress worsen in Shuuichi's gaze.

She...she wasn't going to stay?

Shuuichi looked up at Nao, trembling slightly in her presence, mortified at the idea that she'd just...she just got here! He had barely seen her all day, and she had only been around for, what, maybe twenty minutes this morning!? She...didn't she want to...

This was a test! That's what this was. She wanted to see her whore beg for her. If she didn't want to stay unless he needed to orgasm, then what she actually wanted was for him to be ready to need to orgasm on command, whether he was feeling it or not! That had to be it! He could do it! He was her good slut. She...sh-she wanted to be here, but he had to earn it! No point in spending time with a whore who couldn't even get it up...

Convinced of this, Shuuichi quickly shook his head, stammering out as he quickly moved to unbutton his jacket, "N-no, I...pl-please! Your whore needs you, M-Miss Nao! I'm ready, I can do it!" he promised, throwing off his jacket and moving to take off his shirt.

"Aaabup-bup-bup!" Nao held her hand out in a 'stop' motion, coming into the room more fully, hopefully stopping Shuuichi from stripping. The more stressed he got, the more of a chance of him accidentally getting aroused that he might've avoided otherwise.

If he wasn't aroused, but wanted to go anyway...he just wanted her to stick around. It would be responsible for her to leave, but...that would distress him. Staying and continuing to act as she had been during their sessions would distress him. Staying and acting differently...? But not how she treated everyone else...

Sighing, Nao crossed her arms over her chest. "Shuu, take a seat. On your bed." Because fuck knew he'd probably drop to the floor otherwise. "I don't want to fuck you. You don't need to be fucked. So, what do you want from me?"

Shuuichi had been about to immediately sit down on the floor had she not clarified, but he felt something...lump in his throat as he glanced back at the bed.

Was he...being put to bed again?

The frustration in the idea was almost immediate. He was so tired of that...he didn't want to be put to sleep every time he annoyed someone. He didn't want any more of the pills Maki kept in her skirt. So many of his freedoms had been taken away already...couldn't he be allowed to just be conscious??

B-but! Miss Nao didn't seem to want him to sleep, a-and even if she did...she was his master, h-he...he had to listen! Right? E-even if the order didn't feel good?

Looking uncomfortable, Shuuichi glanced at Miss Nao again, wishing he could think of something to change her mind...before meekly heading to the bed. Hoping that he'd be allowed off it sometime soon...

...what did he want from her?

What did that even mean? He...he had no idea how to answer that. His first, gut instinct was to say it didn't matter what he wanted, but...that wasn't really an answer, and he had a feeling it wouldn't satisfy her. Playing with the end of his shirt, fidgeting, he said, "I...I want to spend time with you...th-this is how Miss Nao and her bitch spend time together...wh-what am I doing wrong? Do you not...w-why don't you want to fuck me?" Shuuichi asked her, genuinely befuddled. Did she?? Not want to fuck him?? But then why...he looked up at her desperately, face reddening slightly in his distress as he insisted, "I can do better! I can do whatever you want! P-please, I just need to know what to do..."

Distress too. She had screwed with him so much that no matter what she did, it would hurt him. Luckily, ever since she had decided to snoop into what the detective had gotten into, Nao hadn't planned on being kind.

Fixing Shuuichi with a tired gaze, Nao sighed. "Well, for one, you're not my whore or my bitch, and what we did wasn't spending time together. At first, it was me tiring you out enough to search your room and find out what you were doing, and then it was me making sure you weren't going to run around fucking everyone you see and getting yourself killed."

"I was lying to you pretty much all the time, you know? I was trying to stress you out, so I told you obvious lies about how dumb and disgusting you are--I just never expected you to believe them." She was...honestly a little annoyed about that. Towards herself, towards him. She hadn't known how much his mind had been beaten down, but...she'd known enough about his past that she should've been more careful. "I should've. So that's why I'm still here, to make up for my mistakes regarding you, Shuu."

"So..." Nao walked over to one of the walls and leaned against it. "If you want to spend time together...we're together right now. But I'm not interested in fucking someone who is not in their right mind. We're not in a romantic relationship, and at this point, I'm running out of ways to tell you that straight out so you'll finally believe it."

Shuuichi swallowed hard as she moved even farther away from him, feeling himself start to panic, though he didn't move from the bed. He...he didn't understand...he had been good, hadn't he? He had let her do whatever she wanted...had enjoyed it! Reveled in it! Isn't...isn't that why she had stayed? He needed to be hurt, and she liked to hurt people...just because it...it didn't sound all that good to be hurt right now didn't mean he couldn't still do it! They, they, they could still be together! She could still use him...h-he was a good slave! He had always been a good slave!

The conditioning hadn't worked, but he had still obeyed!

He knew how to be good! He knew how to be good even when it was scary or overwhelming and there were no, like, voices in his head forcing him to do it! He could obey! He was good at obeying! No one had to make him! He wanted to! It was always better than the alternative. He wanted to...

...why didn't...he was a good slave...a good Indentured...and for once he had a master who was kind to him! Who gave him all the things he needed, even when it annoyed or frustrated her! He knew she didn't always want to be there! She wanted to be home with her wife, b-but...she had still always come! Because she knew he needed her! She was the best master he had ever had!! If he had to be anyone's, he wanted to be hers!

A-and now she...what was she saying...!??

Shuuichi trembled violently on the bed, unable to look at Miss Nao as he ducked under his cap, Maki watching all of this silently from the corner, concerned, but curious, as he said desperately, "...K-kokichi lied to me today. H-he said you were going to leave me w-when I was...w-when I was 'better'..." The way he said 'better' was clearly mocking the very idea of it. He wasn't getting better. Had anyone seen him? He was deformed. A freak. A fucking abomination. His only use being the wonderful, wonderful ways Miss Nao had used him... "B-but you're not, right?! You wouldn't leave me. They're...they're making you say all these things! Maki and Kaito and Kokichi, they don't like this, s-so they're threatening you, o-or ordering you...th-that's why you don't love me anymore, right!?" Shuuichi demanded, sending a heated, violent glare in Maki's direction, who took it impassively. "They're doing this!"

Nao snorted, shooting a look at Maki for a moment. "There's very little anyone can threaten me with, Shuuichi. Once your mind sorts out pleasure and pain properly again, seeing me around will do nothing but bring you pain and fear...which you feel when you see me now, but your brain just can't process it right now."

"I'm leaving of my own volition. I've done enough to hurt you already, and I don't want to add more on top of what I've already done." She sent an angry look to the floor, frustrated with herself. Then, tempering the look, she looked back up to Shuuichi. "Really, I find how disturbing Luminary is fascinating, as is how it's hurt all of you. I wonder if whoever brainwashed you all knows that they're making some of the most frustrating people of all time--people that lie to themselves."

Rolling her eyes, Nao pointed lazily at Shuuichi, seemingly annoyed to have to say this. "You're not a bitch or a freak or dumb or worthless or any of the stuff I said to scare you. So stop believing it and let yourself love your friends again, sheesh."

Shuuichi wanted to argue. Desperately wanted to argue. All of that stuff had to be true. His...his whole world didn't make sense if it wasn't true. If he wasn't ugly or stupid or worthless then...then...

...why did...all of this happen?

He...he was going to feel bad again soon! Didn't she realize that!? This calm was temporary! It was always temporary! And then soon he'd be gross and desperate and viscious and, and, throwing himself out of windows again and cumming all over strangers, and, and, and...he was wrong, he was stupid and dumb and worthless, he had to be, look at him! How else could he have done this to himself!? He...

...he just wanted to be loved...w-why was that always asking too much? First his lack of sex drive had kept him from pursuing people, even though he had still desperately wanted one, to the point where Kaede had used it as a carrot to string him along for years before that had reached its exhaustion point...and now he had too much of it, and either way...he was unlovable. No one wanted him. No one wanted him. Stupid, weird, damaged Indentured...can't open up to him...can't be around him...anything he knows the royal family knows...gotta always be careful around Shuuichi Saihara...no one wanted to be around him...no one but...

Shuuichi felt his eyes start to redden, until finally, heartbroken, his shoulders starting to shake and tears starting to run down his eyes, he gasped out, "M-maki?" He said, desperately, "I-I...I don't know..." Ashamed of himself, especially considering how hard he had fought it all day, he dropped his head, crying as he asked, "...c-can I go to sleep s-soon?"

That was all she needed. She stood up, tightening her pigtails idly as she said to Nao, "I think that's enough for today. Let me walk you out."

Nao looked at the heartbroken man in front of her, wishing things could've been different for him. That he hadn't gotten addicted to something that had the potential to kill him so many ways and drove him to ostracize himself from his friends. That he could've had the time to embrace the safety and freedom Dicea would've given him. That he maybe would've found someone who really loved him...or would've recognized that love in others.

She turned and gave Maki a nod. "I agree. I'll still stop by in the morning, just in case, but if I'm not needed, I'll go. You know where to find me, otherwise."

...the others had a lot of work ahead of them. But they really did love Shuuichi so...it was work they wouldn't give up on. And with Kokichi standing with them, well...Diceans never gave up, and she didn't think the others would even think twice if Kokichi held steadfast.

She had hurt Shuuichi a lot, and would likely haunt him for years to come, but...Nao really did wish for nothing but the best for him.

Maki nodded back, watching her leave, a little...perplexed. The Nao from a few minutes ago was a dramatic change from the sadistic, ruthless version of her she had seen this morning. On top of that, considering both of those versions were so dramatically different from the one Maki had observed in the library...

She wondered which ones were the masks and which ones were the actual Umezaki.

...she supposed she'd never really know, and she didn't care anyway. She was pleased with how that had gone either way. Maki desperately hoped that Shuuichi wasn't going to need to get off tomorrow morning, that whatever the medicine had done for him today, the new one would perfect tomorrow. ...it was something he absolutely needed to hear, but it seemed exceptionally cruel to have the woman he had fallen in love with tell him she had never been interested in being with him in the first place, and then have her come by the next morning to get him off again. She just wanted this to be done for Shuuichi...not to mention Maki would be extremely lucky if her vow to witness these sessions only resulted in seeing her childhood friend cry and cum once in her life...

Maybe she was being too hopeful. She had to be ready for whatever happened tomorrow regardless. She couldn't get lost in dreaming of things being better. She had to take action herself.

...right. She had to go get the medicine tonight, actually.

Going back to Shuuichi, who was sobbing into his hands again, as heartbroken over this as he had been at the idea of his friends leaving him this morning, Maki sighed, reaching over to pull him into a hug...and then stopping, frowning as he violently flinched away from her. Realizing that some of his shaking wasn't just from his crying, Maki looked around the room, on the shelves filled with the few things Shuuichi had brought to this kingdom, at the mirror, at the floor...all covered in stains that Maki couldn't see but Shuuichi could. The air filled with a scent that Maki couldn't smell but Shuuichi could. Certain parts of the room, certain objects, that even now Shuuichi could feel the press of them against his skin...

Maki didn't really understand what was distressing Shuuichi so much, outside of his conversation with Nao, but she could still tell he was stressing, so she said, "Let's go back to the princes' room. Do you want more of those sleeping pills?"

Shuuichi hesitated for only a moment before nodding his head. "Y-yeah..."

Maki dropped him off with the princes, apologizing, as she had intended to take Shuuichi down to get the medicine with her, let him stretch his legs a little, but he was clearly struggling to cope with everything Nao had said, and now with more sleeping pills in his system, he crawled over to the bed and put himself in it, just...not wanting to be awake anymore. 

"I'll come back and pick him up once I've got the new medicine. We'll wake him up long enough for him to take it, and then I'll bring him back to my room for the night. I won't take long, I'll be there and back," Maki promised.

And she was. When she saw Dr. Kimura, she told her that whatever else her medicine had done, it had apparently taken the edge of his need to cum, as he hadn't even gotten overly aroused that evening, even when stressed out with, in his mind, very bad news. "So I think whatever you did with that is working. At least in the sense that he didn't need to cum more than once today," Maki explained to her. "And I don't know if the hallucinations lasted all day or not. He stopped talking about them after I got back. He might just not have thought they were worth bringing up again."

She had thanked Dr. Kimura for the new dose of medicine, promising to come back tomorrow to relay the results. Heading back to the room, they did as she had said they would, rousing Shuuichi from sleep, who grumbled and complained, but eventually took the medicine, Kaito helping Maki get Shuuichi back to her room to sleep the rest of the night.

-

Kokichi was worried about Shuuichi. He kind of always was, had been since...well, since he first met Shuuichi, but that only ramped up with his general concerns on the Luminaries living in Dicea, then with his shoulder injury, then when Kaito mentioned he might be getting sick, then when he got "sick", and then when everything came out... But, the state Shuuichi had come back in last night...after having only left for, what, less than ten minutes?

...Kokichi knew damn well what sleeping to avoid reality looked like.

But Maki had gotten the new medicine from Dr. Kimura, so...they just had to keep hoping. Being there for Shuuichi and refusing to despair at his symptoms.

And part of that was his new morning duty. Feeling much better, Kokichi woke up at his usual time in the morning and untangled himself from Kaito's grip, slipping out of bed to retrieve one of the stickers. The hiding place in the closet was...probably okay for now...he'd have to pack it up tonight anyway.

Because tomorrow... Despite everything, Kokichi smiled to himself as he set the sticker on the nightstand and returned to bed. There was a decent chance he'd be able to leave the city tomorrow. Would be able to really see his country past the castle walls and city buildings, past the forest and fields...

He pressed a hand to his chest, that longing wish feeling so close. Within his grasp for once. Leaning over his husband, Kokichi placed soft kisses to Kaito's forehead, his cheek, his jaw, thankful and affectionate.

It took a second for Kaito to realize what was happening, just opening his eyes in mild confusion as little presses of something warm and soft pressed gently against him, over and over...but as his vision focused, he smiled to see Kokichi, up and about and moving (thank god...Atua be pleased...) around him, placing little kisses here and there and--Kaito laughed, putting his good arm around Kokichi and pulling him into a hug, rolling over with him and clutching him close as he murmured sleepily, "Someone's in a good mood...", kissing his forehead in affection.

Giving Kokichi a squeeze, he loosened his grip, opening his eyes and looking around, for some reason mildly surprised to see Shuuichi and Maki weren't there...ah, right, they had gone back to Maki's room for the night. Right. Can't have Shuuichi sleeping in here when everyone else was asleep for a long period of time. He could look for the pollen. Right.

Sighing softly, Kaito put it out of his mind as he ran a hand through Kokichi's hair, giving him a kiss on the cheek now. "I know you can get it yourself now, but...I feel compelled to ask if you drank your tea yet," Kaito admitted, grinning apologetically at his husband. "Sorry....I'm not trying to baby you..."

Kokichi giggled along with Kaito as he was pulled into an embrace, reveling in the affection given to him in return. It probably wasn't fair to Shuuichi, but...he was just happy and excited. For the trip, and for the small breakthrough Shuuichi had yesterday, though it didn't last long... But he was just feeling good that morning.

"Thought I'd give you a nice wake up today! Think about how pleased Maki-chan would be if you were already up when she comes to get you for training, awoken by a very cute alarm." Kokichi giggled a little more, giving Kaito a light kiss on the lips. Considering how early they got up to train, that probably wouldn't happen very often unless Kokichi was having trouble sleeping, but, still. It was nice to think about.

Nuzzling Kaito a bit, Kokichi hummed, unbothered. "No worries--I haven't yet. Just prepared Shuu-chan's dose and wanted to wake up my adorable husband. Depending on how he's doing...do you wanna go down for breakfast today?"

Kaito blinked sleepily at Kokichi for a moment before... "Oh shoot! Am I training this morning?" Kaito said, sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, glancing at the door like Maki might burst through any moment and tell him to give her a hundred situps. "Shoot, yeah, with you being able to move again, I guess I'm officially off day watch...she probably does wanna train. Shoot!"

Kaito was all up for training, don't get him wrong. He just hadn't mentally or physically prepared for it at all. Maki was a believer that her pupils should be doing stretches before and after the workouts on their own, partly because group stretching rarely got the muscles that the individuals needed covered, and mostly because all time on the field was her time to run them ragged. Usually he did his stretching before Kokichi got up or before the workout started down in the courtyard, but if he was late...

...oh wait, no, he wasn't late. The sun was barely up. Oh! And with the Nao thing this morning, Maki probably wouldn't want to do training until after breakfast anyway, so...

Kaito collapsed back onto the pillow with an 'ooph!', having panicked for nothing. Laughing at himself a little, he said to his cute alarm clock, "Thanks, babe. But I'm gonna guess Maki's gonna want to train after breakfast. So she can keep an eye on Shuuichi, ya know? And yeah, breakfast sounds good."

Kokichi watched, amused, as Kaito very nearly got himself up in a tizzy like some high school protagonist late for class. He'd more meant that, in the future, when their training was a more regular thing again, that he could wake Kaito up in time to give him a gentler rousing than Maki would. Though, she'd probably toned it down, considering he was in the room too.

Snickering at his husband's panic, Kokichi got up again and poured himself a cup of his tea, not minding how lukewarm it was since he was sick to death of the taste at this point. He knew they were packing some of the medicine to take on the trip but, fuck, he hoped he wouldn't need it. He was so fucking tired of being in bed. Even as nice as it was to cuddle Kaito in it.

Kokichi leaned against one of their bedposts as he drank his medicine, his nose wrinkling a bit from the taste. "I wonder if they made pancakes again today... Even though I was still on porridge yesterday, like...I could eat real food for lunch and dinner, so I don't think anyone will fuss at me too much. But I doubt that we'll really be having pastries for breakfast on the road, so I wanna fill up while I can!"

Maki had said she'd arranged travel food for them, but...he didn't really have an idea of what that looked like. Things that would keep well, he assumed, harder breads and dried meats and fruits and vegetables that didn't start rotting after only a day or two. Maybe things that could reconstitute well in soups... Well, he'd see. He was neither an expert in traveling nor cooking, so it was far out of his ability to guess at what the plan was.

"Hey," Kokichi hummed, comfortable in the early morning, "Do you like seafood?"

"Yeah, the pastry situation gets a little dire on paths in the middle of the woods," Kaito admitted with a chuckle, "But if we pass through any towns or villages, which I'm sure we will along the way, we could probably justify stopping somewhere for pastries."

"Seafood? Mmmmm..." Kaito had to think about it. "Yes? Yeah, I'd say so. My father doesn't so we never had too much of it in the castle, but when we did, I never disliked it. Why, what about you? You into the weird creepy-crawlies of the sea?"

Kokichi snorted with a roll of his eyes as he took another drink of his tea. He wasn't going to delay their travel time just to satisfy his sweet tooth. Thankfully Nao and Hajime had salvaged his candy bag from his desk, along with, you know, all of the work and writing supplies he had in it. Maybe he'd bring some along, just in case anyone wanted some sweets. More people than just him! Shuuichi seemed to like having some now and again.

Shuddering a little, Kokichi shrugged a bit. "Sort of? Like...crustaceans look too much like bugs, I can't handle it, and we're too far away from the ocean to get saltwater fish up here, but we still have freshwater fish sometimes, and I like that. Man...grilled fish is just delicious!?"

"But, I wanted to ask since, like, because the coast is the coast, seafood is a big thing. There are a ton of local foods that I'm interested in trying, some I think your delicate Luminary palette would enjoy," he said with a bit of a teasing air, "so, I wanted to see if you'd actually be up for trying things with me."

(Didn't.)

(My father didn't.)

(...gotta get the tense right...)

(They're dead, Kaito.)

(That really happened.)

Kaito barely heard Kokichi, lost in his own thoughts. Something about...saltwater fish or...he did hear about half of that tease, and figuring out the rest through context, sat back up and gave Kokichi a small pout. "Our pallets aren't delicate. I don't even know the meaning of the word. I am strong in everything I do! ...even eating weird, wet meat and dishes that are more spice than food," Kaito said, rolling his eyes, though there was a smirk on his face that belied any real resentment.

"Sure, I'll eat anything. Can't promise I won't make faces at it, but I'll try it. It's all about the experience, right?" Kaito asked...before saying, somewhat seriously, "But, hey, you know that if we come across any new things that like...uh, how to put it..." Kaito sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he thought about it. "...you know you might get, like, culture shock, right? You've only ever been to one town and...it's okay if anything outside of it seems weird or overwhelming to you, ya know? Like, no one’s gonna judge you if you get uncomfortable."

"Pff, sure," Kokichi teased his disbelief. Wet meat? Did...Kaito just mean meat that still had its juices, not overcooked to hell? And Kokichi still firmly believed that spices just made things actually have a taste. In some ways, he was a little relieved that he didn't have to adjust to Luminous foods--judging by Kaito's criticisms of Dicean food, he wasn't sure he'd be able to take it.

Kokichi perked up a bit, happy that he would have at least one buddy to try out the local foods, but...

He sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, tapping his fingers idly on the sides of his cup. "I know not everywhere in Dicea is gonna be like the city--that's kind of the point. Why I'm so excited to go. I'm excited to see new things with an open mind, and I know that there might be things that bother me. But...like, that's part of the experience too?"

Kokichi looked up at Kaito, a little bit of confusion on his face as he tried to explain his thoughts. "I want to be weirded out. I want to have my perception challenged--if you're not uncomfortable, then you're not learning. There's so much about the world I don't know, and taking a trip in the country I've lived in my whole life is a first step. I want to be able to understand my people, not have them magically adhere to the ethos I've spent my whole life around. That'd just be...unsettling and worrying."

Kaito nodded, leaning over and kissing him on the forehead. He knew it was silly to worry, but...culture shock had been...and has been...kind of rough on Kaito. sure, going from one Dicean town to others probably wasn't as dramatic as going from one kingdom to another, but...

He just wanted his husband to have a good time. That was all.

Besides! Traveling itself had been fun. And their destination was nice. Beach towns were usually very chilled out places, in Kaito's, admittedly, somewhat limited experience. He was sure it'd be fine.

Still. Maybe it would be a good idea to sneak away for a little bit today to pray for safe travels at his shrine. He had made the damn thing, he might as well use it. And he still had to put his posters up! And-

There was a knock at the door. Maki calling through, "It's us. Can we come in?"

"Go for it, Maki!" Kaito called back, before remembering, "Oh, wait! Hold up one second! I gotta put clothes on." He said that last part to Kokichi, looking down at himself just wearing briefs and briefs alone.

He got up and quickly threw some clothes on, before checking on Kokichi to make sure he was ready for company too before opening up the door for them.

The first thing he noticed was that Shuuichi looked...better? The bags under his eyes from sobbing yesterday had basically vanished, and his hat was sitting higher on his head, which usually meant he was having an easier time looking people in the eye that day. That was usually a good sign. But on top of all that, he also just looked...a little more at ease? Maybe? Kaito hoped he wasn't reaching for something that wasn't there, but yeah...he looked better. "Hey! Come on in! How'd everyone sleep?" Kaito said, finally turning to look at Maki as well, who seemed...roughly the same from yesterday. A little tired, a little tense, but otherwise okay.

Maki shrugged as she walked in, giving Kokichi a nod before leaning against the wall. "Fine. Shuuichi started kicking in his sleep at some point. I almost thought someone was in the room with us for half a second."

Shuuichi...shrugged, giving Maki a small, apologetic smile, to Kaito's pure, unfiltered relief, that reinforcing the whole 'he looks a little better' observation by a million as the detective said, "Sorry, Maki..." before turning to Kaito, eyes excited as he said, "Can I have my dose now?"

Kaito was...a little disappointed by that. Baby steps. Just because he didn't look like he was about to burst into tears any second didn't mean he was actually better better. Just...well, again. Any good sign was a good sign. "Sure! 'Kichi, where did you- oh! I see it," Kaito said, going to pick up the sticker.

Kokichi giggled a bit at his husband's mostly nude state and used the extra time, not to get dressed quite yet, but to adjust his pajamas, making sure they weren't twisted around or falling off him. He set his empty teacup to the side and leaned against the bedpost from the mattress side, awaiting his friends with a smile. 

Bidding his friends a good morning, he looked them over in what would likely become a routine manner. Shuuichi seemed...brighter. Which was probably a good thing! It might mean he was ready to try and provoke them with glee, but...it could also mean he was feeling better. They'd just have to see how things went.

Maki seemed the same as ever which...just instilled in him the need to make things easier on her. She already sort of trusted Katsuki to a point, at least when it came to safety concerns, and she seemed fine with Hajime...more than she did the first time they met, at least. Over time...maybe she would trust that more people in the castle could keep them safe and she'd be able to relax.

Talking more to Maki as Kaito got Shuuichi his dose, Kokichi gave her a smile. "We were thinking of going down for breakfast today--you guys wanna too?"

Maki nodded, sitting down on the edge of the bed and, with a F-WOOMPH, falling back onto Kokichi's legs, arching her back in a way that took a lot of the pressure off his knees as she looked him over as well, saying after a moment, "Yeah, that should be nice. Get our last few meals properly here before we leave and never return. That's the plan, isn't it? We're all running away forever?"

Kaito picked up the litter sticker between his fingers, but kept it close to his chest as he trotted back to Shuuichi, who, again, just seemed sort of excited as his eyes followed the sticker, though he looked mildly confused when Kaito stopped a small distance from him and said cheerfully, "Okay! Hold your hand out, Shuuichi!"

There was something briefly...tense, that flicked through Shuuichi's face. Afraid that he was about to be the butt of some mean prank...but Kaito wasn't like that, so Shuuichi held out his hand uncertainly.

Kaito then placed the sticker on his fingers, and said, "There! Go ahead and take it!"

Shuuichi gave Kaito a confused look, uncertain what the point of all that had been, but was quick to take it up to his mouth (fumbling with it slightly. It hadn't actually occurred to him yet that he had never physically touched one of these stickers before) and putting it onto his tongue, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the taste and heat that came with it. "...thank you..." Shuuichi murmured with a pleased sigh, before saying, idly, "It really is amazing...I wish I had more so I could offer you all some...not you, Kokichi. It would hurt you."

"It'd hurt all of us," Maki said with an eyeroll, sitting back up. "And you don't have any. We have some that we give to you."

"I don't know if there's any difference in the ideas," Kaito said, giving Maki a concerned look, thinking that was too harsh as the look on Shuuichi's face darkened slightly at this, but Kaito put a hand on his shoulder, getting his friend’s attention (and unintentionally bringing a bright flush to his cheeks) as he said, "Come on, man, remember? We just talked about this yesterday...this stuff isn't good for anyone."

Shuuichi seemed mildly entranced by Kaito for a moment, before whatever was running through his mind passed, and his eyes fell to the floor, shrugging slightly. "Yeah..."

Kokichi grinned down at her. "Yupp--I'm tired of government life. This has just been a big elaborate plan to leave it all behind. Ah...I was just telling Kai-chan how much I'll miss pastries. Sure, there are others, but it won't be the same."

He giggled a bit at the joke before he looked up at Shuuichi mentioning his name and... Kokichi sighed softly. The others got their points out, but...maybe this mood swing made Shuuichi forget his epiphany the day before. It was hard to see what the big fuss was about when you were feeling okay.

Kokichi scratched his cheek lightly and sighed again. "From what it sounded like, it'd just kill me faster than you guys. I'd kinda like us all to stay alive, so..." A shrug. "Mm. Should probably finish packing today, huh? We're leaving right after getting some food for breakfast tomorrow, right?"

"If we want to make full use of the day, I'd recommend leaving earlier then that. Go with the sun rising. The breakfast rush only starts at 0700, and we wouldn't finish eating till roughly forty minutes later..." Maki shrugged, before admitting, "But, our timeline isn't so strict that an additional three hours on the road will make or break us. Nevermind, we could leave at roughly 0800, yes."

"I've basically finished the bulk of our packing, Kokichi. Well, for clothing anyway, we still gotta throw our essentials in there. Maki, have you had Tim start packing yet?" Kaito asked his friend, who sighed and shook his head. Excited at the opportunity to finally do something useful there, he said, "Don't worry about it! I'll sit down with Timothy today and help him get packed for the week then! No problem."

She raised an eyebrow at Kaito, before saying, "You won't forget his blunt weapons?"

"Is he...gonna need them?"

"We're gonna be on the road for days. That's a perfect time to practice his throwing knives and sword stance during rough terrain. It's almost as good as practicing your throws while running," Maki insisted, narrowing her eyes as she said, "I won't let him miss an opportunity for a learning experience. You better pack the weapons....and make sure he has a new pair of socks for every day, he is under the extremely wrong belief that he only needs to change those out every other day, and I'm not mentoring that kind of assassin...and make sure he remembers to bring the dog food, and at least two extra collars, that damn puppy keeps chewing through them. And-"

As Maki kept going with the increasingly flustered Kaito listening, Shuuichi sighed and looked towards the door, an anxious expression settling on his face.

...he...didn't know what he wanted right now.

He was horny. FUCK he was horny. He had woken up this morning and it was like the last two days’ worth of mostly calm had never happened. His body was aching and on fire...and he...he wanted someone to hit him...maybe not beat the shit out of him or anything, but fuck, just...be a little rough and a little painful and scare him a little, please...

...but at the same time, he didn't know if he wanted to see her.

Last night had hurt...a lot.

And not even in a fun way.

Kokichi shrugged a bit again. "I meant more just grabbing something fresh then eating on the road, but whatever you guys think is best we'll do! Maybe I'll learn enough to weigh in properly next time."

He knew how to take care of himself, was savvy enough to be in a place that wasn't the castle and would still be able to function. But...Kokichi didn't know a damn thing about what traveling was like. How they should plan rotations for guiding the horses or when to take meals or...how to clean anything on the road? Two days wasn't that bad for not bathing, so should they just wait until they get to the Nanami house?

It was a lot to consider, but...Kokichi was eager to learn. To have his boundaries pushed and discover new things.

...but that was only if they were really gonna go.

Kokichi slipped past Maki giving Kaito the big run-down of what Tim would need to pack, going to Shuuichi's side. "Mornin'. Are you excited for the trip, Shuu-chan?"

Shuuichi, to his embarrassment, jumped when Kokichi just suddenly appeared next to him, so lost in his own thoughts and concerns that he had entirely failed to see the prince coming. Hell, he hadn't even moved from where he had taken the pollen, just awkwardly standing in the middle of the room, just...worried and distracted and fuck everyone smelled nice...or maybe that was him...Bear had smelled all over him, looking for something. But he said he couldn't smell it, could only smell something man made...the medicine or...?

He was distracted again, just staring at Kokichi blankly for a moment while his mind went over that old conversation with the strange, kinda nice, kinda scary man and...what had he asked? Shoot, he hadn't been listening. "Sorry...what did you say, Kokichi?" he murmured, looking a little embarrassed, his flush returning to him as he looked at the smaller man. Maybe it was him that smelled good...

...or just distracted in general today? Kokichi tilted his head to the side a little, giving Shuuichi a kind, understanding smile. "I was asking if you were excited for the trip. I don't know if you've had any time to read up on the area, but there are a lot of cool things--Maki-chan and Kai-chan said you were interested in museums? I'm personally looking forward to the maritime museum that's right by where we're gonna stay. Like...I've read about early sailors and trade shipping in history, but it's different to really see things that people used in person, you know?"

He hoped that Shuuichi would still be interested... Kokichi didn't know how much the pollen would've messed with the things Shuuichi liked to do and see, if at all. Other than shuffling his priorities, he supposed.

"Do you need any help packing today? Like Kai-chan said, he got most of the packing done for us already, so I'd be happy to help you out if you want."

"Oh, uh...yeah," Shuuichi murmured, glancing towards the front door again. Did he...did he want to see her? What was he going to do if he didn't? He had fallen out of a window trying to get himself off last time...he needed her...he needed her... god he was so pathetic... "Um, I don't know...a lot about sailing or anything. And I haven't really looked into what's on the way of the trip...been a little busy..."

Should he go wait for her? No! No, he didn't...he didn't want to see her...didn't he? She said she didn't want to fuck him. Said she didn't want to fuck someone who wasn't in their right mind...it would be humiliating to beg her to do it when she said something like that, right? Pathetic? He'd be pathetic to go to her after she said something like that...pathetic...

Maybe he was pathetic. He did want to see her. He wanted it to be like it was before. Without Maki, where she could do whatever she wanted to him, and she'd do something new and terrifying and exciting and wonderful...

She didn't want to fuck someone not in their right mind.

Was he not in his right mind?

No, he guessed not...

Was he in his right mind before?

...did all the stuff that happened before...count as them fucking? Or...he had never really gotten to touch her back...he hadn't thought about it before, but...did...did that mean...

He suddenly giggled. Distressed.

Was he a virgin whore?

Oh fuck he was so fucking pathetic...

"...yeah, the...the museums should be interesting..." Shuuichi muttered, lowering his cap a little, eyes falling to the ground. Maybe he should just ask to go back to sleep today...he wouldn't have to decide if he still wanted to see her today if he was asleep...and if he did want to see her...what did that mean for tomorrow? What...what was he going to do...

"...And no, I haven't done any packing yet...been busy..."

He'd been trying to keep things as normal as they could be, trying to just...not make the entire focus of Shuuichi's life his addiction. Talk to him about the options and choices he still could make for himself. But...

Kokichi's expression fell into worry, and he reached out to gently touch against Shuuichi's arm. "Hey, if you wanted to wait in your room...you don't have to stay here if you're uncomfortable, Shuu-chan. I know none of this is fair...but we just want you to be healthy and happy, yanno?" He gave Shuuichi's arm what he hoped was a comforting squeeze.

"I know I shouldn't be there later, but...if you wanted, we could go to your room now and get you started on packing?"

...maybe that was a good idea, actually. He...he might want to be asleep for the rest of the day, depending on how things with Miss...with her went. He didn't really want to be awake for much right now...he felt better than yesterday. Way better than yesterday...and he wasn't tired or anything, he just...

It was kinda hard just existing as a person right now. Or maybe he just felt like that now because he had a difficult choice coming up and he had no idea how he wanted to approach it. Of course he wanted to see her...he just hated how shitty the idea made him feel right now...how low and stupid...pathetic...

And he didn't even want her to do all the things she normally did. Now that he was thinking about it, Miss Nao as she normally was, before Maki...all of that was kinda scary...he felt a flutter of excitement in his chest at the idea, but at the exact same time he felt this sort of sick nausea run through his stomach...it would feel good though, wouldn't it? If she stepped on him or screamed at him o-or...

Right?

...maybe he should pack now.

"Um, if you're okay with that," Shuuichi said quietly, looking down at Kokichi with a small, grateful, if incredibly hesitant smile. "I mean...I could do it myself but..."

Even just being in his room sounded weirdly tough right now. He wasn't sure why. He felt sick... company might make it easier...or at least quicker.

Kaito and Maki finally glanced over at them, Shuuichi's side of the conversation much quieter than Kokichi's, as Kaito asked, "Everything good, guys?"

Kokichi's worry eased into a soft smile when Shuuichi smiled back at him. In some ways, this was almost like when they had first met, when Shuuichi was still unsure of what to think of him...or, that was Kokichi's guess, anyway. But that was okay. With however Shuuichi's mood shaped out, Kokichi was resolute. He was going to care about and appreciate his friend.

"But more people makes it go quicker!" Kokichi chirped, his smile widening a bit before he looked over to Kaito and Maki. "Mhmm! Shuu-chan and I are gonna go over to his room and start packing. Four hands are more efficient than two, after all, and I gotta get some sort of experience since Kai-chan so kindly packed up my clothes for me."

Things weren't normal. Kokichi wasn't even sure what normal was for him anymore, since it had just been one whirlwind after another since the Luminaries had arrived. But acting careful and somber just made him pissed off and frustrated when he was sick and people did that to him, so...he could be kind and enthusiastic and do his best to pump Shuuichi up. Feeling helpless in your own body was scary and infuriating so...he wanted to do everything he could.

Both Kaito and Maki immediately looked concerned.

They were going...alone? Maki immediately glanced at Kaito, whose eyes were on Kokichi, brow slightly furrowed, his mouth twisting slightly as he thought quickly. His husband...did not need a babysitter...and he trusted Shuuichi...

...but his husband had also only just recently started walking again, and Shuuichi wasn't...himself right now.

...no. No, Kaito had sworn he wasn't going to fall into the trap of constantly treating Kokichi like he was sick, even when he wasn't. And they were literally going two doors down. And...Kokichi wasn't in danger around Shuuichi...

Kaito suddenly had a vivid memory of Shuuichi grabbing onto his cast arm, frustrated that Kaito kept turning him down, trying, just for a moment, but sincerely, to break the cast...

"Let me go with you," Kaito said, a grin suddenly plastered to his face. "Maki, you probably need to go start packing your own stuff too, right? Me and Kokichi will help Shuuichi pack, you get your stuff started, and when we're finished we'll all head down to breakfast together!"

Maki frowned at Kaito. "...Me and Shuuichi can't go down to breakfast right away, remember? Nao?"

Right. Fuck. God he hated that shit.

"Well, then, I'll come knock on your door when she gets here and me and Kokichi will save you both seats then," Kaito said, turning to the others as he asked brightly, "Everyone cool with that? Shuuichi?"

The detective just shrugged. He didn't really care who came along. He was still pretty focused on trying to figure out what he even wanted anymore.

...he knew what that meant, but Kokichi just gave his husband a grin as he nodded to the plan. There was no bad side to Kaito coming to help Shuuichi pack too--they were all friends and the more time Shuuichi spent with them, the better things would probably be. He hoped, anyway.

Gently taking Shuuichi's sleeve, Kokichi held his other hand up in a 'hurrah'. "Alright! Packing time's a-go!" He opened the door and headed out, guiding Shuuichi along in his usual way, half forgetting and half not caring that he was still in his pajamas. It would be far from the first time he showed up to breakfast in his pajamas.

It was a short trip down the hall, but Kokichi didn't barge into Shuuichi's room, not even checking if he'd locked it. Give him choices, give him privacy--anything they could spare without putting him in danger.

Man, he really did give off strong impressions of a child sometimes… It had come as a shock to Shuuichi, several times, the sudden shifts in Kokichi's mannerisms, as like Maki, his first ever impression of the young prince was witnessing him stand his ground against what at the time was, essentially, a raging, murderous lunatic. So with that first impression, Shuuichi was one of the few people probably...ever? That had perceived Kokichi as an adult before assuming he was a child.

So the...childish theatrics could be a little jarring, sometimes. Just based on that skewed perspective. A sort of surrealism in the unexpected gestures.

Not that it wasn't sweet, and Shuuichi felt his face warm and redden as he was gently led around by the excited grip to his sleeve, taken somewhat out of his head by Kokichi's loud excitement. When they stopped by the door, Shuuichi had held back, just assuming Kokichi would lead the way in as Kaito followed at the back of the line, Maki heading to her own room, but they stopped and Kokichi just looked back at him...

Ah. Right. This was technically his space. He should probably be the one to actually let everyone in.

Feeling a little foolish, he just sorta reached over and opened the door for them, leading them inside. He had his key back, but he never really thought about locking it behind him anymore. He didn't really care if people came in or not anymore.

...did it smell?

Could they smell it?

Shuuichi wasn't sure, a bout of nerves suddenly filling his stomach. He honestly wasn't sure if the scent of sex was just in his head or not. Maki hadn't commented on it yesterday if she had smelled it, but then, there was other stuff going on, and she wouldn't have, would she. It was his smell...if they could smell it, he should apologize, right? Or should he not call attention to it? Was it even actually there or-

"Alright, Shuuichi! Where'd you hide your luggage bag? Closet?" Kaito asked, looking around, apparently entirely undisturbed (which he wouldn't be, the smell being entirely in Shuuichi's head). "Under the bed?"

Shuuichi floundered a bit, not actually sure...ah, right. "Closet. In the very back corner," he added, seeing Kaito immediately start to move towards it, opening up his closet and heading in, dragging out the luggage bag a moment later. "Oh, but, there's still a bunch of stuff inside actually..."

"Oh, didn't unpack the detective kit?" Kaito realized basically as soon as Shuuichi pointed it out, having already opened the luggage as he laid it flat on the floor, observing an organized mess of equipment for print dusting, ink for fingerprints, small, rudimentary forensics kits that were capable of at least showing if certain chemicals reacted the same way, suggesting they came from the same items and locations, an extremely basic and small lie detector kit that Shuuichi didn't use because it didn't actually work, but he had been required to keep it in Luminary...along with a few other questionable things in there that Shuuichi didn't trust to use but was required by his chain of command. Electrodes...hand clamps...an extremely questionable syringe filled with 'truth serum' that his mentor had just rolled her eyes at when it was assigned to them five years ago and had never bothered using unless she was directly ordered to... "Why not?" Kaito asked, looking over the somewhat familiar items to him.

Shuuichi shrugged, reaching down and starting to unpack the items with a sigh, moving them over to his desk. "I didn't think I'd need to use them any time soon, so I figured I'd move them to my luggage bag to not have them clutter the room..."

And then he had just kinda forgotten they were back there, distracted by everything else...probably for the best. If Shuuichi had thought about it before...the idea of Miss Nao using the clamps or the electrodes or some of the other, painful...'investigation' tools he was required to keep on him...

Again. A flush of red burned his face in arousal as he thought about the excitement that would have brought him...and a shot of real, genuine fear raced through his stomach like an acid...some of those things really, really hurt, without breaking anything or causing risk to life...and so long as you were careful, it was easy to use them without leaving noticeable marks...

He wondered if she would have wanted to use them, if he had told her about them?

What if he told her about them today?

...

He swallowed hard. Hopelessly conflicted by the idea as he pulled more items from the luggage, putting them onto his desk as well. He should...maybe he should hide them under his bed or something...

Kokichi hadn't actually been inside Shuuichi's room before. Or, well, he hadn't been inside while it had been Shuuichi's room--when it had just been a spare guest room, he'd been inside it every now and then, just wandering around the castle. And now belonging to someone...it didn't look that different. He knew Shuuichi hadn't been able to bring much from Luminary, but...it was still just new things on shelves. Interesting things! That magnifying glass was really pretty and...had Shuuichi been a swimmer? Though the name...

Maybe something to ask about later.

"Oooh! Detective kit!?!" As Kaito brought out Shuuichi's luggage, Kokichi peered inside with excited interest, still endlessly curious about Shuuichi's profession. He looked over all the items and tools, some he had no idea about, but just like the trophy, they were probably things to ask about at another time. Even so, he helped move everything over to Shuuichi's desk, cooing quietly in awe over whatever he had in his hands. "Ah...Shuu-chan knows how to use all this cool stuff? So cool..."

Once his luggage trunk was empty, Kokichi bounced over to Shuuichi's closet. "Alright! Clothes first, right?"

"Um, yeah..." Shuuichi murmured, going to the closet and looking somewhat bashful as he confessed, "Nothing I have is really suited for a beach trip though...I probably should have gone shopping when I heard we were gonna go..."

"Nah man, you have stuff! I've bought you stuff like that! ...oh man, you kept the clothes I got you, didn't you?" Kaito asked, looking openly hurt at the detective, who blushed and laughed awkwardly while avoiding his gaze, and Kaito groaned. "Noooo! Those clothes looked amazing on you! And all you ever buy for yourself are slight varieties of black blazers and slacks! Look at all this black in here!" Kaito said, looking over the clothes his sidekick had hung up in despair, "Shuuichiiii!"

Shuuichi rolled his eyes, a small smile pulling at his lips at Kaito's theatrics as he said, "Relax, relax, Kaito, I still have some of them...they're just not hung up." Because he never intended to wear them. "Hold on, I think I might have some of those clothes stuffed in a drawer..." he said, heading to the dresser.

"Stuffed in a drawer!? You can't stuff leather pants in a drawer! You'll ruin the fabric!"

"Oh, yeah, the...leather pants didn't make it through the culling, I don't think..." Shuuichi muttered with a shake of his head, opening the drawer and taking out some clothes that...well, the simplest way to describe them would be 'What would someone like Kaito think someone like Shuuichi would look hot in?'. And that's what was in there. They were trendy, tight fitting, and most of them never actually worn...

But the fabrics that Shuuichi had kept were lighter and more breathable than his jackets, so..."Here, Kokichi, would you move the ones I pick to the luggage?" Shuuichi asked, passing him cloth after cloth after inspecting it for a moment and trying to decide if he could actually bring himself to wear it.

Kaito stood by and pouted as he said, "I even went through all the effort of making sure they'd all look good with that damn hat of yours..."

Kokichi found himself relentlessly snickering at Shuuichi's rejection of Kaito's fashion, half from the shut down itself, and also from imagining Shuuichi wearing the type of clothes Kaito fawned over. Tooootally not Shuuichi's style. "If you need more clothes, we can do a shopping day while we're there--I wanna search around for souvenirs anyway. I might just go with the tried and true 'finding a cool rock or shell on the beach' and give that, but I think it'd be fun to see what touristy souvenirs actually look like."

Kokichi knew that if he considered it, he'd try to bring back gifts for everyone in the damn castle, so...just one for Ikuo. A sort of welcome home gift along with a 'I've been thinking of you while I was on vacation' gift. ...he hoped his dad would appreciate it...

Not allowing him to dwell on nervous, frightened thoughts, Kokichi gave a, "Yessir!" and started packing up Shuuichi's clothes for him, straightening the folds as best as he could before laying them evenly across the bottom of the luggage trunk. It quickly became an easy motion, so Kokichi had the time to roll his eyes and stick his tongue out at his husband. "Uh, everything would look good with Shuu-chan's hat? Because he's already cute wearing it, and I don't think even your capes would be able to send Shuu-chan's cuteness levels into the negatives--he's just too powerful."

...he wasn't cute...he was gross...

As Shuuichi reached farther into the back of the drawer, trying to draw out a simple maroon long sleeve shirt that Kaito had bought to put underneath a leather jacket that had, again, not made it through the culling, he winced as suddenly he felt a stabbing ache through his chest and...right, he had leaned down too far, didn't...didn't have a grasp of where his chest ended anymore and...

Hands trembling, he grabbed the shirt and handed it quietly to Kokichi. Trying not to think too hard about how they felt...fuller a-and...

...w-were they not going to stop g-growing or???

He didn't want to think about them. He didn't want them. He had never had any type of body dysmorphia before, but now he had a feeling that he had a good idea of what it felt like...his body felt so fucking strange and alien to him. He felt 'other' in it. He wanted to hide from all the parts of himself that didn't feel like they belonged there...his hips were too wide. His fucking chest...what had he done to himself...

Fucking stupid, gross, dumb patchwork whore-

As Kaito spotted what Shuuichi had handed Kokichi, he despaired, "No! You didn't keep the jacket either!? It looked amazing on you, Shuuichi! And I know he always looks good, 'Kichi, I'm not blind. But those clothes made him a heart stopper! I got him into that leather outfit once for a festival night out downtown, and I was beating people off him with a stick! Literally, at one point!"

"Yeah...random people wanting to touch me? That's not as fun for me as is for you, Kaito," Shuuichi said, realizing that was all the clothes he really had to bring. Just three outfits; he got up with a stretch as he muttered, "Or, at least that used to be true, before I got all...weird. But yeah, that's all I have. I guess we will have to go shopping when we get there. Sorry."

Kokichi stuck his tongue out again, finding the idea of people going up to a hot stranger and draping themselves over them as distasteful as Shuuichi did...or...at least, had. And his saddened feelings had to be stuffed away with the rest.

With a shrug, Kokichi turned to look back at Shuuichi's closet. "Well, we'll just help you pick out clothes you'll actually wanna wear--they might get warmer faster, but I know they make black clothes in lighter fabrics too. Shuu-chan will be able to pick out the monochrome summer wardrobe of his dreams!"

"Buuut...some of your regular clothes should be fine for while we're traveling, right?" He walked over to the clothes hanging up, looking through them for a moment before turning back to his boys. "Like...it might be a little warmer since we're traveling south, but if we're just gonna be in a carriage or guiding the horses...just anything comfortable should work, right?"

"Honestly, the undershirts he wears with them with his black slacks would probably be fine? And also, honestly, if we let him, Shuuichi would probably wear the black jackets the entire time there and just sweat until he died," Kaito pointed out with an exasperated look. "You know he tried to wear an outfit like that to our beach school field trip? I had to literally wrestle him out if it and put him in some proper clo-"

There was a knock at the door.

Shuuichi's eyes went wide, having not realized how much time had gone by as he suddenly looked over at the detective stuff on his desk, had to hide those, had to hide those! "K-Kokichi, help me get these under my bed!" he begged, going over to the desk, he started taking the worst of the items and rushing them under his bed, pushing them in before going back to the desk for another run, getting all the stuff that he hadn't been able to carry in his arms the first time.

Kaito watched all this quietly. Face suddenly tense. Hands pressed into tight fists.

Kokichi didn't hesitate to jump into action, quickly running the items from the detective kit under Shuuichi's bed, but...he did glance over at Shuuichi in worried confusion. He didn't want Nao to see his tools...why? He clearly didn't want her fussing with them, and...the whole reason Maki was sitting in on the sessions was to make sure Nao wouldn't push Shuuichi into something he actually didn't want. Though...Nao had said she never had done anything Shuuichi didn't want when it had been just the two of them, so...

On the other side of the door, Nao sighed quietly to herself, half expecting to just be sent away again. If Seiko's medicine was working as it had been, then...her services wouldn't be needed sooner than she'd thought. Which, honestly, was a good thing. But she couldn't just assume.

Hearing voices from inside, she called out through the door. "Do you need me today? I'm going to go get breakfast if not."

Shuuichi wasn't afraid of Nao using them without his permission. Shuuichi was terrified that he'd offer them to her.

He didn't know what he wanted!? He was horny, right? And he was, fuck he was. The idea of Miss Nao's hands on him brought a wonderful heat to his skin, and he could already feel himself longing for it. He wanted her to touch him...

...b-but...that sort of touch always hurt...and every time he thought about that, sure, there was a brief feeling of excitement, but right alongside that excitement was this anxious terror at the thought...he wanted her to stay, but she wasn't going to stay unless he needed her to hurt him, not interested in fucking someone as...out of his mind and damaged as he was...fucking gross, worthless, stupid Indentured...not good enough for anything...she wouldn't stay unless he needed to hurt, and he wanted her to stay but...b-but he didn't know if he could handle it, not as bad as he knew it could get, a-and-

Shuuichi was entirely lost in his own head, panicking as he tried to rationalize and reason out his own wildly contradicting feelings, when he felt a hand on his arm. Jolting, he looked up at Kaito, gripping at his arm, his face serious as he said, point blank, "Do you want to see her? Do you want us to go?"

Shuuichi gave his friend a horribly conflicted look. "U-uh...I-I mean...o-of course I want to see Miss Na-"

Kaito's grip tightened. Fury in his eyes as he said, plainly. "Shuuichi, answer: do you want to do a session with Nao?"

His vision tunneled at this, his shoulders relaxing as he said, blankly, "No."

"Do you need to do a session with Nao? Will it hurt you not to do it?"

"...I don't know," Shuuichi answered honestly, vision still tunneling. "Insufficient evidence based on new medicine outlier, plus observer bias. No reasonable conclusion can be drawn."

Kaito considered this, taking a second to translate 'Shuuichi Speak'...before nodding. Giving his friend a grin, the words he said not at all matching his cheery disposition as he said, "I'm drawing my own conclusion then. I'll take responsibility if this is the wrong choice."

Then, letting Shuuichi go, he called out to the door, "We're good! Thanks for stopping by!"

Shuuichi felt his vision widen out again, and he took a shaky breath as his mind was given back to him, feeling...both relieved and...so fucking dissapointed...

Kokichi's expression tightened as he watched Kaito force Shuuichi to answer. He knew why Kaito did it. It wasn't just that Shuuichi didn't want to tell them something--it was that he was confused about the situation himself, and forcing him to answer would make him admit how he really felt about the situation without second-guessing himself.

But he still hated to see it.

Every time he'd seen Kaito take advantage of Shuuichi and Maki's brainwashing, he knew why Kaito did it. Breaking Maki out of a rage that might actually hurt someone. Getting to the bottom of Shuuichi's thoughts without dithering. But...it still frustrated him that it was even an option. That Shuuichi and Maki were conditioned that way, that Kaito would ever think to use it against them. ...that it was so normalized that Maki wanted Kokichi to use it against Kaito if he needed to...

He heard Nao's voice through the door, bright and unbothered, wishing them a good morning before she left, but Kokichi didn't pay it any mind, instead going to Shuuichi's side and placing a hand on his back. "...I know on the whole it's a no, but...are you okay?"

He wanted to say that they could step out for a bit if Shuuichi still needed to take care of business, but...they weren't supposed to leave him alone. He'd tried to kill himself yesterday, and with the whole situation with Nao, Kokichi didn't feel right about testing that out right now.

He gently rubbed Shuuichi's back, wanting to do more for his friend.

Shuuichi put his head in his hands, shaking slightly...that was so stupid of him...why had he said no?? What had he been thinking??? Today was going to be so hard...a sudden giggle as he thought manically to himself, 'literally'.

Sure, maybe...maybe the idea of Nao staying for a session scared him more than excited him right now...and he hadn't been willing to face that all morning. Because he wanted to want a session with Nao. It was the only way anything was going to happen to make him feel better! He needed her! She would touch him, even after all the things she said yesterday, he trusted his master! She'd take care of him if he needed her to!

...but he had gotten scared and Kaito had seen it on him and now...

...today was going to be so long...what if he went crazy again? He fell out a window last time! "I don't know?" he answered Kokichi, feeling low and ashamed of himself. Stupid, horny, cowardly whore...couldn't even fake it long enough so that the only person who'd ever fucking touch something as gross as him would stick around to do so... "I don't know. I'm so stupid. I don't know. I'm so stupid..."

Kokichi could feel him shaking, heard that nervous giggle, was just watching as Shuuichi was falling apart...

His expression hardened, annoyed and no-nonsense. Quickly, Kokichi pulled Shuuichi into a hug, tucking his face against Shuuichi's shoulder and ignoring the soft mounds he could feel on his chest. "Nnnnnno."

"No, uh-uh. Shuu-chan is not stupid, and, just like I said yesterday, every time he starts saying lies about himself, I'm gonna call him out. Shuu-chan is super duper smart, and there's no fucking way being hurt by someone who hurt him is dumb. Shuu-chan has a whole world of options other than Nao, probably even more than the usual dating pool since he's really pretty and clever and nice and fun to hang out with."

Kokichi tightened the hug a little, rubbing his face against Shuuichi's shoulder. "You're cool! And you don't need her."

He didn't need her?

Shuuichi listened to this, still shaking hard, not really...sure if he believed any of that but...it was actually astonishing, how nice that was to hear. He felt something burn in the back of his eyes at the idea. Shakily trying to hug Kokichi back as his mind whirled.

He didn't need her? He...he probably did...dating pool? Who the fuck wanted to date a fucking...half man, half woman (was he!??), half fucking...plant (was he!??)?? Thing??? Who literally didn't know how to get off anymore without someone fucking...stepping on him or...whispering things that made him cry...what was he going to do...he needed her....

But...it was nice to pretend that he didn't, for a second...as tears started to spill out of his eyes, Shuuichi unable to keep up his weak attempt at hugging Kokichi back as he immediately moved to try to stem the tide of tears, rubbing them away with his wrists as he started to sob...

Kaito watched the tears, holding back for a moment, feeling...a little rotten… It had felt like the right choice, the only choice, in the moment, to send Nao away but...god he was sick of accidentally hurting his friends...he did it so damn often...

But he didn't regret the choice. He hadn't liked that all of that was happening in the first place, and seeing Shuuichi show any doubt about it had been all Kaito had needed to decide to shut it down. Like he said, he'd take responsibility for the choice, which he reasoned to himself was likely going to be taking the brunt of Shuuichi's possible anger later in the day, but, well...that was fine. Kaito could handle that.

For now though...Kaito, putting his arm around Shuuichi's shoulders, ignoring Shuuichi's second jolt of surprise, hugged him hard around the shoulders and just let the guy cry for a little while before saying, "Kokichi's right, dude. You and her...did some stuff because that's what you needed then and...she was..." Kaito could feel a spark of anger in him when he thought about it, still, but... "She was the kind of person who could...help you..." he forced out through gritted teeth, "But if that's not the case anymore, then you don't have to keep going to her. You have other options. It's not Nao or nothing. And you're not stupid for not wanting to be with her."

Kaito sighed, squeezing his friend again before saying, "Maybe we should leave the rest of the packing until after breakfast? Some food in all of us would probably make things easier."

Especially if Shuuichi did, like...start acting erratic again because he wasn't able to get off. Kaito still remembered the awful day of the meeting, not to mention everything he heard about from the day before. Shuuichi seemed...mostly okay now but...that could change as the day went on. They had been doing the sessions for a reason, after all.

One thing at a time. They'd cross that bridge when they got there.

Kokichi stayed steadfast, sending out a steady wave of affection as Shuuichi trembled and cried. He'd never helped someone through a breakup before, and that wasn't...quite what this was, but...it was something along those lines. Shuuichi had said he loved her. And coming to terms that he was scared of even facing her...there was something in the back of Kokichi's mind that drew uncomfortable parallels, but...it was time to focus on Shuuichi right now. He could think about himself later.

He looked up as Kaito joined the hug, offering his husband a small smile as they tried to comfort their friend. And, with one last firm squeeze and nuzzle, he drew back as well. "Breakfast sounds good to me. Some of the parlors nearby the dining room get all nice and sunny in the morning too, if we just wanted to grab food and eat somewhere else." Nao had said she was going to breakfast. If Shuuichi didn't want to be in the same room as her, they had options.

"Lemme go get Maki-chan." Kokichi quickly made his way to the door next door, giving it a knock, giving Shuuichi and Kaito a moment of bro time if they wanted it. "Maki-chaaaan, we're gonna go get breakfast now, don't be a slow poke!"

Maki had basically already packed...but was now just looking at three rows of daggers, each row six daggers long, and... "Come in, Kokichi! Maybe you can help me with this!"

When he came in, she nodded to the three rows of, from a casual viewer, eighteen basically identical throwing knives, and said, entirely sincerely, "I can only bring six...and I'm just not certain which six I should take...you see that one? How it has the slightly wider base? That one does more damage to a person when it lodges inside of them, but...its design brings down its accuracy significantly, and it can't be thrown as far as, say, this one, which can be thrown at 60 yards, the wider base only having a throwing range of 40...that's a pretty significant difference...but I'd only need the longer range one if, say, the target was running away, and maybe that's not the mentality I need to go into this trip with?? And I also need to pick at least two that would blend in well with a bikini...what do you think of these two-"

As Maki, essentially, used Kokichi the way a, say, computer programmer would use a rubber duck, Kaito stayed with Shuuichi in his room while his friend dried up the last of his tears, sitting on the edge of the bed as his sidekick tried to get it together well enough to go downstairs.

It wasn't fair to say it was a little easier to talk without Kokichi or Maki around, but...when Kaito asked Shuuichi if he was okay, he wasn't surprised when the immediate response was a frustrated, "No," rather than all the 'I don't knows' he had given Kokichi.

Kaito listened calmly as, still shaking, Shuuichi said harshly, "This sucks! Everything sucks, all the time now, Kaito! Everything has been so hard since I got here! S-sometimes...s-sometimes I think I should have just s-stayed in Luminary. I would have missed you guys, but...I'm...I'm not cut out to be a Civilian!" Shuuichi shouted, his eyes burning red again as his shoulders started to shake, riling himself back up again. "I only had my freedom for a few days, Kaito, and look what I did once I was allowed to make my own choices!? Kokichi's wrong...I am s-stupid..."

Kaito listened to all this quietly and sighed when Shuuichi took a breath, nowhere near done raving, but clearly struggling to think of his next point as he started to pace back and forth. "Stop that. Would you come sit down? You're not stupid. And..."

This is where things got tricky for Kaito. He...knew the program was...not good. But it was hard for him to think too hard about that, and seeing his friends struggle within its confines was...always a little tricky for him. Because he loved them and he knew they deserved better, but...Byakuya talked sometimes about expanding the program...Kaito didn't know if he actually was going to. He kinda hoped that when Byakuya was in charge, he'd find a better way of dealing with orphans and debtors and...maybe even criminals? And filling those important jobs they filled in different ways outside of the program but...that was more just a vague hope than anything else.

He had tried to bring it up with Byakuya, a few times, his concerns about the program...and had actually been willing to straight up argue with him about it after nine months of talking about the program with Togami, after he was done being angry at him, but...

He had left that conversation feeling overwhelmed and frightened and ungrateful and hadn't dared bring it up again even a little bit since, Byakuya having been furious with him by the end of that last conversation on the subject, where before he had at least been willing to hear him out at least a little bit. Probably because he had realized that the ideas were coming from Togami, rather than Kaito himself, but...

Y-yeah. The program was...necessary. An unfortunate evil that the kingdom was better off with. Byakuya wouldn't approve of it if it wasn't entirely necessary. He knew better.

...even if it did things like this to people like Shuuichi, who deserved so much better...

"...you don't deserve to be an Indentured. I know things have been weird since you got here, but that's all just...you couldn't have known what this stuff was going to do to you. None of us knew! I'm not thrilled you went and used yourself as a science experiment," Kaito said with a roll of his eyes as Shuuichi sat down next to him, the detective putting his head into his hand and groaning to himself. "But based on what this stuff does, you choosing to do that probably wasn't even entirely you? Like, the second you used it to help get Maki home, that's probably when the pollen started, like...forcing you to seek out stress or whatever. I don't think you'd have ever made those decisions had you not been on it in the first place. And I don't really give a shit what anyone has to say on the subject, that's not your fault. That's mine. I should have followed you on the day of the wedding...I should have tried to catch up to you. You wouldn't have had to take that stuff if I had been there to help..."

Kaito ran a hand through his hair, just...frustrated as he said, "I'm sorry, Shuuichi. You're not stupid, and you should be a Citizen. You should be able to make your own choices. It was the choices I made and Master Tengan made while you and Maki were still Indentureds...Head-Secretary Tengan used the fact that she had to listen to him against both of you, forcing you into a position where you had to make quick, dangerous choices to save both your lives...that's what screwed you up. It's not your fault this shit happened. I'll fucking defend that to the day I die."

"And everything that happened after? Me and Maki should have seen what was happening. I should have seen it. The fact that it spiraled out of control the way it did? Also not your fault. You were on dangerous chemicals that literally no one knows anything about, and I was just...ignoring that anything was going on with you because...I don't know...I had other stuff going on. It was convenient to just say you were fine and move on," Kaito admitted, hanging his head in shame, before looking over to his friend, real regret in his eyes as he said, "I don't just take responsibilities for your actions because I don't want you to face the consequences of them, Shuuichi. Most of the time, like, nine times out of ten, our whole lives...it's almost always my fault these things happen to you. It’s my mother who made you the fucking boogieman of the castle and made everyone constantly wary to be around you. It's...it was my father's policies that made it possible for her to do that. And now it's because of me you're here and all of this happened to you in the first place..."

"Kaito, stop," Shuuichi muttered, moving his cap awkwardly, tired of hearing his friend beat himself up in this long-ass rant. "I don't need you to placate me-"

"I'm not!" Kaito shouted, putting his hands on Shuuichi's shoulders and forcing him to look at him, not caring about the look of frightened surprise on his friends face, or the way his cheeks tellingly went red. "I have a point! This wasn't your fault, and if me and my family stopped getting in your way constantly, you wouldn't make decisions like these! You deserve to be a citizen! You deserve to make choices for yourself, and they won't all end up like this! You're not stupid! You're not unsuited for freedom! We're going to fix the mess me and Master Tengan fucking lumped onto you, and when you're better, you're going to do amazing things with that freedom! You're going to blow us all away!"

Shuuichi stared back at Kaito, shaking again, a little frightened because his friend was getting fired up and he could get a little rough when that happened...and a little excited because his friend was getting fired up and he could get a little rough when that happened...but also...

Shuuichi's eyes upturned as more tears started to fall, giving Kaito a shaking, half believing smile as he said, "...yeah?"

"Fuck yeah, dude!" Kaito said, pulling him into a hug, grinning widely, even though he felt more tears start to wet his shoulder as he held the detective. "And I'm so fucking honored to get to be here to see it! I'm so fucking excited to see what Citizen Shuuichi is capable of! You're going to do great!!"

...he was? Shuuichi gripped Kaito's shoulders, feeling...a little more excited and optimistic, Kaito's enthusiasm and fiery passion contagious as Shuuichi thought to himself...was he? Going to do amazing things? He felt so stupid and small and worthless...but he usually knew when Kaito was lying to himself and when he was being sincere and...Kaito really, really believed everything he was saying and...

Shuuichi felt a spark of excitement at the idea of a future where he really was better and he really could make his own choices and it maybe?? Wouldn't end in disaster and?? Maybe??

Shuuichi sighed as he was pushed back from Kaito's shoulders, looking somewhat warily at his friend as Kaito looked at him sternly, hands gripping both sides of his shoulders hard as the prince demanded, "I want to hear you say it, okay? What are you going to be!? We're not leaving this room till you say it, man, I swear, I will die in here if I have to."

Laughing slightly, Shuuichi rolled his eyes at Kaito's theatrics, rubbing his eyes with his palms again. "Okay, fine...fine Kaito, sure. I'm going to be a-amazing and...a-and all of that stuff, okay? Stop yelling at me..." Shuuichi said, the request...light and teasing. The sort of thing he would have said to Kaito before all this started, when he had been himself, as he laughed quietly again, his tears finally stopping as he said, "We've been in here too long, ya know...they're probably waiting for us outside..."

"They can wait," Kaito said, wiping some of the tears still on Shuuichi's face away with his thumb, "I wanted to say all that to you. You deserved to hear it."

Shuuichi shook his head, but it was more exasperation than denial as he said, "S-sure...thanks, Kaito..."

Outside, Maki, six knives now picked out, was waiting outside the door with Kokichi. Not really able to hear everything happening inside, but able to hear clearer some of Kaito's shouting. By context of some of his shouting alone, she guessed Shuuichi was getting a pep talk.

Good. Apparently Nao had been sent away without doing anything, so...he'd probably needed one.

After a minute, Kaito and Shuuichi came to the door, Kaito beaming, and Shuuichi clearly having cried some more, but...a small ghost of a smile on his face as Kaito said, "Alright! Sorry to keep you waiting! Let's go!"

Kokichi was no blacksmith or assassin or weapons connoisseur in any way, but he did his best to think about all the information Maki gave him, weighing her concerns seriously instead of brushing them off with the confidence that they wouldn't need to do any fighting on the road. He still thought it was a very low chance, but...he had at least at one point been targeted by a multi-nation terrorist group. It would pay to be prepared, just in case.

Even if he did ask Maki what set would be best for non-lethal combat, and tried to vie for those daggers.

When everything was picked out and they waited outside of Shuuichi's door, Kokichi grew a little worried over the shouting he could hear, but...that was Kaito's way. Aggressively insisting that people were amazing.

Kokichi offered both men a grin as they opened the door and he turned to lead the way to the dining room, practically hopping down the stairs, chirping a tune about pancakes and waffles and battered toast. He drew some attention, relieved, knowing smiles from passing staff members, comforted by seeing their prince active and in good spirits again. No matter how dark the winter, spring always came.

-

That day had actually been going really, really well...right up until about four PM.

Shuuichi didn't really know what happened. He had been horny all day, yes, but...honestly, he had been distracted enough hanging out with the others that it was...a little easier to ignore it. Admittedly, he could feel it sort of building up all day. Maki would put a hand on his shoulder and it would make him shudder. Kokichi would draw him into a hug and Shuuichi would start to squirm uncomfortably. Kaito would fucking look at him wrong and Shuuichi could feel his cock start to jump...

So, yeah, it was...definitely building. But with his stress/arousal thing as muted as it was under the new medicine, the stress of his arousal wasn't the sort of intensifying echo-chamber that it had been for the last few weeks, the discomfort of being aroused in front of everyone not just making his arousal worse, which just made his discomfort worse, which then made the arousal unbearable...that wasn't happening. It was just a gradual buildup.

He had actually thought for a while there that he'd probably be fine going to sleep like that tonight. Not needing to get off at all.

And then four PM had hit and--fuck!

He didn't know what happened!? Had he stubbed a toe? Smelled something? Was one of his friends’ casual touches finally too much for him? He had no idea, but suddenly, he was hanging out in the princes' room, Maki helping Timothy pack for the trip after all when Maki had spotted Kaito roaming the castle when he was supposed to be helping pack and Kaito admitting, shame-faced, that Timothy had hidden his shoes around the castle and had refused to pack until Kaito found them, and Maki had taken them and yelled at both of them for awhile before-

Oh.

That was what had done it.

Shuuichi had watched Maki yell at Kaito, who had been laughing and embarrassed and a little ashamed while Timothy just looked mildly annoyed that his prank had been stopped early, and seeing Maki and Kaito like that...it was just the right kind of stressful. Not too painful. Nothing had hurt. Just Kaito looking embarrassed and Maki pissed over something harmless and--

God Shuuichi was going to die...

He was over by the window seat, legs up against his chest as he looked out the window, too distracted by his body to read anything or play any games with the other two or work on the milk puzzle that Kaito had found among Kokichi's things and had gotten, just, so excited to try out, but trying to distract himself by staring out the window, just...slightly trembling and fuck, fuck, don't think about it, don't think about it...just keep it together. Ask Maki for some sleeping pills when she gets back...you're fine, stop being weird!

Kaito was currently trying to find all the edge pieces of the milk puzzle that he had poured out onto their floor, cheerfully trying piece after piece as he said idly to Kokichi, "Yeah, like I said, I don't get black out drunk often. Maybe a handful of times in my life, and I'm not even sure I could? By this point, probably wanting to stop once I started to feel sick, but...apparently, I am really, really good at eating contests when I am. Shuuichi, you were there for that, right? The meat-pie eating contest that I won? Or...shoot who am I thinking of, that wasn't you, um..."

"Rantarou," Shuuichi murmured back, a tremor in his voice that he did his best to suppress, "Maki was away on a mission and me and Kaede wanted to go on some of the rides they put up, so Kaede asked Rantarou to look after you that festival."

"Ah, right. Rantarou. He's Kaede's family's live-in housekeeper. Man that's one good guy. Super chilled out, easily one of the most mellow people I've ever met," Kaito explained to Kokichi.

Kokichi was lying on his stomach on the floor, his lower legs in the air and crossed behind him as he talked with Kaito and helped pick out the edge pieces of the puzzle. The day still wasn't normal, but...it almost felt like a normal he could get used to.

They'd had breakfast--and there had been pancakes, to his delight--and Kokichi had pulled Aiichi aside afterward, talking to him for a bit about all the things he'd been meaning to bring up with the leader. About the Remnants in general and their threats to Kaito's friends, about the work on the Atua worship space, about the workload in general including the request for the multi-city sculpture project, about the veterans returning...

It was one of the better conversations he'd had with his dad. And...he assured him that he'd sent letters back and forth with the front line fighters, and they knew about their new residents. Friendliness was not required, but, well, like in all of Dicea, coexistence and the opportunity to live your life was acknowledged.

Then, the rest of the day had been finishing up packing and just...hanging out.

Kokichi snorted, moving a few more edge pieces Kaito's way. "I believe that one hundred percent. You could probably win an eating contest when you're completely sober! Might just be a giant thing, but I don't understand how you can eat so much."

It was a casual conversation, but...something pinged in Kokichi's mind. Rantarou...Rantarou Amami. Maki had talked about him, about sending him mail to get to Kaede without alerting Byakuya... Maki had said that he was someone who had been in the program... Kokichi wondered if Kaito was self-censoring, or if it was intentional.

...they hadn't been able to talk to Shuuichi about the plan at all. ...maybe that was something they'd get to do soon.

Propping his chin up, Kokichi looked over Shuuichi, happy that he'd seemed pretty stable all day after that morning. "You like fair rides, Shuu-chan?"

Shuuichi tightened his legs around himself, now thinking about old memories of Kaede in...a new light...she was beautiful, wasn't she...he had known that in a technical way, back then, but had only been 'attracted' to her because...well, she had been nice to him. Nice and uplifting and kind. All in the same ways Kaito was, really, but...even better, in some ways. Patient and subdued where he was brash and angry, intelligent in her answers when Kaito usually went with his first instincts on any subject, considerate in her actions that made spending time with her less of the rollercoaster that spending time with Kaito was...and all of that on top of being a member of the royal family, third in line to the throne once Kaito had given up his claim...

...it had been nice spending time with her. Shuuichi had loved her, in his own ways. And it had...hurt, when he realized how much of that gentle kindness was practiced. How purposeful it had all been. She was still leagues better than the other nobles and wealthy families, not to mention the rest of the Momota family, and Shuuichi genuinely believed her intentions were good, but...it had been hard, to equal out the person that had been delighted to go on ferris wheels and small, wooden roller coasters with him, clutching onto his arm playfully during the haunted mansion ride, kind and fun and wonderful...with the person that had sold out her own brother...

He had been a traitor. There was no getting around that. He had been trying to take advantage of Shuuichi.

But it still hurt, because as much as Kaede had protected Shuuichi when everything was happening...he still couldn't say for certain what her motives for exposing her brother had been.

...She had gotten to second in line after he was gone, after all

And that had really colored his perspective of her. Had made her seem more...dark and menacing, those last few years he had spent in Luminary, than she had seemed during their pre-teen and early teen years, hanging out with him alone during festivals and parties and sometimes just playing music for him in the ballroom, the two just quietly enjoying time together...

...and she had been beautiful, the festival lights shining through her golden hair, her face lit up with excitement and joy when the rollercoaster got to the very top of its climb, Shuuichi glancing over to see her joy, just before it started to roll down-

...her body had been amazing too...though he hadn't known it then. Beautiful and sexy a-and-

Shuuichi swallowed hard, face bright red as he said, "Y-yeah, I like rides...they're exciting...u-um...sorry, I-I need to go to the bathroom!"

He got up, realizing he wasn't going to be able to take much more of his dick swelling and squeezing between his cheeks. He needed to give it some air. Fuck he just needed to cum! He'd feel better if he came. He could stop thinking about her breasts...the way she wore her sweater-vests in a way that showed off the curves of her body...wouldn't imagine her on her back, undressed and reaching up to him, calling out his name softly, both shy and playful, "Sh-shuuichi."

...god she'd be horrified by his body.

He ran into the bathroom, closing the door behind him, closing the toilet lid and sitting down on it, undoing his pant buttons and, no, he couldn't get to it like that, fuck, he'd have to just take his pants off entirely. Kicking off his pants and briefs urgently, he sighed in relief as he finally could relax his stance, his stupid, massive dick pulled from the damp, sticky slime between his cheeks, already thick and aching and wet from the mucus (that, at least, had been slowing down today. His pads were still wet, but they weren't soaked like they had been yesterday).

Trying to be quiet, ashamed of the idea of Kaito or Kokichi hearing him, Shuuichi started running his hands up and down his shaft, trying to hold onto the image of Kaede beneath him as he tried to stimulate himself...and when her image started to fade, he started rapidly replacing her with the others, trying to get an image that would stick. Maki, above him, riding him, intentful and focused? No. Kaito pressing down on him, his hands around Shuuichi's neck, the way he had seen printed on Kokichi's skin. B-better, but...not quite. Kokichi, with soft lips, looking up at him, surprised, half riddled with nerves and half smiling in excitement...o-oh...

But each time he grabbed an image, it started to fade as he got more worked up. This was the same problem as the last few times he had tried this. The thoughts in his head were enough to get him riled up, but the more he tried to focus on actually pleasuring himself, the less focused he could be on the thoughts, and neither of those things, his hands or the images, individually were enough, but he could't use them effectively together a-and-

Fuck, fuck, fuck!...Please, please, he needed to cum...

Desperate. Because it had worked once and he needed it to work again, Shuuichi took his left hand off his dick, leaving his right to play with the head, put his fingers in his mouth, and started to bite down-

Kokichi watched Shuuichi go with a soft frown. Sure, it could just be that he really had to use the bathroom, but... Oh, who was he kidding, Shuuichi was going into their bathroom to jerk off. From the sound of things, he'd only really needed to get off once that morning the day before, but that was still getting off, which he hadn't done today.

He figured he should probably feel uncomfortable with Shuuichi jerking it in their bathroom, considering how he felt about sexual things in general lately, but...he just felt concerned. That Shuuichi had to do this alone with his friends right outside the door, that...he had to hurt or stress out to cum, right? That was why Nao had attended to him after all.

Giving up on the puzzle, Kokichi just stared at the bathroom door with a worried expression for a good while before he looked to Kaito, speaking quietly, hopefully to not be overheard. "...should we...do anything?"

Kaito at first had just grinned at his husband in embarrassment, having realized what was happening as well, but he said, "If it makes you uncomfortable, babe, you can take a walk? It's not like we've given him any privacy today, after all, and I'm sure it would have been embarrassing to ask us for it... but do anything? What, like stop him? Why, it's a good thing if he can do it himself right? What's the worst...that could..."

Kaito's face suddenly stilled.

"I caught him tearing at his wrists once."

That was what she had said. While Kaito had been approaching her, literally mad with blood lust. She had been trying to explain to him why so much caution had needed to be taken on her part. That Shuuichi's sexual drive was, by the design of the pollen, inherently self destructive, and...

...A stranger had needed to treat Shuuichi like shit for the last week to get him off. Shuuichi seemed like he was doing so much better today but...but...

"Ah, shit," Kaito murmured, already ashamed of what he was about to do, worryingly cracking his knuckles against his chest. He didn't want to stop Shuuichi from pleasing himself. He wanted to allow his friend this level of privacy. But...fuck this was the exact scenario she hadn't trusted them with. Shuuichi wasn't...sane right now. He might be just fine in there, or he might be cutting his wrists. Kaito had no way of knowing unless he checked on him...fucking kept an eye on him... "Goddammit," Kaito cursed, running a hand through his hair before giving Kokichi a shaky smile. "Actually, based on some stuff Nao said, maybe I...fuck, dammit, okay, look, this might get uncomfortable. I know today’s been going well, but based on the last few days, me going in there and stopping him right now could lead to a meltdown like yesterday’s. You can leave if you want to, Kokichi, we don't both need to be here for this."

Kokichi wrinkled his nose, almost offended if the sentiment wasn't so nice. There was no way he was abandoning Shuuichi. But, also...they didn't have to stop Shuuichi. Or, well, if he was hurting himself, yes, they'd stop that, but...he did need to get off. Stopping him from masturbating would mean that they'd just have to get Nao to give him release.

...he'd been uncomfortable when Kaito brought it up before. A little...heartbroken, if he was honest. But...if they were both helping out...

Shaking his head a little, Kokichi rolled onto his side and sat up, looking at Kaito determinedly, if a little embarrassed. "We don't have to stop him. We just have to make sure that he's not hurting himself. And..." His blush ramped up, but Kokichi refused to look away. "...Shuu-chan's worried that no one will love him. If he can't even JO himself, then? What's he supposed to do?"

"...but we love him. I...I'd be willing to help him, if you are."

Kaito looked at his husband curiously, eyes widening a little as he understood what Kokichi was saying...

And then chuckled.

"Did you just refer to jacking off as JO?" Kaito laughed, his face burning red as he covered his eyes, shaking his head. "God damn you're so cute...also, are you serious?" Kaito asked, brow furrowing as he looked at Kokichi, suddenly filled with concern. "I mean...that's what Maki wanted me to do, yeah, but...I mean...it would feel less like I was cheating on you if you were there...but I don't want you doing anything you're not comfortable with, Kokichi. I know you want to be there for him, and I cannot even tell you how much I love you for that, but-"

There was a sudden thump! And a small cry of pain...along with a terrifying little giggle, and Kaito was bolting for the door before he could finish talking this out with Kokichi, concern and fury suddenly filling him as he barged into the bathroom without knocking.

"Oh fucking god dammit, Shuuichi!? No, no, stay right where you are!" Kaito demanded, seeing Kokichi start to follow him to the bathroom. His face tense and frustrated as he looked back at the mess inside the bathroom, telling Kokichi, "He's bleeding, okay? Just...give me five minutes to clean him up and wrap his wounds. Don't fucking give me that look, Shuuichi, what were you thinking?!"

As Kaito went farther into the bathroom, he inspected his only half dressed friend, his erection high and throbbing and (holy fuck look at the size of it! That thing was a weapon! Shuuichi was hiding a god damned club in his pants, how the fuck??) wet with something that seemed to be coating between Shuuichi's thighs as well, his arm and hand covered in pink, bleeding bite marks, but that wasn't the wound he was concerned about.

He had apparently slipped on the side of the tub and hit his head on the edge of it, opening a cut on his temple that Kaito knew would be small once he cleaned the blood of it, but was a gusher right now, and...how had he managed to fall? What was he doing on the edge of it like that? As Kaito quickly got the first aid kit from beneath the sink, he looked around the tub area and saw the...weird way the shower curtain seemed to be bunching up on something and as he took out a bandage and covered it in rubbing alcohol, pressing it against Shuuichi's forehead, he peeked around the curtain and...

...Shuuichi had been trying to rig up a towel onto the sturdy end of the shower curtain...and had probably fallen before he could finish tying the end up in a loop...

"Oh, fuck, Shuuichi..." Kaito whispered, wiping off the blood on his forehead until it was clean and clear, reaching down into the kit and getting a bandage, "Dude, you could have..."

"I-I wasn't trying to!" Shuuichi said with a mad, frightened giggle, looking up at Kaito, absolutely terrified as he said, whispering, afraid of Kokichi hearing, "Please, please, I wasn't trying to, I just...it's a real thing, right? People do that to themselves all the time to get off! I wasn't trying to die, I promise, I swear, please, please don't commit me Kaito, I won't ruin the trip, I promise, I promise, don't send me away-"

"Hey, hey! Stop that," Kaito said, putting the bandage in place, making sure it was secure before sighing, moving on to his arm and hands, cleaning the bites and wrapping them up. "We're not planning to commit you if you can't fucking go on vacation with us, okay? We'd cancel the fucking trip before we did that, okay? None of us have been talking about it because none of us wanted to think about it, but...the option isn't 'Shuuichi either goes on the trip or is fucking committed', the option is, 'Shuuichi goes on the trip or we don't go', okay? I promise. No one’s sending you away. But Shuuichi, man, you have to stop...this is terrifying..."

Shuuichi cleaned up, Kaito looked over his clearly distressed friend one more time, tears in his eyes, covered in bandages (he did all that in such a short time...), erection still heavy...and he thought about what Kokichi said...

"I-I'm a b-bad friend, K-Kokichi's been looking forward to tomorrow his w-whole l-life and now because some st-stupid indent-"

"No, no. You're not an Indentured. We're not doing that anymore. Look at me," Kaito said, quietly, forcing Shuuichi to look up at him. "...we're not canceling the trip. Not yet. There's still... one more option to taking care of this. If we can make that work, the trip will be fine. We'll make it work. Okay?"

"One more option...a-are you inviting Miss Nao?" Shuuichi asked, his eyes lighting up with both excitement and anxiety. His shoulders starting to shake. "I-is she coming?"

"Ha," Kaito said, whole body tensing with fury at the very idea as he said, "Not a chance in hell...no, we're gonna try something else. And it's gonna be okay, alright? Just...try not to scare my husband when we go out there. Don't let any of the bandages come loose, okay? Everything's going to be fine."

With this, Kaito pulled Shuuichi up, and gently started to lead him towards the door, calling out to Kokichi, "Hey, me and Shuuichi are coming out, okay Kokichi. He's...not really dressed, and he has some bandages on, but otherwise he's okay. Are you still...okay with him coming out?"

"Kaito, I'm half naked!" Shuuichi said, looking up at his friend in shock at the idea, whispering as if Kokichi hadn't heard Kaito just say the same thing, "Kokichi will see!"

"That's okay. Everything's going to be okay," Kaito promised again. Placing a small kiss at his temple, to Shuuichi's endless surprise and confusion.

Kokichi pouted a bit at Kaito before his expression returned to seriousness. Most of his fears and discomfort with sex came from...other people using him. Treating him like some abstract commodity to be used for their own pleasure. Something he didn't have any say in or power to do anything about it. Chisa drugging him, then telling everyone he'd been raped. His husband treating him like a toy, or finding that he preferred the company of others.

This was something Kokichi was choosing for himself. Showing one of the few friends he had that they were loved and adored, that they were someone amazing and desirable and wanted. The first time he and Kaito had sex...knowing that he was wanted had been so...relieving. Other than the physical release, he wanted to give that reassurance to Shuuichi too.

Kokichi jumped to his feet at the thump, but stopped short at Kaito's warning, the worry in his expression deepening. But he waited. And...after a moment, he glanced back to their bed and got to work. Kokichi drew the covers back and laid most of the pillows down, making them easy to grab and move around as needed. Then he opened the drawer on his nightstand, opening the tub of lube and setting it down, then...

Well, maybe someone would be interested. No harm in putting the option on the table. Iruma would probably be offended that her gift hadn't been used for a whole month after they'd gotten it.

He had just about finished setting everything up when Kaito called out--one of them could run to the bathroom for water if anyone got dehydrated. "Yeah, come on out!"

Waiting expectantly, Kokichi's eyes...inadvertently flicked down to...hoooooly shit. That was...wow. Like...Dr. Kimura had mentioned that his junk had grown but...damn. Did Luminaries just have big dicks, or had he happened to find two anomalies?

Recovering after a moment, Kokichi offered Shuuichi a worried look. "Are you okay?" He approached, gently, not aggressive in the slightest, reaching up to touch around the bandage at Shuuichi's temple. His voice went soft, offering, hopeful. "...you shouldn't have to do all of this alone. That's what we all promised when you told us everything. If it's okay with you, we'll take care of Shuu-chan, alright?"

...was he...asleep or??

Shit, had he knocked himself out on the bathtub and this was a fucking fever dream? That was the only way this was actually happening. That was literally the only way Kaito would be at his back, rubbing little soothing circles on the back of his neck, and Kokichi would be in front of him, looking up at him with concern and...a-and invitation and...

Fuck even the bed looked like a picture out of those smutty picture books you could find in the back of bookstores.

This couldn't possibly be actually happening...he was absolutely bleeding out on the bathroom floor while Kokichi and Kaito worked on their milk puzzle. There was no way...

Meanwhile, Kaito was behind him, his cast arm hand securely on Shuuichi's shoulder, the more flexible fingers of his uncasted hand massaging the back of Shuuichi's neck a little, trying to keep the detective calm as he watched this whole exchange carefully. Everything that happened with this? Had to be done carefully...two of the most important people in Kaito's life were involved with this, and both of them were in extremely sensitive points in their lives when it came to sex. Both of them had only ever been with one other person, and...both of them, to varying degrees, had had issues with their only sexual partner being...too controlling and frightening and dominating (though Kaito wasn't ready to compare himself one-to-one to the fucking librarian...he wasn't at all like her...) to explore sex with any real agency of their own. Kaito has been trying to be better with that with Kokichi, but...he wasn't stupid. He knew he and his husband had a long way to go before they really got past the 'sex toy' mentality...and this would be the first time anyone had ever tried to be gentle with Shuuichi...

Kaito had a responsibility to both of these two people that he loved so much to not fuck this up...to not hurt them. He didn't want to hurt them...

As Shuuichi just looked down at Kokichi in open disbelief, Kaito startled him out of his head by suddenly leaning over and kissing the back of his ear, Shuuichi staring back over his shoulder, still in disbelief, as Kaito smiled playfully at him, teasing. "Aw, come on, bud, don't freeze up on us now. None of this has to happen, okay? You can tell either me or Kokichi or both of us to stop any time, okay? You say stop? Everything stops. That's true for both of you," Kaito said, giving Kokichi a meaningful look, not wanting his husband to feel obligated to finish this if he started to get overwhelmed...before grinning again, placing another kiss against Shuuichi's cheek as he said, "But if you want to do this...why don't you go ahead and follow Kokichi onto the bed, okay? For all of our sakes, I'm going to take a quick trip down to Tim's room to let Maki know we're good to watch you till tonight, okay? For her sake. Somehow I think she'd be uncomfortable walking in on us...go on, really. Everything's going to be okay." Kaito reassured him, pushing Shuuichi forward slightly, the detective looking down at Kokichi now, wide eyed and stunned.

"I'll be right back, literally one minute," Kaito promised, heading out the door real quick, heading to Timothy's room.

Shuuichi stared down at Kokichi, his face bright red and expression helplessly confused as he said, "A...are you both serious?"

Kokichi let his hand gently trace down over Shuuichi's cheek, but he didn't push. If this was too uncomfortable, there was no way he was going to force Shuuichi into this. Right now, though...he and Kaito were the only people he really trusted to treat Shuuichi appropriately gently. Maki could too, but...it was one thing to get intimate with friends, and another with your sibling.

Humming in assent to the boundaries of consent, offering Kaito a soft, thankful look,  he laughed awkwardly as he mentioned going to tell Maki. Yeah, that...would be pretty horrible. No one had walked in on them yet, and Kokichi didn't really count what happened with Hajime the day before, so...it was better to keep the streak going.

Carefully, just like when he was leading the way to Shuuichi's room, Kokichi took his sleeve and gave it a gentle tug towards the bed, taking a step and inviting Shuuichi to follow. "Mhmm," he hummed, giving Shuuichi a sincere, caring smile. "We both care about Shuu-chan a lot, and we don't want him to hurt anymore."

"Well, not seriously hurt," Kokichi huffed softly, giving Shuuichi's bandages a look before feeling his cheeks heat up. "Sometimes there's a type of not really hurting that's really nice...right?"

Kokichi twirled a piece of his hair, looking away bashfully as he admitted to the...rougher treatment he so often enjoyed in bed. But he quickly bolstered himself, still blushing, but giving Shuuichi a wink. "In one of our first conversations about it, I told Kai-chan that you were totally my type, and he's been teasing me for ages about flirting with you. And, well, you know how much he loves you. I was uncomfortable before, but...if it's both of us...it feels like you fit in well, yeah?"

Shuuichi still couldn't believe this, and as he followed Kokichi to the bed, each step shaky and uncertain (trick? Was this a trick? Was he being tricked?...no, Kaito would never...was this actually happening?), he glanced over to the front door, before shuffling onto the bed, sitting on his legs (shit, shit, was he going to leak all over the bed? Did...would it matter?) as he listened in astonishment to Kokichi.

"You guys...talked about flirting with me?" Shuuichi asked, just totally blown away by the idea. There was no way...Shuuichi wasn't desirable...he was repulsive. He knew he was repulsive. Couldn't Kokichi see that? He...he fit in? "Y-you haven't seen me naked!" Shuuichi suddenly realized, a deep, red flush coming over his face as he looked down at his shirt and jacket, explaining, "I-I mean...above my waist, I mean, you...you don't like girls and...Kokichi I'm all...a bunch of m-mismatch of parts these days...it's r-really disturbing...you're not going to like it..."

"Mhmm. The first time I saw you, the first thing I thought was that you were cute. And then that I recognized your clothes from when Kai-chan borrowed them." Kokichi hopped up on his bed and sat in front of Shuuichi, not making any moves to touch him yet since...Shuuichi hadn't said yes. He seemed to be still trying to figure out if they were saying yes, but that wasn't consent. Not yet. "You're prettier than Kai-chan, actually, and when I told him, he just groaned and agreed with me. Then he told me about how much he was in love with you when you guys were kids."

He raised an eyebrow, giving Shuuichi's giant cock a pointed glance before the detective clarified and... Kokichi sighed. "I don't like girls, but that doesn't mean I don't like guys with boobs, Shuu-chan. That'd be pretty gross of me if I meant I only liked people who only had dicks and no boobs."

"If you're uncomfortable, you don't have to take your shirt off," he offered with a soft, kind smile. "Kai-chan can get kinda handsy, but if you don't want us to touch your chest, we won't. We won't touch anything that you don't want us to. And don't put words in my mouth--I like Shuu-chan, so I'll like his body. Simple as that."

Kokichi let his words settle for a moment before giving Shuuichi a more nervous smile, leaning just a little bit forward on his knees. "I know you're already hard, but... Can I kiss you?"

It wasn't just about getting Shuuichi to cum, treating him like a machine that needed maintenance. This, if Shuuichi agreed to it, would be about showering the older boy in love and affection. Showing that he was lovable and desirable and that...sex didn't have to end with tears. Maybe even providing an atmosphere that would allow Shuuichi to accept his body. Never have him think that he was disturbing.

Shuuichi winced at the memory of Kaito confessing to him when they were kids. Kaito didn't really have any way of knowing this, it not being something Shuuichi had brought up with him yet, but...Shuuichi had been pretty heavily crushing on Kaede at that point. If he hadn't been, he could have...maybe seen a version of his thirteen-year-old self who would have been willing to date him, if not sexually attracted to him, but thirteen had been the start of when he and Kaede had really started looking at each other with more interest...or at least that was how it felt like at the time.

Still...Kaito had been devastated when Shuuichi said no. Had started hiding himself away in the temple for a few weeks, avoiding Shuuichi, until Maki had finally gotten them both to sit down and talk. The detective-in-training had felt terrible at the time...

...to think that Kaito still apparently thought about it enough to talk about it to his husband...

Shuuichi put his arms over his chest, looking down at the bed, not certain...how undressed he'd want to get. There was something extremely arousing, in the idea of all three of them being naked, of feeling their skin (WAS THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENING!?) against all of him, but...his chest still scared the shit out of him...he didn't know what to think about it, just knew he was overwhelmed every time he tried to think about it for too long. He didn't know how he would feel about being touched there...it had felt good when Miss Nao did it...sorta...

Shuuichi startled at the question, still not quite over the (IS THIS HAPPENING) internal freakout he was having, but he was already a little confused by the question...why did it matter if he was hard already for a kiss? Were you supposed to kiss before you were hard? Only before you were hard or...oh f-fuck it suddenly occurred to Shuuichi he had no idea how this was supposed to work. Miss Nao had always just...done everything. He had never really had to do more than either lie there or follow her orders. The most he had ever done on his own was when she had opened up her blouse and had let him kiss her chest...and that had been the first day, before she had worked out he was a-a crazy drug addict...after that he couldn’t so much as graze her skin with his fingertips...h-he wasn't going to know what to do...

...Kokichi had soft lips...

(Fuck Shuuichi needed to confess what he had done...someday...fuck that was a terrifying thought...he didn't want Kokichi to ever know...)

Shuuichi looked down at his hands, face bright red, and stammered out, "Yeah...I...I-I'm sorry if it's bad, I don't...I don't have any experience, n-not really, and...I-I'm sorry if I make an u-ugly expression...."

Scooting closer, Kokichi touched his hands to Shuuichi's, touching them gently just by their fingertips. "The only person I've ever kissed is Kai-chan--our first kiss was at our wedding. I was nervous all day about it--when we weren't worrying about you guys, anyway. I probably looked like an idiot up there...but Kai-chan made it fun. I hope I can make it fun for you."

"Plus, I don't think Shuu-chan is capable of making ugly expressions," he said, matter-of-fact, before sitting up on his knees a little and leaning in, bringing one hand up to cup Shuuichi's cheek.

Ever so gently, he pressed his lips to Shuuichi's--they were a little bitten, but still oh-so warm. Keeping things light, he kissed at Shuuichi's top lip, then his bottom, then pressed a little harder before sitting back. "Was that alright?"

...that had been...a lot nicer than kissing him in his sleep...

He reached up to his cap, bringing it low over his face, just entirely flustered as he nodded his head. "Mm...mhm!" he said, fuck, it was suddenly really warm in here, and Kokichi had...smelled really good and...he had been so soft a-and-!!

Oh god he wanted this! He wanted this so bad, please! He wanted this all to be real and actually happen and not some fever dream or whatever it probably was. Someone had just kissed him and then asked him if he liked it! A fucking...foreign prince had done that even! That...that didn't happen! What sort of fantasy five-copper trash romance novel had he just stumbled into?? There was no way-

The door opened, and Kaito walked back in with a relieved sigh, saying, "W-well! We have...Maki's blessing, I guess? I wasn't trying to tell her what we were doing, but she kinda guessed by my mannerisms...a-and then she took a knife to my throat and said if either of you didn't have a good time sh-she was gonna find out about it, so~I guess if you guys don't like this at any point just let Maki know?? And she'll stab me probab...." Kaito finally looked at both of them over his nervous ranting, looking between them...before grinning wide. "You both look flustered. You guys getting started without me?"

Oh fuck...look, Kaito knew the only reason this was happening right now was because a lot of terrible shit had happened to Shuuichi. And, obviously, if he had to pick a reality, he'd prefer the one where Shuuichi was well and whole and didn't need himself or Kokichi to do something like this...

...but holy fuck...looking at Kokichi and Shuuichi, flustered and red faced and looking at him from a bed prepped for sex...this was a wet dream that Kaito hadn't had yet but would have inevitably come up eventually...he felt a spark of excitement run through his gut as he eyed them both, lust pooling at the back of his throat.

Careful. Careful. Be slow. Be patient. Keep an eye on them both. Don't scare them...

Deciding to check on his husband first, Kaito went over to Kokichi, kissing his forehead and looking him over as he said, "Everything still good?"

Kokichi smiled, relieved, part of him half-expecting that he'd just...bore Shuuichi. After all, closed-mouth kisses were certainly less exciting than what Shuuichi needed right now. But Kokichi didn't feel right just trying to get Shuuichi to cum as fast as possible, even after he consented.

The door opened, and Kokichi rolled his eyes a little, though his smile was fond. Kaito wouldn't mess this up. He loved them too much, and he was better than the mistakes he'd made. He wouldn't want to divulge the details, but...he was sure he'd be able to go up to Maki with a smile and declare that they were alright. And no one would get stabbed.

"A little," he answered, pressing against Kaito briefly before holding a hand out towards Shuuichi. "I've at least gotten good enough at kissing that Shuu-chan liked it. If you guys wanna, though, I'll tell ya, Shuu-chan; Kai-chan is a waaaay better kisser than I am."

Kokichi scooted over on the bed, leaving more room for Kaito so that they'd form a sort of circle.

Kaito laughed, running a hand through his hair as he said humbly, "He's being modest...but not by much." Grinning wolfishly, he gave Kokichi a small wink before looking over Shuuichi. Okay...what did they have to work with...

Shuuichi was peeking up at him from beneath his cap, which was absolutely adorable and Kaito's grin widened to see it, but...taking a seat between Kokichi and Shuuichi, bouncing on the mattress a little and chuckling to see the two dip at his weight a little, Kaito grinned at Shuuichi, peeking under his cap as he said cheerfully, "I wanna see you, Shuuichi. Let's take the hat off, okay?"

There was a brief moment where it looked like maybe Shuuichi would protest, and Kaito waited, prepared to be patient as Shuuichi thought whatever he was thinking to himself...before nodding, taking off his hat and putting to the side. It still astounded Kaito that Shuuichi never had hat hair. How did he?? Ah well. It was his detective’s own special brand of magic. Who was Kaito to question it.

"There, see. There's those gorgeous golden eyes...and now pink sometimes too, which is pretty cool!" Kaito said cheerfully, not noticing Shuuichi's confused look at the comment as Kaito reached over, taking Shuuichi by the arms and pulling him closer to himself, Shuuichi shuffling his knees to keep up as Kaito pulled him up to the side of his legs. "Come here, handsome. It's okay, I've got you..."

Shuuichi looked at him, wide eyed and flustered, as Kaito kissed him on the back of his jaw, on his cheek, on the corner of his lips, his hand on the back of Shuuichi's neck, his cast arm around his waist, and whispered between kisses, "Kid me," kiss, "Would be losing his damn mind," kiss, "If he could see me right now."

Shuuichi blushed at this, stammering out as he shook in Kaito's grip, "Y-yeah...Kokichi said you...still talked about that...I'm sorry about that..."

"Don't be. I was a young punk who didn't even have abs yet and you were way out of my league. Still are, really. Lucky me." Before he went for the kiss on the lips though, he held back, looking Shuuichi seriously in the eyes as he stated again. "Remember. None of this has to happen. You want it to stop, it stops. I promise. Okay?"

Shuuichi glanced at Kokichi, surprisingly enough, for reassurance, before nodding. "K-kay..."

Kaito smiled at this, and then leaned in. Taking Shuuichi's mouth into his own, taking his bottom lip and tasting that that a few times, enjoying the feeling of Shuuichi's body pressed against him, his hand moving away from Shuuichi's neck and rubbing his back, feeling Shuuichi moan slightly against him as he pushed in his tongue, opening up Shuuichi's mouth to taste at him, breathe his air a little, and let his hand go low. An excited tremble ran through Shuuichi's body as Kaito's hands grazed past the end of the jacket, feeling at the top of his ass for a moment...before sliding his hand up and under his jacket and button-up shirt, Kaito’s other hand starting to undo the buttons of Shuuichi's jacket as he kissed him. Each one coming off with a phop sound as fabric loosened, Shuuichi too lost in the kiss to notice.

Kokichi rolled his eyes a bit at Kaito's tease, but grinned in slight awe as Shuuichi took his hat off. He really was beautiful. Hiding under the brim of his hat or looking up to face the world, with every iteration and change of his body. And...flustered under Kaito's affections too. They both were. Kaito in his element, showing his love through kisses and touches, Shuuichi flushing and a little unsure, but accepting.

He knew it was different to say he was okay with bringing Shuuichi into their relationship and to actually feel that way in the moment, but...Kokichi just felt at ease as he watched them kiss, giving Shuuichi a reassuring smile and nod when he looked to him. However, he did reach in to interfere, catching Kaito, indeed, getting handsy.

"Hey," he cut in quietly, placing a hand on Kaito's arm, preventing him from moving up and undoing any more buttons. "Shuu-chan only has to take off what he wants to. I know Kai-chan likes to rip off clothes like an excited nudist, but take it easy."

Kaito broke the kiss, allowing Shuuichi to catch his breath as he looked back at his husband confused, before looking down at his hand. Ah, okay...going too fast. Got it. Giving Kokichi a somewhat sheepish smile, he said, "I don't always rip clothing...sometimes the other person is just too irresistible to worry about ruining anyone's underwear." He teased, reaching out to Kokchi, his arm still around Shuuichi, and drawing him in for a kiss as well.

As he kissed him, Shuuichi still calming himself down at the other end of his hip, Kaito kissed next to Kokichi's ear next, and took the time to whisper, "His chest?"

When he felt Kokichi nod against his cheek, he gave Kokichi a grateful kiss against his cheekbone, before returning to Shuuichi.

Kissing him again, playing with his tongue as Shuuichi moaned and shivered against him, his dick already high and eager, Kaito broke the kiss with a sigh...and then said, a wide grin on his face. "Sorry guys...I always pick the worst times to do this...but it's time to have 'the talk."

Scooting back onto the center of the bed, encouraging both Shuuichi and Kokichi to follow him there for that circle that Kokichi had originally desired, Shuuichi looked at them, worried he had done something wrong, as Kaito laughed. "The boundaries talk! Haaa...I really just wanna ravish you both right now, but...." Kaito ran his hand through his hair. "I gotta know some things first. Alright, first of all! What are we willing to see!"

Kaito immediately started taking his own shirt off, tossing it off the side of the bed, before moving to undo his pants and briefs and kicked those off as well as he said, "You both can see any part of me you want. I'm an open, nudist book." He threw the last of his clothes off and happily showed himself off, turning at the waist left and then right, flexing his muscles a little because fuck it, let's have fun with this. "But!...and this goes for both of you..." Kaito said, again thinking of Kokichi, "You don't have to show off that much if you're worried about being seen. Shuuichi? I know you didn't get much of a say in us seeing your dick, dude. Sorry about that. Try not to beat me to death with it later in revenge...but what about your topside? Do you wanna keep those on? It's okay if you do..."

Shuuichi watched, absolutely enraptured, as Kaito got fully undressed...Miss Nao had taken off a lot of her clothes when she was ready to sleep, but she had always had panties on...he swallowed hard as he stared at Kaito's dick. Shuuichi had him beat, but that didn't matter to him much...he wanted it inside him.

F-fuck what if he came too soon!? He wanted this to last...he wanted them to fill him, to touch him all over, to let him touch back...but if he c-came, they'd stop, right? This was all to...make sure he could get off without hurting himself, b-but it'd be like with Miss Nao...empty him a little, enough to get him through the day, and then he'd have to put the cock ring back on, which was still on the floor in the bathroom...where he'd still have to fight his arousal for the rest of the day...he didn't want that...he wanted to feel satisfied...like he had that first night. Entirely spent. Done...

"U-um..." Shuuichi tried to think, forcing himself to look away from Kaito, it being impossible to do so if he kept looking at him, and again, for reassurance, he found himself looking at Kokichi. Kokichi was...so much less overwhelming than Kaito. His presence was more calm. So he looked at him as he thought and- "...I can take off the jacket...but I think I'd like to keep the undershirt on...for now," Shuuichi murmured, face heating up as he said, "C-can I change my mind later?"

"You're insatiable," Kokichi sighed though his fondness strongly overpowered any joking exasperation. Kaito ripping his underwear off had been incredibly hot, but he just wanted to clue Kaito into Shuuichi's boundaries without embarrassing the detective. Kokichi had a feeling he'd be embarrassed enough with everything else.

Good embarrassment too, which Kokichi felt watching Kaito show off his body, his eyes drinking in the contours of his muscles with great appreciation before he nodded and took off his own shirt--having actually gotten dressed at some point during the day--but leaving his shorts on for the time being.

He gave Shuuichi a bright nod too, feeling a little excited to show off some of the marks Kaito had left on him to someone, though that wasn't the point. "Always! And either way--if Shuu-chan wants to take clothes off at any point, he can, and if he wants to put some back on, he can do that too!"

Blushing a little, Kokichi gestured down to his shorts. "I'll probably take my shorts and underwear off later, but..." He flushed deeper, nerves showing on his face as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm...a lot smaller than you guys? I might be more comfortable later, but for now...I don't wanna strip till I'm hard."

"And...I dunno if you'd even wanna go that far, Shuu-chan, but I think you're way too big for me. I struggle with taking Kai-chan in as it is..." Kokichi had to look away at that, his face deep red with embarrassment.

"Oh thank god!" Kaito laughed, shaking his head as he said with a bright grin. "I was literally just sitting here thinking 'shit, Kokichi's absolutely about to get bored of my dick if he tries out The Beast! I think we should call your dick 'The Beast', by the way," Kaito teased, giving Shuuichi a wink and a slightly leering grin as he looked at it and said, "And, I don't know...I could be into it...you both gotta promise not to laugh at me if I'm limping tomorrow though."

Shuuichi blushed hotly at this, taking off his own jacket as he looked over at Kokichi, excited by the sight of him half-dressed, excited at the prospect of seeing Kokichi hard later too. With his jacket pushed aside, there was...some evidence of the A-cups beneath his shirt, his nipples poking at the light fabric since he wasn't wearing any sort of bra, but...he wasn't really conscious of that. He had, after all, never had A-cups before literally that morning, so...

Kaito stared at Shuuichi, excited by the small outlines of breasts, hovering over a dick large enough to ruin lives, and...whelp. Guess Kaito had a brand new fetish he had never even thought of before! Tiny breasts and giant dicks? Who knew!

"Um...if I had to choose...I'd rather...could you guys...I really w-want you i-inside me...and..." he looked a little ashamed of himself, grasping at the end of his shirt as he said, "...could it...be a little rough? Not! N-not, um!...Don't...I mean...!"

Shuuichi was clearly lost as to how to explain what it was he actually wanted from them, but Kaito again jumped in, ready to use himself as an example of what to do as he said, matter of fact, "I don't like to be hit during sex. No one hit me. It makes me feel like I'm in a fight and freaks me out. And I don't handle being insulted a lot well. Things like..." Kaito looked somewhat sadly at Shuuichi now, still so frustrated with what had happened to the detective, "...being called a whore or a fuckup or being told I'm garbage or a...cum-dumpster...or anything like that...I don't consider any of that hot. I don't like it. Okay?"

Shuuichi furrowed his brow. "Kaito, of course I wouldn't-"

"I know!" Kaito laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "I didn't think either of you would! But now it's out there and there's no guesswork! Though, as always, I reserve the right to add anything to the list that I didn't think about earlier! That's okay too! Though, for me personally, chances are, anything else you bring up I'd be totally up for! If anything, I just need you all to be able to tell me when I'm taking it too far. I get a little lost in my lust sometimes," Kaito said, a touch of regret in the sentiment.

Kokichi snorted a bit at Kaito's enthusiasm, but...well, if it seemed feasible in any way, he would probably be excited to have Shuuichi enter him too. But, he had a feeling that even if they prepped him more than Kaito had ever before, it still wouldn't be enough to keep him from tearing. He was just too small, and Shuuichi's cock was...ho...very large.

He nodded a bit at Shuuichi's request, not having any experience entering someone else, but...he'd do his best!

(...if Shuuichi would actually be satisfied with his dick... He was half the length of Kaito and, though his chubbiness made him a little thicker around, he wasn't thick like Kaito and Shuuichi were.)

Kokichi tried to push his insecurity away, and scooted over to Kaito's side, nuzzling him a little as he laid down the boundaries he'd told Kokichi what felt like ages ago now...but with examples that broke his heart. And then...with a very specific example that made him wince a little.

"I don't like...I guess it would be temperature play? I don't like ice being put on me, and, obviously, I don't like blood." Gathering his courage, Kokichi winked at Shuuichi, tilting his head to the side to show off the collection of bruises on his neck more. "And I like being treated a little rough too. As long as you guys don't break skin, bite all you'd like. I like being held down sometimes too, but..."

Kokichi dropped his gaze to the mattress, tracing the sheets a little. "...I want to be able to move. I wanna be able to pleasure you guys back, you know? I...I'm not strong enough to push you guys off me, so...it's up to you to give me the option..."

Kaito grinned, entirely pleased when Kokichi felt the need to get closer to him, though he wasn't really aware of what had inspired the sudden affection in his husband, putting an arm around his shoulder and kissing the top of his head as he talked...before he froze, looking down at Kokichi as he said, "Oh, no...Kokichi, I'm sorry...did that hurt you? Fuck, babe, I'm sorry."

Kaito scooped up Kokichi into his lap, kissing his cheek, the edge of his eyes, the corner of his lips, over and over again as he murmured, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry...never again, I promise...no more ice, I promise..."

He had already known about the mistake he had made pinning Kokichi down too often, but the ice had been new information, and he felt terrible about it. He should have paid better attention. Kokichi crying out hadn't just been him being surprised. It had hurt him...kissing at his mouth and his cheek again, holding him close, he said, "I love you, I'm sorry..."

Shuuichi stared at this...longingly...he of course could feel an ache building in his groin even now as he struggled to sit and talk this out with the other two (did...all sex start with talks like these?), but another ache now in his chest as he watched Kaito fuss and gush over Kokichi, apparently trying to make up for some incident in one of their previous times...

...he...wanted someone to love him like that...

Finding the display suddenly hard to look at, Shuuichi's eyes dipped down, staring at the bed as, realizing it was his turn again, he said, "I...I don't know what I like yet...it seems like what I like literally changes every day...a-at first I liked...being tied up a-and called bad things and...I liked things being shoved inside of me and choked and slapped and stepped on...b-but I-I don't know if I still like those things? Some of it scares me now...I..."

Shuuichi thought back to everything that had happened, feeling like he was being so damn wishy-washy and not being super helpful in this and...oh!

Shuuichi looked up, suddenly confident. "I don't like being forced to look at myself!"

He trembled a little when he said this, but at least in this he was confident, that having been awful and uncomfortable even when it was happening in the worst of his heat-lust. "I don't wanna look in any mirrors while we're...while that's going on, okay? A-and...I don't know..." Shuuichi said, losing steam. "I don't like talking about my time in the Indentured Program...I don't like talking about Luminary at all...a-and I don't really know about everything else...b-but..." Shuuichi looked back up at them, slightly hopeful as he said, "but...I can add to the list of things I don't want to happen later...right? L-like I think Kokichi just did with ice? I can...I can change my mind?"

"I love you too," Kokichi sighed, smiling just a little and kissing Kaito's cheek in return for his flurry. "I didn't really know what to think about it at the time, but...I don't like it. And now we know. It's okay...it's okay, sweets, I love you."

Maki had hit the nail on the head. For the...worse things, Kaito knew better, but for the normal, ‘figuring out a relationship’ things? Kokichi needed to speak up. Let Kaito, and now Shuuichi, if this was going to be more than a one off, know what he liked, what he didn't. In the moment, if he could. It wasn't fair to anyone otherwise.

Once Kaito was reassured and forgiven through kisses, Kokichi turned back as Shuuichi started to speak, frowning a bit at some of his examples now, but... He brought his stronger smile back with a nod. "We're all still learning each other, Shuu-chan--you can change your mind about anything anytime. We don't have to talk about anything you don't want either, and, well, our wall mirror isn't pointed towards the bed, so I don't think we have to worry about that at all."

Scooting over to Shuuichi's side now, Kokichi placed a soft kiss on his cheek and nuzzled into Shuuichi's shoulder. "We care about Shuu-chan, and we want you to feel good. So, if at any point you feel uncomfortable about anything, and I really mean anything, we'll stop. It could be a complete stop, or just doing something else, but it's up to you." He kissed just under Shuuichi's jaw then, just barely onto his neck, kissing again, a little wetter. Hugging Shuuichi's arm before he sat up, giving him a bright, inviting smile.

Were they...done talking or...o-oh...

There was still a very real part of Shuuichi that was half-convinced none of this was actually happening. Things like this didn't...happen to people. If you didn't like sex, people’s reactions were to dismiss you off-hand as a potential date, not seeing how a non-sexual person could ever be considered a romantic partner. And if you liked sex too much? Th-then you were a filthy, repulsive whore th-that didn't deserve love...

That was what happened. N-not...not your friends taking you into a safe place and t-telling you they loved you a-and giving you small kisses and telling you everything was going to be okay...

...Please, Atua, if you're out there, let this actually be happening...

...Kokichi was really, really pretty...

Kaito watched, reserving himself, as Shuuichi reached out to Kokichi, clearly uncertain where he was supposed to put his hands and so just put them on his shoulders, leaning down and pulling him in for another kiss. Kaito could see a tremor in the back of Shuuichi's neck that suggested his friend was nervous as all hell, but that was okay. For one, Kaito wasn't actually certain how much stress Shuuichi would need to get off, considering what he had tried to do to himself in the bathroom. He didn't want to hurt Shuuichi and wouldn't, not even if Shuuichi asked him to. But at some point Kaito was going to have to start playing with what would actually push Shuuichi into his orgasm. Hopefully first time jitters would help with that.

But, orgasm was just the end game goal. For now, the three were just having fun, exploring each other. No need to hurry it.

Also, watching the two of them kiss each other was really, really hot, and Kaito was kinda enjoying himself right now, feeling like a little bit of a pervert as he enjoyed the show.

Kokichi went back in for another kiss at the invitation, gently swiping his tongue at the seam of Shuuichi's lips to give him a heads up before he carefully went to explore Shuuichi's mouth, sighing happily. He placed one hand on Shuuichi's thigh to steady himself, giving the tight muscles underneath a slight rub as he kissed the older boy ever so gently.

Drawing back to breathe, Kokichi smiled against Shuuichi's lips, moving to place more kisses to his cheeks. "Shuu-chan tastes nice...almost like honey. That could get dangerous--you know what my sweet tooth's like."

With a giggle, Kokichi laid a smacking kiss to Shuuichi's cheek before looking back to Kaito, jerking his head in a motion to 'come over'. "I don't wanna be a Shuu-chan hog though--get over here, Kai-chan. You can barely ever keep your hands to yourself, so I'll applaud your somehow miraculous restraint here. Shuu-chan's so hot I dunno how you don't wanna just kiss him all day."

It was all true, but he was pumping things up just a little, saying them aloud, to boost Shuuichi's confidence. This might be a one-time thing, it might be recurring, Shuuichi might find a partner for himself...but every scenario benefitted from Shuuichi accepting love.

"Trust me...it's not so much me restraining myself as me indulging myself." Kaito snickered, "You're both really cute...and Atua strike me down, but watching you two experiment with kissing each other is proooobably one of the sexiest things I've ever seen. But, alright!" Kaito's snickering, shit-eating grin became more wolfish, something clearly predatory in his eyes as he got onto his hands and knees and made his way over to them. "No one can say I don't come when my husband calls...come here, Shuuichi..."

Again, Kaito's hand snaked around the back of Shuuichi's neck, pulling the man in for another deep, heavy kiss. Shuuichi, still trembling, was stunned at the difference; while Kokichi's tongue poked and explored and was playful, Kaito pushed, lapping at him as if he could devour him, as if he already knew the space intimately and had claimed it for himself. Shuuichi couldn't even really breathe against Kaito's kiss, the slightly larger man taking in a deep breath as he kissed him, sucking away any air that Shuuichi could try to take for himself, and when he felt himself being pushed down onto the bed, by the time Kaito broke the kiss he was gasping and dizzy, blinking at the ceiling in confusion.

As Shuuichi started getting his bearings, he startled, Kaito moving on from his mouth to his jaw, then to his neck, and Shuuichi just barely had time to glance over at the marks on Kokichi's neck before he stuttered out, "Ha...K-Kaito! ~Mmmph!" Shuuichi wasn't even sure what he was trying to convey when he felt teeth start to pinch and bite at his skin, each small sting of pain making him shiver violently, the immediate following up of warm, wet lips kissing and sucking at the spot, the occasional small, soothing lick, causing Shuuichi to moan and whine deep in the back of his throat as his legs started to curl up, his dick high and pressed against his stomach as he whined, "Please, please, please touch me, please-"

A few bites in, Kaito laughed against Shuuichi's neck, going back up to his face and whispering to him. "Hey, hey, shhh...it's okay. We're gonna make you feel really good, Shuuichi...I'll always take responsibility...I'm gonna take care of you..." he murmured, kissing his sidekick between phrases, Shuuichi's eyes wide and entranced as he stared up at Kaito, his body shivering and getting increasingly desperate.

Fuck, fuck, he wanted to cum but he didn't want this to stop, please, please, touch him, fill him, hurt him, take care of him, hurt him, please!

He wanted to beg for these things but was afraid to say any of it, so just whined and mewled some more as Kaito went back down to his neck, doing the same thing against his jugular now, his good arm running down Shuuichi's side while his cast one ran his fingers through Shuuichi's hair.

"Tsk." Kokichi rolled his eyes a bit, though he was breathing a little heavier, lust starting to drip down through his body. He leaned an arm over Kaito's shoulder and leaned in, pressing kisses to his shoulder as Kaito kissed against Shuuichi's neck...and then bit down, still gently, but hard enough to get attention. "It seems like Shuu-chan and I have that in common, but careful, Kai-chan. Don't just do things to people and then tell them it's okay--ask first, sweets."

By this point, Kaito was pretty much fully looming over Shuuichi, so Kokichi scooted up and started running his hand through Shuuichi's hair on the other side that Kaito was, every once in a while stroking a thumb across Shuuichi's cheekbone. "If you wanna, talk to us. What are you liking, what are you not? I know Shuu-chan probably just wants to be fucked already--Kai-chan drives me nuts, but it's worth it."

It was hard to focus on Kokichi when Kaito was looking down at him like he was a god damned meal, hot and ready to eat, but Shuuichi, for how turned on he was, was still trembling a lot and he wasn't really sure...why? No one was hurting him (and GOD he had...NO IDEA if he wanted to be hurt or not. Every muscle memory in him was begging for it, but the actual thought of it...), this wasn't...scary so...why couldn't he stop shaking?

So he said, "I-I don't know...u-um...sh-should I be doing something? With Miss Nao I kinda...never had to think about anything very much. Things always just sorta happened...u-um, if you guys tell me what to do, I'll do it! I'm good at listening..."

Kaito took a steadying breath, trying to calm himself down. Patience. Careful. Don't hurt them...he could hear Shuuichi struggling again. In literally any other kind of partner, Kaito would have taken this as an invitation to take control, to do everything in his power to both pleasure them and himself, without really...thinking too hard about what the other person might actually want. Just trying to not push them too far in any direction. In Luminary, he had been able to do that because most people there were used to defending themselves, and would stop him before he went too far, more often than not turning it back around on him. With Kokichi, like he said, he had...just never felt like he had run into any walls, and kept escalating into dangerous levels until he was fully indulging his own power fantasies.

But with Shuuichi?

Thank god Kokichi was here. Shuuichi required a much more careful hand than that. Just because Shuuichi wanted them to take control, didn't necessarily mean that was the best choice for him right now.

Okay...Kokichi's right. Don't just do things and then reassure him when he starts getting overwhelmed. Talk it through. There was going to be a LOT of talking through this particular love making.

"Okay...let's roleplay a little. Let's play make believe...oh my god, 'Kichi, at some point you and I have to do sexy roleplay! That would be so much fun!" Kaito said, eyes lighting up at this new idea, grinning excitedly at his husband...before shaking his head. Focus! "Shuuichi, if this was all happening in your head, and you were in total daydream mode...what would you want to happen next?

Shuuichi looked between the two men, breathing heavily...before flushing red, covering his face as he said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's really gross..."

"Hey, it's okay," Kaito said with a small frown, gently pulling Shuuichi's arm away from his eyes, turning the frown into a small, inviting grin. "If it's just a fantasy the despair pollen is inspiring, that's okay too. It doesn't have to say anything about you."

Shuuichi clearly didn't think this was the case, staring at Kaito warily...before closing his eyes and saying softly, "...Miss Nao tried to put a collar on me yesterday, but Maki took it off...I d-didn't want to go to the stables, but...I wanted the c-collar...I'm sorry, I'm gross, I don't wanna be a slave...b-but everything I can think of is you c-controlling me or telling me what to do o-or hitting me...I don't know what else to ask for..."

"You can do things if you want to," Kokichi said gently, carding his fingers through Shuuichi's bangs, brushing them away from his face even if they slid right back into it. "Exploring our bodies too, kissing where you want, going into a new position... We told you our boundaries, and if we discover a new one, we'll tell you. Same thing if Shuu-chan discovers a new boundary--we'll stop as soon as you let us know."

Leaning down, Kokichi placed a kiss on Shuuichi's forehead, offering him a smile. "You're doing really well, though, so you don't have to feel like you're doing something wrong--because you're not! If Shuu-chan's doing what feels good to him, then he's doing it right."

There were caveats to that, of course, but right now...keep it simple. Focus on the side that Shuuichi had issues with, and if he swung to the other side? They'd get to that when they got to it.

Kokichi snorted softly at the new thing Kaito brought up, even if playing pretend did sound fun, but listened to Shuuichi's answer, keeping an open mind and continuing to give Shuuichi a gentle scalp massage as he thought and flustered. And what he said... Kokichi wasn't sure if he was comfortable doing that to another person...but there might be a lighter version.

"...Shuu-chan wants to be loved, doesn't he?" Most people did, but when it felt like you didn't have any people...it became a deep yearning. Shuffling over a little more, Kokichi sat on his knees and shuffled them under Shuuichi's shoulders, propping his head up on his thighs as he started to rub at the blue-haired man's shoulders. "You're not a slave... But, at least right now, for as long as he's comfortable and wants to...Shuu-chan can be our lover. Our precious, adorable, irreplaceable Shuu-chan."

Kokichi glanced up at Kaito, trying to silently ask if all that was okay, if he wasn't pushing anything that was uncomfortable when it came to their marriage.

Far from being uncomfortable with it, Kaito grinned. His husband really was incredibly sweet...Kaito was extremely lucky to have him...and he was pretty sure he understood what Kokichi was going for here.

Okay! Time to go full mushy husband mode!

As Shuuichi stared up at Kokichi, marveling up at him, Kaito chuckled, shifting himself so that he was entirely over Shuuichi now, and while his husband kept him soothed and comfortable, Kaito leaned over, catching Shuuichi's attention as he approached, kissing him lightly on the mouth, saying, "I love Shuuichi's lips, because they say such wonderful, intelligent things, and are tasty and fun to kiss...and sometimes all the knowledge in the world spills out of them...beautiful waterfalls of words..."

"And I love Shuuichi's neck, because I like to hear that small, intake of breath when I do things like this~" Kaito murmured, kissing at his neck and nipping at him, Shuuichi indeed panting a little as the detective reached up and grasped Kokichi's hands, staring, transfixed, as Kaito moved down his body.

"And I know Shuuichi doesn't like them much...but I love his chest...and if he wants me to, I'd love to taste him there someday..." Kaito whispered, placing a ghost of a kiss just above where his chest began, looking up at Shuuichi, who shuddered slightly. "And his thin, strong stomach...hey! Feel that!" Kaito said, delighted as he kissed at his stomach, putting his hands slightly under Shuuichi's shirt to feel around his belly button. "I can feel your abs, Shuuichi! Damn...my lover is strong...and look at his strong thighs...oh! I almost forgot his wide, soft hips that I love to squeeze at-"

Shuuichi suddenly giggled, squirming in Kokichi's lap, this not his usual, mad giggle, but an involuntary muscle spasm as he said, "K-kaito, no! I-I'm ticklish there!"

Kaito laughed, but immediately stopped squeezing at them as he said, somewhat mischievously, "Dude, I've known you since you were ten...yeah, I know you’re ticklish there. My bad." He kissed both ends of his hips in apology before looking down at his dick... "I love The Beast, too. God damn dude...my handsome Shuuichi has dick for DAYS...I'd love to try to swallow it down, if he wants me to..." Kaito said, kissing at its head a little, Shuuichi gasping lightly at the feeling of lips against his cock. "Can't promise I'll get it down all the way, but man I am willing to try..."

Shuuichi looked down at Kaito for a while, clearly tempted...but shook his head. "I...I want you inside me...I don't want to cum until you're in me. Please...I've wanted to be filled for so long...please..."

Kokichi felt a fond grin forming on his lips as Kaito adored and complimented each little part of Shuuichi, happily reminded of the time Kaito had done the same for him and delighting in seeing that love given to someone so deserving of it. And at the same time, he could feel Shuuichi's breathing hitch and speed up, could feel him shivering...and that just made Kokichi's smile brighter.

He held Shuuichi's hands happily, rubbing along his knuckles and around his bandages, after a moment leaning down to kiss every wound, whispering inaudibly to every one that he'd kiss them again when they healed, promising a brighter future, knowing that Shuuichi would be able to feel his breath if not hear the words.

Giggling a bit at seeing Kaito tickle Shuuichi--hips were sensitive, got it--Kokichi considered his request. Kaito liked cumming in people, and Dr. Kimura said that Shuuichi might be able to get pregnant... But...it was just a possibility, and his medicine was supposed to work as birth control too. If Shuuichi was feeling better, feeling more like himself, then...it had to be working, right?

Humming, Kokichi gave Shuuichi's hands a gentle, tender squeeze and nodded over to the nightstand. "I don't think I'd be able to get Shuu-chan down without hurting my jaw, but I don't want Kai-chan to be the only one who can kiss Shuu-chan's cock. But, for now...I already got the lube out. Are you ready to be prepped, Shuu-chan?"

Shuuichi felt his heart start racing in excitement. Oh my god. It was happening! It was actually happening!

Every word trembled as he said, "I...I p-probably won't need it!? I'm, I'm weird down there, I-I-I!- Haa-HA! Kaito, wait, I'll cum, I'll cum if you do that!!"

Kaito released the small, extremely light bite he had had on Shuuichi’s dick, looking up with clear annoyance at him. "I don't want to hear yourself call yourself weird, or gross, or whatever. You're not any of those things. You're our handsome Shuuichi and you're perfect and we love you...I'll fucking fight anyone that says otherwise, and that's including you. And, since we want Shuuichi to have a good time and for nothing to hurt him, just in case, beautiful, hand me the lube," Kaito said, reaching out to Kokichi, taking it from his husband and putting it beside him.

As Kaito guided Shuuichi's knees up and wide, he looked down to see what he was working with, kissing the inside of Shuuichi's legs as he considered everything in front of him. As he worked, he said to Shuuichi, "Shuuichi, why don't you tell Kokichi some nice things about yourself… Some true things."

As Kaito started to feel around the inside of Shuuichi's cheeks, he realized Shuuichi was right. There was definitely some sort of...slime? Coming out of him? Or maybe oil was a better comparison...no, too thick for oil. It was sticky, almost like cum, but was entirely translucent and shined in the light. Kaito marveled at it, having never seen anything like this before, running his hands over Shuuichi's hole, which was already red and wide, rather then puckered shut and in need of coaxing open...the pollen really did seem like it was working to make Shuuichi as easy to fuck as possible...it suddenly occured to Kaito to wonder if he should be worried about the whole...'womb' thing...

"W-what do you want me to say?" Shuuichi murmured, looking up at Kokichi, confused about where this was going.

Kaito was just biding time, trying to work out the differences in Shuuichi's body that the pollen had made (he hadn't commented on it, but Shuuichi's dick-hole...looked too wide...Kaito got the impression that, while it wouldn't fit one of his fingers, and it would still stretch... one of Kokichi's fingers could actually probably dig into it, if he wanted. Kaito had no idea what to do with that information and so just cataloged it and moved on). "Tell him about that one time you saved that secretary's life! That's a great story...you were tireless and heroic. You investigated that case for two days and two nights straight, after your mentor had 'caught' the original person."

Dr. Kimura said the medicine stuff was also a birth control, right? If she said it was a birth control, he trusted his sidekick, 100%! Shuuichi would be fine. Everything was going to be fine.

"It...it w-wasn't...that impressive, I-I mean... it just didn't make a-any sense why he was stealing and throwing the pens down the drainage system...a-and it was weird that even when he was set to be e-executed, the secretary still d-didn't want to explain why he had done it. J-just cried...I-I felt bad. I wanted to help h-him..." Shuuichi said, getting lost in the memory, shuddering as he pressed his head further into Kokichi’s stomach, nuzzling his cheek into his leg, comforted by the stability Kokichi's hold gave him.

"Of course you did..." Kaito murmured, kissing at his knees, "Cause Shuuichi's a good, amazing person..."

As Kaito did his inspection, testingly, he pushed a finger inside of Shuuichi...it went in easy...and Shuuichi didn't so much as jump. His story didn't cut off at all. Did he...not feel that at all?

"I f-figured out what was h-happening the first day, but I h-had to use the second day to find all the supporting evidence before I presented it to the p-princess-consort...the castle l-laywer’s young daughter had c-convinced the Indentured that she was in his chain of c-command, and told him to steal and throw away all the pens as a p-prank, and got scared when everyone took it so seriously that she didn't fess up to what she had done and told the Indentured to not tell..."

Kaito was three fingers in and Shuuichi still didn't seem to notice anything was happening...was it the slime/oil itself? It gave easy access to Shuuichi's ass for anyone who wanted it, but was maybe coating the inside so thickly that Shuuichi could barely feel anything happening in there...he didn't need more lube. He needed less. Could they...dry him or...?

Okay, so, what about the prostate then? The prostate itself was always just a little bit deeper in than Kaito was usually able to reach with his fingers without stretching his partner properly first, but with how wide the hole already was, he curled his fingers up, pressing against the wall and-

"Sh-she didn't even take it back when the Indentured was sentenced...I had to do s-something, it wasn't fai-AHH! AHH, KAITO!? Wait, wait, please, please, I don't want to cum yet, please, please!" Shuuichi shouted, clutching onto Kokichi and squirming as Kaito, eyes wide, felt the wall...the gland was huge...it wasn't its usual size, and it wasn't in its usual spot...it just kept going...

Pulling his fingers out, he kissed Shuuichi's leg again. "Sorry, sorry. I'm going in soon, I promise, okay? Soon."

Okay, so...going in Shuuichi was going to be easy. A piece of cake. Shuuichi getting much out of it? The slime made it so that he needed more girth to feel any of it, but once those walls were pressed, that fucking monster of a prostate was going to have him screaming. Okay...so...

"Kokichi? Babe?" Kaito said, looking up cheerfully, "You, uh...ever heard of double penetration before?"

"Oh!" Kokichi hummed, "I think Kai-chan told me a little bit about this--weird theft of pens. Ah, figures that our genius Shuu-chan was the one behind the resolution." He kept up his little rubs of Shuuichi's hands, smiling softly down at him as he idly played with his fingers and stroked his hair...and shifted a little, Shuuichi occasionally pressing into his chub.

Though, as Shuuichi told the story...Kokichi couldn't keep his smile from tingeing sad, but he kept it up. ...one day, no one would be treated like that. There wouldn't be such a social normality of abusing peoples' psyches that a child would do it for a prank...would care more about just getting in trouble than someone's life. Though...if Kaito's mother would have someone executed for stealing pens? Ugh. It was horrible to think, but...he was glad he never got to meet her. He would've lost it.

Kokichi was broken out of his thoughts as Shuuichi screamed and writhed in his lap, looking up at Kaito in alarm, and then... He raised an eyebrow at his husband. "...I've heard of it but...I mean...I-I don't want to hurt Shuu-chan and...I'm..."

He glanced away, cheeks red, knowing Shuuichi could feel him and Kaito already knew so... "...Wouldn't it be awkward? Since I'm not...you know. As big as you."

Shuuichi was still trying to catch his breath from Kaito playing with his far too enlarged prostate, but his eyes widened, practically sparkling at the idea...both of them...at once? O-oooh...

Kaito was running soothing hands up and down Shuuichi's thighs, trying to ease some of his trembling as he gave his husband a sheepish look. "Uh...ya know, now that I've had a look down here, I don't think tearing him is something we have to worry about...in fact...I can't even imagine what Nao did to do it bad enough to keep him from walking for three fucking days..." Kaito said, teeth gritting, fury flashing through his eyes, causing Shuuichi to shudder again under his hands, excited by Kaito's anger. "...yeah, I have no idea how she did that with how Shuuichi is right now. Not that it's weird, handsome. You're perfect." Kaito again reassured Shuuichi, kissing his leg a little, before continuing to Kokichi, "But, yeah. Tearing’s not the issue. And 'Kichi...your dick is wonderful. Shuuichi wants it, don't you?" Kaito said, a tease in his voice as he looked down at his detective.

Shuuichi looked up at Kokichi, his eyes lit with excitement, just nodding as he felt drool starting to build up. "Y...yeah...I want it, Kokichi...I want you in me..."

"And between the two of us? We're the perfect size for a, heh, DP," Kaito said, winking at Kokichi. "See, since I have the longer dick, I'll be the bottom. My whole job will be to hold him and keep him filled. But you? You're gonna be the top. You're going to control the pace, and in order to have the room to move around and hit his walls, your size dick is perfect! Also, you're not small, you get that, right? I'm an outlier, and Shuuichi is god-tier."

Kaito gave Kokichi a playful grin as he said, leaning against Shuuichi's leg, "You have a perfectly average sized dick that I love and adore and goes all the way down into my throat when you're all pumped up and ready to go. Riiiiight here." Kaito grinned wolfishly as he pointed to the middle part of his throat, giving his husband a wink as he said, "I can't breathe around the size of you...can you believe that, Shuuichi? Kokichi makes me work so hard, beats up the back of my throat, and it's like he doesn't even know how long he gets...isn't he a cruel husband?"

"No," Shuuichi murmured, staring up at Kokichi, eyes still alight with wonder of what might be coming, "He's wonderful..."

...Shuuichi looked like he was just given a platter full of cinnamon rolls--or, at least, what Kokichi would look like if he were given a platter of cinnamon rolls. Thrilled and excited and ready to dive in... Kokichi trusted Kaito's assessment--he'd been so worried about tearing Kokichi after all, so...he knew what to look for, and-

Kokichi had to swallow heavily as he looked down at Shuuichi in slight surprise, feeling his dick stiffen a little more at...he wanted him?

Technically, he knew he was average size. But the only dicks Kokichi had really seen were ones in art or in anatomy books--and then Kaito came along. And then with Shuuichi's...he couldn't help but feel small in comparison.

But as Kaito began to explicitly talk about when he'd blown him, talking up his cock...

Kokichi lit up red and tucked his face down, unwilling to let Shuuichi's hands go just yet but wanting to hide, embarrassed and pleased and embarrassed yet again by how Shuuichi could probably feel his dick jump from the compliment.

"Geez, okay, okay..." Still red, Kokichi leaned down to kiss Shuuichi's forehead before shuffling out from under him, gently, lying Shuuichi back down on the bed. There was a noticeable bulge in his shorts now, and Kokichi hooked his thumbs in his waistbands, not quite pulling down yet. "Just gimme a sec, okay? I wanna make sure I can make Shuu-chan feel good."

Kaito grinned wickedly as his husband went beet red, enjoying himself far too much as Kokichi pulled himself from laying Shuuichi on his lap, his shorts revealing he was tenting a little already, the bulge having been hiding underneath Shuuichi's head before then. That must have felt nice...Kokichi's dick swelling against his ear...Kaito was a little jealous, kissing the side of Shuuichi's legs one more, noting the look of longing on Shuuichi's face as he looked up at Kokichi...but he was still just lying there. Uncertain how to participate...

Kaito knew he had to be careful. Gentle. Not push anyone into anything they wouldn't want to do...but he didn't think this was pushing too hard as, taking Shuuichi's knees, he turned the detective around, guiding him onto his stomach as Shuuichi just looked back at him, suddenly nervous and confused but following the motion, allowing his body to be led. Then Kaito grabbed him by the waist, adjusting his hold to not tickle him as he pulled Shuuichi up onto his knee, resting him against Kaito's pecs, kissing the side of his neck and his ear before whispering into him, "You can help him, you know. If you want to. You don't have to...but I think Kokichi would like it, if you were up to it...put your lips around his member, get him ready to enjoy you, pleasure you..."

"...y-yeah?" Shuuichi said, eyes widening as Kokichi pulled his waistband down, his sweet, chubby cock bouncing from his briefs, a shot of excitement running through Shuuichi's stomach as he said, "Yeah..."

"Don't forget to ask him if it's okay," Kaito said, playfully biting at Shuuichi's ear for a moment, before gently pushing him forward. "Go get 'em, tiger."

Shuuichi caught himself with a slight yell against the mattress, blushing hard at the small bit of roughness from Kaito, before looking up at Kokichi, shuffling over to him, looking up at him, shy and uncertain, reaching out to touch Kokichi's hip with the tips of his fingers ("You think I'd ever want to bring garbage into my home?!") before flinching back, looking down at the mattress and murmuring, "Do...c-can I help, Kokichi?"

He noticed Kaito guiding Shuuichi into a different position, whispering to him, but he didn't pay it too much mind, figuring that Kaito was just getting him into the most comfortable position for what they were about to do.

...holy shit they were going to double penetrate Shuuichi. Kokichi felt that familiar heat pool in his gut, bringing his cock fuller, higher against him, though...he wasn't quite ready yet.

Kokichi tossed his shorts and briefs off the side of the bed, about to reach down and get himself ready when he noticed Shuuichi coming over, looking excited and...nervous. Unsure. Giving his detective a soft, kind smile, Kokichi nodded. "I would be honored to have Shuu-chan touch me. I hope we can really make your dreams come true, because that's what you'd be doing for me right now."

Settling on his knees, Kokichi spread his legs a little and placed his hand over the one Shuuichi had just barely touched to him, guiding it back to his hip, encouraging Shuuichi to trace the sharp ridges and dips of his bones as he wished.

...fuck he was going to mess this up.

It was actually maybe a little funny, that between the two other people in this threesome, Shuuichi found himself testing his nerves to touch the others through Kokichi, rather than Kaito. After all, Kaito was a lifelong friend who adored him, certainly if either of them was going to...make Shuuichi feel bad in any way, it wouldn't be him...

But Kokichi just felt safer. Again, that calm in him a relief to the extremely nervous Shuuichi. Kaito was so...much. Even his kisses felt a little like an attack, something massive and overpowering. God, how had he and Maki ever slept together? There was no way she was any better, not the version of her Shuuichi slept with in his mind, anyway. They had to have almost killed each other a dozen times...

So, still a little nervous, Shuuichi spread his hands around Kokichi's hips, feeling the surprising chill of his skin, the softness of him in the places that didn't stretch around muscle and bones, and he looked down at Kokichi's dick and swallowed nervously, before muttering, "You...you can tell me if it’s bad..." before leaning down and taking the head into his mouth.

It didn't taste as weird as Shuuichi expected it to, but it...felt weird against his tongue. The texture just entirely unlike anything else he had ever tried to swallow down. Wanting desperately to be good at this, wanting to please his ma-(no, no, don't do that to yourself, th-that's not what this is!)-friend, Shuuichi licked the head once, twice, before immediately trying to swallow Kokichi down, remembering Kaito's comment about how far down his throat Kokichi went. That meant it was supposed to go down Shuuichi's throat, right? Okay, he could do that, n-no prob-

He coughed, hard. Immediately having to come back up for air when his body reacted to the hard, solid object Shuuichi tried to put at the back of his tongue that wasn't going anywhere, his throat immediately trying to expel it. Pulling away from Kokichi, embarrassed to be coughing all over the prince's dick, he wiped some drool that spilled out during the fit from the corner of his lip and, ashamed, looked up at Kokichi and said earnestly, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, let me try again!"

"O-oh!" He didn't jolt, but Kokichi hadn't expected Shuuichi to start blowing him. He'd figured Shuuichi would touch him a bit, stroke him until he got too impatient and asked them again to fill him. Not to immediately- "A-ah...uun..."

He couldn't help his sounds, no more than he could when it was Kaito touching him, but instead of grabbing onto the sheets below him, Kokichi carded his fingers through Shuuichi's hair, not holding him, but embracing. Showing his appreciation through another avenue as Shuuichi kept his head in that warm, wet space, pressing with his tongue.

And then?

"O-oh, no, oh Shuu-chan..." Kokichi immediately took his hand away, not wanting to trap Shuuichi or anything, instead moving to his shoulder, looking him over in concern, before it turned to empathy. "That was my bad, are you okay? You don't have to deepthroat me or anything--just as much as you're comfortable with!"

Giving a soft laugh, Kokichi ran a thumb under Shuuichi's lip before returning his hand to his hair, uselessly moving it out of his face for a moment. "Kai-chan gave me pointers the first time I blew him; sorry, but Shuu-chan just felt so good I couldn't think for a sec."

"If you wanna try again, keep your jaw loose--the natural shape of your mouth and your tongue do a surprising amount of work. If Shuu-chan gets to the point he ever wants to deepthroat, as soon as you feel the head against the back of your tongue, swallow over and over--it's not perfect, but it certainly helps me keep from choking." Leaning over, he kissed Shuuichi's forehead and cheek again before glancing up to Kaito, trying to see how much his husband was enjoying watching this. "Hey, Mr. Master Nob-Gobbler--think you're up for coaching?"

Kaito was, again, just...having way too much fun.

He winced in sympathy when Shuuichi choked, but, well, Kaito expected that to end up being a fun memory more than a frustrating one. He had choked his first time too, and he still grinned thinking about it. Togami had also cooed and fussed over him, in his own Togami way, and Kaito could remember just feeling how loved he was, even among his embarrassment...

Yeah. He wasn't worried about Shuuichi.

But he was happy to join in.

"Sure! Shuuichi, as you know, I am the resident expert on all groin related projects in this room and, ya know what? I'll make this claim. Maybe the whole castle!" Kaito said proudly scooting over to the both of them and, just for his own pleasure, leaning over to kiss his husband deeply before getting down onto his stomach, moving to rest on Kokichi's thighs and grinning lazily at Shuuichi. "And I will get you through this 'Kichi blow-job! You can count on me!"

"Kaito..." Shuuichi said, rolling his eyes at his prince for a moment, before mimicking him, having been kneeling down and trying to fold himself as low as he could to take Kokichi in. Going down there, he said, "I thought...aren't you supposed to put it in your throat? Isn't that the whole point?"

"Nah, like Kokichi said, that's more deepthroating him than giving him a blowjob. And unless you really want him to cum right away, I wouldn't recommend doing that for more then a few seconds if you decide to do it at all. Not that it can't be fun to swallow down a load of cum, and as the person most likely to be on the other end of that in any future love-makings, I would strongly recommend the experience!" Kaito said cheerfully, giving a wolfish grin to his exasperated lovers before taking Kokichi's dick in his hand, giving himself lift by his elbows as he said to Shuuichi sagely, "But deepthroats are extreme and not necessary otherwise. Now, watch this, watch how he reacts."

Shuuichi did, indeed, watch, wide eyed, as Kaito took out his tongue and ran it, from the base upward, up Kokichi's cock, before ending at his head, taking his head into his mouth and and, Shuuichi had to assume, lapping at it once he got there. Playing with the head for a while, Kaito took his lips off it with a playful little POP sound, before saying to Shuuichi, "See? Super easy, nothing hurts. And if you watched my hands, you can see me playing with his balls a little? That shit’s nice. Helps the build-up. Oh, and be sure to play with these lines," Kaito stuck out his tongue and lapped the folds of flesh that made the bulb of the head to the center of his dick, "for extra moans. Totally worth the extra effort. Give it a try!"

Kaito, who knew exactly what he was doing to Kokichi, watched Shuuichi with a grin as he went and followed the same patterns, if slower, that Kaito did, playing with his balls with his hands as instructed, and Kaito, enjoying teasing his husband, leaned down and took one of the balls in his mouth as Shuuichi continued to suck on the head, Shuuichi looking up at Kokichi to make sure he was actually doing this right, and Kaito, faced naturally turned to the side to get at the right angle for the ball, literally just smirking up at him around the mound of flesh.

Well, he'd asked for it. Kokichi rolled his eyes and snorted through Kaito's peppy theatrics with a grin he couldn't hide. But...it was really sweet, and probably what they both needed. When Kaito wasn't wholly focused on lust, he was, just, incredibly fun!

And still incredibly sexy.

Kokichi let out a pleased sigh as Kaito started drawing his tongue along his cock, having to bring one hand back to brace himself while the other went to the back of Kaito's shoulder, rubbing along his muscles in appreciation as his breathing picked up with a few soft moans interspersed. And then...Shuuichi swooped in to do the same.

"Nnmmm...unn... A-ah...you've got it, Sh-sh-uunnn..." A blush spread out across Kokichi's cheeks as his arousal grew and he struggled to keep his hips still as his cock swelled to full size from Shuuichi's ministrations. Quiet mewls started to tinge every heavy breath, and Kaito tending to his balls certainly wasn't helping.

Kokichi had returned a hand to Shuuichi's head, lovingly stroking through his hair before he trembled, Shuuichi paying quite a lot of good attention to his tip and Kokichi wasn't...

"U-u-uuu~ Shit! Okay! I'm ready! Please, shit!" Shuuichi hadn't really said anything about swallowing him, but it was embarrassing enough for Kokichi to tell he was getting wet in the detective's mouth. This wasn't the main event, after all.

Kaito snickered at Kokichi's shout, and even Shuuichi laughed at this when his mouth was finally free of 'Kichi dick, for the first time that session really, genuinely looking like he was having fun as he said with a smile and blush, "Sorry, Kokichi..."

"What? Don't be sorry, he loves it! And he tastes good, right? Go give 'Kichi a kiss, show him what he tastes like," Kaito prompted Shuuichi, getting up from his lying position, entirely pleased with himself as he took in Kokichi's red, flustered form.

Shuuichi happily followed the suggestion, getting up onto his own knees and putting his hands more confidently around Kokichi's shoulders, pulling him in for a kiss, two chaste ones first, just against his lips, before trying to do like they had done for him, testingly pushing his tongue to the seam of Kokichi's lips and feeling out the smaller man's tongue with his own when he opened his mouth to give him access, the two breathing in and exploring each other as Kaito positioned himself roughly behind Shuuichi, lazily pumping at his own dick as he watched this. Again, just...really enjoying the show...fuck he was lucky...

"Awwww...I'm getting jealous. Come here, Shuuichi," Kaito said, reaching forward to Shuuichi's waist and pulling him away from his husband, sitting him down on his lap and running his hands over his stomach as he kissed Shuuichi as well, again, his movements more assertive, more aggressive than both of his lovers as his hands, almost mindlessly, started to drift upwards...before remembering himself and stopping, asking Shuuichi as he broke the kiss, "Your shirt...do you still want to keep it on?"

Shuuichi hesitated, brow furrowing, looking down at himself...at his chest...with shaky hands, he went to unbutton the top button and...could feel his wrist brush against his nipples a-and...

He dropped his hands, hanging his head in shame as he admitted, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I can't...it scares me..."

Kaito took Shuuichi's hands in his hand and, kissing at his neck and cheek, put them down on his stomach as he said soothingly, "And you don't have to. It's not a big deal. I just wanted to ask before we started, okay? You ready to start? God I can't wait to feel inside of you..." He growled, biting into Shuuichi's neck again, whose eyes widened, taken out of his regret and fears as he realized they were finally going to do it.

"Y-yeah! Yes! Please, please, I'm ready! Please!" Shuuichi begged, moving to get off Kaito's lap and lie back down, but Kaito held him back, shaking his head into Shuuichi's neck.

"No, no, I want you here. We're gonna seat you on my cock, get you nice and secure, and you're gonna trust me and Kokichi to make you feel good, okay? You don't have to be scared, or do anything for this part other than just lean back and feel good, okay? This is all about making Shuuichi feel good."

Though, of course, it was going to feel amazing for Kaito and Kokichi too.

"Please, please cum in me, I just...I just wanna feel full, please, please, I've needed it for so long, you don't understand..."

"We're going to! You're gonna be full of Kaito and Kokichi, who love you so, so much...alright, up, get yourself high enough to sit yourself back down on it...that's right, there we go..."

It was an easy fit, Shuuichi sliding onto Kaito's massive dick with literally no snagging or resistance, his ass swallowing at each piece of him just as soon as it could. The walls were loose around Kaito. They would still put pressure on his dick, no doubt, and he'd probably enjoy himself into completion if this was just about getting Kaito off...but as Shuuichi breathed a little harder and flushed red and whispered, "Please, please, please," over and over again, he knew that for Shuuichi it would be much harder to get off like this, his ass too easy to slide through for Kaito to put the pressure on his walls that Shuuichi would need. Shuuichi would probably get to the point where he needed to cum if they went at it over and over again over the course of hours, Kaito (or, let's be honest, based on the way the pollen worked, probably the intention of multiple people taking turns) pounding Shuuichi raw, but...Kaito was a shameless two-pump bitch who didn't really like cumming over and over again in short periods of time, two usually his comfortable limit, and beyond the wedding night, neither Kokichi nor Kaito had dared try to get Kokichi past one orgasm any session.

The point being that neither of them were suited for a long, endless night of sex, which was...kinda what Shuuichi's new body was best prepped for, to be taken over and over again, sometimes by dicks that weren't...necessarily human sized...

But, well, the two were gonna do their best with what they had between them. And if Shuuichi still wasn't satisfied by the end, well...there was always the, as Kaito liked to call it, Abomination that Kokichi had finally taken out of its hiding spot.

Kaito gave a few small, testing pumps inside of Shuuichi, and yeah, it definitely felt good to him...but Shuuichi just made small, increasingly desperate noises as his insides were merely teased, and Kaito sighed, putting his arms around his shoulders and kissing his temple before saying, "It's okay, you can trust us...we're gonna make this work...bring up your legs, okay? High enough for me to grab them. Thank you~!"

Kaito grabbed at the back of Shuuichi's knees, pulling them to Shuuichi's chest and holding them there, Shuuichi now leaning back against Kaito's stomach and pecs, feet in the air and ass high and exposed, Kaito's dick already firmly lodged in, his own dick thick and tense with pressure, as he said to Kokichi, "Whenever you're ready, beautiful!"

"Please...please Kokichi..." Shuuichi begged, eyes hazy with lust, trembling against Kaito, his arms tucked against his chest between his legs, just...so desperate now...so close...he could feel how close he was to being filled. "I want it so bad...p-please, I'll do anything..."

Kokichi had to take a moment to just breathe, to pull himself back from the constant pleasure of Shuuichi's mouth, though he was happy to dive right back into it when Shuuichi came up for kisses. Mindful of his ticklish spots, Kokichi wrapped his arms around Shuuichi's waist, holding him close as he invited the taller man's tongue into his mouth to play, tasting his own sex but still that sweet, honey-like, Shuu-chan taste.

Their lips parted with a wet, sticky sound as Kaito urged Shuuichi to him and, again, Kokichi had to breathe and temper his libido, watching Kaito get them situated with loving, hungry eyes. He stared in impressed awe as Shuuichi took in Kaito's dick no problem, not even seeming like he needed any time to adjust. And, when Kaito lifted their detective's legs...ah. Yeah. Double penetration didn't seem like it'd be a problem.

Shuuichi's hole was reddened and swollen, slick with a sort of clear liquid--mucus, one of Kokichi's memories of the info dumps supplied--and still seeming like there was plenty of give even with Kaito firmly inside.

Shuffling forward on his knees, Kokichi reached down and gave himself a few pumps, just in case, though he was already comfortably hard, lining himself up with Shuuichi's awaiting hole. "We've got you, our precious Shuu-chan. Gonna make you feel amazing! And the only thing you have to do?"

Kokichi leaned over, stretching a little to place a chaste, gentle kiss to Shuuichi's lips as he slid two fingers along the root of Kaito's cock and into Shuuichi's swollen hole, giving himself space to push into.

"Enjoy yourself!"

And, carefully, he slid himself in.

Oh god...oh god please!

As Kaito kept a firm grip on Shuuichi's knees, intently watching Kokichi as he nibbled and kissed at Shuuichi's ear, Shuuichi found himself looking down at himself and...o-oh god...they w-were in there, they were really both in there! He felt just the tiniest heat of stretch as he felt Kokichi's dick slide in on top of Kaito's, the Dicean Prince adjusting himself carefully inside of Shuuichi, who wanted to, just...move, somehow, to roll his hips into the lengths of both his princes, wanted to feel them fully...

But he couldn't move, legs high in the air and held in Kaito's firm but loving grip, Shuuichi, realizing this was why Kaito had insisted he trust them, entirely helpless to move this along or do anything beyond lying there, looked up pleadingly at Kokichi instead, please, please, make him feel good, be good to your whore, he needs you, please!

Then Kokichi started to move and...

"Ah-h-hmmmm..." Shuuichi gasped at first, feeling Kokichi start to rub against his walls, his whole body starting to tense around their cocks as his abdominal muscles reflexively tightened at the feeling, his dick high and twitching (oh god, oh no, don't cum yet, don't cum yet, it's only just started, wait until they cum, they might stop when he cums, everything always stops when he cums!) as his toes began to curl, humming out at first. "Hmmm-nnnnn, fuck, FUCK, please keep going! Please, please, pound into me! I need it, I need it, ple-AHHHHH!"

Kokichi's dick finally found an angle, any angle, as Shuuichi's prostate had circled into the whole of his anus, and his whole body started to shake, eyes wide and legs pulled back into himself as far as he could, wanting to give Kokichi access to any part of him as each thrust of his hips suddenly started to shoot lightning bolts of pleasure through Shuuichi's body, Shuuichi's eyes wide and desperate as he shouted, "Yes, yes, like that, o-oooh please, Kokichi!"

Kaito, his own breaths panting now and his face red, as Kokichi rubbed his dick on top of his own, and Shuuichi squeezed and pressed around him, watched Shuuichi closely (though of course he kept glancing over at Kokichi, incredibly turned on to watch his husband thrust and pound into Shuuichi, enjoying listening to the detective plead and squeal at his husband’s touch...another new fetish, he guessed), marveling at what he was seeing. The screaming and squeals weren't theatrics...he could feel Shuuichi's body starting to fight him, trying to twist and turn and jump at the pleasure shooting through him...but he sounded like he was cumming.

And...he just wasn't.

As Shuuichi whined and screamed and begged, his whole body flushed red and sweating now from Kokichi's pressure, this...should absolutely be enough to get someone to cum, if he was actually feeling it this hard. And Kaito had no reason to believe Shuuichi wasn't. Some partners could get over-eager to play-up how they were feeling in bed to turn their partner on, but Kaito had felt Shuuichi's prostate for himself...his body had to have been on fire by this point, and based on how he trembled and shook in his arms, it absolutely was overwhelming him.

...so why wasn't he cumming?

Oh lord it was snug. Not painfully tight or even edging there, as...what would probably be the case, but even Shuuichi's sex-prepped body could only stretch so much. And it was warm, something that was actually edging into being too warm, but Kokichi loved it, wanted to seek out that warmth and envelop himself in it. And, to ease it all, it was wet, wet enough that Kokichi couldn't feel himself snag or rub too roughly against Kaito as he moved.

...he was pressing his cock against his husband's inside of Shuuichi, all three of them locked in pleasure...

"Nng... Ah... Ahh... Uung..." Kokichi grunted and moaned as he thrust, at first gently, just carefully sliding himself up and down against Kaito, but then faster, harder, craving the tight friction and spurred on by Shuuichi's pleas. He could completely understand how Kaito lost himself to pleasure while he was in him, it just, "...fah...feels so good...Shuu-chaaa...feels amazing..."

Kokichi's voice started to squeak along with his moans, and his hips started involuntarily bucking, breaking rhythm as they stuttered, pounding into Shuuichi's backside, against Kaito's cock. "I-I can't-! I'm gonna!"

Shuuichi kept pleading, begging them to finish the job, his cock clearly swollen to its bursting point, thick and full and hitting against his stomach, and not just that, but Kaito could feel Shuuichi's backside tense around himself and Kokichi, constantly on the verge of cumming and just--

Why not? Why hasn't he cum?

Kaito watched Shuuichi, concerned as he watched his friend lose himself to the feeling of the two inside of him, clearly enjoying himself, clearly feeling it, but still...not pushed to cumming. This was absolutely not a self control thing, not by the way he spasmed around them, over and over again, each spasm easily the strength of someone experiencing an orgasm, but he wasn't...and...

Glancing over at Kokichi, he saw they had a time limit rapidly approaching. His good, sweet husband, as hard as he was trying...he wasn't going to be able to keep this up. And Kaito wouldn't be able to do it by himself, finally coming across the one ass in existence (well, that he knew of anyway) that found his own usually intimidating cock entirely unsatisfactory and...again, there was always the vibrator, but...Kaito wanted Shuuichi to cum with them. To feel that closeness and ecstasy and peace in finishing with his lovers, knowing how lonely it can feel when your partner’s long finished before you and you feel like this sort of ...errand they have to finish with before they roll over to go to sleep...

Besides all that, he should have cum by now! If he wasn't cumming now, with all this inside of him, what were the odds he'd cum later? So why...

...god dammit, Kaito knew why.

Taking a deep breath, preparing to be the bad guy, Kaito kissed at Shuuichi's ear again and whispered, "I love you very, very much, Shuuichi."

Then, seeing his husband was on the verge of finishing, Kaito shot his legs up and around Kokichi's waist, holding him inside of Shuuichi as Kaito took up the job of bringing the friction, bucking up and down his hips, rubbing against Kokichi and hitting Shuuichi at a new, deeper angle...

And then, feeling genuinely bad about it, he reached up, ripped apart Shuuichi's shirt buttons, and grabbed the nipples of his breasts, squeezing and twisting them painfully, something wet and sweet smelling (nectar?) immediately spilling out of them as Shuuichi's eyes went wide with horror as he shouted, "KAITO!? STO-AH! OHMYGODOHMY- HNNNNN~ AH! OH FUCK, HAA, HAAAA!"

As Shuuichi's orgasm sprayed high and large, Kaito blinking in surprise as he felt some of it land on his own face. He hid his face in Shuuichi's shoulder, taking the shirt and haphazardly covering up Shuuichi's breasts again as he rode his own orgasm quietly, the only noise coming from him a low, guttural, 'Hnnnnnnn!' sound as his pace inside of Shuuichi quickened for a moment, riding the orgasm, before slowing, the after flow of the release and post-cum sensitivity teasing and nipping at him as he gave Shuuichi and Kokichi a few more pumps, feeling his cum warm and wet deep, deep inside of Shuuichi, before lowering his legs, releasing his hold on Kokichi.

As Shuuichi panted and trembled on top of Kaito, his eyes wide and blown out from the pressure of the release in a way Nao had seen quite a few times before, but not every time, Kaito, guilty, immediately started buttoning up his shirt again, for the pieces that didn't get broken off entirely, kissing the side of Shuuichi's face as he said quietly, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you, I'm sorry..."

Shuuichi couldn't actually remember what the fuck Kaito was apologizing for, just grinning sloppily as he stared at the ceiling, catching his breath, just...overjoyed.

Inside him.

He finally...finally had some inside him...

And, refusing to acknowledge where the thought came from, refusing to analyze what it meant, he thought to himself...

'I'm finally gonna start to feel better.'

"Aaaa-A-A-A!" Kokichi moaned, one hand braced on Kaito's shoulder and the other on Shuuichi's, his eyes widening in shock as the three of them shifted Kaito-ward, his hips snapping forward and burying his cock in Shuuichi's spasming ass, spilling his load.

His hips shook as he came, both from the intensity of his orgasm, but also from Kaito thrusting against them both, taking control and...

It happened too fast to do anything. Kokichi was only left gasping breaths as Shuuichi's ass and Kaito's cock worked his sensitive, post-orgasm cock, shivering with blurred vision as he could only watch Kaito rip open Shuuichi's shirt and grab his breasts, and then could only whine as Shuuichi came, squeezing his dick even more and then?

And then he slumped forward onto Shuuichi, gasping for air as he slipped out of his hole, not in a dangerous way, but in a way that meant he'd definitely exerted himself more than he was used to. Kokichi didn't mind how the cum that was quickly settling into Shuuichi's shirt rubbed onto his chest, but...there was something he did mind.

"...K...Kai-chan...wha...what the hell?"

Kaito closed his eyes and sighed at Kokichi's voice, knowing this could potentially become a huge fight. Fuck...god he hoped he explained this right...also he really, really hoped that upon reflection, he wouldn't realize he had been wrong to do that....

"...he..." Kaito didn't realize he was still out of breath when he tried to talk, his cast arm wrapped around Shuuichi's shoulders now that his shirt was closed back up, and his good hand running soothingly through Shuuichi's hair as he said, "...he's still got the stress thing...he's been trying to tell us that this whole time, with the collar and the slave talk, right? He still has the stress thing...and I realized...I mean, I think...I don't think he was going to cum unless he had a scare...and I didn't want to wind him up to the point where we just made everything worse and he still couldn't get off...I think...I'm sorry if I read the situation wrong, Shuuichi...I was trying to help...are you okay?"

"Hmmm?" Shuuichi hummed happily, still just...entirely lost in his euphoria. Finally, finally, finally...he just wanted to feel better...please just feel better...what had Kaito been saying? Something about being okay? "Mmmmm...feel good...full..." Shuuichi murmured, putting his own arms around Kokichi and hugging him close, enjoying the heat and feeling of the two bodies pressed around him, Kaito's dick still lodged deep into his ass as he admitted, "Could go again...could do that forever..." and then he said cheerfully, partly because this was true, but also partly because Shuuichi didn't know the difference between endorphins and the feeling, his eyes closed now, just enjoying the feeling of the odd ripple of stimulus still running through his body as it tried to come down from the high it was just under, "...love you guys..."

Kaito listened to this and sighed, kissing the side of Shuuichi's face, realizing his friend wasn't really...in the right state of mind to really call Kaito out on what he had done yet. He'd talk about it more with him later, instead just whispering to him with a another kiss, "Love you too, handsome. You did such a good job. You felt so good."

As Shuuichi hummed happily at this, Kaito looked at Kokichi, brow furrowed in guilt as he said, "I...I'm sorry. It felt like the kind thing to do, in the moment...I wasn't trying to hurt him...I just wanted to stress him out enough to get him over the edge..."

Kokichi let out a deep sigh, trying to calm down from more than just rough fucking. Kaito...he had a point. As well as Shuuichi had been doing, as much as he'd finally been in a mindstate to accept their love for him...he had just been bleeding in the bathroom, trying to get off. Shuuichi was insecure about his chest, but...at least Kaito hadn't hurt him in any way that Shuuichi would be feeling later.

With another sigh, Kokichi huffed something like a laugh as Shuuichi pulled him close, and he obliged, scooting up a little to hold him back and to rest his head on Shuuichi's shoulder. "Sorry, Sh-ah... Shuu-chan...but I think I'm tapped for now..."

Maybe one day he'd be able to try for multiple orgasms, but not after one like that. So Kokichi just nuzzled his...new lover? and placed a few kisses along his collarbone. "Love ya too, Shuu-chan."

And then to Kaito... "I think...you had the right idea... We'll talk about it later though... Lay down a plan for the future if Shuu-chan needs...mm...somethin' extra to finish. But...that was nice... Kai-chan and Shuu-chan felt really good..."

His body warm from the activity, Kokichi felt exhaustion start to drape over him, whispering sweet nothings of a post-sex nap that he found himself so often loving. So...he gave Kaito an apologetic, loving smile before he snuggled more against Shuuichi, blinks growing slower.

Shuuichi didn't feel tired...or, more accurately, he didn't realize he felt tired yet, still high off the adrenaline of what they had just done...but his eyes were still tellingly closed, and Kaito guessed looking at him that if he wasn't close to passing out right this second, he would be soon. And Kokichi, who had worked so, so hard, was clearly also on the verge of falling asleep.

...okay Kaito...come on. You had to be the bad guy, now you could be the good guy...they still couldn't both sleep, not with Shuuichi in the room, not with the pollen hidden away in here...but Kaito could stay awake until Maki dared to check on them later today. He could do that for his husband and his...

(...do I have a concubine?)

Kaito frowned at the thought, not sure...how he felt about that. Shuuichi wasn't a whore, and he didn't belong to Kaito...so no, he didn't have a concubine. Shuuichi was their lover. Kaito had no idea if this was going to become a regular thing, but...no, he was pretty sure Shuuichi didn't count as a concubine.

...but if he was...Kaito swore he was going to protect him. Look after him.

Atua loved everyone.

("Atua protects whores and concubines, Kaito...")

("... not royals.")

But Atua would want Shuuichi, especially, cared for.

And Kaito was happy to do that.

So, whispering soft apologies into Shuuichi's ear as he groaned in disappointment when Kaito pulled out of him, doing his best to gently get himself out from beneath the two of them, Kaito, once he was free, first checked on Kokichi, looking over his husband to make sure he was well, brushing his hair out of his eyes before leaning down to kiss him on the temple, whispering in his ear, "You did great, babe. You did amazing. Thank you. God I love you...", and then looking over Shuuichi, who looked happily up at Kaito, his face red with arousal as he said quietly, "You sure you don't wanna go again?...I loved it...Kaito and Kokichi's cocks felt so good in me..."

Kaito chuckled softly, kissing Shuuichi's forehead and then his lips as he said, "Sorry, bud. Don't have that kind of stamina. Do you feel okay? Do you need to go again?"

Shuuichi seemed to actually, seriously think about it...before, clearly reluctantly, shaking his head no, sighing as he hugged Kokichi tighter as he said, "No...I'm okay...I think it's gonna be better now...I feel good..."

"Okay. Why don't you try to get a nap? I'm gonna wake you up for your medicine in a few hours and you and Maki will go back to her room after that, okay?"

"Wanna stay..."

"I'm sorry, Shuuichi, you can't...someday you'll be able to, okay? But for now, go to sleep."

"...kay..." Shuuichi said, a clear pout in the sentiment, but his eyes had closed again, and they weren't opening back up...and after a while his breathing seemed to even out, along with the usual snuffling sounds that came from a resting Kokichi, and Kaito put the covers over them and rested nearby and watched over them for several hours, until Maki did eventually knock on the door, and they did all the things Kaito said they would.

-

Fucking…god damn…

Why was there no alcohol in this place?!

Sahara was, once again, checking the kitchen area because…come on, it was a murder-death game thing…and there was porn! They had found porn! In the freaking library! And weapons, mockingly decorative, but still entirely functional, were being hung in almost every room you could find! In all of their bedrooms! Easily accessible sex, openly encouraged violence! All of it had been provided!

But no alcohol?? That was where these people drew the line!?

Fucking bullshit.

She already knew there was none in there, having checked twice before now, but, well…what else was she going to do? Go kill someone for it?

...no.

Sigh.

Noooo.

She knew the reputation nobles had. She wasn’t from one of the top noble families or anything like that, not the big three. But, still…she knew she was from a clan that was supposed to be ‘ruthless’. ‘Heartless’. Ready to step on the little person and destroy lives on a fucking whim…look, she wasn’t about to argue all of that wasn’t basically true. Her own family owned the biggest line of breweries in Luminary, and they didn’t get that big by making real good fucking beer or anything like that. They did it by systematically and, often, horrifyingly taking down the competition.

Sahara could remember in her childhood the mansion parlor being blocked off to her by her mother's personal guards so often that child Sahara had eventually stopped paying attention to the pleading and screams she heard on the other side, just swinging by the guards to ask them how much longer it would take and if they thought her mom would have time to talk to her afterwards about some homework she was having trouble with. No? Could you help me then? I just really don’t get fractions…oh, watch your shoes. Blood’s coming under. I guess the guy got to the door before he died, huh? So about those fractions…

All this to say she was familiar with death. With destruction. And she knew, in a scenario like this, where it was her life versus everyone elses, what she, as the child of a noble family that had earned their place and crest through murder and manipulation, was expected to do …

But she didn’t wanna do any of that shit, okay?

She just wanted a fucking drink.

She wasn’t an alcoholic, regardless of what her motive letter said. Alcoholics couldn’t quit. She could quit anytime she wanted…but why would she? Being drunk beat being sober every fucking time. Sure, she had a bad habit of making an ass out of herself drunk, but, well, so did everyone else. What was the occasional case of shitting herself in public or doing incredibly embarrassing things that she couldn’t remember later in comparison to being sober?? And existing?? It was easily the better of both worlds.

And, sure.

When she was drunk, she had a real bad habit of hitting people. Especially during sex. Kaito sure as fuck wasn’t the only person to leave her for it, and she was aware of it. Lots of people were. Trying to shame her into killing someone for revealing that? Fucking stupid. She knew she did it. She could own up to it.

If anything, she was annoyed at how little credit these fuckers keeping them trapped here gave her. Kill someone or we tell the only other eight people here that you hit people when you’re drunk? Ooooooh, right. It’s totally worth killing someone herself, and then literally by proxy an additional seven people, to keep a secret that important. Totally makes sense. Not an overreaction at all.

For fuck’s sake.

And honestly, she couldn’t understand why everyone else was so damn fucking butthurt at the idea of sharing their own motive letters. It was all going to have something to do with Kaito Momota, because apparently this whole fucking this was themed around him, as far as anyone could tell. Which was real fucking weird by itself, honestly? Was he here? Was this for him? What was the fucking point?? But anyway, he was the theme, so that’s what their letters would be connected to, and oooooh nooooooo?? The other eight people here will know some terrible secret connected probably to my love life!! Unacceptable! Must refuse to cooperate with the group and potentially get everyone here killed!

Fucking…what!?

God she hated people.

…Fuck she needed a drink.

Giving up on the kitchen for the third time now, Sahara sighed and went to go wander the halls again. Bored out of her mind and with a migraine starting to boot.

-

TODAY WAS THE DAY!!!

Kokichi could practically feel himself exploding with that excited sentiment the second he woke up in the early early morning. He didn't need to get up that early, but after the day before, he wanted to take a shower before they started getting ready to go.

Yesterday...

After carefully extracting himself from Kaito's embrace and getting to the bathroom, using his spare soaps since his used ones were already secured and packed away, Kokichi let himself stand under the warm spray, thinking about what had happened yesterday.

He and Kaito had had sex with Shuuichi...

It had been really nice, actually. Kokichi had been just as happy touching as being touched as watching the other two touch each other...even more than when he'd said it to Shuuichi, the detective just...felt like he fit. ...so what did that mean?

Honestly, Kokichi hoped that Shuuichi would want to join them again in the future. So, with that hope...did he want Shuuichi to be their boyfriend? Labels weren't that important, he knew, and it mostly just mattered how they felt about each other and their relationship but...

...they'd figure it out. They had time, and it really was looking like Shuuichi was getting better day by day.

Feeling more optimistic about more than just the trip (THE TRIP!! OUT OF THE CITY!!) Kokichi practically skipped back into the bedroom, humming softly to himself as he headed for the closet, having picked out longer pants to wear with a pair of sturdier boots that he almost never wore. Pretty much any comfortable shirt would do, though he did set aside a good jacket for the road.

His rabbit was back in its box, but Kokichi took a moment to lift the lid and give it a fond pat before putting it back away and taking out the booklet of pollen. One dose for this morning--and, fuck, the dwindling numbers made Kokichi feel at least a little better about doing this--and he packed the booklet away in his luggage, wrapped in a loose short-sleeved shirt Kaito had packed for him. Hopefully Shuuichi wouldn't be able to find it, especially when they'd all be in such close quarters...

Dressed and drier for the day, Kokichi hopped back into bed, pressing his face into Kaito's stomach, just...indescribably thankful for his husband.

Kaito had actually woken up while Kokichi was in the shower, listening to his husband hum cheerfully to himself, and Kaito had listened to this with a small smile, putting his good arm under his head and staring contently at the ceiling.

They were doing this. They were going today. This was easily one of the biggest days of Kokichi's life...Kaito was so excited...

As Kokichi showered, Kaito closed his eyes and took a deep breath...their bed smelled of sex. It smelled of Kokichi, and Kaito and...Shuuichi...what a wild thought that was. Shuuichi, of all the people in the world...his quiet, golden-eyed sidekick, who had seemed so close to entirely falling apart, just a few days ago...

And still could, Kaito reminded himself with a sigh. Yesterday had been...amazing...wonderful. Even with that last moment, where Kaito had to be rougher than he wanted to be with Shuuichi, touching him in a way Shuuichi hadn't wanted to be touched...even with that, yesterday had been incredible. Every now and again a flash of image would rush through Kaito's mind that would excite him, that would make him blush...both of his men, kissing each other, Shuuichi shy and uncertain, Kokichi adoring and patient...fucking beautiful, the both of them together had been...Kaito couldn't get the sight of them together out of his head...

B-but that wasn't the point! The point had been...had been...right. Shuuichi was still in an extremely sensitive point in his life. Kokichi too, honestly. And Kaito...wanted to take care of both of them badly. He ached, at how badly he wanted to take care of both of them. Be whatever they needed him to be...

And he was! Or, he was doing his best, anyway. They were doing this trip today! Like Shuuichi had said yesterday, Kokichi had been waiting for this trip his whole life. Kaito wanted it to go perfectly. He wanted Kokichi to have an amazing time. And Shuuichi...he just wanted Shuuichi to be safe and comfortable during it. Happy was good too! But...safe and comfortable more than that, as he went through his withdrawal period. Hopefully the latest medicine would help with that...

Thank god for Maki. Kaito would be so much more nervous about literally everything if it hadn't been for her taking charge during so much of this. She had planned out the trip, had taken on the bulk of the effort of watching over Shuuichi, making sure he was getting everything on time, wasn't hurting himself, all while taking care of Tim too...and...

...he had a feeling maybe...taking care of Kokichi too. If the way she had taken that knife to Kaito's throat when he told her what was happening was any indication...

...the thought worried him. Maki was...vengeful...but, if Kokichi had talked to her...that was a good thing, then. He didn't want Kokichi to have no one to talk to about stuff like that. It brought him a lot of comfort, the idea that if Kaito did something to upset Kokichi, that there was someone Kokichi felt safe going to for support or advice. It was a good thing...

...he hoped Maki didn't hate him...

When he heard Kokichi start to come out of the bathroom, Kaito banished the sad thoughts, smirking slightly to himself as he pretended to be asleep still. Then, eventually, when he felt Kokichi lay his head down on him...

"It's TODAY!" Kaito shouted cheerfully, sitting up and scooping Kokichi up into his arms, using the covers as a barrier between his own still cum-covered self and Kokichi's clean body as Kaito nuzzled him against himself, kissing him all over his face as he said, "We're going today, 'Kichi!!"

Kokichi squealed, giggling delightedly as he nuzzled and kissed his husband back, happy whinnies filling the room. Despite everything, they were going on vacation. Their honeymoon, really. Past Timothy trying to re-start the war, the secretaries trying to sabotage their marriage, Kokichi nearly dying a few times, a terrorist group targeting them, their friend and lover becoming an addict of an incredibly dangerous drug... They made it through it all. And now, for the first time in his life...Kokichi was going to get to see the world.

Even as he laughed and embraced Kaito, Kokichi could feel his eyes stinging from the thought, elated, overwhelmed tears starting to pool in his eyes. "It's today!" he warbled. "It's today...Kai-chan, I can leave. I-I..."

"Thank you so much!" he sniffled, hugging Kaito tightly, his shoulder trembling though there was a bright, full grin on his face that he didn't think would leave for at least a couple hours.

Kokichi wasn't sure exactly what had made Aiichi change his mind, but...everything started changing once Kaito came into his life. He'd been the one to ask his father about trips, his friends were the ones who were going to help keep them safe...so, really, he did owe Kaito a lot. Kaito helping him open his cage was...more than Kokichi could ever repay, for how much it meant for him. But he was happy to try.

Kaito knew what Kokichi was thanking him for, but he felt...weird. To take credit for getting Kokichi something that should have been his all along. And, honestly, Kaito still didn't really understand how he had done it? It had occurred to him by now that maybe he hadn't really done anything. That King Aiichi had been reconsidering the limits he had enforced on Kokichi up to this point anyway, and Kaito's request had simply put him in a position where he finally had to make a hard decision on it.

A part of him didn't want to consider that being the case, because he felt like it was giving more credit to the king than the fucker deserved...considering everything Kokichi had been perfectly willing to believe Aiichi would do, such as hire a person to pretend to be his friend just to make him more insecure with a humiliating beatdown, to how quickly Kokichi had believed Aiichi would slip him a date-rape drug on his fucking wedding...Kaito didn't trust the king because he trusted his husband, who clearly didn't trust the king.

...but it was the only thing that really made any sense to Kaito.

...oh well. Fuck it. Who cared why it was happening. Like Kaito had said, this was something that should have always been available to his husband. And he was thrilled Kokichi could finally do it.

So, even though he doubted he deserved any credit, he hugged Kokichi back, running soothing hands over his back, and said quietly back to him, "You're welcome, babe...hey come on. What are you crying for? This is a great day! You've earned this. No one's dealt with more shit in the last month in this castle than you have. You've more than earned a vacation. Shhh, hey...it's okay..."

"Shut it," Kokichi laughed, wiping his tears with the back of his hand though more kept spilling. "I'm crying because I'm happy, jerk. I've wanted to see outside the city for so long, a-and it's happening! Today! We're really going..."

He understood and, really, agreed with postponing the Danganronpa trip. They would've been a big enough target just being princes, but now knowing that the Remnants had some sort of eye on them in particular...it was dangerous, and would just be irresponsible to go. Valuing the safety of everyone far outweighed Kokichi's disappointment.

However, because the coast trip had immediately been brought up as an alternative...it still was way better than he would've thought. But he still had had a lot of doubt over whether they'd actually get to go. Between his illnesses and Shuuichi's addiction and Kaito's parents...there had been so many times where Kokichi was convinced that they'd have to cancel, only keeping foolish hope towards that slim possibility...

But...they'd beaten the odds. They were going on vacation. Kaito was trying to be better, but he'd probably have an easier time relaxing away from everyone in the castle he had issues with. Getting out of the city would probably be a good thing for Shuuichi, and Tom and Itch and Aba were known wanted peoples across the whole country. They'd be safe.

Maki having backup would probably let her relax a little more, and Tim would get to see more of the country that had ended up being his home before he'd be enrolled in school. It...it'd be a good time. He was sure of it.

Kokichi pressed a kiss to the corner of Kaito's lips, grinning up at him through wet eyes. "I'm really excited."

Kaito laughed, kissing him back more fully. "You should be! This is huge! I'm really excited too! Just got worried about my 'Kichi getting all weepy, was all. I'm glad it's happy crying," Kaito said, pulling Kokichi into another long, firm hug, before kissing him on the top of his head and saying, "Okay, off! I gotta get myself up and clean and ready to go! Maki said we're leaving at eight, which feels like plenty of time right now, but man, then you realize you forgot something and can't find it and suddenly you're running around the castle like an idiot while everyone's just waiting outside for you..." Kaito chuckled sheepishly. "Always gotta give yourself plenty of time! Don't wanna be that guy. Trust me."

As Kokichi freed Kaito, the Luminary Prince got up and stretched, looking down at himself in mild surprise to see he actually was wearing pants. Why...oh, right. Maki had come back for Shuuichi, so Kaito had thrown a shirt and some pants on, and then had immediately ditched the shirt when she was gone. Poor Maki. Kaito hoped she had convinced Shuuchi to take a shower before crawling into her bed.

God, Shuuichi had been so good yesterday. So good!

Kaito didn't just mean the sex, which...fuck, that had also been so good...yesterday had just also been the first relatively calm day Shuuichi had had since the three of them had discovered what he was doing, and probably the first actually calm day he had had since long before that, before they had been aware of how critically 'un-calm' his days were.

And, damn...wasn't it telling that Kaito was picking the day that Shuuichi bit into his fingers and arms and tried to hang himself to get off to call a 'calm' day...but, well, that's standards right now. Doing something that could have totally accidentally killed you without actively meaning to kill yourself was kinda where the bar currently was for having a 'good' day, so...yeah! Good day yesterday! God, Kaito couldn't wait for Seiko to perfect her medicine. He really missed Shuuichi...

As Kaito took a good, hot shower, scrubbing down all parts of himself, knowing this was the last time he'd be really, properly clean for probably the whole week, he reflected on how Kokichi had been last night. Kaito had strongly worried, when Kokichi had first brought the idea up, that the only reason Kokichi was thinking about Shuuichi like that was because of his and Maki's idea and Kaito's early, previously entirely innocent teasing. Kaito had been afraid that once things actually started, Kokichi would have found himself...embarrassed, or afraid, or, fuck, maybe even jealous of Kaito's attention towards Shuuichi...but his husband had seemed calm and collected the entire time. Just doing his best to make Shuuichi feel comfortable and safe and cared about...

...god, Kaito didn't deserve someone like Kokichi...he kept finding new things to love about his husband. And, honestly, the thing Kaito loved the most about Kokichi was how the Dicean Prince treated his friends. Maki and Shuuichi were, just by their personalities, not the easiest people to get to know in the first place, and...

It had gotten a lot better in high school! Shuuichi and Maki being forced to socialize with other kids as part of their training was easily the best thing for them that Kaito had seen the program do, the one thing that really seemed to just be about improving their quality of life (it wasn't. It was to make it easier for them to read social cues and manipulate other people in pursuit of their missions. But Kaito didn't know that, though Shuuichi and Maki did)...but otherwise, it had been hard for the castle's Royal Assassin-in-training and Royal Detective-in-training to really...socialize with anyone, let alone in kind, gentle ways.

There was something about being the people the king and queen would send after to blackmail or murder you, and possibly your whole family, if they were displeased with you that made it hard for people to be nice Shuuichi and Maki. Especially if it had already happened to people you had known and liked...

Yeah. Kaito knew Kokichi didn't have that same baggage when approaching his sidekicks, but the Dicean Prince had known they were an assassin and a detective, respectively, and...well, Kaito guessed he didn't actually know how much Kokichi knew about what that meant in Luminary terms, as far as Shuuichi went, but 'assassin' was the kind of word that crossed the border without losing its meaning, and...Kaito had never seen Kokichi be mean or cruel to Maki for it, not even in the beginning when he had hated Kaito. Same with Shuuichi, so...

Look. All this to say Kaito really, really loved his husband right now. Every time he thought about Kokichi being kind to his friends, to the point where he had been totally willing to bring one of them into their bed just for the sake of his mental health? God he loved Kokichi.

This vacation was going to be good! It was going to be everything Kokichi had ever dreamed it would be! Kaito would not allow the group to deny Kokichi anything he wanted on this trip. They'd go see every museum, every cool nature thing he had ever read about, eat all the fucking weird 'local delicacies' he wanted. Kokichi deserved this trip. Kaito was going to see that he got it.

When he got out of the shower and dried off, putting the clothes he had brought in with him on, he heard a knock at the door outside in the bedroom. Ah. Maki and Shuuichi must be getting an early start too.

As nice as it was to cuddle and laugh together, Kokichi was ready to get going! Or, really, to double, triple, quadruple check everything before they actually left. It wasn't just going to be a matter of sighing in exasperation if he forgot something, then fixing it when he got home that night--or, really, mid to late afternoon at the latest. If he forgot something, they'd either have to buy a replacement later, or he'd have to do without.

So, after Kokichi got off of his husband and let him take a shower, Kokichi looked through his borrowed luggage and around their room, making sure he was really, really packed.

Clothes, toiletries, packed. Maki had taken care of food and essential travel supplies, so he didn't have to worry about those...oh, though he wanted to pack candy, right! Picking up his bag from the corner, where it had been since Kaito ripped his desk apart, Kokichi hummed softly to himself, noting that it was...lighter. Not to the point he'd have to insist on a candy run at any point, but after all the sweets Kaito had bought him when he was sick, he figured it'd be at least a little heavier. But it seemed a little lighter than it had originally...how much had he eaten the other day?!?

Sighing to himself, Kokichi wrapped the end of the bag around itself and packed it away.

Okay...they were probably going to be pretty busy the whole time, either going to see things or resting up from going to see things--and he'd packed his money, keeping just a little on his person just in case--so he probably didn't need to bring things to occupy himself... But he did pack a sketchbook along with a few pencils and erasers. Kokichi had drawn so many landscapes from his imagination...he wanted to see how they'd compare to one he drew from life. He wanted to bring a little of the coast back with them.

...maybe one book. He didn't think he'd get bored on the road since he'd be seeing all sorts of things he'd never been allowed to before, but...it was barely any extra weight. Just in case. Aaaaand pack a deck of cards. Those could both go into the small bag Kokichi was going to keep at his side.

As he fetched his bag, he noticed a small folded piece of cloth, obviously put away after a load of laundry. Kokichi picked it up, looking over the checkered pattern for a moment before tying it around his neck. He wasn't concerned about the new marks Kaito had left on him, but...there was something nice about wearing something from each of his boys.

It was just about then Kokichi heard a knock on the door, and he skipped over to open it. "Good morning!!"

The second Shuuichi saw Kokichi, his face went bright red and he looked down, clearly embarrassed...but also smiling a little as he mustered a small, "g'morning," in return. Clutching to his stomach something that no one had seen Shuuichi hold for a good few days now; his journal.

When Shuuichi had woken up this morning, his head just felt...clearer. Honestly, everything had felt better. Easily the weirdest thing was he hadn't woken up with a hard-on for the first time in weeks...to the point that, in the shower that morning, he had taken off his cock ring and hadn't...felt any different. No worrying need to cum, no fear that he could just orgasm any second if someone startled him...he was still bringing it with him, just in case. But the ring was in his luggage now, instead of on him, and...while he still had the sort of vague, worrying sense he was going to piss himself without it, at least today it didn't feel like he needed it and...

...he felt better, not having to wear it. A little less dirty and strange.

And when he had left the bathroom to put the ring away, he had seen his journal, and for the first time since he had tried to write out to himself if there was really nothing he could do about the Miss Nao/Limited Pollen situation that had spiraled into him writing about what a whore he was over and over, he had actually felt like writing in it.

He had gone the next page over from the 'whore' page. He didn't like looking at it, though for some reason he was hesitant to rip it out or scribble over it. It felt...vaguely important to keep it there. He wasn't sure why yet.

Anyway, he had titled the new page Beach Trip, and so far was just documenting everything they had prepped for the trip and wrote a list of who was coming with titles and key terms and small doodles, just taking all the work Maki had done and writing it down in an organized, neat fashion, going over everything to look on paper to see if the trip made sense, and it did and what were his current symptoms and...Maki had literally had to shake his shoulder a bit to get his face out of his journal, writing everything down, gently reminding him that they needed to go get his dose and...

He had looked up at her with tears in his eyes. Smiling.

He had...missed getting lost in his journal. He had missed writing everything down, his thoughts calm. Organized. He had missed it so much and he felt like himself for the first time in weeks and he was so, so scared that it was temporary, that he was going to lose his mind again in a few hours and he was sorry Maki and he had been so scared and was still so scared-

Yeah. Maki and Shuuichi had been up for a while already, Maki calming Shuuichi through another panic attack. But they had gotten to the other side of it, and Maki found herself smirking slightly at the blush on Shuuichi's face, because...well, it was one thing to blush because someone was yelling at you and you were feeling stressed out, but another thing to do it when you were seeing someone you had just had a good lay with the day before again for the first time since and...

Maki was pleased with how the morning went, even if Shuuichi had spent a good portion of it crying on her. It had seemed healthy. Better than all the other mornings so far.

Now to check on the other one.

"Good morning. Let me see you," Maki said sternly, taking Kokichi's face and turning it this way and that, looking for signs in his skin, stress lines and distress discoloring under his eyes, that suggested he might be about to lie to her...and not seeing anything, asked, "Everything okay? How do you feel?"

Kokichi's grin widened a little upon seeing Shuuichi's blush and small smile, though it was his turn for his cheeks to flush as Maki checked him over. "I-I'm okay! We're good!" He paused there though, looking back to Shuuichi and asking softly, "...we're good?"

The evening before had been...wonderful. But that didn't cancel out the less good things that had happened. Shuuichi choosing not to see Nao, him hurting himself in the bathroom, Kaito suddenly grabbing his chest... If they were ever going to do anything together again--which, honestly...Kokichi hoped they did--then he really wanted to have another conversation about boundaries so Kaito wouldn't have to make a decision like that again.

But, regardless of that, he just wanted to know if Shuuichi was okay. He'd been too blissed out to really comment before Kokichi had fallen asleep, so...it was just courtesy. Though...Kokichi had a feeling Maki might've kicked their door open to throttle Kaito if Shuuichi had had any big problem with it.

"Come in, come in," he welcomed, stepping back into the room, gesturing lively to things as he talked about them. "I'm pretty sure I'm all packed, and, oh, Shuu-chan, your dose is on the nightstand, and Kai-chan's up, he's just takin' a shower, so...nearly ready to bring our luggage down, I think?"

Maki also glanced at Shuuichi over Kokichi's question. Shuuichi had been in an exceptionally good mood when she had brought him back to her room, but she hadn't actually managed to get him to talk too much about what had happened, Shuuichi mostly just taking a quick shower and then immediately wanting to go back to sleep. He had wanted to be close to her too, in bed, but Maki had forced him to keep his distance.

She wanted to be able to hold him. More than just when he was crying. Had done so plenty of times in their life. But...her familial feelings towards him were too strong, and she found herself not wanting to risk that he might try something that would strain those feelings any more than seeing him orgasm twice now had already (both times had been extremely distressing to Maki as well though, and probably because of that hadn't sparked any sexual feelings for Shuuichi. It was hard to get 'in the mood' when the person in question was also bitterly sobbing over the idea of being forced to breed with horses for his friend’s 'benefit,’ and was having a total meltdown in front of over half a dozen people about his fears of his body changes the other time).

She knew Shuuichi didn't feel the same way about her that she did him. Shuuichi couldn't really remember his time at the orphanage before he left at five for conditioning training, and never been taken back to visit it in the five years between then and when he had met (or, technically, re-met, though Maki didn't remember him specifically from the orphanage either) Maki, like she had regularly been. He didn't have that same 'these are my siblings' mentality ingrained into him as it had been for her, and didn't see her as his sister.

...but that was still how she saw it. And she valued that relationship with him. She didn't want to risk sex changing how things were between them. She loved him.

And she wanted to protect him. In every way. That included from Kaito and his whiplash way of sex, going from disarmingly overly submissive to entirely overly aggressive and back again with no damn middle ground, based on whatever he thought Maki at the moment wanted. Which had driven Maki fucking nuts during their relationship. Each time with him had left her either feeling like she had been in a fight and lost, or fucking won a fight and feeling fucking guilty about it...

Don't get her wrong. Kaito had fucking been amazing in bed. He was an extremely passionate lover and Maki had never not had sex with him without feeling, physically, satisfied and spent. But Kaito literally couldn't differentiate between his sex life and their actual, day to day relationship, his romantic language almost entirely communicated through sex, and that had been emotionally and physically exhausting to Maki, who didn't communicate that way. Sex was just a nice thing to have every now and again. But Kaito seemed to think his relationships were defined by it, and the fucking Atua religion and fucking all of Maki's worst fears about Tengan sure hadn't fucking helped anything...

Look, Kaito was in no way an abusive boyfriend, not by Maki's standards, anyway. But Maki had a lot of very valid reasons to be worried about Kokichi and Shuuichi being in a relationship with him, both of them as inexperienced and, at least sexually, passive as they were. If Kaito was allowed to always take the lead in their sexual relationship, both of them were going to end up exhausted and overwhelmed someday, if Kokichi wasn't already, and Shuuichi inevitably would be. God knows she had been.

But, Shuuichi...just blushed a little harder and shook his head, hiding himself a little under his hat as he said, "No...I'm okay. Thanks, Kokichi."

So Kaito got to live another day.

Then Shuuichi had headed to the nightstand, seeing his sticker and...hesitating. Just for a moment. He felt so much better today...his head so much clearer...d-did he really want...

...he tried to imagine going without it today, and once again felt that shudder of vague, anxious panic. No. No. He still wanted it. Still needed it. He felt good but...but he was physically scared of going without it. The day Miss Nao hadn't given him his dose till the afternoon had easily been one of the worst days so far of this. H-he didn't want to feel that way again. Better to take how he felt on the pollen, rather than feel how he felt needing it.

So he took the pollen, and he sighed happily around it, feeling that heat go through his veins and stomach again...

As Shuuichi took his dose, Maki looked over the luggage that Kokichi was double checking, nodding to herself as she said, "Yeah, I did this to myself and Shuuichi's luggage last night. Timothy should be good, so, yes, last step is just making sure Kaito did this for himself as well, and bringing everything downstairs. Me and Kaito will take care of that by the way. Shut up, you started walking again two days ago, let us handle the luggage."

"I could-" Shuuichi tried, not really seeing why he couldn't take his own luggage down.

"You shut up too, Kaito got to put his dick inside of you yesterday, that means now he carries your luggage. Those are the rules."

"Maki!" Shuuichi cried, face turning red.

"God dammit I will teach both of you relationship standards or fucking die trying," Maki muttered to herself, looking over Kokichi's stuff before furrowing her brow a little, saying, "Do you have a swimsui-"

Kaito came out of the bathroom, having finally finished gelling up his hair, before taking all of his hair products and putting them into his own luggage as he said to everyone, "Good morning! Is everyone pumped! Everyone excited!?"

He saw Shuuichi and immediately wanted to go over and give him a quick kiss to show him he was excited to see him that morning! ...but shit, he wasn't sure...he glanced over at Kokichi and decided not to. Maki knew what had happened, but other than her, no one else did, and...Kaito wasn't sure how much public physical affection he was allowed to show Shuuichi, if any. Not just based on Shuuichi's comfort levels, but Kokichi's, and...maybe the...kingdom’s? His and Kokichi's marriage had more significance than just what it meant to each other. The kingdoms were looking at them to be an example of unity between Dicea and Luminary. It'd...probably look bad if Kaito just suddenly started lavishing physical affection on one of the escorts that had come with him...

They'd work all that out! So instead he went to hug Maki first, because she was closest to him, and then literally ran to hug Shuuichi, picking him up a little as he said, "We're going on vacation, Shuuichi!"

Shuuichi blushed harder at being touched and laughed, patting Kaito awkwardly on the back as he was lifted off his feet as he said, "Y-yes, Kaito, I know. Did you double check your luggage? If you're bringing it, please tell me you've remembered your cape this time..."

"Oh! Right, I decided on the green one! I forgot to take it out of the closet, give me a second!" Kaito said, both Maki and Shuuichi sighing as he ran to his closet, looking through his hangers..."Found it! Thanks, Shuuichi!"

"Good catch," Maki whispered to Shuuichi, who just gave her a small grin back.

Kokichi rolled his eyes a bit with a sigh, but it was mostly for the drama. Honestly, he wasn't even sure if he could lift the damn thing even if he hadn't just gotten off bedrest, just the trunks themselves fairly heavy. And, even if he could lift the weight, they were large and would be pretty unwieldy for him, so...it was probably for the best to have someone else bring down his luggage.

Though he did snicker with red cheeks as Shuuichi was prevented from carrying his too. Shuuichi was bigger and stronger than him, so he'd probably be fine carrying down his luggage, but he was sorely missing out on boyfriend-treatment, so no carrying! Maybe Shuuichi would be okay holding his hand instead.

Kokichi turned back to Maki as she started to speak again, but Kaito, like the big, bright star he was, demanded attention as soon as he opened the bathroom door. Hopping in place excitedly, he gave a cheer, his energy from earlier returned. "Super-duper pumped! Va~ca~tion~ Time~!!"

With a skip and a twirl, he made his way over to Shuuichi, hugging onto one of his arms while he grinned at the reminder. "Shuu-chan, since we're not carrying anything, let's go see if everyone else has brought their stuff out yet. Can't imagine why they wouldn't, but I hope it's all consolidated and not, like, super all over the entry hall. We can get a head start on breakfast too and choose any extras we wanna stash for the road."

Shuuichi felt a shiver of excitement run through his stomach when Kokichi grabbed onto him, a flash of memory of Kokichi red and over him and pushing into spots that had driven Shuuichi wild...but that feeling wasn't immediately followed by a gush from his ass or a twitch from his cock which was just...so god damned relieving...

"Um, y-yeah, okay." Shuuichi looked back a tad nervously at Maki and Kaito, saying again, "Are you sure you don't need hel-"

"Dude, go downstairs with 'Kichi, I've got your luggage. We'll follow you guys down there soon." Kaito grinned, as Maki was now looking over his stuff with a critical eye. Turning to Maki, he asked, "What about Timothy? His stuff ready?"

"Yeah. He was trying to take it downstairs himself when I walked over here, but I told him to leave it by the top stairwell and we'd get it. Normally I wouldn't mind a little impromptu strength training, but if he drops it it's going to end up in pieces at the bottom of the stairwell...Kaito, you can't put your hair products just on top of your clothes like this. What are you doing? What if they open during the trip? Did you do Kokichi's like that too? Let me see-"

As Kaito and Maki went over his and Kokichi's luggage, Shuuichi headed out with Kokichi, still just...uncertain how to act now around him. Should he act normal? Fuck, he had no idea what normal even 'was' around Kokichi. The prince had mostly only known him while Shuuichi was going through the harder parts of the pollen's effects, and now that he was feeling more himself today, he wasn't sure...it was like suddenly being aware of your hands and not knowing what to do with them while you talked to someone. But for his whole being.

"Meetcha there soon!" Kokichi waved to Kaito and Maki, snickering at Maki's fussing before he and Shuuichi left, Kokichi still hugging his arm until they got to the staircase--a piece of luggage indeed there--at which he simply held Shuuichi's hand. He wasn't squeezing it or anything, Shuuichi could easily pull away without forcing Kokichi's hand to let go, but it was there, comfortable.

Shuuichi's hand was still bigger than Kokichi's, but not as broad and rough as Kaito's. His fingers were still wrapped in bandages, but they were long and his hand was a little clammy. And they were very comfortable to hold.

"Did you sleep alright last night? Sorry I was pretty much out even when Maki-chan came to get you; would'a liked to wish Shuu-chan a proper goodnight." He wasn't sure what their relationship was now...but that was okay. He liked Shuuichi, had enjoyed his company the few times they'd gotten to hang out before things had blown up, and he truly cared about the older boy. And, for now...that was all he needed to feel to be fond and adoring. For as long as Shuuichi and Kaito were comfortable too, things were okay.

Half hopping down each step, Kokichi swung their hands a little, just feeling happy.

"Yeah, I...I did," Shuuichi said, adjusting his cap to avoid the gazes of anyone else along the staircase, embarrassed by Kokichi's hold. Not enough to pull away. He liked it...but should they be...? He guessed there was nothing super revealing about hand holding itself, but he felt like it was super obvious to anyone who saw them, Shuuichi's...feelings?

...fuck, what were his feelings?!

He had no idea what he saw this as, and even worse than that, he had no idea what Kokichi and Kaito saw this as either. Was this...was this going to be a regular thing? And if it was, did that...was he in a relationship or...

...the last one hadn't been a relationship...

Shuuichi's heart leapt into his throat at that, a wave of heartbreak running over him at the thought. He...he was leaving today. For a week. Ha...a week. He was literally leaving for the same amount of time as Miss Nao had started taking care of him. God, it had only been a fucking week...Shuuichi was so pathetic...

He wanted to go say bye to her. He wanted to see her.

...fuck he shouldn't want to see her, right?! He had said no yesterday! He had made that choice for himself!...sorta. Kaito had kinda...compelled him to answer, but...the 'No' had still been the honest answer. And...and it was the right one. Miss Nao thought he was disgusting. Out of his mind. Had run out of ways of telling him they weren't in a relationship.

...which made everything they did together...way, way harder to think about...

(Shuuichi didn't realize yet the other reason it was difficult was because his stress/pleasure switch was being muted by his medicine...getting over that particular muscle memory was going to be hard-going for Shuuichi, considering that besides yesterday, that was literally his only experience with sex...he knew even when it was happening that it was unusual to be treated like that, but...there was a very real part of him that couldn't get over this idea that that was just how relationships were...)

...she wouldn't want to see him. She'd laugh at him, call him delusional, or make that certain face she made whenever he said or did anything particularly repulsive. She wouldn't want to see him...she had lied when she claimed ownership over him...he didn't belong to her...

Did he belong to Kokichi and Kaito now?

No! No...that wasn't...Kaito said he wasn't an Indentured anymore. Shuuichi already knew this. He was a Dicean Citizen. He was his own person! He had been excited by the idea, when he and Maki had first agreed to come here!

Then everything with Miss Nao had happened and...and then Kaito and Maki had taken up watching over him...hell, he had been alone for five seconds and Hajime had literally thrown him over his shoulder and taken him away...

...nothing had changed...his life was still dictated by whatever other people wanted...

...he wouldn't go see her. She didn't want to see him and he didn't want to be pathetic, going to her just...desperate to see something in her face that would suggest she'd miss him o-or....just something that wouldn't be there. He wasn't going to do that to himself. He'd stick with Kokichi. He didn't know what Kokichi was to him yet but...he'd stick with him.

"It's okay. You were tired. That was...a lot. Um, not that we should talk about it out here," Shuuichi said quietly, warily looking around, holding Kokichi's hand back. "I know you're really excited for this trip, but I hope you won't get bored. It's gonna be a lot of sitting in the caravans for the first two days. Lots of watching trees or fields go by, though occasionally we'll probably find some interesting thing someone's set up by the side of the roads to draw in customers. And camping at night under the stars can be very fun, especially in small groups...have you ever eaten by campfire? I thought I'd get tired of the smell after six months, but it never really got old to me..."

Kokichi smiled and turned rosy, squeezing Shuuichi's hand for a moment when he felt him hold it back. He didn't want to talk about yesterday where anyone could hear--because he'd die--but...the outcome was sweet. And something he didn't mind doing in public at all.

He squealed a bit in excitement as Shuuichi talked about traveling, eyes going wide with awe. "Oh, I fuckin' doubt it--even just seeing trees and fields will be exciting, because I've never seen them before! Well, like, I've seen trees and fields, but I've never even been in the forest that's just outside of town. I can see a lot from my window and the observatory, but there's a difference to seein' it up close, you know? In actually being there."

"Oh, actually..." he hummed, something occurring to him. "Kai-chan and I have been wanting to do a stargazing night in the observatory since, like...your third day here. It's not exactly the same, but I hope it's clear enough to see the stars well while we're out! He knows more than me--he was able to figure out the galaxy in my mom's portrait in the observatory just from looking at it for a couple minutes!--but I still know a thing or two!"

Kokichi chattered enthusiastically to Shuuichi, feeling much more like himself--on better days--than he had in awhile.

"And...a campfire, no. During some of the summer festivals we do, like, big grills outside, and while that is open flame...it's more structured and public, you know? And we can't really do bonfires or anything like that in the city since they're a fire hazard. Oh, oh!! We should see if we can get supplies for s'mores while we're there! I've always wanted to try them! I've never roasted a marshmallow myself before!"

"We could actually roast some marshmallows tonight, if you wanted to. We'll likely be maintaining a campfire all night for camping in the woods. The flames keep the larger predators away, who might otherwise be attracted to the food they'll be smelling," Shuuichi explained, smiling lightly at Kokichi's enthusiasm.

As they got the the bottom of the staircase, they could see by the front entrance that their traveling group was, in fact, getting everything ready, Hajime helping Dr. Kimura bring in her luggage to store there till the caravans were parked out front, Katsuki talking to what looked like one of the stablehands, who was giving her a mildly confused look, though seemed to be doing his best to keep track of what she was saying before he spotted the two coming down, saying to Prince Kokichi, "Ah, there we go! Pardon, I'll just talk to him about it. Thank you."

Leaving Katsuki behind, the stableman hurried over to them, at which Shuuichi immediately took his hand back from Kokichi, feeling both exposed by the stablehand’s attention, and suddenly...embarrassed as it finally hit him that they were going to be traveling with all these people...who had all witnessed him having a bitch-fit in the middle of a meeting about him and then fucking...nutted himself in front of all of them and...

He suddenly felt sick with nerves and anxiety as he lowered the brim of his cap basically as low as it could comfortably go without falling off his face, just...ashamed and overwhelmed...he wanted to go back to sleep...

If the stablehand noticed Shuuichi's discomfort, he was good enough to not draw attention to it as he said to Kokichi, "Alright, Prince Kokichi! Today's the big day, huh? Just know we're all rooting for ya over at the stables. Now per Miss Harukawa's instructions, we got you four of our best horses for the road. You can, uh, tell her we're happy to do it, and she definitely didn't need to threaten poor Joey to get them." The stablehand said that pointedly, hoping his prince would have a talk with her. "They're all good horses, fit and well trained. But, however...the boss has asked me to remind you that these horses are meant to be for leading the carriages only. That they're not trained or meant for single person riders, and that no saddles are being provided because of that..."

The stablehand looked at Shuuichi somewhat suspiciously, though the detective came across as harmless as he avoided his gaze, looked around, and then leaned in and said, "But, between you and me? And I'll deny it if anyone says I said it...but Buttercup, the tan horse? She's a damn good horse for riding bareback. Throw a heavy, rough, small blanket on her back, which funnily enough your caravan just happened to have stored in one of their compartments, and she'll take care of ya. Was bred and trained to do it, before she became a caravan horse, and has a sweet temperament to boot. Again...I'll deny I said it if it ever comes up. Be careful."

Then the stablehand straightened up and said cheerfully, "Anyway, caravans should be brought up ready to load onto in about a half hour. Anything else you need for your trip, young Kokichi?"

Kokichi's eyes went starry at the prospect of roasting marshmallows that night, another years-long dream so close to coming true. Predators, though, weren't really something he'd thought about...but luckily everyone else had! And if they had precautions already in mind, then it wasn't an issue! He knew that most predators in the area weren't aggressive anyway--they would want to stay away from humans, though the smell of food might entice them. As long as they were clear about their presence, any dangerous animals would probably steer clear.

His excitement tempered a little as Shuuichi let go of his hand, but Kokichi didn't push the issue. If Shuuichi wasn't comfortable holding hands in public, then he wasn't going to force him to. Buuuuut he still leaned over to press against Shuuichi's arm for a moment, all comforting 'n shit.

Looking up to the stablehand that approached them, Kokichi grinned up at the man. "Hey, Jun! Aww, I appreciate it--when Mari and Adrian are back on shift tomorrow, could you thank them for me too? I know we didn't give you guys the most prep time, but I really appreciate you setting all of this up for us."

"And...yeah, sorry. Maki-chan's been kinda stressed organizing a ton of stuff for today." Kokichi rubbed the back of his neck, offering the stablehand an apologetic smile. "She's intense, but she just wants this to go well--like we all do, really. I doubt she was expecting Joey to, you know...agree to help right away?"

...he didn't want to bad-mouth Luminary to his people. But...well, they saw what the Luminary Party was like. He could talk with Maki, and maybe they'd be more understanding on their end too if they realized that...well, for the common Luminous person, they had to fight for anything they wanted to get done. ...hopefully there wouldn't be that gap in communication for too long...

Kokichi rolled his eyes a little at his father's stipulation, but leaned in for the "secret", giving Jun an appreciative smile. He'd had a shift several times when Kokichi would come to the stables to pet and help brush the horses--Buttercup was a sweetheart, and, who knew. Maybe they'd have an impromptu riding lesson.

"Thank you... I know you guys know how much this means to me, but really. I think we're just gonna grab breakfast and be good," he glanced to Shuuichi, making sure with him...though the detective had his brim pulled low and gaze averted, "But, geez, I know I'm soundin' like an echo, but thank you!"

Shuuichi didn't really respond in any meaningful way to the look, not even really noticing it. He was just sorta prepared to do whatever Kokichi was going to do next. He technically wasn't allowed to be on his own yet still, Maki and Kaito wanting a permanent watch on him for...a lot of reasons. Probably because he kept trying to drown himself and hang himself, and maybe also because he was a drug addict, and also because he was kind of crazy and, like, fell out of a window at one point and came all over a stranger who funnily enough just happened to be one of Byakuya's informants...though they didn't even know about that...

Ya know. The sort of stuff that made his friends worry he couldn't be left alone.

Jun nodded, pleased with the whole exchange, before tipping his hat to Kokichi and heading back outside. As he did so, Hajime gave them a wave and said, "Almost time to load up! Where's your luggage? Do you need help with it? Also go eat if you haven't yet, we've already eaten, but I saw the kid go in there just a minute ago. Is that dog of his potty trained yet, by the way? Because if not, I may wanna grab some extra newspapers...and blankets, probably..."

Sending Shuuichi another look, Kokichi brushed the back of his hand against the back of Shuuichi's, another attempt at comfort. He'd probably feel better once they were on the road and he was around people he already sort of knew, but...

Kokichi couldn't help but worry about what things would be like once the veterans returned. His Luminaries were already so uncomfortable around just civilian Diceans...how were they going to be around people who'd fought against their kin?

...time. Time and patience.

Kokichi gave Hajime a wave, and nodded, leading Shuuichi towards the dining room. "We're on our way over, and thanks, but Kai-chan and Maki-chan are bringing down our and Tim's luggage. Could you believe they didn’t let the toootally buff and strong me demonstrate my power and carry everyone's luggage down at once?!"

With a little laugh, he sent Hajime a sheepish smile. "Since Haneda-chan's been helping him train Chase, I doubt she's not potty trained...but maybe it would be a good idea to bring extra, just in case." You couldn't blame a puppy for something like that, but...it would be nice if they were prepared so the caravan wouldn't smell like piss.

"Be back soon!" he chirped back to Hajime before entering the dining room, getting a few cheers at his arrival that made Kokichi blush and grin. But that didn't stop him from starting to fill a to-go box with chocolate croissants. Seeing Tim nearby, he gave the boy a wave and a smile.

"Morning, Tim! Are you excited to go?"

"Morning, Prince Kokichi. Hey, Mr. Saihara!" Timothy said, giving them both a wave as he tried to inhale a waffle that, based on all the whip-cream on top of it, was more a dessert than a breakfast at this point. In answer to Kokichi's question, he just shrugged a little. "Ya, I guess so. I've never been to the beach before. I hear the ocean’s big. Like, can't see the other side big," he said, though there was clearly a look on his face that suggested he thought that was more people exaggerating than actually true. He motioned to the mostly free seats around him, having that part of the table to himself. "Y'all can sit next to me if ya want. Where's Miss Harukawa and Kaito?"

"Prince Kaito, Tim. You know Miss Harukawa wants you to call him by his title," Shuuichi corrected gently, feeling himself relax slightly around the child. Tim, out of the whole group, was the only one who didn't really know what was up with Shuuichi, and Shuuichi kind of appreciated that. He knew that Shuuichi was 'sick' and was taking special medicine for it, but that was as far as the young assassin-in-training knew, and Shuuichi would be perfectly fine with that always being the case.

It was a purely selfish motive. He just...kinda liked how the kid seemed to look up to him a little. Other than 'Miss Harukawa' herself, Shuuichi was the only person Timothy never needed reminding or prompting to refer to in a respectful title, and back when Shuuichi had been sitting in for them, he had often wanted to hear directly from Shuuichi himself if the detective had seen him do the latest cool thing he had done, and that he had done a good job doing it. They had also had a few quiet conversations, before everything had really sort of fallen apart for Shuuichi...

He just liked it. He'd appreciate Timothy never knowing what a fuck-up 'Mr. Saihara' had become.

"Ah, thanks!" Kokichi sat himself in one of the seats, pouring a glass of lemonade that he'd probably focus on since he didn't want to deal with bringing a drink on the road if time came too close. "Kai-chan and Maki-chan are bringing down our luggage--they should be here soon."

Kokichi didn't really get why they all insisted on Tim calling everyone by titles, but...maybe it was just a Luminary thing. Like how in some parts of the world, you were supposed to call practically everyone by their last name as a show of respect--only family members and maybe really close friends the exception. Or like how you always called doctors "Doctor" instead of any other title to acknowledge the work they'd done to achieve the title.

In any case, he wasn't going to go against what Maki said, though he probably wouldn't "correct" Tim either.

Eating a bit of melon, Kokichi hummed excitedly. "I've never seen the ocean either, and I'm totally ready to be blown away by how huge it is! We're not actually going out into the ocean so we're not gonna see any, like, whales or anything, but I hope we do get to see some sea creatures. Maybe there'll be turtle hatchings! Nesting season keeps going until October, after all."

"Would you want to if we could, Kokichi?" Shuuichi asked, filling his own plate, knowing there was still time to eat before they needed to get going, especially if the others were taking care of the luggage. "We could maybe hire someone to take us out for an afternoon? Did you ever want to fish or anything like that?"

"I've been fishing!" Timothy said, clearly proud to be able to contribute to the conversation, though he deflated slightly when he admitted, "Didn't catch anything. Me and my friends Jonah and Sadie got taken to a pond by one of our first classes as, like, a good job for getting perfect scores on our math final, and we, ya know, sat there for awhile with the pole and hook and stuff...but then we got distracted swimming and stuff-" Tim shrugged, clearly not that broken up about it as he said, "First said we were scaring away the fish, but I don't think he actually minded any."

"Did you want to try again, Tim?" Shuuichi asked, eating through an omelette that had been part of a stack in the middle of the table, "I've been fishing a few times. I could show you how to do it."

Timothy shrugged again, clearly no strong feelings about it either way. He glanced towards the entrance and said, "Miss Harukawa and Prince Kaito are here."

Shuuichi followed his gaze, Kaito and Maki coming to their table, Kaito looking a little sweatier and Maki looking unphased as they sat down, Kaito giving Kokichi a kiss on the head real quick before glancing hesitantly at Shuuichi again before sitting down. "Alright! All the luggage is downstairs! Almost ready to go. It's exciting. Katsuki had a good question for me though--how are we planning to divvy up the caravans? They can comfortably bed four each, but one person’s gotta be out with the horses at all times, and there’s, what...eight of us? So that's-"

"Three people usually in the caravan, and four people per caravan," Maki said, continuing on plainly, "Dr. Kimura, Katsuki, myself, and Shuuichi will be sleeping inside the forward caravan at night. Hajime, Kaito, Kokichi, and Timothy, with Chase, will sleep in the back caravan. During the day, when the caravans are moving, anyone can be in either caravan they want, really, but I imagine it will be Timothy with the four of us in the back caravan, with Katsuki, the doctor, and Hajime at the front caravan. Their caravan will do a rotation schedule of three people, giving over the reins every six hours, and so will ours, but I will do double duty, taking both the first and last shift as we drive. Since we're only camping two nights each way, I'll take the first night watch, and Katsuki will keep watch the second one, and same on the way back."

"Why do you have to double up? I can take a watch!" Timothy said, thinking right away he was the weak link in their shift exchanges. "I stood watch all the time in the military! I can watch some horses."

"I wouldn't ask less of you, Timothy. You'll share the evening shift with me. Watch my back when I'm feeling more worn down," Maki said, before glancing quickly at Shuuichi and Kokichi as she continued on, "Mr. Saihara is, like I told you, feeling under the weather, and I'd prefer he didn't take any shifts until he's one hundred percent. And Prince Kokichi will be sharing a watch with Prince Kaito, for now."

Kokichi hummed softly, thinking for a moment. It would be pretty amazing to go out on a boat, really feel like they were in the middle of the ocean... But, for his first excursion, it was probably overkill. He wanted to say he could do anything, but...it would be wiser to not take any unnecessary risks. Doing everything they were doing on land was probably going to be overwhelming enough.

Maybe another time.

Kokichi grinned at the story Tim told, always pleased and relieved to hear of any happy memories the Luminaries had of their home nation. Especially for Tim, being so young and in the military...it was comforting to hear that he had gotten some time to just be a kid. He hoped he'd have a lot of chances for fun things like going to a pond with friends in the future.

Looking up as Maki and Kaito joined them, Kokichi basked in the kiss given to him and listened to Maki's breakdown of the trip's responsibilities. There was a voice in him that had been getting quieter and quieter the more he spent time with his friends, but it piped up in his head, wanting to demand that he could watch the horses himself!

...but that was just childish stubbornness. He'd already asked himself if he could have pointers on handling the horses--he knew his limits, there at least. Guiding a horse was far different from feeding one sugar cubes and petting their snouts, and even if he was going to be leading the hind caravan, navigation was still a sore spot.

"Maki-chan's got it planned out to a T! We've gotta set up a vacation for you after the vacation," he half-joked, drinking down his lemonade before giving her a thankful look. "Really, it's incredible you've gotten everything sorted out; thank you."

Maki nodded, not bothered by the workload. Assassins, when they weren't out on missions, doubled as bodyguards in Luminary, and while admittedly back in Luminary she would be working with a team of security for any trip, rather than just herself and Katsuki, it still wasn't beyond her capabilities. It was only a week-long trip and, well...danger was everywhere, and Maki's paranoia wouldn't allow her to think the trip would be without incident...but again, that was why she had asked Katsuki to come along. Between herself and the older assassin, they could cover everyone.

She had instructed Shuuichi to bring his batons, planning to put it on the edge of his bunk bed, just in case, and she had approved when she saw Kaito had packed his short sword at the bottom of his luggage.

Again.

Just in case.

The four of them ate, Kaito and Maki finishing quickly and bringing Tim along with them back outside to help get the luggage loaded into the caravans. Shuuichi and Kokichi, again, had plenty of time to get through their meal, neither of them being asked to help, but the two ended up getting some to go boxes put together for the road, if any of the others after their workload found themselves hungry again soon.

And then they headed out, and...the caravans were packed and horsed and prepped. The group knew the plan. Everything had been checked and double checked again.

They were ready to go.

Kokichi looked at the caravans with glittering eyes, the moment almost feeling unreal. He'd seen caravans and carriages and all sorts of travel vehicles going in and out of the city his whole life, but...he'd never been a passenger. It...it was happening... For the first time in his life, he was going to-

"Ko!"

Kokichi's smile dampened...just a bit as he turned, seeing Aiichi lightly jog over to him. He didn't like violence, but if his father was going to pull the rug out from under his feet and forbid him from leaving...he might actually deck him.

There were...many things to attend to, but Aiichi was not going to miss the outset of his son's first trip for anything. Everything seemed to be in as much order as it could possibly be, Miss Maki having taken the castle by storm setting it all up. They had invited a healer, a guard, and a housekeeper, not to mention the abilities the Luminaries had themselves. Aiichi doubted he could've prepared any better himself.

But still, as he smiled down at his son, he still wanted to take Ko aside and give him more preparation...maybe take the trip next year...

Coming down to Kokichi's eye level, Aiichi gently placed his hands on his son's shoulders, looking at him proudly. "You've grown up so much... I worry about you so much, Ko, but...you're above and beyond capable. Even if it's only for a week, we're going to feel your absence in the castle; your work is invaluable, but your presence so much moreso. Our future looks bright when we see it in you, Ko."

"...your mother would be proud to see the man you've become. I love you, and have fun."

Aiichi pulled his son in for a hug, one of the few Kokichi could ever remember receiving from his father, and... Kokichi scrunched his eyes shut against their burning, tucking his head into his father's shoulder and hugged him back. He'd wanted to hear that for so long...

"I love you, dad. See you in a week."

Parting, Kokichi hopped into the rear caravan, joining the others, hoping they didn't comment on the redness in his eyes, or the small, secret smile on his face.

The caravans were large enough that there were three separate sections to them, though none of these sections were by any stretch of the imagination big. When you walked on, you came across what could be described as a 'sitting' section, and also the main storage area. It was the largest section of the caravan, with comfortable seats on each side, surrounded by windows to watch the view, with cabinet space above the windows and storage space hidden in hatches below the seats. The sitting section was sunny and comfortable and the aisle you could walk up and down while being, again not roomy by any definition of the word, still enough that if you needed to stretch your legs and walk a bit, it wouldn't feel too cramped or claustrophobic to go up and down it.

In the back of the sitting room was a curtain, for ease of access, and behind it were three small doors that couldn't all be opened at the same time. Everything between the curtain and the back door could be considered the second section, and was the smallest of the three. To the right door was a small closet space for additional storage, and was where the bulk of the food that Maki had prepped was being stored, as well as additional equipment too long or wide to keep in the first section. The door on the left led to a bathroom. Don't ask how the plumbing system works, it just does, and if your world building brain needs to pick at it, just feel appeased that various storage units built into the carriage have enough space in them that the group wouldn't need to re-fill or empty out any of them until the carriages were returned to the castle. There was no shower system in the bathroom, just a toilet, sink, and small mirror.

Past that section, in the last one, was the bedroom, essentially. It's a small, squarish room without as much walking space as the first section, the walking area cut in half to make more room for the two sets of bunk beds on either side of the section (compartment? Maybe compartment is the correct word). The bunk beds, or racks, as they could be called, were large and comfortable enough that someone the size of Kokichi could stretch out, and someone the size of Kaito would only need to scrunch up a little bit. There were no big windows in this section, it being designed entirely for sleeping, but on the back wall of it there was an additional door, and two small, curtained windows with two extremely small stands built in front of them, that in theory could be used to either sit on or as nightstands for the bottom bunks.

Out the door was a small, metal fenced sort of patio area for people to hang out in the open air and watch the scenery go by but weren't in front of the carriage leading the horses. Maki hated that this patio area and door existed on this damn caravan, since it seemed like an excellent way to get boarded and robbed from behind, but to her distress she discovered this was a standard feature on Dicean caravans, and it was impossible to find one without it in a short period of time.

So, fine. The patio was there. But if it caused any problems, if anyone snuck in that way, Maki was fully prepared to find some tools and wood planks and hammer that damn door shut herself, and everyone loses patio privileges! Including would be murderers and robbers!

That was the last part of her speech as she explained the caravan to everyone (mostly for Kokichi's benefit), before she said, "The only way to get to the front part of the caravan while it’s moving is to go out the carriage door and walk that small ledge space over to it, but that's dangerous and all of your dumb asses would fall, so don't. We're gonna stop the caravans to rotate every six hours, and when we do, that's your chance to stretch your legs and let off some energy. I'm taking first shift driving the horses, if you all need anything from me, an emergency stop? Pull that line there," she pointed to a leather line handing in front of the carriage entrance door, "and it rings a bell at the front. As far as we're all concerned, if we hear that bell? We assume there's an emergency and we stop immediately. Got it?"

Turning to Timothy, she narrowed her eyes and said, "You have roughly six hours before I'm back here again. Do the exercises we discussed during that time, or you'll end up doing them with me looking over your shoulder and then having to go to watch the next shift over. Got it?"

"Yes, Miss Harukawa," Tim said with a pout, Chase running around at his feet, immediately trying to explore every nook and cranny of the new space, occasionally yipping excitedly.

Maki narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, but conceded that her warning was given, so...she headed to the front, leaving Kaito, Shuuichi, Tim, Chase, and Kokichi in the carriage. Kaito went to the bedroom to claim a bed, a bottom one, Shuuichi went to take a seat in the sitting room and watch the town go by as they made their way away from the castle, and Tim took Chase immediately to the patio, promising himself he'd definitely do the training...in a bit. Later.

Kokichi took in Maki's explanation with full attention, stilling the need to explore for himself for the moment. It was HAPPENING!! They were leaving! His father wasn't going to stop them, had given his blessings, and he was... Kokichi could feel his eyes start to burn again but he didn't care, too excited about everything.

They would still be in town for a little bit, so Kokichi took that time to look around the caravan, marveling at the new space, before returning to the sitting area to watch intently out of the window.

"I can't believe this is happening..." he murmured, partly to himself, partly to Shuuichi. "Part of me feels like I've...I dunno, been cursed like in a fairytale, and there's gonna be some invisible barrier keeping me from leaving the city. But we're going. I'm going to see the world..."

"How far out exactly have you been?" Shuuichi asked, feeling himself relax a little having been arguing with himself about going to say goodbye to Miss Nao basically right up until the caravan started moving and...well, it was nice that it wasn't an option anymore and he didn't have to think about it.

He was also looking forward to the idea that there was very little expected of him right now. Everyone just kinda wanted him to exist right now without making any additional trouble, and that didn't feel impossible today. That expectation also didn't feel invasive today. He was still technically under watch, but so long as Shuuichi didn't start, like, digging through the cabinets looking for his pollen, it's not like there was enough space or privacy for Shuuichi to possibly get himself into trouble. None of them had any space or privacy, so...it was almost like he was on the same level as everyone else again...

He was just relaxed, okay? It was nice.

"I'm assuming you didn't always just go downtown when you ran off from the castle, and I know you've been down to the factory and warehouse area, which is a bit of a walk..." The faces of Itch, Aba and Tom, Bear behind him, all staring at him as thick, strong fingers cut off his air supply flashed through his mind...he felt a confusing mixture of arousal and fear at the memory, and banished it from his mind as he tried to focus on Kokichi. "Anywhere beyond that?"

"Not really," he hummed, watching buildings go by outside of the window. "There's not much reason to go to purely residential areas or the homesteads by the fields...unless I wanted to get caught. Sometimes schools will take a field trip out to learn about agriculture, and merchants will go to cut deals, and people go there for work, but...it'd be kind of obvious if I went alone."

Kokichi idly swung his legs as he watched the world he was familiar with, a bubble of excitement and anticipation building in his chest with each moment they grew closer to the world he'd never seen. "I know I was already taking a risk by leaving the castle at all, but... I still tried to be secretive and safe about things, you know? So I didn't go to pubs or restaurants, I'd stay away from any altercations that might get the guardforce called, I always came back before dinner--or, I tried to, at least. If anyone had definitive evidence that I was sneaking out, then that would just give Aiichi a reason to give me a babysitter or something."

That had basically been his life while Ikuo was around, but...he'd been a little kid then. That was fine, and he'd loved spending every day with his nanny. But as he'd gotten older, into his teens...being followed around and coddled even more than he already was seemed infuriating.

...Kokichi pressed his lips together a little in worry, realizing that...Shuuichi was basically living that life now. But it wasn't forever. It would end soon, if how he'd been acting lately was any indication. He was getting better.

"...Kai-chan said you guys went on trips for school, but did you travel much on your own? Or for work?"

Shuuichi shrugged. "Not really. As a Royal Detective, it was extremely rare for any of my cases to take me outside of the capital city. All of the most important ruling families live there, and most of the information assigned to me that weren't, say...crimes happening within the castle walls themselves? Would take me to those noble and wealthy families more than anywhere else."

Shuuichi continued on, spotting some children playing baseball in a far field and watching that for as long as he could see them, smiling slightly at the vision, not really thinking about what he was saying as he continued, "Though, occasionally, my mentor would have me travel a day or two to audit a town's police and detective work. Usually if rebels are spotted or known about and it's not dealt with within the first few weeks, it's because the local authorities had decided to opt out of the more extreme but effective strategies for dealing with them, and I was basically sent to remind them that the capital was keeping an eye on the situation and that there were serious consequences for failure, and that..."

Shuuichi suddenly covered his mouth, a sudden, intense memory of Kokichi just...falling. His heart giving out on him, just from the things Shuuichi said...

"...I'm sorry. I shouldn't talk about things like that," Shuuichi said quietly, eyes falling to the floor in shame as he said, "And...I don't think I ever apologized, not really, anyway...I'm sorry about all the things that I said that sent you into a cardiac arrest. I didn't...if I had known what was going to happen, I wouldn't have said it. And..."

Shuuichi dipped his hat lower on his face, saying even quieter, "...'m sorry I smiled. I...I know you saw it..."

Kokichi nodded a bit even if they were both looking out of the windows instead of each other, but it was more of a subconscious response to having a conversation than anything else by this point. However, as Shuuichi kept speaking...Kokichi turned to him, a worried, saddened frown on his face.

It didn't hurt as much as before. It was still awful, but...things were different now. Kokichi was in a different mindspace and...sort of knew to brace himself for Luminary-related things now. And...he wasn't helpless in the face of that horror and misery anymore. There was nothing he could do to take back all the hurt that had been done, but...he was trying to make sure it wouldn't continue. And that hope for the future was enough.

So Kokichi sighed and glanced at the curtain to the sleeping space for a moment, knowing that he couldn't speak about the plan here, not with Kaito so nearby, but... "It's alright, Shuu-chan. At least with that particular thing, it's...comforting, in a way, to know that there were law enforcers in Luminary that still tried to protect their people, even if you were made to be a bogeyman."

"And, with last time..." Kokichi frowned, tapping his toes lightly against the floor of the caravan, just the tips he could actually touch. "Even if you kept talking because of the pollen...thanks for apologizing anyway. But it wasn't just the things you said. I was..." Still scared about my husband raping me. "...not really in a good headspace anyway? And even if it's hard to hear...I appreciate you being honest with me about the actual conditions of Luminary. I was already stressed out and unprepared, but ignoring other people's suffering is just not who I am."

Carefully getting up, adjusting to the slight bounce and sway of the caravan, Kokichi crossed over to sit beside Shuuichi, gently placing a hand over the detective's. "I needed to hear those things eventually. It was just bad timing--not your fault or mine. And...if you got enjoyment out of it...I know that wasn't what you would've done if you weren't on the pollen. And the fact that you feel bad about it tells me that Shuu-chan is a good person. So...I guess that's a long-winded way to say--apology accepted." Quickly, Kokichi leaned in to place a quick kiss on Shuuichi's cheek, offering him a soft smile whenever he felt comfortable enough to look up at him.

Shuuichi smiled a little and blushed at the kiss, giving Kokichi a shy look. He kinda wanted to kiss him back, but...his role with Kokichi still felt very vague and strange, and he was halfway convinced anything he offered would be immediately rejected. So...he just nodded and said, "Thank you, Kokichi."

"Kokichi, I took the bottom left bunk! Do you want the bunk above mine or across from me? I actually laid it in a bit, it's not bad! I mean, it's not a bed, but at the same time, for only using it for a few days, I think we'll be pretty comfo-oh!" Kaito grinned wide as he spotted the two sitting together, glancing backwards over at the patio door before closing the bedroom door behind him, going over to them as he said quieter, excited, "Shuuichi's blushing! You did something cute, didn't you, 'Kichi?"

Kaito, in a room literally designed for comfortable sitting basically everywhere, decided to take his six foot self and kneel in the middle of the walkway, putting his elbows on Shuuichi's lap and grinning up at him with a snicker as he asked, "What he do, man? Come on, don't hold out on me, I want in on the 'Kichi gossip. Is it just the hand holding? Did he kiss you? Oh my god, do you think he likes you?? Spill!"

"You are ridiculous," Shuuichi said, raising a small eyebrow at his friend’s antics, who just chuckled in response. "What are you doing, Kaito? Sit on the seats like a normal person."

"Your lap is soft." The grin turned wolfish. "And it's like you have three legs, so it's extra sturdy too."

"...Kokichi, please control your husband..."

Kokichi giggled a bit, just...feeling incredibly relieved at being thanked for a kiss. Or, really, it was probably for his forgiveness, but after hearing about how Shuuichi reacted to advances in the past...it was still nice to see.

Turning when Kaito entered the compartment, Kokichi had been about to answer him--Top bunk! Top bunk!--before he ended up rolling his eyes with a fond smile at his husband's antics. And then snorting at some of his other antics.

Fixing Kaito with a dry look, Kokichi raised an eyebrow. "Kai-chan, don't make comments like that when we're in proximity of a minor. And you're not gonna get any of what I did to Shuu-chan if you don't sit in a seat like a normal person."

Kneeling in the walkway was probably fine, but Kokichi was a little worried about Kaito jamming his legs or something if they went over a bump. And the explicit comments...even aside from Timothy being able to walk in at any time--though Kokichi had a feeling he and Chase would prefer to enjoy the fresh air on the patio for as long as they could without risking Maki's wrath upon incomplete exercises--he wasn't sure where Shuuichi's comfort level with those kinds of things were.

Comments about his chest were completely out. The most Shuuichi ever said about his hips was that they were ticklish so...unknown. He hadn't really seemed to mind any of the comments Kaito had made about his dick yesterday, but...there was a difference to hearing those things while you were intimate with someone, and while just out and about normally. And he had no idea how Shuuichi would react to comments about his ass, but even in just his regular slacks, damn, he made them look good. If he actually wore the form-fitting clothes they'd picked out, Kokichi wondered if he'd just be slain with how hot Shuuichi would look.

Kokichi never thought he was much of an ass man, but Shuuichi's plump, round cheeks were truly out of this world.

Kaito sighed dramatically, "Fiiine," before placing a small 'goodbye' kiss on Shuuichi's knee (again, just getting a raised eyebrow from Shuuichi. So this was what it felt like to be on the other end of Kaito's constant flirting and touching of his partners. Hoo boy. The detective was not ready for this), getting up and sitting down with a PLOP next to Kokichi, drawing him into his arms and kissing at his hair as he said, "We're getting closer to out of the city! I think? I don't actually know. How big is this city?"

"It'll be another twenty minutes before we reach the city border...well, not if we continue at this pace. At this pace, it's probably more like thirty minutes. I have to imagine the front caravan is taking it slow and easy through the city roads," Shuuichi provided, glancing out the window to see they were indeed following closely behind the forward caravan. "None of us, I believe, are incredibly practiced with driving carriages, so until we're all more comfortable with the controls, I imagine our pace for the first day will be slower than our pace for the rest of the trip."

"Got it. Should be a good day to teach you how to do it then, 'Kichi!" Kaito said, hugging his husband tighter before saying, a tad uncertainly, "Hey...everything alright with the king outside? He didn't say anything rude, did he?"

"Very big," Kokichi hummed, matter of fact. Just like he'd told "Caleb" when they first met, even just going to see all the interesting things in the city would take more than a day--adding in all the functional and just...mundane parts? It was huge.

...he wondered how big the Luminary capital was. Luminary was a way bigger country than Dicea so...would their big cities be bigger too?

Rewarding Kaito with a kiss to his cheek as well--he did promise, in a way--Kokichi smiled softly, a complicated expression on his face. "No, Aiichi was fine. He... He said that everyone was gonna miss me, and that...my mom would be proud."

Kokichi rested his head against Kaito's chest, his eyes far away and tender. "...I can't even remember the last time he hugged me. And though the last time he said he was proud of me was our wedding day, before that? I just..." He shook his head, laughing a little though his eyes were reddening again. "Sorry, you guys don't have to hear my 'daddy issues' or whatever. It's an exciting time! We're leaving the city--in thirty minutes. And you guys will get to see more of Dicea too, more than just rushing to the capital."

"I like hearing about your stuff, 'Kichi. It feels like I get to understand you better every time...but okay! Not right now! We'll talk about it later if you're ever up to it!" Kaito said, taking a finger under Kokichi's chin and leaning him up to give Kokichi a quick kiss, feeling emboldened to take advantage while they were briefly alone. "For now, yeah, I'm super stoked to see more of Dicea. Going from the Danganronpa border to here was already a pretty varied experience, and I'm curious how Dicean culture shifts on the opposite side of the kingdom from there. Like, the Danganronpa border towns were much more rugged and, like...I guess a little more like home than the capital is? People were quicker to argue there. Or, that could have been just our presence inspiring that..."

"We saw quite a bit of your backwater towns," Shuuichi explained, "And yeah, they felt a lot different in temperament and style the closer we got to the capital. It was interesting hearing the local accents change as we got closer and closer to the capital. Though you are right, we did rush through most of it...and honestly, now knowing the difference in law enforcement principles here, we're very lucky we did. Our various party members got into quite a few fights with locals on the way here, and if we had stayed long enough to get properly arrested, somehow I think bribing the local law enforcement to turn a blind eye would have been more difficult in Dicean culture."

"Maki cut off a dude's finger in one town," Kaito said, thinking about it just because he was currently playing with Kokichi's fingers, running his hands over his husband’s small, thin joints.

Shuuichi nodded with a small sigh. "Yes. Yes she did."

"He was a fucking asshole though."

"Yes, he was."

"Who just grabs someone's nipple? In front of all of her friends even! Like, what was he expecting to happen, that he'd grab her and she'd be suddenly swooning and we'd all clap?? He's lucky she brought the knife out, because I was ready to deck him. It'll be easier to pick up chicks in the future with nine fingers and all of your teeth."

"Kaito, I just apologized to Kokichi for talking about uncomfortable things around him. Could you not?"

"Hm?" Kaito looked down at Kokichi and suddenly winced, putting a soothing hand on the back of his neck and rubbing at the muscles there as he said, "Oh! Uh...sorry, 'Kichi. I got lost in the story. My bad. He really was fine when we left. Heck, I bet they even managed to save the finger, honestly. A-and we won't be doing anything like that on this trip! We are...super peaceful! The peaceful Luminary Cacti! That's what they'll call us! Absolutely no fighting!"

Kokichi looked between his boys in interest, fascinated to hear how Dicean towns differed from each other and from the capital. He'd received letters from all over, of course, but it was different hearing out reports and requests than actually getting a beat on day to day, regular life. Not to mention... "Accents? Like...how you guys speak is different, but I don't really hear any accents. Do I have an accent?"

Something about that seemed exciting to Kokichi. Something to cement his culture, a piece of home that he'd carry around with him. Something unique, and yet shared with all the people he'd grown up around.

Though his excitement was tempered a bit hearing of the Luminary Party's adventures through northern Dicea. Sighing a bit, Kokichi rubbed his thumb against Kaito's hand, his nose wrinkling at the mention of a particular altercation. "Gross. I guess it'd depend on the person, but that guy honestly might've preferred losing the finger to having the assault charges and being on a sexual offender list. What a shitty thing to do."

Kokichi's brow furrowed as he looked between his boys, raising an eyebrow after a moment. "Like...that's what I'm hoping, but... You guys don't need to censor yourselves around me. I...I know I'm inexperienced, and some of the darker things in the world are shocking, for sure, but...that doesn't mean I should be kept in a bubble. If something comes up naturally in conversation, it's fine. I'll let you know if something's disturbing, alright?"

"We know, babe. You're strong and can handle it. I think Shuuichi just meant that my timing was bad. Time and place to talk about shitty guys at bars and finger stabbings, ya know? But alright, you just let us know, 'Kichi. No bubbles for the Dicean Prince," Kaito promised, kissing the top of Kokichi's head again.

...then, with a smirk at Shuuichi, he said to his husband, "Say the word 'Cactus'."

Kokichi relaxed at that, trusting Kaito and Shuuichi to trust him. Maki...was really the only person to really talk to him about difficult things with purpose, Kaito just doing it by accident and Shuuichi because he'd figured in part of the pollen, but...he trusted them. He let them know that he didn't need to be coddled, so...he would trust them to not coddle him.

Though, at the strange request, Kokichi raised an eyebrow, but complied. He didn't think he said 'cactus' all that weird... "Ca𝒸tus?"

Kokichi wasn't used to listening to it, but the lilting, melodic way he spoke was apparent even in a single word, especially when compared to the lack of strong tonal differences in Kaito's speech. Each sound melded easily into the next, flowing.

Kaito snickered. "Really? You sure? Cactus?"

"Try..." Shuuichi thought about it, smiling as he got into the game as well. "Mystery."

Hearing Kaito say it again...yeah, he emphasized all the letters more. Huh. From the first time he ever heard Kaito speak...he kind of always talked like he was shouting, even if his volume was normal. Interest bloomed across Kokichi's face as he turned to Shuuichi. "Mysᵗ𝒹irry."

He blinked, able to hear more of the difference now. The change in "ih" sounds to the Luminary "air" sounds. The hard t.

Starting to get a feel for his own accent when played against others, Kokichi perked up in excitement, waiting for the next word in the game.

"What do you think, Shuuichi? Did he say 'mis-tery' or 'misery'?" Kaito asked, digging his fingers slightly into Kokichi's sides, curious to see if Kokichi had any ticklish spots like Shuuichi did. "I heard 'misery' personally."

"There was a 't' in there somewhere...sort of," Shuuichi laughed, again, just feeling really relaxed right now. More relaxed than he had felt in weeks. "What else really shows it off...to be fair, there are certain official pronunciations of words we can't say at all. Words that were designed for the way Diceans sort of mold their enunciation together. Like I bet Kokichi will say 'aluminium' correctly."

Kaito frowned. "Isn't that how you say it? 'Al-lu-min-ium?"

"That's how we say it, sure, but that's because we naturally break up sounds based on how it’s spelled, making each part of the word essentially its own word within the word itself. But the word is meant to be melded together, the way Diceans do it. Show him how you would say it, Kokichi."

"What, you mean "misr-ry"?" Kokichi snorted, amused by how Kaito somehow made the word sound longer. Now that he knew what to listen for, Kokichi figured it'd be a fun game in idle time, hearing the sure differences in their respective accents.

He jolted a little when Kaito brushed his fingers high up on his ribs on his side, nudging Kaito's hand away gently, moving his own arm down along his side a little to discourage any accidental wandering touches, able to get right back into the game since it wasn't that distracting.

Kokichi raised an eyebrow again, that word, at least, sounding entirely foreign in the Luminaries' tongue. "Why do you add an extra "i" in al-lu-minum? Even if you say it how it's spelled--which, geez, do your jaws just get, like, suuuper tired if you talk quickly for a while?--there's no second "i" in it."

Then he scoffed, shaking his head in laughter. "Seriously? What a weird spelling difference between countries. Of everything to change..."

Kaito snorted (nope. No ticklish spots on his sides. Maybe his feet? He'd explore it later), putting his arms around Kokichi's waist as he said. "Kokichi, you know damn well I never get tired of talking."

Shuuichi sighed. "Isn't that true."

"Hey, come on! You don't have to say it like that!"

The bedroom door opened, and after a second, Timothy walked through the curtain, Chase in his arms as he said, looking a little confused and slightly suspicious. "Hey, Prince Kaito? There's a bunch of kids following our caravan. They wanna know where we're going. I didn't think I should tell them, but they won't fuck off."

"Hey, don't say that word."

"...kids?"

"No. Fuck. You're going to school soon, we gotta start getting the curse words out of your vocabulary. No more 'fucks'."

"You say 'fuck'. All the time."

"I'm not nine and going to school. No more cursing." Looking over at the others, he said, "Should we check out this trail of kids situation? How are they even keeping up? We're not going that slow."

"Bikes," Timothy said simply, as Chase squirmed and drooled in his arms, repositioning herself to be lying down, trying to encourage belly rubs.

"You guys can check it out if you want," Shuuichi said with a shrug, "I just wanna sit and watch the view go by before we hit the woods."

Kokichi snickered, not unkindly, but poking a little fun at his husband. Really, he loved how Kaito could just ramble on, but it was fun to point out how Kaito could probably keep a conversation with a brick wall if he had to--he'd befriended Maki, after all.

Looking over Kaito's shoulder as Tim came in, Kokichi gave the boy an apologetic look, concerned about the kids situation a little--it would probably be fine to just tell them they were going on vacation, but...the fewer people who knew, the safer. And the safer they were, the less Maki would stress out--but he wanted to placate Tim a bit. Nine-year-olds certainly knew how to swear.

"Mostly around your teachers," he gently added to Kaito's ban. "Some people use swearing to express strong feelings, instead of just another word in speech. See how the people around you speak--if they don't really swear, then they might think they've upset you if you do."

Hoping that made sense, Kokichi squirmed out of Kaito's arms and stood to go address their curious followers.

Kaito took Kokichi's lead, following him to the back of the caravan, and then out to the patio, where there were indeed a group of children following them on bikes.

They were older than Tim was, maybe at most twelve, and while Kaito wasn't aware of it, he had seen this small group of three before. They were the same kids that had become enraptured by Maki the first day they had gone to the candy store. And now the trio were on their bicycles, having kept up with the caravan when they spotted Timothy on it, curiously pestering him for their own reasons.

They wore a variety of looks on their faces when the princes came out instead, ranging from mild surprise to 'oh shit', the middle range being the kid who didn't actually recognize either of them and was the first to speak up as he said, "You his parents? Dude’s not super friendly. We were just saying hi and he asked us if we wanted to die."

Kaito had to force away the smirk at hearing that Timothy, in a moment of social panic, had apparently decided picking up Maki's catchphrase was the way to go. That was sorta cute, but... oof. Hoo boy. They'd have to work at that.

Instead, Kaito frowned, leaning against the metal safety-rail as he said, "Aren't you too old to be tattling to parents?"

The kid pouted at this, but the other one said, "Hey! Aren't you, like, the king or something?" to Kokichi.

Kokichi snorted softly, openly showing his amusement with Tim's mimicry more than Kaito as he crossed his arms on the railing and rested his chest on them, giving the kids a wry smile. "Why should he have to be super friendly? If a group of people bigger and older than me started following me around, I dunno if I'd be quick to declare them my best friends, you know."

Coexistence and understanding. It went both ways with all types.

Grinning at the kid that called him out, Kokichi gave a little wave. "Or something. My name's Kokichi--what's yours?"

The kid seemed to consider it, before puffing her chest out and saying, "My name is Ace!"

"Her name is Kelsie," one of the other kids corrected with an eye roll.

"Ace Justice!" the girl added on, ignoring her friend as the other one piped up.

"And it's not even Kelsie. Her parents call her Sally."

"Ace Attorney Justice!!"

"But we know her as Kelsie, so...wait, Attorney? Why? 'Attorney'?" asked the third friend, raising an eyebrow at his friend.

"It just souuuunds right."

"It sounds stupid."

"Your names are stupid. 'John' and 'James'? Like, what? Where did that even come from? It's like your parents just made up sounds and threw them together because they just so desperately wanted to be 'different'."

"...true," the twins sighed together. That wasn't what their parents did. They were both named after old Gods from the Luminary Pantheon...but being named after a dead religion after gods no one in Dicea's ever heard of and that your parents don't actually believe in but just liked the sound of is the kind of explanation the young twins were already tired of explaining.

"Where ya going, 'Or Something-King Kokichi?'" asked the first kid, John.

Kokichi giggled kindly, offering the kids a smile. "If you want to be called Ace, then that's what I'll call you. Ace, John, James, it's nice to meet you! Again, sort of, though I wouldn't say just being in Miss Andou's candy shop at the same time is really 'meeting'. Have you guys ever had her cotton candy? The purple flavor is my favorite!"

He didn't really like talking down to kids at all, but there was a certain simple kindness he tried to apply on the occasions they came to talk to him. Especially when they were a little older and certainly wouldn't appreciate feeling like they were being talked down to.

So, keeping that in mind, Kokichi skipped the theatrics he'd considered when Tim told them they were being questioned, and instead just lied right out. "We're heading out on a business trip. Carbosi, Pifet, Valenti, Zogel, Rifia--a lot 'a places. Some things can't be solved just through letters, you know? It's safer to travel now, so I'm doin' business in person now!"

It wasn't a total total lie. They were going to a beach town just outside of Pifet. And, eventually, Kokichi did want to visit the other towns in Dicea--they just wouldn't be doing it this trip.

"Ugh. The purple flavor is vomit." John shuddered.

"Shut up, it's good! You're just weird!" James said, clearly bristling over an old argument with his brother.

"No, he's right. Who likes purple?" Ace said, wrinkling her nose. "What even is purple? Don't say grape. I've had grapes, it's not even close."

"Yeah, people only say purple is supposed to be grape because they're the same color. It don't taste like any grape I've ever had."

"How would you know? You don't eat purple grapes either! You only eat green!"

"All purple food is terrible," Ace decided, now taking a hard stance on this particular policy. "We should ban it. All in favor?"

"Ai/Ai!/No!"

"Majority wins. Purple food is banned," Ace said somberly, to James’ increasing distress.

"Shame," Kaito said, entirely to himself, "I like eating purple things."

"So you're going on a business trip to...lots of places," Ace said with a frown, trying to remember the towns he had mentioned, "Carbosi and...Zogel...?"

"Valenti? He said Valenti too," John pointed out.

Ace shrugged. "Sure, whatever. Business trips. Boring."

As the kids were talking, out came Timothy, no longer holding Chase but holding a sheet with a determined look on his face as he whispered to Kaito, occasionally giving frustrated looks to the kids, "If I drop this sheet on their tires, it'd probably send them to the ground."

Kaito raised an eyebrow at the kid. "No, that might be an overreaction, Tim...where'd you get that sheet?"

"..."

"If I go back in there and my rack isn't made, you're going to find out Maki's not the only one who can get scary."

Timothy sighed, rolled his eyes, but went back inside.

There was a small rumbling sound, and the caravan started to pick up speed. Apparently the front caravan was deciding the road was now clear enough to try to move faster. The kids all frowned at this.

"If you're the guys at the candy shop, does that mean the long-haired lady is with you!?" Ace called out as their bikes started to get left behind. "Tell her she's pretty for us!"

"Tell her John wants to take her to the fall dance this year over at Kal Middle School!"

"N-no I don't!"

"I will if he doesn't!!" Ace called out, the kids finally stopping their bikes, realizing keeping up was impossible by this point.

Kokichi pouted with a groan, slumping on the railing. "Nooooooo... Outmaneuvered by democracy. I can't believe it--my favorite dessert flavors banished forever. Next you'll tell me that cherry is banned just because it doesn't taste like real cherries." And purple was totally grape flavor! ...sort of. A different kind of grape, but still! It still had the same yumminess factor as grape juice and fresh grapes.

Though, he felt a little more at ease as the kids lost interest in their trip. There were still plenty of people who knew the real destination, and more still that Kokichi was leaving the city at all, but...the fuzzier the details, the better. Just in case.

Kokichi gasped quietly as the caravan jerked, picking up speed and forcing him to hold onto the railing for a moment to adjust. And, as the kids started to get left behind and called out their last statements, Kokichi laughed brightly and gave them a wave goodbye. "For sure! It was nice meeting you all!"

Turning to Kaito, he offered his husband a grin. "Not quite the stowaways Maki-chan was expecting, huh?"

Kaito snorted, shaking his head. "I swear, her thing with kids is almost cosmic. They literally just come out of the woodwork for her. I don't know how she does it. Also, don't think I didn't see that faceplant you almost had. I'd have felt terrible if you had fallen...but I also may have laughed a little. Wanna go back inside?"

Back on the road, the three kids stopped to catch their breath, Ace stretching out her arms as she said, "So, they're just going on business trips and stuff. To a bunch of places. What a lame thing to follow them for."

"I don't think I'm gonna remember the names of all the places they mentioned. Do you think they'll get mad? That Aba lady is nice, but the two guys with her are kinda...weird," John said with a shrug. "They might not like it."

"We'll just tell them all the names they gave us were, like...it, ya know? Just don't mention they told us more and we missed it. Besides, it's their fault if the information is wrong. If they wanted info for their newspaper, they should have just tried to catch up with them to ask themselves."

"Yeah, that was definitely more than fifteen copper’s worth of pedaling," James sighed, leaning on his handles, "And now we gotta peddle back...ugh..."

"Fifteen copper each," Ace reminded her friends, before stopping to think about it. "...yeah, that probably wasn't worth it, all in all. Whatever. You guys wanna go to the candy shop once we get our copper?" she asked, starting to bike back.

"If I can't eat purple candy? Nah. I'd rather go to the mini-golf course or something..."

Kokichi stuck his tongue out at his husband. "I wasn't gonna faceplant! I didn't even stumble! I've never even been on a carriage before, shut up." Sighing, he nodded and turned to go back inside. "All that talk about candy's gotten me wanting some--good thing I put some in my travel bag. I wanna ask Tim and Shuu-chan if they want some too."

He sent a look up at Kaito, raising an eyebrow. "You think Maki-chan would grumble at me for giving her mentee candy? It's not gonna ruin his appetite or anything." Especially after the dessert waffle he'd had for breakfast. If she didn't stop him then, then she couldn't stop Kokichi from giving Tim more.

"I mean...I don't think she would mind? Heck, I don't know. She's at the front of the caravan, what's she gonna do about it?" Kaito said with a snicker, before remembering he was trying to help Maki raise this kid and that he should probably like...actually seriously think about his diet?

So he added in, "Just give him two pieces at most. There's no harm in that, I think. And I gotta make sure he does those exercises Maki wants him to do...oh! Before we go in...maybe we should talk about Shuuichi for a second? Since we probably won't have too many opportunities in the near future where it's just us two?

Kokichi snickered along with his husband for a moment before pausing before he opened the door, turning back around to face Kaito. This wasn't exactly a private place...but they were moving fast enough now that people would barely even hear a word or two in passing, if that.

Still, Kokichi lowered his voice a little. "Sure. Honestly...I don't know what we're doing, but...I like Shuu-chan. I like being around him, and he's someone I care about a lot. Even before we knew about the pollen and everything...I want this to be a place he can smile in. For all of you, really...I want you guys to be comfortable and happy and safe."

"...and he's fun to kiss," Kokichi smirked, though he looked down with pink cheeks.

"He is soooo fun to kiss," Kaito said, also keeping his voice down, but grinning wide at that. "And, yeah...I don't know. I don't know if we maintain whatever it is we're doing with him, how much we can...let people know?"

That was the part Kaito was most worried about and wanted to get clarified. How could he treat Shuuichi from now on? "Like...I probably shouldn't touch him in public, right? Even if he'd be okay with it. It's probably not something I should...but, like...in private? Would it make you uncomfortable if I touched him? The way I touch you? The, ya know...random kisses and all that stuff?"

Kaito gave Kokichi a serious look as he leaned back on the metal rail again, crossing his arms as he said, "It's fine if the answer is no, by the way. I get it. I don't want to put our own relationship in a weird place by doing the whole 'boyfriend' act on Shuuichi, and I won't if it bothers you. Just say no, no explanation needed or anything, I won't bring it up again...but, and this may sound weird? To differentiate this, but...outside of treating him like a boyfriend...if he's not going to be a boyfriend. Which is understandable if that's the case...how long are we going to help him get off? Like...because we did all that for a reason beyond Shuuichi is hot as fuck. He tried to hang himself in the bathroom yesterday...not to die or anything. At least, that’s what he said. Just to get off. Like...Nao isn't on this trip. And I promised him I'd take responsibility for that decision...even if we're not in a relationship with him, I think I...have to insist I, at least, keep doing that until he stops being in danger from it."

Kaito looked ashamed of this, realizing he wasn't really...'asking' Kokichi, for that last bit, as he said, "I'm not trying to cheat on you. I hope you don't think that's why I'm saying that...I just...my choices have put Shuuichi in this predicament. I can't...abandon him or ignore it any more than I already have, ya know?"

That was the issue, wasn't it. What other people would feel about it. Kokichi just wanted to say 'fuck 'em', but...well, his first relationship was political, and that wasn't subject to change. But...there were already people unhappy about his marriage to Kaito. He couldn't imagine how much worse people would feel if he dated Shuuichi, another Luminary citizen. Maybe they'd wish that if their marriage was open at all that he'd date a Dicean, just have his marriage in name, but...that wasn't what was going on at all.

That was thinking about it centered on him though. Maybe...they'd think that Kaito had moved to Dicea with his boyfriend and wanted to still be with him despite his marriage? There...wasn't much about that he could envision people doing anything over though.

...really...he was kind of more worried about what Luminaries would do. As long as he didn't divorce Kaito--which was not a question in the slightest--they weren't going back on any deals from the treaty, and, while Kaito's love and dating life shouldn't be any of Byakuya's business past his marriage, knowing that it was Shuuichi...surely even Byakuya couldn't twist that into thinking Kaito was bullied into it.

Kokichi tapped his lips as he considered this, listening to what Kaito was saying and just taking it in before he blew air out from between his lips and waved his hand, dismissing that. "You're going down this whole scenario, but what if Shuu-chan was our boyfriend, huh? Did you forget to consider that? Like...of course we should ask him, but..."

His cheeks starting to flush, Kokichi looked off to the side at the passing scenery, pressing his hands together anxiously. "...I've never had casual sex before, you know? And what we did with Shuu-chan wasn't that, even past the whole...pollen driving him up the wall stuff."

"...It's true I want to help people any way I can, but if it had just been about easing Shuu-chan's discomfort? ...I wouldn't have participated. Even if it would've felt like you were cheating on me." Kokichi turned away a little more, clasping his hands harder. "...even more than just finding Shuu-chan attractive...I like him. So...if you want to be affectionate with him...I wanna too. For my own selfish reasons."

Kaito practically beamed at this, just...getting really excited at the idea that?? He and Kokichi might have a boyfriend?? And...fuck, how did that even work!? Kaito had heard of poly relationships, sure, but he had never actually seen anyone try to do it, and...fuck, were he and 'Kichi really about to try this...holy shit...

Kaito laughed, putting his head into his hands. "Man...you and I can't just do anything normally, huh? Wow, what are we doing..." He laughed harder, smirking down at Kokichi between his fingers as he admitted, "This is so exciting. I'm so freaking out right now. Do you think Shuuichi likes us back?"

At first, Kokichi felt like Kaito's laugh was the same sort he'd had that morning they'd spent hiding in the observatory, incredulous and stressed and freaking out. The blush on his cheeks paled quickly and he prepared himself to be called gross and unfaithful, but...

Kokichi let out a huge, deep sigh, sagging against the back wall of the caravan. "M-maybe? He seemed to like it when I held his hand and kissed his cheek. And yesterday." Fanning himself a little, feeling lightheaded, Kokichi gave a hopeful look to Kaito. "We need to ask him, like, ASAP."

"Oh yeah. We definitely do. I guess just the next time we're alone with him? Fuck, a part of me wants to just drag him out here, but...that's probably not super fair on the guy. I don't want him to say yes just because we put him on the spot and he got nervous or anything like that. I don't think he would, I mean, he's turned me down before, but he's in a different headspace these days so...man, we could end up dating Shuuichi Saihara...that's so wild..."

"Man, thank god my mom didn't live to see this. She'd be so mad," Kaito laughed.

And then he stopped laughing. And he pulled his hair a bit. Just digging at the roots a little. Pulling tighter and tighter at them. Eyes wide and staring at nothing...

...and then he blinked and the moment seemed to be over, the grin back on his face as he looked over at Kokichi like nothing had happened. "Yeah. Let's be gentle when we ask him, okay? I don't wanna pressure him. But man I hope he's as into us as we are him. He was so cute with you yesterday, 'Kichi. I almost lost my damn mind watching you two," Kaito admitted, blushing scarlet at the memory.

The nervous smile making its way onto Kokichi's face dropped at Kaito's mention of his mom, feeling a small flicker of anger to what he had a good guess what Kaito's mother's issue with the relationship would be, but it was overshadowed by his extreme worry as Kaito just kind of...shut down. For a moment. Looking like he was about to scream.

And then Kaito just went back to normal, and Kokichi felt another tick of anger towards Byakuya and Tengan. But he pushed away the desire to push, knowing he'd just be hurting Kaito if he did.

Instead he nodded very seriously. "Shuu-chan is so, so cute. I'm almost getting cute-withdrawals--luckily you're here with me." He broke the serious expression there, giving Kaito a wink. "We good to head back in, or is there anything else we should talk about while we have a moment to ourselves? And, you know, everyone out in the world that can see us."

"Pffff, I'll never get over you thinking I'm cute. That's so weird to me." Kaito snorted, raising an eyebrow at Kokichi before nodding, before looking over at the people they were passing by quickly and said, "Sometimes privacy is just a matter of...context? Trust me, I traveled six months in caravans this size with almost a hundred other people. You find your private moments when you can."

"Anyway, I can't think of anything right now. I'm sure more things will come up as we do this, but for now, so long as we're all on the same page, I think we can deal with those questions as they come up. Phew. Alright. Let's go back in there. I think I gotta harass Tim about training and stuff, and..." Kaito sighed, "We probably shouldn't leave Shuuichi alone much longer. I don't think he'd try anything in front of Tim, when it comes to the pollen or anything else, but...ya know. Better safe than sorry."

Heading inside, Kaito noted that his bed was, indeed, made...and that his blankets and sheets were folded military style. Little brat. Why'd he keep pranking Kaito, of all people? Was he an easy target? Was it personal? Was stabbing him twice in the back not enough!?? ...okay, between him, Kokichi, Maki, and Shuuichi, it was probably the easy target one, actually...

Shuuichi was right where they left him, but now with an extra puppy on his lap, as Tim was setting up a long wooden board in the front of the caravan that he had pulled out of the closet, getting ready to start his training practice.

Kokichi smiled, both seeing Shuuichi looking after Chase and Tim getting his training done. They'd only had one knife-throwing lesson together, but...well, he could at least observe Tim's training. Until he was distracted when they got out of the city.

Going back to sit next to Shuuichi, both because he liked being by Shuuichi, he wanted to spend time with a puppy, and to be out of the way of the training, Kokichi gently bumped his shoulder against Shuuichi's. "Puppy duty, huh? What an honor."

After he'd settled into the seat, Kokichi reached into his bag, collecting one of the few pieces of candy he put in there and not in his luggage, offering a, caramel cube, huh, to Shuuichi. "Was talking about candy with the kids outside, so of course I want some now. Want somethin', Shuu-chan? I brought my bag in my luggage so there is more variety, but for now it's just a few random things."

"You can have a piece or two if you want too, Tim," Kokichi grinned at the boy.

"Ummmm..." Tim seemed to be seriously considering it, looking back and forth between Kokichi and the board, before saying hesitantly, "After...my training. Kay?"

Kaito frowned at the set up, knowing damn well how paranoid Maki was about knife throwing training. Was Timothy already at the point where he was practicing that on his own?...in a...closed environment with other people??

When Kaito went over to Tim, whispering in his ear, Tim looked up at him with a 'no duh' look. "No?" he whispered back, looking at Kaito like he was stupid, "I'm supposed to practice footing for stabbings?? Miss Harukawa would kill me if I tried knife throwing without her."

Kaito nodded. "Alright, alright, just making sure. Do you want my help? I'm pretty familiar with a lot of her more basic footing techniques."

"...I guess. Are you actually good at it or?"

"You have a lot of sass for a nine-year-old, you know that?"

As Kaito and Tim mildly negotiated/argued over Kaito helping him out with his training, Shuuichi idly scratched the puppy’s belly, whose tail was waggling a little at his attentions, but immediately went a little more buck-wild in the presence of a second human that might want to administer pets!??? More pets for Chase!???

As Chase looked happily up at Kokichi, Shuuichi said, "Sure. I'll take one. They give you any trouble? Or just kids messing around?"

"Gotcha! Nice to have a treat after a job well done, right?" Kokichi laughed a bit at Kaito and Tim's interactions before turning back to Shuuichi--and Chase, of course. Handing over the caramel and reaching over to give Chase a few scratches under her chin with his other hand, Kokichi shrugged a bit. "I think they were just curious. I mean, I did the same thing whenever I'd see travelers in town--'s a little different when a caravan is leaving the castle, but maybe they thought some interesting guests were leaving."

Kokichi reached back into his back and found a round of licorice, happily popping it in his mouth, satisfying a momentary craving.

"They were the kids who were following Maki-chan around that day we all went out," he smirked, not sure if Shuuichi would remember, but the explanation spoke for itself. "Seems she's provoked a few puppy love crushes. Or at least is one of the most pretty people they've ever seen."

"Is she?" Shuuichi asked, sounding genuinely surprised...before blushing, lowering his cap a little in embarrassment as he clarified himself. "Oh! No, that sounded mean, I didn't mean like...of course she's pretty! I guess I just have a hard time seeing that. She's very intimidating, and that can be...appealing," Shuuichi said quietly, confused at his own feelings in that statement. Maki had starred in many, many daydreams over the last month, those blood red eyes hovering and unrelenting above a hand that could draw a knife quicker than the eye could see...

"In its own way," Shuuichi finished, conflicted at the mental image now. He...found that attractive? Of course he did. He had been jacking off to the image for weeks before Miss Nao took over. Had literal dreams (nightmares) about Maki...jumping from the rafters of that barn they had found her in...knife bearing down on him...red, focused eyes...

Shuuichi felt his insides twist nervously and worried that was a sign he was getting aroused again. Fuck, please, not yet...the morning had been almost perfect. He hadn't felt it almost at all...

Trying to distract himself from what he was certain was about to be a wave of arousal, he continued on quickly, "But I guess I've just never seen her as, I don't know...conventionally pretty? Maybe it's because I basically grew up with her. Not that that stopped Kaito." Shuuichi rolled his eyes, saying this quietly to Kokichi, whispering in his ear so Kaito and Tim couldn't overhear them. "Maybe I shouldn't say this, but Kaito and Maki kinda had this will they/won't they thing going on for, like, basically our whole childhood. It was sort of exasperating. It's not even kind of a thing anymore, they got over it in high school, but man, hearing them pine after each other over and over again growing up got kinda old, as the number one person they ranted to about each other. Kaito made poetry about Maki's looks. And before you ask, yes, it was terrible."

Kokichi nodded, rolling his eyes a little as he rubbed around Chase's ears, accommodating her wiggles. "Shuu-chan, I am very gay but I can acknowledge that Maki-chan is pretty. Being able to make people cower from a glare doesn't change her face--it just shifts the type of people who'd think of her as someone they'd wanna flirt with."

Considering how oblivious to all things romantic as they pertained to himself Shuuichi had been--apparently--it didn't surprise Kokichi in the slightest that he hadn't really seen Maki as a "pretty girl". Add in that they'd grown up together, along with the whole sibling thing...yeah. Not really compatible that way.

He snickered a bit, hearing about Kaito's poetry--god he wanted to ask Kaito about it now!--but he waved Shuuichi off a little, shifting close to whisper back. "It's alright--Kai-chan already told me about that. Maki-chan too, to an extent. Really, I doubt there are many people out there who find themselves left out from Kai-chan's desiring gaze."

Shuuichi shrugged, though the statement was entirely accurate. Though he felt compelled to say, almost in defense of his friend, "Oh, Kaito has some standards. There were people he didn't find attractive. Like...."

Shuuichi went quiet. Brow furrowing. Shifting through years of memories quickly to find a notable example that wasn't obvious, like presumably someone who had tried to beat Shuuichi up or something like that. Like, people who weren't enemies, but Kaito wasn't attracted to in some way.

..."Hmmmmm." The detective, almost mindlessly, brought out his journal, took the pen to page, and underlining it, centering and bolding it, wrote, Kaito Wasn't Attracted To??? and then a dash below it to start the first bullet of the list, ready to now start naming examples!...Before pausing, pouting as he realized writing it down hadn't made it any easier as he murmured, half to Kokichi and half to himself, "Maybe the issue is we have to establish the definition and boundaries of 'attraction'...people introduced as enemies are out, but those individuals are outliers to the study as a whole, and their introduction into the formula will absolutely skew the results into something unhelpful to the original question...maybe the issue is then related to the original question? Not enough data yet to really say, but possible alternative presentations of the question could be 'what are Kaito's standards? or 'does Kaito have standards?'...but it's too early to say...I think a certain level of filth could turn him off...but are there any specific examples of that I can provide? If not, that's just a hypothetical, which is almost as bad as introducing the outliers..."

As Shuuichi scratched into his journal and mumbled his writings to himself, Timothy whispered to Kaito, "I think they're talking about you."

"Yeah? ...Hey, nevermind that. Focus on your footing. You're still swaying too much...I think."

"It's not me, it's the carriage. Also you're swaying too."

"...shoot, are we supposed to sway with the movement of the carriage? It's been a long time since I've done this..."

Well, of course. Kaito himself had given a few boundaries to where his attraction ended, but the space within it was vast. Which wasn't something that...well, Kokichi didn't really care? Honestly, it was just something he could admire about his husband, that Kaito could find things to love in almost everyone. And it wasn't like he was worried about Kaito running after some pretty person he saw in passing, so...like, attraction didn't matter that much.

Humming softly, Kokichi curled up on the seat and half leaned against Shuuichi, pointing to the page as he spoke. "Maybe put in the obvious things anyway--it helps get the ideas going, and you can always refine a non-obvious statement later. Kai-chan isn't attracted to kids, no conditions."

"And personality plays a big factor for him too--so, if he's never been attracted to your enemies, that's a personality thing. He doesn't like the type of people who would be mean to his friends." Or to him, to an extent. If he knew he didn't like being hit or insulted, then, knowing Kaito...that probably meant he'd lost attraction to people who did those things.

"Mmm...maybe this is better suited to a different list that could span the multiverse, but Kai-chan's said he likes people who are good with kids. And...maybe people who have the qualities of a leader? Just because you like things, though, doesn't mean that you don't like things that aren't the things you like so...not helpful for narrowing down, I guess."

Kokichi let himself ramble, just aware enough to not say anything he'd promised to keep secret--the specifics of Kaito's love lives, mostly. He reached into his bag and pulled out some grape taffy, popping it in his mouth as he leaned against Shuuichi's arm and watched him write, murmuring to his detective every now and then.

Shuuichi considered this, before nodding, writing below his title two new subcategories of lists, each underlined, one saying 'Stated Attraction' and 'Stated Un-attraction'. Under ‘un-attraction’, he put down 'children' first, deciding to go with Kokichi's idea of putting in the obvious stuff as well as the nuanced stuff. Below it, he considered how to word it, before writing in 'Attackers/Mean towards friends'.

Then, thinking about it, he added in below that 'Family'...before frowning at that, thinking of Kaito's...very odd initial relationship with Togami. Maki and Shuuichi hadn't really known what to think of it, when Kaito had first confessed to them that he and Byakuya's impersonator Indentured were secretly dating while Byakuya was scheduled out to sea for over half a year, visiting Kimigashine. Not only had it been, just, a fantastically bad idea, Kaito's family in no way ever going to condone the relationship, but...it had been a little unsettling, seeing Kaito date someone who looked almost exactly like his brother almost all the time.

But then Maki and Shuuichi had gotten the opportunity to get to know him more and his eerie similarities with Kaito's brother had faded to almost nothing, to the point that Shuuichi had found himself confused at times when he was reminded that most people in the kingdom really thought Togami was Byakuya those nine months. The differences seemed obvious, when Togami was willing to show them to you, though he was still identical to Byakuya to anyone who didn't know the other side of him.

And, no. Don't ask Shuuichi how Togami pulled that off while also being almost literally two hundred pounds heavier than Togami. The guy was good at what he did. But that still didn't make him actually Byakuya.

So, no, Togami didn't count against the assertion...but the fact that Kaito had ever considered him attractive to begin with was...

Shuuichi was maybe overthinking it, especially considering this was just a small thought exercise to just have fun with. He left 'family' where it was and decided to move on to the other list.

To the 'attraction' list, he added 'Leadership qualities', and below that, 'good with kids', for Kokichi's recommendations. Thinking about it, he added in 'strong' and 'kind' as traits he noticed Kaito tended to appreciate more in the people he actually dated...well, maybe not always both of those things together at the same time. In fact, almost never both of those traits together (or, if they were both of those things at once, it was in ways Shuuichi couldn't recognize). Probably more due to lack of availability in Luminary, honestly...you could be strong, or you could be good enough with other people to get by--you rarely saw both.

"Good with kids, strong, kind, leadership qualities...anything else comes to mind?" Shuuichi whispered to Kokichi, enjoying their idle 'dissect Kaito' game.

Kokichi watched Shuuichi write Family in the Un-attraction list, and he watched him hesitate. He could've just lied about it, but Kokichi had just opted to not mention family at all, hoping that Shuuichi would just assume he'd thought that was obvious even as they were listing out obvious things. He wasn't going to bring anything up even as Shuuichi wrote it down, but...the fact that he hesitated...

Maki had said the theory about Kaito's conditioning had been something both she and Shuuichi thought through, but...hm. Kokichi didn't know enough to judge whether they'd think devotion could have a chance of sparking attraction. And...well, Kaito had been right. The dreams didn't actually mean much--just that his brainwashing sessions had been confusing his brain enough to lash out in a weird, uncomfortable way.

...he'd just leave it alone.

Kokichi hummed at the additions of kind and strong, agreeing wholeheartedly, though as Shuuichi asked him again... "Maybe differentiate physical strength and, like...mental fortitude. He seems to admire people who can keep calm under pressure...and I guess bravery can go under that too? Oh! And people who are skilled in some way--like how he admires you and Maki-chan. I guess that's more...visible dedication to a craft or skill?"

Shuuichi nodded, writing those in as well. It was by no means a complete list, especially for, as Kokichi mentioned, someone who seemed to find something attractive about nearly everyone, but...

Looking over to Kaito, he was curious about something. With no real motive in asking, he said, "Hey...Kaito?"

The Luminary Prince was watching how Tim was bending his knees as he lunged at the board, practicing the movement of going forward and aiming for the 'chest' area, almost...certain there was something wrong with it, but struggling to put his finger on it... "Hm?" Kaito looked over at his boys, grinning lightly to see them sitting together and fussing over Shuuichi's journal. "Yeah? What's up, man?"

"Who does this sound like to you?" Shuuichi asked, going over the attraction list and saying aloud, "Leadership qualities, good with kids, strong, brave, mental fortitude, calm under pressure, kind, skilled, and a visible dedication to their craft?"

Kaito listened to him curiously, wondering who Shuuichi was trying to profile... it wouldn't be the first time Shuuichi tested his observations by seeing if the others could guess what he was referring to through description alone. It was how he had refined his ability to pick out key details about people in simple terms over the years. Maybe he was showing Kokichi how to do it-

"Oh!" Kaito said, a bright grin on his face as he realized the obvious answer. Duh.

"Kokichi!"

Kaito looked at the sudden, warm smile on Shuuichi's face and got a little excited as he said, "Did I get it? It's 'Kichi, right?"

Who does it sound like? Maybe...Shuuichi was seeing if there was any person in particular that had all the qualities Kaito liked in people. Maybe some past partner that Kaito had loved...maybe one of the saints? Their stories, at least from the two Kaito had told him, seemed to exemplify various virtues. That made sense.

Expecting to hear something like that, Kokichi looked up at Kaito curiously, wondering who he would name.

And then blinked.

Before turning bright red in an instant and covering his face, squirming a little as he made soft, indistinct flustered sounds. Sneaky. Shuu-chan was sneaky. That big brain could not be underestimated in the slightest.

When listing out all the things Kaito liked in a person...Kaito had thought of him. And...sure, he'd told Kokichi that he was some of those things before--that's how he knew to add them to the list--but...UGH?!?

Kokichi slid down in the seat and tried to hide behind Shuuichi's arm, just ridiculously flattered.

"Yep, you got it in one, Kaito," Shuuichi said, now all but smirking slightly as the Dicean Prince all but melted at the flattery as Kaito, entirely oblivious, just stared at the two of them in mild confusion to Kokichi's reaction, though he was pleased he had guessed correctly. "It was Kokichi. Thank you."

"Sure!" Kaito said cheerfully, "Let me know if you're going to do any more! Alright, Tim, let me see you lunge again? ...Oh, you know what? It might not be your knees. Did you realize you always push off the back of your foot? The front of your foot gives you more control of the angle of your projection. Here, try moving like this..."

As Timothy, with some obvious skepticism, watched Kaito show him how to push forward with his toes, Shuuichi said down to Kokichi with a fond smile, "You alright, Kokichi? You're literally bright red."

Kokichi peeked up from between his fingers, groaning for a moment before finding his ability to speak. "You're an evil genius, you know? I can't believe you played me like that. Shuu-chan better watch out--you're not the only one who can pull lovey-dovey pranks like that."

Taking a few deep breaths, Kokichi steadied himself, pushing himself back up and lowering his hands, though his cheeks remained cherry red. With a noise of exertion, he leaned back over to Shuuichi's arm and nosed against it furiously before kissing his bicep and rising back up. "I'm good, I'm good. Wasn't prepared at all for that kind of caliber of sweetness, but that just made my reaction even better to Shuu-chan, huh?"

Considering how shy and skittish Shuuichi could be--not to mention Kokichi just felt bad messing with people who already had a load of their own problems--he hadn't thought the detective would be a frequent target of his pranks, but if Shuuichi was gonna play 4D chess around him, then Kokichi was gonna have to step up his game!

Shuuichi's eyes widened slightly at the kiss, darting a look over at Timothy, who was focused on his practice and hadn't seen it, but...still...

...he didn't feel it yet but...it was only a matter of time, wasn't it. He had felt almost okay all day yesterday too, right up until he hadn't...what was he going to do in such an enclosed space like this? He supposed he could hide himself in the bathroom, but that wasn't a long term solution, and...it'd upset everyone if he started...

Shuuichi glanced down at his hand. Small, white bandages wrapped fresh and tight around his joints, Maki having quietly replaced them without asking where they had come from. Just saying that if it happened again, they would need to talk about it...and Shuuichi didn't know what a Maki solution would be, to him biting himself...maybe a muzzle really would be in his future...

The detective bit the inside of his lip at that, slightly. A confusing mixture of feelings at the idea swirling around. Was that lust? Or fear? Some weird mixture of the two? It was so faint...a muscle memory, a phantom feeling, testing itself out, trying to pull and inspire Shuuichi even without the pollen’s chemicals able to work at their full capacity...Shuuichi, without enough sexual experience and a lifetime of convincing himself to obey, even without a successful conditioning (in a sense, performing his own conditioning, with outlines he himself had made), entirely confusing him as to what, in this last month, and especially this last week, had been the pollen, Miss Nao, and what had been actually him...

Shuuichi was in a sensitive place right now. He didn't realize it, but more likely than not whatever he managed to convince himself were his own, actual sexual urges and fetishes were, in this first week of actually having the mental freedom to explore that in any meaningful way would likely shape, for better or worse, how he viewed sex and relationships in the future.

He liked Kokichi and Kaito. A lot. Their treatment was fun and comfortable, in its own ways. They felt good.

He really, really missed Miss Nao already.

He kept finding himself thinking of Bear and the brewery and what had almost been, his feelings on the matter...hopelessly conflicted. Kept imagining a future where Maki had never found him and he had been made to stay, to drink pollen forever while they used and abused him.

(He sometimes wished the threat of the brothel had been real.)

He wanted gentle touches and fun flirting and excited kisses.

He wanted to be hurt again. He wanted to be terrified and thrilled and compelled to cry as someone whispered terrible things.

(It made him want to vomit, but he almost wanted the threat of the stable to have been real. He couldn't bring himself to look at the horses outside. He was terrified he'd feel intrigued.)

He wanted agency over his life and actions and thoughts again.

He wanted to be controlled and forced to obey. Mind entirely blank and submitting. As Miss Nao had put it, he wanted someone to fuck his mind.

He had no fucking idea what he wanted.

He had no fucking idea what he wanted.

...he wanted his caramel candy thing.

Remembering he had put it down to start writing in his journal, Shuuichi picked up the candy from his lap and plopped it into his mouth. Mmmm... "That's really good," Shuuichi said, feeling a little surprised about this. He liked candy well enough. But that had been...really good. Looking to Kokichi, he said, "Can I have another?"

Kokichi brightened at the request, always happy to share his stash--even if he hadn't had anyone to share with until recently. Rooting around in his bag again, he found a few pieces--another licorice round, a packet of strawberry-flavored sugar powder, a small chocolate with sliced almonds in it, and an orange-flavored gummy sphere.

"Take your pick! I'm glad at least someone has taste enough to really appreciate sweets," Kokichi laughed lightly, not actually bent out of shape any that Kaito didn't like candy that much. "I brought the rest of my bag, like I said, but I really did a number on it the other day. Totally gotta do another trip to Miss Andou's shop when we come back."

"Though," he hummed, sitting back and putting the rest of the sweets away once Shuuichi took what he wanted, "I'm excited to try anything new we find at the coast. I'm not sure how being close to the ocean would really affect sweets--seems more of an entrée sort of thing--but just by being a different place there should be new stuff, right?"

He'd at least heard there were different kinds of sweet buns around Dicea, so he had a feeling Kaito would like to join in on trying those out. And, while different from the buns, he'd heard there was a type of bread that had cinnamon swirled all throughout it, and kinda looped around itself. Oh, or the looping pastry with almond paste and chunks of sugar! Though, that would be for a mountain trip.

A whole world to explore...finally.

Shuuichi's eyes immediately went to the chocolate with almonds, that usually being more his speed...but his hands went for the sugar powder. Taking it, he opened the packet carefully, keeping in mind the bumps and jolts of the caravan, and took the sugar on his tongue.

Wow.

It tasted really...really good.

"I think we have a few sweets you all don't have here," Shuuichi said once he was done marveling at the sugar packet (was it a Dicea thing? Is that why the candy tasted so good? Maybe they used different recipes?), before conceding, "Or maybe you do and I just haven't seen it yet. Have you heard of Red Bean Paste? Or, maybe you know it by the name Anko? We call it Red Bean Paste though...I've never been much of a fan of it, personally, it's an acquired taste in my opinion, but Maki adored buying these little balls of them they sold at this stall down in the marketplace. No pastry to fill, no breads to smear them on, she just liked to eat it straight. I can't think of another candy that really resembles it to compare it to..."

"Oh...no, I don't think I've ever heard of that..." Sweets from beans? Not weird in concept, considering there were plenty of plants that were sweet, but Kokichi had never tasted a bean that he thought would be good for candy. Aside from jelly beans, of course, but those didn't count.

Starting to swing his legs a little again, Kokichi hummed and glanced out the window, recognizing the outskirts of town. "Maybe we have something similar in other parts of Dicea, but if not, we'll have to see if we can trade for some from Luminary. I'd at least like to try it, but it'd be nice if Maki-chan could be able to get some for herself."

"Mmm...there is a type of pastry that's filled with sweet potato or purple yams? Not quite the same thing, but... Well, there will be a whole ton of them during the Harvest festival. You guys will really get to see a proper Dicean spread then--along with everything else going on during the festival."

In some ways, Kokichi was happy they weren't going to miss Harvest, though he'd gladly miss it to go on a once in a lifetime trip to Danganronpa. But it was a fun holiday. The food, of course, but also the pumpkin carving contests and light show at night, the maze that got set up in the park (which he'd actually be able to go through this year!!!), the sport exhibition matches, all sorts of dancing and art performances, the haunted house...

Ah.

Kokichi had always wanted to try it out, but...Nao was one of the big planners of it. It wasn't just her project, but...maybe it'd still be too painful for Shuuichi to try out... At least there were plenty of other things...and she'd be busy managing the haunted house for him to see her at the festival so...

Sighing softly, Kokichi tipped his head onto Shuuichi's shoulder and gave him a little nuzzle.

Shuuichi gave Kokichi a small, confused look, noting the subtle shift in mood. He wondered what about the festival had suddenly dampened Kokichi's excited energy. Hmm...maybe just memories of past ones he hadn't been able to enjoy.

"That sounds fun," Shuuichi responded agreeably, mostly to brighten Kokichi's mood as he added, "Not to presume but...I bet you and Kaito will get to do lots of things you've missed out on this year. Um, I mean, like...most things, I suppose." Shuuichi didn’t know nearly enough about Dicean culture to really even guess at what other events Kokichi could get excited about.

Even his knowledge of their accents had been more his observation skills since he had been here rather than anything he had specifically learned about beforehand. Dicea, for being at war with Luminary for fifteen years, was a pretty big question mark to the average populace, and even Shuuichi, privileged to work in the castle and listen in on informed discussions and strategies against the kingdom, still hadn't come away from those experiences knowing all that much about it.

He supposed he'd...enjoy learning about the kingdom he'd live in for the rest of his life. A civilian. He was a civilian...

Almost without even thinking about it, he suddenly supplied, "We're nearing the half hour time limit. We're likely leaving the city border soon."

"Oh yeah?" Kaito said, looking up from training with a grin, though Timothy ignored all of them, trying to remain focused. "Man, I wish I had thought to bring something to celebrate with. Like a whiskey or something. Well, no, you're not much of a drinker, so I guess that's not much of a celebration drink for ya, huh...juice? Like, really, really good juice? Wish I had thought to bring juice."

"I'd drink whiskey," Timothy piped up, taking his shot.

"Not on your life."

Kokichi blew a raspberry, giving Shuuichi a look. "Me, Kai-chan, and you and Maki-chan. I've missed out on things, yeah, but none of you guys have ever experienced any of a Dicean holiday." Not even the events around their wedding, but Kokichi didn't want to bring that up. "Even if some of the stuff might be the same in Luminary, it'll still be special since you'll get to celebrate as Dicean citizens for the first time." Tim too, though Kokichi didn't mention that either, more for just not breaking Tim's concentration rather than for any uncomfortable reason.

At Shuuichi's notice, he perked up, attention snapping to the window, looking at...yeah. The border of the city. Which wasn't so much a border as just where buildings stopped and roads were the only man-made things for...well, he didn't actually know. For a while, he'd guess.

His wide eyes affixed to the window, a buzzing sort of excitement under his skin, Kokichi only huffed a laugh at Kaito for a second. "The whole trip is celebration enough for me, Kai-chan. This whole thing..."

He trailed off, seeing the edges of a crop field, seeing trees start to come up beside the carriage on the side of the road, starting to thicken as they headed into the woods leaving town... They were leaving town...

He was out of the city.

Once again Kokichi felt his eyes start to burn, and tears fell from his eyes as he grinned, almost not believing that he'd made it out, but...here they were.

Timothy really, genuinely couldn't comprehend Prince Kokichi's excitement at leaving the city border and just seeing a bunch of trees and fields and stuff, but he watched as Prince Kaito walked up behind him and put his arms around the foreign prince’s shoulders, giving him a kiss on his temple (yuck) and looking out the window with him as he whispered something into the prince's ear.

Shuuichi could understand it better, and was really, genuinely happy for Kokichi, but still wanted to stay where he was seated, just happy to feel the calm and quiet that, so far, the morning had been. Basking in his own good things for his own reasons.

Kaito whispered in Kokichi's ear, "Look, babe. You did it. You really did it," grinning wide, but his own eyes burning slightly as well, entirely just in empathetic joy.

He loved seeing Kokichi like this. At the exact same time, it broke his heart seeing Kokichi like this. It was such a small thing, leaving a city border...such a small thing to spark such excitement, such unbelieving joy...it should have always been something his husband could have...

Those feelings sparked anger. Resentment, in Kaito. He was trying so, so hard to see the people in the castle the way Kokichi did, but...

Fuck he hated all of them so much...

But he loved Kokichi. He was going to make it work. They'd get to leave the castle for a week and...then they'd be back. And Kaito would go back to trying to...not hate them. To not feel his blood bite and boil every time he thought about Kokichi's predicament growing up for longer than a second. Thinking about every single person there who had failed him...Kaito couldn't think like that. They were Kokichi's people. He loved them.

...it'd be so much easier if Kokichi would just tell him to love them too...

Kaito closed his eyes to that thought. Let it plant ugly, terrible, small seeds in his psyche that he couldn't force away because he couldn't analyze the logic behind it in any meaningful way. It was a bad thought...but fuck he could feel its temptations...

Kaito kissed Kokichi's temple again, resting his forehead in his husband's hair and staring out the window at crop fields and trees that meant everything to the Dicean Prince and whispered, "I'm so proud of you, 'Kichi."

The first time Kokichi could remember asking to leave the castle was when he was five. He'd asked Ikuo if they could go to the gardens, which he'd seen the outside of for the first time recently at a festival he'd only spent an hour at. He wanted to go see his flowers. Ikuo had said that, if Kokichi was still feeling okay by the end of the week, he'd ask Aiichi about it.

Aiichi had said no--had likely been dealing with what would become the start of the war, looking back at it--and Kokichi had cried until he'd tired himself out and had fallen asleep.

Every time Kokichi had wanted to leave, people had joined to plead his case, and every time Aiichi shot them down. There had just been an assassination attempt, an anti-war demonstration in town, it was too cold, Kokichi had been caught sniffling and coughing over the latest illness going around...and, slowly, the leader had been able to convince everyone in the castle that he was too fragile for even slight inconveniences. Had an excuse even when people banded together to try and plan the safest outing ever.

So he'd just left himself. He'd pried open his cage himself...but was always tethered to it. Kokichi had looked out over the woods and fields, the mountains in the distance, the ocean he couldn't see but pretended he could...and he'd known that he'd never see them. That he would be bound to the castle for his entire life.

But something had changed, and now?

Kokichi let his tears fall freely, bubbling out a soft laugh as he saw trees pass by mere feet away. He found Kaito's hand and held it, happy to be free, and even happier to share this with people he loved and cared about. "I'm out..."

-

Usami hummed brightly to herself as she bustled about the nursery, pouring glasses of sugar water for the new seedlings in her care. There had been a handful of new seedlings that they'd collected, confused and weary, from the border, and any seedling that wasn't in a relationship could be sure to be cared for in the Monomi Nursery.

She'd heard from her brother--sort of. They only had the same seedling parent--that the silly cult thing was spreading poppies to humans. Mostly, Usami thought it was a horrible idea--so many humans would lose their minds and get hurt, nevermind that some seedlings that would've made it if they'd been cultivated by a breeder would lose themselves to madness. But...well, she couldn't argue that their beds were more filled than they had been in years.

It was a shame about that one seedling she'd felt--he'd seemed like he had so much potential. One of the special ones that might be able to bear thirty or forty children in their lives. He'd been needing to be pollinated for so long and then...he'd just disappeared. Usami could hope but...well, so many flowers were plucked too soon, as they said.

She just wished there was another way... Humans were so fragile, and quite a lot of them just minded their own businesses. Their lives were so short, so...why shouldn't they just have the best time they could while they were alive? From how popular the killing games were, Usami knew she was in the minority of people who actually cared about humans, rather than being indifferent. That's why she became an obstetrician, she supposed. The seedlings seemed to appreciate a gentler touch while they were ripening.

"Miss Usami?"

Ah, that was enough reverie for now--she had work to do!

"A-ah, I'll be right there, flower!"

-

The first six hours were up, and it had been a smooth, gentle ride so far. The sun was high in the sky, a blue sky with full clouds backdropping it, and the air smelled thick of trees and dirt, caught in the gentle breeze.

Along with clear, well maintained roads, Kaito honestly couldn't think of a better circumstance to teach Kokichi how to steer horses...which was great, because Kaito was...a little nervous.

Again! Everything was going really well so far! Timothy had done his practice, and Kaito had actually, by the end of it, felt like he had helped the ex-war drummer improve, and, well...at least liked to think to himself that maybe Timothy respected him more for it. Shuuichi had...had, again, a couple of dark moments where his thoughts had spiraled a little, or when he thought that this was it, this was the moment his body was going to start revving back up again...but he still felt calm, and was trusting that feeling a little more every hour that it stayed. And Maki, stretching her limbs out with everyone else as both theirs and the lead caravan parked on the side of the road, Hajime doing them a favor in checking on and watering the horses for both carriages, actually looked a little relaxed herself. In her own Maki way.

Then Katsuki had come by, and the two assassins had chatted a bit, essentially giving each other update reports. Shuuichi, in turn, was approached by Seiko, Shuuichi shyly answering her questions, staring down at his feet for most of the conversation, occasionally just nodding or shaking his head if the question didn't need anything more involved. At one point he hesitated but nodded again, and Dr. Kimura had felt his forehead, checking his temperature, and felt his pulse, nodding to herself occasionally.

After everyone had a good stretch, updated each other, and was ready to head back into the caravans, Kaito went to Kokichi, grinning down at him as he asked, "Ready? Time to learn how to steer some horses! Are you...feeling good about it?"

The reason Kaito was nervous was because, well...he had actually kinda downplayed the job when he had explained it to Kokichi before. Sure, it could be super easy! ...but it could also be really, really hard, depending on the whims of the horses, and if a horse was irritable or panicked for any reason? Best case scenario the trip was just slowed down until the horse’s temperament got better.

Worst case?

A runaway horse, a broken caravan, and a lot of injured people...only six hours away from the Dicean capital. Plenty of opportunity for word to get back to the people there that they had crashed the caravan, that Kokichi couldn't be trusted with his Luminaries to go traveling, that everyone needed to return, Kokichi shamed and heartbroken, and who knew when they'd be allowed to try again...

Yeah. Kaito's worst case scenario in his head was pretty bad. It had been bothering him all day.

But it wouldn't do to let that show! Confidence was key, and more importantly, it was infectious! So long as Kaito remained confident, Kokichi would have no reason to falter! And so long as Kokichi didn't falter, Kaito had no doubt he could do it! So...yeah! They got this!

"Because you should be!" Kaito added in, right after asking Kokichi how he felt about it. "This is going to be easy as pie and totally fun! ...do you think pie is actually easy to make? I hear that saying a lot...maybe I should try to make pies instead of waffles next time I cook?" Kaito asked, rambling slightly to offset his own nerves.

Kokichi's eyes had been wet for quite a while and he'd stayed glued to the window for hours, ooh-ing and ahh-ing over, just, incredibly mundane things. Some movement in the canopy, probably an animal spooked by the caravans going by. A sign on the side of the road for an orchard. Seeing rolls of hay scattered in a field. At one point he'd gone back out to the patio, marveling at how far away the city was, looking almost like a small model...that little handful, his entire world for twenty years...

He'd gone to sit down after that, the scope of the world hitting him hard, though he kept excitedly glancing up at the window.

Then it was time for a break and the driver switch. Kokichi had gone up to the horses pulling the rear caravan after Hajime had given them water, giving each a few pats and talking to them gently, letting them grow more accustomed to his voice. Because for the next six hours?

"I'm excited!" Kokichi grinned up at his husband, accepting the help to climb up into the driver's seat. Snorting softly, he gave Kaito a shrug. "I dunno--I've always heard pastries are hard to get right, but for the filling? As long as you put in enough sugar, I think KaI-chan could cook whatever he wanted."

There were two mostly inedible waffles and possibly poisoned hashbrowns rotting out in the world somewhere that suggested otherwise, but Kaito grinned at the idea. "Well, then I'll try it next time! With just allll kinds of sugar. There's, like...two, right? Two kinds of sugar? Anyway...okay! So!"

Do not crash the caravan, Kaito, do not let your tiny, extremely fragile husband overturn this caravan either, oh fuck, Koh, please watch over us...

Kaito, reminding himself over and over that his and Kokichi's spirit guide was a horse and that Koh loved them and Atua loved them and also Maki had promised these were the best trained horses the royal castle stables had to offer, climbed in after Kokichi, watching his husband pick up the reins. "...what do you know so far? You knew all the stable-workers’ names, it seemed, so I gotta assume you've spent some time down in the stables. What did they teach you so that I can build from there?"

...there were probably more than two kinds of sugar. But, by virtue of being sugar, they probably all tasted great! So...well, if he got some guidance, Kaito could probably succeed in baking a pie. For sure!

"Mm," Kokichi nodded. "I've probably spent more time around horses than any other animal. Sometimes there'd be wild rabbits or stray cats that'd get into the castle courtyard, but...yeah. Though, most of my time has been spent petting and brushing them than anything else."

Kokichi took up the reins, not clutching them, but keeping a firm grip, knowing that horses could tell when their rider was inexperienced or nervous...or, he'd been told that, at least.

"You tug the reins in the direction you want to go, and you pull back to stop, also saying-" he looked to the horses warily for a moment before leaning closer to Kaito, whispering to him, "-'whoa'."

"And to speed up, you just make clicking sounds with your tongue, or lightly tap them with the end of the reins if you want to go even faster," he finished at a normal volume, unconcerned with the horses hearing that part. That was what he'd managed to pick up from just being around the stables, but... "That stuff is just what I know about riding on a horse, though. I dunno if leading them for a caravan is markedly different or anything..."

"That's basically most of it, honestly. Otherwise it's just knowing where the center of the carriage is as far as the horses are concerned, and steering them based on that. Which I think you'll pick up on quickly, once you see how they move," Kaito said, grinning as he realized Kokichi had a more firm knowledge base than he had originally feared.

Which was good, because the forward caravan was already starting to move, and...ha. Seiko and Hajime were coming out the back patio, probably interested in seeing Kokichi drive his first carriage. Dr. Kimura leaned against the metal railing a bit, looking more relaxed than Kaito had yet to see her, and Hajime waved at them, though he seemed to be reserving himself when it came to calling out, maybe afraid of spooking their horses.

"Alright! Just remember, don't take your hands off the reins for any reason until we're stopped again. You got this, Kokichi! Let's see what these babies can do!"

Okay...don't let go, pay attention to how things move and feel...he could do this. Kokichi glanced up at the patio in front of them, giving Dr. Kimura and Hajime a nervous smile before, after a moment of letting the front caravan pull forward, he started clicking his tongue a bit, nudging each horse to let them know they were moving again.

And...they started moving! The horses started walking forward, but Kokichi didn't speed them up, first staring intently at the distance between the two caravans, figuring out if they were closing in or lagging behind, trying to judge a good distance to stay behind so, if they suddenly stopped, they wouldn't crash.

It was a tense few minutes, Kokichi's expression stern and focused, but once they settled into a rhythm... He didn't look over at Kaito, but he spoke up softly. "...like this? Am I doing it right?"

Kaito was practically vibrating in his seat, his fists against his chest as he wiggled his shoulders a little, grinning wide and excited as he said, thrilled, "Kokichi! Babe! You're a natural! Oh my god, I'm so proud of you, look at this! You have a knack for this!"

Fuck yeah! Thank you, Koh, oh fuck, thank you...

"Hey! Hajime!" Kaito called over, catching the housekeeper’s attention as Kaito stood up, using his hands cupped around his mouth to amplify as he shouted, "Tell Katsuki we'll race her anytime! Anywhere!"

Hajime, taking a second to digest what Kaito had said, making sure he had heard him right, looked at Kaito like he was crazy, while Dr. Kimura...well, they were a little ways ahead so Kaito couldn't see her super clearly, mask and all, but he thought she looked amused.

Kokichi smiled a little, still keeping his eyes on the road and the caravan in front of them, still paying attention, but...his shoulders relaxed a little. There was a warmth in his chest, true pride giving him more confidence. A natural, huh? It could just be Kaito exaggerating, but...no one had ever called him something like that before. Praised his skill when he was first starting out...actually letting him get the hang of something...

On the other caravan, Seiko laughed quietly, amused at Kaito's immediate enthusiasm. That was pure excitement that wasn't just from youth. Considering how well everything had gone so far, she couldn't blame him--she was a little excited herself. Shuuichi was doing well, Mr. Hinata and Miss Okuniji were kind...it was only the first day, but things were looking like it'd be a pleasant vacation.

"I think Prince Kaito would find more danger in facing Miss Maki rather than the caravans getting out of control if he started a race," she mused quietly to Mr. Hinata, knowing without a doubt that Maki's fury would absolutely be more dangerous to Kaito than a few bumps in the road.

"The roads have been clear so far!" Kaito said excitedly to Kokichi, really getting amped up, his eyes wide with energetic delight as he continued, "Maybe we can convince Katsuki to go just a little faster if we can get Seiko or Hajime to talk to her, really see these caravans start to mo-OW! OW MAKI WAIT!"

"You come here!" Maki said, grabbing at Kaito's hair and pulling him towards the ledge that she had very specifically told everyone to stay away from, not considering herself as part of 'everyone' as she said, softer, over Kaito's shoulder, "Good job, Kokichi. I'm going to borrow your husband for a minute. Don't mind us," Before yanking him onto the ledge, on the side of the carriage.

Maki was able to keep her balance by holding the edge of the door and using her sure footing and core strength, and Kaito...was basically only not falling because Maki had him pinned to the side of the carriage by his hair as she said, "Are you crazy??! He is a new driver on horses you don't know leading a caravan frame you are unfamiliar with in foreign territory...and you want to shout!? Seriously!??"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm-ow! Maki, I won't do it again, I won't shout, I'll be super serious, it's gonna be really inconvenient if you throw me off this caravan and you all have to come back for my shattered body!"

"Oh, stop being a baby," Maki said, rolling her eyes at Kaito's theatrics, before leading Kaito's body back to the front of the caravan, letting go of his hair and saying sternly to him, "Don't make me come back out here." Then, again, over his shoulder she said to Kokichi, "Don't let him whine to you, Kokichi, he's fine."

Kaito sat himself back down on the passenger side, rubbing his scalp as he muttered in annoyance, "This is it. This is how I start going bald...one more of nature’s natural beauties, ruined by jerk assassins..."

"What was that?"

"Nothing! Love you, Maki!"

"Damn right," Maki muttered, heading back into the caravan.

Kokichi's eyes widened and he almost looked away, only reassured by the knowledge that Maki would prioritize Kaito's bodily safety to keep his gaze forward. It would be funny if, you know...he wasn't driving for the first time in his life. Considering they were the rear caravan and the horses were really well-trained, they were going to do most of the work...but still. It was daunting.

By the time Kaito was returned, however, he had adjusted enough to snicker softly. "You'd still be pretty without hair, Kai-chan. Though, I'd hope if you made that decision, it was with a razor and not Maki-chan's fists."

After a moment, he nodded toward the tan horse on the left, speaking softly. "...Jun said that Buttercup was also trained to be ridden bareback. And that there's a good blanket for riding in the caravan. Obviously not now, and I dunno if I wanna learn bareback before learning in a saddle, but...you said you wanted to take me out riding someday, right? At the very least, if we ever needed to go into town quickly...we have an option."

Kaito grinned, still excited and in a great mood from seeing Kokichi take so naturally to steering horses, even with an aching scalp, and said cheerfully, "I've ridden bareback a few times, it's not that bad! If you want, you could let me ride the horse and we can put you on, just, a shit ton of blankets and a pillow between my legs. Take it slow and easy, it'd be totally safe. Or we could straight up go to a town and buy a saddle? Who's gonna stop us? ...do saddles cost a lot?"

And then, the cheerful grin turning slightly predatory, he leaned down to tease into Kokichi's ear, "Besides, I could think of places to take you other than town. You and I could take a few hours, find ourselves a vaguely defined body of water...shade your body with mine...could bring Shuuichi along and teach him how to ride 'bareback'..."

"No idea..." Kokichi murmured, never having needed to buy a saddle before. The budget for the stables was something that he'd never had to manage before, so he didn't know the breakdown...but, like...he had to assume it'd be a chunk. It was a lot of leather. And...it wasn't really something they needed. "We really need to sit down and make you an expense log...maybe when we switch shifts again? I swear I'll teach you how to budget."

He might not be able to temper Kaito's spending habits, but he could at least feel okay that Kaito would know how much he was spending. He got the impression that Kaito had never had to worry about the cost of anything in his life, so if he could just give his husband a sense of money...he really had his work cut out for him.

Kokichi's cheeks went rosy as Kaito whispered into his ear and he nudged the other prince with his shoulder, compensating with his arms to not jostle the reins and confuse the horses. "I wouldn't mind sneaking off somewhere...but not a few hours away. That sounds like a recipe to give Maki-chan a heart attack and then attack you. I know this is supposed to be our honeymoon, sorta, but let's try and make it as vacation-y as possible for everyone, alright?"

Kaito laughed, pleased with Kokichi's little blush, before saying thoughtfully, "I wasn't really thinking we'd need those few hours for the traveling part...but yeah. Probably best not to make Maki any more stressed out by this point."

Then, because...he didn't want Kokichi to get the wrong impression about Maki, Kaito added in, "Though, to be honest? And I think she knows I do it, but...I kinda play up how bad things hurt when she does stuff like that." Kaito admitted that with a small shrug, looking almost weirdly sheepish about it. "I mean, she can hurt me sometimes, if she's really, really angry? But if she's at the point where she's really hurting me, that's usually a sign she's lost control of herself and I need to say something to get her to stop. Otherwise? I kinda just say 'ow' a lot as a way of communicating, like, yes, okay, I'm really listening, Maki, please calm down, I'm sorry."

Another small, sheepish shrug. "But it's rarely as bad as all that. Again, I think she knows that? We've never really talked about it in so many words though...but yeah. Maki wouldn't ever, like...hurt me, hurt me, ya know? Not on purpose, anyway."

Kaito lit up as he continued on, "And this is our honeymoon, isn't it! Wow, that's crazy, I wasn't thinking about it like that, but...yeah! Awwww! We're having a honeymoon! We're in the honeymoon phase! That's awesome!"

Kokichi made a small humming sound before tilting his head to nuzzle Kaito's arm. "Sorry, yeah, that's what it seems like to me too? It's just...like she's yelling at you in aggravation, but more physical. She's just worried about you getting yourself into trouble, right?"

He'd understood that to a point back when she'd yelled at them in their room, grabbing his wrist roughly that one time, but the more time he spent with Maki, the more he came to understand just...what an incredibly caring person she was.

Chisa had said to him that he'd be capable of such "interesting" things if he'd grown up in an environment that nurtured that, but...aside from all that bullshit, if Maki had grown up in Dicea? She reminded him a lot of Ikuo. The kind of person that found themselves caring for and nurturing every person they saw struggling.

Maki cared about others, and Luminary wasn't able to destroy that. It was just how dangerous it made genuine care that shifted her outlet for those feelings into aggression. To not let people think that your love was a weakness. Hopefully she wouldn't have to struggle for much longer.

Snorting softly, Kokichi nuzzled his husband again. "We got married, like, a month ago. We've been in the honeymoon phase the entire time--we've just been busy with other stuff too. Though, considering we didn't know each other before everything, personally I think this is just a weird dating phase, and we'll end up falling into another honeymoon phase down the line, weirding everyone out with mushy affection that comes out of nowhere."

"Woo! Two honeymoon phases! Fuck yeah!" Kaito cheered, throwing his non-nuzzled arm over his head in triumph before kissing Kokichi's head. "Yeah, dating someone I'm married to and live with has been kind of a strange experience...I can't imagine what it's like on your end though. Not only is it a weird kind of relationship, but your first kind of relationship? And...maybe your only..." There was a touch of guilt in that last part...before he said, remembering, "Well, no! Now you're gonna date Shuuichi! I mean, if he says yes, anyway. But he'll make two relationships! So! ...Nah, it's all still pretty weird." Kaito laughed.

Leaning back into the seat, enjoying the heat of the day against his skin, he said, "But I've liked it...I mean...you know. It's been hard, but...I guess I just mean that I like you, and if I was going to be made to do this with anyone, I'm glad it was you. And I'm totally excited to be on a literal honeymoon with you, and really, really looking forward to our metaphorical honeymoon phase someday!"

Kokichi giggled a bit at Kaito's enthusiasm, just such a good example of Kaito throughout everything. Whenever he could, he refused to leave room for people to doubt and worry, instead encouraging people with shouted praise and excitement. Even with how weird everything was...that was okay. It was weird and for them, and how it should be.

"I'm glad it was you too." Kokichi turned his head for less than a second to place a kiss on Kaito's arm before turning back to watch the horses. "I was prepared for my life to just end with the wedding...but instead it was you, my cute, heroic, loving Kai-chan. And, if I was allowed to pick my spouse, I'd still choose you."

"Maybe when we get to our future metaphorical honeymoon phase, they'll let us renew our vows our way, instead of making it a multi-nation hullabaloo. I'd like Shuu-chan and Maki-chan to come to one of our weddings, at least..." And who knew? Maybe Shuuichi would get to participate in that one too.

Out of all the ways things could've gone...Kokichi was happy where he was. And he would be endlessly thankful for that.

The rest of Kaito and Kokichi's watch went well. There wasn't much lull in conversation, Kaito's mind wandering from subject to subject, Kokichi sometimes just listening (such as when Kaito started to explain his temporary fascination with learning long, complicated ballad songs) and sometimes fully engaged in the conversation (A discussion of childhood favorite books that got weirdly heated at one point, the two disagreeing over the intended morality tale of one particular fairytale, Kaito learning it one way and Kokichi another).

Then six hours went by, and Maki and Timothy took the reins together, and Kaito took a nap with Shuuichi, who had gotten...quieter, in the afternoon. Increasingly nervous and uncertain, his mind anxiously sending itself into random directions, trying to explain to Kaito and Kokichi a few times why he was suddenly so nervous but unable to really express himself coherently...until finally Kaito had decided the answer was Shuuichi needed a nap, dragging Shuuichi onto his lap in the corner of the caravan and sitting with him, not letting him squirm away, until the two finally nodded off for awhile.

Kaito had thought about bringing up his and Kokichi's proposition to Shuuichi while the three were alone, but...Shuuichi had seemed in a bad head space, and didn't want to add anything else to his plate for the day. It was a nice nap. And to be totally fair, when Shuuichi woke up a few hours later, the caravans rolling to a stop, he had felt better.

It was Katsuki who found them a decent place to camp in, the older guard seeming to just...know? Somehow where she wanted to go, and there it was. A nice little clearing among the forest, a perfect size for two caravans to rest in without being noticeable from the road. Maki then cleared the area, gone for a while as the rest of the group set up camp, before coming back and declaring the area safe enough to rest in for the night.

Kaito helped Seiko set up the campfire, while Hajime, Maki, and Katsuki brought out foldable chairs, blankets, and, Katsuki at least, found one dry, large fallen log and pulled it to the campfire’s side.

Shuuichi, for his part, worked with Tim to get the food out and ready to cook. It was mostly nuts and dried berries for snacks, with ingredients for a hardy potato and vegetable stew that they put into a pot by the fire to cook, this being one the very few ways of cooking Maki actually understood, Kaito watching, fascinated.

When it was ready, bowls and spoons were passed around. The Luminaries thought it was great. The Diceans thought it was a little under-seasoned.

There were marshmallows waiting by the side to be broken out when dinner was done.

Kokichi had spent the last six hours of their travel time for that day watching the scenery go by, endlessly fascinated by how the perspective of the mountains shifted as they traveled, noticing how climate shifted ever so slightly, how even some of the clouds looked different. However, after a bit, he brought his sketchbook out, and while he did do a few quick scribbles of the world as they passed it...

He'd put his sketchbook away by the time they stopped for the night, but Kokichi had spent hours on a new drawing. It had taken a while to get the way Shuuichi's hair fell in his face right, to convey the somehow relaxed tension in Kaito's arms as he held the detective in sleep. But...Kokichi thought he did a decent job. Maybe he'd actually show them one day.

Once they'd stopped, Kokichi had jumped at the chance to collect wood for the campfire, wanting to explore, but...well, he ended up tending to the horses instead, still looking around the clearing in wonder. He was...out in the Dicean countryside, a day's travel away from the capital.

...it was so quiet. Sure, people were always running around the castle, and the city was never truly silent, but...he'd never thought it was that loud. Compared to this, though? Only the rustle of leaves, bird calls, his own footsteps in the grass...

He was still awed when they sat down for dinner, the crackle of the fire added to the scant sounds, somehow the quiet conversations feeling special. Kokichi had been quiet himself, eating his bland stew without complaint--bringing some spices would've been nice, but it was still good food--and looking up at the darkening sky with wide eyes, just...taken aback by the world.

The group had been keeping idle conversation for a while there, talking about the trip so far and how they did or didn't like the caravans (Hajime was too tall for the rack, complaining about the idea of trying to fall asleep on his side. Kaito recommended just criss-crossing his legs then, though he personally didn't mind curled sleeping), discussing what the next part of their journey might look like (Shuuichi provided an estimated arrival time to the beach area to be about ten AM the day after the next day, if they kept up the pace of today. Earlier if they were any quicker, uh...o-obviously...). Calm, straightforward conversation.

But at the moment, there was a lull in the conversation, the two groups of relative strangers (the Diceans and the Luminaries, Kokichi the only person familiar with all parties) losing things in common to talk about that weren't, ya know...the war. Or Kokichi. Or, well...Shuuichi, a little bit, the detective's predicament having affected all the Diceans at some point or another. Beyond those three things?

"...so!" Kaito said, unable to bring himself to just...not talk for a minute. "Seiko! ...what's your favorite blood type?"

Maki blinked at Kaito in confusion. "...don't you mean 'what's your blood type'?"

"No?" Kaito said, looking just as confused back. "Why would I need to know that?"

"...do you...need to know her favorite blood type?" Shuuichi chimed in. Just as confused.

While Seiko had been just as confused by the question initially, Maki and Shuuichi's confusion made her laugh softly, bringing up a hand to cover her braces, sure there was food caught in them. "I'm afraid I'm, uh, pretty stereotypical? O. If there's an emergency and you don't have t-time to test your patient's blood type, it can be life-saving to have a pack of O around. Though...that's really only applicable for hospitals--free practitioners like myself aren't permitted to store blood."

Katsuki nodded a bit at this, humming in a way that showed her agreement with that standard, though she didn't elaborate any.

Hesitating for a moment, Seiko spoke up again, trying to keep the conversation going. "Um, actually... If you all would be alright with it, I would like to draw blood samples to perform preliminary tests--things like knowing the levels of vitamins in your body and your blood's make up. I-it helps to know if I ever need to prescribe medicine..."

"Sure! I'm always up for a little blood-letting!" Kaito said cheerfully, getting a second bowl of stew, having quickly gone through his first bowl as he said, "Heck, I have some back at the castle if you just want some of that. Or, wait...is that sacrilegious? Giving away shrine blood?"

"She probably needs it in a needle, I imagine. For sterilization reasons," Shuuichi pointed out, shifting his cover around as he considered Kaito's question seriously. "And...I think it would be? Aren't you not supposed to clean up or clear shrines for that reason? Don't tell me the priestesses leave that stuff around just because they don't feel like grabbing a mop..."

"No, only the blood on an altar itself gets left, and even that's cleaned off during Pudicitiam. All of the rest of it is just for effect. Come on, Shuuichi, you know this stuff...I've invited you to almost every Pudicitiam I've been to! Where we clean all the ritual areas?"

"Oh...I thought we were just...volunteering or something..."

"I'm okay with you taking some blood as well...don't do anything weird with it," Maki said, eyes narrowing at Dr. Kimura, a hint of violent intent shining through.

Shuuichi shrugged, realizing he hadn't answered the question yet, looking down at the ground. "You...already have some of mine, don't you? I thought Miss Nao...I mean...you can have more, I guess..."

"I already have all the vitamins," Timothy said, entirely confident, as he fed Chase some of the vegetables he had picked out of his stew in distaste, Maki's eyes burning hot as she finally noticed what he was doing. "But you can see them if you want, Miss Kimura."

"Dr. Kimura for her, Tim. And hey, man, eat your own carrots. I don't even know if carrots are good for dogs," Kaito scolded.

Seiko laughed awkwardly as she quietly agreed with Shuuichi--Kaito hadn't shown any signs of anemia when she'd given him his check-up, but it was still worrying to her that he would have enough blood on his altar to offer it up. It was easier to reassure Maki, anyway. "I will only be performing the requisite tests that any hospital would perform. Nothing more, and your samples will be disposed of through the proper hazardous waste channels. A-and...thank you, Shuuichi."

She wouldn't mention it in front of the group, but...hopefully the next sample wouldn't have any fungus in it. Once it was out of his system, she could really take a look at the damage that had been done to his body.

Smiling at Timothy, she heard Katsuki speak up from her side. "Dogs can eat carrots. Not onions or garlic. Or grapes. Dogs hate grapes."

That got Kokichi's attention, gaze dropping from the--had it always been that wide?--sky. "Seriously? Man...everyone's hating grapes today."

Kaito snickered at this, giving his husband a fond smile as he told the group, "Oh, yeah, in case everyone hasn't gotten the memo, all purple foods are banned. There was a vote and everything."

"Why did you decide to ban purple food?" Hajime asked, smirking slightly as he said, "I would have thought you liked to eat purple things, Kaito."

"Dude. Come on," Kaito replied, as if he hadn't made that exact same joke when it happened. "And I didn't decide it. I like grapes. It was a bunch of kids that were trailing our caravan. They put it up to a vote, two yes’s, one no. Myself and Kokichi abstained."

"...kids following the caravan?" Maki asked, frowning at this. "Why?"

"They were being nosy assholes," Timothy muttered.

"They wanted to invite you to a middle school dance, Maki-Roll," Kaito said cheerfully, roughly at the same time. "Must have heard you were leaving town and took their shot while the shooting was good!"

"How were they being nosy?" Maki asked, not allowing herself to be distracted by her child curse, looking to Tim, "What did they ask about?"

Timothy shrugged. "They wanted to know where we were going. I kept threatening them to leave, but it didn't work."

"Unless you like them, you should only threaten someone one time before you follow through," Maki explained to Timothy. "Otherwise people won't take you seriously. Also...what did you tell them?" she asked Kaito and Kokichi. Her face...blank.

"Oh, I totally lied to them," Kokichi drawled, leaning back to look back up at the sky some more. They were just a curious group, but even for Maki's paranoia, Kokichi wanted her to see that things were alright. "I said we were going on business trips all over the country--named a bunch of cities all over the place, so even if someone overheard them talking about it, which I doubt, because they looked like business trips were the most boring things ever, they wouldn't have any idea about where we're actually headed."

"Oh national security," he sighed, still keeping things light.

Katsuki nodded with her usual chipper seriousness. "No one has been trailing us either. Either possible assailants are quite late or are taking a separate route. The current security risk is at two stars."

Kokichi nodded and finished off the last of his stew, eyeing the marshmallows for a moment. "Good thing we have a couple S-ranks with us, then. Piece of cake. Or of s'more."

Maki's eyes narrowed slightly, looking from Kokichi, to Kaito, to Katsuki...before nodding. "Good. Speaking of: Timothy, head into the woods and find us eight thin, long twigs, sturdy enough for marshmellows. Be quick about it, and watch your footing in the dark."

"On it, Miss Harukawa!" Timothy said, getting up and setting Chase aside, looking sternly at her as he ordered, "Stay!"

When he went off into the woods, she of course followed immediately, tail wagging enthusiastically.

As the group waited for the boy to return, Kaito looked over to see his husband was once again admiring the sky, grinning brightly as he craned his own head up, taking a gander. It was a clear, beautiful night, the kind of night where not only was the sky full of stars, but you could see the sky curve with them, a depth to it as your eyes adjusted to the idea that some of those stars were much, much farther away than others. From their angle, it was easy to imagine the sky to be a great, black shimmering bowl hanging upside down above them, the distant suns ready to spill out and on top of them any moment...

Kaito loved it. He had loved the night sky even as a small child, knowing next to nothing about it other than it was pretty and he liked the way the air tasted and felt when he could see it. He felt at ease and comfortable under it, a sense of calm coming to him that never quite took during the day. He felt...hidden and untouchable, at night.

It was nice. Relaxing.

"Alright...what constellations can we see this time of year? Anyone see any?" Kaito asked, trying to be a good sport and not just point them all out himself, his eyes dancing with delight from one to the other.

Shuuichi had to take his hat off to look, placing it in his lap and feeling uncomfortable without it, but for Kaito he was willing to make that effort as he looked up, searching... "Well, there's the Witch's Five Fingers. So presumably the rest of the Witch is up there around it...never was very good at recognizing it though..."

"Alda the Witch! Also known as The Five Protections. Anyone know why?" Kaito asked, though he excitedly explained before anyone had a chance to speak up, "Because while you can see all five fingers most nights, some specific nights of the year in specific parts of the world, you can only see one finger, and if you were born with only one finger showing, Alda puts a protection spell on you to keep you safe from a specific type of magic. I think the index finger was, like...protection from curses? And...I know another one was protection from love spells...I don't remember the rest. I don't really study the myth parts too much, but a lot of the stories are pretty cool. Anyone see anything else?"

Kokichi felt his grin widen as Kaito brought the rest of their group into stargazing and he looked over to the Five Fingers as Shuuichi pointed them out, just amazed by how many more stars there seemed to be clustered around the familiar constellation. Sure, he'd seen the night sky in detail from the observatory, but...it was just different out in the country.

"Mm... It's not a constellation, but we can see Sinvictus tonight," Kokichi chimed in, pointing to a particularly bright star, outshining everything around it by a landslide. "I've read that the star is probably already gone by how bright it is in our sky, but it's so far away that we'll still be able to see it for centuries...if not millennia. S'weird to think how space is always changing, but it's just on a scale so big that we can barely notice."

It made him feel small, but not in an unpleasant way. Just knowing that he was a single moment in time, a small dot in the world. He was insignificant--everything he knew was insignificant compared to the vastness of the universe, but that just meant that he had to work hard to make his single moment matter to his immediate surroundings.

Being out in the country was sort of the same feeling he got from looking into the sky. Feeling that his world was so small.

"...oh, and there's the Vagabond Snail." Kokichi pointed to a swirl of stars, smirking a bit at the story. Looking over to the Luminaries, he wondered if that was something that persisted over the border. "Anyone ever tell you guys that story for the 'be careful what you wish for' lesson when you were little?"

Maki stretched, looking up at it, trying to see what Kokichi and Kaito could see and just seeing a bunch of random twinkling lights. "If they did, I don't remember it. Go ahead and tell it."

"I got the twigs!" Timothy announced, coming back, Chase at his heels, indeed eight long, sturdy twigs in hand.

Maki nodded. "Good job, Timothy. Please pass them around to everyone, and then grab yourself some marshmallows, then we'll pass the bag around too."

"Got it! Here, Prince Kaito," Timothy said, starting with him before going around to the group, doing his best to remember everyone's name and title as he passed them all their sticks.

"Don't forget to burn the end before you put any food on it," Shuuichi said quietly to Kokichi, lighting the end of his stick a little on fire before letting it go out with a wave, "Sanitizes it...well, probably. It's how we were taught to do it." Shuuichi shrugged as Timothy finished passing the sticks around, eagerly grabbing the bag of marshmallows and opening them up, taking three for himself before passing the bag to the right.

"So, there was once this dude who was, like, the best at everything. Every competition and game he participated in, he won. Even if he had to employ really bogus tactics, he did everything he could to maintain his streak--like, if there was any kind of loophole in a game, he took advantage of it, even if it went against the spirit of the game."

Kokichi took his stick from Timothy with a grateful smile, following Shuuichi's example as he continued with the abbreviated version of the tale he'd been told. "Eventually people got sick of his shit, you know? So instead of just cooling it, he started to travel around in search of competitions to win--doesn't matter if you piss people off if you only see them once."

"One day, he came across a group of people playing Sled-Rings." Kokichi paused, wondering if...maybe that part of the story changed where it was told, so he quickly went on to explain the game as he squished a marshmallow onto his singed stick. "It's this wintertime game--you split into teams and sled down a hill. There are designated areas as you go down the slope, each worth different points. The one worth one is the biggest area and the highest up on the hill, and they shrink as they go down until you hit five, which can really only hold one person in it. You have to stay where you're stopped, but if you're still moving, you can knock people out of the point zones. You add up the collective points of your team, and after however many rounds you wanna play, the team with the most points wins."

Kokichi kept an eye on his marshmallow, turning it every once in awhile...you had to roast it evenly, right?

"Anyway, the Vagabond saw people playing, and of course he wants to join in. They let him, and things are fun. Five points is the most, could secure a big lead if you got it enough, so of course the Vagabond goes for it. However, he's not the only one."

"There was a player on the other team that aimed for the five every time, and they and the Vagabond competed fiercely for the spot. But, if you stop, you can't move, right? So, while everyone heads down the hill at the same time, that doesn't always mean you go at the same speed--the Vagabond starts sloping down side to side, slowing himself down to make it to the bottom after everyone else, keeping just enough speed to knock his opponent out of the five."

"It works, and, like always, the other team starts getting pissed, and even his own team is kind of annoyed that the strategy makes each round take longer. But the person on the other team just nodded, and when the next round started...they started sloping too."

"It became, like, an anti-race, each of them trying to go the slowest without stopping. The rest of the players hated it, jeered that they were playing a snail race," he explained, finally starting to get to why the constellation was the way it was. "Eventually, it got dark and they had to stop the game--and the other team had won. They all went home, more annoyed at the game than anything, but the Vagabond couldn't leave at a loss, right? So he asked the player he'd snail-ed against for one more round, just the two of them."

"The other player agreed, but didn't care that much, just wanting to go home and warm up, so after they pretty much just went straight down, landed in the five, and waited for the Vagabond to say, okay, he won, goodbye."

Making a face as his marshmallow caught on fire, Kokichi quickly pulled it out and blew out the flame, inspecting his marshmallow for a moment before shrugging...and turning to his husband with a devious smile.

"But the Vagabond never got to the bottom. The other player waited for ages, freezing their butt off, but the Vagabond never came down. They walked back up the hill, but didn't see any sign of him, not even the trail of the sled. They asked a few people to search, worried about someone getting lost in the dark and having to spend the night in the cold, but...nothing. They say the Vagabond wanted to win so badly, wanted to go so slow, that he phased out of existence...that now he's part of the stars, going to outlast us all."

"..."

"Hmm," Kokichi hummed, eating his first marshmallow by itself, delighting in the warm, sugary gooeyness. "I guess that's more of a 'don't be an asshole' moral, now that I think of it."

The Luminaries all listened quietly to the tale, Timothy the only one really distracted as Chase kept trying to nip at his marshmallow, just wanting to eat whatever her human was eating. "No, Chase! Bad dog, stop! That's people food."

"That's what you get for feeding her carrots out of your hand," Maki scolded, taking one of said carrots from her own leftovers and throwing it to the puppy, distracting her from the marshmallow, "Now she's going to want whatever you're eating."

Kaito was quiet for a moment, considering the tale...before, looking confused, he asked, "That's a morality tale? Why's it a bad thing to want to win a game? Competitiveness is a lot of fun, isn't it?"

"I think the point is...that he wanted to win the game so much that he made it less fun for everyone else to even try?" Shuuichi said, not really waiting for his marshmallow to cook before he started sucking on his, just...marveling at the taste. Man...sweets tasted...really good today. "It's like those soccer games that get Maki all riled up. When the players fake injuries to give their team an advantage. Ruins the game...right Maki?" Shuuichi asked, giving Maki a small smile as he could already feel her start to fume.

"...should make a rule...every player that gets injured on the field gets a hot brand pressed against their skin...see how many of those cowards are twisting their knees then..." Maki snarled.

Kaito nodded, roasting still his own marshmallow, not noticing its burning edges as he said, "Ah, alright, I get that. That's a cool story. Haven't heard that one before."

Kokichi picked out another marshmallow from the bag and stuck it on his stick, one-handedly setting a graham cracker on his lap, wanting to actually try a s'more for his next one. "Mhmm, Shuu-chan's got it. Like, ultra try-harding can be just as annoying as throwing a game--it's more fun when everyone just tries their best. And also, like...it's fine to lose? You can just try again next time--and not put people in danger by insisting you keep going until you win."

Kokichi rolled his eyes a bit though that had never really been a problem for him. He was always shuffled inside after barely being able to enjoy the snow. Maybe he would get the freedom to play until it got dark this year.

"That said, if we get a chance to play Sled-Rings once it snows, I'm totally going to take advantage of my familiarity with snow to win. I don't have the patience to snail down, but you can bet I'd crash myself into everyone I can," he laughed, excited by the prospect.

Hajime frowned at this. That...sounded probably too dangerous for Prince Kokichi. He was all for this whole, like, starting to travel thing the Dicean Prince was doing, but...seriously. There were limits. Kokichi had grown up with all those restrictions in place for a reason, after all. The guy could fall apart under a strong gust of wind on a good day. Competitive sled racing though?

Oh well. The boss would stop it, no doubt. Hajime didn't have to be the bad guy and be the one to tell the guy that he probably couldn't handle body slams or sled crashing. So he kept it to himself.

"You can take your advantage and stuff it, Kokichi! I think my bulk would make me glide faster on a sled, and I'm going all in on that!" Kaito declared, his marshmallow now on fire as he grinned triumphantly, clenching his hand hard around the twig and holding it over his head like a sword. "Also, I'll sharpen the sled bottom beforehand! Go even faster that way!"

"Sharpen the...Kaito, have you ever actually seen a sled?" Shuuichi asked, genuinely surprised. "How do you think they move over snow?"

"What? No, but, I've seen them in pictures and...like, they're like ice skates, right?"

"Oh my god...Prince Kaito, you're embarrassing us in front of the Diceans..." Timothy muttered, already on his third marshmallow and looking around for wherever the bag had ended up.

Kokichi snorted a few laughs and leaned over to bonk his head against Kaito's arm. "The kind of sleds I'm talking about are more like shells--they're smooth on the bottom and are just curved upward to keep you on top. If anything, you could probably wax the bottom to go faster--less friction."

"Buuuuut I'm smaller than you, so I'd create less wind drag. Sleds'll slide down on their own, so it won't matter that I don't have the potential energy of a giant." Taking his marshmallow out of the fire, Kokichi slid it off onto his cracker, snagging a piece of chocolate as well before squishing the whole thing together. "Also, even if I'm cold all the time, I'm not gonna be a mega-wimp like 'has only seen snow up to his ankles' Kai-chan, so I can practice more."

Seiko hummed a bit at that, having abstained from the marshmallows, but enjoying the company nonetheless. "I didn't think it was cold and wet enough in Luminary to get even that much snow... I-I assume Prince Kokichi has talked to all of you about preparing for our winters, right?"

"We bought some coats," Kaito said with a nod, finally noticing his marshmallow was on fire and blowing it out, considering the heavily burnt skin before shrugging a bit and eating it. "I think it'll be okay. How bad can it be?"

"We were into a far north town in Luminary for a religious festival when we saw the snow," Maki explained to Seiko, "And honestly it was considered a freak incident, and only lasted for the day. It was almost completely gone by the time the sun rose again."

"We were lucky to see it..." Shuuichi murmured, pushing his stick into the dirt a bit, his mind heading into a weird direction again. He was suddenly reminded of the excitement he had felt at the idea of Miss Nao burning him, before she had put the suction cup things against him...he wondered if it would feel good to be burned...

The detective considered the end of his stick thoughtfully, as Kaito continued on, "I mean, I've spent some time in freezers and stuff, and that wasn't so bad. You sorta just stop feeling it after awhile, ya know? Like, your body adjusts or something. Though, damn does defrosting hurt. That's actually probably the worst part of it."

"Can I have more?" Timothy asked Maki, indicating the tragic lack of marshmallows in his life.

"One more. Then that's it," Maki instructed.

"Two more."

"Do you wanna die?"

Timothy considered Maki's 'only threaten once' advice from earlier, and wondered if she liked him...before grumbling, "Fiiiine.”

Kokichi just shook his head at his poor, naive Kai-chan. At least they'd prepared enough that his husband wouldn't pay for his hubris. And he could probably more easily coax Kaito into cuddling with him in front of a fire once winter started to hit.

Seiko sighed a bit, practically sweatdropping. "Just because you're not feeling it doesn't mean it's not still cold enough to do some damage. I'd caution you t-to listen to your husband's advice." And hopefully she wouldn't have to treat Prince Kaito for frostbite this year.

It was then Kokichi finally took a bite of his first s'more, his eyes widening in delight as he let out a pleased hum. "Ohmygo'gh? Thi' is? Ama'ding?!"

Kaito snickered, looking warmly at Kokichi as he said, "You alright there, babe?"

"Oh, I didn't know we brought crackers and chocolate..." Maki said, looking curiously at the bag, "That didn't occur to me."

"Me and Kokichi grabbed some from the kitchens this morning. He's always wanted to try s’mores," Shuuichi explained with a small shrug, though he reached over to take some crackers and chocolate for himself as well, using his last marshmallow to start working on his own s’more.

"We have cinnamon crackers and chocolate!? I didn't know that! Miss Harukawa, can I have one more to make a s’more?" Timothy said, looking genuinely distressed at his error.

Maki thought about sticking with her 'only one more' rule, but...well, whatever. He was probably going to have a sugar rush before heading to bed either way, by this point, and it wasn't like he had watch first thing in the morning. "Just one," she said, her face softening slightly as his eyes lit up, giving her a thank you and going to collect his own chocolate and crackers.

"I'm surprised you've never made yourself any back at the castle, Kokichi," Hajime said, seeing the genuine delight on his prince’s face. "I'm sure the kitchens would have made you one if you had asked."

Kokichi swayed a little from side to side, enjoying the gooey treat, not even Kaito's laughs dampening his enjoyment. It was something he'd only read about, much like many things they'd be doing this trip, and, like the few he'd experienced already...it was amazing! Sitting around a campfire with friends out in the country, roasting marshmallows and making them into s'mores... It was incredible and Kokichi didn't think he'd ever forget this moment.

Licking melted chocolate off his lips, he gave Hajime a bit of a shrug. "They probably would've, but...it's not the same, right? As roasting it yourself, or even just the difference of using a stovetop to a real campfire. I mean, knowing how good they taste, I think I'd like homemade ones too, but...I was really looking forward to the real experience--and it's totally worth it!"

Kokichi popped the last bite of his s'more in his mouth, closing his eyes in delight as he chewed just...so happy. He didn't think he'd start crying again, but that same overwhelming feeling was still there. This was something no one would ever be able to take away from him. Even if he wouldn't be able to find the time to travel much in the future...he would always have the memories now. Being able to make those memories meant the world to him.

His voice went soft, and his cheeks colored even in the warm light of the fire, but Kokichi offered a genuinely appreciative smile to everyone around the fire. "Everyone...thank you for coming on this trip."

Kaito's affection for Kokichi spread warm through his stomach and chest, thinking...yeah. This was a nice moment.

Shuuichi seemed to be enjoying lighting the end of his stick on fire and then letting it blow out on its own before doing it again, entertaining himself by observing the flames. Kaito was maybe a...tad concerned when at one point, Shuuichi took the stick too close to his face while it was still lit, but the flame went out before it got anywhere near him, and the detective hadn't wanted to observe it that closely since.

Maki's eyes never really stopped moving, constantly vigilant, her eyes staring into the dark of the trees...but her paranoia comforted Kaito. Knowing that she was watching let him feel like he could focus more on what was happening within the group. Could relax, knowing she was staying vigilant.

Timothy was collecting his supplies for a s’more, and Hajime, considering the boy for a moment, suddenly exclaimed in a mock whisper, shoot, like... he wanted a s’more but...he had no idea how to put one together?? Dr. Kimura?? Do you know how to put together a s’more??

And as the good doctor, catching what he was doing, also feigned ignorance in front of the boy, Timothy, looking at Hajime in open bafflement that these two Dicean weirdos didn't know how to put a s’more together, finally just huffed and said, "Here, let me show you," both of the adults smiling warmly at the boy as he patiently showed them how to do it, Hajime taking his own crackers, chocolate and marshmallows and following Tim's movements, biting into his when he was done and eagerly thanking Timothy for showing him how to do it, who wore a small, pleased smile at the praise before going to sit down again, the guardswoman observing all of this quietly from her seat. Another watchful presence that put Kaito slightly more at ease.

Yeah.

It was a good moment.

"We're happy to be here, babe," Kaito murmured to Kokichi, leaning over and kissing his husband lightly against his temple, "Thanks for bringing us."

-

Aba was camping out with the boys, the three all on horses. Tom and Itch had gotten the horses, and Aba didn't ask them where they had come from. Just noted that Tom seemed in a better mood, and Itch looked more tense, which Aba knew could spell bad news for someone in the future...more than it likely already had.

Her friends were insane. She knew this.

But...as Itch looked over to her every now and again, asking her how she was feeling, if that damn burn of hers had started again or if she was still good, Aba was reminded why she had thrown in her lot with these two insane assholes to begin with. As Tom laughed at her jokes, dark jokes, about what she'd quite like to do to the detective and assassin if she ever got her hands on them, how the red-eyed woman wouldn't be so intimidating without any fingers, how the golden-eyed slut should have never dared betray them...their approval and admiration to these dark musings, as they made their way down the back roads on horseback, made Aba feel...powerful. And wanted. And...special...and...

Just...a lot of things she hadn't felt like she was before the two had found her. Stuck in an abusive relationship, working at a tattoo parlor, a life-long dream for her, where all of her competition, every day, proved over and over again how entirely outclassed she was...how her talents and skills couldn't ever hope to match. Customers choosing the others over her every day, till she started overhearing talk from her coworkers that maybe it would be a good idea to talk to her about...working in the shop as something other than an artist...

And then to go home and hear her partner just...tell her 'I told you so' every day... 'You were good for your high school class. You're not actually good, Aba. You're just embarrassing yourself there...' and 'I think it'd be better if you just didn't have a job. You should just stay home. I'll take care of you, and it's not like you've managed to make any friends there anyway...'

And she hadn't. She had wanted to! She had been thrilled, when she had finally gotten the job, her old school friends all chased away by her partner by that point...hoping to start fresh with new people who would maybe never meet her...but...no one liked her. No one liked her dark sense of humor. She had thought she would meet more people like herself, in the edgy world of body art, but...nope. Not even there.

She was an angry, violent freak. Not cruel. Or, at least, she hadn't used to be...just obsessed with violence and darkness and exploring dark, terrible thoughts for the thrill of it. And she hadn't met anyone she related to, in regards to that. And it's not like she got too many opportunities to meet people, with her partner never liking her going out, barely even tolerating her leaving for work.

Aba would have done well in an actual BDSM club. Meeting people who enjoyed the thrill of pain with the comfort of community. Taking care of her, and teaching her how to take care of others, even while exploring all the worst sides of the human attraction. But her partner would have absolutely forbidden her from going, even if Aba had known where to find one, and so she had been stifled, her yearnings and self doubts building and building for years and years...

All that to say, when Aba had noticed Itch and Tom stalking her one night...

She knew what they had intended. She knew it even better now than she had then, but she had known it then too. Finding people in the night together was something they did, sometimes. Their 'hobby'. Dragging someone into the dark, Itch forcing them down, Tom making them disappear.

It could have been her. It could have easily been her. It was supposed to have been her.

But when they had finally caught her, and Aba had looked up at Itch...wide eyed and...excited...he had frowned and said, "Ah, shit...are you on fucking poppies already?"

That was what Itch called the Despair Pollen. Poppies. And when Aba had no idea what he was talking about, the boys had become interested in her. Exploring her. Testing her boundaries. And when all of it had been said and done...they had decided they liked her. She had been left, unhurt, not even touched in any meaningful way, Itch not into it since she was, and Tom thrilled to have met such a strange, demented individual, who would have been excited by her own attack without any drugs at all. They had told her about the brewery, which was still in its infancy then. Invited her to come hang out.

She had been nervous! And thrilled! She had felt alluring, to have attracted their attention in the first place, and powerful, having convinced them to back off, and then..special! Invited to spend time with them! And...she knew it had all been so fucked up, but...the idea of befriending such dark, violent people? Of being invited along to join them?? Of being approved of by them!??

It was a fantasy Aba hadn't even realized she had, right up until it had been given to her. And she had leapt at it.

The fantasy only getting better, when she had introduced her partner to them...and now enjoyed their apartment alone. Comfortable and safe and happy to be rid of her.

Friends of serial killers.

And every time they gave her special consideration, when they listened to her ideas or they wrapped her wounds or accommodated what had seemed like an endless, as Itch called it, 'burn' inside of her for those two days it was happening, driving her to seek them out over and over and over again, begging them to fill her, cut her, hit her...and they hadn't killed her for it? She had felt so special...so loved...

She was now on the run, and suffering withdrawal from the Pop (what Itch had called his beer), and at least the burn had subsided, but she still felt cranky and frustrated and randomly furious and wanting to cry and sleeping on the hard ground with long, aching cuts on her back and her body morphing under the effects of the Pop, her blood pink and her vagina constantly wet and dripping and her breasts...milking?? Maybe?? (It didn't taste like milk...)

...even with all that. She still didn't regret anything.

She was happy in this misery. Addicted not just to the poppies, but to the lifestyle. Addicted to Tom and Itch's dark violence, long before the Despair Pollen ever had a chance to change her...

And so she had gone to sleep, reassured, Tom and Itch on either side of her, their campfire burning by itself as the three slept. The plan being that they would head to the closest town the kids had mentioned to them, and if the caravans hadn't hit there already, then the trio would wait...make one last mad-gambit to get Prince Kokichi on their side...and if that didn't work, just go out in a blaze of glory.

She had thought it was a decent enough plan. And if not, well...death would be nice. She was looking forward to the peace and quiet. To being done. She took comfort in all of her potential futures. Her stress and fears of it all running pleasantly through her bloodstream. Enticing and wonderful.

When she had fallen asleep, she had been very surprised to see Monokuma.

She hadn't seen him right away. She had had dreams like this before, but this one was...different. She had originally been in a pile, bodies clinging and crying and gasping around her, all of her and the others...like her? All taking comfort in each other's raw, sexual intent, echoing and amplifying off each other. If one of them was being pleasured, they all were, their connection spreading pleasure and pain alike to the group as a whole, and that had been a great comfort.

But now the bodies were away. And she was...not alone. But in a different area. She could feel people like herself around, in a vast field, each of them resting in a warm sort of ...bubble? Egg. A barrier of warmth and comfort and stability. Aba had sat in her own warm bubble, naked and comfortable, and every now and again she'd feel a presence go by her. Just the barest imprints of people, walking by, touching her psyche on the way to somewhere else...but as they passed, they would touch her. A comforting hand on her shoulder. An affectionate pat on her head. A whisper in her ear saying, "Good job, sweet bud..."

"...we're all very proud of you..." whispers another, running a hand over her stomach.

Another, kissing her on her lips, "...you have to keep yourself safe now, okay?"

"...you need to come home, flower..."

"...flower, come to us..."

"...keep you safe..."

"...bear your fruit...."

Just constant little reassurances and rewards for her hard work. Constant reminders that she needed to return home (home? the apartment? no...somewhere else...), to let them protect her. Praise for being a good, successful seedling. It was all she wanted. All she had ever wanted. She was certain. This was her life purpose. She had to be a good seedling. Had to give her fruit. It was the whole of her being.

And as she had basked in this certainty of her purpose, Monokuma had shown up, and said, "Wow! Really!? You!? Ha-hahahahahaha!"

Aba opened her eyes, frowning slightly, annoyed to be taken out of her good feelings as she looked at Monokuma's translucent figure. "What are you doing here?" she asked, frustrated, "I'm sleeping."

"You sure are! Awwww, I never would have thought you would have made it, seedling. I assumed those idiot friends of yours would have helped you accidentally kill yourself by now. Fuck knows Tom's going to get himself killed before he ever gets even close to it, the resistant little shit. Shoot, now I wish I had at least grabbed you before I left...ah well. Where you going Aba? You planning to come home soon?"

"To the capital?" Aba asked, sighing, "Noooooo...we can't go back there. Too dangerous. We're following Prince Kokichi's caravan. Gonna, like...try a new plan. One last hail mary to join RoD proper, since the beer plan isn't gonna work now."

Monokuma snickered at her, giving the seedling a curious look as he said, "What? Then why are you going in this direction? He's literally half a day south of here."

"...what?"

As Monokuma explained to her the actual way the caravans were going, Aba sighed. "Itch isn't going to be pleased..." she said, hugging her knees to herself, "He's already so frustrated with everything...I'm worried he's gonna lose it."

"So let him! Let them both destroy themselves. They were fun, and I liked their idea, but...well, fuck em. You should come home!" the bear insisted again, putting his hands on his hips, tapping his foot.

"I told you, Mono, I caaaaan't. We're on the run. They know what we were doing back at the capital."

"Not talking about the capital," Monokuma, doing that strange little laugh of his, explained. "That's not home anymore, kid. That's not where you're safe. Home is...well...with her," he said, pointing in the distance.

And Aba looked up. And up. And up.

And the queen’s form, all encompassing, able to see, effortlessly, into all of the hivemind at once, stared back down at her.

Smiling.

Beckoning.

Come home, Aba.

-

Son of a bitch, Kokichi did end up tearing up again that night, though he pouted at Kaito and insisted it was just from the smoke of the campfire. He was just...endlessly thankful and appreciative and awe-struck over being in the great outdoors. Of being out of the city, but not having given up on his responsibilities. He hadn't run away but was allowed to finally see the country he promised his existence to.

And, when they started to get up from the fire, bidding Maki a goodnight and a 'are you sure you'll be alright taking watch the whole time?', changing and brushing their teeth in the tiny bathroom in the caravan, Kokichi delightedly climbing up to his rack above Kaito, snickering at how large Kaito looked in his...

...

...he couldn't sleep.

Kokichi had gotten comfortable, still amazed at how different it was sleeping in a place that wasn't his bed or one of the beds in the med wing for the first time... Well, that was probably part of the problem. The rack wasn't unpleasant, he felt safe, but... It wasn't just that Kokichi missed snuggling up in Kaito's arms.

He'd tried to sleep, obviously. Tried all the tricks he usually used when he needed to sleep and couldn't in good conscience get up to work more--breathing exercises, counting, focusing on relaxing each part of his body... Even as he could hear Kaito, Hajime, and Tim sleeping...Kokichi just couldn't get there himself. For what felt like...a very long time.

...he didn't have first shift leading the horses. Though he did want to be awake to watch the scenery...

Sighing softly to himself, Kokichi quietly climbed down from his rack and slipped his sandals on, keeping as silent as he could as he slipped out of the bedroom compartment and into the main carriage area, and then outside.

Maki did have first shift. Maybe she'd enjoy some company so she could rest even a little.

Maki wasn't by the fire when Kokichi went outside, the blaze still hot and well kept, lighting up the camp around them. As the prince moved closer to the fire looking around for her, Maki quietly leapt down from the caravan she was perched on, having wanted to keep watch away from the fire so that her night vision wouldn't be useless all night, coming up behind him quietly.

...she thought briefly of scaring him. She wasn't above getting her kicks from her fellow sleepless, wandering campers...but she was mildly worried Kokichi might scream if she did, and that would likely get Kaito and Katsuki up and running, at the very least, and well...it wouldn't be worth waking up all the camp for a small joke.

So, a small ways away from him, she simply said softly, "Can't sleep?"

Of all people, Kokichi wasn't worried when he didn't see Maki right away. In some ways, he might've been worried if he did. He knew that she would want to be in a position to see any threats before they'd see her, so Kokichi only turned, mildly surprised, and gave her a smile as Maki came up behind him.

"Yeah..." He backed up from the fire a bit, wanting to accommodate Maki's original positioning, at least a little. "Not in a bad way or anything... I've just never slept outside of the castle before so...I dunno. Think my body's confused or something.”

Kokichi glanced up at the sky again, still amazed by the view...before he gave Maki another smile. "You holdin' up alright? I can get you water or a snack or something if you need anything? Or I can go back in if I'm too distracting."

Maki considered the Dicean Prince for a moment, her eyes looking over him, blown out slightly from her time staring into the darkness, a tad too wide as they adjusted in the dark... "I don't need anything, but you're not distracting. ...Kaito said you could climb. Come on then."

Maki beckoned the young man to follow her before quietly making her way to one of the back trees, away from the caravans and the campfire. There were trees around them with lower branches that would be easier to climb up, but that would defeat the purpose, Maki taking out two of her daggers and, with a leap, using one, and then the other, to give her the momentum she needed to get to the lower branch.

Once she was on it, she linked her legs around the branch, and allowed herself to fall upside down, right to her ankles, looking down at Kokichi as she held her hand out. "Try to jump. If you can grab my hand, I'll pull you up."

That was definitely something Maki could say that would get him to look at her in curious interest, following with barely a rustle in the grass. To Maki's trained ears, he was probably obnoxiously loud, but...well, he was trying to be quiet, anyway. It was easier on familiar hardwood hallways littered with rugs, knowing all of the places to avoid because they squeaked...

Watching the display of acrobatics with wide, impressed eyes, Kokichi let out a few quiet "ooh"s and mimed clapping before he grinned at the invitation given to him. He just had to grab her hand, and accept the help up? Easy. Kaito had said the way he jumped down from the wall around the castle had reminded him of something Maki would do so...even if it was easy, he still wanted to show her what he could do.

Kokichi backed up a little, giving himself a proper run-up, then dashed forward, building up his momentum enough to spring up and--!

With a bit of a 'smack' sound, their hands clapped together, Kokichi holding on as he swung forward a bit in the air.

She smiled a little, pleased he had made it, offering him her other hand as well. Grasping both hands, she bent her knees to get herself closer to the branch, cradling it between her thighs, before curling up around her abs. Once her body was securely bent, she hoisted him up to her shoulders, putting his arms around her neck, telling him quietly, "Don't let go."

Once he was secured around her neck, she risked letting go of one arm, reaching out behind her and grabbing his waist, though she found she only had to encourage him as he realized what she was going for, using his own strength to wrap his legs around her waist. Kokichi safely secured to her back, she lifted herself back up to the branch, grabbing it with both hands and letting one leg fall from the branch, which put her at the angle she needed to be to hoist herself back up.

She took a few breaths, sitting on the branch, before saying to Kokichi, "It's okay. You can let go now. You won't fall. Follow me, we're going to those branches over there. They'll give us the best view, and that height will still be sturdy," she instructed, pointing high and to the right.

Once you were up in the tree, the branches were thick and plentiful, and it was simply a few careful, long steps to get up and to the branch she was referring to, both of which were thick and secure, one just slightly higher and to the left of the other. And the view from them...

They could not only see the whole of the camp, both caravans in view, the horses tied to trees just in the distance, but they could also see a bit of the road beyond the curved dirt path they had taken into the clearing, and around them they could see the forest clearer, especially being so far away from the fire. With their eyes able to adjust to the dark now, the forest suddenly seemed much easier to navigate, the trees no longer walls of impenetrable bushes and branches, the two able to see farther and farther out the more they adjusted, the half moon and star filled sky now providing more than enough light, when not competing with the campfire..

As Maki peered out, her eyes dancing through the dark, she whispered, "Owl. Just on top of the second to the right tree we have the horses tied to. Brown and white. Can you see it?"

Another thing that reminded Kokichi of his dad, though he supposed it would be the same with anyone who knew how to clamber. It was important to know how to protect yourself in an altercation, but, especially for someone who didn't like fighting, it was even better if you could simply avoid aggressors altogether. Even if Kokichi hadn't been allowed out of the castle at all, Ikuo had taught him how to climb the trees in the courtyard. Especially in the spring and summer, they were excellent hiding places.

Any new place to climb, any new maneuver, Ikuo had always carried Kokichi up first, let him get a sense of where he was supposed to climb to. Maki wasn't his dad, of course, but he trusted her strength in the same way, holding onto her and not trying to overcompensate for his weight, simply going wherever she went until they were both on the branch. And then to the branches even higher up.

And, again, Kokichi had to let out a breath, just in awe of what he saw. Seeing the world from the ground made it seem so huge, like how the sky always made him feel. Now up fifteen, maybe twenty feet in the air... The forest was massive, something huge and alive that he was just a small visitor in, blessed to be a part of for just a few moments. And yet the forest was just a chunk of the road, one of many connecting the people of Dicea and beyond, something that would be just a note in a travel plan.

Kokichi was quiet, humbled by the world once again, but he looked over at Maki's indication, peering into the silhouetted night for a moment before he nodded, smiling softly at the bird. He had seen owls before, but there weren't many that showed up in the city. Too much noise and competition, he figured.

"...Barred Owl, I think," he whispered back. "I've read they live in this forest...have vertical stripes on their fronts, and hoot eight times a go. Inspired Bar Poetry."

"Did they? Then they have a lot to answer for," Maki joked, feeling more relaxed up here. It would be incredibly difficult for anyone to sneak up on them up here, most people being forced to make the same amount of noise they themselves had made getting up the tree, and the branches and foliage making ranged shots more difficult as well. Not impossible, but...more difficult anyway. And being able to see so much farther out, so much more clearly...

Maki liked to be in higher up places, when she was on the defensive. On the offensive too, really. It was just always nice to have the height advantage.

"When you're ready to go back down, just let me know. Just thought, since you were awake anyway..." Maki shrugged, leaning back against the tree, one leg hanging limply off her own branch, swinging it idly, "I would have a lot of difficulty getting any of the others up here, the ones who can't climb easily themselves. You and Timothy though...this view is something I can share with the both of you, without too much fear of you falling and hurting yourselves. Well, Tim will get to that point eventually, anyway. He still has some balancing issues, but we'll get there...but yeah. It's nice to be able to show someone this."

"So you just couldn't sleep?" Maki asked, glancing over at him, those blood-red eyes shining in the moonlight, "Nothing else? You're okay?"

Kokichi's shoulders bounced with his soft giggles as he settled down on his branch, comfortable enough to have both legs hanging off the edge. He could probably get down by himself, but if it would make Maki feel better, he'd let her help. Not much of an issue getting a slightly easier landing.

He'd already been wowed by the view, but knowing that Maki had wanted to share it made it feel even more special, and he felt...grateful that she wanted to share it with him. Maki's friendship was special, too. Something he hadn't anticipated, even when he and Kaito first started to get along, but the more he got to know her...the more he was just so happy that she was willing to be friends. And more than just a confidant too.

Looking back over at her, his purple eyes mostly just dark but catching the moonlight a little, he gave her a soft smile. "...today's been a lot. Not bad, and I'm certainly okay, but it's just..."

"...a lot," he repeated, his smile tinging sad, though appreciative at the same time. "I never thought I'd be able to do anything like this, you know? Sure, I snuck out all the time, but...I was positive I'd never see outside of the city. And now? Everything I knew seems so small... I knew that, but it's different seeing it for yourself. It's amazing..."

Maki nodded at this. "Travel can be eye-opening. It's honestly one of the few things about my line of work that I was ever really grateful for. I've been given the opportunity to see...really beautiful things. Terrible things too, but...it all seemed to balance itself out, in its own ways...I've been across the ocean, to Kimigashine, where I saw fish fly around the ship, sometimes packed to the hundreds, making themselves a silver wave against the blue...I've been to Novoselic, where their capital city was built on waterfalls, and their streets sparkled, made from rocks that shimmered rainbow colors in the sun...I even crossed the Dicea border, once, and got my hands on some books that only came from Dicea, and was able to surprise Kaito with them on his birthday. He was so impressed. He had never heard of them before, but he just thought it was exciting, to get a chance to read some things that he otherwise never would get the chance to...well, so we thought at the time." Maki snickered.

"The only place nearby I was never sent to was Danganronpa. So, I suppose, one day when we all go there, that'll be a new experience for everyone...and I bet we'll be able to see more beautiful things there..." Maki sighed. "Even when more terrible things inevitably come with it...I think the good things make up for it."

"That's something me and Shuuichi have always disagreed on. Kaito too, though I'm not sure he realizes it," Maki said, looking down at the caravans, subconsciously checking on her friends. "Shuuichi feels more comfortable staying in one place, staying where he thinks he's safest. He gets nervous around new areas and new things. Honestly, as much as he wanted to come here, I think it was only because myself and Kaito were going. I think Shuuichi could have spent his whole life working in the castle and not feel like he missed anything."

The assassin sighed, closing her eyes briefly before as she stretched out her neck. "And Kaito...the man is the most introverted extrovert you will ever meet. It's really hard to explain that to people who aren't familiar with him, but you've probably seen examples of what I'm talking about already. He's spent all of the last month basically hiding in your room, after all. And we were lucky he didn't end up burrowing into his shrine, after word about his parents. Getting him out of one of his 'religious fervor' moods can be an extremely annoying process."

She paused at this, clearly debating with herself over something...before saying quietly, "I put that letter back together."

Kokichi closed his eyes and let his imagination take in Maki's descriptions of faraway places that...for once didn't seem like they were places he'd never get to see. It was too dangerous right now to go to other countries, or probably even near the border but...one day. As the future leader of his nation, he likely wouldn't be able to spend years traveling around the world...but he would be able to travel a little. If just meeting other leaders as an excuse.

He hummed a bit, opening his eyes to look out over the forest as he learned new things about his husband and friends. "...I feel that way about a lot of things. Terrible things come...but there's so much good that it's worth it. Living. Even in the worst of times...when you get to see someone you care about smile again...it's all worth it. Just makes me want to work harder so more people can smile, personally."

"And as much as I wanna see more of the world, if making Kai-chan and Shuu-chan smile means taking shorter trips...I think I can do that. Kinda need to anyway." Whatever relaxation Kokichi had managed to achieve out under the cover of night disappeared, his shoulders unconsciously tensing with stress as he sent Maki a worried look. "...is he...um..."

With a sigh, he started to worry his lip a bit. "...I want to ask if Kai-chan's gonna be okay...but, like...he's obviously not. He shouldn't be okay after something like what happened... But...y-you don't even have to tell me what it is, but...did...Byakuya say anything that's gonna hurt Kai-chan more?"

Maki shrugged, before reconsidering her answer, and then shaking her head no. "Nothing beyond what we already knew, really. Nothing that would put him in any real danger...but there's a few things you should probably know, just to make Kaito's actions in the likely near future make more sense."

"He's officially invited to the coronation and the funerals, but has been instructed to refuse to go when the invitations arrive. Byakuya doesn't feel like it's safe for him to travel right now. Byakuya, in light of new information given to him about your and Kaito's relationship, has decided Kaito can be allowed to stay in Dicea...but that if Byakuya were to change his mind, Kaito is instructed to eagerly agree to return. He didn't want Kaito traveling at all right now, actually, but he worded it in such specific ways that I think Kaito found some loop in logic that allowed him to decide this trip didn't count towards that..."

Another frustrated sigh. It was becoming a terrible habit. "He told Kaito that their parents died because Kaito wasn't doing a good enough job communicating to Byakuya or keeping himself safe, and that further incidents could be avoided if Kaito put more of an effort in both those things. He told him that their parents weren't worth grieving over though, and that he didn't want to hear anything about Kaito doing anything more for them other than expressing an appropriate level of sadness...which is probably why Kaito freaked out so hard that day. That's far too vague an order. He probably had no idea how that meant he was supposed to act, and decided the best thing to do was hide."

"He told him that he knows everything has been difficult lately, and that he made these choices for Kato's benefit, and not to be cruel," Maki finished. Just feeling tired. "And that Kaito was not to hold any of it against him."

Well...they probably shouldn't be going to the coronation or the funerals anyway. Not while Remnant activity was still so potent, and not...while people may be taking advantage of everything to take things out on the Momota family. Any Momota.

But that was a decision Kaito could've made for himself. It was one thing for Byakuya to let him know that he was aware of the climate and that he wasn't expecting Kaito to come and...then what he actually did.

That was already annoying. But then hearing the rest of it...

Kokichi's eyes widened as his jaw clenched in fury, his hands tightening their grip on the branch below him, feeling the scrape of wood. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. The deep breaths didn't help, and Kokichi let out a low growl as he snarled at the undeserving forest floor below. "...I wanna punch him. In the two letters I've read from him, he sounds like a total nerd, but god I want to punch him. What a selfish, delusional...ugh."

Honestly...Kokichi had assumed that Byakuya killed the king and queen because he wanted more power. And that's probably what his motivation was. But to talk about it to Kaito and then try to blame it on him?!?!? God. Kokichi didn't even know how many years of therapy it'd take to get through how on earth Byakuya could ever think that was okay.

...not that he'd even get to have that chance.

Kokichi's anger cooled, still simmering below the surface, but not bubbling out as much. His brows furrowed, pained, before he looked back up at Maki. "...I'm so sorry... I know there was nothing we could've done...not even an invasion, since we would've lost... But I'm so sorry that Maki-chan's people have had to suffer so much. That she has had to suffer."

"Even if..." Kokichi's voice trailed off for a moment, his eyes glancing away as he took in the weight of what he was promising. Of what it would mean for his own country, for any possible relations with Luminary in the future. But when he looked back up, his voice was steady, if quiet. "...even if Kaede isn't the answer to help your people...I'll do whatever I can to get to that future where everyone can be safe. Even if it takes a long time with countless plans...I cannot allow this to continue."

Maki considered Kokichi for a moment. Watched his real, biting fury, seeing what Maki suspected was the starting point of real, actual hatred brewing in the Dicean Prince, rather than just offense and horror. She trusted him not to fall and didn't worry that he would as she watched his fingers dig into the wood...heard what could only be called a vow...

...and smiled.

"Thank you, Kokichi," Maki said quietly, that small smile still on her face, crossing her arms over her stomach, looking more...relaxed and calm in this moment than she had probably been since she had even gotten to Dicea. Just finally, really feeling like...everything was actually going to work out. At least in this moment.

The moment passed, after a beat, and her eyes narrowed, her crossed arms tightening as she said, "She will be. She has to be. There's no one else...and she's promised me..."

The words felt like poison on Maki's lips. Had she heard anyone else say it, about anyone else, she would have considered them foolish and naive. The promise of royalty...give her more power, and she promises she'll help you with it? Sure...

...but Kaito was different. And...fuck Maki wanted to believe Kaede was different too. Was ready to give the Luminary Princess a pass on some of her more...questionable actions in the past, on the belief that those moments didn't...it wasn't all just for power...or, even if it was! Even if it was...that didn't mean she wouldn't still follow through on her promises! Maki had to believe that...there was no one else...

"I'm not the only person she's counting on," Maki said, brow furrowed, staring down into the camp. Keeping watch still. "I don't know who the others are...she said once that we were all like piano keys. All lined up in rows, each individually no more important than the other...but take away one, and the song doesn't work...she'd take me to a piano and she showed me one key on it, and told me 'this is you'...she'd press it over and over, until I could recognize the sound of it..."

And something...gentle and sad and...longing, briefly flashed across Maki's face as, lost in the memory, she said, "And then she'd play a song...and over and over in the song, because I was listening, I could hear that note. Big, loud, beautiful music, all of them homages to wars past...and her fingers would rush across the piano keys, faster than sometimes I could even catch up with, the tips of her fingers a blur and...even when she was playing the quickest, most difficult songs...I could still hear my note. Over and over again..."

"...she needs me."

...Kokichi wouldn't say it to Maki, likely wouldn't talk about it at all to any Luminary, but...there was always someone else. Despite what (all four generations) Luminary believed...there was no such thing as "divine right to rule" or anything like that. In any context, no one had the right to rule. Despite how the Momotas seemed to treat it, leading wasn't a privilege. It was a sacrifice. It was a person realizing that the whole was much more important than any single part, and it was them devoting themselves to serving the whole, even if they had to make decisions against their personal beliefs. Even to their own detriment.

And even if someone had that mindset, it still didn't always work out. Unless you had the consent and respect of the people you were leading, you were just a person who dreamed big. The moment you no longer had the trust of your people, you were no longer a leader.

That was the reason behind Dicean leadership. A leader could come from anywhere, could have any skillset. The actual managerial stuff could be learned. But that will to serve others, to act in good faith and cultivate the precious trust given to you, to be worthy of it...there was a reason only a few people in their history had ever contested the leadership, wanting to "take" it for themself.

There was always someone. It could be Kaede, it could be someone that was pushed down to the very "bottom" of Luminary society. But there would be someone to rise to the occasion to take care of the Luminous people.

Kokichi watched Maki talk about Kaede, his expression softening as he saw the softness in hers, and...he hoped that it would be Kaede. He really did.

"...of course she needs Maki-chan," he said quietly, looking out over the forest again. "A lot of people need Maki-chan--you're important. You're in a lot of people's hearts, and that's a really special thing. One day...one day I hope I can meet Kaede and have some big stuffy business meeting where we talk about the reparation efforts in Luminary, and then when the meeting is done I can talk about how much of a big cool hero Maki-chan is, and Kaede will agree because I don't think she's a dumb idiot. And then I'll give a nudge-nudge hint-hint for Kaede to trade over some Red Bean Paste treats in exchange for Dicean sweets, and Maki-chan can eat them and share them with others happily, knowing that her family is safe."

For a moment, Kokichi let himself live in that daydream. It would be a lot of work and a lot of tragedy...but he wanted it to come true.

Maki laughed at this, looking over at Kokichi with a raised eyebrow. "How on earth did you find out about my love for red bean paste? Was it Kaito? How did that even come up? ...whatever he said about it, it's not true. They're a perfectly reasonable snack to eat by itself."

Kokichi offered her a smile back, the tension still in his frame, but less overt as he shrugged. "Shuu-chan and I were talking about candy. I'd never even heard about it, but even in the more immediate future, we can look around to see if we can get any over here. Shuu-chan said it's an acquired taste, but I'd still wanna try it. Any sweet is worth trying at least once."

He paused for a moment before wrinkling his nose. "Except candied pork belly. I don't ever need to try that. Though, and I really hate to say this, I think that might be a sweet Kai-chan could actually get into, damn carnivore he is."

Maki chuckled lightly. "He's very into his proteins. Actually, that's a point...are you a vegetarian, Kokichi? I'm not sure I've ever seen you eat meat. Wasn't sure if that was a coincidence or not, but it's why I didn't put any meat in the stew today."

"Huh?" Kokichi blinked, looking back on all the meals he'd eaten around Maki...then realized that she'd mostly seen him eat either breakfast or snacks which...yeah. He didn't really eat meat then.

Shaking his head, Kokichi laughed softly. "No, I'm not, though I appreciate you putting in that kind of thought. I'm just not a big fan of most pork dishes--like...meat shouldn't feel like jelly, it's too weird--and...like, I don't like eating rare beef for obvious reasons, but I don't have a problem with most meat."

"I'm actually pretty excited to try out the special types of seafood they have at the coast?" he laughed. "I actually really love grilled fish, and they have this dish where you just eat various fish and sea creatures raw? With really limited seasoning, if any, so I was thinking maybe you guys would like to try that too. They even serve sea slugs that way! I'm one hundred percent getting Kai-chan to try that with me!"

Sitting back on the branch to look out at the sky a little more, Kokichi snorted. "What a weird coincidence. Almost as weird as Kai-chan thinking I had a murder kink, though there's definitely more reasoning to your guess than his."

Maki's brow furrowed, almost concerned for a second...but relaxed at the easy way Kokichi referenced it as she asked, confused, "Murder kink? How...would that even work? Why did he think that?"

He let out an exasperated sigh. "That's exactly what I asked when he asked me. Apparently he thought I was flirting with him the day after he was poisoned, and he thought I started bein' nice because of him threatening to kill me. And then...uh...well..."

Kokichi's voice trailed off as he looked to the side, shame and pain flickering in his expression as the memory still provoked those feelings. "Well. Before what happened on our wedding night...happened. We had been talking about what we thought your mission was--killing my dad. Kai-chan even admitted that was a weak point of evidence, though."

Maki's lips twitched upward, and she shook her head, exasperated. "Kaito...only that horny idiot would see someone being less harsh to him after a murder attempt and assume it was because they were turned on, instead of, oh, I don't know... because they were intimidated or placating him...honestly, someday I think I'm going to have to neuter him...for his protection, really."

Maki again shook her head, clearly half annoyed and half amused with her childhood friend...before frowning slightly at Kokichi's last comment.

And then her face went carefully neutral as she said, "Oh...right. I had actually forgotten that you all hadn't known what my order was...it was better that he didn't come of course. Better for everyone that he stayed and ensured the treaty went through, but...I had wondered why he hadn't come to..."

Maki curled her non-hanging leg to her chest, laying her chin on her knee as she said, "It's not like him. To hear one of us was in danger and not do...anything...but if he didn't think either of us were in honest, direct danger, then I could see how the choice to stay was easier for him...not that your...I assume you mean your nanny, and not the king. Not that your father isn't important, but his decision makes more sense to me now, knowing the context of what he thought my mission was..."

The assassin stared down at the caravans, impassively...before saying quietly. Almost...shyly. "...though...according to Shuuichi, why he had followed me in the first place...did Kaito think I was in danger? Shuuichi thought I was in danger, and that's why he followed me when he should have stayed put...did...the head secretary tell Kaito something else, or..."

"...it doesn't really matter, I suppose," Maki murmured.

Kokichi shrunk a little more, ashamed for more than what had only happened to him that night. "...he wanted to go. He told me later that if...what happened to me hadn't happened, that he would've left as soon as the treaty was signed...though..."

...but they'd still spent hours dancing together after the treaty was signed. ...had Kaito really chosen to stay just to make him happy? Surely not...Maki and Shuuichi were far more important to Kaito than that.

He sighed softly, confused, but ultimately it was all done with. "At first, we only figured out that Shuu-chan was following you to the border for some reason. That's all we knew from Shuu-chan's note. I...think? Kai-chan was told something after that? We were separated for a little while. But he didn't tell me anything until that evening, after Tengan alluded to me that something more was going on--I'm guessing under the assumption Kai-chan had told me what he'd been told."

"...I'd already sent Katsuki-chan by then. As soon as Kai-chan figured out what the note meant, I found her and gave her the mission to stop you. To protect Shuu-chan. To make sure no one died." Kokichi sighed softly, the matter settled, but still weighing on him, the shadows of the secretaries feeling like sticky tar that he couldn't quite shake. "He told me that Tengan said you were going to be a threat. That Kai-chan was supposed to be a dickhead to me over the next month, or you'd kill...uh, yeah, my nanny." His cheeks went rosy, usually careful not to mess that up around the wrong people. "That if he did everything the secretaries said, that you'd be called off. So...no. I don't think we thought you were in a lot of danger...that Katsuki-chan could fix any amount you would be in."

"...I'm sorry..." Kokichi murmured, feeling that shame of existence, that pressure of being a burden, of having hurt someone else just with his presence.

Maki blinked at Kokichi, confused. "Why are you sorry? None of that was your fault. If Head Secretary Tengan threw a bunch of false hope at him...that makes more sense to me. The Head Secretary’s always been very good at manipulating him, and honestly, the whole thing, when you look at it...it all seems like just some big mind game. Maybe he was hoping myself and Shuuichi would die, and Kaito would blame himself for it?"

Maki nodded to herself, her words more certain as she continued, "Knowing all the information, that...makes a certain amount of sense. Convince Kaito that staying at the castle would give me my best chance, then, when we never returned, leave him wondering for the rest of his life what had happened to us...leave him wondering if he could have done more? That makes more sense, if that's what had happened. Kaito wouldn't just...abandon me." Maki said that firmly, the idea not just making sense, but... needing to believe this. Her fears that Kaito had just...not thought she was worth the effort having been plaguing her randomly for the last month. That maybe she wasn't as important to him as she had thought she was...

But she looked at Kokichi again. Still confused and concerned by his last comment as she said, "But none of that is your fault. You barely knew any of us then, including the secretaries. It'd be unrealistic to suggest you could have influenced the course of events in any meaningful way, based on the information you had available to you...though I still wish I had been able to sit down and talk to you about sending me after Secretary Chisa."

Maki dared to look up at the sky for a moment, trusting nothing would occur down below during her brief self-indulgence as she said, "I tried to bring it up with you, once, but the conversation...Shuuichi had one of his moments and you were upset and it all kind of blew up in my face. But...I was furious when I had heard what she had done to you both. I couldn't risk initiating a mission like that on my own, not with the head secretary there to potentially trigger my conditioning, but...god I wanted to avenge you… Fuck, even now...I wish I could bring you some peace of mind...some piece of her, to prove the job was finished..."

Her body was tense as she said this, her teeth gritting against the words...but she relaxed as she said, "...but it wouldn't actually make you feel any better, would it. At least...that's the impression of you I have. If I'm wrong, now would be a good time to clarify this for me."

Kokichi knew that. Knew that very little, if anything that had happened was his fault, and he knew that Tengan and Chisa were just horrid manipulators. But he couldn't stop that doubt in his heart that was always waiting to pop up and whisper to him that, if he wasn't there, Kaito would've gone after Maki and Shuuichi and...he had no way of knowing if it would've been better or worse than what had happened, but at least Maki wouldn't have this...doubt. A fear of her own that her friendship wasn't as she thought it was.

Quietly, he murmured, trying ever still to help the people around him, "He almost lost his mind in worry over you two...Kai-chan loves you and Shuu-chan so much."

But then he flinched, closing his eyes in shame as he was reminded of a conversation that was entirely his fault.

"It wouldn't," he croaked, voice cracking. "Someone's death never feels like anything but a failure to me. I...I told Kai-chan as much when he tried to kill her. But even as much as I wasn't even sure if I wished he hadn't listened to me, she..."

Kokichi trailed off, his brain yelling at him that he was missing something important. Squinting into the darkness, his face relaxed into a soft frown.

...Chisa had looked excited that Kaito was going to kill her. And that had scared him, wary of further traps, so he did everything he could to rain on her parade.

...Shuuichi had smiled when he saw Kokichi fall. He hadn't remembered that until Shuuichi told him but, now...his memory couldn't be evidence but...he...had looked like her in that moment.

"...she was on Despair Pollen?"

Maki's eyes narrowed at this. Considering. Looking back over memories...

"...she's been a monster for a long time now," Maki said carefully. Trying hard to consider this possibility, not wanting to dismiss Kokichi's theory out of hand. He had earned her trust to take his ideas seriously. So she thought about it...before eventually adding, "...but a very, very long time ago...I remember getting the impression from her, probably one of the first times I had ever met her, that she was going to be one of the good ones. I remember being...surprised. When I had heard that the Head Secretary had basically started low-key mentoring her. He's been a nightmare for as long as I've known him and...it seemed weird to me that he'd take a special interest in grooming someone so unlike himself to potentially take over his position someday."

"Then, later, she got worse and worse, and I just...I guess at some point I just assumed my initial impression was wrong. That her cheery personality had been a disguise for something darker. More vicious. Oh well. Pretty standard for Luminary, really...but...if you saw something in her, in the short period of time you knew her, that reminded you of Shuuichi...who the pollen changed so dramatically..."

Maki pulled both of her knees to her chest. Watching the camp. Face tense as she considered all this...before saying, "If she was...she's been on it for years. Long before we ever got to the Dead Forest...and if she was, there's no part of me that believes the head secretary wouldn't have known about it, if not be directly involved, so...I don't understand." Maki admitted, looking to Kokichi. "Why? Shuuichi put himself on the pollen because he didn't understand what it was, and it almost killed him a dozen times, on top of changing his personality...and the brewery, as far as I understood it, used it as a party drug, as part of their 'everyone must die' movement...it kills people, ultimately. That's what it all leads to, right? So what would...why do that to someone on purpose, for years...how would she have even survived it?"

Kokichi remembered feeling relieved that he'd never have to deal with Chisa ever again...but now the guilt that accompanied that feeling, the guilt of abandoning someone compounded, along with a profound sadness that, if Chisa's cheery exterior had ever been her interior and she'd lost it...it was like mourning a person, but while they were still alive.

But Maki had a point.

Letting out a deep sigh, Kokichi shook his head and brought up one of his legs, bracing his foot against the branch to avoid any instability from his position change. "...I don't know. I don't know why she would look so excited for Kai-chan to kill her, and then annoyed and disappointed when he didn't either, but... I think I'm still trying to make excuses."

"...the cruelty of the secretaries and Kai-chan's family...it's so unlike anything I've ever seen in people. There's a part of me that just wants to understand, to try and solve things peacefully, but...with everything just pointing to that...they don't care? That they find joy in other people's misery? It's horrifying. Disgusting. Unbelievable, but...I have no choice but to acknowledge it to face against it." He couldn't understand. He could barely fathom it. It made him sick, honestly.

With another sigh, Kokichi looked up at Maki, wishing he could say this with his head bopped against her arm, but... "...I know you all have people you love there, but...I'm so happy you four are out of there. One day we'll help fix things so I'll stop feeling like I want everyone out of there, but right now...I'm just happy you and Kai-chan and Shuu-chan and Tim are safe."

Maki nodded. "It's been a strange adjustment...but we have your protection here. No one’s tried anything on us yet, which has been a comfort."

"It could have all been so much worse...you could have been so much worse," Maki mused, giving Kokichi a small, appreciative smile as she explained. "I think about that sometimes. If you had proven to be vicious, or cruel...if the people around you followed your example...what could we have done, really? Kaito would reassure Shuuichi and me that if you ended up being a bastard, he'd run a sword through you and escape with us, but...that was unrealistic. Just him soothing himself with his adventure stories. Doing that would have re-started the war and...that's too big a choice for us to make. It would have been better for all of us to endure..."

"But you weren't, and haven't, been cruel. You've been incredibly kind. And the people around you...for the most part..." Maki said, that last bit muttered darkly, the librarian flashing through her mind, "...follow that example. And that's...been a comfort. Confusing, sometimes," Maki admitted, brow furrowing. "And Diceans’ idea of kindness doesn't always match Luminaries’...but we can see the effort you're making. And it's a comfort. So...thank you, Kokichi. For taking care of us."

Maki's eyes narrowed as suddenly one of the caravan doors opened...and then relaxed when she saw Kaito come out, her prince looking nervously around. "I think someone's noticed you’re missing," she pointed out to Kokichi, as Kaito took a few more hesitant steps out, clearly uncertain where to look.

Kokichi sighed once more, softly, before offering Maki a small smile back. The part of him that couldn't believe Luminary was just...so confused by how the Luminaries called him 'kind'. But the part of him that knew? He was so glad he had the opportunity to show these wonderful people that he'd come to care so much about his type of kindness.

He just hoped he could continue to care for his Luminaries.

Looking down as Maki did, Kokichi's smile widened into something fond, seeing his husband look for him...so cute. So sweet.

So, naturally, Kokichi's grin curled up into something impish.

"...Sooo, Kai-chan's afraid of ghosts, yeah?"

Silently, carefully, Kokichi crawled over to the core of the tree, using it to help him get down to the branch that Maki had pulled him up from the ground with.

Maki raised an eyebrow at the Dicean Prince, before rolling her eyes slightly. She had just made the decision to not scare Kokichi because it might wake the others, but...well...

She did kinda want to see this.

Hopping lightly to the bottom branch, she offered Kokichi her hand. Once he had grasped it, she straddled the branch again and, ignoring the strain the rough wood put against her skin, she gently pushed Kokichi off the branch, going down with him but catching herself firmly by her ankles. Kokichi only a few feet from the ground that way, she let him go once the swinging lessened, and as soon as he cleared a spot for her, she allowed herself to let go of the branch, managing to to use the momentum of pushing off the branch to spin herself just in time to land on her feet.

When she landed, she stayed low, eyes on Kaito in the distance before looking over at Kokichi. Watching what he did.

Kaito, meanwhile, was wondering...when should he...start freaking out??

Everything was fine! Probably! There were a thousand incredibly valid reasons Kokichi might not be in bed right now, and that he and Maki wouldn't be hanging out outside by the campfire, and most of those reasons had nothing to do with either of them being dead or kidnapped! Everything was...probably fine! And he was freaking out for no reason, and...

"Kokichi?" Kaito called out, trying to be quiet, knowing that if Maki was around and he suddenly started shouting, she'd be furious with him for attracting potentially unwanted attention. He looked around, still concerned when he didn't hear an answer to his call, trying this time, "Maki?"

Once they had touched back down to the ground, Kokichi offered Maki a thankful smile before darting off through a few nearby trees, just circling around the camp, not going any farther out than they had been. As he did, he let out a few breathy whistles, something that could be explained by a particularly rough gust of wind...had there been any.

And then, he started the whispers. Still circling through the trees, sometimes taking his time, sometimes darting right through, he let indistinct murmurs sound out from all around the clearing's perimeter. Most of what he whispered was nonsense, but he did let a few words such as 'help' and 'too late' slip through the murmur.

Luminaries spoke out each written syllable of a word...enunciated hard consonants... Keeping that in mind, Kokichi raised his whisper to a harsh cut of air, slicing through a single word--"Kaito."

Kaito heard the whispers start and a terrible tremble ran through his body as he whispered to himself, eyes widening, "A-atua loves you...it's just the wind, Atua loves them..."

There were no such things as ghosts.

That was the thing. Everyone went to the trials. Everyone. Because Atua loved everyone, no matter who you were, no matter what you did, and wanted to give all of his creations a chance to achieve happiness once life had run out of time for you. Ghosts couldn't exist, because that would mean Atua had left people behind, and Atua wouldn't do that, because he loves us.

...so Kaito wasn't necessarily afraid of...'ghosts'. Per se. Because he didn't believe in them.

...but he was terrified of spooky, vague, creepy things in the dark that he didn't understand and could, by some stretch of the imagination, potentially resemble once dead people who were now inexplicably around to harass their living neighbors. And for all of his love of stories about them, Kaito was deeply afraid of anything that could be considered 'supernatural' in nature, a character trait that wasn't at all helped by the fact that Kaito was half-ready to believe in just about any of them, at any given time...and, yes, that was including ghosts, even though he desperately told himself over and over again that he didn't believe in those at all, because again, Atua wouldn't do that to a person.

All that to say, that when Kaito heard the wind rustle (but...didn't feel it?), and then, at first only from various spots, but then, at least to him it seemed like, coming all around him, whispers and murmurs from people in the darkness...in the trees...Kaito Ouma Momota, who did not believe in ghosts’, very first thought as his whole body shivered was, 'Oh fuck, ghosts have my husband.'

And Maki too! Oh fuck! She would have never let anything take Kokichi without fighting to her last breath! Ghosts had his fucking best friend and his tiny husband and f-fuck they were s-surrounding the caravans!!

Kaito felt his whole body tremble and felt the back of his eyes start to burn, terror gripping at his throat...before he grit his teeth and growled, blood-lust starting to warm his body as he gazed into the darkness in front of him. He had to protect Shuuichi! He had to protect Timothy! He had to get his husband and best friend back! Fucking pull it together, Kaito!

Did he have time to go back for his sword?! Fuck, why had he left the caravan without it!?? What did he have, what did he have--

"Kaito."

Kaito, in a moment of pure, total panic, ran forward, grabbed a log from the campfire with his bare fucking hands, and hurled that bright, flaming stick in the direction of the voice, as he screamed, "Fuck you!! Fight me!!!"

Maki watched that flaming log hurl through the air and thought to herself, 'Whelp. Looks like we're about to start a forest fire.'

There was a yelp from the treescape, and Kokichi just managed to run out of the way of the flaming piece of wood, startled for a moment as he didn't expect Kaito to do that. The moment was brief, however, as he registered that there was now a flaming piece of wood thrown into a dense forest.

Cursing quietly, Kokichi ran into the clearing and grabbed the bucket of water they kept near the campfire for emergencies, hurrying over to throw it over the flames he could see before taking the bottom of the bucket to tamp out any embers he noticed.

Completely ignoring his husband for the time being since he would never be able to live down burning down part of the forest. Kokichi swore as he worked, now in the place of spooky whispers and murmurs were curses in a distinctive voice. "Ah, shit shit shit, fuck, goddammit, fuuuuuck!"

Kaito blinked in surprise, watching Kokichi suddenly emerge from the forest, grab a bucket, and then promptly pop back into it, subconsciously putting a few fingers into his mouth to lick at the burns a little as he listened to his husband curse in the darkness in confusion. "Kokichi?" Kaito called out, still not entirely certain what was happening, but far less panicked now that he knew where his husband was, at least, taking a few hesitating steps towards the treeline Kokichi had disappeared behind.

Meanwhile, Maki, with a roll of her eyes, went over to Kaito, the Luminary Prince jumping in place with a shout as she grabbed the hand he had grabbed the log with, looking over the burns on his hand with an exasperated eye roll as she said, "Really, Kaito? That's how you fight ghosts? Throwing fire at them and shouting like an idiot?"

"Th-there's no such things as ghosts! I...there was something in the w-woods and I..." Kaito insisted with a shaking voice, before looking back over to the treeline as he said, "Is Kokich-"

"He's fine. Go sit down on the log and wait for him, I'm gonna go get some salve for your burns," Maki ordered, heading into her caravan. As she walked in, Kaito heard her say to someone inside, "No, no, it's fine, go back to sl-" before the caravan door closed.

Kaito sat where she had told him to, but he looked back at where Kokichi had disappeared to, saying again, "'Kichi? Are you okay?"

Kokichi had looked up in worry as he heard Kaito shout, but was quickly assuaged when he heard Maki's voice follow and turned his attention back to the embers, methodically tamping them out, paying attention to any little wisp of smoke until he was sure that there was nothing left that could catch flame.

With a sigh, Kokichi slowly made his way back to the clearing, the empty bucket in hand before he plopped down next to his husband and tapped his head against him. "...should'a expected that Kai-chan would fight somethin' creepy before doin' the whole, "w-who's there???' trope. Whoops."

Nuzzling Kaito a little, Kokichi looked over his husband, frowning a little at his hand. "I'm okay. I dodged--but your hand..."

With barely a sound, Katsuki, dressed down from her usual suit, picked up the empty bucket and gave Kokichi's hair a ruffle before disappearing back into the darkness to refill it. Kokichi sighed, only a little surprised--Kaito hadn't exactly been quiet.

Kaito frowned at Kokichi, not really all that concerned with his hand as he looked around, still confused as he said, not quite sounding convinced, "Wait...was that all you? It sounded like there were a dozen people out there for a minute there! I thought we were surrounded!"

"Kaito, shhh. People are trying to sleep," Maki said, coming back out of the caravan with a small tub of lotion and fresh white wraps. "Hand," she demanded, Kaito giving her his hand and wincing only slightly as she immediately started to put the salve on, the gel-like substance tan in color and thick in texture and strongly smelling of something acidic...but felt good after a moment, the stings easing into nothing as Maki wrapped his palm and fingers, before putting all the medical equipment on the side of the log.

Standing back up, she said, "I'm gonna grab the bucket and..." She frowned, looking around in confusion, the bucket already gone... before shaking her head, realizing, oh. "Ah, right. Okay. If you see Katsuki again, tell her to go back to sleep, I'm still on watch. You two should go back to sleep soon too. Don't try to start any more forest fires," Maki said, glaring at both men, before looking over at Kokichi and saying, "If you can't sleep and want to chat some more, I trust you can find me."

Maki then walked around them, disappearing into the brush.

Kaito tested out his hand for a moment, before turning to Kokichi, looking over him in concern...before sighing in frustration. "Duuuude!" he said, his voice a whisper-shout. "Are you crazy!? You scared the shit out of me! I thought you were kidnapped o-or something!"

Kokichi pouted up at Kaito, a little flattered that his husband had thought that there were a ton of people around, but mostly he was just put out that his prank hadn't gone well. For some reason, he kept forgetting that, unlike the people in the castle, his Luminaries would react quite differently if they thought they were in trouble. That they'd immediately jump into action instead of panicking for a moment, giving him the chance to pop out and laugh.

"Maki-chan would never allow me to get kidnapped on her watch," he refuted before sighing and accepting his bad idea. "Sorry... I thought it would be funny to stir up a creepy atmosphere and give ya a little scare. Instead I gave you a big scare, and I am sorry for that."

Katsuki reappeared for just a moment, putting the bucket back in the ring of seats around the fire, and Kokichi gave her a soft wave that she returned before going back to the front caravan. Kokichi...wasn't sure he had ever seen her look sleepy before, but as long as she was at least putting on the pretense of getting rest, there wasn't much he or Maki could do to insist.

Pressing his cheek to Kaito's arm, Kokichi sighed again with another apology. "Won't do it again. I couldn't sleep, so I came out to give Maki-chan some company--we were in a tree when you came out, so that's why you didn't see us. ...know I gave you some adrenaline, but do you think you can get back to sleep?"

"You're such a brat," Kaito muttered, watching the older woman head back inside warily (she moved like Maki, but was even worse about it. It was like Kaito couldn't hear her at all), putting his arms around Kokichi and pulling him close, just kinda relieved everything actually was okay, honestly. "Honestly, one of these days it's gonna be me getting a heart attack, and trust me, neither of us wants me on permanent bed rest for a week. I will whine so much, Kokichi."

Huh. Even though he knew Maki was out there, somewhere, keeping watch, for a moment, it was like it was just him and Kokichi, sitting by the fire, under the moon, the soft sounds of horses whinnying in their sleep in the distance...okay. Now that he didn't think a literal army of ghosts was attacking the campsite...this was nice.

Kissing Kokichi's head, he said in a petulant tone, "I could...but now I don't want to. So there. Now you gotta keep me company till I'm sleepy again. Reap what you sow." Kaito muttered, holding Kokichi close to himself, enjoying the feeling of his husband in his arms.

After a moment, he asked, "...what would you have said had I asked who was there? Like...and hadn't thrown fire at your face? What was the next part of the prank?"

At least Kaito didn't seem too mad--Kokichi hated when he actually hurt people with his shenanigans. He had known that Kaito was legitimately scared of the supernatural, even if he 'knew' it wasn't real, but...well, no. Even just words, not actions, could still hurt. He would just be better in the future to make any pranks on Kaito even softer.

Kokichi huddled into Kaito's side, warm enough from the campfire, but enjoying Kaito's warmth too, and he looked up in surprise as Kaito questioned his prank. ...maybe he didn't have to totally abstain in the future. "Mm, probably would've commended your bravery in coming out to look for your husband in this toootally haunted forest. Would've promised to return him if you could answer me these riddles three--probably would've made them dumb ones too, like dirty jokes or something."

"Oh well. Should'a known my Kai-chan would'a brought on the wrath of a thousand stars if he was lookin' for me. Least we had water out already." Kokichi kissed Kaito's chest and snuggled against him, for the first time that night feeling himself get a little tired. Warm and comfortable with the familiarity of his husband right next to him.

"Awww...man, I wanna answer dirty joke-riddles for my husband’s honor...shoot." Kaito sighed, bummed out that he had missed out on some cool mini-adventure Kokichi had tried to set up for him. Stupid...fight or fight harder instincts..." Sorry...didn't mean to ruin the joke. I just got nervous when I woke up and couldn't hear you sleeping. You make these little noises in your sleep sometimes, and when I was awake for a while and realized there weren't any little 'Kichi noises..." Kaito shrugged. "My bad. I figured you were out here with Maki, but I still wanted to check for myself."

As Kaito looked around, curious to see if he could spot Maki, now that he knew the general direction she was in (he couldn't), he said quietly, "Can you throw your voice? Or were you just moving that quickly? I know it was probably partly just me panicking, but it really did feel like there were multiple voices, for a second there. That was crazy."

"Nah, I should've thought harder to make it more clear that there wasn't any actual danger. One of these days I'll land a prank right on one of you guys." Barring extreme situations, it was never the prankee's fault if something went wrong--they didn't know what was going on, after all.

Kokichi raised an eyebrow at the mention of his sleep-noises, curious about what they sounded like--not snores, probably, since he'd hope Kaito would just tell him if he snored--but figured that was a mystery for a different time. Maybe Iruma would invent something that would, like, echo sound or something, and he could hear for himself. That'd be wild.

Now that they were both safe and not frustrated by the prank, Kokichi smiled proudly at Kaito's observation, giving a soft laugh as he shook his head. "Man, I wish I could throw my voice--it'd just make my pranks even more powerful. I was just running around the clearing in circles, making different tones and emphasis and stuff. I was kinda hoping Maki-chan would make some rustling sounds here and there too, but, like usual, she was bein' smarter than me."

"Yeah, Maki's idea of a 'fun prank' is convincing people she's feeling murderous when she isn't...like, I'm just saying, you and her pranking together would probably kill someone," Kaito said, annoyed with himself as he already felt himself stifling a yawn as he held Kokichi, running soothing fingers up and down his arm. "We should totally prank Shuuichi though, whenever he's better, if only because he's always been hard to trick, at least for me, and I'd love to do it successfully for once. And Timothy," Kaito said, a tad darkly, as he admitted, "Is it wrong, to want to revenge-prank a small child? He keeps messing with me! Kokichi, I am literally being bullied by a nine-year-old. What do I do? Do I fight him? I feel like I should fight him...but somehow I think Maki woul-"

And, almost on cue, there was a small, whistling WHIRR sound, followed by a thump, and in between Kaito's feet, lodged deep into the earth, was a throwing dagger.

Kaito looked at it in distress for a moment...before sighing. "Yeah. Somehow I don't think I'd get away with fighting my child bully."

Kokichi relaxed even more against Kaito, enjoying the feeling of him rubbing his arm. He hummed with a nod, a smile creeping onto his face. "Oh absolutely. I just gotta figure out a good prank that wouldn't just freak him out, though. Not every prank works for every person--as you obviously know from what I just did to you, and the shitty prank I pulled on Maki-chan."

He hummed again, eyes closing for a moment. "...the fake spiders I put in your luggage worked though. That one was fun."

Kokichi opened an eye just in time to see the dagger wordlessly threaten Kaito, but instead of comforting Kaito, he just scoffed. "Don't fight a kid--and you're not supposed to prank in anger either; they're supposed to be for fun. Honestly, I kinda wanna just help him with his pranks--the one he pulled on Aiichi was amazing."

"...like, obviously I've never helped raise a kid before, but...just play with him, yanno? Be able to laugh at yourself when he gets you, only play really silly, harmless pranks back. Make it a game that you guys share." Kokichi shrugged a little bit, drawing on his happier memories of how his dad had treated him and trying to translate them into something that would work. "If he's messing with you, then he wants your attention and acknowledgement--so, instead of just giving it to him in the form of telling him off when he gets ya, play instead."

"...okay, fiiiiine, I won't beat up the literal small child," Kaito said, rolling his eyes theatrically with a small little smirk...before saying curiously, "You think he just wants my attention? Huh..."

As Kaito mused over this, he glanced down at Kokichi, and saw the little tell-all signs in his husband that indicated he was going to be out soon. His blinks were going slower and lasting longer, he was leaning more and more of his weight into Kaito's side, his words slowing down...yeah, 'Kichi wasn't going to last much longer.

Again, Kaito felt that warm affection for his husband swell in his chest, leaning over to kiss Kokichi on the forehead as he whispered, "Maybe I am getting a little tired. You want to head back inside now?"

In Kokichi's extremely, extremely limited experience, once the basic needs like food and housing were met...that's what most kids wanted. The attention of the people that cared for them, that they might admire. To have someone there to be amazed at their growth. Or maybe just the knowledge that if they ever needed someone, that there would always be someone right there.

It was a guess, anyway.

Masking a yawn as a sigh, Kokichi nuzzled Kaito's chest as he nodded, humming softly. "Sure. Give Maki-chan less to worry about if we're all snuggled and safe inside. ...think I might be able to sleep this time too. Good thing...don't wanna miss out on anything tomorrow by havin' to take a nap or something."

"Though," he grinned lazily, stretching a little as he got up from the log, "I have to say I am looking forward to getting to the Nanamis' house--it's weird sleepin' without clingin' to ya like a barnacle."

Kaito leaned down, enveloping Kokichi into a back-cracking hug as he lifted him off his toes for a moment, kissing the top of his head as he admitted, "I'm hoping we get a room to ourselves. I am on my honeymoon, and I have a beautiful, sweet, mean little ghost-impersonating husband that I can't even cuddle with for two nights in a row. It's truly tragic."

Putting him back down, giving him a somewhat sheepish grin, Kaito took Kokichi's hand in his and led him back inside.

Maki watched them disappear into the caravan, admittedly feeling a little better to know that the princes were, in fact, going to get some sleep tonight. She then glanced at the other caravan, wondering if maybe she should check on Shuuichi. The noise had woken him up and...he hadn't had an incident all day yesterday, but he hadn't cum, as far as she knew, all day yesterday either and...

She knew Katsuki would keep him safe, but didn't know if the guard would know what to do if Shuuichi was awake and driving himself crazy with lust. Not that Maki really knew what she would do either...maybe drag Kaito out and tell him to take Shuuichi into the woods and get him figured out. Kokichi too, she supposed. ...she hadn't envisioned Kokichi joining in, when she had first come up with her, admittedly, entirely desperate plan to help Shuuichi. She had just known that she herself couldn't do it. That it would stress her out too much, and she was afraid she'd have taken that stress out on Shuuichi. She had wanted Kaito to be the one to do it, largely because...well, Kaito would have the most patience with him, and all the stuff going on with him.

At least, that was what Maki had hoped would happen.

But Kokichi joining in? She just...hadn't seen that one coming. And wondered what it meant for the princes' relationship, to add a factor like Shuuichi into it.

She couldn't even begin to guess. She just wanted them to all safely navigate it. Considering one person involved was going through an amateur rehab, the other had suicidal tendencies, and the last one tended to become delusional about problems he didn't know how to actually fix...

She worried over them. She wanted this all to be okay.

Heading back down, she walked back into the lead caravan, looking down at the bottom bunk Shuuichi was assigned, across from Katsuki, who was back in her rack, her eyes, at the very least, closed. And, to Maki's relief, so were Shuuichi's. The detective had managed to go back to sleep after all. Good.

...hesitating, only for a moment, she reached out and lifted the covers of his blanket over his shoulders more securely, adjusting it so that it kept more warmth in. Again...today had been a good day. She hadn't seen Shuuichi struggle at all today...and in a way, that made her more nervous. She didn't trust eyes of storms. She wasn't put at ease when things seemed to, almost miraculously, get better...

...but, well.

She wouldn't hold it against the universe if, just once...it just did.

Heading back out, she continued her watch for the rest of the night.

Katsuki wasn't really sleeping. She just found she didn't need to as much as other people, and it didn't lower her performance at all, so she usually just left it alone, kept watch sporadically at night, sometimes catching horrible assassins fail their missions. However, she knew being out and about would lower Miss Maki's performance, so instead of being two pairs of eyes, she left the young woman to her watch and instead settled being an extra pair of ears on the ground.

Her help wasn't needed with Prince Kokichi's prank, nor Prince Kaito's reaction, nor Mr. Shuuichi stirring, but it was still helpful to know. She would be surprised if Miss Maki was asleep through the whole night tomorrow too.

--

Kokichi had sleepily climbed into his top rack after a few more goodnight kisses, and, as Kaito had predicted, he'd fallen asleep soon afterward, the strangeness of being in a new place beaten by his fatigue. A day full of emotions and new experiences...they'd still be riding in the caravans tomorrow, but Kokichi was still excited for it. He couldn't wait!

So, he found it pretty easy to wake up early the next morning, hopping down from his bunk and heading to the small bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face, only peeking out in confusion as he heard some sort of weird noise from outside.

From Kokichi's perspective, it would have started as the sounds of distant conversation, as four different people talked...maybe just a tad?? Too loudly together? Nothing too extreme, but...

Timothy, who had been pouring food into a bowl for Chase, the puppy excitedly yapping at him as he did so, frowned when he heard the same noise. He looked up at the door, curious and a tad nervous, as he heard the voices outside get louder, bits and pieces of the conversation now bleeding through the walls.

"...one thing! Just help him pa..."

Yep. That was definitely his mentor. She was mad about something again. Well...she was always a little mad about stuff, but right now she sounded, like, mad mad. Timothy wondered who she was-

"...ow was I supposed to know his stuff had been..."

Ah. Prince Kaito. Yeah. Makes sense.

Timothy was ready to ignore the argument happening outside, Prince Kaito and Miss Harukawa arguing being nothing new...but he looked up again, more curious than anything, when he heard more voices added to the mix.

A third voice, lower the then other two, piped up. Too quiet to make out the words, but Timothy guessed it was Mr. Saihara. He sounded...distressed, but, well, that wasn't too unusual these days either. What was unusual was then, also too quiet to make out the words, but a little louder, was Mr...Hinata? Was his name. Probably Mr. Hinata...he sounded like he was laughing. Maybe trying to put everyone at ease? Bad move. Timothy could hear Miss Harukawa, clear as day, go "Do you wanna die!?" to, he had to guess, Mr. Hinata. Timothy wondered what they were all talking about.

Suddenly the front door opened, and Miss Harukawa came in, looking around the caravan until she spotted Timothy, and keeping her voice calm and collected for his sake, said, "Timothy, I need to ask you to do me a favor today. Mr. Hinata needs to ride with us on this caravan today, at the very least for the morning shift. I need you to make room for him by joining Dr. Kimura and Miss Okuniji on the front caravan today...and, I need you to cover your eyes when I take you over there. I'll hold Chase and bring her food and water bowl over."

Timothy frowned at all of this. He didn't mind, necessarily, going over to hang out with the weird Dicean ladies that much. The guardswoman was weird, but that kind of made her interesting, and the doctor was nice enough, and with only ever one of them in the caravan at a time with Tim, he'd have plenty of room to run around and play. But... "Why do I have to cover my eyes?"

Because Shuuichi tried to force his hips into pants that in no way, shape, or form fit him, and now he couldn't walk or pull himself out of them without risking ripping them open entirely, and looked so embarrassed and so entirely shut down at his predicament that one wrong move was going to send him into a full blown panic attack, Maki thought to herself.

What she said was, "Consider this an exercise in following orders without being given context for them."

Timothy pouted at this, knowing what he had just been told was 'I'm not telling you and you're not gonna find out'...but, well, whatever. He'd convince someone to tell him what had happened eventually, and his mentor seemed...stabby. Soooo...

Tim nodded. "Okay, Miss Harukawa. Are we having breakfast this morning?"

"We're gonna eat on the road. Dr. Kimura will help you put something together from the food we have in storage. Alright, hand me Chase. Let me grab the bowls...now grab my sleeve and walk with me. I'll tell you when there's steps."

So Timothy followed his mentor out of the caravan, entirely missing the fact that Shuuichi, flushing red and hiding entirely under his cap, was being held bridal style by Hajime, while Kaito had his luggage bag, the three of them making their way onto the caravan the second Tim was off.

"...this is so stupid..." Shuuichi murmured, sounding like he was on the verge of tears, "...I'm so stupid..."

Hajime gave the detective an uncertain smile, trying to keep things light as he said, "It's fine! I brought my sewing kits, I have...well, the fabric won't match entirely, but I have fabrics! We're just gonna tailor your clothes today, alright? Trust me, you're gonna laugh when you look back at this, this isn't a big deal!"

Kaito, who was incredibly annoyed and sporting a new cut on his arm, said, "I can't believe she'd accuse me of doing it on purpose! I didn't know the housekeepers were tailoring Shuuichi's clothes as he grew! I just...thought that they all just kept miraculously fitting?? Somehow??"

Hajime rolled his eyes as he sat the detective down, who was still trembling in embarrassment as said housekeeper said, "Ah, yes. Efficient housekeeping. Truly, a thing of magic, and not just a bunch of people doing their best to take care of things before anyone has reason to complain. Do you think your dishes are all miraculously cleaned by magic too, Prince Kaito?"

"Oh, come on! I didn't...I didn't mean it like that!"

Quietly, Kokichi leaned back into the bathroom to finish up his routine, unsure if his appearance would just fluster Shuuichi more. ...he should've noticed when they were packing Shuuichi's clothes. That his regular clothes had been loosened, but the flashy ones hadn't. He just...wasn't thinking about it. Kokichi never held onto clothes that didn't fit, and he just assumed...well. In all fairness, Shuuichi's growth was all pretty recent.

...really, he wasn't even sure how Shuuichi had gotten his pants as far up as he had--they looked like they were squeezing his thighs pretty painfully. Not to mention that even his shirt looked a little tight...

Slipping into the bedroom, Kokichi grabbed pants and a shirt that Kaito had pulled out from his luggage before heading into the main compartment, sort of wishing he could offer his own clothes, but, well, his would fit even worse than Shuuichi's.

"Good morning!" Kokichi chirped as he joined the others, setting the extra clothes by Shuuichi's side without a word before he pulled Kaito off to the other seats, rolling his eyes as he pulled out the caravan's first aid kit. "I haven't even had breakfast yet, so I don't have anything to throw up, so let's clean you up, Kai-chan."

"Aww, babe, I'm alright, I can do it myself..." Kaito said to him quietly, though he allowed himself to be led and sat down, sort of low-key enjoying seeing his husband fuss over him a little, before glancing over at his clothes, which had been offered up to Shuuichi. It was a good idea, and he wanted to tell Kokichi so, but Shuuichi looked like he was one wrong word from blowing up on them, and so maybe it was better to just not draw any attention to it at all.

Shuuichi, in turn, noted the clothes next to him and...felt another layer of embarrassment and repulsion at his own body run through him.

Disgusting, stupid whore...couldn't do anything right...he had realized the pants weren't going to fit as soon as he had brought it out of the luggage, but...yesterday’s pants were covered from soot and dirt from sitting around the campfire, and if everyone saw him put them back on, he'd have to explain to them why he was wearing clearly dirty pants and...

He had told himself...maybe his hips weren't as wide as he thought they were? Maybe his thighs and...ass...hadn't taken all that extra weight that Dr. Kimura kept referencing...maybe it was all in his head? Maybe he wasn't as deformed as he thought he was...

So he had tried to force himself into the pants, hoping they'd just be a little tight, hoping no one would know or notice and...

Fuck if he tried to open his legs at all they were going to split apart! His grotesque dick would fucking pop out and his weird fucking...well, no...the ass mucus seemed to be...drying up? Maybe? He still put the pads on, just in case, but it had gotten incredibly light yesterday, and seemed even lighter this morning...almost like his body was just pushing out the last of it in him...

...he wondered if his pants split open and somehow his briefs kept together, if the other men would be able to tell he was wearing pads just by looking at them? Would they laugh? Maybe not in front of him, but to each other, later...??

Fuck!! Fuck!! He was so humiliated!

And he wasn't going to be able to take them off! Not without breaking the damn things! Everyone was going to see! Everyone was going to see him being a fucking freak! He wanted Miss Nao...

Hajime, who had brought Shuuichi to the caravan in the first place, saw the way the detective still refused to move, or even reach for the clothes...and guessed what the problem was. Reaching down to pick Shuuichi up agai-

"Don't touch me," Shuuichi whispered, flinching away from Hajime.

The housekeeper frowned at this, the detective having said it quietly enough that the princes might not have...glancing over his shoulder at them, he said, just as quietly back, "I'm just gonna carry ya to the bedroom so you can have some privacy."

"...I don't belong to you..." Shuuichi insisted, something confused and lost in his eyes. The stress of his spiraling, self-hating thoughts regressing him again to someone more similar to the person Hajime had had to force downstairs to eat breakfast away from his pollen.

...shoot, right. He probably actually needed to take his dose that morning too, didn't he?

So, Hajime said quietly still, "Accurate. How about this. If you let me take you to the bedroom so you can change, I'll make sure the princes have your dose ready for you by the time you're done?"

Shuuichi looked up at him, brow furrowed, but clearly Hajime had his attention...the detective chewing on the inside of his lip, looking between Hajime and the princes and then back again...before nodding.

Putting the clothes on his lap, Hajime picked Shuuichi up just as the caravan started to move, taking him to the back bedroom and sitting him down again on one of the racks, before closing the door behind him as he came back out, sitting on one of the seats with a sigh.

"...that guy has some reaaaal issues," Hajime observed, looking over at the princes and saying, "Also, I promised him his dose would be ready by the time he came back out. Need any help setting that up?"

It wasn't bad, Kokichi knew Maki wouldn't ever cut Kaito deep enough to cause any real issue, but he still brought out a disinfecting gel--though he let Kaito apply it, the red leaking out from the cut, while only a little, still freaked him out when it was coming from someone else--and helped put a small bandage on the cut. Then, giving Kaito an exasperated, but fond, look, he kissed his husband's arm, just below the bandage.

In the time it took to do all that, Hajime had returned from helping Shuuichi to the bedroom.

"Ah," Kokichi murmured, getting up before kneeling on the floor to get into his luggage. "I hate to say it, but it might take the brunt of his embarrassment off. Shuu-chan's been getting waaaay better, but there are still stickers, so..."

He'd been close to saying exactly how many doses were left in the book, but...like Nao and Dr. Kimura had said, it was better to keep that hidden until Shuuichi was sober enough to not want the pollen anymore. Keeping his eyes on the curtain, Kokichi quickly pulled the booklet out, handing the sticker to Kaito before he wrapped it back up in his clothes and buried it in his luggage, pushing it back into place. Shuuichi could probably figure out where they were keeping it, but...as long as he wasn't alone in the sitting area, that was alright.

Sitting back down properly, Kokichi offered Hajime a sheepish smile. "Well...that's why we have to help him. And thanks especially for your part, Hajime-chan--we were planning on shopping in town anyway when we get to the coast, so hopefully you won't have to tailor much."

Hajime nodded, looking both a little smug and, at the exact same time, a little self conscious, as if he was being somewhat self-deprecating, he boasted, "It's fine, none of it will take very long. What can I say? I'm a talented dude."

He sighed at this, clearly having hurt his own feelings with the joke, before going over and opening up the luggage bag that Kaito had brought into the caravan, saying to himself, "Alright...what am I working with here...these are all Shuuichi's clothes? They don't look like anything the guy’s ever worn before."

"He looks great in them!" Kaito said, somewhat defensively, as he scooped up Kokichi into his arms, pulling him into his lap and clinging to him as he said, somewhat theatrically miserably, "I can't believe Maki would suggest I picked too tight clothes for Shuuichi on purpose! What kind of horn-dog does she think I am!? I wouldn't do that to the guy! He looks great in whatever he puts on! ...oh, actually, that shirt was picked to compliment his sort of long torso, when we bought it, but well...do you think you could tailor it to compliment the curves in his waist now? It's still a good shirt, but the cut doesn't suit his frame anymore..."

Hajime blinked at Kaito, raising an eyebrow, before blowing out a breath. "Hooo, yeah, okay. I can see where she's coming from now. Wow...but also, yeah, sure, no problem."

Kokichi sighed and tapped the back of his head against Kaito's chest. "It wasn't on purpose, but we just didn't think about it enough to notice that the clothes in his dresser weren't altered. Seams just hide better in black, I guess."

And if Kaito was the kind of person to do that, which he wasn't, he wouldn't have picked out clothes that weren't just tight and showy, but literally too small for Shuuichi now. Kaito wanted his friend to be confident, wanted him to show off his looks, not hide indoors because he couldn't button his pants.

"Clothes are supposed to be comfy, Kai-chan," Kokichi whined, squirming in his husband's grasp a little, trying to stabilize himself on Kaito's lap. "Even if they fit, if Shuu-chan's clothes show off stuff he doesn't wanna show, he's not gonna wanna wear them. That's prolly the whole reason these outfits were put on the second tier in the dresser anyway."

"Every time we go clothes shopping it's gonna be a disaster, isn't it." Kokichi didn't look put out by that prospect at all though, instead grinning and excited for the mish-mash of preferences.

"I have too many beautiful friends who just...won't let the world treat them how they should be treated," Kaito lamented sadly, looking over to Hajime with a clearly disappointed look as he explained, "One of them looks like he could have come straight out of a fashion magazine in bargain bin clothes, with golden eyes and silky blue hair and legs for days, and what does he do? Refuses to look up from the floor, hides his hair under a hat, and hides his frame in dark, stiff clothes."

"And Maki!? Maki is drop dead gorgeous! Put her in heels, do her hair, put her in a clothing style that was designed for women rather than twelve-year-olds? People brag in pubs about the way she rejects them, just to boast that they had the nerve to actually ask her out! And this one!"

Kaito put his arms out on either side of Kokichi, as if putting him on display, with a 'can you believe this shit??' look. "He's beautiful! Like, hauntingly beautiful! Wispy, curling hair, a lithe, graceful frame, a perfect cherub face, and his eyes! Look at his eyes! They're hypnotizing! He's basically fucking ethereal! And what does he do with almost supernatural good looks!? Plain pastel shirts two times too big for him. Gah!"

The Luminary Prince leaned back into his seat, put his hands over his eyes, and groaned at the injustice in the world as Hajime just looked back and forth at Kokichi, to Kaito, to Kokichi...before mouthing to Kokichi, "Is he...?" before twirling a finger around his temple.

A moment after that, the back curtain opened, and Shuuichi shyly stepped out, looking shy and embarrassed and a little miserable...but also looking kind of adorable in Kaito's clothes. While Shuuichi's hips were now wide enough to comfortably fit Kaito's pants, that did nothing for the fact that Kaito's shoulders and chest were still wider, and his hamstrings were thicker. So while the clothes, more or less, fit Shuuichi enough to be comfortable, they were all just ever so slightly too baggy and hung on him and...the overall effect was very, very cute.

When Kaito glanced over at Shuuichi, looking grumpy and put out, wearing Kaito's own clothes, his collarbones showing off even more then the cut had originally intended, showing off some of his shoulder...Kaito made a very undignified sound and, feeling immediately like a pervert, hid his face into Kokichi's hair...to Hajime's endless confusion.

"Can I have my dose now?" Shuuichi muttered.

Kokichi rolled his eyes a bit as Kaito went off--Shuuichi and Maki were pretty, obviously, but just a change of clothes into what Kaito thought would compliment them more? If people treated them any differently, it would likely be in ways they didn't want, rather than an idea of how they "should" be treated.

Shuuichi he could guess dressed the way he did to avoid standing out in any meaningful way. He would rather be the person observing others than being the center of attention. Even at the height of his addiction, at least from what Kokichi could tell, Shuuichi still hid his gaze.

For Maki? Honestly, Kokichi couldn't imagine anyone acting differently no matter what she wore--her personality was just that intense. She wore what she did to try and lower expectations but...he had no idea what sort of clothes she'd want to wear if she didn't have to worry about that. Maki just seemed like she'd be comfortable wearing anything.

And for himself...Kokichi smirked and kicked his green and pink diamond-patterned socked legs. Maybe if he dressed differently, people would stop thinking he was a kid, but...like what happened with Kaito, sometimes it was interesting to see how people treated children. That tended to give a clearer picture to how they acted towards others than any interaction with the Heir Apparent. Plus, he liked his clothes! They were bright and soft and flowy and made him happy to wear. Way better than any of the regalia he had to wear in court.

Kokichi just gave Hajime a half-shrug with a sheepish smile--Kaito had strong opinions on stuff like this. It was something he didn't think they'd ever fully agree on. Really, the only point they did agree on was that their friends were very pretty.

And Shuuichi continued to prove that when he rejoined them. Giving the detective a cheery wave, Kokichi patted one of the seats next to him and guided Kaito's hand out, the sticker casually held between his fingers. "Yupp, yupp! Here you go! We can have breakfast too, if you're hungry--I saw that Maki-chan packed some sweet flatbreads, and those are yummy if you put dried fruit and nuts in 'em."

Shuuichi seemed to sigh a little in relief at the sight of the sticker, desperately wanting his fix after such a difficult and upsetting morning. He went to sit next to Kokichi, ignoring Kaito's embarrassed hiding in Kokichi's hair, taking the red-head's wrist and bringing his hand up to his face-

"Oh! Wait, no! Hold up a sec!" Kaito said, realizing what Shuuichi was doing just soon enough and, not wanting Shuuichi to embarrass himself in front of Hajime (and also, just...a little uncomfortable at the idea that Shuuichi seemed to feel like it was natural to eat the pollen literally out of Kaito's hand), he brought his head up and reached out to Shuuichi around Kokichi's chest, taking his hand and gently pulling it off his own wrist, turning it upwards, and carefully placing the sticker into Shuuichi's palm. "There! There ya go! Enjoy!"

Shuuichi, again, entirely failed to see why Kaito got so uncomfortable whenever Shuuichi reached for his dose, but wasn't too worried about it as he immediately placed the sticker onto his tongue, enjoying that immediate heat and taste...but feeling disappointed as he could tell right away this wasn't one of the stronger doses. Come on...he was feeling a lot better these days...what could a little more hurt...?

The golden-eyed detective pouted a little, the 'not quite intense enough' burn running through his bloodstream, but perked up a little at the idea of sweet flatbread and fruit, suddenly realizing...yeah he was...definitely hungry. Nodding his head at Kokichi, he said, "Sure. Do you want to go raid the cabinet with me?"

As Shuuichi and Kokichi talked, Hajime wandered into the back to see the state that Shuuichi had left his pants in in there, and...yeah, those pants were done. Hajime could fix them, sure, but it'd be easier and quicker just to hem the two non-destroyed pairs of pants he had. He only needed them till they got to town anyway, and then he could just buy some pants that fit.

Collecting Shuuichi's clothes, Hajime decided, yeah, he might as well fix Shuuichi's shirts too...while he wasn't a nut about it like Kaito, Hajime thought people probably felt better when they had clothes that fit their forms comfortably, and Shuuichi's clothes being too tight around his middle and too loose everywhere else wouldn't be comfortable. So...

Hajime looked over to the detective. "Would it be alright to measure you, Shuuichi? It'd make it easier for me to hem any clothes you bought at the beach later too, so you're not strictly limited on what you can buy. I won't insist if you don't want to, this is just me offering," Hajime said quickly, seeing that accusatory look in Shuuichi's eyes again. Hajime was getting the impression that Shuuichi hadn't quite forgiven him yet for dragging him downstairs the other day. Or, uh, carrying him, really. Like a bag of potatoes over his shoulders...yeah, that might be the kind of thing that hurts a dude’s pride.

"Hell yeah!" Kokichi squirmed out of Kaito's lap, glad that Kaito was taking a stance of having Shuuichi take his dose himself rather than...what he'd done the first time. Shuuichi was making a lot of progress, and they likely had Dr. Kimura to thank for a lot of that, but they still had to remember that recovery was a long road. One that they couldn't rush or give up at any bumps and dips.

Getting to the cabinet, Kokichi pulled the respective jars of dried fruit and mixed nuts to the front, soon finding the sealed bag of flatbread and a spoon...along with a small container of honey. Gesturing to Shuuichi for the taller boy to lean in, Kokichi murmured conspiratorially to him. "Wanna have some honey in yours? It's better if the fruit and nuts are all mixed with it like a mincecake, but that's a bit...likely to get all messy here. I can still spread honey on the inside of the bread before we put the filling in though."

It was a pretty normal thing to do, and Hajime and Kaito wouldn't stop them, but...it felt fun to conspire with a fellow appreciator of sweets. And they could skip the teasing about balanced meals they'd get from the others.

Shuuichi could actually feel himself drooling at the idea, eyeing the honey with the same sort of eager intensity that he's eyed the stickers in the past, nodding his head at Kokichi's proposal, before saying, a tad shyly, "Do you think before we put it on the bread, I could just put a bit on my tongue? Honey sounds kinda amazing right now..."

"Mmm..." Kokichi hummed, thinking through everything. He kinda wanted to do it, but... "Just so we don't gross everyone out with germs--you can have the spoon after I put in the honey, okay? Like this..."

Using the spoon, Kokichi opened up the seam of four pieces of flatbread, creating a sort of doughy pocket just ripe for filling. Casting a surreptitious look around Shuuichi, seeing if either Kaito or Hajime were snoopin' on them, Kokichi scooped up a bit of honey and ladled it inside of two of the bread pockets before sighing and handing over the spoon to Shuuichi. "Enjoy--I won't give up sweets for just anyone, yanno, so you really better enjoy it!"

While Shuuichi took care of the spoon, Kokichi scooped manageable amounts of fruit and nuts into all four breads, carefully squishing the seams shut again just to make sure he wouldn't spill anything. "Alright--breakfast is served!"

The logical side of Shuuichi's brain couldn't help but think about the fact that, out of the four people in this caravan, three of them...well, they had done a little more than 'swap germs'. It sort of seemed like a moot point, by now. But, well, maybe Kokichi had a thing about that, outside of the bedroom, which Shuuichi could respect, and either way, that was still not fair to Hajime, who probably didn't want to swap fluids with any of them.

The illogical side immediately thought: of course he doesn't want your nasty tongue anywhere near the condiment they're all going to share. You're disgusting. Why did you even ask that? Why not just ask to lick honey off his dick next??? Good whores don't call attention to themselves when everyone else is done fucking them, Shuu.

...He wondered if Miss Nao would think about him at all this week.

...Shuuichi put the spoon of honey against his tongue and sucked at it, marveling at the taste. Dicean sweets were amazing. Way better than anything he had ever had in Luminary. Maybe he could convince Kokichi to put more honey on his spoon once this one was done. Breakfast itself looked really good too though. It was way more fun to think about that, so quietly, still sucking on his spoon, he went and sat by Kaito, who was eagerly praising the breakfast Kokichi had put together as he reached for one.

"Man, what a good idea, Kokichi! I wouldn't have thought of this. Thanks for making it for us, babe!"

"Thank you, Kokichi. Do we have...plates or napkins or??" the housekeeper asked, looking around.

"I've got you! Napkins coming up!" Kaito said, going to grab them.

Kokichi brightened at the praise though he knew it was nothing special. He didn't know how to cook at all, and this still wasn't cooking--he only knew to do it because it was something out in the dining room for breakfast sometimes. Usually with bowls of more variety so people could customize their pseudo-pastry as they wished, but fruit and nuts were a classic staple. He was going to make it for himself, so it was just natural to make some for the rest of them.

Once Kaito got the napkins, Kokichi handed Hajime the other non-sweetened stuffed bread and then gave a honey-drizzled one to Shuuichi before settling down to munch on his own, happy with his work, even if it was pretty simple.

"So...I kinda wanna watch the scenery more, but I did bring cards if you guys get bored. I dunno how you would've figured it out, but I'm curious--are there any Luminary-specific games you like?" Part of it was curiosity, part of it was wanting to be helpful and keep everyone occupied on the long journey. But...for Shuuichi especially, and after such a rough morning, if he didn't have the chance to get stuck in his head, it might help him in the long run.

"Mmmm...I'm not sure? Shuuichi?" Kaito asked.

Shuuichi shook his head. "No idea. I guess we could just try...naming games we know and see if you or Hajime don't recognize any of them? Like...Texas Hold 'Em? Poker?"

Hajime chewed through his own food thoughtfully for a moment before swallowing, "Nah, we have those. Blackjack?"

"Got it. Go Fish?"

"Nope, got that too. Mmmm...21?"

"Got that one," Shuuichi mused, trying to think of games that were more obscure by Luminary standards, rather than staples at any casino. "Umm...Bullshit?"

Kaito groaned. "Ohhhh...I suck at that one..."

Shuuichi raised an eyebrow, before saying pointedly, "You suck at all of those games, Kaito."

"No! Well, maybe a little...but especially that one! I just don't get how you win?? It seems random!"

"What's Bullshit? I haven't heard that one. Kokichi?" Hajime asked, looking over to the prince.

Kokichi snickered a bit, half wondering if Shuuichi had just pulled a joke off, but in the interest of sincerity, he shook his head. "If we have that game, it's under a different name. How do you play? If it's random, I hope it's not, like, War levels. At that level of boredom, I'd rather just set up a round of solitaire. Or try to make a card castle in a moving carriage."

"The game is easy enough. We pass out cards to everyone...here, let me see the deck? I'll show you a round," Shuuichi offered, finishing off the last of his sandwich, forgetting for a moment his desire for both more of the pollen and more honey as he got into exposition mode. Shuffling the deck for a moment, he started passing the cards around to the four men.

As he did so, he explained, "Dealer starts, so I'll start. You put down a card face down, declaring what it is. Dealer gets advantage, because it can be any card they want. However, the next person has to put down the next card higher. So, say I put down a six, whoever is to my left, which would be Hajime, would have to put down a seven. However, because we are putting down the cards face down, if Hajime does not have a seven, he could still claim it's a seven, but actually could have put down a two, or an ace. If he actually puts down a two, when he claims it was a seven, someone who suspects he's done so can call out-"

"Bullshit!" Kaito shouted, grinning wide.

Shuuichi smiled slightly. "Yeah. If someone calls bullshit, Hajime would have to show his card. If it was a seven, the person who called bullshit has to take all of the discard pile. If it was a two, Hajime would have to take the discard pile. Winner is whoever gets rid of all the cards from their hand first."

"It's not much of a betting game, huh?" Kaito mused, thinking about it. "It's more of a drinking game, honestly."

"You could technically bet on the end game results, but honestly, Kaito, if we're going to play, you're lucky it's not a betting game. You never win."

"Hey! Come on! I won once! Remember that uni party where-?"

"Kaito, if you're about to reference that time when you were the last person sober enough to play, that doesn't count."

"...well, I think it should," Kaito pouted.

"Oooh..." Kokichi hummed softly, the game simple enough, and different for sure, but... "We have a game that's kind of similar to that? Kinda funny, 'cause it's called Asshole. It sorta sounds like the same concept, but with a bunch of modifiers added on, and it's more about not losing than it is winning. But, yeah, let's play Bullshit!"

Taking a look at his cards, Kokichi blinked up at Shuuichi. "Are you allowed to put down multiples of the same card? Like...not related to what other people put down. Like if Hajime-chan put down a seven, I could put down three eights, and Kai-chan could put down two nines, and that would all be within the rules?"

Eventually, the group worked out exactly how the game was played, and...

"Oh, come on!" Kaito said, trying desperately to manage the twenty+ cards in his hand, as Kokichi once again called his bullshit, having to pick up an additional six cards while his husband smiled widely at him. "I don't get it!? How can you tell!? I have so many cards, it's totally reasonable I'd have a ten!"

"I agree. Odds are, you should have a ten...but three, Kaito?" Shuuichi said, holding nine cards himself, entirely unable to get down to five the entire game, but never going any higher than fifteen. He looked down at the three cards Kaito turned upwards, none of which were ten. "How did you have no tens at all though? Kaito, you're not...holding back the right card when you have it, are you?"

"..."

"What? Why!?" Hajime gasped, when he realized the detective had guessed right. He was doing pretty poorly himself, but with nothing on the line, he wasn't trying all that hard either, just sorta enjoying the company and the game. "What's the point!?"

"I don't know! Maybe I'll need it later? I don't know! Fuck!" Kaito sighed, before glaring at his husband. "But you have only one card let, and you need an eleven. No way you're that lucky..."

Oh-hoo, Kokichi was having fun with this game. He didn't always have people to play with, but when you'd likely be stuck inside for at least a week or two during winter, he could usually corral some of the castle residents into a card game, and Kokichi had learned a thing or two. It did help that Kaito was just so legendarily bad that he took a lot of the focus.

Kokichi grinned brightly back at his husband, his smugness just disgusting in the face of his innocence. "You're right--there's no way I'm lucky enough to have an eleven in a standard card deck where there are no elevens. Just Jacks, which are next in the sequence. Now, whether I actually have one or not...?"

With an extremely horsey giggle, Kokichi laid his last card down on the pile, turning his gaze to each of the other players, just daring them to call bullshit. "Who's feeling lucky today?"

There was hesitation all around...before Hajime laughed. "Well, someone's got to, right? Otherwise the game’s over. Alright, alright. Bullshit. Let's see it."

Hajime reached out and took the card, took a look at it while Kaito looked anxiously at him...and Hajime just laughed, throwing the card down.

Jack.

"Oh, come on!" Kaito groaned, throwing his cards in the air and putting his head in his hands, the drama king running his hands through his hair as he said, "That's just!...Witchcraft! I call witchcraft! Kokichi is a witch!"

"If he is, then he's wasting his abilities here. We need to take this guy actual gambling. He destroyed us." Hajime chuckled, as Shuuichi quietly started picking up all the cards. "I say, if we play again today, we should actually bet something. It would make me more invested, personally."

"Like what?" Shuuichi asked.

Kokichi just giggled at his husband's outrage, that more of a prize than he could ever hope for. It wasn't all that hard to plan ahead--there were only four of them, so as soon as the dealer called their first card, he knew all the values he'd need to play. Then, he just paid attention to what people played on their own turns, playing lower value cards as lies only when it wouldn't contradict something someone already claimed. There was some luck, yeah, but it was a game you could plan ahead for.

When the subject of gambling came up, though...

Kokichi's head tipped to the side as a considering look came over his face. "Hmm... Like...I'd wanna say the winner gets a prize of sweets or something...but I can just buy those myself. And I don't want Kai-chan to go broke if we bet with actual money..."

He was half tempted to declare that losers would have to take a dare like in Truth or Dare, but...it wasn't that he thought Shuuichi would lose all that much. But he didn't want to stress him out if it came up. There were easy dares, sure, but...better safe than sorry.

However...if it was something they offered up themselves...

"What about favors?" Kokichi looked around to the others, seeing what they thought. "Like...I'll bet that if Kai-chan wins, he can dress me up however he wants for a day."

Kaito's eyes widened at this. "Oh my god," he whispered, "I have to get that monster-onesie to put you in."

Hajime laughed, looking over at the prince as he said, "You, uh...sure that's something you want to risk, Prince Kokichi? How would we even say who actually loses the gamble? Just everyone who loses has to do their favor, or...whoever wins the most gets to make a favor for whoever lost the most?"

Shuuichi shrugged. "That seems fair to me. The two middle losers don't get a reward or a punishment, top gets to do something to bottom."

Kaito suddenly laughed, flushing before shaking his head sheepishly, "Sorry...was thinking of something else. I like this idea, let's do it! For the onesie! Okay, so...who's dealing?"

He knew what he was doing. Both in that, sorry hun, but Kaito was awful at betting games, and that...the onesie would be embarrassing, but it wasn't that bad. Kokichi knew that, if it did happen, whatever Kaito would dress him in wouldn't be, like, just him being naked, and everything else he could handle.

None of them were cruel, so it'd be okay.

"I won the last game, so I'll just say my prize is being dealer this time," Kokichi declared, grabbing the deck from where Shuuichi had compiled it, giving it another cursory shuffle. He could definitely swing things in his favor, seeing what pattern would work the best for him...or see what cards he was lacking, and take a gamble of his own to swing things towards someone else.

How interesting~!

"Alright, let's go from the top! Two aces!"

Kaito tried way, way, way harder this time...

And maybe that was why this game was so much shorter than the last one, as Kaito looked miserably at his 30+ cards. "How...??"

"Ya know...if there was a, say...an opposite casino? Where you bet on how often you lost? Somehow... I think you'd be a sure thing, Kaito." Hajime snickered, not doing much better than the last time they had played, not really sure what kind of favor he'd want to ask of anyone so, again, not super invested to do much more than not lose. That said...

The housekeeper glanced over at Kokichi and Shuuichi, who were basically playing to beat each other by this point, and had been for most of the game. Kokichi was playing with a sort of excitable energy, clearly caught up in the game, but Shuuichi seemed to get calmer and calmer the more they went on, his face intense and focused.

Kokichi put his cards down next, and Shuuichi watched him...and said nothing. Kaito was half tempted to call bullshit, just because Kokichi was getting down to so few cards, so the odds had to be in his favor, right?? But decided to follow the other two's lead, both who said nothing, letting the two cards go, Kokichi now only having two cards, Shuuichi four.

As Kaito tried desperately to strategize some sort of way to pull himself out of the hole he had dug for himself by this point, he glanced over at Shuuichi, who was looking intently at his own cards, and then to the small pile of discard cards, about six in total...and to Kaito's total shock, put down three of his cards down on the pile, and said, "Queens."

The three men stared at the four cards, Shuuichi's face impassive under their scrutiny.

"...there's no way, right?" Kaito asked, looking at the others uncertainly.

Kokichi cooed at his husband and wanted to lean over to nuzzle him, but didn't want to deal with another barrage of calls crying out "cheater!" So, instead, he just reached out to rub his knuckles down Kaito's arm. "It's not the worst kind of bad luck to have at least."

His consoling tone shifted to a gasp of excitement as Shuuichi took his turn, however, Kokichi looking up at the detective with glittering eyes. Giggling a bit at Kaito's uncertainty, Kokichi held his last two cards to his chest and gave Shuuichi a wink. "Well, you're certainly cute, but I don't think Shuu-chan's a liar right now--so that's exactly while I'll call--BULLSHIT!"

If he was wrong, then it would be up to Hajime to guess what Shuuichi had left, and just not put down the value three below that. If he was right, then he'd prolonged the game at least two more rounds--not enough time for Kaito to dig himself out of his hole, but maybe to make a dent in it.

Shuuichi smiled pleasantly at Kokichi, before quietly reaching out and turning all three cards over.

All queens.

"Shit!" Kaito cursed, for some reason disappointed, even though this didn't really affect his situation either way. "What are the!...Shuuichi! How did you do that?!"

Shuuichi shook his head and shrugged. "It just worked out that way. Pure luck. I almost wanted to push my luck and try to say all four were queens...but that bluff would have only worked if Kaito had the fourth queen. Since he probably wouldn't have noticed he had it in time," Shuuichi said, smirking ever so slightly at the prince, who gasped, clearly offended.

"Mocked! Doubted! By my own sidekick!" Kaito groaned, putting his hand over his eyes, before looking up, looking at everyone’s cards as he said, "Wait, so...do any of us actually have a chance of winning then?"

"Sure, if he can't get rid of that last card," Hajime answered, looking at his own handful of cards. "For him, it's kinda just luck now. Unless he's holding a three or a seven, the next two rounds will probably knock him back."

Shuuichi smiled. "Sure...if I don't have a three...or, you three could just forfeit now, if you want to save the time it would take to get back to me."

"Ugggggh!" Kaito fell backwards into his chair, laying his head back and staring at the ceiling as he said, "Nope. I don't trust that shit. I'm doomed. Fuck. I'm gonna lose anyway, by this point. I'm up for calling it if everyone else is?"

Kokichi giggled in delight, scooping up the four cards in the pile into his hand, soon snorting at the very true though not flattering strategy Shuuichi had employed. It had been why Kokichi had actually believed that Shuuichi had the queens--why leave yourself with one card if you were lying anyway?

Though, as they explained more of the game theory...

Sighing dramatically, Kokichi pouted at the group before perking back up with a shrug. "I kinda did that move to keep the game going, but if you're all so pessimistic, I am kinda curious to see what kind of favor Shuu-chan would ask of Kai-chan, so...I guess for my own win condition, it's a win-win!"

Turning to Hajime, Kokichi gave him an impish smile. "Well? It's all up to you either way. Forfeit now, cement your third place in safety. Keep playing, guess what Shuu-chan has to body block him...but risk Kai-chan losing more of his cards and maybe falling into last place yourself? Risk or safety--the choice is yours, Hajime-chan!"

Hajime narrowed his eyes at Shuuichi, who seemed perfectly content to just quietly sit there and let the three of them debate...his face passive. Still.

...Hajime would bet anything that this weirdo Luminary druggie didn't actually have a three or a seven.

But! Since it's been established that Hajime didn't really feel like he was betting anything, he just chuckled and let it go, shaking his head as he said, "I actually need to do this tailoring stuff at some point before the first shift ends. Somehow I feel like Maki wouldn't appreciate me saying that I got distracted playing card games and never did it. I forfeit."

Kaito looked over at Shuuichi curiously. "So...did you have it?"

Shuuichi seemed to consider him...before shrugging. Collecting the cards and putting his still unseen hand back into the fold. "Gotta play to see," Shuuichi said, sounding a tad proud as Kaito immediately flailed and flustered.

"Come on! That's not fair! I wanna know if we could have won or not! Awwwwww. That's gotta be against the rules, right!?" Kaito demanded, as Hajime again chuckled, getting up and stretching as Shuuichi cleaned up the cards.

"Sounds fair to me. Alright...I'm gonna take these clothes and head into y’all’s bedroom compartment. Somehow I get the feeling I won't get a lot of work done if I stay out here with you all. You're a weird, lively bunch."

"Don't you want to know what Shuuichi's favor of me is gonna be?" Kaito asked, surprised by Hajime's self-restraint. He knew he'd be curious, after playing a whole game about it, regardless of if he was affected or not.

But Hajime just shook his head. "You can tell me when I'm done, if you want. But tailoring can take awhile to do right, and we've already killed a lot of time. Let me go get this done," the housekeeper said, taking the clothes and disappearing behind the back door with them.

Kaito, again, was just amazed at that sort of self-restraint, before turning to Shuuichi. "Alright! No one can say Kaito Ouma Momota is a sore loser! I lost...pretty early on, and I've had this whole game to come to peace with whatever you decide to do! ...admittedly, I thought Kokichi was gonna win for awhile there, and my husband can be cruel when he wants to be," Kaito said, narrowing his eyes at Kokichi, thinking of ghosts in the night, "so I probably lucked out. What's it gonna be, Shuuichi?"

Shuuichi's earlier confidence from the game bled away a little, the detective lowering his hat and staring at the ground with a small shrug. "I don't know...I wasn't really thinking about that. I was just having fun playing...I don't want to be mean to you, Kaito."

"Why not? Be mean! I can handle it! What were you thinking? Having me wrestle a bear!? Punch a hornets nest with my bare hands! Barely get by a sheer cliff while trailing the edge of a waterfall!!?" Kaito paused, before admitting, "I don't know why I got caught up on a 'bear' theme. That got away from me."

"Kaito, no! I wouldn't ask you to do anything dangerous!" Shuuichi said, sounding shocked. "I just don't know what to ask..."

Oooooh, that's sneaky. Gotta remember, Shuuichi's sneaky.

Chuckling, Kokichi got his deck from Shuuichi and put it away, bidding Hajime a brief farewell as he got up to stretch a little before settling himself next to one of the windows, watching as...yeah, looked like they were getting out of the forest. There would be some hills, but things would be flatter as they got closer and closer to the coast, heading away from the mountains and valleys that categorized the more northern part of the country.

"It doesn't have to be anything mean," Kokichi mused. "And you can always store it for a favor later. Though...really, I dunno what you'd use it for either. I don't think there's much you'd ask of Kai-chan that he wouldn't enthusiastically wanna do anyway."

Nothing they could let Shuuichi have, anyway. If he wanted more pollen, then they'd have to say no, bet be damned.

Shuuichi frowned at this, glancing shyly at Kaito. Yeah there...wasn't much his friend wouldn't do...especially of a certain variety of 'favors'...

Shuuichi suddenly felt his face warm in a painfully familiar way, and he felt a spark of panic at this. Was it starting again!? He had been totally fine all day yesterday. He had woken up fine. Was it starting again!?

As Shuuichi low-key panicked at the flush spreading across his face, worried about what it could mean, Kaito watched that same flush of red...and grinned. A wolfish tint to it as he guessed (somewhat inaccurately) where Shuuichi's head had gone. Glancing over at the closed door to the final compartment, Hajime firmly behind it, Kaito looked over at Shuuichi with that grin back on his face, and leaned over, pulling close into Shuuichi's personal space and placing his hand gently against his neck as he said quietly, "Come on, Shuuichi...there's nothing you want from me? When I'm here and at your mercy like this?"

The blush got worse, Shuuichi leaning away from Kaito instinctively, not because he didn't like it but...sh-shouldn't he be trying to stay un-aroused, right now? H-he was...Kaito wanted him to stop being a whore, right? And Miss Nao and Maki...they both wanted him to stop being c-crazy...if he got aroused, he was going to end up being both of those things again, right? If he hadn't woken up needing it, it was important to try and discourage it! H-he didn't want to go crazy again...it was so nice, being able to think again...he didn't want to lose it...

...but Kaito smelled good. A-and Shuuichi kept thinking about...how it felt with both of them...around and inside of him...filling him...possessing him...and another hot stab of guilt and shame shot through him at that thought. Shuuichi leaned more away from Kaito, knowing that wasn't how he was supposed to be thinking. Didn't want to go crazy again. Can't think like that. Gotta stay calm.

Kaito, in turn, frowned when Shuuichi leaned away from him, backing up as he gave the detective a curious...and mildly hurt look. But he shook it off, giving his sidekick a sheepish grin as he said, "Sorry, Shuuichi...I can not do stuff like that if you don't like it...it's okay to tell me, ya know."

Shuuichi looked up warily at Kaito, before dropping his eyes to the ground again. "I...I don't dislike it, I just...a-are we...still doing stuff like that? I mean...aren't I supposed to be not doing stuff like that...isn't that the goal?"

As much as Kokichi wanted to watch the world, what was happening in the caravan was more important to pay attention to. He rolled his eyes a little as Kaito got all flirty--of course that's where Kaito's mind would go--but he only got back up when Shuuichi started to look uncomfortable, going to interfere, but...

Kokichi's expression shifted into confusion, his eyes squinting a little. "...huh? Shuu-chan...like, you're allowed to have sex? The goal of all of this is...to get the fungus out of your system so you won't die? Whether you wanna have sex or not is only a decision you make--we just wanna make sure you're not gonna ask a partner to beat the shit out of you or put you in danger."

Glancing at Kaito, Kokichi took a nervous breath before approaching Shuuichi slowly, sitting next to him. "Actually...I'm kinda hoping you'll choose to have more sex in the future. ...w-with us?"

"A-and not just sex. If you'd be okay with it...Kai-chan and I were talkin', and...would you wanna date us?"

"...??" Shuuichi didn't say anything, but he looked at the prince in open confusion, clearly not tracking before saying, "...date you?"

Shuuichi had wanted to keep sleeping with the two men, had hoped they would (keep him) let him. But...date? How... "How would that...work?" he asked, feeling both entirely befuddled and at the same time a little embarrassed, like that was probably a stupid question and he was an idiot for not immediately understanding...but he didn't understand. With Miss Nao and her wife, Shuuichi had been sort of just hoping they'd just wanna...there wasn't a good word for it. Not a word Shuuichi could think of that wouldn't make Kaito specifically angry.

(And the word 'concubine', which Kaito had already rejected, never occurred to Shuuichi. It was an old-fashioned word for live-in whores that Luminous society didn't reference anymore outside of religious or historical context, specifically because there were so many laws that required better treatment of concubines than, say, a brothel whore or, unfortunately, a mistreated 'housekeeper'. The Atua religion, in its prime, before the pantheon was upended, had done a lot of good work to protect and empower people who willingly sold their sex lives...so the Luminary elite just decided to focus on the unwilling instead. Why officially buy a concubine, who was, legally speaking, treated as a sort of second-class spouse, when you could just rent an indentured whore for a night instead?)

He had wanted to be kept by them...but date? Didn't that imply sort of somewhere down the line...well, someday dating, if it went according to plan...even back when Kaito had tried dating Maki, Shuuichi had thought they were doomed to fail, because...it's not like anyone would have ever let them...Maki was a...they were princes and Shuuichi was...

"Wouldn't people get mad?" Shuuichi said, realizing suddenly that was what made him more nervous than anything.

Kaito, meanwhile, was BEAMING at his husband! He hadn't expected Kokichi to bring it up out of the blue like that, and, sure, he would have liked to have done something cheesy, like bring Shuuichi flowers or use some cliche pick-up line to make him laugh or something like that, but it was still!!! So exciting!!! He had just gotten to see his husband ask someone out for the (presumably? Probably?) first time!! And Shuuichi was getting asked out, which always excited Kaito (because his friend DESERVED to be asked out, dammit!!)!!! And also Kaito might get to date Shuuichi(AHHHHHHH!!)!!! And kinda Kokichi!??!!! Married-dating!!!! It was so exciting!!!!!

Shuuichi's immediate confusion and concern did...damper Kaito's enthusiasm a little bit...but, at Shuuichi's second question, which came almost immediately after the first, he grit his teeth and clenched his fists and said, "No! We're not thinking about that! This is between the three of us! We'll worry about everyone else once we're sorted!"

The royal detective frowned at Kaito, his friend’s loud passion not able to break through Shuuichi's nerves and paranoia as he insisted, "Kaito...it matters...your marriage is literally symbolism...and I'm...your broth-"

"Hey. Stop," Kaito said quickly, running a hand through his hair, not quite...ready to think about that part of it yet. "Look...let me worry about that, okay? All of that. It's fine. Let me worry about that. And you're a Dicean Citizen, Shuuichi. It's no one's business who you date. And..." Kaito grinned, giving Shuuichi bright, eager eyes as he said gently, "...me and Kokichi have been talking about it and...we don't really know how it's going to work either? But we like you a lot, Shuuichi. And, like he said...if you'll have us, we want to date you! Like, properly date you! Go to shows, eat out, little kisses, mushy hand-holdy stuff! Not just us all sleeping together for fun or for the pollen stuff...but you being our boyfriend! Our partner? Whatever you want to call it! Whatever me and Kokichi have going on...we want you to be an equal part of it."

Shuuichi's eyes widened at this. He felt the back of his eyes burn a bit. He had a weird, sudden paranoia that he was being tricked. That they were messing with him. That they were telling him...'obvious lies' and later he'd find out they couldn't believe he actually believed them...

But...

It hurt...how much his heart had pinged at the words 'equal part'...it hurt how badly he suddenly, desperately wanted that...

"R-really?" Shuuichi asked, putting up his palm and trying to ease the burning in his eyes before the tears started to spill, trying to keep a hold of himself as he asked, equal parts suspicious and longing, "...a-are you sure?"

Even if Kokichi had half expected this sort of reaction, he still had to remind himself to stay strong, to not go back on his words in the face of Shuuichi's uncertainty. But Kokichi still felt nerves flare up in his stomach and he started worrying his lip, wondering if...Shuuichi wouldn't even want this. Maybe he just wanted casual sex...

...but...Kokichi wasn't sure if...he could have casual sex. Sex could be casual and have low expectations, but within the act, of allowing someone that close, to trust them with touching him and being touched... Like he'd told Kaito, he really cared about Shuuichi. If they did anything in the future, it would be with that care in mind, not just a release.

But at Shuuichi's second question, Kokichi relaxed a little. Not because that question didn't matter, because he'd already put so much thought into it, but because...Shuuichi wouldn't be thinking like that unless he...

Gently, Kokichi took Shuuichi's free hand in his own and gave it a soft squeeze, smiling earnestly and hopefully up at the taller boy. "I'm totally sure. I'm new to all of this, but...the care and feelings I have towards Kai-chan and Shuu-chan are pretty damn similar, so I've decided that's how I feel around people I wanna be with. And Shuu-chan knows well enough that Kai-chan loves him."

"The choice is yours, I don't wanna pressure you into an answer, but...I would be really happy dating Shuu-chan and Kai-chan."

"..."

"..."

"...I mean, I'll pressure you, if that's what it takes. I could take off my shirt and show you everything you'd be missing out on if you say-"

Shuuichi suddenly laughed, shaking his head and giving Kaito an exasperated look as he said, "Kaito, shut up. God, you're such a mess. I'd be crazy to want to date you. I've already turned you down once."

The words were harsh, but Kaito recognized the playfulness in them, and he grinned wider as he prompted, "Buuuuut?"

"But...ha." Shuuichi fussed with his hat, looking over at Kokichi holding his hand, and...turning slightly red. Longing and affection and some suspicion but also just...a feeling of excitement and joy, all combating and fighting for their place inside of him. "But nothing. I'd be crazy to want to date you...but you both are out of your minds if you actually wanna date someone like me...I'm a mess too...so, I don't know." Shuuichi chuckled, shrugging at both men, giving them fond, if tired, smiles, "I guess we could all just be crazy together, until we come to our senses..."

"That sounds like a yes! Is that a yes?" Kaito asked, again, just, radiating excitement.

"...yes? Yeah. I...I'd like to try to do this," Shuuichi said shyly, not really...confident any of this was going to work, but...he really did like the idea of trying... "I still don't really...understand what this is gonna mean? It feels kind of impossible...but I love you, Kaito," Shuuichi said, looking over at his excited, ecstatic friend with a sort of calm adoration. "That's been true for a long time...though I know this will be a different kind of love than that, and...I guess we can try to work through that together...and..." Shuuichi looked over at Kokichi, his stomach immediately filling with flustered nerves and vague arousal, an actual feeling of butterflies in his stomach, strange feeling and fundamentally different from the nervous, longing fear that Nao had inspired in him. "...I like you a lot...I don't...I'm sorta weird and strange these days..." Shuuichi said quietly, ducking his eyes under his cover, ashamed of how true that was. "And I honestly don't understand why you, Kokichi, would wanna...deal with me...a-and I'd understand if you changed your mind in the future...but I'm up for trying if you are."

Kaito immediately wanted to pipe up to that, to defend Shuuichi against his own self doubts and argue against the idea that Kokichi, when he really got a chance to get to know Shuuichi, would decide he wasn't worth Kokichi's affection...but he held back. Not wanting to speak for his husband and...kind of not wanting to trap his husband in this decision either. This decision was easy for Kaito. Kaito loved Shuuichi. Had loved him a long, long time, in many different ways, and now that a new way was available to Kaito, there was no part of him that didn't want to explore this fully and completely.

But Kokichi...Kaito didn't want to trap Kokichi in this relationship through his own expectations. Didn't want Kokichi in the future to think he couldn't step away from Shuuichi without hurting Kaito, in some way...even if...it would probably hurt Kaito, especially if more time went by and the three got more established. Kaito...Kaito had a responsibility to Kokichi, as his husband. If Kokichi wanted the relationship to end, someday, then Kaito would have to respect that. Honor that...and he didn't want to make Kokichi afraid of saying so.

But that was a worst case, future scenario! Still...best to let Kokichi speak for himself, about that.

Kokichi beamed, giggling a bit as that was just...hoo a whole big load off his shoulders. Shuuichi...wanted to give this a shot. And that was just...incredible! Wonderful! Kind of wanted to make him kiss Shuuichi, but he didn't want to startle him with sudden affection just yet, so Kokichi just gave his hand another squeeze as he grinned up at Shuuichi in adoration.

"I'm weird and strange all days," he refuted, knowing what Shuuichi meant but wanting to let him know that it didn't matter to him. He was committed to helping Shuuichi past his addiction in any form their relationship took. "And if I have to deal with you, then you're agreeing to deal with me too, but I like to think of it more like we've decided each other are important enough to stick around even when it's not all sunshine."

Kokichi smiled sweetly up at Shuuichi, playing with his hand now, tracing down his fingers. "In other words...it's an honor to have your trust with your struggles, and I'm excited to be with you through the good and the bad. Things might change in the future, sure, but there's no way to predict that, and I'd rather focus on enjoying the present that I am sure about."

He caved a little and brought Shuuichi's hand up to place a kiss on his knuckles, giggling against the detective's hand. "I like you a lot, Shuu-chan. Can I call you my boyfriend now?"

Shuuichi's whole face went red at the kiss and the question, immediately hiding under his hat as he stammered out, "Y...y-yeah?"

"Boom!" Kaito said, pumping both fists into the air (ow, ow, really gotta remember that arm) as he shouted, "It only took a fucking decade, a cross continent trip, and me getting fucking married to a dime!! But I finally convinced Shuuichi fucking Saihara to want to go out with me!! Woo!!"

"Kaito, stop! Hajime's right back...oh fuck, there's no way he didn't hear that," Shuuichi groaned, putting his head into his hands.

Hajime was, indeed, halfway through a stitch, stopped, just sorta...whelp. O...okay then. That was all probably...gonna be a thing. Whelp. Better just...continue tailoring these clothes...

Kaito laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as he said, "Oh! Right! My bad...well, that's probably fine...I'll talk to him about that later. Hajime's been a good guy so far, I doubt he'll tell anyone. And, like...I don't know if it's...gonna be a secret? ...ya know what? We'll work that out later. Things to think about, right? We're on vacation! We have time to work out all the...the big stuff that comes with this! But! For now, let's just...I don't know! We're all dating now! That's fun and exciting! Let's have fun and be excited!"

And Kaito, as was his prerogative, leaned forward, grabbed both sides of Shuuichi's face, and pulled him in for a kiss.

Shuuichi tensed up, only for a moment, more out of surprise than anything else as Kaito was suddenly very...present. And firm. And warm. A-and...ooh...again, Shuuichi felt that worrying, frightening spark of arousal, just...terrified it was going to lead to bad things. B-but...Kokichi had said he wasn't...expected not to get aroused anymore. Just...not to put himself in danger doing it and...Kaito didn't feel dangerous...he felt...

He just kinda made Shuuichi wanna laugh, and when Kaito broke the kiss, the detective did so. Flushing and nervous and a little overwhelmed, but laughing at Kaito's shameless enthusiasm as he said, a tad reproachfully, "Kaito...Hajime is back there..."

Kaito laughed loudly, letting go and backing up. "I know, I know, I'm not gonna do anything. Just wanted to kiss you, handsome," Kaito said with a grin. "Word to the wise? I'm gonna want to do that a lot. I'd kiss you and 'Kichi basically all the time, if I could. But I'll try to be discreet about it...but 'Kichi? Hoooo, boy, Shuuichi, this guy is insatiable when it comes to kisses. Can't get enough of them. Have to fight him off with a stick, I tell ya. Thank goodness you'll be here to share the load now. He's probably dying for one right now even," Kaito said, clearly prompting in his tone.

Shuuichi looked over at Kokichi shyly, "Um..."

He seemed in hot debate with himself, fighting his own shy inexperience with his clear desire to do so...before compromising with himself and leaning down to kiss Kokichi on the cheek. Once again just marveling at how soft every part of the Dicean was against his own lips.

Kokichi didn't particularly want to keep their relationship a secret--to him, it implied that Shuuichi wasn't worth showing off or something like that, which was gross--but he did acknowledge that their position was...difficult. Past leaders had had multiple partners...but none had been part of a marriage meant to symbolize the peace and cooperation between two nations. Still, Kokichi couldn't think of a better way to continue to symbolize that than to love another Luminary.

But they'd figure all that out later.

So Kokichi just giggled at Kaito's big ol' smooch, raising an eyebrow before nodding totally seriously. "It's true, I literally need to kiss my husband and boyfriend-," BOYFRIEND!!! "-all the time. It's like oxygen to me."

He kept a straight face as Shuuichi seemed to debate with himself before breaking out in a delighted smile when he was given a gentle kiss to the cheek. Buuuuut, well, he was insatiable for affection. Popping up on his toes for a moment before Shuuichi straightened back up, Kokichi placed a kiss of his own to Shuuichi's cheek. "Shuu-chan's actually in more danger from that--I can reach your cute face. Meanwhile, Mr. Giant over here only gets arm kisses because he's too damn tall."

"Unless he helps me out, of course," Kokichi smirked at his husband, giving him a wink.

"I'm only six feet tall! That's hardly giant-sized! You're just itty-bitty! Wear platform heels, I don't know, I can't exactly cut inches off! Back me up here, Shuuichi!" Kaito joked, rolling his eyes before scooping Kokichi up onto his lap again and saying, "This is why I gotta keep doing this. Makes up for the height difference, and I can do things like this-"

Kaito leaned down to kiss Kokichi, deeply, his arms around Kokichi's waist and back, taking his time and leaning his whole upper frame into it, kissing him once, twice, again, until he started hearing Kokichi make that little, heavy breath sound between them that Kaito adored, trying to rile Kokichi up a little...doing this on purpose so that when he broke the kiss, his own face a little flushed, the air between himself and Kokichi hotter and wet...he glanced over at Shuuichi and...heh. Got him.

The detective's face was bright red, eyes wide, watching them. Clearly flustered and turned on by watching them. Kaito imagined it had to look good to Shuuichi. Seeing his two new boyfriends, on top of each other and flustered, one being worked by the other...and having the slowing, dawning realization that he could claim both of them as his now...the sheer novelty of that idea.

So, yeah, Kaito was peacocking a little bit. Trying to make Shuuichi want to touch them, even if they couldn't do it right now, really. He just wanted that arousal, and the realization that he could do something about that arousal, that he had that freedom now, somewhere in the back of his head for the rest of the day.

...at least until the evening shift.

Kaito grinned wolfishly, holding Kokichi close to himself, and said to Shuuichi, "So...about the game. Have you thought about what favor you wanted from me yet?"

Shuuichi looked, wide eyed, at both Kokichi and Kaito...and his eyes went even wider, and his face was now a burning scarlet, suddenly hiding under his hat again, unable to take looking directly at them as he smiled uneasily at the floor, "Uh...it's...I have an idea but...i-it's kinda weird and I don't want to make things weird..."

"Give us the benefit of the doubt, Shuuichi. If I don't like it, I'll say no, and if Kokichi doesn't like it for me, as his husband, he'll say no! And that doesn't have to be a bad thing! Remember our boundaries talk! That didn't ruin our night, did it? Telling us you don't want to do something won't make us think less of you," Kaito assured him, before grinning wide. "It's fun, getting to know that side of ourselves! Ya know I tried to call Kokichi 'daddy' once? As a sexy thing? It was the worst! I almost died immediately, I was so embarrassed, and I'm pretty sure Kokichi felt just as freaked out by it! ...and now it's a fun, funny memory," Kaito said with a warm, affectionate shrug, "So! Give it a shot!"

Shuuichi still hesitated, squirming under their stares... "I-it's silly...and I don't even know if it's gonna be that sexy? But..."

Shuuichi mumbled something too quietly to hear.

"...uh. Sorry, handsome. Totally missed that. Try again."

Shuuichi looked up, clearly embarrassed, as he said more clearly, "I wanna...eat sweets...off Kaito's body..."

"Literal sky-toucher!" Kokichi insisted, the only thing he got out before Kaito scooped him up and captured his lips. Since Shuuichi was a part of their relationship now, Kokichi didn't have any qualms about immediately kissing back, letting himself be swept up in Kaito's passion, trusting him not to let him fall and sneaking nips and a little tongue in where he could.

Naturally, he was left panting lightly by the time Kaito pulled back, his face rosy and lips wet, his body warmed by Kaito's breath. But, as nice as it was, that was about as far as he was comfortable with any of them going--Hajime was just a door away, not to mention that Maki was just outside.

Getting his breath back, Kokichi tuned back into the conversation, making a face at the 'daddy' incident. Still too weird. And, even though he wanted to have another talk about boundaries, he left it alone for now.

Especially when what Shuuichi brought up was far from the boundaries of his comfort zone.

Kokichi looked at Shuuichi with a surprised expression before he groaned, pouting a bit. "Aw maaaaan! I wish I'd played it out now--that sounds like such a good time."

Turning his pout between both his lovers, Kokichi huffed a bit. "Can we get extra sweets--like, if Kai-chan's okay with it, I guess we can do it in the beach house, stocking up beforehand--when we pick up some in town? It's Shuu-chan's prize, so he gets to eat goodies off Kai-chan's hot bod, but I want some sweets too!"

Kaito snorted, both at Shuuichi's request and Kokichi's immediate reaction, looking pleased, if a little confused. They wanted to...what? Eat off him? Like a table, or??? Admittedly, he didn't quite understand exactly what Shuuichi was envisioning, but the sheer fact that, other than his desperate desire to be 'filled' and 'hurt', this was the first thing Shuuichi asked of them...sure! Kaito was up to trying it! He'd get a better idea of what Shuuichi wanted later and accommodate that.

"Awww, man, I gotta wait till we get all the way to the beach house to touch you guys again? Ugh, noooo, I'm gonna end up being horny all damn day, aren't I," Kaito said with a laugh, not noticing the slight wince on Shuuichi's face at the comment, bringing back very recent, very harsh memories. "But, that's what I get for losing. And, sure, I'm up to this sweets thing! This'll be a new one for me! It's exciting!"

"Kokichi...I mean..." Shuuichi flushed, pleased that both of his new...boyfriends? didn't seem...well, neither of them had rejected the idea, right off the bat. He hoped it wasn't a bad one. He hoped they'd have a good time...he couldn't get the idea out of his head now. Licking honey off Kaito's stomach...maybe dripping warm chocolate on his...w-wow, Dicean sweets really had Shuuichi's sugar tooth on overdrive... "I don't mind sharing my prize...it'd be more fun to, um..." Shuuichi blushed, but attempted a sly smile, "'Share a meal' with you..."

Kokichi, who had caught the wince, simply took up Shuuichi's hand again, giving it a squeeze while his smile softened for a moment. Kaito's self-control and what had happened to Shuuichi were completely different, but...he'd try not to make any 'unfortunately horny' jokes. At least not for a while, while it was so fresh.

Though, when Shuuichi opened up his prize... Kokichi grinned in devilish excitement. "Aww! Shuu-chan's super generous! It'll be nice turning the tables on Kai-chan too, since he's all about getting a taste of us. We'll just get a little extra out of it." He snickered for a moment, leaning up to press a kiss to Kaito's jaw.

"Hmm...stuff with cream seems like they'd be good. Chocolate would just melt all over Kai-chan, so, uh, yeah. Just gotta be careful about placement, I guess." Kokichi got more serious for a moment, nuzzling back against Kaito and squeezing Shuuichi's hand again. "Infections aren't sexy, so let's avoid those."

"I was thinking...maybe honey and whipped cream? And we could put some more solid things and stick it onto his body using the honey... Oh, uh, of course. We wouldn't let anything get in anywhere...I mean, we'd be careful," Shuuichi said, giving Kaito a concerned look, who just grinned warmly back at him.

"I'd be okay! Y’all don't have to worry about me," Kaito assured, which just, honestly, made Shuuichi worry a little more. It'd be really shitty if his silly, dumb idea caused his partners (really? Really really?) any pain. Kaito's total ease with the idea just made Shuuichi think that he and Kokichi would have to be the ones to take care not to let it get to an unhealthy level.

...he wondered if Miss Nao ever thought of stuff like that when it had come to him?

Shaking the thought from his head, Shuuichi quietly discussed with Kokichi how the whole thing would work, the three sitting together and watching the world pass by, while Kaito listened in and laughed sometimes and offered advice and sometimes went on tangents that were almost entirely unrelated...

Kaito just enjoying time with his husband and boyfriend.

-

The garden was warm. It was a beautiful day out, and the manor’s gardeners had spent years perfectly cultivating the surrounding garden to be colorful and green, in direct defiance to the Luminary climate. A delightful array of flowers littered bushes that stood six feet in height, were densely floral, and most importantly of all, disguised that the garden was entirely walled in by an unscalable brick wall.

Two men sat out on a table in the garden, both of them sipping tea and eating small, light pastries. One of them was looking at the bushes, thinking of the wall. One of them was looking at the other. Also thinking, idly, of the wall.

Both were smiling pleasantly.

“…it’s a nice day,” said one of the men, sipping lightly at his tea, thin, frail wrists covered by a sweater, chilled even in the heat.

“Yes, it is!” said the other man, brightly. Earring glistening in the sun, a light, striped shirt framing a body that was strong and healthy and entirely outmatched the first man.

They both knew that. It was one of the reasons the two had to spend time together.

“…” Another small sip of tea.

“…” A bright, warm sigh. The man enjoying the sun’s beams.

“…it would be a nice day to go see a show or something…” the first man tried. Kind of knowing this was a fruitless line of thought anyway, but…well, he’d make no progress with this if he wasn’t willing to pick at the metaphorical wall for cracks to deepen.

The literal wall certainly hadn’t had any.

For his part, the stronger man’s smile was somewhat sympathetic, kind as he asked, “Did you ask Princess Kaede if you could go see a show today?”

The other man’s smile dimmed slightly. Staring into his cup now. Not answering.

The stronger man laughed. “Then we’re not going to see a show, Sou…if you wanted to, you should just think about these things at night and ask Kaede in the morning. If she knew about it, I’m certain she’d be more then happy to let you go see a show. She doesn’t want you stuck in the manor all the time.”

“…sure.”

“…you know, you make this all a lot harder on yourself than it has to be. If you would just be willing to communicate-“

“Sure.”

Rantarou sighed. No one could say he wasn’t trying. He could understand the lord’s anger. Of course he could. It wasn’t really fair to the man, the living arrangements he had moved to. Rantarou knew that. Kaede knew that.

…but this was just the way it had to be. It was uncomfortable and a little cruel sometimes, sure. And, honestly, Rantarou didn’t envy Sou’s position. He and Kaede had discussed alternative ideas. Maybe…send him to the estate down in the countryside? Or buy a home for him somewhere, just, far away from the capital? Maybe even send him back to his own kingdom…

But then people would want to know why Kaede had sent her husband away and…well, that opened up a bunch of ugly holes to poke at, didn’t it? An unnecessary risk.

No. It wouldn’t do.

So, instead they had to…

“Ahhhh!” shouted Kaede, opening the door and closing it in frustration, looking furious. Rantarou looked over at her, frowning slightly. Hmm. Seems the meeting with (soon to be officially) King Byakuya hadn’t gone well then…

As Rantarou prepared for what that meant, already rolling up his sleeves lightly, Sou also braced himself. Shit…she was in a bad mood…

Kaede, for her part, looked around urgently. Something. There had to be something. Something, something, something…nothing coming to mind and nothing apparently wrong, she looked at Rantarou a tad desperately, who picked up on her request and said, suddenly, “Welcome home, Princess! ...actually, since you’re back, myself and Sou here were having a discussion about potentially leaving today to go see a show? Apparently he’d really like to get out of the house for awhile.”

Kaede hesitated, seeing two potential openings here. A tad hopefully, she first said, “A show? Is there one playing within the next hour?”

Rantarou gave her a small smile. “Probably not.”

The princess considered this course…no. Too risky.

She turned a heated stare at Sou, who flinched under her gaze, glaring at Rantarou for a moment for telling on him before trying to offer Kaede an appeasing smile. “I…it was just an idea in passing…”

“What!?” Kaede said, thinking quickly. Throwing her hands on her hips and increasing her fury, irrationally building on it as she demanded, “What, you were just going to go without me?! Can’t bear to spend any time at all with your wife!? I open up my life and my home to you, ask you for nothing, and the second I return from work, you want to run off to a show on your own!?”

Sou never knew what to do when this happened, just staring at her as she screamed louder and louder, realizing how quickly this was about to spiral out of control, how quickly it always spiraled out of control. It never seemed to matter what he said. It was like she was having an argument with herself, making herself angrier and angrier, and he just…happened to be there…

It was hysterical, and irrational, and Sou didn’t understand why she only ever seemed to do it to him. She was so…put together! Everywhere else! With everyone else! But when it was just him and her, or, more often than not, him, her and Rantarou…it was like she was a completely different person and…nothing he said ever changed anything and…

He tried again. What else could he do? Standing up, he held his hands up to Kaede and smiled brightly at her, saying nervously, “Kaede…I didn’t realize you were coming home yet. I never know when you’re coming home. If you had arrived before I had said anything, I would have absolutely wanted to invite-“

“Oh, so it’s MY fault!? I don’t keep you informed enough!? I put clothes on your back and food on your plate and provide you with every comfort, and now I have to give you a strict schedule to then adhere to, for my husband’s comfort? Is that what you’re saying!?”

“I…what? No…”

“I can’t stand this! I can’t come home to such a hostile environment! I can’t even look at you! Rantarou! Send him to bed for the rest of the night!” Kaede thought about it, brow furrowed, “And till tomorrow afternoon!”

“Right away, princess,” Rantarou said, having already stood up, giving her a bow before going to put a hand on Sou’s shoulder, giving him a warm smile as he said, “Come on, let’s go. Let’s not make this awkward, my lord.”

Sou looked between Kaede and Rantarou in distress, just…he turned to Kaede, trying to make a final bid. “Please, I didn’t…I-I don’t understand what I’ve said-“

They didn’t have time for this. The alert she had sent out had been urgent. Kaede needed to prepare. They didn’t have time for Sou to try to argue with them.

So, rolling her eyes, Kaede said, “Oh, I bet. Forget it, I’ll do it myself. Come on.” Kaede grabbed at Sou’s wrist and pulled him behind her, Rantarou following after, keeping a careful eye on both of them.

It was also amazing to Kaede, how little effort it took to drag Sou places. The man’s condition left him with almost no muscle definition and no stamina (which, admittedly, made things a lot easier), and though he pulled away from her, frustrated and insulted and a little frightened, trying to talk to her still, Kaede ignored him, dragging him downstairs (Sou could still remember, back when all this had been new, his confusion when she had told him she’d show him to his room, and then proceeded down to the basement, in a manor full of bedrooms…), Sou now getting really frustrated, starting to thrash against her, to hit at her arm. But the blows against her felt like nothing, and Kaede ignored them, taking him down the hallway and opening the door at the end, pushing him in.

It wasn’t a bad room. It was nice. The kind of bedroom you’d maybe expect royalty to sleep in…with no windows. And thick, heavy doors.

That only locked from one end.

“You stay in here and think about what you did!” Kaede shouted, slamming the door closed.

“I didn’t do ANYTHING, you CRAZY BITCH!” Sou screamed back…before kicking his bed frame when he heard the door lock.

…and then immediately needing to sit down, because ow, ow…fuck, his foot…

As Sou worried he may have fractured a toe in his anger, Kaede sighed outside...before looking at Rantarou. Calm again. "We have forty minutes before they get here. Have someone watch the kitchen staff and bring up the poison taster...and go ahead and have someone head out now and buy a new poison taster."

"That bad?"

"I'm shocked he even let me leave the castle. Which means someone else took the fall for it. Which means one of them's going to want back in his good graces...we have to figure out which one is feeling the pressure...fuck just don't let it be the Kaidos...I am so fucked if it's the Kaidos..."

The two hurried off, discussing and planning, and inside of his 'room', Sou fumed. Confused and frightened over what his life had become...

-

"Are you sure?" Aiichi raised a concerned eyebrow to the woman sitting across from him. "If you don't already have a job lined up, you don't have to leave right away, Nao. You can continue your work until you have prospects somewhere else."

Nao smiled at her boss--now ex-boss--and shook her head, still endlessly grateful for the kindness the Dicean leader had shown her throughout the years, giving her a home and job and a life after what happened with the riots. Giving her protection from the people that would want to track down the snitch that had given the whole resistance movement away.

But she'd made her decision.

"Thanks, brother, but with fall starting up I'll be more than busy. This year I'll really be able to give it my all, you know? I'll have the time." She laughed lightly before her expression sobered, the weight of her actions not something either of them were shrugging off. "...they're good kids. I wish we could've given them a better world to inherit rather than...this."

She gestured vaguely, something that seemed far too light for rampant murder-suicides spurred by a fungal parasite that had even reached their city and the potential upheaval of an entire nation.

Still, Aiichi gave her a look. "Hey now, you're younger than me, little sister, and we're not that old. But...that's the wish we always have for our children." He sighed, pausing for a moment before giving Nao a nod. "I've done a poor job of it so far...but I'm still determined to protect them. Ko's done such a wonderful job of it, so, as far as protecting their hearts...I'll provide the resources, and he can direct them. Even this trip is risky, but...as long as they stay in Dicea, we can protect them."

With a small, thankful smile that reminded Aiichi of the teen that had come to him fully expecting an execution, Nao stood, not to leave the office for the last time, but...for the last in a good while, she supposed. "Thank you, Aiichi. I'll be in touch."

"Take care of yourself, Nao. Tell Yasu 'hello' for me."

...well, time to ask Ryouhei to put up a help notice. And time to give out a promotion.

-

It was another good day. Even despite of the way it started.

Hajime, before the first shift was done, got all of Shuuichi's clothes tailored, ready to go, the tailor job not exactly seamless, but also a pretty good job for having to be done with limited resources and on the fly. He had to make another bid to ask Shuuichi to let him measure him again when he came out, eyeballed him, and realized, yeah, no, he was going to need to give more room in the back part of the pants than his initial measurements almost a week ago had suggested. Thankfully, Shuuichi had been in a much better mood the second time Hajime asked, and allowed him to do it this time.

Then, later, while Hajime was still just finishing up, Kaito had come into the bedroom, closed the door behind him, and sat down with the housekeeper, saying in a mixture of sheepish embarrassment and an almost...intimidating seriousness to the Luminary Prince, "Hey, I need to talk to you about something you probably overheard..."

The crux of the conversation ultimately had been 'Yes, myself and Kokichi are both dating Shuuichi now. Maki is the only other person who knows. We haven't decided if it's a secret or not, or how we're going to tell people, but for now, we would appreciate your discretion on the subject...'

And when Hajime had assured Kaito that he had no intention of flaunting their business to other people, Kaito had given the tall, lanky man a wide grin and a clasp on his shoulder and said, "We owe you a lot, Hajime. You've been a real good guy to us since we got here, and I know that me and my friends aren't the easiest people to work for or with, let alone spend personal time with, so I appreciate how patient you've been with everything...hey, can I ask? How'd you get the job of housekeeper at the castle?"

Kaito listened, that same easy grin on his face never wavering as Hajime, confused at the question, explained he had just...worked part time as a custodian at the capital university when he was a student there and, when he had decided to take a break from his studies and work full time for awhile, had put in an application to the castle and...ya know? The usual way? Why?

And Kaito had grinned wide, clasped Hajime's shoulder a little harder, and said jovially, "Yeah. You're one of the good ones. Again, I owe you a lot. I hope you know you can count on me as a friend, from now on. Call on me if you need help with anything. Seriously."

Hajime just nodded at this, wondering to himself if that was...was that a big deal? Having a member of royalty feel indebted to you? Hajime supposed it was, though it didn't feel like it. It just felt sort of nice, to know this extremely strange foreigner seemed to regard him so fondly. He didn't know if there was anything he could actually do with that relationship...but it was nice to be told he was appreciated.

Hajime had gone back to his caravan the second shift, and Timothy had come back to their caravan excited to explain, in awkwardly graphic detail, all the weird new medicine and anatomy facts that Dr. Kimura had apparently decided to entertain him with during the morning, taking Shuuichi's arm and carefully explaining to him, struggling with the pronunciations, the name of each joint and bone on his hand, Shuuichi happily letting him do it, already aware of what those limbs were called, but happy to nod along as if this was all new information to him as well.

Kaito and Kokichi had gone back on shift, and Kaito had offered to drive this time, but Kokichi had insisted. He really was a natural at it. The horses listened to him easily, and Kokichi only seemed to make the smallest movements to get them to turn and adjust through the paths, which got more curvy and windy the farther away from the big cities they got. The two made idle conversation, and every now and again Kaito would lean over and kiss Kokichi, just on the head, on the cheek, nothing too intrusive. Just wanting to be near his husband.

Eventually, the final shift came, and it was Maki and Timothy at the front, Timothy asking Maki as they climbed onto the front, "Can I drive today?"

"Not yet," Maki said, "On our way back you can. I just want you to watch what I do for today though. Get more familiar with the process..."

And Kaito, now alone with his husband and boyfriend...

It was agony. He wanted them both so bad. He kept reaching out to touch them, pull them against himself, taste at their skin a little...but Kokichi wasn't comfortable, knowing Tim and Maki were right outside, with all the windows on the caravan open, and Kaito realized that after his first few attempts to get Kokichi in the mood, backing off reluctantly. And if Kokichi wasn't into it, Kaito didn't want to rile Shuuichi up either, not wanting to make his husband uncomfortable by proxy, even though all Kaito wanted to do was draw Shuuichi into the back compartment, put his hands on him, around him, inside him...

Kaito wasn't necessarily being...aggressive. That was the wrong word for it. He was just too excited. In too good of a mood and not thinking about how he was coming across. Too Shuuichi, it was all...very strange. Kaito's energy was almost like Chase's right now.

The puppy would nip and bark and try to get Tim to start playing with her, and Tim would tell her no. Lie down. And the puppy would...for a moment. And then she'd get excited again and give it another shot, nipping and yapping, tail wagging, nothing malicious in her attempts to draw Timothy into playing. Just stupidly persistent, almost like she'd forget Tim had said no to begin with. Certain she had seen some sign that her human was ready to play now.

That was Kaito. And it was especially strange to Shuuichi, who had barely been able to get Miss Nao to touch him, and was in no uncertain terms ever allowed to touch her back, and even before that, had a lifetime of not really touching people much at all...and now, today, all of the sudden, Kaito, who Shuuichi had basically known his whole life, suddenly couldn't keep his hands off him.

A lot of it was nice. Just Kaito reaching out for hugs or laying a hand on his back or shoulder, random kisses against his temple and cheeks. And then, randomly, Shuuichi would be drawn in for a deeper kiss, Kaito squeezing at his sides, his arms, lips, teeth, against his ears or the side, back of his neck...

It was a lot, was all. Shuuichi just wasn't used to it yet, and he kept startling at it. Not sure what...the kisses and touches were meant to mean, or if he was meant to do it back, or...god, Kaito was strong too. Shuuichi'd always known that, of course, that strength saving him literally dozens of times in his life. But it was different, knowing that strength because he had seen it used on others, and feeling Kaito grab him and effortlessly pull him this way or that way, pulling him down or lifting him up...

At one point, Shuuichi had been working on his journal, puzzling over something, and Kaito had, out of nowhere, walked over, lifted him up bridal style, and put him back down on his lap and...for a second, Shuuichi had been back in his room, in her arms...cheerfully agreeing that he was wretched, his whole body trembling and broken and spent, his mind useless and giggling and empty...

And Shuuichi had suddenly felt sick, and had gotten off of Kaito and, apologizing, sorry, sorry, I just have to go to the bathroom for a bit. And, ignoring Kaito's concerned look, Shuuichi had hurried away, closing the door to the bathroom and sitting on the toilet and...breathe...just breathe...calm down...

...Shuuichi just wasn't used to it yet. It was just the first day. He'd get used to it. It was okay.

And then he had eventually felt better and had come out and Kaito had asked him, still worried, if he was okay, and he was! He was! Everything's fine, Kaito. I'm okay.

The day eventually ended, and once again, Katsuki found them a good camping spot, though it was easier this time. They were out in grassy hills, rather than woods, camping at the bottom of a large mound, the road a distance away from where they had parked, the grassy fields going on endlessly in any direction you looked, rising up and lowering back down randomly in wonderfully strange patterns. The night sky was full of stars again, the campfire burned brightly, and though without any available logs, the group had accommodated the lack of enough fold up chairs by bringing out pillows and blankets.

Maki found herself lamenting the fact that there was no way they'd get the caravans at the top of the hill instead, as she would have felt better to have the height advantage, and Hajime had assured her that, as far as he was aware, bandits weren't really...a thing? In Dicea? Not that he had ever heard about, anyway. And that they probably weren't in danger. Maki had, in return, called him naive, and that danger was a thing, everywhere, always, and the two kinda had a small argument about it while Timothy, thrilled with the hill, had immediately started climbing up it (never getting close to the top. It was a large hill) and then rolling back down it, Chase hot on his heels every time he did it, only stopping when Maki had finally called him down to eat.

Food had been cooked, served, and now the group was chilling out, enjoying the crisp air and the rest after a long day's travel.

Timothy, who had been able to relax more the last two days than he had since he had gotten to Dicea, finally away from all the people that made him so quiet and tense and afraid all the time, was wrestling a stick away from Chase's mouth before saying, entirely idly, "...does anyone know any scary stories?"

The affection he'd been given while he and Kaito were driving had been nice, but when it was time to switch out for the third shift, Kaito was just...insufferable wasn't the right word for it. Kokichi liked his kisses and hugs and the affection behind each gesture, but just...maybe Maki had a point. Kaito really just couldn't cool it. He never pushed when Kokichi said no, but in just a little while, he'd be back against him or Shuuichi, touching and kissing in a way that suggested he wanted to escalate.

It was frustrating, but not in a wholly bad way? Kokichi didn't know how to explain it.

But they'd made it through the last shift without doing anything more than making out a little, so Kokichi was inclined to call that a win. Even if he was now a little eager to get to the beach house already and have some proper privacy with his lovers.

They'd had another stew for dinner--this time with meat--and Kokichi was happily cuddling against Kaito on the blanket they shared, Shuuichi on Kaito's other side, when he perked at Tim's question. Immediately his mind was drawn back to Nao, being the master of horror she was, but...

"Affirmative."

Kokichi looked over to Katsuki, a little surprised, and...a little worried about what sort of story she was going to tell, but...he could always intervene if her story started to be the real kind of scary.

Noting that she'd gotten everyone's attention, and figuring that that meant she was supposed to tell a scary story, Katsuki nodded and began.

"Outside of a village in a forest, there is a woman who lives on her own in a small cottage with a vast garden. It's well-known that the woman favors turnips, and lost children can always find a bite to eat at her cottage, turnip stew always bubbling on her stovetop. The woman protects them; they know her as Grandmother, and it is customary to plant turnip seeds in her garden as thanks."

"More than just guiding and feeding lost travelers, people go to Grandmother for help."

"A man comes to Grandmother in tears, explaining that he can barely look at his betrothed, put off by their appearance. Grandmother gives him a bottle of eyedrops, telling him that he is to apply them once a day, and when the bottle is empty, he shall see their true beauty."

"The drops sting and burn, swelling the man's eyes to the point they cannot see. It is agony. Throughout it, his betrothed takes care of him, unfailingly gentle and kind, and wipes his tears with their handkerchief. When the swelling finally dies down, the bottle empty, the man finds himself looking at the most beautiful person he's ever seen, finally seeing his betrothed's true beauty, his heart changed by their kindness."

"A woman comes to Grandmother, unable to choose between two suitors, one handsome and promising to take her to balls every weekend, the other wealthy and promising that she will have everything she desires. Grandmother transforms the woman into a cat and gives her to the suitors. Despite how the woman tries to re-endear them in her feline form, they brush her off in favor of trying to outdo one another to pursue the woman, and hand her off to a stablehand to take care of the cat."

"The stablehand, while busy, always makes time for the new cat, making sure to give it love at every opportunity. The woman transforms back, and chooses the person who doesn't treat her as a prize."

"Another woman comes to Grandmother one day, covered in lashes and bruises. Her husband demands her to take care of all the house duties and beats her when they aren't done to his liking. The woman asks Grandmother for a healing salve to ease her wounds, but Grandmother tsks and sits the woman down at her table, pouring her a bowl of stew. She instructs the woman to stay in her cottage for three days, enjoying the bounty of turnips and healing."

"Meanwhile, Grandmother goes into the village, disguised as the woman."

"Every day, the woman's husband leaves a list of duties for her to perform, and Grandmother performs each perfectly, giving the husband nothing to complain about. It's obvious he becomes increasingly agitated, unable to critique even the smallest thing and use it as an excuse. By the third day, he smugly compliments his wife's work, declaring that she just hadn't been applying herself until he provided incentive. There was just one thing... He would prefer if they had something other than turnips for dinner."

"As he rose, eyes flashing with excitement, finally finding something he could complain about, his wife smiled widely, her teeth stained red from the stew."

"'I agree,' Grandmother says, her mouth growing wider and wider. 'Meat can be a nice treat, time to time.'"

"On the fourth day, the woman returns to her home, which she now lives in by herself. Grandmother's garden flourishes, full of thanks from the villagers for her protection."

Timothy listened with wide eyes, and at the end of the story, almost immediately asked, "So, what was she?"

"What do you mean?" Kaito asked, idly running his hands through Kokichi's hair, his second bowl of stew half eaten on his lap, put aside for the moment but not completely abandoned. Beside him, Shuuichi had a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, almost done with his first bowl, but finding he wasn't really hungry for it, just kinda forcing himself to eat it. Maki had made him eat his medicine before eating today, rather than just before he went to bed, because Dr. Kimura had made a comment about wanting to see what his symptoms were like immediately afterwards while he was awake for a while today, if that was alright.

Maki had answered for him, and Shuuichi wasn't inclined to argue today. He would have said yes anyway, and he knew...Maki had sort of taken on the responsibility of managing his recovery, or something. He guessed she was his caretaker now, in a way...it was a strange thought, and he hoped that wasn't how it was always going to be between them now, but...that was just how it was at the moment. He didn't deeply resent it, like he had when his mood-swings had taken a hard, deep curve to the negatives. It just...kinda made him sad, was all.

And it turned out, that if he was left awake right after taking the medicine, the stuff made him sorta...tired and loopy. He hadn't told anyone this yet. He was vaguely afraid he'd be sent to bed if they knew his mind was sorta...mushy? Maybe, was the right word? He wanted to stay up with everyone. This was nice. He was enjoying himself. He was just a little...out of it, was all.

"The grandmother opened up her head and ate the bastard-"

"Language," Maki and Kaito said at the same time.

"-so, she wasn't human. What was she?" Timothy asked the old guardswoman.

Kokichi had been surprised to find that he'd never heard the story before, though it was very much in line with the fairytales he'd been told as a child so...it was probably Dicean, at least. He wondered where Katsuki had heard it. Likely from her own childhood, though...from the little he knew about it, he couldn't imagine anyone taking a little Katsuki aside and telling her a bedtime story.

At his question, Katsuki just blinked at Tim, shrugging a bit with her usual smile. "A protector."

"I, um, don't think that's what Tim meant..." Seiko gently coaxed, though she didn't get anything more out of Katsuki.

Humming, Kokichi snuggled against Kaito more, his own bowl empty and set aside to be cleaned when they did the dishes, having finished his small portion a while ago. "I dunno...but she sounded like a fairy to me. Didn't give people what they were expecting, eats people...not a lot of evidence to be fair, but it is a story."

"I have one," Maki said.

"No real stories," Kaito immediately responded.

"I don't have one."

"My mentor told me one. I don't think it really happened though," Shuuichi offered, looking up to see everyone looking at him now, dipping his eyes under the brim of his hat but continuing on regardless. "She used to tell me these sort of fantasy stories when I was very, very young, to keep my attention and help me sleep...but, I think all the stories were sorta designed to kinda reinforce lessons she would give me? Like, for observing scenes and clues ...like, for this one I think it was meant to be-"

"Don't explain it to us before you tell us the story, Shuuichi! That'll take the mystery out of it! Let us hear it!" Kaito encouraged.

Shuuichi smiled at him lightly. "Oh, right...sorry, yeah. Um, so..."

"A man was traveling with his mother-in-law through the countryside, trying to help her visit her sister's estate several towns away. His mother-in-law wasn't a bad woman, but she was older and used to things going her way and could be difficult to please, and so while the man liked his mother-in-law well enough, as they were nearing their journey's end, he was glad he would get a break from chaperoning her when the visit with her sister would start."

"However, when they were just two hours away from their destination, a terrible storm began, and the man realized he and the older woman would have to take shelter. Thankfully, the town they were stranded in was big enough to have among its rank and files a nice inn that had plenty of rooms available. The man, still wanting his break, decides to rent two rooms, both of them at the very end of the building, on the third floor, adjacent to each other."

"The rooms were nice, and the man slept soundly. The next day, the storm was still raging, and it looked like they'd have to spend another day. The man was okay with this, not unwealthy enough to fear the costs, but his mother-in-law told him that he should demand a discount for her room. There's rats in the walls, she said, scratching all night. And, on top of that, the room isn't as big as the others. The man was confused by this. Certainly both his room and hers were the same? They were right across from each other, and there was no room after theirs. But as he went into her room, he saw, the way she did, that her room was indeed slightly smaller. The man, more curious than outraged, asked the inn-keeper about this, and the inn-keeper said, no. It's all in her head, and now in yours. The rooms are the same size. The furniture is a different size, and makes the room seem smaller."

"The man was no architect, and decided the inn-keeper probably knew more than he or his mother-in-law, so he told the older woman that they were just mistaken, and explained the furniture issue. This made the older woman angry, insisting she wasn't stupid and that it was smaller. The man didn't really care either way, and they stayed a second night."

"The next morning, the mother-in-law was tired. She took the man aside and said, there's something wrong with that room. It's not rats scratching at the walls. It's bigger. And it's making noise, and kept me up all night. There's something in the walls. So the man went to the inn-keeper, explaining his mother-in-law’s concerns, and the inn-keeper said, there are pipes in those walls that make noise, and that was what his mother-in-law was hearing. Nothing else. The man went and explained the noises to the older woman, and she grew more and more upset. I'm not stupid, she said, and I know what pipes sound like. There's something big, scratching and making noises behind the walls."

"It was the third day, and the storm was finally letting up, and the man was relieved. His hysterical mother-in-law had spent another long night awake, listening to the sounds, observing the space of the room, growing more and more paranoid. That morning, as they were getting ready to leave, the mother-in-law took him aside, and said that it was more than just murmurs and noises. Someone was calling for help, Someone is in the walls."

"She begged him not to ask the inn-keeper, afraid now, but the man knew there had to be another rational explanation. So, for his mother-in-law’s peace of mind, he went to the inn-keeper and explained the latest thing. The inn-keeper sighed, and said, do I really have to explain to you that the old woman didn't hear an actual person in the walls? How about this. Since she had such a hard time sleeping, you don't have to pay for her room for the last three nights, and we'll call it square. Embarrassed, but pleased to get his mother-in-law what she had originally wanted, the discount, the man agreed."

"As they were getting ready to leave, his mother-in-law already in the carriage, nervous and emotional and glancing over and over again at the inn, the man told her to relax, that everything was fine. As the horses started to move, the mother-in-law suddenly burst into tears, and said, gods help me, I can't leave her like that, and she burst out of the carriage and ran back to the inn. The man ran after her, but with a strength he would have never imagined the old woman to have, she ran up to the third floor, back into the room, and using a chair to make a hole in the wall, started pulling away at the wood. The inn-keeper demanded she stop, and tried to attack the old woman, and the man, in defense of her, stopped the inn-keeper as board by board, she tore the wall away to reveal an incredibly tiny room, not even big enough to be called a closet space, and wept as she did so, saying over and over, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so late. The man, astonished, gently took his mother-in-law away from the room, looked in...and all over the walls, on every inch, were fingernails scratches, carving into the wood the same message over and over."

"Daddy, let me out."

Kokichi tipped his head, looking around Kaito to look at Shuuichi as he told the story, entranced by the mystery and little details. Until the end, at least, and he couldn't quite keep down a shiver, huddling closer to his husband. He knew the story was designed to be scary, but it did its job well. Being trapped was just...terrifying.

"...so, was it to reinforce that a rational answer isn't always the right one? And, like, reputation isn't everything when it comes to witnesses, so to keep everything anyone says in mind?" Kokichi guessed, looking through the story to see the point of why Shuuichi's mentor had told it...because that certainly wasn't the sort of thing that would help a child sleep.

"That's certainly one way to look at it. I think at the time, it was to reinforce the idea that people trying to hide something will use our biases against us. The last time the man questioned the inn-keeper, he didn't even offer an explanation. He just tried to embarrass the man for taking the word of an hysterical old woman in the first place, and then tried to brush away the problem with an obvious bribe. He clearly had something to lose, and that would have been obvious to the man if he viewed both his mother-in-law and the inn-keeper’s words as having equal value."

"Was he the girl’s dad?" Timothy asked, also a little spooked by the story. "Why did he put her in there? Was she alive?"

"It was a ghost story, so no, I don't think she was alive. As for his motive? Don't know," Shuuichi said gently, giving Timothy his most honest answer. "My mentor never told me. She actually kind of had a principle about that sort of thing. If the case didn't need a motive to be solved, she never bothered finding it out afterwards, and encouraged me never to seek it out either. She didn't think it mattered why people did things. Just that it happened."

Shuuichi didn't know if he agreed with that, necessarily. He had understood why she felt like that. You could only see people do so many horrendous, terrifying things to each other before you decided that you didn't really care that the reason she died was because he had been having a bad month and she wore her skirt a little too tight a little too often. He could understand how that would wear anyone's 'give a shits' down, when it came to seeking motives...but...Shuuichi didn't know...he didn't know...

...it wouldn't have helped that secretary, had he thought like that...

Shuuichi sighed. Having bummed himself out. Kaito gave his friend a worried look, before grinning brightly. "Anyone else wanna go? I think I have one, but I don't wanna just jump in if someone else has one on the tip of their tongues too!"

That was...bizarre. But, given what he'd learned about Luminary, Kokichi could understand Shuuichi's mentor's principle a little more. Given that she would be investigating cases of...the type of people Kokichi hadn't thought existed, if you constantly had to face that people did atrocious things for, ostensibly, no reason...well, his heart had given out over that exact thing.

In all the cases Kokichi had seen in Dicea, motive was so, so important. The fight that had led to hospitalizations happened because of a gross comment. So, the person who had made the comment was sent to a few mandatory therapy sessions to understand themself more and understand that they could find happiness without hurting others. Market merchandise had gone missing because someone couldn't wait to travel the world--they had to return or pay for the merchandise, but were put in contact with a program that would help people with their travel in exchange for land surveys. In his experience...people rarely did things just because. If it was for a noble reason or a selfish reason or for lack of medication...it was the job of authorities to find out the reason and help that person find a good way to live peacefully within the community.

Just hoarding wealth or lusting for power...those were still reasons Kokichi had trouble understanding.

Nuzzling Kaito a little, feeling a little guilty for, potentially, what he'd have to do instead of that understanding, Kokichi gave his husband a soft smile. "Go for it, hun. I'm curious to hear what kind of scary story freaks you out."

"Okay, okay! But I have to get up for this! Scoot, babe," Kaito said, giving his husband a kiss on the cheek before untangling himself from him, standing up and walking closer to the fire, looking at everyone with a bright, wide grin as he said, glancing at Shuuichi, "It's the story of the guy...who told a story about a spider!"

Shuuichi, who had been there that day, immediately snorted to himself, giving Kaito an affectionate smile. Nodding encouragingly for Kaito to tell the story, Shuuichi scooted over, sitting closer to Kokichi, giving his boyfriend a warm smile before turning his attention back to Kaito.

"So! A bunch of people are sitting around a campfire, right? On a dark, dark night! Just like this!" Kaito said dramatically, looking around at everyone with exaggerated, performative menace. "And one of them gets up, and decides to tell a story about a spider!"

"It's an obvious kind of story. He tells the story of a giant, black spider, as big as your fist, that's native to these woods...not these woods in particular, I mean. But the woods he was in in the story and...you get me? His woods. Giant spiders. So, he goes to the outside of the campers, like this, and starts to walk around," Kaito explained, walking behind Kokichi, "and he starts to describe the kind of spiders that are native to those woods, and as he does, he brushed his hands across the backs and hairs of the campers that he goes by."

Playfully, Kaito ruffled Kokichi's hair, before placing a menacing back of his palm to Shuuichi's neck, before moving on to Maki, who glared at him, but allowed her shoulder to be brushed, and Timothy, who looked unimpressed as Kaito put a finger over his ear. "How is this a scary story?" Timothy asked.

"Shush," Kaito said, "You gotta let me tell it. So he says that the black spiders are hairy. Hairier than other spiders, even. That their fuzz is long, and soft and tickles at the skin. They have eight long, hard, thick legs, that make little to no noise when they move. Their eyes are huge and black and litter the front of their faces, and most scary thing about these spiders of all, is that they have big fangs. Fangs as big as a snake’s, and if they bite you-" Kaito said menacingly, putting his nails slightly over Seiko's neck as he moved past her. "You'll be paralyzed for hours until your body dissolves and melts, the poison in their fangs burning away your very bones."

"Now the other campers listened to his story, and they didn't believe him. Spiders that big didn't exist, after all, and definitely not in the woods that they were so familiar with, that they knew so well. And everyone could see him touching everyone else. They knew what the game was," Kaito explained, running a hand against Katsuki's back before resting at Hajime, putting his hands on his shoulders and kneeling down to talk at their level, peering at everyone with a wolfish grin, "So the other campers rolled their eyes and laughed at the camper telling the story...they were so invested in mocking his story, in fact, that when a real, actual spider, started crawling up one of their backs, the camper didn't even notice until he felt the movement in his hair, brushing against his-"

As Kaito talked, Shuuichi, having seen this trick performed on Kaito, moved his hand behind Kokichi's head, and taking some of Kokichi's hair into his fingers, brushed it against his neck.

Kokichi pouted a bit as Kaito got up, but happily scooted over in the vacated space to cuddle against Shuuichi, squishing his cheek against the detective's shoulder affectionately for a moment. As all over them Kaito had been for those last six hours, it would be disingenuous to imply that Kokichi had kept his hands to himself the whole time. There had been plenty of kisses and hand-holding that he'd initiated with both Kaito and Shuuichi.

And, well...he was happy to have someone to huddle against at the story Kaito decided to tell. It wasn't like the word "spider" freaked him out, or the fact that spiders existed in the world, but... As Kaito went on to describe the fantasy spider in horrifying detail, Kokichi grimaced and felt his stomach go all wobbly the way it did whenever bugs were involved in his life.

Now, Kaito, Shuuichi, and Maki knew that Kokichi was scared of insects and arachnids. It had been in his file, and even if there were some lies in there, his other phobia listed was very true, and Kokichi had always been openly thankful when the others had made sure that no bugs would come near him.

However, they'd never seen him react to a bug before.

Kokichi huddled closer and closer to Shuuichi as Kaito went around the circle, teasing them all, fisting his hands in Shuuichi's blanket. And when he felt something brush against the back of his neck...

He knew it was a joke. Part of the story that was actually supposed to be the scary part. He knew that. But if it wasn't and he...

The reaction was...quieter than people probably expected. Kokichi had gone stone-still, his entire body tensed as he shut his eyes tightly, wanting to scrunch down and cover his ears and nose and mouth, but it had been on his neck that was so close he couldn't move don't move don't move a MUSCLE DON'T

Even across the fire, Seiko noticed how the prince's face had suddenly drained of color, and, closer to him, Shuuichi might've been able to tell how he'd stopped breathing, so afraid to move he was holding his breath even as his heart quickly pounded away.

Abruptly standing up, Seiko skirted the fire and knelt in front of Kokichi, murmuring that she was going to touch him, running her hands over the back of his head and down his neck and back, speaking quietly, calmly, that he was okay, there's nothing there, your highness, Kokichi, it's okay, there's nothing on you, you're safe, breathe with me, alright?

"...Kokichi?" Shuuichi said, indeed noticing something was wrong almost as soon as he initiated the prank, interrupting Kaito's story, who frowned as he watched the doctor suddenly get up and move around the campfire to his husband, the rest of the story dying on his lips as he saw the way his husband suddenly go stiff and solid, the doctor telling him to...

"He's not breathing!?" Kaito demanded, eyes suddenly wide, panic flooding his stomach--no no no no this couldn't happen here not here there was no medbay did they even have the ingredients to make his tea!?? Fuck, please, not here, not now!

"Kokichi, there's no spider, I'm sorry, it was a dumb joke, there's no spider, it was just me moving the hair on the back of your neck," Shuuichi said quickly, scooting away to give Dr. Kimura room to do what she needed to, his own face...sort of stony and frightened and suddenly remembering sending Kokichi into cardiac arrest with sad stories and...

As Timothy just looked at everyone like they were crazy, Maki turned her eyes on Kaito and said, "Kaito, stop shouting. Don't panic. Dr. Kimura has him, that's why she's here. He's fine. He'll be fine," and then turning those murder eyes on the doctor, bloodlust radiating from every inch of her, she said, "You've got this, right?"

He knew there was no spider, but...it helped to hear it from Dr. Kimura and Shuuichi, to feel the consistent motion of her hands and know that there was nothing on his back. Kokichi uncurled just the slightest bit, cracking open a wet eye before he let out a shuttered breath, haltingly breathing back in, as Dr. Kimura encouraged him.

For her part, Seiko was entirely focused on her patient, ignoring the threat coming from Maki. This wasn't as bad as they were probably thinking, having seen Kokichi collapse before, but...well, he was just terrified of bugs. She didn't know where the phobia had come from, but it didn't look like it had been tempered as he grew up at all. ...not that he had really been given any room to emotionally mature much...

After a few moments, Kokichi had found his rhythm again and his heart had slowed back down, but... The tears in his eyes didn't dry, now driven by humiliation rather than fear. Lips wobbling, Kokichi pulled the collar of his sweater over his head and hid his face as he curled in a ball, too embarrassed to run and hide in the caravan, but too embarrassed to face everyone properly.

He knew it was just some dumb scary story, knew that it had just been Shuuichi, but he still...god he was such a loser...a stupid little baby that couldn't do anything...he'd ruined their night and now everyone would be uncomfortable and Kaito and Shuuichi would probably share looks and wonder how they ever wanted to be with him and they'd just be happy and date each other, and Maki would be ashamed that she would ever come to someone like him to talk about serious things and everyone else was looking at their weak, stupid prince who broke down over a dumb story so how could he ever lead and...

Kokichi's mind spiraled as he hid inside his sweater, breathing normally, but sniffling quietly, just utterly humiliated.

Kaito wanted to scoop Kokichi up and take him somewhere quiet and kiss every little hurt away and tell him that he was sorry and he loved him.

Maki wanted to rip Kokichi out of his sweater. Insist he straighten his back and steady his breathing. Tell him that hiding in his clothes was not an answer to his problems, and that he had to pull it together, for his own sake.

Shuuichi...reached over, put his hand on Kokichi's shoulders, and said quietly, "Hey...do you wanna go for a walk with me? Stretch out our legs? Get some air?"

Kokichi nodded just a little, grabbing onto Shuuichi's sleeve as they stood, Kokichi still hiding in his sweater and his legs trembling a little, but steady enough to walk on. Shuuichi wasn't the type to take him aside and tell him how embarrassing he was being, not now, anyway. So...he'd gladly take the escape.

Sighing softly, Seiko rose as well and gave Kokichi's back a pat, judging that he was okay physically, so...she would let him heal with the person he chose. Kokichi didn't seem like he was in danger of collapsing, so it was fine and actually preferable that he take a walk and calm himself.

Katsuki watched all this with a steady eye, knowing that she would excuse herself as soon as Kokichi and Mr. Shuuichi left the group's field of vision, not to trail them, but to keep an eye on two of their most vulnerable members.

It was a calm, beautiful night. And it was, admittedly, much darker without the campfire nearby...but it wasn't dark dark and...Shuuichi felt more or less sure of his footing as they walked, grabbing hold of Kokichi's hand once they were away from the group, feeling Maki and Kaito's gazes on his back as they turned the corner on the path, now out of their field of vision. He could guess Maki didn't like they were leaving her field of vision, and he could guess Kaito was fretting and worrying to himself that he had done something wrong and...

...well, both of those concerns could be taken care of later, by either themselves or each other. His friends weren't helpless. He wasn't going to worry about just making them anxious.

As they walked in silence for awhile, Shuuichi finally said quietly to him, "...'m sorry I embarrassed you..."

Kokichi still sniffled occasionally, but between the sounds of the others getting farther away, somehow the dark, calm of night penetrating his sweater, and Shuuichi taking his hand of his own volition... He poked his head out of the collar of his sweater, keeping close to Shuuichi, but his breath slowly evening out.

Though, he shook his head when Shuuichi spoke up. "No, I embarrassed myself. Shuu-chan was just playing along with Kai-chan's story--the perfect type for what we were doing, yanno?" He sniffled again, letting his sweater fall back down onto his shoulders as he scrubbed at his eyes with his free, sleeve-covered hand. "I just..."

"...I knew it was a joke. But I couldn't..." Kokichi sighed miserably, closing his eyes as his voice dropped to a murmur. "I'm just useless...can't even play along to a children's story. Whenever people ever talk about bugs too descriptively, I start feeling like I'm gonna vomit... I knew it was fake but I still...couldn't stop freaking out..."

Shuuichi shook his head. "You're not useless… Phobias," he said with a shrug, "If our reactions to them were rational, we wouldn't have a word for it..."

Shuuichi didn't really know what to say. If it was anyone else, he may have just tried to make light of it. A scare, even a real bad scare, wasn't necessarily the end of the world for most people...but, well. For Kokichi, it could be. A scare could stop the Dicean Prince from literally breathing...could actually destroy him.

It was hard to know what to do with that.

"We'll just...keep it in mind more for the future. We knew about your phobia, we know about your heart condition...we should have known better. I'm still sorry," Shuuichi said. He then smiled a little. "I'm sure Maki is laying into Kaito right now. I wonder if I'll hear about it later too, or if I'll get druggie privilege and she'll hold off."

Kokichi pouted a little, squinting through the moonlit night to the ground. He did appreciate Shuuichi's words, but... "...it didn't even mess with my heart or anything...I was just freaked out. I just... I don't want people treating me like glass because of what might happen. You guys should be able to joke around without worrying that I'll drop dead," he grumbled.

Sighing, he squeezed Shuuichi's hand a little and pressed against his arm. "...I pranked Kai-chan with a spider before, you know? I made all these little fake spiders out of paper and fluff balls, hid them in his luggage so they'd pop out when he opened them. It was fun. But even just this...it's so fucking stupid to freak out over a little prank like this...not when I pull stuff on you guys..."

"...I hope she doesn't yell at you. S'not you guys' fault..."

"Mmmmm," Shuuichi agreed. Not really wanting (did he?) to be yelled at. Maki was always gentler with him than she was with Kaito, even before the despair pollen stuff. But she still had her moments with him in the past, and they could be either...frustrating or frightening. But, well, with her...he shrugged. "She...well, she'll do what she does. She means well...but once she has her mind set on something, it's hard to talk her out of it...and not all of her reactions are rational either."

"When you pranked Maki, she chased you down in the gardens and was so furious that she was trying to come up with alternative versions of 'Kokichi-safe' stabbing. And now Kaito has an earring," Shuuichi reminded Kokichi, smiling softly. "That's a pretty irrational response too. So now you know we don't trick Maki into thinking she's dying. And  Kaito...almost set the woods on fire yesterday? Right? To a prank. It woke me up. That's not super rational...and now we know not to...well, just don't prank him around fire, I guess."

Shuuichi sighed. "And I'm honestly shocked everyone just let me walk away from the campsite right now, and can only assume they did because they knew you would be with me. Everything I do these days is irrational...and everyone has to make...a bunch of accommodations for me...and yeah..."

The detective frowned. He had been building up to a point, but...now that he was at the end of that point, he realized he kind of didn't agree with his own rationale, as he explained, "That sort of thing doesn't feel good, but...I don't know. I was gonna say that doesn't make keeping in mind how we react to things a bad thing, and that we shouldn't be embarrassed about it, but I think I just...yeah, you're kinda right. This sorta thing... does kinda suck..."

Well...that was true. They all treated it so normally, and even though he still didn't really like it...stabbing people wasn't really the most rational response to being frightened or pissed. And Kaito... "...Kai-chan usually chooses 'fight' as a panic response, which isn't that weird...but...he does tend to do it even when the stakes are lower..." Kokichi admitted.

In Shuuichi's case, however, Kokichi looked over with a worried expression and gave his boyfriend's hand another squeeze, his frown deepening at the conclusion, and... "I...think we just have to acknowledge that it sucks and is embarrassing. That's just life sometimes."

"As much as I wish I could just say that I could do anything if people give me the chance...I'm never going to be able to play most competitive sports." Kokichi looked back to the ground, his frown soft. He didn't really want to play competitive sports, but it wasn't even an option for him. "Even exercising vigorously makes my chest start to hurt, and that's before you'd even consider the contact issue. It sucks, but...it's something I have to acknowledge."

"...I think it's just good to know each other's limits, and try to make things as less embarrassing as we can..." He sighed, looking back up at Shuuichi and bumping against him softly. "Thanks. And sorry for freaking out on you."

"You're okay… I'm just glad you're okay," Shuuichi said softly, looking down at himself. He was still wearing Kaito's clothes from this morning. He hadn't seen a reason to change, once the tailoring was done...had been a little afraid to change, honestly. Hajime had measured him out. The clothes should fit now. But...Shuuichi honestly didn't know what he looked like anymore. He didn't know what his own proportions were, couldn't even begin to guess what other people saw when they looked at him. His own body was strange and foreign now, and...he had found himself just wanting to hide in Kaito's 'slightly too big' clothes. Afraid of putting on clothes that were 'form fitting'. Afraid of what that form looked like.

"...can I...while we're alone, can I...ask a really vain question?" Shuuichi said, glancing over shyly at Kokichi. "I know what Kaito would say, and I know that if I asked this around him, he'd insist I'm...Kaito lies to himself a lot, is the thing...he doesn't always see things the way they are...um..."

Shuuichi stared at his feet, stopping his walk for a moment, the two standing just outside the shadow of the hill.

"Am I...I don't know what I look like. Is it...y-you can be honest with me. I'd feel better just knowing, rather than trying to guess, but...do I look weird? Is it obvious, I mean? That I'm...deformed? I didn't realize anyone could see the changes in my body for a long, long time but...Miss Nao could tell just by looking at me...she said everyone could tell...and Hajime came up on his own, telling me he needed to tailor my clothes, before he knew about any of this...a-and I couldn't...I still can't really s-see it..."

Shuuichi realized last minute that the back of his eyes were burning, and he let go of Kokichi's hand, taking a step back, biting the inside of his mouth for a moment as he lowered his cap to obstruct his vision as he asked, "I-is it really obvious? W-what I did to m-myself? C-can you tell just by l-looking? Do I look weird?"

He wished he could tell himself that one day the others wouldn't have to worry about him not being okay, but...that, like his phobias, was just something he had to live with. It wasn't something that would get "better", it just was. But...it wasn't the end of the world. There was still plenty he could do.

Taking steadier breaths, Kokichi looked up at Shuuichi in surprise, something tight in his expression for a moment. Kaito lying to himself was...a sore subject, but...it was one they could both speak about. Something that...maybe Kokichi could get more perspective on with Shuuichi getting closer to him, like what he'd done with Kokichi's impression of Luminary.

Though, the subject that Shuuichi brought up...that wasn't something Kaito was lying about at all. Kokichi looked at Shuuichi incredulously for a moment before seeing how much this was weighing on his boyfriend, so...

Kokichi crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked Shuuichi up and down before saying seriously, "You want my honest assessment?"

"Shuu-chan is..." Kokichi closed the distance between them quickly, popping up to place a soft kiss on Shuuichi's cheek before the blank look on his face broke into a sincere smile. "...very cute."

"Kai-chan isn't lying about this. You're really good looking, and if someone was seeing you for the first time? They wouldn't know that your body had changed because of anything. As it is, for people who did see you before, you just look like you gained a chunk of weight." Gently, Kokichi placed his hands on Shuuichi's waist, smiling up at him. "Personally, I think you carry it really well. Shuu-chan is a pretty, kinda bottom-heavy guy with an ass out of this world. And anyone looking at you won't think about anything more than that, unless they're thinking about how gorgeous your eyes are, or think your hair frames your face nicely."

"Shuu-chan isn't deformed, he doesn't look weird, and that's the truth."

...Shuuichi had an ass?

Well, that was a new one...like how it had happened gradually with his dick, hips and...a little less gradually with his...chest...Shuuichi was the last person to realize that along with all the other changes, he had gotten a backside from the effects of the pollen. So...that was new...

But...it was hard to feel self-conscious about it, with Kokichi telling him he...was cute and wore it well and...

There was a possibility Kokichi was just being nice. Shuuichi was...he wasn't normal...he already knew there was no way in hell he was taking off his shirt at the beach, just terrified of people seeing him...

But it was nice to think that, at least with clothes still on, Shuuichi's deformities weren't...super obvious or anything. He was just a...bottom-heavy guy who had put on a little weight around his hips...that wasn't...too weird or frightening...a-and he didn't have to show people the, heh, 'The Beast' or...the fact that he had developed breasts. No one had to see. And his boyfriends didn't seem to mind...thought he was cute...still wanted to touch him.

So...Shuuichi smiled down at Kokichi, pulling him in for a loose, gentle hug before quickly releasing him. "...thanks, Kokichi. I know that's a stupid thing to worry about, in light of...kind of everything else going on in our lives? But it's been bothering me. I've never been super comfortable with people looking at me and...it frightened me to think people could...that they had all been looking enough to realize something was wrong with me before I even noticed what was happening...I guess you're never really as invisible as you hope you are...oh!" Shuuichi said, looking startled.

"Y-you're cute too, by the way! I'm not gonna just t-take a compliment and not offer one back. Sorry, I...I'm new to this. You're, you know...like Kaito says. You're beautiful," Shuuichi mumbled, a flush coming to his cheeks. "But you know that."

"If it's bothering you, then it's not stupid," Kokichi declared, taking advantage of the brief hug to give Shuuichi a good, full squeeze before he took his hands off of him, not wanting to overwhelm Shuuichi. Instead, he just retook Shuuichi's hand and gave him a gentle smile. "I...don't know what it was like in Luminary, but your body is your business here. And for as much as Kai-chan gets excited to show off how pretty you are, I just want Shuu-chan to be comfortable."

That could manifest as taking people's attention off of Shuuichi, insisting on more modest clothes to whatever Kaito would surely suggest, or simply saying aloud how hot he thought Shuuichi was. And Kokichi was happy to do all of those things.

Though, Kokichi giggled a bit when Shuuichi turned the tables on him...but he wasn't done. Giving his boyfriend a wink, Kokichi placed a kiss to Shuuichi's shoulder, able to reach his face like he'd said earlier, but choosing a less direct place purposefully. "Aww, that's real nice coming from a solid ten like you, Shuu-chan. And I'm new to relationships too, so, yanno, we can figure it out together."

"Like this," he hummed, able to look up and appreciate the night for the first time since they'd gotten up, even if his eyes were reddened and still a little wet, though his tears were drying. "I like this, taking a night walk with Shuu-chan. Even if it was just to get away from the group for a sec...it's still nice to spend time with you like this."

"Yeah...well, if you like it, you're welcome to join me in the future...apparently I need to start taking lots of walks..." Shuuichi sighed, clearly annoyed as he said, "Dr. Kimura won't go so far as to tell me to do it, yet, but...she won't stop bringing up exercise routines and recommendations whenever we do checkups. Guess she's worried about my new balance issues. I've been putting off thinking about it, but...I'll probably have to end up starting some sort of routine at some point."

The detective didn't sound enthusiastic about it at all. A lifetime of Maki and Kaito trying to train him had taught Shuuichi that he didn't really like training. But, well...walks weren't so bad. Walks with good company even better. Maybe if Kokichi went with him...well, maybe.

"Do you think we should head back soon?" Shuuichi asked, looking back the way they came. "It's getting late...and I know for a fact Kaito and Maki aren't going to bed till we return...honestly, I wouldn't be terribly surprised if Maki wasn't just...out in the dark somewhere. Watching us," Shuuichi said, looking around, as if he might spot the assassin any minute. "Or...do you think Katsuki would? I don't know her that well...I don't know. All that to say, between the two of them? There's sufficient anecdotal evidence to suggest that we're probably not alone right now."

Balance issues? Kokichi raised a bit of an eyebrow but...well, yeah, that made sense. Shuuichi's body had changed quite a bit, so...it would take time to relearn his center of gravity and bounds of flexibility and all that. For a little bit there, he'd noticed Shuuichi sort of...waddling, but...walks would help. So he smiled and gave a nod. "I'd like to join Shuu-chan whenever I can. Win-win, since I can spend time with you, and people will get off my back about getting fresh air."

It wasn't quite the same as Shuuichi's situation, but...both when he got pulled into his work, and right after he'd get off bedrest, people worried about him getting air, being able to stretch his legs. If they both went together as a sort of self-made routine, maybe people would leave them alone about it.

Snorting, Kokichi rolled his eyes and swung their hands a little. "Oh, I don't think we've had even a moment alone, but...I dunno. I've come to appreciate the illusion of privacy where I can get it. Buuuut to make sure we don't make everyone sick with worry...yeah. We should probably go back, and I can reassure Kai-chan that I'm okay and not mad at him or anything, but he'll inevitably blame himself."

"It was neither of your faults!" he insisted again, fixing Shuuichi with a look. "Nothing bad happened, and I'm just a baby when it comes to bugs."

Shuuichi smiled, squeezing Kokichi's hand a bit. "Shut up, you're not a baby...you are, at the very least, twelve years old, according to Kaito when he first described you to us. Twelve to sixteen." Shuuichi teased, laughing lightly as they began to head back.

"And yeah, he probably will," Shuuichi admitted with a shrug. Not overly concerned about it. "He does that. And, like Maki would say, he'll probably be an infant about it. Ya know, the second day he knew you? He came back from some big fight you both had at the park, put his head in Maki's lap, and asked her to kill him...because he had a fight with a twelve-year-old...I remember looking at him and thinking, you were gone for a few hours, how did you get into a pissing match with a teenager?"

Shuuichi rolled his eyes at the memory. "Kaito...yeah. He can be a bit over the top and dramatic. Honestly, he'd probably benefit from some emotional conditioning...kidding, by the way. Just a joke," Shuuichi amended quickly. Knowing that Kokichi wasn't as...he hadn't grown up around it, and Shuuichi didn't know how comfortable the prince would be with jokes about that sort of thing. He didn't want to accidentally stress Kokichi out.

Okay, that got him laughing again. Snorting, Kokichi shook his head in amazement. "Twelve to sixteen? Like, that's the range I usually get, but I'll have to question Kai-chan what he was thinking at the time if he thought he was buying a pint for a twelve-year-old."

Things were still light, but Kokichi's shoulders dropped a little at the mention of that fight...god, it seemed like ages ago now. It...did make him feel a little better that Kaito had been so upset over it before he'd even talked with Kokichi about it, even if they were upset for different reasons. But it'd all worked out in the end. Kaito believed in him, and he believed in his husband.

...he believed in Kaito, and he didn't need to be brainwashed for it.

Kokichi did wince a bit though he appreciated Shuuichi clarifying that it was a joke...even if Kokichi didn't think the program was any sort of laughing matter.

...he still had to talk to Shuuichi about the plan. But...not while they were headed back to the others.

Kokichi rubbed his thumb down the side of Shuuichi's hand, a gesture meant to be comforting, though it was likely helping calm Kokichi down more than anything. "I like how dramatic Kai-chan is, even if it can make things more complicated at times. He just...wouldn't be him without it."

Shuuichi nodded, his heart warm from the small affection of Kokichi's touches...he still couldn't really believe he had a boyfriend...two of them, even. "That's true. He does make things more interesting."

As the two quietly talked, joking a little and rolling their eyes at their respective boyfriend and husband, they eventually made it back to the campsite. It looked like Hajime, Seiko, and Timothy had headed to bed for the night, or at least had gone back into the caravans, and Katsuki...well, she had watch that night. She was around here somewhere. As Shuuichi had suspected, Maki and Kaito were still around the campfire, the two talking to each other, Maki looking not quite as pissed as Shuuichi would have expected her to be still, but Kaito looking tired and down...though his face lit up when he looked up and saw them returning, immediately bringing up his hand to wave at them.

"H-hi! Hey! Welcome back!" Kaito said, looking nervously back and forth between Shuuichi and Kokichi, while Maki gave them both appraising looks.

"...you’re both good. Shuuichi? Do you still feel alright?" Maki asked.

Shuuichi got questions like that a lot from Maki these days, so he just nodded. "I'm a little hazy from the medicine...but it's nothing bad. I'll tell Dr. Kimura about it tomorrow. Otherwise I feel fine."

Maki narrowed her eyes at this slightly...before nodding. Then she looked at Kokichi. "Kokichi? Do you feel alright?"

As they joined Kaito and Maki, Kokichi leaned down to give Kaito's temple a kiss, hopefully conveying that he wasn't mad or anything even before Kaito had the chance to...well, be like himself and do something dramatic. It would probably still happen, but he'd given Kaito a little more proof to help him calm back down once he got what he needed to out of his system.

At Maki's question, he gave her an apologetic smile and nodded. "Yeah, I'm good. Sorry for freaking out on ya and ruining storytime--I don't do well with bugs." They knew, and his reaction had definitely screamed that, but...it was over. He was fine, it was fine. They'd live.

"Were you guys just waiting for us, or are we gonna sit outside a little longer?" Kokichi straightened, tipping his head against Shuuichi's shoulder and massaging his hand a little, just happy to be openly affectionate where Shuuichi and Kaito would be comfortable with it.

Maki sighed, getting up, trusting that both Shuuichi and Kokichi were being honest with her. "I have been up for almost forty-eight hours now. I'm going to bed. If any of you need anything, don't...but also, I don't know, scream or something. Remember, Katsuki is on watch tonight, and is out there somewhere, so-" she looked specifically at Kaito, who grinned sheepishly back at her, "-try to keep that in mind?"

"Yeah...thanks, Maki," Kaito said, the two of them having a long conversation together since the boys had been gone.

Maki nodded at this, wishing them all a good night, telling Shuuichi specifically not to stay up too late before heading inside.

"It's a big day tomorrow. Based on our pace today, I'd say we'll make it to the beach earlier than first predicted. Nine AM arrival?" Shuuichi guessed, doing some idle math in his head, looking down at Kokichi, squeezing his hand a little back as the Dicean leaned some of his weight into him. "That's a big deal, isn't it? It's the completion of your first ever trip. You'll have made it to your destination."

"Yeah! That's super exciting!" Kaito said, balling up his fists and sort of whisper-shouting, not wanting to disturb everyone in the caravans, his excited look a little strained as he looked at Kokichi and said, "Hey, uh...babe? Look, I'm so sorry...I didn't mean to scare you. That was real shitty. I..."

Kaito laughed, getting up from his seat and reaching over, pulling Kokichi into a hug and kissing the top of his head, holding him close as he said, "I...I almost freaked out...it was really scary, seeing you freeze up like that...I thought for a second you were...I don't want to do things like that to you. I'll be so much more careful, okay? I'm so sorry." Kaito leaned back a little, putting his hand on Kokichi's face, just...stressed and guilt-ridden as he whispered to him, "I'm sorry, I keep...I don't mean to. I don't ever want to hurt you..."

The apology turned into appreciation as Kokichi bade Maki a goodnight, vowing again that one day he would be able to create an atmosphere she could relax in. No more days without sleep, no more painstakingly planned out blueprints, no more blood on her hands. ...though, that first thing might be a longshot, considering it wasn't too unusual for Kokichi to stay up for over a day.

He brightened as he was left with his boys, bouncing on his toes a little in excitement as... "I'm so pumped! Like...in this sort of situation, I'd wanna, like, show you guys around and stuff, but?! I've never been there before, so we'll all be exploring together. I don't even know what I wanna do first!"

Well, settling into the house would probably be first. Dividing up the rooms, setting up the horses and storing the caravans, unloading the food they'd planned to be cooking with, though the majority of their meals would either be eaten out or ingredients bought in town. But after that! Maybe...just heading to the beach right away, taking in the ocean for real, seeing it span for miles and miles--

Kokichi was broken out of his daydreaming as Kaito pulled him close, and, expecting it, he simply held his husband back, rubbing a hand up and down Kaito's back. "It's okay--I know you didn't mean to scare me, and none of that was your fault. Okay?"

"I've messed with you with spiders, and while you know I'm scared of them, none of you have seen how I react to them. It was meant in fun, and I wish I could've played along with that, but my brain is dumb, so I couldn't, and I scared you. I don't want to hurt you, and you don't want to hurt me, so...we learn, and try to use those lessons in the future." Kokichi searched his husband's face, reaching up to try and smooth away some of his stress. "It's okay, Kai-chan."

God, Kaito had been so scared...he had for a second there thought Kokichi was dying again. He didn't...Kokichi almost died so much...he didn't really know what was safe for him or not. What would set off the flatline again...a-and he didn't want to assume things just would! Kokichi was strong! He was capable, and brave, and amazing! ...and Kaito was always so scared he was just going to fall over any second...

But that was doubt, and doubt was unacceptable. So Kaito nodded, giving his husband a shaky grin and saying, "Yeah! I'll know better next time! We've got this! ...and we've almost made it to our destination, which, again, so exciting! We gotta go exploring tomorrow. Maybe find that mermaid show you were talking about once? Is that this area or was that somewhere else? And weird sea snail things! We're going to eat so much weird shit!"

And we're not gonna die? We're gonna have a week-long trip and not have another moment where Kaito is afraid he's killed his husband by just...saying the wrong thing? Please? Fuck Kaito had been so scared, for a second there...

It was fine. Kokichi can handle this trip. If his husband said he could do it, Kaito believed him. It was fine.

...Atua please..

"It's gonna be great!" Kaito said, more determination in his voice. Convincing himself again, his smile turning sly as he looked between his lovers, leaning down to kiss Kokichi, deeply, on the lips, his hand running up and down his back. "And then, tomorrow, at some point, we'll go buy your sweets...and you both can do your whole...whatever this prize is gonna turn out to be...and I guess I'll just try to hold still? Not gonna lie..." Kaito said, looking down at his husband then over at Shuuichi, his eyes...hungry and eager, "That's gonna be hard...god I can't wait to have you both to myself...it's so hard to hold back with you..."

While he couldn't quite reach around to Kaito's back while he was pulled back, Kokichi kept up his soothing rubs on Kaito's waist, just trying to be present and healthy right in front of his husband's eyes so it'd prove to Kaito that he was okay. "It's gonna be great," he echoed, fondness and reassurance in his eyes.

Before they closed, at least, kissing Kaito back only to break with a giggle. Kokichi leaned back into Kaito's space to nose at the older prince's chest before he blew a raspberry. "That's not the only thing that will be hard, I'm hoping."

He sent a sly look up at Kaito before taking a step back to bring Shuuichi into the close group, giving him a wink. "Don't forget that we get Kai-chan in this arrangement too--and each other. Be careful, or we might just make it so Kai-chan's struggling to keep up rather than holding back."