Kaito snickered down at his husband, grinning wide. "Awww...that's cute that you think that's gonna happen. Isn't my husband cute?" Kaito teased, looking over at Shuuichi with a wink. "But, nah. Definitely gonna have my way with both of you."

Shuuichi, who...still didn't really know how to act with the other two, allowed himself to be led into the circle, Kaito's arm immediately curling around his waist now that he was within reaching distance, and Shuuichi just found himself blushing as Kaito immediately turned his attention and affection onto him, sneaking his fingers up his shirt to rub at his side as Kaito kissed against him, capturing his bottom lip and saying between kisses, "I don't care if it's two against one...still gonna make your eyes roll and your bodies shudder..."

"You...are underestimating us," Shuuichi decided, admittedly...feeling a little light-headed after Kaito's feel-up, but wanting to get into this little game Kaito and Kokichi seemed to be starting to set up. Trying to participate as, lightly, he kissed Kaito back. "...but, also, if we want to do even half the things we're talking about, we should go to bed. Like I said. Big day tomorrow."

Kaito pouted at this. He wanted to keep flirting with his boys...but he also didn't want any of them to be tired tomorrow, especially Kokichi... "Fine. Go ahead then, Shuuichi. Break my heart and leave me for something as lame as being well rested."

Shuuichi rolled his eyes. "Kaito."

"No! Go!" Kaito said, letting go of Shuuichi's waist and pulling in Kokichi tighter against himself, sighing dramatically. "I guess I'll just have to hope Kokichi will keep me company instead. He won't leave me in my time of need!"

Kaito had the experience, but it was still two to one--Kokichi had already gotten Kaito to make cute, wonderful noises a number of times, and that was just by himself. Add in Shuuichi, and maybe one of these days he'd get to see Kaito writhe in pleasure too. And, well, hopefully they'd all have rolling eyes and shuddering bodies.

Kokichi watched his husband and boyfriend kiss with a fond look, looping his arm around to rub Shuuichi's back gently before the smartest among them made the responsible decision. Boo.

Snorting a bit, Kokichi nosed at Kaito's chest again. "Only because my bed is on top of yours. Goodnight, Shuu-chan! Sleep well! Have sweet dreams of all the sweets we'll buy in town!" He blew his boyfriend a kiss before dragging Kaito towards their caravan, placating him with light kisses everywhere he could reach while they got ready for bed.

It still took Kokichi a while to relax enough to sleep, especially with what tomorrow would bring, but...he was happy. He'd really get to be out and about in his country, meet some of his people that he'd otherwise maybe never hear from... Though they'd likely not know who he was, but it'd still be nice.

Portraits of the Ouma family often made their way throughout the country, and ones including Kokichi as an adult were no exception but...well, without makeup and his hair pinned up, crammed into formal attire, he did look quite different.

The beach town came up soon, and honestly? ...it was everything Kaito had hoped it would be.

The day was bright and beautiful and sunny, with clouds dotting the sky and a breeze that carried the salt of the ocean on it. The streets were lined with people, old people who wore long sundresses and carried light fans, their faces wrinkled and deeply lined from years and years in their own ideas of paradise, selling goods and idly chatting with young people, some who wore slings to help carry the squirming, laughing babies in their arms, others who wore barely anything at all and didn't get looked at twice, because skin was such a natural, constant thing to see here. People’s skin were tanned and darkened either by heritage or by time in the sun.

Everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Everyone smiling and enjoying their trip into town, or prospering in their works. There was a group of kids, drawing in chalk on the road, that ran out of the way when the caravans, slowly and carefully, traversed the town, heading to the other side of town where the beach house was empty and waiting for them, literally by the ocean-side. There was a strong scent of fruit in the air, along with the salt, dozens of stands selling various tropical fruits lining the area.

People stopped and watched the large caravans go down the road. More often than not, only carriages came and went through the beach town. It was rare to see full caravans, and the roads weren't really made to accommodate for it. But Katsuki and Maki were carefully leading their horses through, and when they finally got to the Nanami estate, a large, three-story beach house surrounded with lots of land and a white picket fence, whose back-gate literally opened up to a short, stone pathway to the public beach, they found themselves with plenty of space to park the caravans, at the side of the house.

When the caravans stopped, Timothy, Chase at his heels, was the first to pop out, thrilled to finally be done sitting in the caravans for the last two days, running around the patchy, dry grass field that surrounded the house, just expelling some much needed energy. Shuuichi, in his own clothes (he had still been nervous to wear them, but Kokichi and Kaito had been relentless in complimenting him inside of them, and...the positive reinforcement did help...) came out next, carrying out his luggage. Kaito came out next, carrying both his own and Kokichi's luggage, and without a word, put two of the luggage handles in one hand and took Shuuichi's luggage from him to take into the house himself, laughing it off when Shuuichi blustered and insisted he didn't mind doing it himself.

Kaito looked back at the caravan. "Come on, 'Kichi! Watch your feet, there's lots of rocks and seashells hidden in this grass, try not to slide on them, kay babe?"

Kokichi's eyes had gotten wider and wider as they approached and traveled through the beach town, practically plastered to the window as he took everything in. Seeing the layout of the town that he'd only seen drawings of, looking at the bright sky that was somehow a different shade of blue, seeing the different birds and wildlife, and the people! All sorts of people!

Despite his excitement, Kokichi tenderly stepped out of the caravan after Kaito, his jaw open and slack from awe, breathing in the salty, bright air, feeling the slightly more humid heat of the sun... It was truly a different place.

Taking care to heed Kaito's warning, Kokichi gently followed his lovers towards the house, gaping and looking all around as his expression gradually turned up into an ever increasingly delighted and excited smile.

"We're here..."

Hajime had been here twice now, and each time he was always a little...surprised? At how big the house was. Chiaki's family was much wealthier than Hajime's, and while that wasn't as big a difference in Dicea as it would be in many other parts of the world, it still always boggled Hajime's mind that this place had-

"Five bedrooms! And, uh, three? Bathrooms...no, no, four, I've forgotten the one in the basement. Oh, yeah, there's a rec-room in the basement too, um...the kitchen’s really nice, if anyone was up for cooking...oh! They have a spa room too. Or, well, it's not a 'room', if you go around the corner to the back, there's this, like, squared off lanai area with a sauna house and a jacuzzi...yeah, her parents really went all out with this place. We're really lucky they're letting us borrow it...um, if we could not?? destroy anything in here??" Hajime said, as he opened up the front door for them, letting everyone come in to put their luggage down. "Like...no using any desks as impromptu weapons or..." he almost said 'no cumming on random mirrors', but there was a kid around, and also, Shuuichi probably hadn't told anyone about that, so... "Anything like that, really? Just wanna leave this house as good a shape in three days as when we got here, okay?"

"Me and Kokichi call master bedroom!" Kaito said, excitedly looking around, before looking over to Shuuichi and saying, "Shuuichi, do you wanna room with us, or-"

"No, he's still rooming with me," Maki said sternly, before Shuuichi could answer.

Kaito frowned at this, and the two headed back outside to get more things from the caravan, discussing Shuuichi with each other as Kaito said to her before the door closed, "We could switch who's holding the medicine and who's watching the doses-"

"Kaito, you almost overdosed on your own medicine, and Kokichi didn't exactly do a great job watching you. I just want to know he's being taken car-"

The door closed behind them, and Timothy ran into the house, already tracking in mud...and stopped. Staring in awe as he looked around, Chase yipping and running in circles around him.

Whoa...the inside of a house...

Kokichi listened to Hajime, but couldn't help glancing around the house in wonder as he spoke. He'd lived his entire life in a castle, sure, but it wasn't exactly...designed to be private. The castle was a government center and community center first and foremost, just happening to have residential areas to room anyone who needed it. Being in an actual house, private property... Kokichi could tell it was pretty lavish, but it was still just...amazing to be in a home.

They absolutely could not ruin anything.

Kokichi rubbed the back of his neck, wincing a little, but went up to Hajime with an earnest expression. "Thank you so much for asking Chiaki-chan for this--we will do our bests to be good houseguests. I'm not exactly trained to do it, but I'll personally do a run through our last day here to make sure everything is as clean as it is now." Kokichi bowed his head for a moment, making his promise.

Hopefully they'd get to spend most of their time out of the house anyway so...he knew Kaito didn't do it on purpose, but...he'd try to be more proactive in heading things off if he saw things getting...violent.

Grinning back up at Hajime, Kokichi fussed with his hands a little. "I've never stayed anywhere so I dunno if it's customary...but...should we leave a gift or something in the house to thank Chiaki-chan's parents? Like...nothing perishable, obviously, since I dunno how often they come back here but..."

Hajime shrugged. "We'll leave a nice bottle of wine on their counter top or something. Nothing they couldn't afford themselves, but it's the thought that counts, right? Oh, Seiko, here, let me help you with that," Hajime insisted, seeing the doctor bringing in her luggage. "Most of the bedrooms are on the second floor. Let me bring up your luggage and we can pick a room for you. Katsuki? Did you need...where did she go?" Hajime asked, having sworn she was with them a second ago as he looked around. "Oh well...we'll pick a room for her too, if she hasn't picked one herself."

"Five bedrooms...Kaito and Kokichi in one, more likely than not me and Maki in another...Katsuki, Hajime and Dr. Kimura likely all get their own rooms...hmmm. Timothy..." Shuuichi mused, looking worriedly over at the boy, who was still looking up and around, fascinated with the interior.

Timothy, who was listening to Mr. Saihara talk to himself, said, "Does this place have an attic?"

Shuuichi frowned, puzzled. "I don't know. Why?"

"If there's an attic, I wanna sleep in the attic," Timothy insisted, sounding awed at the idea. "Attics are cool..."

"Well, let's go take a look and see if there's an attic. Worst comes to worst, you could sleep in the rec-room? Basements are pretty cool too," Shuuichi offered, leading the boy upstairs, off to search if this place had an attic or not. "Might be more comfortable too, depending on the state of the attic..."

"Basements are creepy. That's where disappeared people go."

"No, no, you're thinking of dungeons. That's not what this basement would look like. I think it would have games down there, if it's a rec-room..."

As Shuuichi and Timothy disappeared upstairs, Kaito and Maki came back in, bringing in some of the food stores, still talking as Kaito insisted, "It's only for three days, and we'll be really careful! You can count on us, Maki!"

"Kaito..." Maki sighed, heading to the kitchen. "Don't make me the bad guy on this. I'm not trying to keep Shuuichi from spending time with his...you've actually, properly asked him out, right? This isn't just you presuming?"

"We did! He said yes! It was great!" Kaito insisted. "And I'm not trying to make you the bad guy! I get why you're nervous! But he's been doing great the last couple of days, and we're going to be super on top of it, and Dr. Kimura is here if anything goes wrong."

"Nothing can go wrong Kaito...we weren't careful before, just kept letting things go, and Shuuichi's life literally fell apart. We're not dropping the ball now when he's finally getting pulled back together."

Kokichi nodded with a hum, mentally adding 'a nice bottle of wine' to his shopping list when they went food shopping. He'd write a nice note to leave with it too. It was incredibly kind for the Nanamis to open up their home to them, and, personally...Kokichi had been worried about the rooming situation if they had stayed in an inn. If Kaito and Maki were already getting at it here, he didn't want to imagine how they'd try to sort everything out at an inn.

Watching Shuuichi and Tim head up, Kokichi had just been about to follow before Maki and Kaito came back in, still arguing. Time to mediate...and help put food away.

"Maki-chan's right, Kai-chan," he chimed in, looking around the kitchen, impressed, before he started looking through cupboards for a good place to keep their food. "At least for our first night, Shuu-chan and Maki-chan can stay together, okay? Shuu-chan's been doing well, but recovery isn't a straight line, and it'd really suck if we were caught by surprise if he starts feeling bad out of, seemingly, nowhere. If the first night goes well, and the second day does too, we can talk about him staying with us if he wants to, but let's be careful."

Sighing a little, he gave his friends a small smile as he started putting food away. "Believe me, the idea of cuddling with both Kai-chan and Shuu-chan at night sounds like the height of decadence, but Shuu-chan deserves the best we can give him, and right now that means Maki-chan staying close by while his doses are somewhere else."

Kaito stiffened at this, still wanting to argue...but sighed softly and let it go. "Fine," Kaito said, putting the last of the food away (there wasn't a ton. Between the three of them, they got it done in a minute. Someone would likely need to make a run for more). "I get it, we don't want to set him up for failure...and I definitely don't want to experiment with how quickly it would take him to revert back without the medicine. Do you think...that the medicine is gonna be a forever thing with him? Has anyone talked to Seiko about how long he's expected to take it?"

"Not an exact timeline or anything, but I've gotten the impression she's waiting for his blood to be free of the fungus. Who knows how long that could take...though, I'm curious if his eyes are going to keep flashing pink every now and again, and if his blood color will go back to normal."

"Oh! You've seen the eye thing too? Good! I kinda thought I was seeing things, the first time I saw it. That's a weird one, right? ...do you think Seiko knows about that? It only seems to happen for a second every now and again, unless-"

"-unless he's crying. Yeah, that's how I noticed it too. She probably already knows, but I'll tell her just in case," Maki said, finishing up the last of it, intending to head back out for anything left behind on the caravans. "Nevermind all that. He's fine. We're just making sure he stays fine. Kokichi," Maki said, shooting her blood eyes at the Dicean Prince, "We're basically finished setting up. Have you thought about what you want to do first today?"

Kokichi hoped that the medicine wouldn't be a forever thing, but...really, it wouldn't be the worst thing. At least for immediate side effects, it just seemed to make Shuuichi a little tired, if last night had been a good indication. And since he took it before bed anyway...

His blood and eye color too. Weird, but...neither seemed to actually hurt Shuuichi in any way? Out of everything the pollen did, those were sort of at the bottom of the list to fix, in Kokichi's opinion. Certainly not reason enough to keep stifling Shuuichi's freedoms if they were the only things left.

"I've only seen it once or twice," Kokichi chimed in before considering it a little more. "I don't think Shuu-chan has seen it though. Maybe we can mess around with lighting and a mirror to show him some time..." Only if Shuuichi wanted to, of course. He wasn't sure how far not wanting to look at himself went, if it extended into daily life, or was just a particular sexy time preference.

Turning to Maki as she addressed him, he gave her a grin and a nod. "Yeah! I wanna check out the beach! S'why I didn't wear socks today," he chirped, standing on one leg then the other, indeed bereft of socks while he wore his sandals. He wasn't much of a fan of wearing shoes indoors, but he hadn't been sure how much they were going to be going in and out while unloading.

"Then...maybe check out food places in town? To get anything we wanna get for here?" And sweets. Which...might be a trickier thing if Shuuichi wasn't going to be spending the night with them, but...well, it wasn't like Shuuichi had a bedtime or anything.

"Beach and shopping. Sounds good. Oh, Shuuichi," Maki said, seeing the detective come back downstairs, Timothy gone. "Did you want to do any clothes shopping today? I know Hajime already tailored your clothes, but we can go get you new ones while we're out."

Shuuichi shrugged. Clearly not enthused, but not against it either. "If we're near any clothes stores, sure." Shuuichi hesitated, wanting to ask if his sleeping arrangements had been settled...but the question felt awkward. Embarrassing. Someone would tell him eventually where he was sleeping tonight. So, instead he said to Maki, "Tim's determined to sleep in the attic. It's a little dusty, but...I don't know. He's got his heart set on it for some reason. What do you think?"

"I'll go check it out in a second. If he jumps around up there at night and keeps people up, then no," Maki said. To Kaito, she said, "I'm gonna settle down a few last minute things, make sure the horses are good, all that. The stores are way closer than I suspected they'd be, so I might take Tim into town real quick to buy umbrellas and towels, maybe get him an ice cream. We'll join you guys in about an hour if you want to just head to the beach now, or wait for us to come back."

"I can come with you, Maki," Shuuichi offered, not looking forward to changing for the beach. "An extra set of arms to carry things?"

"Nmmmmm," Kokichi hummed, bouncing on his toes a little as he debated what he wanted to do. On one hand, he really wanted to see the beach, see the ocean more than just from the caravan windows. On the other...it'd be more fun with his friends, wouldn't it? Looking up to Kaito, he shrugged a little bit, wanting to see what his husband wanted to do.

"I don't think I'd mind waiting a while? I kinda wanna repack my bag for 'goin' out' stuff rather than 'traveling' stuff. At least gotta put some sunscreen on," he sighed, taking a look at his very pale hands and legs. Kokichi was already wearing pretty much what he wanted for the beach, a loose short-sleeved shirt and shorts, his hair tied back in a messy ponytail that was constantly losing chunks of his uneven style.

"Sound good to you, Kai-chan?"

"Sure. Wait an hour, get ready for a day at the beach. Sounds good. Do you need my help, Maki?" Kaito offered.

"No, that's alright, Tim and Shuuichi will be enough. Shuuichi, just give me a moment, let me go drag Tim back downstairs. You said he was in the attic?"

Shuuichi nodded. "Yeah, like I said. Seemed enraptured by it."

"Be right back."

To his credit, Shuuichi wasn't...super surprised when Kaito's arms wrapped around his waist the second Maki was gone, pulling him into a hug, though he still made a small, startled sound when he felt a kiss press into the side of his neck. "The clothes you're wearing look really nice on you," Kaito said.

Shuuichi smiled slightly. "Yes. You've said."

"Mmhmm," Kaito hummed cheerily...before adding, "But none of your shirts are good for being on the beach sand for too long, okay? Buy yourself a shirt while you're out there. Something even lighter in fabric than everything we brought. 'Kay handsome?" Kaito said, kissing at his neck again. He was guessing, correctly, that Shuuichi had no intentions of taking off his shirt on the beach, so...he just wanted to know his lover would be comfortable. And because of that exact same concern, he added in, "Don't pick anything all white. Try blue! It'll compliment ya!"

Shuuichi nodded. "Yeah...okay Kaito. Thanks."

Kaito gave him another kiss, and let him go when he heard more footsteps coming downstairs, Maki and Timothy emerging. Maki was telling Tim, "I don't understand. What happened to her leash?"

"She ate it," Timothy said again, holding the puppy in his arms, who was looking around curiously, tail wagging, "I tried putting it on her when I was hanging out on the patio in the caravan, and she chewed through it."

"She has little razer teeth, I swear...we'll get her another while we're out. Alright, let's go, we'll be back," Maki called over her shoulder, Timothy and Shuuichi following her out.

With Seiko and Hajime upstairs somewhere and Katsuki...somewhere? Kaito grinned down at his husband, gently grabbing his arms and pulling him into a hug. "Wanna walk around the house and see what everything looks like? And when we find the master bedroom, we can put that sunscreen on ya."

Kokichi smiled fondly as he watched Kaito immediately drape himself over Shuuichi. He quickly popped up to place a kiss against the opposite cheek from where Kaito was kissing their boyfriend's neck, giving Shuuichi a wink. "Ah, so we're getting a Shuu-chan fashion show today? Good thing we're waiting then--combined with the heat, I might just die from the cuteness."

Snorting a bit at Chase's ongoing quest to chew threw every leash and collar they got for her, apparently, Kokichi waved goodbye to the shopping group before being drawn into a hug of his own. Tonight would be interesting, no matter how they decided to go about things--Kaito was affectionate all the time, but had been increasingly flirty since Shuuichi had accepted their feelings.

Kokichi nuzzled his husband a little before nodding and taking Kaito's hand, stepping out in a random direction to start exploring. "Sounds good to me! And you should put sunscreen on too--even if you don't burn as easily as I do, it's still important! Thoooough," he drawled with a smirk, "I don't think you'll object to me putting my hands over you, huh?"

Ooof, fuck... the immediate arousal. Kaito had been restless for days now, his good mood making it harder and harder for him to think about and worry over all the things he had been thinking about and worrying over since the...well, the night before the heart attack. As Kaito allowed himself to be led, he bit the outside of his lip and reminded himself sternly...go against your instincts. Kokichi isn't a toy, and he doesn't belong to you. Wait until he wants to do things. Don't push. Don't hurt him.

...fuck he looked cute in that outfit...look at those pale, thin legs...look at how happy he is...

Admiring his husband, Kaito started exploring the house with him.

It was a big house, but other than a glance inside or two, not many rooms they came across warranted a deep inspection. They came across a living room first, which was large and comfy and had a fireplace, which seemed like an odd choice for a beach house, in Kaito's opinion. Maybe it got colder during the winter? Enough for a fire? There were also fun little figurines, the sort Kaito would want to paint himself, and while a lot of the decorations on the wall seemed professionally done, every now and again they came across a canvas that looked just rough enough to suggest that there was a talented but amateur painter in the Nanami family, the family proudly displaying their pieces on the walls.

They found some of the bathrooms, all of which were nice, and a few bedrooms, finding Seiko unpacking in one, apologizing for walking in on her. She showed them where Hajime and Katsuki's rooms were going to be, and said there was another, regular bedroom upstairs, and the master bedroom was upstairs as well. They assumed Maki would want the regular bedroom. There was also a third door, clearly not another closet. They didn't know what it was, and had left it alone.

Upstairs, the third door ended up being a stuffy, very formal looking office-like space, no doubt a study, with a giant window and a giant desk and chair that, to Kaito's great shame, immediately took his imagination by storm, and he sheepishly asked Kokichi if he'd be up to just...sitting in it? For a second? So Kaito could see? Ever since their conversation while Kokichi was taking a bath, Kaito's daydreams kept taking him back to Kokichi working in an office, looking all...important and authoritative and...

Kaito shrugged sheepishly. "I mean, it's fine if you don't want to. I just thought it would look...cool..." he finished lamely. Flushing red.

Kokichi had been looking around the bookcases in the office, but he looked over at Kaito for a moment before smirking, snorting as he walked over to the desk. "This is just to feed your imagination, alright? We're not doing anything in this office. The Nanami family was kind enough to allow us to use their home, and we're not going to spit in the face of that kindness, alright? Sheets we can clean easily, but I am not explaining to Hajime any sort of mess in here."

He knew exactly why Kaito wanted to see him sitting at the desk, and...well, he probably shouldn't be encouraging his husband who was already getting a little handsy, but...Kokichi was eager too. He wanted so badly to finally have sex with Kaito in a way that didn't have him feeling horrible and guilty afterward. What they did with Shuuichi had been...lovely, honestly, barring Kaito ripping Shuuichi's shirt open, and he was hoping for that trend to continue.

So Kokichi drew the office chair back and sat in it, noting how comfortable it was in the back of his mind, before looking around the desk with a serious expression for a moment, then just steepling his fingers above it, looking over them at Kaito with...he imagined Kaito was someone coming to him with...news that one of the dance schools had a cold running through it so they were withdrawing from a festival. That he now had to rearrange the schedule of performances while checking in with the school to make sure they had the resources to care for each student. A considering, thoughtful expression, focused and attentive.

And then, because he didn't want to tempt Kaito that much, he giggled and popped up from the chair, smirking as he skipped over in front of Kaito. "That good for ya?"

Kaito's grin was wide enough to hurt, and his face was bright red. He found himself almost...giggling, a tad nervous as his mind flashed to certain things and...he suddenly covered his eyes with his palms. Flustered. "...yeah..." Kaito said. Still grinning wide and actually a little ashamed of himself, feeling more than a little like a pervert, peeking at Kokichi from between his fingers. "That's...th-thanks, 'Kichi..."

Fuck, Kokichi looked good like that. He looked stern and intelligent and impressive. He looked like-

Kaito pretended that thought to himself hadn't gone any further than it had, and, again, feeling a little perverted and slightly ashamed of himself, he said, "This office is nice, but, y-yeah, you're right...this is someone's home and work space and...we probably shouldn't spend any time in here. Wanna go check out our room? I have to know where it is anyway. I'm gonna head back downstairs and get our luggage, and then we can make sure you'll be ready for the sun!"

Kokichi's expression softened a bit, seeing the state he'd put Kaito in. Shuuichi was right--he did underestimate them. But Kokichi wasn't one to be cruel with power. Kokichi gave Kaito a quick squeeze and a peck on his pec before parting from him, leading Kaito back out of the office.

"Yeah, I'll sort out my bag while you get our things--thanks, sweets. I love you," he reminded, never, ever wanting Kaito to forget for even a single moment.

He knew it probably wasn't very fair to indulge in one of Kaito's fetishes and then very clearly not have sex, but...well, he'd make it up to Kaito tonight. They had to be careful to avoid putting anything near Kaito's hole, but his dick was very convenient for licking syrups off of--Kokichi was planning on blowing Kaito as much as his lovers were okay with that night. Give Shuuichi the rest of Kaito's body to explore with his tongue, let him enjoy Kaito's cute noises to the full extent.

Kokichi's cheeks went pink, but he bumped against Kaito's arm affectionately as they walked down the hall and over to the master bedroom.

The master bedroom was nice.

It was open and airy, with a sliding glass window that led out onto a balcony that you could easily admire the ocean and beach from, the sands already dotted by people out there in the early morning, joggers and families trying to take advantage of the cooler part of the day. Everything was light in color, comfortable and cozy and bright. It was a very, very nice room.

Kaito gave the place a good look around, considered the big, comfy looking king sized bed...and grinned. "Looks soft," he said, "Let's test that."

And with that, he scooped Kokichi up, kissing him on the forehead, and threw him.

He didn't follow him onto the bed. Again, he was...really trying to respect Kokichi's boundaries, in his own way. And throwing him onto the bed and then curling up on top of him seemed...the opposite of that. But as Kokichi's light body bounced against the middle part of the bed, Kaito just grinned, placing his hands on his hips and raising an eyebrow as he asked, "Well? Is it? Cause that looked like a soft landing to me."

Kokichi's eyes went wide, immediately drawn to the window, and he barely had a moment to register what Kaito was about to do before he did it. With a delighted squeal, Kokichi soared through the air, comfortably landing on the, indeed, soft bed, bouncing slightly before he splayed himself out on it.

"Oh noooooo, how could you!" he bemoaned, pressing a hand to his forehead. "To dash me against a rock like unforgiving waves--am I but prey to an alluring siren, tricked into the depths that will only be my watery grave?!"

A series of undignified snickers followed the flowery soliloquy, and Kokichi pushed himself up on his elbows, grinning at Kaito and tilting his head to the side, wondering why his husband hadn't followed. "That really, really hurt, Kai-chan--come kiss me better?"

...they had an hour. A little kissing would only help pass the time.

Kaito raised an eyebrow at Kokichi, smirking at the guy as he waxed poetic. The view of the ocean was probably inspiring the analogy, but to be called an 'alluring siren'? That was a new one.

"You wouldn't be lying to me, would you?" Kaito accused, climbing into the bed and crawling over to his husband, taking his arm in one hand and his waist in the other, looking over him sternly. "Where? Where does it hurt? Show me. Does it hurt...here?" Kaito asked, leaning down to kiss at Kokichi's waist. He frowned. "No, that seems fine. Well, if not there, then does it hurt here?" Kaito demanded, kissing at Kokichi arm, pouting as he said, "Nooo...what about here?" He kissed at Kokichi's collarbone, lingering on that spot for a moment, enjoying the scent of him. "Nope! That seems fine too!"

Kaito went up to Kokichi's face, and gave him his best stern look. "I don't think you are hurt. I think you're a liar. Just what am I going to do with a fibber like you?" Kaito asked, kissing at Kokichi's lips, the stern look on his face softening as he kissed him again. "If I'm the siren, then you're a pirate. And I only sent you to the rocks to get back the heart you stole from me..."

...Kaito could only keep that up for a second, before blushing, embarrassed at his own attempt at purple prose. Then his eyes lit up, as he said, "Oh! If we did do the roleplay idea? That's actually not a bad premise, I think? Shipwrecked sailor, a siren or mermaid or whatever. That could be fun? Orrrr..." Kaito closed his eyes, letting his hands wander idly up under Kokichi's shirt, feeling up and down his skin as Kaito kissed his jaw, giving himself time to think about it. "...sexy...healer? That seems like a classic, but at the same time, you get sick so often that that probably wouldn't be much of a fun fantasy for you...or would it? I don't know, I don't want to put words in your mouth. I could be your sexy healer if you wanted me to. Take your temperature. Spoiler alert: the thermometer says you're super hot," Kaito teased with a grin.

"Me? Lying?" Kokichi blinked up at his husband with wide, innocent eyes, surprised that Kaito would ever accuse him of such a thing. Though, with each kiss his smile grew more into a smirk as he shuffled himself under Kaito, cupping his face as he made his way up and reaching up into a proper kiss. "I don't think I've ever told a single lie in my life. You've simply kissed me better faster than you could register."

The pirate idea was kind of fun sounding, though, even if Kokichi wanted Kaito to plunder his booty instead. All the stories he'd read of pirates had always been so action-packed and exciting! ...though, he might just ditch the sexy factor and just want to play pretend at that point.

Slightly different issue with the sexy healer thing too. Snorting, Kokichi rolled his eyes a little and weaved his fingers through the back of Kaito's hair, gently scratching at his nape as his other hand traveled down to brush over Kaito's back. "Nah, I don't think I could really get into it...I would probably take it too seriously and note all the stuff that healers don't actually do. But..."

Kokichi grinned a little more, an idea coming to him. "Maybe we switch the roles? I track down my unruly patient, and, well, if you're not gonna stay in bed to get better, I'll just have to give you something that'll tire you out, yeah?"

Curling forward to place a kiss on Kaito's forehead, Kokichi giggled at the idea. "I might even have to call in back-up, if your comments yesterday are anything to go by."

There was something...vaguely uncomfortable, to Kaito, about the idea of Kokichi and Shuuichi working together to...track him down and 'punish' him in some way...well, no, no. It was fine. Kaito didn't think, even in the name of playing pretend, either of them would do anything to try to actually hurt him during sex. He had specifically asked them not to do that, and he didn't think they'd forget. They were both too sweet for that...well, maybe not Shuuichi when on the pollen, but Shuuichi on medicine was too sweet for that to be a real fear.

Besides, Kokichi's fantasy idea wasn't the same as 'punishment' anyway. It was just tiring out a cranky patient. That was cute. That didn't sound like it would hurt.

So Kaito, reassured, grinned at the little kiss on his forehead, giving Kokichi an extra excited grin. "Oh man, do you think we could actually get Shuuichi in on these? That would be so much fun. And I am a pretty restless patient. I could use some extra attention from my exasperated, sexy healers," Kaito agreed, snickering into the next kiss. Just enjoying coming up with ideas, even if nothing ever came of any of them. Sometimes brainstorming was the fun part more than anything.

Lying on his side a bit, taking some of his weight off his husband so he could move around freely, Kaito kissed his cheeks soothingly, adoringly, as he ran his hand through his hair...before saying, "Hmmm...you were never a student, really...would sexy teacher be something you'd be into? You're the famous trouble student, Kokichi Ouma. 'Bad attitude' is your middle name, and you're on the verge of failing out of school entirely if you fail this final science test. And I, your long-suffering biology teacher!" Kaito said, getting into this story now developing in his head.

Gripping his fists against his chest as he suddenly had a look of tragic determination, "I gotta get through to this kid somehow! He should have graduated high school last year, and they won't let him try senior year again! I can't let this troubled youth fail out of high school entirely! How do I get him into learning about the human body!? Oh! I know...just make the tutoring sessions very...hands on..." Kaito murmured, smirking as he kissed at Kokichi's neck, running his hand down from his side, and sneaking his fingers past the waistband of his shorts, running his hands over of the curve of Kokichi's ass, whispering into Kokichi's ear, "You get extra credit if you can tell me the name of every muscle I taste...and don't worry. I'm ready to go over the material with you again and again and again...as long as it takes..."

..."Oh! Or maybe I'm a school bully?" Kaito said, immediately breaking the mood as his mind just moved onto more ideas, again, just endlessly entertained by brainstorming essentially really underdeveloped story ideas as he said, "And you're the little nerd that changes my heart."

"Maybe," Kokichi hummed. "He doesn't strike me as much of an actor, but I think he'd give it a shot, at least. And if he doesn't find it fun, then we'll know. But another person just widens what kind of scenes we can play."

As Kaito rolled off of him, Kokichi somewhat entangled their legs together, having kicked off his sandals as soon as they stepped in the room so it wouldn't be uncomfortable or anything. And while brainstorming was fun...Kokichi started to get the impression that he'd just...take any roleplay too seriously. Get too into whatever character he was and the scene, and end up trying to play that out rather than use it to facilitate any sexy times.

Snuggling close to Kaito, Kokichi slipped a hand under his shirt, feeling up his abdomen and chest as he curved his back to press his rear into Kaito's hand, turning his head just enough to kiss just behind Kaito's jaw...and to let his laughs puff there too. "Maybe we could go on a more traditional adventure together, going off into the wildlands in the hopes to break a tragic curse. Or you could be the daring knight coming to slay the dragon...only to find himself beaten as I take the greatest treasure of all for my hoard--your heart."

Kokichi pressed a kiss to Kaito's chest just over his heart at his words, grinning up at his husband in adoration. "I think Kai-chan being Kai-chan is still my favorite, though."

Kaito laughed. "You...would be the cutest dragon ever," Kaito admitted, squeezing Kokichi's ass and pulling him close. Funnily enough, this was the least riled up he had been all day now. Just enjoying bullshitting with Kokichi, having fun being with him. "I'd love to do that one, just to see what you would think an intimidating dragon impression would be."

Smirking down at his prince, Kaito prompted, "Go on then, 'Kichi. Go, 'grrrrrr'. Let's see your dragon face."

Kokichi rolled his eyes, even as his cheeks reddened from the squeeze of his ass. Taking a breath, Kokichi closed his eyes, and when they opened... His eyes were incredibly wide and an impossibly wide sneer stretched across his face as he let out a low growl, trying to be as intimidating as possible rather than any true attempt to be a dragon, just to try and prove Kaito wrong.

Whoa...what the fuck!?

Kaito actually drew his hands back from Kokichi and flinched, just...was his husband suddenly possessed!? Or.... The fuck??..."Uhhhhh...." Kaito said, nervously, just...so concerned... "...'Kichi?"

Kokichi dropped the expression in an instant, snickering to himself before he smiled back up at Kaito and placed a gentle kiss to his cheek. "Just soooooo cute, right? I know, cheating, but I can put up a good scary face when I wanna, right?"

Taking a little pity on his husband, Kokichi tried out his actual impression, puffing out his cheeks in a huff and flaring his nostrils as he spoke out an actual "Grrr!" in his, admittedly, at times squeaky voice.

Kaito blinked down at him, still super startled by the shift. He had actually seen that, right? Wow.

His unease with Kokichi's first tier horror-face eased though as his husband immediately made it up to him with an incredibly cute attempt at a dragon, and Kaito barked out a relieved laugh, resting his forehead on Kokichi's and saying, "You...are full of surprises. You know that? You should have pulled that face out last night during a horror story. I would have actually died. It would have been great."

Tucking his hand under Kokichi's back, Kaito rolled over, pulling Kokichi on top of him, just hugging him close, giving him a few small kisses as he closed his eyes and sighed happily, still trying to think. "Hmmm...a knight facing a fierce dragon...oh," Kaito laughed, "We could put Shuuichi in a dress and make him the princess I'm trying to save! Or, no...actually, he might not like that. Ya know...chest issues. Being called a girl might just exacerbate that, maybe..."

Kaito hummed, opening his eyes and looking at the ceiling as he considered that, running his hands idly up and down Kokichi's back as he asked, "How hard do you think we should push through that, by the way? I don't...really like that there's a part of Shuuichi that he hates so much. I don't want to stress him out by calling attention to his chest, but...I don't want him to get into the habit of hiding it from it for the rest of his life. That's not realistic. Plus, if they get bigger...I mean, fuck, 'Kichi, you saw The Beast. I've seen Shuuichi's dick before. It's literally grown twice in size. If that happens to his chest...like, to the point where he can't hide it under a shirt? I don't want Shuuichi to just start hiding from people..."

Kokichi snorted softly and bopped his nose against Kaito's gently, glad his husband had recovered alright. "If I had thought to tell a story, maybe. Get right above the fire and let the shadows do most of the work for me--dunno if we'd be able to convince you to sleep in the same caravan as me that night though."

"As brave as you are, my Kai-chan can still be a scaredy-cat," Kokichi teased, a giggle in his voice as Kaito rolled him on top of him. He could do it in many positions, but this one was a little easier to nuzzle his face against Kaito's chest, placing a kiss to the dip of his clavicle before...sighing against his neck. "...I mean, being a prince works just as well for that..."

Even if they reassured him, Shuuichi was still so insecure about his body. Kokichi didn't know if there had been some of that before just mixed in with Shuuichi's general anxiety, but his body changing so much certainly hadn't helped any. Kokichi thought Shuuichi was cute, but...ultimately, it mattered more how Shuuichi felt about himself.

"...I guess...just asking him what he's comfortable with every time we do things... Shuu-chan did ask if he could change his mind later, so he might get to the point he's more comfortable being shirtless around us. Not to mention that we need to talk about that anyway..." Kokichi pressed his lips together for a moment before letting the issue go. No reason to get into it when they'd have to do it again later. "I think we should just keep reassuring him that he looks handsome and amazing. He's worried about looking weird just from a glance, but...even if his chest gets bigger, a guy with boobs isn't that weird, still. I think people would just think he's trans, but that's not their business anyway, so no one would give him trouble...or...stare too much, if that's what he's worried about."

Kokichi sighed again, resting his cheek on Kaito's chest. "I don't think Dr. Kimura would advise getting any medical procedures done while the fungus is still in his system, but...he could always talk to her about getting his breasts reduced if they bother him that much. I'd trust her to recommend a good surgeon."

"Man, I hope it doesn't come to that..." Kaito sighed, not liking the idea of Shuuichi having to go under a knife to feel better about himself...if only because of how long the recovery time would hurt him, not to mention the scarring that would occur.

Kaito had known a woman briefly who had gotten a serious breast reduction surgery, going from double D's to B's (they had shared a classroom together in uni for a semester, and, for a few fun nights, a bed). And, while she hadn't regretted the decision, she had shown him the results while she was still healing, admitting that it still hurt her almost a month later. He had asked her if she was sure she was okay, and she had assured him over and over that she'd be fine...but he had still been extra careful not to touch them. To be as gentle with her as possible, even when she kept trying to push him to go harder. To reassure her how sexy he thought she was, because that was clearly what she had wanted from him...

But more than anything, he had really just wanted to gently hold her and kiss the fever in her skin and wished he could convince her to sleep long enough that she'd actually feel better in the morning, instead of leaving her aching and tired and hurting. Again, they had been fun nights, and she had been a great lady. But man, every time he saw those long cuts, his heart had hurt for her...

Still though.

"But, well...if it doesn't occur to him himself, we'll let him know that's always an option. And any pain it causes him would only be temporary. If it'd help him out mentally in the long run..." Kaito shrugged. "I just want him to be happy. I want that for both of you," Kaito said, looking down at Kokichi with an affectionate smile. "I'm really glad we're getting to do this. Are you excited for the ocean? Here. Stop letting me hog you for myself, let's go take a look at it," Kaito said, gently dislodging himself from the bed and pulling Kokichi gently with him to the window. "It really is amazing to look at."

Kokichi nodded a bit in agreement, a soft smile on his face. He was happy to see Shuuichi's smile and comfort every moment it was there, but...where he was in life right now wasn't very happy and comfortable. Having just moved to a new country (even if it was one where he was a full citizen and could expect proper respect), going through rehab for a dangerously addictive substance, having his body react so strangely to it, being involved with terrorists, and, even if Kokichi thought it was mostly a happy thing, being in a relationship for the first time could be...stressful. There was just...a lot going on for Shuuichi. And that's why they wanted to be so careful to not make things worse than they were.

"Well, speaking for myself, Kai-chan makes me really happy, so that's one wish pretty sorted, huh?" Kokichi placed another kiss to Kaito's cheek before they got up and walked over to the window, and...this was another thing that made him happy. So happy, and grateful, and overwhelmed in the best way.

Just like he'd read, the sapphire blue, already glittering in the morning sun, stretched on and on for miles, disappearing into the horizon where he knew it kept going and going. From up on the third floor of the Nanami house, the ocean almost looked like a blanket draped over the world, though he knew that up close the waves would be more apparent. Even now, he could see the occasional break of white, a wave heading towards the shore, becoming gentler before it'd get there.

And then the beach itself, already dotted with people still enjoying the beauty that they lived around each day. The light-colored sand which looked uniform from up above, but Kokichi just knew was littered with shells and rocks of all shapes and sizes and colors. He knew it was irresponsible to take home every cool thing he found, but if he found one or two cool shells or special rocks? That would be okay.

"It's beautiful..." Kokichi murmured, staring out at the sight with a quiet awe and appreciation. "Even better than I imagined, honestly..."

Kaito had glanced at the ocean, sure...but all he really wanted to see was Kokichi's reaction to it. To see the wonder in his eyes. And he wasn't disappointed. Loved the way Kokichi's eyes widened, that little half-smile he did when he wasn't quite paying attention to how he was presenting himself. Loved the way his husband ever so slightly stood on his toes, as if being slightly higher might give him a better viewpoint of an ocean that was all his to look at and stare at for as long as he wanted. The sheer joy that had been radiating off him basically since this trip had begun, barring one or two spider related mishaps.

Kaito watched Kokichi, warm and full of love and...he wondered how Aiichi could have resisted it? Getting to show Kokichi wonderful and beautiful things. How he could have spent twenty whole damn years resisting seeing the awe light up on this man's face. Kaito was already addicted to it. He wanted to show Kokichi every pretty thing in the world. Wanted him to do every amazing thing that crossed his mind. Wanted him to have everything his heart desired...

...Kaito remembered the sheer terror he had felt, thinking yesterday that Kokichi had stopped breathing because he had thought a spider was on his neck. That his husband was going into cardiac arrest from being frightened...

He banished the memory from his mind. Doubt would only bring trouble. If anything, the king’s follies with his own doubt was further proof of that. If Kokichi thought he could handle it, then he could. Even if he couldn't...if he wanted to do it anyway, then he would, so long as Kaito had anything to do with it. His husband knew better. All he needed from Kaito was his unwavering support. Kaito was more than happy to give it.

Putting his arms around Kokichi's waist, pulling him into a hug as they both looked out the window, Kaito kissed the top of Kokichi's head. "Bit bigger than the pools and ponds you've swam in before, huh? Don't be intimidated by the waves, they're not terribly dangerous. Though, if anyone warns you about a current they notice? Take that very seriously. It's rare, but those things can sweep you away if you're not careful. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on you," Kaito promised.

"I don't think I've ever seen so much water in my life... It's so much more than just water too." Kokichi caught Kaito's assumption, and, for a moment, he thought about just not saying anything. No reason to make a to do about it if he wasn't going to be going in the water anyway, but...he was trying to be better. No more mistakes, no easily avoided accidents.

Shaking his head a little, Kokichi pressed against Kaito's side. "I'm not going in, though. Gonna walk in the shallows, at most--I don't know how to swim."

When would he have ever gotten the chance? For all their amenities, the castle didn't have a pool, and the ponds in and near the city were...well, popular enough that he wouldn't risk going to them by himself, even if the risk of drowning hadn't been enough.

And...from what he'd heard, swimming was...really active. Put your whole body to work, made you breathe a certain way... Even Kokichi was unsure if he'd really be able to stand it. And, unlike running around, which he could normally do fine, or climbing or carrying heavy things...he could just stop and rest if he got tired. If he was in the middle of water...he'd have to hold out until he was able to get out of it, and...sometimes he didn't have that kind of time.

He was happy enough to just play on the beach and the coastline, to let water crash over his ankles and no more.

Kaito raised an eyebrow. "You...don't know how to swim?" he asked, concerned...and then suddenly feeling a rush of guilt. Oh for...Kokichi's first trip away from home, and Kaito took him to a beach...and Kokichi doesn't know how to swim? Oh for...god dammit, Kaito...he had just assumed...fuck.

But, no...fuck, of course no one at that shit show castle had ever taught Kokichi how to swim. Fuck, Kaito was an idiot. They all pretended like Kokichi never left the castle on his own, instead of just, fucking...god dammit. So, of course, they'd all be pretending and telling each other that Kokichi would literally never be around any body of water bigger than himself, if he 'never left the castle'...his whole fucking life… So, yeah, of course instead of just helping his husband out over their 'boss’s’ wishes, of course they'd just let him go his whole fucking life without learning a common survival skill...fucking Atua give him strength he was so fucking pissed...

God he was so stupid. They had planned this whole fucking trip, and something this obvious had just never occurred to Kaito...that was why Kokichi hadn't brought a bathing suit! Kaito had just assumed he wanted to swim in his shorts for some reason...

God he hated those people.

Kaito tried very, very hard not to let the anger show on his face. It wasn't fair on Kokichi, to show off the rage licking through his blood as Kaito was once again blindsided by the castle staff's numerous ways of keeping his husband helpless. Fucking...great job, Lake. Way to look after him.

Kaito closed his eyes for a second, took a calming breath...and then grinned brightly at his husband. "Well! Okay! ...did you want to learn? Like...the basics? I could teach you if you wanted. You'd be safe with us. We could even go and ask Seiko to come with us, just to have someone there in case anything goes wrong? If you're up to that?"

Kokichi finally looked away from the stunning view outside to look up at Kaito in concern as he felt his husband tense up. Was...it really that big of a deal? He'd already said he wasn't gonna go in the water... Kokichi had known plenty of people who couldn't swim--with their only coast to the south and the city not being near any lakes, it wasn't something a lot of people prioritized, he guessed.

Giving Kaito a half-shrug, Kokichi just hummed a little before looking back out of the window, rubbing Kaito's back gently. "Not really? Like...of all places, I don't think the ocean would be the best place to learn, and...I think it would tire me out real fast..." he muttered, looking down for a moment, frustrated with his lack of stamina.

"...I really am excited to just walk in the shallows. Swimming's just...not really something that was ever that applicable to daily life, so I never learned." Glancing back up at Kaito, Kokichi offered him a small smile. "Maybe we could go to one of the ponds back home sometime and you could teach me then?"

He was fine not knowing, but...if it'd make Kaito feel better, he could...at least learn how to float or something.

Kaito took another steadying breath, trying to let his anger go. Just...calm, Kaito...there's no one to fight...you can't punch this problem better...it was just...one more shitty setback from Kokichi's shitty childhood...

More importantly, his husband didn't seem that broken up about it. So...ugh, that wasn't even kind of reassuring. Kokichi had no fucking standards for how he should be treated. The fact that Kaito was even still alive was proof of that...but, again! Kaito's anger was not Kokichi's problem! Swallow it down! Use it for something later! There was always something later!

Kaito felt the anger...well, it wasn't going away. But it wouldn't be a problem right now, anyway, buried safely in Kaito's endless reserves. Kaito nodded at Kokichi's idea, leaning over and picking him up slightly, giving him a strong hug as he said, "Yeah! We could do that! Whenever you want! And...for now, like you said! Just walking the beach is super nice! And we'll see if we can't convince Shuuichi to design another epic sand castle! It'll be fun!"

Hopefully Maki wouldn't remember Kaito's 'inflatable tire' idea. He had felt bad that he wouldn't be able to go out and spend time with Kokichi while he was swimming, and he and Maki had discussed getting Kaito a floatie that he could lounge on without messing up his cast. Kaito hadn't brought it up since then, though, so...yeah. He'd feel bad going into the water if Kokichi couldn't go, so...well, Kaito was being sincere that there were plenty of fun things to do on the beach outside of swimming! He'd just do those things with Kokichi! Better for his cast, better for his honeymoon! Perfect!

And, well...maybe in the future, the next time they came to the beach? Kokichi would know how to swim and be able to see all the cool things the ocean had to offer. Future things to look forward to!

"Alright! Well, if your body isn't going to be submerged under water, it's even more important to get that sunscreen on ya. Where's it at?" Kaito asked, looking over at their luggage bags.

Kokichi perked up a bit once Kaito set him back down from the hug, his excitement re-ignited from his worry. "Ooh, yeah! I've never made a sandcastle before! And if Shuu-chan is the one designing it, obviously it'd be amazing!" He had a feeling Shuuichi wouldn't want to go swimming either--he'd been nervous enough wearing clothes that fit, so if a shirt got plastered to his body? He couldn't imagine Shuuichi doing that willingly, not now at least.

Kokichi skipped over to their luggage and opened his up, digging around for the bundle around his toiletries, safely packed so they wouldn't open up during their travels. Finding the bottle, he returned to Kaito's side and started unscrewing the cap to start with his arms. "Does water really help that much? Like, it'd scatter rays, but you're still in contact with the sun--especially if you come out of the water and there are droplets on your skin..."

He mused about that for a little bit before shrugging, knowing he needed the light cream no matter what. Once he'd gotten some on his arms to rub in, Kokichi passed the bottle over to Kaito, giving him a look. "You too."

Kaito shrugged. "Sure. I mean, I tan more than I burn, but...well, okay, admittedly if I'm in the sun all day? I burn. But then that burn eventually turns into a tan! So that'll be nice. I like the way I look tanned. Darker skin with red hair? I feel like a gerudo from the Triforce series. You ever read those books? I love that story..." Kaito hummed to himself as he took the cream from Kokichi, taking off his own shirt and running it up and down his body, already wearing his swim trunks. "Though, as a male gerudo, I guess I'd be the bad guy...but that's alright. Ganondorf is kinda epic. I bought a special edition copy of the third book that came with artwork, saw his picture and...oof. That was it for me. Became one of my childhood crushes."

As Kaito continued to take care of his skin, he asked Kokichi, "Did you ever do that? Get crushes on fictional characters? I did that all the time. I used to imagine that if I met Ganondorf, I'd be, like, at first a prisoner of war or something? Like he was invading Luminary or something? And then I'd earn his respect and he'd make me his number one confidant...and then I'd have to make the choice between him and my kingdom! The tyrant I love or the people who depend on me!"

Kaito sighed, thinking back cheerfully on those old, strange daydreams...before admitting, "Most of the time I stabbed him at the end. But every now and again I was just, like, fuck it. Let him be king. He's hot."

Being exposed to the sun at all could be dangerous, but...Kaito was still putting sunscreen on. Kokichi wasn't a healer and didn't know the actual science behind all that anyway, so as long as Kaito was taking care of himself, he'd be happy.

After he finished with his arms, Kokichi hopped back up on the bed to get his legs and feet, huffing a little laugh at the tangent Kaito went off on. "They're great reads, even if the overall timeline makes no sense. All the places Link would travel to always sounded so amazing--I'm pretty sure I almost set my room on fire once with all the covered lamps I set up to try and play pretend in the Skyview Temple."

"Though...that sounds more like a nightmare than a daydream to me...but each their own, I guess..." Kokichi muttered in response to hearing about Kaito's old daydreams. He knew that they were just outlets for attraction, but...it made Kokichi deeply uncomfortable to even imagine ever betraying his people. But, for just having crushes on fictional characters...

Kokichi chuckled sheepishly and shook his head a little. "Did you ever read The Painted World of Guertena? The choose-your-own-adventure book? I had a thing for Garry for a while there--I'd just refuse to read any of the bad endings for him because I loved his character too much. A caring, sweetheart, scaredy-cat..." Kokichi sent Kaito a look with a smirk. "Guess I still have that type."

"Painted World of Guertena, Painted world of Guertena...Oh! Garry! Yeah, I do know what you're talking about. That's so weird. In Luminary those books are called 'Ib's Painted Adventures'. Must be a marketing thing...though I wonder if I should feel insulted that Luminary got the much simpler title." Kaito laughed, before his eyes widened, not having thought about that story since he was, what...maybe ten? "And yeah, Garry...maaaaan. I remember thinking he was so cool, but...yeah, he was kinda a scaredy-cat wasn't he? I haven't read that book in a long time, but I just remember him being so amazing and brave...probably because the first ending I got for him..." Kaito chuckled, shaking his head, "Cried like a baby. Ahhh...good times..."

"And watch your tongue. Don't think I missed that," Kaito said, smirking slightly at Kokichi. "Your husband is very, very brave, you should know. I would totally fight off a creepy little painting girl for you! Fuck...shoot, what was her name...the blond one. Randomly goes crazy? ...is it Emily? I feel like her name was Emily, but I'm not one hundred percent on that...but yeah, I'd absolutely curb-stomp that girl if she came out of a painting, all spooky and 'ooooh, trade places with me, 'Kichi.' Back off painting kid!" Kaito said, punching at the air heroically, before glancing over at Kokichi and laughing.

"Come here, babe, you didn't fully rub in the sunscreen on your face. Let me get that for you," Kaito said, rubbing his thumbs along Kokich's cheeks and over his eyes.

Huh, that was weird. Maybe the publisher thought that having the title centered around the main character instead of the setting would sell better. Though...something about the title seemed...more fairytale-like? And the book wasn't exactly made for children (even if he'd read it as a child)...though, maybe that was something else that differed in Luminary. Themes of insanity and abandonment and death were...probably more prevalent over there...

"Oh, Garry was cool, but that doesn't cancel out that he was terrified of the Painted World. In some ways, it just made him cooler that he was determined to protect Ib despite his fear." Kokichi sent Kaito a soft look, still thinking about parallels, and while Kaito's greatest hurdles weren't necessarily fear-based...he was still determined to make things work in Dicea, despite the culture shock and other pressures.

Snorting, Kokichi scooted forward to let Kaito cover his face. "I dunno, I always felt sorry for Mary. She just wanted to have a friend, to live a real life--she and Ib are sisters in Garry's true bad end, as much as I could never let him be stuck in the Painted World. Oh my god," he laughed, having not thought about this for...ages. "I can remember being upset that there was no good ending for all three of them, so my dad created one as a bedtime story for me. Something about Mary proving that she had a soul despite being born a painting, and all three of them escaping, Ib and Garry bumping into each other like they do in the book, but Mary joining up to before being called by her parent, which Ikuo tooootally alluded to being Guertena somehow."

Laughing a little more, Kokichi made sure to rub some sunscreen along the back of his neck. "I know it was a horror story, and that the point was kind of that there was no true happy ending...but it was still fun to hear one anyway."

"Mary! That was it! Where the heck did I get Emily from?" Kaito wondered, finishing up the sunscreen on Kokichi's face, before planting a kiss on Kokichi's forehead...and then making a face. "Ew. Sunscreen flavor. Blegh." Then kissing Kokichi again in the same spot.

"Awww, that's cute. And, ugh...really? You wanted that nightmare child to have a good ending? Her and her little...'love you nots' and flower picking..." Kaito said, clearly still enraged by the first ending he had gotten, even all those years later, now that he was being reminded of it. "I mean, I guess if she didn't act like a total monster in your dad's ending, then it's okay. But I was cheering when Garry set her on fire, not gonna lie. And your book was presented as a horror story? Ours was called an adventure story...and there was a good ending! ...where crazy painting kid got set on fire and Garry and Ib got to live happily ever after."

The way the flower fortunes had been written was unsettling, yeah, but...it was made to be that way. Taking something kids did anyway, and creating a set of rules in a world that would make that game something nefarious. Nao had once told him that was a strength of horror, if you could make something familiar uncomfortable.

Seeing a small streak of white under Kaito's jaw, Kokichi reached up to smooth the cream into his neck, humming consideringly. "She just always seemed like a lonely kid to me. Left by herself after Guertena died, stuck with only the other paintings for company...which were never really portrayed as having much sentience. She did some bad things, for sure, but she was in a horrible circumstance and...was kind of set up to fail. The only way out was to trade her place in a prison with someone else, and...as altruistic as I see people, that's a heavy burden. I can see where she was coming from, is all I guess I mean."

Again, Kokichi could identify that uncomfortable theme of being trapped, but...at least in Dicea, it was horror. That was the point.

Shaking his head, Kokichi got up from the bed to start sorting through his bag, dumping the cards and sketchbook and candy and various things out. "I think we might both be able to agree that the 'bunny room' scene was horrific, though. I had to keep my curtains closed at night for ages after reading that."

"Oh yeah, that was pretty messed up. Though, it's funny. I remember being so confused after that scene, because..." Kaito shrugged, smiling sheepishly, "Do you think the doll things were, like...evil? Cause, I don't know...I kinda thought the dolls were trying to help Garry? When I read that scene?"

Kaito eyed Kokichi's sketchbook with interest. Now that he knew Kokichi was an artist, he was kinda interested in seeing other things his husband had drawn. Maybe he'd let him look through it if Kaito asked. "Like, the way they just kept reaching out to him, even when he brushed them off...I thought...I don't know." Kaito shrugged. "It's not like they hurt him, ya know? They just kept bugging him. And then the second he was on his own, they brought him to their scary doll room...I mean, looking back at it, it's obvious that it was a trap, right? But I was so confused when later Ib and Mary found him all...catatonic and stuff? Because I thought the dolls were...I don't really know what I thought they were doing? They were scary... It just didn't occur to me they were evil monster things until I saw the results."

Kaito also looked at the candy and snorted, putting his shirt back on and reaching out to the bag. "Mind if I grab a candy?" Taking a piece, he popped it into his mouth, looking forward to that night, chewing on it a second before elaborating on his...theory? He guessed? "And even then, the results weren't...bad. Garry thought he was having a nice conversation with someone. He seemed happy. I mean...that doesn't seem bad. Maybe the dolls knew emi-damn, I keep doing that. Mary? Maybe they knew Mary was gonna trap him, so...why not make his stay a happy one? Even if it's all just in his head?"

Okay, sunscreen in just in case, for sure taking his sketchbook and pencils, and...he could use the handkerchief Shuuichi had given him to protect any shells he might want to keep. They were close enough to the house that he didn't think he'd need a sweater...oh! Money. Needed that.

Kokichi nodded along with Kaito's observations, humming an assent with a smile as he reached for the candy, packing up before he put his own two cents in. "I don't think they were evil or actively malicious or anything. There were a bunch of messages around saying that the gallery changed depending on your mental state, right? And because Ib only ever saw them as rabbits, and she wasn't phased by anything in the gallery, until her fake mom, at least, I think that ending was...kind of a metaphor for psychosis?"

"Like...I think what they did to Garry really was just their way of playing, and without any help, either from being alone or not finding the key in time, Garry was just...lost to his hallucinations." Counting out his money, Kokichi hummed again, his mouth pulling to the side. "Theoretically, if you were trapped in the gallery and would've starved to death either way...I guess not focusing on how horrible the situation was would make death easier... But that wasn't really the situation. Ib tried to get through to Garry, to get him up so they could keep trying to find an exit, but he couldn't hear her anymore, and she didn't want to abandon him, so they both just died in that ending."

Kokichi sighed quietly, always having found that ending particularly sad, and looked back up at Kaito, bopping his head against his arm. "Man, I really forgot how much depressing stuff was in that story."

"Yeah...but it's nice we have it in common. And it's still cute your dad made you a happy ending you could get behind. That's very cool."

Kaito was going to ask Kokichi how old he thought Ib actually was, since the story never specified (he'd guessed six), but there was a knock at the door. "Prince Kaito, Prince Kokichi! We're back! Are we going to the beach or what?" Timothy called through the door, clearly impatient.

Kaito blinked in surprise. "That was quick. Have we been talking an hour? Huh. Give us a second, Tim, we're coming right down!"

"Kay!" Timothy responded...and then no additional sounds. No sounds of him walking away. Either he was still standing there or… Kaito was impressed. Maki's training was coming along. So long as he stuck to his training, Timothy really would make a good assassin one day.

"Guess they're waiting for us downstairs. You ready?" Kaito asked his husband.

Kokichi looked over to the door, similarly surprised and with a similar thought to Kaito. Well, time flies when you're having fun talking about your boyfriend and swimming lessons and books you read as a kid with the hubby. And kissing. Some of that too.

Quickly finding them and sliding his feet back into his shoes, Kokichi gave Kaito a grin, hopping a little again in excitement. "More than ready! I'm gonna feel the ocean for the first time! And sand! Do you think we'll see crabs or mollusks? I've heard you can find 'em because they spit wet sand in the air."

Kokichi babbled a bit about aquatic life as they came downstairs, and as soon as he saw them, Kokichi jogged over to Shuuichi and Maki, capturing Shuuichi's arm in a hug before pausing at Maki's side, silently asking if he could do the same while he actually said, "It's beach time!!!"

"Honestly? If this is anything like my last few beach trips, we'll probably see all sorts of weird things. Lots of things live on the beach. Like birds. Big, angry birds...if you're gonna eat anything, keep it covered until you're ready to eat it, and then eat it quick," Kaito advised, following his husband down.

Shuuichi, who was indeed wearing a very nice, light blue shirt that looked loose and airy on him, along with a newly bought swimsuit, smiled warmly down at Kokichi as he said, "Yes, it is. I hope we didn't make you wait too long. We were trying to find a floatie for Kaito, to keep his arm dry in the water."

"Couldn't find anything your size. Nothing stable enough for the cast, anyway," Maki told Kaito, giving him a small shrug. "Sorry. We can look again more tomorrow, or this afternoon when we go to the store for food."

"Ah...that's alright. I don't think I'm gonna swim anyway. Knowing me I'd get caught in a current and be totally helpless to paddle back in. I think I just wanna chill on the sand," Kaito said, giving Maki a thankful grin as he added, "Thanks for thinking of it though."

Nodding, the assassin considered Kokichi's small indications that he wanted to grab her arm. Maki (who was wearing a loose wrap skirt around a youthful, playful bikini and wearing a pink straw hat she had bought while they were out) would likely shake him off once they were around too many people, wanting mobility for potential attacks and also not entirely comfortable with public affection...but for now, she allowed Kokichi to take her arm, holding a basket of things in the other, saying to Tim, "Don't let her off the leash till we get there. I'm not chasing her up and down this street, understand?"

"Yessss, Miss Harukawaaaa," Timothy whined, putting down his puppy and telling her sternly, "Come on, Chase. No eating this one."

Chase ignored him, immediately starting to nibble on the leash, only looking up at him, confused, when he said, "Bad dog!" for a moment before returning to her task. Sighing, Timothy picked her up again, holding her and several towels that had been put under his charge, following the others as they made their way to the beach.

The beach wasn't busy busy yet, but it was getting there as the morning got later into the day. There were some young people, possibly teenagers, starting up the process of setting up a volleyball net not far from where the path from the house met the actual sands of the beach. There were quite a few families already well into their beach trip, mothers sunning themselves and reading books while keeping half eyes on their children, who were being tossed around gleefully by their already burning fathers. There were people walking up and down the beach together, mostly in pairs, occasionally in groups of three. One man, tan and with washboard abs, ran past them and likely would run past them again on his way back, used to running on the sand. Four children of similar ages, off in the distance, seemed to be determinedly working on making as big a hole as they could, while two much younger children played around them, sometimes jumping into the hole, to the older children's frustration.

Maki picked out the spot she wanted for them, and Shuuichi, who had been holding the umbrella, with Kaito's help dug a hole in the sand and put the large, wide beach umbrella up. Once that was done, Maki and Timothy laid down three towels, with another two towels folded and put to the side, chilling with the basket. Once he got the okay from Maki, Timothy undid Chase's leash, though Maki warned him to leash her back up again when he was ready to go into the ocean, or else the puppy would try to follow him.

Timothy gave a...somewhat nervous look at the ocean, before just saying, "Kay," and looking around...clearly uncertain about what he actually wanted to do, now that he was here.

Kokichi gleefully hugged Maki's arm at her okay, just elated to be heading to the beach with his friends. He continued to chatter to the group, talking about how it'd been no big deal to wait, they'd barely noticed it, and aaaaaa! Shuu-chan looked super cute in his new shirt! And that Maki's hat was a super good idea, and her bikini was cute too, and, oh, if he wanted to, Kokichi had heard stories of Shuuichi's legendary sandcastle, and could they work on one today?

Really, Kokichi only shut up once they'd found a place to claim, just...struck with awe again as the ocean stretched out right in front of him, people playing and having a good time all around. The air was even saltier here, smelling a little like fish too, but not in a bad way or anything.

Laughing just for himself, Kokichi clasped his hands over his heart before heading to the coastline and started drawing in the wet sand, at first just writing a K to start his name before thinking better, and setting on the letters, 'KKSMT'. Their mark that they're here.

Shuuichi agreed to make a sandcastle...in a bit. Wanting to sit with Maki for a little while under the shade of the umbrella as the two scoped out the beach, chatting idly together. Maki talked to him a bit about their journey, her plans for the future. Shuuichi mostly listened and nodded, offering small bits of advice and arguing with her lightly over things they disagreed over.

Kaito, in turn, noting Tim's immediate discomfort, pointed out the kids digging the hole to them, all of them seeing roughly his age. "Are they Diceans?" Tim asked.

"I mean...yeah? Probably? Everyone here is."

Timothy frowned at this, some of that easy relaxation he had on the trip leaving him as he eyed everyone at the beach suspiciously. "...they're not gonna like me."

"They might. And if they don't...well, fuck 'em."

"We're not supposed to curse anymore."

"You're not supposed to curse anymore."

"That's not fair..."

"Why don't you go tell the kids digging the hole that?"

Timothy frowned at this as well...glancing over at the kids...before muttering, "I'll think about it, I'm gonna throw a stick for Chase instead."

Kaito sighed. He had tried. "Alright. Remember what Maki said. Don't let her go into the water. She's too little for that."

Timothy nodded, before running off, looking for a proper dog-chasing stick. Feeling like he had done what he could for now, Kaito moved on to his husband, seeing what he was writing into the sand. "Kksmt?" he pronounced, looking curiously at it. "What does that mean?"

Kokichi stood from his spot, watching fondly as the waves consumed his letters. Before smiling entirely too innocently at his husband. "Shorthand for 'kismet'. Like, meant to be, you know? Totally no other meaning that could possibly be derived from those letters, or from any arrangement of them, nope!"

Snickering to himself, Kokichi placed a kiss on Kaito's arm, reaching for his hand. "Wanna look for cool shells 'n shit with me? We could get some to decorate the sandcastle with--though...I kind of am on the lookout for a good souvenir for my dad..." Kokichi looked out to the ocean again, wondering if it was something Ikuo would want to see after so many years on a landlocked warzone.

Breaking into a more joking smile, he rolled his eyes. "Or we could find some that would be good inspiration for when I draw you in a seashell bikini."

Taking Kokichi's hand, Kaito squished his toes into the dirt a bit, having taken off his shoes and shirt basically as soon as they got to the beach, enjoying the sun against his skin as he nodded. "Yeah, babe, let's do it."

As they walked, Kaito snorted at the idea of a shell bikini...before asking, semi-seriously, "Is that a full bikini, then? Because if you're doing the bottom half, I think it's gonna need to be, like, a conch or something. Oh my god, how would that work...would I just...stick my dick into the conch itself? That seems really lewd to me, somehow. Like, more lewd than just covering it up. Definitely not something I'd want Tim to see me wear. Oh my god." Kaito whispered, eyes widening in actual horror. "Maki would be so quick to kick me in the dick. The shell would shatter around me. That's it. That's how I'd die....oh, that one’s pretty!"

Entirely abandoning his train of thought, Kaito pointed out a small, smooth blue shell, half buried in the sand. Picking it up, Kaito wiped it off, liking the way it glistened in the sun. "Reminds me of Shuuichi. Think he'd like it?"

The sand squished oddly under his feet, tripping up Kokichi's gait a little, but not horribly. He'd opted to keep his sandals on, at least at first, Kaito's teasing from before stuck in his mind--they'd just gotten here! It would suck major ass if he immediately got a cut from walking around.

He kept his gaze low, looking out for shells and rocks with...not the most attention, mostly wanting to enjoy the walk more than combing the beach for the prettiest debris, but still keeping an eye out. Snorting, Kokichi bumped against Kaito's side, rolling his eyes a little. "Personally, I was thinking more like a geoduck shell? They already look like dicks so it's perfect, right?"

Kokichi peered over at the blue shell, unconsciously cooing over it for a moment, taking note of all the different shades of blue that the sun brought out, its shape and smooth texture... He sent a grin up at Kaito. "I think so! Let's hold onto it, then?"

-

“I’m ‘harping’, as you call it, so much on the subject because it has to be related.” Bailsong snarled, her delicate features twisting as she glared at the filthy commoner…whose family’s net-worth average rivaled her own, she knew. But still. All the money in the world couldn’t buy you titles or crests. The little dirt-digging wretch was in no way on her level, and she wouldn’t be talked down to by a peasant.

Monique sighed, laughing a little in a small attempt to temper Bailsong’s fury as she said, “But…it might not?? It doesn’t have to! And if we ignore all other possible motives, then we risk-“

“Well…then what was in your motive letter, Monique?” Chad asked, crossing his arms over his chest and…not looking exactly thrilled to be questioning her on it. She wasn’t one of the ones accusing him, but…he was still on the defensive. The agreed upon murder weapon, a battle axe, had come from his room, after all. “I mean, Bailsong-“

“Miss Linn,” Bailsong hissed at the even lowlier commoner.

Chad rolled his eyes, “’Miss’ Linn has a point. The murder definitely happened just before the time limit was up for revealing the letters over the sound system. It’s, like…suuuuuper reasonable to think someone was feeling the pressure of the time limit, and murdered someone in a panic. Why else would anyone have done it? And, like...ya know? If someone was willing to kill someone with an axe to keep their secret? They’re not just gonna tell us now. So anyone willing to give up their secret can be eliminated as a suspect. Right?”

“That’s really, really stupid,” RAWR-XD pointed out, backing up his sister. “If the motive letter had nothing to do with the murder, we’re literally giving the potential culprit a golden ticket off the suspect list. We need to focus on the reality of the evidence, not the motive of the killing. That’ll just confuse us. Right, Komaru?”

Everyone looked at Komaru…not for the first time this trial. Heck, not even for the first time since the investigation started. For some reason…in a group full of rich, powerful people or prestigious, dangerous nobles...and one surfer guy and a dude who took his BDSM fetish probably a tad too seriously…everyone for some reason kept looking to Komaru to settle disputes. She wasn’t sure why…but, well…

“I think…” Komaru bit her lip. Clutching her megaphone to herself. “…I think the motive letters probably aren’t going to be the thing that outs our culprit…but…I also think I’m biased. I don’t…want to tell my secret either…”

Komaru sighed, realizing how true this was…but also how much danger this put herself and this group in. She had to be honest. Both with them, and herself. So, she continued.

“But that sort of thinking is going to get us all killed. Again, the letters may not prove anything…but ignoring it is giving up an entirely reasonable avenue of finding the suspect that we could use to save ourselves. We…we should do it, just to say for certain if it matters or not.”

“Do…what?” Marco said, shifting nervously at his podium, Saber’s death post to his right. He…was trying not to look in that direction. It made him extremely uncomfortable. “Tell everyone what's in our letters?”

“Yeah…again. I don’t want to. But Bailsong and Chad have a point. If the motive was keeping the secret, and they killed someone for it…then it’s unlikely they’ll give it up now…and that’s worth at least knowing about. So…”

Komaru laughed awkwardly, wringing the megaphone between her hands. “Does…anyone wanna volunteer to go first?”

Everyone immediately started arguing. Insisting this didn't need to happen, or demanding someone in particular go first (there were a LOT of looks at Chad, who was the strongest suspect so far), or at least just insisting they themselves not have to do it...and Komaru sighed. Speaking up above the noise.

"...my brother, when he found out who I was dating...asked me to stop dating him...and when I asked why...that's when I found out he was..." Komaru sighed. Her stomach twisting nervously, as she glanced at the nobles. Was she...dooming her brother by...it would be okay. He was resourceful and strong. Just... "...my brother’s one of the leading members of a resistance movement...based in the capital."

Bailsong's face, again, twisted...

"Traitor," she spat.

-

Kokichi and Kaito spent a good chunk of time walking up and down the beach, collecting quite a few shells and rocks, even a few pieces of sea glass, rounded and tempered by the waves enough for Kokichi to handle without worry. By the time they headed back to Maki and Shuuichi, Kokichi was holding their trove in his shirt, holding up the end in a sort of hammock of them, his pale belly still shaded enough to not have to worry about burns.

"Hey, hey, check these out!" he called out to the others, sliding a bit in the drier sand but not dropping a single stone. Kokichi lowered himself onto his knees under the umbrella to show Maki and Shuuichi all the treasures. "I was thinkin' we could decorate a sandcastle with these? Or just wanted to show you guys 'em before putting them back in the surf--I was thinking to find one shell or something to take back home, but I don't think any of these are it, and, like, don't wanna contribute to a shrinking coastline or anything."

Looking over his shoulder, Kokichi nodded to Kaito, his eyes wide and excited. "Kai-chan, show Shuu-chan the shell you found! Oh, and if someone holds my shirt for a sec--Maki-chan, I think I found a bloodstone? I thought you might appreciate it."

Kaito had at first laughed at Kokichi's collection of shells, especially when it got to the point where he was holding two handfuls of them...then he got quieter and concerned as suddenly Kaito was also holding two hands’ worth of them...then Kokichi had pulled out his shirt and--

The prince gave his two friends sheepish smiles as they dumped the literal pile full of shells at their feet, saying, "We maybe went a little overboard...but they're cool, right! Check it out, Shuuichi, let me find it...ah, there it is! Look! It's you!"

Shuuichi, smiling warmly at them, went and took the shell from Kaito's hand, looking at it fondly. Him, huh? "This is nice...thank you."

"If you turn it over, there's even some yellow on the other side! Like, it's just discoloration, but it's still you!”

Maki, in turn, took the bloodstone from Kokichi...it was a very nice thought. But...well. She frowned, turning it over in her hand, staring at it...it brought back bad memories. She could see why Kokichi would think of her, but...oh well. "Thank you," she said, putting it aside, before looking through the pile...before taking out a shell that was long and thin and pointed, swirling in on itself, an off-white color except the base of it, which was a lovely tan shade. "But I like this one," she said, "It's pretty."

Timothy, in the distance, having 'chased' Chase to them, was talking awkwardly to the kids in the pit, who to their credit, seemed to be enjoying talking with him...and fascinated by his puppy. One reaching out to pet her before stopping and asking permission, which Timothy gave. The others also lavishing attention on the puppy.

Then one of them pointed at Maki, and Timothy looked back at her...before shaking his head and shrugging. "No," he told them, "That's not my mom. She's my mentor."

The kids invited him into their hole to explain what that was all about, and hesitating only briefly, he did.

Kokichi excitedly started sorting through the treasures, showing off particularly cool ones he found, grinning more softly at the shell that Maki picked out for herself. "Yeah! I think it suits Maki-chan too--s'why I picked it up. It's like...elegant without any gaudiness."

He sighed a bit, holding a piece of green sea glass up to the sun, looking at the tinted light that came through. "I can see now why people are so enamored with taking shells 'n shit... I won't, but I could totally fill a piece of luggage just with stuff like this..."

It hadn't had the chance to really come out much, but Kokichi was a bit of a hoarder. Perhaps there were clues to that in the letters covering the walls of his bedroom, the boxes of old stuffed animals, the assortment of random crap crammed into the few shelves to make room for Kaito's things. If it had been feasible and responsible, Kokichi could easily fill the still empty shelves in their room with cool things he found on the beach, using every last bit of space...and probably some on the window sill and scattered around their room too.

Giving Shuuichi a bit of a pleading look, Kokichi sat up on his knees a little. "So...can we build that sandcastle? I guess I could do it on my own, but I do kinda wanna see Shuu-chan's genius at work."

Shuuichi laughed nervously, rubbing some of the tension out of his shoulders as he looked around nervously. It felt safe under the umbrella with Maki, but...that didn't mean he was actually 'unsafe' coming out of it... "Uh...yeah, okay...I'm not super great at building sandcastles or anything. But, sure, we can do that."

Finding himself looking at Maki for permission, who pointedly ignored this, not wanting Shuuichi to get into the habit of doing that, Shuuichi eventually just came out of the umbrella not going far but finding a good enough spot as he said... "Well, actually, we may want to be closer to the water to have access to sand that sticks, since we don't have buckets or anything...alright, come on."

Getting closer to the water, where the sand actually could pack together, Shuuichi got started, sitting and thinking for a moment, his mind doing idle calculations, before starting to draw out a diagram in the sand with his finger. "So...we'll need to build up a base here first. Kokichi, you're with me on holding together and molding the design as the sand comes, Kaito, we need you to go farther into the water to get the really wet sand and bring it to us quickly before it starts to dry. Once we have the base’s shape, we need to make certain there's a layer of dry, white sand around the drying wet bit. That'll help it keep its shape. Kokichi, what I want you to do is once we have the base, run and grab us some white sand, and start covering it. Then we'll do that again here and here-"

As Shuuichi started to give out the construction orders, a certain fondness and amazement grew in Kokichi's eyes, a somewhat dopey-looking smitten look crossing over his face and sticking there as he gave Shuuichi a salute. "Yessir!"

Layer by layer, wall by wall, Kaito and Kokichi dashed back and forth gathering wet and dry sand respectively. First they built up a base, the foundation of a building, sectioning out towers and little parapets from the top, adding on wings here and there while Kokichi babbled out lore for the added parts, arguing with Kaito--who had a particular knack for sculpting the details into the castle--about where to add in their decorations, Kokichi wanting to put everything everywhere, and Kaito insisting on putting a little more thought into the design.

They even added a moat, filling it with water, and a few watchtowers on the outside, it all going smoothly until Kokichi suddenly hissed, shaking his hand out. There was a small bit of red on his index finger, having caught the sharp side of a shell buried in the sand by accident.

Kaito, also deeply engrossed in the project, was super thrilled to be seeing a little of the old Shuuichi coming out after all this time, his detective determined and focused and decisive. As Kaito knelt down to add in a crest he had designed for the castle, based on Kokichi's lore-

(It had started off a regular castle, and then at one point werewolves had been brought up, and somehow that had all turned into a discussion about what would a mermaid look like if they were bitten by a werewolf, and now there was a lot of allusions to hairy mermaids all over the castle),

-careful to not ruin the lines as he used the pointed edge of one of the shells to add detail, he heard the little hiss of pain and, without thinking about it at all, reached out to take Kokichi's hand, put his finger in Kaito's mouth, and ran his tongue over it for a little bit.

Once he was done, he pulled his mouth away, looking it over. The cut had stopped bleeding, though was still a little red. It'd probably start bleeding again if it was jostled in any way...alright then. For added measure, he gave the cut a small kiss, put it in his mouth to lick again...before scrunching his nose. "Ugh. Sand."

Then calling out to Maki, he said, "Hey, Maki-Roll! Did we bring any bandaids?"

Maki, who was happy to just lie there, feeling the sun on her legs and watching Timothy and the men, waved Kokichi over. "Come here, Kokichi."

"Kai-chan wa--!" Kokichi cut himself off with a sigh as Kaito put his finger in his mouth, wanting to warn Kaito that he'd had his hands all over sand and surf and random rocks and stuff, but...too late. Of course something like this would happen, but...it was okay. They weren't about to shuffle him away back to the house and not let him out until it was time to leave.

Rising from the ground, careful to not cascade any sand into the moat, Kokichi walked over to the umbrella set up, feeling immediate relief from the sun, even if he hadn't started to burn any. He let a little involuntary sigh, thankful for the shade, as he knelt on one of the towels.

Showing the cut on his finger, Kokichi offered Maki a nervous, sheepish smile. "It's...it's not bad or anything. I can bandage it myself..."

...they wouldn't. They wouldn't. But...he was still worried about being led back into a cage.

"Sure, but mine will be tighter," Maki said dismissively, taking out a small bandage and tearing it with practiced ease, taking his hand and wrapping the finger quickly. "That way, you can go back to digging around in the sand without worrying about it."

As she finished the wrap, she looked over Kokichi's body, saying with some concern, "Do you need another layer of sunscreen? We could put on some more since you're here. Actually...Timothy!" She called out to her charge, still messing with the kids in the distance. "Come here! You need more sunscreen! Little ginger's going to burn alive out here," Maki muttered to herself.

As Timothy headed back, he was already a little red around his shoulders and on his nose. "Yes, Miss Harukawa?"

"Sunscreen. Then you can go back to your friends," Maki said.

"...they're not really my friends..." Timothy muttered, before taking the cream and reapplying it.

That...was okay. It was just a friend helping out--something that would happen to anyone. If it'd been Kaito or Shuuichi or Tim...well, he didn't think Kaito or Tim, or maybe even Shuuichi would really care enough to go get a bandage, but if they did...Maki would do the same for him.

Probably the same with sunscreen too. Sighing quietly, Kokichi conceded and took the bottle out of his bag, starting to reapply it around his body. He smiled as Tim came over to join in, his expression softening at the boy's denial. It was nice enough that he was playing with other kids and wasn't sticking to their sides or just playing with Chase.

Gently, not trying to push Tim too much, Kokichi shrugged a bit as he rubbed down his legs. "They could be! It looks like you guys are having fun, anyway. Tryin' to dig a hole to the center of the earth or something? Much easier to do at a beach than in dirt, it looks like."

He didn't want to keep Tim too long, to put a hitch in his momentum of bonding with Diceans, but... He wasn't like the others. Tim did talk to him, which was leagues above most people in the castle, but...he was still Dicean, and it was obvious that Tim still held himself a little...warily around Kokichi. He wasn't Tim's caretaker, but he still wanted to try and get to know him a little. To maybe one day be a sort of cool uncle figure. Maybe.

"...don't think they're digging to the center of the earth," Tim muttered, finishing up. Glancing warily back at the kids. "...still working it out."

Maki narrowed her eyes at this, watching her charge head back to the children. Hmmm...well. If he hadn't asked her for help yet...she'd let him sort it out for now. Intervene if things got bad. Give the kids the benefit of the doubt. She didn't want to sabotage his chances of making friends, after all. She did, though give the scene he was heading back to a new, more appraising look.

Four kids, around Tim's age, with two younger children, maybe four years old each, running around...no adults in sight. Okay. Probably had a beach house somewhere nearby then...digging a big hole, with a bunch of small shovels and buckets...and a few items to the side. A bright red hand-towel, a...big spoon? And some action figures, it looked like.

...Hmmmm...

Don't be paranoid, Maki. Let him work this out himself. He needs the social skills. Don't hover.

As Timothy went back, two of the kids asked him something with seemingly baited breath...and Timothy notably sighed. Calling back to Maki, "Miss Harukawa?! Are you single!?"

"I WILL BURY YOU ALL IN THAT HOLE!"

Kokichi let out a loud snort as he snickered, still just so amused at Maki's kid-magnet. He hadn't quite thought that it'd include kids asking her out, but it was still just so funny. And with every attempt she made to shake them off, it just made her cooler in their eyes.

Moving on to his face, finishing up his reapplication, Kokichi grinned at Maki, unable to keep in a tease. "Gonna go break some hearts, say you have a date already set up for a middle school dance?"

Katsuki, up on the roof of the beach house, looked over at the now-familiar shouting, judging that the situation didn't need her interference at a glance. She'd been casing the house, first to find any traps or dangerous areas, then to intruder-proof as much as she could without destroying anything. Kokichi had said to leave the house as clean as it had originally been, after all.

She'd taken down a loose trellis, put it in a storage shed for the time being. It was still there to use as a tool, but the extra time to get it out and set it back up would be enough to catch anyone in the act. The balcony outside the master bedroom was a little concerning, but the lock on the window wasn't a latchlock, so the amount of noise needed to get in would alert the princes beforehand. And, checking the vents in the roof...they were all small, and all had the standard filters inside, making sure no one would be able to drop a gaseous poison or a flare down one.

She would report all this to Miss Maki later. It would likely comfort her to know that the house had been properly cased. Maybe enough to offset whatever was going down on the beach.

"Knowing my luck? One of their parents is single and they're looking for a new mom," Maki muttered, rolling her eyes. "Children," she sighed...before glaring at Kokichi. "What are you still doing here? Go back to making that sandcastle. Shuuichi needs the workforce."

Kokichi stuck his tongue out at Maki playfully. "Hey, I'm being a good member of the workforce by making sure I have all the necessary safety precautions in place! I'm pretty sure getting blood in the building materials is a violation of health and safety laws."

Giggling, Kokichi finished with his face and capped up the bottle, putting it back in his bag before getting up. "Happy sunning, Maki-chan." With that, he returned to his boys, looking over the castle with pride before plopping down with a sigh. "Well, bad news--the entire arm has to go. Nothing can be done. And yet, here I am, willing to pour the last bits of my soul into the heart of the nation."

Reaching back in, Kokichi patted at one of the sides of the moat, packing the sand back in. "What's next?"

"That's not the bad news. The bad news is that the west wing is collapsing!" Kaito said--Shuuichi and he had been trying to fix this for a good five minutes now, desperately trying to reinforce the walls and empty out the corridors as they moved in on themselves. "The whole damn owl sanctuary is in danger of full collapse!"

"No, no, the owl sanctuary is over in the east courtyard," Shuuichi muttered, taking some shells and trying to add some density to his side of the wall by crushing them and mixing them with the sand. "You're confusing the nursery for it. The nursery is in the west wing."

"Oh fuck there are babies in here!?"

"No, no, not that kind of nursery...or, ya know what? Sure. Whatever motivates you. The west wing is collapsing on a bunch of plants and babies. Kokichi, we need more dry sand," Shuuichi ordered, not noticing yet that in his bid to try to save the wing, the front of his shirt had gotten wet in the moat. Still just focused and determined to save it.

Well, they couldn't have that. Even if it was just a plant nursery, all those plants being crushed under the wing...they'd likely grow through, yeah, but it wasn't fair to make them work that much harder!

"On it, boss!" Kokichi chirped as he scampered off to collect dry sand, quickly returning with handfuls of the stuff that he quickly pressed to the sagging slurry Kaito was desperately trying to keep up. He had to do a few runs, always careful to give the sides of the castle a wide berth to not accidentally cause more damage with an earthquake, but soon they got one wall standing on its own, then the next, and...

Kokichi hummed, narrowing his eyes at the saved, yet messy west wing for a moment. "Maybe...there was a ton of nutrients in the ceiling...not good for human babies, obviously, but they got the children out immediately, but for the plants...maybe they've accidentally created a bunch of megaflora!"

It was fun to let his imagination run away without trying to keep up a coherent narrative, just...able to have fun. To shoot the shit with his husband and boyfriend, to tell some weird story and work on a project together. It was...really nice.

Shuuichi and Kokichi explained what megaflora was to Kaito, who eventually decided he was more concerned about where the new human baby nursery was going to go. Talking it out with Shuuichi, who amicably gave his boyfriend free rein to pick wherever, Kaito decided to keep them down near the main entrance, so that "If you worked at the castle, you had somewhere nearby and with plenty of eyes around to drop off your kids, cause, like, you could have a daycare with it, right? For older kids? Drop them off at the start of work, pick them up when the day’s over. And, and, if the ceiling collapses again, the entrance is right there! Can get the kids out to safety!"

The look on Shuuichi's face was full of affection as he listened to Kaito's rationale, saying encouragingly, "That's a good idea, Kaito. Did you want to charge the parents for the daycare fees? We could put a finance office near it to maintain it-"

Kaito frowned. "No, no, it's just a space we already have, right? It's just a matter of furnishing and, like...hiring people. Or we could buy some ind..." Kaito's brow furrowed...puzzled...before saying, somewhat uncertainly, "I mean, we can hire some people. Just call it part of the cost of maintaining the castle?"

Shuuichi, who, like Maki, took every opportunity he could to break through little pieces of Kaito's conditioning when the option showed up, said carefully, a casual air to it, "That's a good idea, Kaito...don't you think that'd be a good idea for the capital castle back home?"

Kaito pressed some pointed shells into the base of the moat, a level of defense to keep people from swimming in it. Brow still furrowed. "..I mean...yeah, sure..."

"There's nothing wrong with wanting Luminary to improve a little," Shuuichi prompted. "It's not perfect."

Kaito nodded. "Yeah, I mean...everything can be improved..."

"So...if you, say, sent a letter to Byakuya, suggesting the improvement...he'd do it, right?"

Kaito stared at the castle a bit...before pressing his joints onto his chest, popping them bit by bit. "Well, I mean...in real life, there's...other things to think about...I mean, I don't actually know the financial situation...um...if he...wouldn't it's because...there's other things I haven't...I don't know. I don't know what I'm talking about. Oh! You know what would be cool!? Like, little flags! I could go grab some leaves and we can poke them onto sticks and put them around the castle!" Kaito said brightly, grinning at the other two before holding up a finger. "Hold on, let me go get some from the path. I'll grab some stones if I see any too. Just something nice to put around the castle as decoration!"

Perfectly pleased with this idea, Kaito got up and walked off towards the path. Not really thinking about anything much at all.

Shuuichi watched him go...well, that was alright. Just another little piece to add to the pile. It all added up. It all counted.

Kokichi listened carefully to the conversation that followed the decision to change the location of the nursery, at first just fond, but then...curious. He quietly watched Shuuichi coax Kaito and...well, he wasn't too terribly surprised, but it was still disappointing. Kokichi sighed quietly before humming to himself.

"...that actually is a good idea. There are other daycares in the city, but having one closer to the castle would probably help commute time." He had a feeling that Shuuichi was more trying to get Kaito to think about bringing things up to his brother than actually trying to get a daycare in the Luminary castle, but...it was a good idea. And maybe if they implemented something similar in Dicea, Kaito would just, like...casually write about it to his brother. And maybe that casualness would turn into a suggestion. Especially if Kaito personally worked on the project...

Mulling that over in his head, Kokichi offered a small, worried smile to Shuuichi. "...you guys are better at that. I push way too much."

Shuuichi shrugged, creating little points at the top of certain parts of the sandcastle so that Kaito would have good places to put his flags. "He did the same for me. I can at least keep trying to do it for him...even if it doesn't really work. Not the way you always hope it will..."

Giving his...boyfriend...a tired look, he explained, "Kaito spent our whole childhoods making it easier and easier for me not to do data-dumps on him randomly, by just...constantly showering me with positive reinforcement. To the point where it just never occurs to me that Kaito is an authority figure...but he can still make me answer whenever he wants, just by using a certain type of voice and simple commands. Because I'm conditioned to respond to authority, and not just authority figures. Anyone with enough self-confidence can compel me to tell them anything, really...but no one can make me obey. The logic just never made sense to me, as a kid. I couldn't get my head around it, though I faked it well enough to get through the program. And...that's really what the program’s all about, really, when you break it down--does it make sense to the person being conditioned..."

Shuuichi suddenly frowned, looking at Kokichi. "Sorry. You might have no idea what I'm talking about, actually...have you realized yet? About Kaito?"

Kokichi's shoulders slumped a bit, but otherwise he just listened. Authority...okay. He was already on the right track of just giving Shuuichi outs to talk as much or as little as he wanted, but knowing the exact thing that triggered him helped. Hopefully one day he and Shuuichi would be so comfortable around each other that Shuuichi wouldn't see him as authority either.

Nodding just a bit, Kokichi kept an eye on the way Kaito had gone, not liking the feeling that they were talking about this behind his back, but...they couldn't talk about it in front of him. It would only stress out and hurt Kaito to bring it up. "Maki-chan explained it to me. I had an idea about all the stuff--Kai-chan, the program, conditioning--but she cleared things up."

"How disgusting," he growled lowly, glaring at the ground as he mostly spoke to himself before taking a breath to calm down. And, even more softly, just under his breath, he muttered, "I'll be happy to see that horrible program dismantled and broken beyond repair."

Shuuichi shrugged. "Maybe someday. I like to think an heir someday will just grow up and decide to dismantle it on their own. I mean...definitely not an heir Byakuya raises..."

The detective huffed, realizing he wasn't being fair to the yet unborn future prince or princess. "Well, maybe? Kaito didn't turn out like his parents, after all...well, maybe the anger issues. He got that more or less under control for a long time, but then the stress of the move...anyway, anything's possible, I guess. I'm glad Maki told you. I'd have felt...weird, keeping it to myself, considering I'm..." Shuuichi smiled a little. Still having a hard time saying it. "...you know. Dating both of you. I'm kind of relieved I didn't have to be the one to tell you."

Shuuichi suddenly looked down at himself...aware of the wet against his shirt. Making a slightly displeased sound, he pinched the shirt, keeping it away from his body...it was a loose shirt...maybe it was okay...but he found himself hunching his shoulders forward slightly. Hoping that helped. A small bout of nerves shooting through his stomach.

As nice as it'd be for a future leader of Luminary to do that on their own...well, that's what he was hoping for with Kaede. Scoffing a little, Kokichi rolled his eyes. "The impression I get from that asshole is that even if he managed to procreate, he wouldn't be the one raising his kid. Children need a bit more support than...a bag of coins, or whatever it is that Byakuya does to get his jollies off."

It felt strange to be so unapologetically hateful towards someone, but...the only good thing about Byakuya that Kokichi had ever seen or heard about was his hatred for Tengan. But the enemy of an enemy was not a friend in this case. Even his care for Kaito was twisted and toxic.

However, love was a much more powerful force, and Kokichi found himself relaxing into a smile as Shuuichi said those words that made him want to laugh and grin all day. Making his way around the castle, Kokichi sat by Shuuichi's side and placed a kiss to his cheek, rubbing their shoulders together for a moment. "Being close to a person can involve some uncomfy conversations, but, yeah. I'm glad we both know without having to hash it out together. Now we can just focus on taking care of Kai-chan, right?"

Casting a look around them, making sure they were well and truly out of earshot, Kokichi leaned up to whisper in Shuuichi's ear, a smirk playing on his lips. "Like tonight, though that's also an indulgence for us."

Shuuichi...frowned a little at the heat coming off of Kokichi. Sure, Byakuya was a bastard...but, well...no more so than any of the other elites, in Luminary. Not in Shuuichi's opinion. You could be a lot worse than a snobbish businessman with a superiority complex.

And, well...Shuuichi had always admired how he honored his contracts.

You could tell a lot about a Luminary elite by how they treated their Indentureds, and Byakuya, for all the power he was about to give the program, if even half of the rumors and speculation was true...and Shuuichi had good reason to believe more than half were...he honored his contracts with his own Indenturds, at the very least. If you ended up under a contract owned by Byakuya Momota, you could expect to be a Citizen when the contract was up. You could even expect to stay a Citizen, for that matter. He didn't add living expenses to the bill, like so many elites did, didn't charge for any medical issues or sick days that occurred. On top of that, Byakuya's Indentureds, while being held to much higher standards than the Indentureds in the rest of the castle...also got an additional allowance under him, in addition to the allowance already allowed by being owned by the castle. And none of them actually seemed unhappy with this arrangement...if anything, Byakuya's treatment of his Indentured Citizens seemed to inspire a fierce sort of loyalty to the man...

...and he had given Shuuichi and Maki their freedoms early...even, no doubt, knowing how fiercely Maki, a top-tier assassin, hated him...just because he knew it would make Kaito happy...

Byakuya was a vicious businessman, a terrible boyfriend, and who knew if he would have made a good friend, as Shuuichi had never heard of him making any...but...he wasn't cruel to his slaves. He didn't appear to consider Shuuichi and Maki and those like them objects. He just seemed to see them as...literally what they were. People under contract. To be used while they were under orders and then expected to be allowed to progress when their time was done.

...but then, Shuuichi was looking at this from the perspective of someone who had only ever been asked by the man to find blackmail material on people Shuuichi already disliked, for reasons that were either never explained or made sense, in their own way... a welcome break from the hysteria and conspiracies of the princess-consort, whose mad paranoia could sweep up any random, innocent person in her web. Byakuya had been a relief to work for in comparison...and for Maki the opposite was true. Byakuya had used her liberally, and for some of the worst assignments in her career. Shuuichi could understand her hatred.

But he didn't understand Kokichi's, which seemed to come out of nowhere...maybe just because of what happened to Kaito? What had most likely happened to his parents? Or...hmmm...maybe conversations with Maki? No doubt she was still planting the seeds for requesting permission on her foolish pet-project. Could she be having an influence? Insufficient evidence, and, honestly, probably best not to speculate...it's not like it really mattered.

Kokichi, as far as Shuuichi could tell, was altruistic to an almost excessive degree. He'd never approve Maki's plan. And, with that avenue gone...maybe Maki would finally give up on it. Let it go. Enjoy her freedom.

It was nice to imagine...

...th-there were also...n-nicer things to imagine...

Shuuichi's face went bright red, forgetting his shirt and Kokichi's anger for a moment as he reached up to lower his cap, feeling a shiver go up his spine despite the heat. "Do...you don't think it's going to be too weird?" Shuuichi said shyly, giving his...yeah, boyfriend. Giving his boyfriend a shaky smile. His expression clearly showing arousal at the idea, but also clearly lacking confidence behind it. "I want everyone to have a good time..."

"Shuu-chan, you've just opened an avenue for me to enjoy two of my favorite things at the same time--eating sweets, and making my boyfriend and husband feel good." Kokichi giggled, giving Shuuichi another little nudge as he winked at him. "Kai-chan once told me that if I ever brought up something I wanted to try, then we could absolutely do it and more likely than not he'd enjoy it. Obviously, that extends to ideas you have too, and, personally? I'm excited."

Kaito had kissed and sucked at all parts of Kokichi's body and this was basically that, just with an extra treat involved. And they'd need to shower afterward anyway, so that wasn't a big deal. Maybe...set out extra sheets ahead of time, just in case.

This wasn't the best time, but... Sending Shuuichi a slightly softer look, Kokichi brushed the back of his hand down Shuuichi's arm. "We're totally gonna have a good time, but...I do wanna have another boundaries talk with you guys before we get started, just so we're all on the same page about everything. You were kind of out of it last time, but...I don't want me or Kai-chan to feel like we have to make some risky decision on your behalf. Shuu-chan is our boyfriend, so we want his input."

"Oh, uh...okay." Shuuichi nodded, staring down at his hands. Chewing the inside of his lip. "...okay. I'm sorry. That you guys keep having to do that. I do...I feel a lot better lately...guess the 'stomach medicine’s' been really helping," Shuuichi said with a small roll of his eyes...before his face softened. Looking a tad guilty as he said, "...I guess I owe Dr. Kimura a lot..."

Dealing with his guilt over the way he's treated her...and feeling guilty that he kinda still resented her a little, for everything she had...kinda forced onto him. He didn't love her the way he loved Miss Nao. It didn't feel easy to forgive all the ways she had hurt him...even if it was obvious now that he had really, really needed her help...

...he'd have to thank her. Someday. When the thanks didn't feel like acid against his tongue.

Kaito was on his way back, proudly holding some self-made leaf flags, having put together about five in total. Giving his lovers a wide grin he sat back down with them. "Sorry I took so long! The leaves were easy to find, it was getting sticks small enough and sturdy enough to support them that was tricky. Here, two for 'Kichi, two for my handsome Shuuichi, and IIIII am going to put mine right here," Kaito said, placing his flag at the very center tip of the castle, looking proudly at it...before musing to himself, "I bet I could add texture to the roof."

Over with the kids, Tim had heard the last of what he was looking for, his face...carefully blank. Standing up, he went over to the pathway to go look for a stick. A big stick. More an actual branch, fallen from the palm trees. Not finding anything worthy, he went up to a palm tree and wrestled a stick off of it, heading to the ocean with a calm, determined look on his face.

Kokichi shook his head a little, his voice soft and reassuring. "I'm more sorry that we haven't gotten to talk with you about it properly. We just wish for your safety, comfort, and happiness, you know? And we'll get there--it is something of a personal mission for me, anyway."

...Kaito may have said that his happiness wasn't Kokichi's job to uplift, but...but it was! That was his job as a leader, to protect all those things he'd just told Shuuichi. And if he couldn't do it for the people he trusted his heart with, then...

Breaking from his thoughts with a snort, Kokichi rolled his eyes, grinning more fully at Shuuichi though he saw Kaito coming towards them from the edge of his vision. "You can join me in the 'probably owing your life to Dr. Kimura' club, then."

Kokichi sat up more as Kaito rejoined them, looking over the flags he'd been given. "Oooh, these look really cool, Kai-chan! Nice work! And because they're leaves...maybe they really are leaves! Decorations, or, or a symbol of the kingdom, made from the giant plants they grow!"

"I feel like they'd have to reinforce those leaves with something, if they did that," Shuuichi mused, considering his own flags as Kaito started work on adding ridges to the castle roofs. "I mean, plants deteriorate fairly quickly once they're removed from their source of nourishment, right? They'd have to replace the flags constantly."

"That could work? Luminary lowers and raises their flags every day, after all. Instead of lowering and raising the same flag every day, they could just replace it...hmmmm..." Kaito watched as Timothy, very carefully, went out into the water a bit, shoving his stick down...before, digging into the earth, the nine-year-old started to to draw a long, deep line into the sand, heading slowly but steadily towards the kids in the hole. He wondered what they were all doing...the kids didn't seem to be paying attention to his task, at any rate. Maybe they were trying to make a small pond?

Timothy looked...very determined with his task though...

Keeping an eye on the situation, while still working on his roof, Kaito said, "So. Let's recap. This castle used to belong to mermaids, but then, when the mermaids were bitten by werewolves and got lungs, they had to move onto land, and then...what? Got really into plants when they moved? To the point where they made it part of their regalia?"

"Sure, why not? Plants are..." Shuuichi frowned...before shrugging. "Old? And the source of everything, kinda. It makes sense that civilizations would worship them, to an extent. Dicea kind of does, I think? Kokichi?"

"Oh, right..." Kokichi looked around the castle before placing his flags at the top of two towers, right where each wing connected to the main building. "Maybe...they tried out a leaf as a flag, but then just designed a flag to look like one? I feel like putting up new leaves every day would start to hurt the plants after a while...depends on how much grows, I guess."

His musing was broken by Shuuichi's question, which caught him off guard so much he simply blinked up at the detective for a good moment before he grimaced a little, tipping his head from side to side. "I wouldn't say we worship nature... Just...like you said, plants are the source of life. They're what we eat, they're how we breathe, we turn into them when we die. A lot of our festivals are to give thanks for that, to appreciate our place on the planet and everything that allows us to live."

Plants were super, super important, but, worship? It was maybe a faulty understanding of religion, but...it wasn't like plants told them what to do. People didn't dictate their lives around plants, though they could certainly devote their lives to them if they wanted. Plants didn't give meaning to anything--they just were. Inhabiting the planet the same way people were, just on a longer timescale.

Kokichi hummed softly, his head tipped to the side and his fingers tapping against his lips. "...is that worship?"

Shuuichi shrugged. "Sorry. I don't mean to present uncomfortable ideas. I'm certain that worship isn't the intention of the festivals. And, honestly, I don't feel qualified to suggest what does or doesn't count as worship...Kaito?"

"Hmmm?" Kaito asked, still working on the roof, but distracted by Timothy still. Looking over to his boyfriend in confusion. "What's up?"

"Kokichi just presented evidence to disprove the theory that Dicean festivals could be interpreted as a religious sort of worship towards nature itself. His argument is that they are merely ceremonies to give thanks for their lives and how nature contributes to it."

Kaito shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe? That's why I bloodlet. To give thanks to Atua for my life and all the good things in it. Because he loves me," Kaito said, a small smile on his face at the statement. A nice, calm, true statement that he could always count on...before frowning, looking a little embarrassed as he clarified, "Well, no, the bloodletting is more to show appreciation to the saints and woman-kind...women bleed every month so that we may all live. Atua's worshipers recognize that and show thanks by offering blood every month in solidarity...recognizing the sacrifice Atua asked them to make for the good of all...I don't know." Kaito shrugged good-naturedly. "If we're defining the, like...'idea' of worship as thanking something for the good things given to you ritualistically? Then maybe your festivals are their own type of worship, yeah."

Shuuichi nodded. "Maybe the argument is actually, does worshiping something intrinsically make it a type of religion? People worship kings and queens, but not all kings and queens consider themselves to have a placement in religion. Dicea is another good example of that...I think? Sorry, I don't know as much about Dicean history as I probabl-Kaito?"

Kaito was up and gone, bolting towards the kids. While they were talking, Timothy had finished carving out a trench to the hole, and the kids had looked at him, confused...right up until the first wave hit, and suddenly their hole was filling up with water. Outraged, one of the larger boys got out, shouting at Timothy, and Timothy, face still calm and blank, re-positioned his hands on the branch like a boy holding a baseball bat, pulled back, and-

Kaito grabbed the branch and ripped it out of his arms. Timothy looked up at Kaito with a wary, nervous expression as the Luminary Prince grabbed his arm and said, sternly, "Hey, hey...what's going on?"

There was still a part of Kokichi that drew a distinction, that...well, plants were physically there, were scientifically proven to give out oxygen, were things that people and animals ate, but... Was that distinction really all that important? Reality for a single person was simply what they believed, and with how much Kaito believed in Atua, how was that different from how Kokichi believed in plants?

And, really, there was nothing that mind-breaking about being thankful for life. It was just...what people could do with religion that made the word worship such a hot issue in Kokichi's mind. Things like blind faith and false justification...

Kokichi slumped more into his thinking position, taking in all of Kaito and Shuuichi's points, mulling it over in his head before Kaito suddenly got up and-

Kokichi's eyes widened in worry and confusion as he got up as well, but...he didn't go all the way over. Too many people crowding would...probably make things worse. Make the kids panic and clam up. If Kaito decided that there needed to be more people involved, he was there, but...

...what on earth was that about?

"He filled our hole with water!" one of the kids complained to Kaito...before going quiet as Kaito turned a heated stare at the kid.

Not answering the kid as he pulled Timothy away a little, sitting down at a knee and whispering to Timothy, "Did they hurt you in any way?"

Timothy scowled, clearly uncertain how to answer...before saying, "No."

"Okay. Did they try to hurt you?"

"...no."

"Okay. Then we're going to apologize, and you're going to sit with Maki. Where's Chase?" Kaito asked, looking around, before spotting the puppy, sleeping next to Maki's side, who was watching all of this carefully.

"I don't want to apologize," Timothy muttered, "They're a bunch of shitty dirt-jumpers...they don't deserve an apology. They're lucky I only ruined their hole."

"They didn't hurt you?"

"...no."

"Then we're going to apologize. Come on."

"..." Timothy just scowled, but allowed himself to be led back to the hole with the kids...frowning as he felt a hand on the back of his neck, being compelled to bow slightly as Kaito bowed as well.

"We're sorry about your hole. Timothy will leave you alone now...Tim..."

"...sorry..." Timothy muttered. Not meaning it in the slightest. Clearly resenting the whole thing.

The kids just watched this. A few of them giving Timothy annoyed looks. One of them looking confused over the bowing. One of them...their eyes widening slightly. Realization coming over them...

As Kaito dragged Timothy away, the kids started whispering to each other, staring at the group now.

As they walked back to Maki, Kaito said quietly to Tim, "...I don't actually care about you flooding their hole. I’m mad because I saw what you were going to do. You shouldn't swing at someone if they haven't hurt you first."

"I heard you went at the librarian with a desk leg."

"...who told you that?"

Timothy shrugged. Clearly upset.

"...well, I'm not a good example. It was a bad thing for me to do. Are you going to tell me why you did it?"

"No."

Kaito growled...before sighing. "Will you tell Miss Harukawa?"

"...yeah."

"Fine. Good enough. Hey, Maki-Roll...you see all of that?"

Maki nodded. Giving Timothy a hard look. "Yes. I've got it from here Kaito. Let me talk to him. You. Sit," she ordered Timothy. A hard look on her face.

As Maki started talking to Timothy under the umbrella, Kaito went back to the sandcastle. Sitting back down with a sigh.

"...fuck I'm a terrible example to that kid," Kaito muttered.

Back under the umbrella, Timothy squirmed in front of Maki. Clenching and unclenching his fists. Both nervous and annoyed as, finally, he said, "...aren't ya gonna cut me?"

"I'm not sure if I'm angry yet," Maki said, sitting cross-legged as she just stared at him. "Sit down. Explain. Be concise and clear. I may not give you another opportunity, so it's important to get out the important information immediately."

Timothy didn't look like he wanted to sit. He looked like he wanted to go kick sand...or maybe kick sand into those kids’ faces, glancing over at them, seeing they were packing up and heading out. His antics ruining their day.

"...the hole was meant to be a grave," Timothy said, grinding his teeth a little. "Their parents are here to have a barbecue to celebrate the king and queen...they live three houses down...they didn't even get the color of the flag right..."

Ah. So that was why he had insisted on talking to them. He had wanted to know where they lived...where the danger was. Maki was...weirdly proud of him, for that. But, for taking a swing at the kid... "You can't hit people here."

"You cut people all the time."

"You can't hit Diceans here," Maki clarified. "And you can't hit Kaito and you can't hit Shuuichi and I dare you to try to hit me. So no. You can't hit people. Everyone is off the table. Even if they upset you. And didn't we already discuss that the king wasn't worth-"

"-it would have hurt Prince Kaito if he saw them do it and figured out what it was," Timothy muttered.

Maki stopped at this. Considering her charge. All small and angry and...well...there were worse things than doing bad things for good reasons...

"You'll avoid those children from now on. And you won't be receiving any dessert today. And we're done with the beach for today. Any more incidents like this, and the punishments will get more severe. Do you understand? ...Timothy?"

"Yes, Miss Harukawa," Timothy grumbled.

"Clean up your stuff. I'll go let them know we're heading inside. Be ready to go by the time I get back."

Maki, face impassive, went over to the boys...glancing at Kaito for a moment before saying, "It's okay. He just had a disagreement with the kids. I'm bringing him back to the house to let him cool off. Thanks for keeping an eye on him, Kaito."

Kaito grinned. "Sure! 'Course, Maki-Roll. Did he say why he did it?"

Maki sighed. "Just children things. Don't worry about it. We'll see you all inside. Don't burn out here. Kaito, Shuuichi, put more sunscreen on, or I'll stab Kaito twice in his sunburns."

"What, why me??"

"Kay, Maki," Shuuichi said with a fond smile.

Kokichi watched everything, worried, but...it seemed like things were settled. As much as they could be, anyway. Though, his frown only deepened when Kaito returned. "...there's always time to start being a better one, and from what it looked like over here...how you deescalated things was a good way."

Rubbing Kaito's shoulder a little bit, Kokichi watched the kids pack up their things, then saw Maki talking to Tim, not really getting a good vibe from any party but... "Alright, we'll see you later, Maki-chan. Was there anything you wanted to get from the market--we can pick it up for ya?"

Rummaging in his bag, Kokichi pulled out the bottle of sunscreen again and passed it over to Shuuichi, trying to pick himself back up. As much as he wanted to intervene and try and fix things...kids arguing over kid things wasn't part of his job description. He didn't need to worry over something that had already been settled.

C'mon, Kokichi! Don't bum everyone out with your worrying!

Maki wanted to say wine. She wanted to say wine so badly...but couldn't. She was still on the job, really. There were people celebrating Luminary royalty’s death three doors down the street. She had to stay vigilant.

So instead, she said, "No, nothing comes to mind. I'm going to talk to Hajime about picking out things for dinner, since he's the closest out of any of us to a cook. Just...be safe while you're out. Remember that you can't trust everyone you talk to, even if they seem friendly, and if you get even a hint of a bad vibe from them, leave them immediately. Come home if you have to. Just don't put yourselves in unnecessary risk."

Having said her piece, Maki headed back to the path, Timothy grumpily following her.

Shuuichi took the sunscreen, not wanting Kaito to get a cut on his behalf, working it over his arms and...frowning at his shirt again. Was it...was it noticeable...? Taking some more to put over his face as he handed the cream to Kaito, who took it reluctantly.

"Man, everyone's trying to ruin my gerudo aspirations. How am I ever going to be a sexy desert tribesman if I keep putting on sunscreen?" Kaito joked, starting with his face. As he put it on, he looked over their partly finished sandcastle, before musing, "This is a good sandcastle, guys. I think maybe one of the best!"

"For us or...ever?"

"Ever! Obviously."

As much as Kokichi wanted to trust his people...he knew Maki was right. He'd trusted Aba and the others at the party, and while thankfully nothing had happened, he was still bumping elbows with terrorists that wanted his husband dead, and had potentially wanted to give Kokichi a drug that would kill him. He'd talked to Aiichi about Remnant activity in Dicea, and it seemed to mostly happen in the northern areas of the country when there were reports at all. He knew that wasn't definitive, but...well, the Remnants weren't the only people he had to worry about.

Anti-Luminaries and just regular creeps were still, yanno, people.

...still, he was hoping to chat a little bit with some of the locals. Even if people meant them harm, they were still his people.

Snorting, trying to keep his spirits up, Kokichi rolled his eyes. "Ah, you caught me, I'm trying to spurn all your costuming dreams. Kai-chan would simply be too powerful if he wore gerudo clothing."

Kokichi smiled down at their sandcastle more softly as Kaito remarked on it, feeling proud that he'd helped with such a cool structure, especially when it was his first time ever making one. And...not even a cut had prevented him from it. "Absolutely the best. No question."

-

Gundam Tanaka didn't need to go down this road. It was a bad part of town, a place he was only familiar with because he enjoyed watching and participating in the underground fighting rings you could find here. He enjoyed watching people fight and strive for their lives, and didn't get enough satisfaction from watching it in the distance through the games broadcasted through the hive mind. He liked to feel the heat of the room, smell the sweat coming off their skins, see the fire in their eyes. He loved seeing the fierce pride and satisfied blood-lust of his Dark Devas of Destruction, when they won their own fights.

And he liked that everyone involved usually lived. Gundam loved the games, but often found himself disappointed when a human he was rooting for fell, sad knowing the human would never get another chance to succeed. His own Devas weren't trained to kill their opponents, though he knew a lot of the other owners who brought their humans didn't have the same idea. It just...seemed a waste. Gundam hadn't become a breeder because he enjoyed seeing humans die, after all.

There were plenty of breeders who didn't care one way or another, of course, but...that idea had always seemed strange, to Gundam. Why dedicate your life to the raising of seedlings if you didn't find humans at least somewhat worthy of that attention?

Anyway. So it was a bad street the Gundam was familiar with...but, again, he didn't have to come this way. It was, in fact, out of his way to get from home to work, to go this route...but...he had been taking this route for a few weeks now, specifically.

He was worried about a wild human he was pretty sure lived on this street.

He had seen him a few times, by accident, when he was heading to the fight clubs, or indulging in the bars. It was actually one of his Dark Devas who had pointed the human out to him, the first time. "Look at him," his Deva, a sweet soul when she wasn't crushing skulls between her thighs, whispered sadly to her breeder. "Look at how skinny he is? Whoever owns him should be ashamed."

And ever since she had pointed the human out to Gundam, he just...saw him all the time. Resting in the alleyways, wandering through the crowds. Head low and shoulders high, a wide, paranoid look to him. He was in a terrible state, far too thin, pink hair that twisted and gnatted against his skull, dirt caked against his fair skin. His eyes were so pink that, for a moment, Gundam had been horrified, thinking someone had allowed a seedling to get into such a state...but, no. It was the wrong shade. Just a human...and, as his Deva had said, either the human in charge of him should be ashamed, or...

It wasn't safe to be a wild human. There was a reason it wasn't allowed, and it was more for the human’s benefit than anything else. They were often exploited. Abused. Oftentimes they disappeared, and no one ever went looking for them. Nasty business.

It was also, unfortunately, very difficult to save a wild human; they were dangerous creatures. Anything homeless and starving and not trained to trust the Florals around them was. You could find yourself easily being stabbed or attacked by a wild human you were trying to salvage. It was often better to just report them and let them be captured by the authorities...but Gundam didn't like doing that. Wild humans were very rarely rehabilitated by the government...it was easier to put them down.

So, he didn't call anyone...but Gundam couldn't quite bring himself to leave the wild human alone entirely. Just checking up on him every now and again. Just to make sure he was still around. Worrying over his thinness. The bruises that littered his skin so often...hmmm...the bruises worried him more than anything. He hoped the wild human wasn't trying to...

Gundam couldn't find him today.

He had missed him in the morning, which wasn't that surprising. He didn't see him every time, after all. But now he was heading back home from work, and...usually the wild human was hanging out in a particular alley, this time of day. Squatting near some garbage cans, worriedly looking at everyone who came and went by the area. Scouting. Gundam really hoped the young idiot wasn't selling himself...it was so reckless...the kind of Florals who went for wild humans only did so because breeders wouldn't allow them to do things...it was so dangerous for a wild human to try to do something like this by themselves...

But if the human was desperate...

Why wasn't he at the alley?

Gundam walked past the alley, determined to go home. Try again tomorrow...but cursed at himself, turning around. He had a bad feeling. He needed to look into it or he'd spend all night thinking about it.

Heading to the alley, Gundam looked around, tsking to himself, raising his scarf over his nose...it smelled in here. This was a bad place to spend time...he could see cigarette butts all over the floor, not to mention wrappers of food, some candy, some clearly from the local food stands. Garbage food, but would do in a pinch. Not what a human's entire diet should consist of though...tsk...

He heard it then, as he stepped further into the alley. A whining, desperate sound...crying...

Gundam didn't rush. Again, wild humans, especially desperate ones, were dangerous. The human couldn't kill Gundam, of course, but stab wounds hurt either way. He'd prefer to remain whole through this if he could. Going to the back of the alley, stepping around the corner, he found a gated off enclosure, in the back of the store here, that had no back door. Gundam frowned at what he saw. There was a mattress, dirty and stained from both the elements of being left outdoors and likely what had been done on it. And on that mattress...

The human had managed to dress himself, but that seemed to have taken up the last of his willpower, writhing on the mattress, his body fighting off something. Red staining his backside and onto the mattress. Still bleeding, possibly. The wild human's eyes were hazy and lost, sobbing into the mattress, breathing heavily and in worrying bursts, clearly in terrible pain.

Hnn...tsk.

Gundam approached the human carefully, looking over him. He had definitely been fucked by the exact wrong kind of Flora. The exact kind of floral that would not be allowed anywhere near his own Dark Devas of Destruction. Someone with thorns. Someone with venom...sigh. What to do...Gundam made the tiniest little noise, his boots snapping at some debris beneath his feet, and the wild human suddenly went still, eyes wide. Not really seeing Gundam, but clearly aware he was no longer alone.

"P-please, please...I...I c-cant't today...come back tomorrow! Tomorrow, please...I'll be b-better tomorrow!"

Gundam raised an eyebrow, looking at the blood stain. The human would be dead tomorrow. A seedling would struggle to survive this. A human with no assistance? Tsk.

...he was skinny. He didn't look strong...odds were, if Gundam was careful, he wouldn't pose any real danger...

Again, sighing to himself, he made a decision, leaning down to pick up the wild human, keeping an eye out for any weapons that the human may have hidden on his person. The wild human, in turn, started to thrash, to panic.

"No, no! Please! Tomorrow, please! F-free of charge, nothing, I won't need anything just...please!"

"Quiet," Gundam ordered, taking his scarf and wrapping it around the human's neck, covering his face so that any Flora that would recognize this particular human, was used to getting what they wanted out of him and would disapprove of him being taken away, wouldn't know where Gundam was taking him. The human sobbed into the scarf, begging him to let him rest, to let him be, tomorrow, tomorrow, I'll be better tomorrow. "Rejoice. You are now the property of the greatest breeder Danganronpa's ever seen, Gundam Tanaka. Breeder of the Four Dark Devas of Destruction! And you will learn obedience and gratitude. And your first order is you will live through tonight."

And Souda, who had been so close...so close...to saving up enough money to escape...to get himself smuggled across the border...sobbed into the scarf. Heartbroken.

-

It was later in the day, and Maki, after a long talk with Tim, getting him calmed down, and then training with him for awhile, finally went to go talk to her fellow assassin. She found her in the living room, Hajime and Seiko cooking something together in the kitchen. Maki talked in quiet, hushed tones. Not wanting to worry the housekeeper or the doctor about her fears.

Maki talked to Katsuki about the house three doors down, and the barbecue that was going on. She worried over the fact that the kids had seen Kaito and Timothy bow...was worried it might have outed them for what they were to people who would likely be drunk and emboldened and among friends tonight.

"...hopefully they'll just leave well enough alone. And Timothy hadn't told them where we were staying, so..." Maki pulled at her hair a little, frustrated. "You sure you checked everything? ...right. It might be worth it to reinforce the locks...oh, okay. Well..." Maki sighed. "I think I'm going to stay up tonight to keep watch. Thank you for offering already, but...I'm just worried. I'd of course feel better to have two eyes on this rather than one...but you were up all night last night. Are you certain you don't need some rest tonight? I can handle it myself."

"My performance will not be inhibited tonight, Miss Maki," Katsuki assured the young woman with an earnest smile. She hadn't really slept for the night Miss Maki had taken watch either, but Katsuki didn't feel tired and her performance hadn't suffered any. She couldn't imagine it would, since it was normal for her to be awake for several days at a time without consequence.

"In addition to a wider range of vigilance, my presence may be helpful in a non-violent de-escalation should an altercation occur." Miss Maki could probably do that on her own too, but if the thing that brought people over was their hatred for Luminary... Katsuki pointed at herself. "No accent. And if these are the kind of people who care about that kind of thing, my station as a member of the Guardforce may dissuade any misguided actions."

Nor would it give away exactly who it was staying at the house like it would if Kokichi happened to get involved. There were Guardforce members in every city, just as Luminary refugees, while often hiding that part of themselves, did keep some habits from their old home. The news and pictures of the wedding between Kokichi and Prince Kaito would have made it to this town by now, but there was still room for doubt and deniability. And in that space is where persuasion worked its magic.

"That's true." Maki said, every consonant in her words sharply enunciated, spoken a tad too forcefully and a tad too clearly to ever be mistaken for a Dicean accent. "And...obviously, my version of 'de-escalation'...is probably not considered sufficient," Maki said, frowning slightly. She didn't have to kill people who upset or frightened her...

...but, like...stabbing them in the legs until walking wasn't a possibility probably wasn't the kind of de-escalation that Katsuki was talking about.

Shame.

Thinking over it a moment, Maki looked at Katsuki, her blood eyes...concerned as she said, "Do me a favor. I'm worried about Timothy. He's a strong-willed boy. Stupidly loyal and determined to be brave. The kind of kid who convinces himself that he can pull off an assassination attempt on a traitor-prince while he's surrounded by people looking after him...and almost succeeds." Maki’s lips tugged upward, ever so slightly. Something grotesquely like pride in the observation.

Her face went serious again though, as she said, "I've told him to leave this alone, but he may ignore me anyway and decide he wants to try to keep guard himself, or even worse, confront them on his own. Just...keep an eye out. If he tries to leave the house tonight, for whatever reason, either let me know or bring him back. I won't have this little idiot getting hurt because Luminary convinced him it was his 'duty' to die for people." Maki snarled, rolling her eyes for a moment, before looking back at Katsuki. "Can I count on you?"

Considering the way Miss Maki had fought before? No. While force was something that happened time to time, it was often because a situation had gone past being able to be swayed by words...but even then, weapons were not permitted. Anything that would cause more injury than a bruise or would last for more than a few minutes was also out of the question, simply knocking out an aggressor saved for specific circumstances.

Believe it or not, most Diceans didn't want to get into a fight for their lives, so words often did the trick. A shame that didn't happen in Luminary.

Katsuki heard out Miss Maki's...favor, pausing for a moment to digest it before nodding. "Objective: Protect Timothy Green. Defense objective, do not let target leave this domicile. Preventative path involves alerting Maki Harukawa, time-sensitive path allows direct interference." With a slight pause, Katsuki gave Miss Maki what could...maybe in a certain light, be called a soft, teasing look. "Non-lethal and non-permanent debilitation, of course."

"Mission accepted!"

Maki's eyes narrowed at this. Mouth thinning slightly...before looking away from Katsuki. Disturbed, as she always was, when the older assassin talked like that. It felt...too much like what people had hoped or expected her to be like, before they got to know her. A dark mirror.

She was starting to understand the guardswoman a ...little more. She didn't think she was actually...as mindless and empty as she sounded. Maki was certain she wasn't, actually. So though it still...frightened....Maki to hear the woman talk like this, she wasn't going to try to get her to stop. Didn't feel like she had the right to. Instead, she just nodded. "Thank you," Maki said, forcing herself to look at the woman again. Bowing herself. "I owe you a debt, three times over."

Katsuki bowed back in turn, not hurt by the uncomfortable expression that crossed Miss Maki's face. She was used to it, and...well, it didn't matter what people thought of her. She was the hands, not the face.

"I am simply performing my job, Miss Maki," Katsuki assured before that same subtle look came over her face. "And, this, what I have done to protect Kokichi and you and yours...it's a job I have chosen for myself with delight. I need no compensation as seeing you all live your lives gives me the satisfaction of having chosen wisely."

"In other words...the payment I enjoy for what I do is seeing you all able to smile." And, while her expression never seemed insincere, Katsuki's smile really seemed in that moment to express genuine happiness.

Maki's brow furrowed at this slightly...before nodding again. She didn't know how to respond to this. It was too strange a thing to say...but, well. It was very Dicean. Just the sort of thing they said here. Just because she didn't know how to respond to it didn't mean she didn't appreciate it...she just didn't know how she was expected to respond.

So she shrugged. "Well..I'm not much of a smiler...but you do have my gratitude. I suppose Kokichi will just have to smile enough for the both of us." Maki looked over her shoulder, hearing something. Footsteps coming up to the front door, Kaito's cheerful rambling coming in clearer and clearer as she said, "Ah. Speak of the devils..."

Outside, Kaito was holding a mess of bags, mostly food of a variety of food items but also some clothes, Shuuichi holding a few as well, mostly clothes. Kaito and Kokichi had gone overboard, dressing Shuuichi up. It wasn't actually a lot of clothes, by any stretch of the imagination, just a few outfits, but they had gone to several different stores to find outfits that could both accommodate Shuuichi's personal tastes and needs while also not kill him under this sun, and so each outfit had come in a different bag. Kaito was most looking forward to seeing Shuuichi in a shirt he had talked him into, a black-colored shirt in a light fabric that had a zipper down the left front side, joined by entirely decorative silver buttons, all the edges of the shirt covered by a soft white border.

It was an elegant, slick design that Shuuichi had shied away from because the shirt was cut in a way that the folds of his a-cups would be visible against the shirt's frame. Kaito had asked him to buy it for, well...in case Shuuichi ever felt different about things. Gently reminded him that if it really bothered him, bras existed for a reason...

He had then spent some time in the dressing room with Shuuichi, kissing at his cheeks and apologizing as Shuuichi tried to breathe through another panic attack. Promised him he'd stop pushing, that they didn't have to get the shirt, that Shuuichi didn't have to worry about stuff like that. Assured Shuuichi he was beautiful no matter what he decided to wear.

It had taken a little bit to calm Shuuichi down, but when he was ready to check out, he had taken the offending shirt with him. Kaito didn't expect to see him wear it any time soon...but he had been proud and pleased that Shuuichi had at least decided to himself it could be a possibility someday.

So, that had mostly gone perfectly fine, barring one bra-related panic attack! And with Kokichi, Kaito had been thrilled to watch his husband ooh and ahh over every little thing, Kokichi's excitement infectious. They hadn't had any real problems, no one being aggressive or unkind or even acting off in any way. Kaito had discovered there were different kinds of bananas in the world and was still amazed by it, chewing on one as they walked to the front door. They were fatter and thicker here, and they had seeds, which was...well, that took a little getting used to. But, still! Fuck yeah! New bananas! Which was largely what Kaito was rambling to Shuuichi and Kokichi about as they made their way inside.

It had been a fun outing! For sure! Shuuichi now had clothes that would fit him that he could wear to the beach, and probably for a few more weeks back home before it started getting colder, and that had gone...mostly alright. Kaito and Shuuichi had talked through it. Kokichi had been aware of giving Shuuichi even more compliments than he'd already been giving.

And the food! The food was amazing! They'd found a really nice pastry shop, and while the owner wasn't as insistent as Miss Andou, they still seemed pleased to see how much he fawned over all the sweets. He and Shuuichi had drooled over the front pastry case and...well, one pastry wasn't going to ruin their appetites. And the strawberry danish had been incredible!

They'd also picked up honey and whipped cream, as Shuuichi had wished, along with some chocolates and jelly cubes. That would be fun.

Having read more about different varieties of bananas than he'd actually tried them, Kokichi was nodding along excitedly to Kaito's rambling, chiming in here and there. "--yeah, so that's why we only get those kinds of bananas at the capital, pretty much. You can order seeds for other kinds, but ya gotta be super careful to grow them in separate barrels 'n shit so they don't get the virus. Oh!"

Kokichi perked up as he saw Maki and Katsuki in the living room and he scurried over to Maki, opening the pastry box in his hands. "Maki-chan! They had taro puffs at the bakery we went to--it's not really like red bean paste, I don't think, but from how Shuu-chan described it, I think this is the closest thing we have? I thought you'd like to try it, anyway."

It wasn't really anything like red bean paste, but Maki appreciated that Kokichi had been thinking of her, and accepted the pasty with a small ghost of a smile. "Thank you," she said, placing her hand under the pastry and taking a small bite of it. Considering it for a moment, she nodded her head. It was satisfactory. Probably better to get a napkin though. Thanking Kokichi again, she headed to the kitchen to grab a napkin, nodding in greeting to Hajime and Seiko, before calling back to the men in the living room. "How did the trip into town go? Any issues?"

"Nope!" Kaito called cheerfully back, looking through the bags to see what could be dropped off as snacks in the kitchen and what was going upstairs with him. Damn, there was a lot of melty stuff in here...he was going to be a total mess by the end of the night. Ah well, it would be fun, and he'd take a shower afterwards. No worries.

Finding the bags that would go to the kitchen, he handed them to Shuuichi. "Hey handsome, would you take these into the kitchen? I'm gonna go bring your clothes and stuff upstairs."

Shuuichi nodded, both wincing and smiling a little at the immediate kiss on the cheek Kaito gave him, Shuuichi nervously looking around to see if anyone was around to see. It still startled Shuuichi every time he did it. He'd get used to it...but it still caught him off guard.

Shuuichi looked to Kokichi, offering to take more bags into the kitchen with him, if Kokichi had any to pass along.

Kokichi paused slightly, but...it wasn't really an issue... It had been really kind, actually, but...

Smiling sweetly up at Shuuichi, Kokichi simply followed him into the kitchen, placing his box of pastries on one of the counters and greeting Hajime and Dr. Kimura. "Heya! We got, like, donuts and tartlets and stuff, so feel free to have any you like!"

While she wouldn't, Seiko still thanked Kokichi, giving him a once-over before doing the same thing with Shuuichi. The bandage on Kokichi's finger was nothing to worry about and it didn't look like he'd gotten a sunburn--just pink from being out in the sun at all. Thankfully Shuuichi's hat would shade some of the more susceptible areas to sunburn, and he looked alright as well...including his mood. She wanted to check in with him more that evening, asking how he felt on the medicine, if there was anything new that had come up, how his mood had been...but, right now, from the outside...he seemed to be doing well...thank goodness.

Maki continued to eat her pastry in the kitchen, also considering the two most vulnerable members of their little 'adventuring' party. Looking between the two of them, Maki decided to focus on Shuuichi first, taking his bags and leading him to the walk-in storage cabinet to unload the items. As she did so, "So? No issues?"

Shuuichi shrugged. "Nothing out of the ordinary..."

"What does that mean?"

"..." Shuuichi shrugged again. Clearly not actually wanting to talk about it. "Had another little panic attack. It was alright. I got over it."

"Was it over anything important? Anything we need to talk about?"

Shuuichi shook his head. Clearly not willing to say anything more about it. Maki decided to let it go. If it was a problem, she'd hear about it again. If she heard about it twice, then she'd start to push. Finishing unloading the bag, she went over to Kokichi. Looking more sternly at him. "Kaito doesn't speak for you. Anything I need to hear about?" she asked him.

Kokichi squirmed a little, but...he felt appreciative all the same. Pressing his fingers together anxiously, he glanced over to Dr. Kimura and Hajime and spoke quietly, taking a step back to...maybe talk in a more private area. "Nothing bad happened, really. Like, no one acting suspiciously or in any way that would make me uncomfortable, honest."

"But..." He glanced to the side once they were a little farther away from the others. "...we stopped by that museum I was talking about to see if there were any special exhibits or tours going on that we might wanna try and catch...and...one of the employees there recognized me."

Far from being worried about that alone, there was a little smile on Kokichi's face despite his...nervousness about the situation. "They were really nice! Asked how I was enjoying the coast, just pleasant small talk stuff. But...they offered me tickets to a water show tomorrow night? I didn't want to take someone else's tickets, but they said that they had a bunch of extras since they were helping put it on, and that they'd likely be empty seats otherwise and..."

Kokichi sighed softly, reaching into his bag and bringing out a handful of tickets to show Maki, a lovely logo designed to look like a twisting arc of water adorning the side of each ticket.

He'd always heard water shows were really impressive, people working together with lights and pressure tubes and "on-stage" performers to create a show that looked like something out of a magical fairytale. ...he...did want to go but...

...the museum employee hadn't been as expectant as Aba, Tom, and Itch. They hadn't seemed particularly fussed if Kokichi actually showed up or not, or who he'd bring. They had just wanted to do something nice for the heir apparent, showing off a cool local attraction that was going to happen regardless of Kokichi's presence, and had been planned to do so for months. It was a different situation from the party...

Chewing his lip a little, Kokichi nervously smiled up at Maki. "Sounds like fun, right? And...not a trap?"

Maki listened to the story quietly...before holding out her hand.

"Let me see the tickets," she instructed.

Looking over them, she considered it for a moment...before telling him, "Wait here."

Taking the tickets back into the kitchen, she walked straight to Shuuichi, who had just finished up and was thinking of heading upstairs to help Kaito put away his clothes. She stopped him, though, passing him one of the tickets. Leading him back to Kokichi so that the prince could see exactly what she was asking of a resource that he himself had.

As Shuuichi looked curiously between Kokichi and Maki, holding the tickets, Maki pointed to them. "When was this made, how many hands has it passed through?" she asked.

Shuuichi blinked at her, before taking the ticket, looking it over for a moment...muttering something to himself...before saying, "Two weeks ago. Three hands at most. No rough handling to suggest theft..." Shuuichi rubbed at the ticket to check the ink against the material, before looking at it through holding it to the light. "...not likely to be homemade. Eighty-percent certain of it. Professional. Didn't Kokichi get these at the museum? Why do you wanna know if they've been tampered with, Maki?"

"I was asked a serious question. I'm going to give a serious answer. Thank you," she said, taking the tickets back from him, handing the tickets back to Kokichi. "It's more than likely entirely safe to go. However, the event doesn't start until two PM. So, tomorrow morning, first thing, myself and Shuuichi will go to the museum and scope out the place. Talk to some employees, talk to some patrons. I don't think you are in danger, Kokichi. But I'll confirm you're not in danger tomorrow morning, and give you the go-ahead by ten in the morning...okay?"

Maki softened slightly, running her hands through her hair. "It really is most likely fine. I don't want to make you afraid. But myself and Shuuichi were designed to take care of issues like this...I'd feel more comfortable assuring you your safety when I know for a fact that it's true."

Shuuichi shrugged at this. "Sure. I'm supposed to be taking more walks anyway. I can make a trip to the museum tomorrow morning," he said, not really bothered by the fact that Maki hadn't, technically speaking, asked. He agreed with her. This exact sort of scenario, casing a place for safety before an official visit, was literally part of what he had been raised to do. It was a natural thing to ask of him.

Kokichi wasn't exactly sure what he was feeling as he watched Shuuichi examine the tickets--aside from pride and amazement that Shuuichi could figure all that out just by looking at the tickets for a few moments. But, as Maki told him their plan for checking out the museum tomorrow morning...it was a weird mixture of relief and shame.

"Thanks, guys... It...it all seemed fine to me, but...I thought the party was fine too," he said softly, looking more at the ground than either of his friends. "Or...well, no, I knew it was risky, but I thought it was the regular kind of risky. I just...don't want to put anyone else in danger because I'm just...being naive."

Kokichi knew there was nothing to yell at, but he still wanted to yell at the world, ask why, when throughout his childhood he'd never had to worry about someone giving him food, or someone's motives when they came up for a chat, that he had to worry about it all the time now. That, for the safety of the people he loved, he had to distrust the very people he was sworn to protect. That he had to second-guess what he was supposed to trust at a base level to ensure the confidence and comfort of society.

It was...shocking and uncomfortable, and Kokichi felt like he was letting his people down, but...it needed to be done. Sighing softly, he tried to smile up at his friends again. "All that said though, would you guys wanna see the show too? I've always heard they were a sight to see."

Shuuichi gave Kokichi a small smile. "Course I want to go, Kokichi. It'll be fun. And Maki's right...it really is probably fine."

Maki scowled, clenching her fists. "...we were wrong not to do this in regards to the party. It was a huge point of negligence on our point. We had...I had gotten complacent. Underestimated a college kid who only had to talk to me in a silly valley-girl voice to get me to let my guard down...it was incredibly stupid of me, to let you both go alone..."

Shuuichi listened to Maki tear herself down...berate herself for her failing...and said, "Yeah, Maki, how could you let that happen? Wow, way to drop the ball." Smirking slightly as Maki glared at him, Shuuichi added in, "I'm pretty sure I was high at the time, so..." Another shrug.

"Shut up. You should have thought of it too. You're the Royal Detective, even high as all hell," Maki said, pouting.

"I think I was thinking less about being a good detective and more how much I wanted to take a nap that night and was annoyed that you insisted on staying up and waiting for them."

"I will stab you."

"I mean, you won't."

"You're dating Kaito now. I'll give him another earring."

"Fools on you, I think the earrings are endearing."

Look? All this to say? Neither Maki nor Shuuichi could bring themselves to reassure Kokichi that the world was a brighter, happier place than what he was discovering it to be. They couldn't tell him that he wasn't naive to not be afraid of a stranger's invitation, to not at least have treated it with caution. Neither of them believed that. Not even a little bit.

...but they did believe in not letting it hurt them any more than it could. In teasing each other through it. In supporting each other. It was the only way, in their minds, to get through a lifetime where things would disappoint you, or hurt you, over and over. Protect yourself. Protect each other. And try not to let the failings hurt you and yours any more than it had to...

And they didn't know how to explain that to Kokichi. So they just tried to show him.

Kokichi...did feel himself relax a little as Shuuichi and Maki bantered in front of him. Maybe things weren't as peaceful as he'd once believed, but...well, the universe didn't care, so you had to. If the world wasn't brighter, then work to make it so. Refuse to be complacent because 'that's the way things are'. Change the way things are.

And...that meant that even through Shuuichi and Maki checking the museum out ahead of time, he'd still go if it was safe, and would enjoy the show. He would find the employee that had given him the tickets and would thank them again, and more for the work they put into the show.

He wouldn't let himself be afraid of the world, prove his father right. He could be cautious, but still open. And...maybe one day he wouldn't have to worry anymore. He would make people feel safe, and then...he could feel safe in return.

Giggling a bit, Kokichi half-nodded to Maki. "It does look nice on Kai-chan. I just don't wanna get to the day Maki-chan starts piercing things other than his ears--Kai-chan wasn't exactly thrilled about that before."

"I've heard interesting things can be done with a tongue piercing...and I'd have to get a longer one, but if I put one near the top of his dick-"

"Maki!" Shuuichi said, face reddening.

"What? I dated him before both of you. I'm not gonna pretend I don't know what his body looks like, or how he is with it," Maki said, rolling her eyes a little. "He'd whine and complain about me doing it, but you know he'd take full advantage of it when it was done. I'd be doing you both a favor."

Shuuichi sighed. "Nevermind. I give. I won't make you mad if it means you don't give my-" Shuuichi hesitated, only slightly. Still struggling to say it aloud. "-...mmn, my boyfriend a dick piercing."

Kokichi's cheeks went pink as well, but he only sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, flustered. "I don't think Kai-chan needs any extra help in that department--he takes advantage of enough."

Kokichi hadn't been thinking of his words in the context Maki might've taken them as, only thinking about how, just...overwhelmingly good Kaito felt in him. If a piercing was supposed to make it even better, there was no way Kokichi would ever be able to last through Kaito fucking him. And Kaito didn't need an even bigger ego about how good he could make his lovers feel.

...though, since Shuuichi had needed both of them to feel good...well, they'd work that out.

Grinning at Shuuichi saying it aloud again--god, every time he did Kokichi just wanted to smooch him!--Kokichi leaned against his boyfriend, nuzzling his shoulder just a little. "I'm sure Kai-chan will thank his lovely boyfriend for that great concession."

Maki's eyes narrowed...

...she still hadn't decided when, exactly, she was going to spar him. If she wanted to wait until after this trip or...

...but it was still something she had to do, at some point.

She and Kaito needed to have a very, very serious conversation. Especially considering how often and how hard she had found herself wanting to snap at him, lately. She was angry. Worse than that, she had a feeling Kaito knew she was angry, and why...and it was just sort of this thing hanging above the two of them. A tense argument the two needed to have, and until they sat down and actually had it, they'd keep having small, relatively unimportant fights that would only make it worse and worse between them.

She didn't know when she was going to spar him. But it had to be soon.

"Hey! You guys ready to eat soon?! We're almost done! We've made burritos and rice!" Hajime called out to them.

Kokichi poked his head into the kitchen, the nice smells even better than when they'd first came back to the house. Giving Hajime and Dr. Kimura a thankful smile, he nodded his head slightly before doing a heel-turn. "Thank you so much! I'll go call down Kai-chan and Tim!"

He assumed Tim was in the attic, anyway, since he didn't see the assassin-in-training around. He could be in the basement, but since Kokichi had to go up for Kaito anyway, he'd check the attic first.

Quickly climbing the stairs to the third floor, Kokichi gave the regular bedroom's door a knock, figuring that Kaito was still putting away Shuuichi's clothes. "Hey, it's time for food--Hajime-chan and Dr. Kimura made burritos for everyone."

Kaito looked up from the letter he was writing, just...very, very quickly, freezing a little bit at the sound of Kokichi's voice, looking guiltily down at the letter and fighting the immediate impulse to hide it.

However, when Kokichi didn't immediately walk in, Kaito shouted back, "Thanks, babe! I'll be down in just a second!"

...Kaito didn't know why he didn't want Kokichi to see him writing to Byakuya.

He wasn't doing anything wrong! Nothing! He just...was trying to be better about sending Byakuya letters, was all...and...it was just a coincidence, more than anything, that the only time Kaito really felt like he had time to write them was the...very rare times he was alone...

He wasn't ashamed. He wasn't embarrassed. His brother had asked him to write more often, and he was doing that! That was a perfectly normal, reasonable thing to do!

And, sure...Kaito was being...very careful about what he wrote. Worried over it. Well, no. 'Worried’ was the wrong word for it. That sounded excessive. He just...

(Obsessed over it.)

...anyway. Every letter was a careful explanation of what he was doing, why he was doing it, and most importantly, how entirely happy and willing he was to do it! He was happy! He was really, really happy!

(Please don't kill anyone else.)

He just didn't want to...have any more misunderstandings. That was all! No more...no more mistakes...

And he didn't want Kokichi to see him doing it.

He wasn't ashamed.

It was fine.

This was normal.

...he just didn't want to bother Kokichi with it.

Later, he'd have to figure out where the post office was. Maybe he could ask Hajime to mail it for him? Hajime was a good guy. If Kaito asked them to keep it between them, it'd be fine. It was fine! Everything was fine!

He should hurry. He didn't want Kokichi to come back if he took too long.

Kaito wrote faster, finishing up the letter. He grinned as he wrote. It was easier to get the tone right, when he did that.

In the attic, Timothy was lying in the bedding and mattress that Maki had helped bring up for him, Timothy endlessly excited to sleep in the attic, though she couldn't understand why. He had been up here for the last two hours now, and...

It was everything he had ever hoped it would be. There was a little window on either side of the attic that let in neat light beams that made the atmosphere so interesting. It was warm up there, and would likely be cold at night, but Tim didn't mind either of that. He loved the isolation of it. How hidden he felt. He felt like he was in a different world.

He was entertaining himself by looking through the items that the family that lived here stored up here. The boxes and items were covered in dust and spiderwebs, and Tim didn't mind this either. They were fascinating to him. Treasures, strange and interesting. He loved it.

Timothy frowned, surprised, when the door to his attic opened up, the ladder falling down. "Hello?" he called down.

Kokichi had been a little surprised to hear Kaito's voice from the master bedroom, but only because he'd chosen wrong--Kaito was probably putting the sweets for that night away then. They'd decided to fill the sink with cold water to put the whipped cream in until it was time just so it wouldn't get funky or anything. But, anyway, Kaito had gotten the message, so it was time to check on Timothy.

Just barely peeking up into the attic, Kokichi smiled apologetically at the boy. "Ah, sorry, Tim. I didn't hear anything when I called up, so I wanted to check if you were in here--it's food time! Hajime-chan and Dr. Kimura made burritos for everyone. And we brought back some treats from a bakery in town, so if you want something from the box, go ahead."

He'd never really seen anything get Tim down for long, other than the...assassination attempt, but that made sense... But! It was still nice to see that Tim looked alright. It wasn't his place to interfere with how Maki was...well, raising him, but Timothy was one of his people now, and Kokichi still wanted to check in and make sure he was alright, even if Tim wasn't very close with him.

Timothy didn't bother telling the Dicean Prince that he wasn't allowed to have any sweets today. He wasn't that butt-hurt over it anyway. He was an ex-Luminary Soldier and an assassin-in-training. And he was almost ten! He wasn't going to act like a baby just because he wasn't allowed to eat sweet things for a day.

So, instead he called back, "Coming, Prince Kokichi," before turning to Chase, who was sniffing the corners of the attic. "Come here, Chase."

The puppy looked over at him, seemed to consider disobeying...and then rolled her tongue out, running to him as fast as her little legs could. Timothy felt his heart warm at that, catching her as she basically leapt into his stomach. Chase was...Timothy didn't really have words for it, but one day, when he was older, he'd look back and know that Chase was a key part of getting him through his ninth year of life. A lot of things were scary now. A lot of things were new. And he didn't really understand the new rules of his new world, the people he looked to for examples entirely unable to follow the rules they themselves set for him.

It was easy to want to be wild and aggressive and contradictory in this kind of environment, as a child being raised, arguably, by other children...people in no way ready for the task of raising him, but all four of them doing, in their own way, the best they could...

Kokichi trying to be someone Tim felt comfortable around.

Shuuichi trying to be someone Tim could look up to, maybe confide in one day.

Kaito desperately struggling to be a father-figure, when he had literally no idea what that looked like. His own father had barely been around. Tengan was not an example Kaito wanted to follow. Kaito really didn't know what to do.

Maki, also, struggling to be a mother-figure, and at least being able to base her style on something...trying to be a softer version of her own 'parent', who had loved her dearly and trained her well...and beaten her harshly, and thrown her into dark rooms for days at a time, and had allowed the assassin-in-training she had been bought with to fail and die, leaving her in mortal terror that one day it would be her turn...

She didn't know it yet, but she was already doing leagues better than what had been done for her. (Though, an upcoming mission could, of course, ruin all of that...)

And yeah. Someday, when Tim was older, and could look back...he'd recognize all of that. The strange, almost impossible position his childhood had put him in. A child raised by children who had all been so poorly raised themselves. And he'd resent some things. And he'd be thankful for other things. And Chase...

Chase was a good dog who made it all easier to focus. So, focusing on his puppy, and not on the fact that a group of kids had tried to bury the literal concept of his home and somewhere nearby a group of adults were toasting the demise of his leadership, Timothy told her to hold tight as he carried her in his arms, carefully bringing her down the ladder, ready to go join his...'family' for dinner.

-

Dinner was pleasant, Kokichi, Shuuichi, and Kaito remarking on the things they saw in town, Kokichi gushing over the ocean and beach again, nervously explaining to Dr. Kimura that he was looking for a gift for Ikuo (since, out of the group, she and Katsuki had been the only people to actually meet Kokichi's dad) to which she assured him that the nanny would definitely appreciate a gift Kokichi was putting thought into (since she remembered how the man had treasured every drawing, title, random rock on the ground, and 'I love you' that Kokichi had given him).

Good food, good company, good times.

Leading to even better times.

Kokichi had looked around the master bedroom and found a spare set of sheets which he'd placed nearby, and...just in case, he brought out the lube he'd packed too. What they had planned was mostly...outer body, but things happened, and even if Shuuichi hadn't needed lube last time, Kokichi sure did if he was gonna be taking anything in.

But, before things happened...they needed to talk.

He and Kaito were now just waiting for Shuuichi, and Kokichi was stretched out on the bed, just relaxing a bit, idly checking himself over for any sunburns.

Shuuichi had asked to go to the bathroom real quick before they got started, increasingly nervous as the time got closer. He wasn't sure why. He was just...nervous.

First he had taken out his pads. He was still wearing them, even though today they had been dry literally all day. Just afraid it would start again and he would be unprepared. He just...didn't want his boyfriends to see them. Certainly they had seen them last time, probably, but...maybe they hadn't...

So he got rid of the pads. And then agonized if he should even wear underwear going back out. Was that pointless? Should he just take off the underwear completely, since they were coming off soon anyway?

Should he come out naked?

...just in his shirt? Or...

He'd stay clothed. But he un-tucked his dick. Yes, he was still tucking his dick. He was tucking his dick for the same reason he still wore the pads, and why he knew exactly where his cock ring was in his luggage.

Just...waiting for it all to start again....

He wasn't hard, but it was a relief to untuck his dick just the same. Felt better. Less pressed and uncomfortable. Hajime had left a lot of room in his crotch that Shuuichi wasn't taking advantage of. He felt a little better.

...he washed his hands.

Looked at himself nervously in the mirror.

Washed his face.

...they're waiting for you, Shuuichi...

...maybe he should take a shower...

He had been desperate last time. So desperately in need of sex, in need to cum, in maddening need to be filled...that he hadn't had any time to overthink it and...now that he did... Had, in fact, had since yesterday to think about this...

...they were going to notice.

They were going to notice what he was.

It was obvious.

Everyone could see it.

They'd be grossed out by him.

Repulsed.

Dirty, dirty, dirty, dirty, dirty

Shuuichi covered his mouth and clutched at the front of his shirt, feeling sick. Keep it together. Calm down. It was fine. They lo...they liked you. They thought you were okay. Didn't they keep saying it? Shuuichi was cute. Lovely. Kaito loved him. Kaito's always loved him. Couldn't keep his hands off him lately. Kokichi...said he lo...

Shuuichi squirmed in front of the mirror, unable to look at himself. Tucking under his cap. Leaning his weight from foot to foot into the bathroom. Trying to calm himself. Reassure himself. This was fine. Everything was okay. They wanted to do this. They...

Shuuichi washed his hands again.

He was scared to walk out of the bathroom.

Without being at all conscious of it, he brought his fingers up to his mouth, could taste the soap on them. Started to bite down. Brought his other hand up to his hair. Grabbed a fistful of it. Trying to comfort himself. Soothe himself...

Before it could start though, he heard Kaito call out, startling him. "Hey, Shuuichi! You didn't die in there, did you?"

"N-no, sorry! Coming!" Shuuichi called back, giving himself one last nervous look in the mirror, looking for signs of...everything. All the ugliness in his head. Just because he couldn't see it doesn't mean it wasn't there. Before opening the door. Stepping out to join them.

Shuuichi gave them an uncertain smile. "Sorry...didn't mean to take so long..."

Kokichi looked up and gave as reassuring a smile as he could. "No worries, it's not like we have a time limit or anything. If anything, the more time goes by, the more we can eat later."

He giggled a bit, his eyes drifting over to the bag with the sweets they'd gotten, not taken out yet. He didn't want any of them to feel like they had to get started right away--this was something they couldn't rush. It wasn't fair to any of them.

Sobering a little, Kokichi sat up and looked at his husband and boyfriend fondly before deciding to just get to the point. "Last time was awesome, so this isn't just a response to that, alright? But I think we should get in the habit of talking about our boundaries whenever things don't just spontaneously happen."

Shuuichi's boundaries were really important, like, always, but now even more so, but...this wasn't just for him. If he and Kaito were going to have a healthy relationship...he needed to speak up. Taking a breath and looking over to Kaito, he did just that. "I wanna blow you tonight, Kai-chan, but I don't wanna be face fucked. If it's okay with you...I'd like to set the pace, take the time to incorporate the sweets...stuff like that."

"So..." A little bit of Kokichi resolve broke as insecurities bubbled in his gut, flushing his cheeks and making his gaze waver as his voice softened. "...can I?"

God fucking dammit Kaito, you gone-done went and gave your sweet tiny husband a shit ton of insecurities!

Kaito kind of wanted to punch himself in the face...or maybe beg Kokichi for forgiveness for being a weird creepy pushy asshole every time they slept together...but...again, it was the sort of thing that would make Kaito feel momentarily better and would probably just make Kokichi feel worse. So, ignoring the pool of guilt in his stomach, Kaito nodded enthusiastically, giving Kokichi a wide grin. "Hell yeah, babe! Are you kidding? I'm excited! No..." Kaito's grin got a little more strained, the guilt leaking through just a tad, but he pushed past it by laughing and rubbing the back of his neck. "No face-fucking! None of that shit! All about it!"

Shuuichi went and sat on the bed, watching Kokichi and Kaito. Trying to learn from what they did. "So...we're going to have a conversation like this every time?"

"...yeah!" Kaito said, thinking about it, nodding as, with full sincerity, he said, "I think Kokichi's right. It's a good idea just in general, but...I think it's fair to be honest and say maybe our group has more reason than most couples to wanna stay on top of that? We're all in a unique position in our lives, really. And since our boundaries are gonna be changing a lot over time either way, we might as well just get into the habit of talking about it regularly. No face-fucking for Kokichi! Today he's setting the pace! I am so fucking here for it!"

Kaito gave Kokichi a bright grin. "Anything else on your mind, beautiful? Don't hold back on me, I'm okay."

Kokichi let out a little breath, feeling...relieved. Even if he knew it should just be the norm and not something relieving--Kaito had always asked him to tell him what he wanted and to speak up against what he didn't. He'd...never said that he'd hate Kokichi for it or anything. The only times they'd backed off getting physical was when one of them was hurt, or that time Kaito was too tired. Not because either of them had suggested something.

...dumb idiot.

Smiling back at Kaito, Kokichi thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Nah, nothing else new. I'm elated that Shuu-chan is letting me enjoy his prize too, but he gets first dibs on hot-Kai-chan-bod! I'm here for following his sugar-dripped hunk lead!" His confidence regained somewhat, Kokichi gave his boyfriend a wink before giving him a soft look. "Aaaand that means not just trying to assume what Shuu-chan wants. I wasn't last place, but I wanna give our winner a good time too. What feels good to Shuu-chan today?"

Today?

...could he just...cancel this and go to sleep today?

No. No. He didn't mean that. Didn't want that. He was just...nervous and uncertain and kind of wanted to hide. He found himself fussing with his shirt, not really looking at either of them as he admitted, "I don't...really know..."

Come on, Shuuichi! Give them something! They were trying to take care of you! Stop being fucking difficult! Be a good wh-

"...maybe if no one could...call me anything bad..." Shuuichi said. Entirely uncertain about this. He didn't actually know if he wanted to stop being called bad things. He just...had a feeling it would really, really hurt if Kokichi or Kaito did it. And he hadn't exactly been clear about that last time...hadn't really not wanted that last time. Would have loved if they had called him terrible things.

But just...didn't feel that way today.

"Didn't want to anyway, so that's an easy one for me, handsome," Kaito said encouragingly. "Anything else?"

"...um..." Shuuichi thought of the dry pads, and decided to admit, "I think my...body changed again? I don't know if I still have mucus. I haven't seen any lately. So..." Shuuichi shrugged. "I don't know if that changes anything...and I'm...not hard right now?" he said. Sounding a little baffled about this. "And...I don't really..." Shuuichi flushed red, staring at his legs. Not realizing this was true until he actually started saying it. "...know how you're supposed to get hard, if it doesn't just start on its own."

Kaito gave his boyfriend a small, concerned look...seriously thinking about his concerns. Shuuichi hadn't been into sex before the pollen. Now that he was healing...Kaito didn't want to presume that Shuuichi was back to not liking sex again, just because he was shy and uncertain right now. For a lot of reasons. Some of them selfish. But, at the exact same time...

Kaito grinned. Giving his boyfriend a wink. "In a way, it does kind of usually start on its own, though sometimes you have to go the extra mile to really get revved up. How about this--you and Kokichi try some stuff on me...and if it starts to happen, great! We roll with it! But if it doesn't? And it looks like it won't? ...then you know that's okay, handsome. We're not going to be unhappy with you. You never have to do this...and, I'd still want to date you. Okay? That's not a deal-breaker for me." Kaito glanced at his husband, giving him a small, sheepish smile. "'Kichi? What do you think of that?"

Kokichi's eyes squinted a little, trying to think back if...they hadn't called Shuuichi anything hurtful before, had they? He didn't think so...and maybe this was just Shuuichi clarifying, but...well! Kokichi nodded along with Kaito--for either of them, Kokichi didn't want to say anything bad about either Kaito or Shuuichi. Like...pretty much ever, but in bed especially.

And for the mucus...the lube was ready if they needed it. Just in case. Though, knowing this, if Shuuichi did end up with wanting his ass played with, Kokichi made a mental note to be gentler--better safe than sorry, and it was easy to ramp things up if it wasn't enough.

Upon hearing about Shuuichi's worry about being in the mood, well, that was an easy one too. Kokichi gave his boyfriend a bright grin and gave Kaito a nod, something soft in his eyes, before turning back to Shuuichi. "Like, totally ditto! At any point ever you want to stop, we'll stop, and Shuu-chan will still be our precious boyfriend. I like Shuu-chan for a whoooole lot more than just having sex together."

"Though," he continued, softer, not really wanting to ask when Shuuichi was already insecure, but needing to, "If we do end up going all the way tonight, and Shuu-chan has trouble finishing... I'm not comfortable with just deciding to do something to stress you out enough to cum. I get that this might kinda defeat how the whole thing works, but...if you could let us know ahead of time something we could do? That wouldn't be...the worst? I just don't wanna hurt you, yanno?"

Ah, right. Stress stimulus thing.

Shuuichi tried to think. Again, while he had always been willing during their sessions...nothing that he had ever done with Miss Nao had ever really been his 'idea'. He had never had a clue what was coming at any point, and like Kokichi said, knowing beforehand probably would have messed it up, anyway. He had already said he didn't want to be called bad things. Didn't want to hear Kokichi or Kaito say things like that. Couldn't stand adding any more foul things to think about himself to the already way too huge pile.

But...hmmm... Shuuichi looked over at Kaito. "I mean...if you slapped me...that'd probably be quick. And it would only leave a little mark...it would heal overnight...I-I'd tell Maki I asked you too..."

Kaito sighed, rubbed the back of his neck as he muttered to himself something unintelligible...before shaking his head. "Sorry, bud. Can't do it. I can't hit you. It'd make my skin crawl. Anything else?"

"...choke-"

"Lightly? Sure! Love that shit. Hard enough where you couldn't speak and tell me to stop? Like, to actually stress you out? Nope. Absolutely not. Try again."

"...Kokichi could-"

"No again," Kaito said. Something serious in his tone. No room for argument, not willing to hear it from either of them. "No, he can't. If someone has to do something to stress you out, it's me, Shuuichi. And I won't hit you, and I won't choke you to the point you can't actually breathe, because that could go too wrong too easily. And, honestly? If we could avoid using your chest as some sort of punishment...it's not something you should be ashamed of. I don't want to reinforce that, if we can avoid it. Anything else?"

Shuuichi wrung his hands together. Ashamed and embarrassed. Feeling weird and strange as Kaito turned down option after option. Everything too gross and uncomfortable for him to agree to.

Shuuichi desperately tried to think of something that could be done that would both degrade and hurt him enough to push him through, but that Kaito wouldn't reject...come on...think. What did Nao used to do? Name calling, lashes, stepping on, terrible, terrible promises...oh!

"Spanking?" Shuuichi said. Looking warily between the two. "Does...that count as hitting?"

Kaito opened his mouth to respond...and then closed it. Looking thoughtful.

"...hmmm..." Kato hummed. Thinking about it.

Something in Kokichi's expression went hard and worried as Shuuichi and Kaito brainstormed an acceptable form of stress, particularly as Kaito banned Kokichi. And...he did know where Kaito was coming from. He didn't want to freak Shuuichi out. But they were all an equal part of this relationship, and not even hearing out what Shuuichi was going to suggest just...rubbed him the wrong way, a bit.

However, as Kaito ran out of rebuttals when the subject of spanking came up, Kokichi felt himself calm a bit, also considering the point. Looking between his lovers, he shrugged a bit. "I mean...some people like spanking just normally. It's not that weird a thing to do in a relationship at all, and, if you think it'd do the trick..."

Personally, Kokichi wasn't a fan. He didn't like being hit at all, and practically any impact would leave him with a bruise at best. And considering he didn't have much junk in the truck to act as padding, well, whenever he fell on his ass, Kokichi could often feel the shock go painfully straight to his bones. However...well, Shuuichi did have more padding. For fat and muscle.

"And this is only, one, if we decide to go that far, and, two, if Shuu-chan has trouble finishing. It's not like this is something that's gonna happen for a long time." Trying to ease some of the tensions in the room, Kokichi scooted over to Shuuichi, nuzzling up to his side like a cat. "And, hey, if you find out you like it and it doesn't stress you out, we'll need to figure something else out, but that's something new that we can do for you!"

Like it? He wasn't supposed to like it...or, well, he was, wasn't he? Wasn't that the point, that he liked it? He didn't like things because they had stressed him...or, wait. He supposed that, technically...no, but...it hadn't felt that way. In the moment. Right? He hadn't been actually stressed, or, at least hadn't felt like he had been stressed. Hadn't felt the feeling of stress. Had he? He had just liked it. He had liked everything Miss Nao had...

...those memories were too complicated to look at right now. Shuuichi tried to focus on Kaito and Kokichi. Fun! He was...he was going to have fun with his boyf-friends! Stop stressing out! Stop being anxious! Just...stop overthinking this! Sto-

Shuuichi startled, feeling a hand in the back of his hair, just below the base of his hat, being pulled forward and into a kiss with Kaito. It was a surprisingly gentle kiss, from Shuuichi's experiences of kisses with Kaito. Kaito just captured his top, then bottom, lip with his own, kissing at him once, twice, his hand around his waist. Gripping at the soft fat there, for a second tight, too tight, and then relaxing, massaging the stuff he had gripped.

When Kaito broke the kiss, he smiled softly at Shuuichi...before, knocking the hat off while doing so, he knocked his forehead against Shuuichi's. Just hard enough to hurt a little.

"Still with us, handsome?" Kaito asked. Looking amused.

Shuuichi looked at Kaito, surprised, putting a hand on his forehead where Kaito had bumped against him...before nodding. "Y-yeah. Sorry, Kaito."

"You're good, man. Just didn't want ya mentally checking out on us. This is gonna be fun, Shuuichi. You don't need to hide from us..." Kaito reassured him, kissing him again. "Especially if Kokichi's taking lead! My good, sexy husband’s gonna be setting the pace and calling the shots ,and I am so looking forward to it! We're in good hands! Right, Shuuichi?"

"U-uh...yeah. Right," Shuuichi said, feeling...a little more present now. Focused. Shuuichi, following Kaito's prompting, found himself looking at Kokichi now for direction. It was easier to not overthink this when he was following someone else's lead. Whether he meant to or not, Kaito had just volunteered Kokichi to be that leadership for Shuuichi.

And...yeah. Kaito kind of had meant to do that.

If you asked him straight out, he probably wouldn't have been able to explain his exact reasoning. But looking at his two lovers, this seemed the obvious way to go about things. Kokichi wanted more agency in their sex life, so Kaito needed to stop being pushy and grabby and let Kokichi make the decision. At least until Kokichi felt confident enough in his choices where he wouldn't feel like he needed Kaito's express permission to just try things...or, hell. To even just ask for things, such as his hesitancy in asking to just...not have Kaito's dick forcefully pushed in and out of his throat. Even just bringing that up had seemed to frighten his husband (which made Kaito, just...endlessly uncomfortable to think about what that meant). So...yeah. Kokichi needed some self confidence. Kokichi needed to lead.

And Shuuichi? He was just...clearly overwhelmed. He didn't need to be controlled. That wasn't what Kaito was thinking. But he clearly needed some guidance, some, well...hand-holding, really. Until all of this was less strange and scary and new to him. Confidence to make his own choices was a future problem. For now, they just needed to convince him that this was something he was actually just capable of...doing.

And Kaito just needed to stop being a pushy, demanding, controlling lover. So...yeah.

Yeah!

This made sense to him.

Kaito looked softly at Shuuichi, and said, "So, we're good with the spanking idea? That's what we'll try if you're struggling?"

After a moment, Shuuichi nodded. "Yeah...okay. If that's okay."

"Great! Any other concerns? Either of you?"

Shuuichi shook his head. Nothing he felt comfortable voicing, anyway.

"Okay! How about requests? Anything you both really want to happen today?"

Shuuichi just shrugged at this. The only idea he had was eating the sweets. Past that? He wasn't sure what to ask for.

Kaito nodded. "Alright! So...all I want from this? Like, genuinely? What would make my night?" Kaito grinned brightly. "Is for Kokichi to tell me what to do. I don't want to make decisions tonight. I just wanna do what I'm told. I think it'll be fun, to see what you all ask of me if I leave it entirely up to you. So, 'Kichi, babe...I'm entirely in your hands!"

Kaito placed his hands under his chin, crossing his legs and resting his elbows on his knees, just looking at Kokichi expectantly. "So, beautiful...what to do you want me to do?"

Kokichi blinked in slight surprise. He hadn't...he only meant to request that he set the literal pace for whenever he blew Kaito. That it wouldn't be Kaito grabbing his head and thrusting his hips while Kokichi was just...there. He wanted to pleasure Kaito himself, really prove that he could do it, that he could make Kaito feel good without him taking over everything.

But, for taking the lead on everything that night?

Part of him dithered for a moment, but... This wasn't the same as a month ago; he wasn't the same as a month ago. Sure, Kokichi hadn't had much experience being...in charge, but it wasn't like he had no experience anymore. If...if Kaito wanted to be told what to do, if Shuuichi needed a guiding hand...well, it wasn't like Kokichi didn't have any experience leading too.

Drawing himself up, Kokichi nodded and got off the bed, heading to the bag of sweets, giving Shuuichi a nod to come help him out. "Alright! Kai-chan, get undressed and give yourself a quick washdown with a washcloth or somethin'--I dunno about you, Shuu-chan, but I don't think sunscreen is really a good condiment for cream and chocolate."

He giggled softly as he started laying out the sweets--this would probably be something of an art project too, painting Kaito's body in candy.

"On it, boss!" Kaito said, looking around before hopping off the bed, heading to the bathroom. He took his clothes off as he walked, tossing aside his shirt, which he had put back on to protect himself from the trees as he walked the path back to the house, and kicking off his bathing suit. As he grabbed a hand towel and ran it under the faucet, he looked himself over in the mirror. His hair was a bit of a mess from messing around in the sand and sun, and even his goatee was frayed a little at the end. Kaito immediately felt himself wanting to mess with it, grab some gel and put it back into place...but! He was doing as he was told! Just wash himself down and get back in there! You got this, Kaito.

Observing himself in the mirror as he ran the towel up and down himself, getting off all the sand and the sunscreen, washing the towel again and running it over himself a second time, he noticed that his skin was already discoloring, everywhere that hadn't been covered by his shorts a slightly redder color than usual. Nice. He was looking forward to tomorrow morning, where that slight red of the skin would darken into a more brown color. It wouldn't be anything too intense, not after just a day...but after three days of more sun like that? He'd have a nice little tan by the end of this trip.

He was looking forward to the freckles the king had believed Kokichi would get. He wondered if it would just be his face and shoulders or all over his body. Kaito thought the idea of either was very, very cute.

As Kaito washed himself in the bathroom, Shuuichi followed Kokichi, helping him take out the items and organize them on the dresser top they had taken over to display them. Shuuichi had just been thinking soft, spreadable items, like the honey and whipped cream he had suggested, but Kokichi had ended up getting all sorts of things that Shuuichi hadn't thought to consider himself. Up to and including, stored in the ice... "I think ice cream might be a bad idea," Shuuichi pointed out, looking at the strawberry ice cream in concern. "Wouldn't that be uncomfortable?"

"Oh, shoot! Did I bring the ice cream up here?" Kaito called out from the bathroom, overhearing Shuuichi's concern. Poking his head out, he gave them both a sheepish grin. "That's my bad. Brought that up by accident. Meant to leave it in the kitchen for after dinner. It just slipped my mind. I can take that back downstairs after this so it doesn't melt with the ice tonight."

Kaito went back into the bathroom, finished cleaning up, and then, buck naked, came back out, showing off his back and front to them as he said, "Done! Did I miss any spots? Either of you see any sand on my back or anything?"

Kokichi had just squinted at the ice cream for a moment, sure they'd just gotten that to eat in general...and Kaito confirmed that right after. Sure they could always wait for it to melt before drizzling it over Kaito, but...the honey would probably be enough of a mess. Kokichi wasn't afraid of a little bit of laundry, but...well, he didn't want to risk anything seeping into the mattress.

And using it still frozen just sounded kind of mean. Maybe just from Kokichi's bad experience with ice, but...still. He didn't want to make Kaito uncomfortable, and trying out this new thing would probably be a risk enough.

As Kaito came out of the bathroom, Kokichi looked over his husband in appreciation, noting the redness with a bit of concern, but...mostly just ogling Kaito's body. Going up to him, Kokichi made a show of looking him over before grinning up at Kaito and placing a kiss to his pec. "You look perfect, sweets. Now, lie down and get comfy on the bed, alright? Shuu-chan and I will start decoratin' ya--avoiding any holes, and I think hair the best we can? Other than that, are there any areas you want us to avoid?"

Kaito didn't have a ton of body hair, so clean up likely wouldn't be so bad. Chest and abs were fair game, and Kokichi was already thinking of putting dollops of whipped cream over his nipples so he and Shuuichi could lick and suck it off. And...if Kaito was okay with it, maybe he could get a taste of the sweets as well, holding some in his mouth for one of them to come claim it in a deep kiss.

Yeah...it'd be fun.

Kaito looked down at himself, thin, red hairs lightly coating certain parts of his body, a little surprised to be reminded they were there. Kaito's hair was thin enough on his body and just the sort of coloring that it pretty well blended in with his skin, and you had to run your fingers over it to really get a sense that it was there. He had been a little embarrassed about that, when he was younger, having expected his hair to grow in thicker, like his father’s and Byakuya's had, but he wasn't as self conscious over it anymore.

A lot of people preferred the thinner hair anyway, he had found out. Which he thought was a little silly. Hair on people’s bodies were so nice to feel and pet! Kaito fucking adored Kokichi's thick, purple happy trail, for instance. He found himself idly running his hands up and down it constantly.

Thin, soft, red hair. All of Kaito's hair grew in like that, including his beards. Well, not that he had ever managed to successfully grow a beard, despite an extremely sincere and equally awkward attempt at it in high school...honestly, the goatee had stemmed from less of a fashion choice and more out of Kaito's sheer determination to have at least some facial hair...and dammit, if the only part of his face that was going to grow with any sort of consistency was his chin hair? Then fuck it, he'd grow out his chin hair!

"Like I said, you guys don't have to worry about me. Do whatever you want! What's the worst that could happen?" Kaito wondered optimistically, grinning at Kokchi's little inspection and kiss before heading to the bed.

"You could get sick, Kaito," Shuuichi said, finding his eyes following Kaito, now that he was out of the bathroom. It was a little strange to Shuuichi, just how casual and confident Kaito was, being literally the only naked person in the room. He walked and talked like he didn't even notice. Shuuichi would be a blushing, flustered mess in his position right now. "But it's okay. We're going to be careful."

"Sure! Just, again...I'll be totally fine!" Kaito said, not even doubting this a little. He had had lots of weird things shoved into him, over his life. Some things hurt a little in the moment and some things hurt a little later and, yeah, all of that kinda sucked sometimes...and yeah, Kaito definitely had less of a tolerance for that now than he had back in the day...but Kaito didn't think it was gonna be some honey that finally did him in. He'd be fine.

What did feel a little weird was lying down and just kinda...watching Shuuichi and Kokichi set up. It felt kinda weird, just lying there when things were going to get started soon. He felt like he should be...he didn't know. Touching them or something. Getting them aroused. Ready to go. Something.

But, he was listening to Kokichi! That was the goal of the night! So, he'd lie there and wait! He could totally do this! Self-control!

Kokichi stuck his tongue out a little at Kaito as he opened bags and popped the lids off containers. "Well, what I want is to ask you if you're comfortable and happy before we do anything, so there!" It wasn't just for Kaito's comfort, even if it sort of led back to that in a way. Kokichi just wouldn't be comfortable trying anything out without at least telling Kaito beforehand, and especially in the case that Kaito could get sick or get an uncomfortable infection or something, Kokichi wanted to be especially careful. And Shuuichi felt the same way, it seemed like.

Finally, Kokichi came over to Kaito's side and gave his cheek a little kiss before taking the bottle of honey and squeezing it over his husband's abs, just tracing the lines of his definition and letting the honey ooze that way. Then, quickly, he stuck small, cream-filled chocolates to the honey, using them as roadblocks in a way to stop the honey from dripping down Kaito's sides.

Giving Shuuichi a wink, Kokichi swiped up a bit of honey on his finger and licked it off. "Alright, Shuu-chan--eat up!"

It was Shuuichi's prize, after all. He could get to indulge right away while Kokichi worked to decorate Kaito a little more before joining in.

Shuuichi looked at Kokichi in surprise, having expected to be asked to decorate more...but the smell of honey filled the air, and between that scent in the air and the sight of Kaito, just...lounging on top of the sheets, the covers of the bed taken off and tossed to the side of the room, looking over to Shuuichi with a pleased, expectant look...

Shuuichi swallowed hard. He could actually feel his mouth watering.

Kaito grinned wider as his sidekick approached him, reaching out idly to trace his finger over Shuuichi's arms as the detective looked over his body. "Hungry, handsome?" Kaito asked with a wink, snickering as Shuuichi looked over at Kaito with an almost guilty expression at the question. "Nah, dude, that's a good thing. Come on. Indulge yourself." Kaito wrapped his fingers around Shuuichi's arm, pulling him a little closer to himself. His grin all teeth as he looked at him with lust-filled eyes. "Take advantage. I want you to."

Shuuichi giggled, giving Kaito a somewhat exasperated look. "Alright, alright, stop pulling, Kaito. You're gonna spill the honey," he said, literally pointing to Kaito's stomach.

Kaito glanced down, confused by what Shuuichi meant, before realizing, ah, shit...right. The more he moved, the more the candy got dislodged. Things would spread. Right. He had to be still. "Ah...right. Okay...okay," he said, realizing this was gonna require more patience than he thought...okay! He could do that! Totally fine!

Letting go of Shuuichi's arm, he put his hands behind his neck, propping up his neck to look down at himself. Trying to be still and not disturb the food too much. Shuuichi smiled warmly at Kaito's focused expression, before turning back to the honey.

...mmmmm...

Resting one hand on Kaito's thigh, and the other on his chest, Shuuichi leaned down, carefully lapping at one the ridges of Kaito's abs with his tongue, at first lightly...but fuck, that tasted good. And it was strangely warm...even warm for the human body, Kaito's skin still cooking slightly from its day in the sun, hot against Shuuichi's tongue and heating up the honey. It felt good...tasted good...Kaito shivered as Shuuichi took a more full lap against his skin. His hands idly rubbing against the muscles beneath him.

"H-ha...that almost tickles," Kaito admitted, looking at Shuuichi with a deep flush, before glancing over at Kokichi. Snorting a bit as he saw more items in his husband's hands. "You look like a man with a plan."

Kokichi smiled softly, watching Shuuichi start to relax and enjoy himself--or, really, the honey. He was planning on enjoying himself plenty too, but, really, he wanted to make sure this would be good for Shuuichi. To provide another piece of evidence to make his doubts and fears pop up less often. To arm Shuuichi so he could fight off his anxiety better.

Though, his smile turned into a bit of a smirk as Kaito called him out. "That's kind of the point, isn't it? I'd be letting my precious husband and boyfriend down pretty hard if they put me in charge and I didn't have any ideas."

Taking a spoon they'd snagged from the kitchen, Kokichi scooped out a small mound of whipped cream and carefully draped it over one of Kaito's nipples, soon laying a matching dollop on his other one. Then, with one of the flavored sugar syrups they'd gotten--really more of a spreadable goo--Kokichi lined Kaito's Adonis belt, and, figuring that that was enough for now, and also kind of impatient to start eating, Kokichi leaned over Kaito's hip to lick up the stripe of syrup (mmm, green apple!), letting his teeth graze against Kaito's skin and pausing at the apex of his hip to give it a suck.

Kaito couldn't help but snicker as whipped cream was put onto his nipples. This really was one of the sillier things he had ever done...but it was cute too. And damn...it was so much fun watching his two men play around on his body. It was so bizarre seeing his serious minded, quiet detective looking apparently entirely determined to lick every piece of honey off his abs, Shuuichi grabbing one of the chocolates on Kaito's side and popping it into his mouth, looking mildly surprised as he did so, as if he was surprised at the taste. And his husband...Kaito felt another shiver run up his spine, his cock starting to twitch as he felt Kokichi's teeth against his skin.

God, they were both amazing...fuck how was Kaito going to just lie here!?? He could already feel himself becoming restless. They were both so pretty...he wanted to grab at them...get them out of those clothes...

He already had ideas of how he would do it. Little schemes cooking in his head...but he had to be patient. He had promised to be obedient, this time around. Another chance for Kaito to try to make it up to Kokichi for just...everything. All of it. This alone wasn't enough. Kaito honestly wasn't sure what would ever be enough. But...he was really trying. Every little thing helped. He hoped.

Shuuichi looked down at the syrup, taking a dollop of it on his fingers as he ran the finger across Kaito's waist (another little shiver from their warm table) before taking it into his mouth, his eyes closing for a moment, enjoying the taste. Again, all of the treats, once they were pressed against Kaito's skin, started to heat, Kaito's body, usually warmer than the average person anyway, now a furnace from its day in the sun. It was so strange to touch him like this. It really felt like Kaito would let them do anything. That also felt strange.

"Hey, handsome." Shuuichi looked up, starting to recognize that was Kaito's particular word for him, looking curiously at the prince as he grinned back at him, nodding towards the chocolates. "You looked like you enjoyed that. Why keep it to yourself? Can I have one?"

Shuuichi looked down at the chocolates, which were starting to melt against Kaito's skin, taking one and, leaning over, offered Kaito one. Kaito, still with that easy, alluring grin, took a hand out from under his neck and grasped Shuuichi's wrist, rather than the chocolate, that grin now all teeth...before moving Shuuichi's hand to his mouth, taking the chocolate into his mouth, sucking the melting piece from his fingers as Shuuichi watched, face starting to burn red as Kaito refused to stop looking at him as he did so, sucking at the digits while making an entirely unnecessary sound from the back of his throat that made Shuuichi's insides squirm...

"Tastes good," Kaito said, releasing both the wrist and the fingers, giving Shuuichi a wink. "Thanks handsome."

Shuuichi took back his wet fingers, his skin flushing hot, entirely distracted from the snacks now by Kaito's shameless flirting. "U-uh...s-sure, Kaito..."

Kokichi glanced up from Kaito's hips, smirking a bit at the show as he cleaned Kaito's skin of the syrup on one side. He'd likely put something there later, but even with how hot this all was, Kokichi was still aware of the mess they'd make and was trying to mitigate that a little. Especially as they continued and Kaito would inevitably get increasingly restless. The fewer chances for something to drip off him the better.

Snorting a bit at the state Kaito had put Shuuichi in, Kokichi grabbed a new chocolate from the bag and raised an eyebrow at his husband. "Yeah, you like it? I haven't tried any of the chocolates yet, but I think I could spare some time to share my first with you."

Kokichi moved up the side of the bed and purposefully placed the chocolate on his tongue before leaning down to kiss Kaito, thinking back to how Kaito had once shared cotton candy with him. He almost immediately used tongue, sliding the chocolate into Kaito's mouth while getting a good taste of his husband at the same time.

It was something he wanted to do, but it would also give Shuuichi a second to collect himself. While this was Shuuichi's prize, Kokichi knew he had to keep Kaito occupied too.

Kaito's eyes lit up as he saw Kokichi come in, taking his now free hand and wrapping his arm around Kokichi's waist, pulling his husband in closer as he kissed him deeply, chocolate melting between them as Kaito felt Kokichi explore his mouth, pressing his lips down against his tongue and just...fuck, it was exciting. Kokichi all...confident and assertive. Kaito could feel heat starting to build in his stomach as his hand, pressed on the small of Kokichi's back now, explored its way down, reaching down into Kokichi's waistband and aiming to grasp at his husband’s backside...kinda wanting to just pull Kokichi on top of him and start working Kokichi up and-

To Kaito's absolute surprise, he felt a hand gently grasp at his elbow, and his arm was pulled back, his hand taken away from Kokichi's ass as Kaito broke the kiss, looking over at Shuuichi, who was still blushing red, but had a determined look on his face, Kaito making a small, confused noise at him.

Shuuichi gestured to the whipped cream on Kaito's chest, saying softly, "You gotta be still. You're going to mess up Kokichi's work, Kaito." He indicated how Kaito's arm had smeared some of the whipped cream against his chest, some of it against his arm as well.

Feeling a little smug that he had gotten back at the prince a little, Shuuichi took Kaito's arm in both his hands and, giving Kaito a small smirk, leaned down and licked at his bicep, cleaning up the whip cream, before moving onto the mess at his nipple.

Kaito squirmed a little as he felt a tongue start to press and lick against his chest, and he looked over at Kokichi, giving him a slightly flustered grin as he kissed at the side of Kokichi's lips, whispering to him, "He's gonna be a monster one day. I can already tell. Almost as insatiable as you, you tease."

Kokichi sighed into Kaito's mouth as he felt Kaito start to grip at his backside, and he could feel Kaito start to tense, start to try and pull him up and in, and... Panting, Kokichi had to have a moment to himself, catching his breath, giving Shuuichi something of a small, grateful look. Right, right, he was leading tonight. Couldn't let them down, couldn't just...follow Kaito's lead for everything just because he thought that would please his husband.

Still though, Kokichi could feel the lingering heat of Kaito's hand on his ass. If nothing else, the mood was definitely building up for him.

Pecking Kaito back, gently scratching Kaito's scalp above his ear, Kokichi giggled lightly. "Hey, we did tell you not to underestimate us. Kai-chan's gotta be patient--there's still more playtime for us."

With that, he gave Kaito a wink before moving down a little to join Shuuichi, massaging Kaito's pec a bit as he took his cream-covered nipple into his mouth, sucking up the cream before going in with his tongue for clean-up. He lapped at the nub, feeling satisfied as it perked and hardened, rolling it around with his tongue before pulling it gently with his teeth.

As he did this, Kokichi shifted his weight a bit, removing one hand from Kaito's chest to try and one-handedly drop his shorts, the cloth making a quiet 'fwoom' sound as it hit the floor.

"...h-hnnn..." Kaito bit his lips a little, feeling his breathing get a little more labored as Kokichi and Shuuichi both worked at his chest...he could feel his nipples hardening under their attention, just the movements of their tongues starting to create an ache in him...and then Kokichi- "h-ha...!"

As Kaito watched Kokichi free himself from his pants, his stomach sparking and sending heat straight to his dick as he heard that soft, telling sound of clothes falling away, he stared in appreciation as his husband's ass. Fuck...it was so hard to look and not touch...he wanted 'Kichi...his...

Kaito closed his eyes for a moment. Took a steadying breath. Remembered what Maki said. Every time you get an instinct, do something else. Thoughts like that were what had gotten him in trouble in the first place. Come on, Kaito. Come on. Just...what else could he do...what would he have done for his old partners? Before Kokichi had come into his life and re-introduced to him a power hungry side of Kaito that the Luminary Prince had forgotten even existed...come on, Kaito...fuck the conqueror. That guy was an asshole. Come on...

...collecting himself, Kaito opened his eyes back up again. Feeling more himself again...or, to be more accurate, feeling more the parts of himself that Kaito actually liked. So, playfully, Kaito laughed, resting the back of his hand against his neck as he looked down at his lovers, blushing as he said, "G-geez, guys...at this rate, you all are actually going to eat me or something....hey, can the next candy put on me be a licorice? I'm really craving a licorice."

Kokichi came up off of Kaito's nipple with a smug look, having greatly enjoyed hearing those cute noises again, though he just laughed a bit and hopped on over to the dresser to grab the licorice before handing it over to Shuuichi. "What do ya think, Shuu-chan? Wanna share some licorice with Kai-chan? Unless we really are gonna eat him, I think I've gotta reapply the goods."

Swiping a finger through some of the remaining honey on Kaito's abs, Kokichi popped it in his mouth with a happy hum, looking over Kaito's body with a playful hunger, definitely pleased with how it was looking like Kaito was enjoying this.

Kokichi started stroking a hand up and down one of Kaito's thighs, his fingers occasionally dipping farther onto Kaito's inner thigh. "Mm, I'm thinking using the strawberry syrup next. Any other requests?"

Shuuichi quietly took the licorice, also just...a little distracted by Kokichi's sudden half-naked state. To the detective’s...honestly semi-surprise, and relief, lust was starting to build in him. Surprise because, well...like Kaito, Shuuichi had started wondering, if it wasn't happening constantly, then...was it gonna happen at all? And relief because...he wasn't sure if he really believed Kaito's assurance that he would still want to be with Shuuichi if the golden-eyed boy didn't enjoy sex anymore. He wanted to believe him! He wasn't going to accuse him otherwise! But...

(Why else would anyone want him?)

(He wasn't special.)

...he just had his doubts. Kaito was so physical in everything he did...how could he honestly function in a non-physical relationship? And Kokichi wouldn't want to be with him if Kaito didn't want it, Shuuichi was certain. So...it felt important that Shuuichi still wanted this. And he had half been ready to fake it, somehow, if nothing happened inside of him.

But watching Kaito and Kokichi gently tease each other, in various stages of undress...Shuuichi blushed. His insides tightening in that old, frightening way.

At Kokichi's question, Shuuichi flustered again. "U-um..." He knew his immediate reaction was he wanted to put the chocolate syrup on Kaito next, but he felt...weird asking for it. Felt weird asking for anything, really. Wanted to tell Kokichi to just do whatever...it was honestly astounding to Shuuichi now, looking back (sort of. Again, It was...really hard to really look at those memories right now) at his sessions with Miss Nao, and how...bold he had been, sometimes. How much he had begged for it all...now he felt weird even asking...perverted...like the fact that he was enjoying this and wanted to do it was some sort of secret he was still trying to keep, for some reason...

And then Shuuichi jolted a little, surprised out of his own head as he felt fingers reach out against his legs, Kaito running his fingers down the back of his thighs as he looked over at him in open, teasing delight as the prince demanded, "Hey, come on, Shuuichi! Don't hold out on me! Do you want me to beg for it? Fine, I'll beg. Can I pleaaaaase have some licorice?" Kaito begged him...then, grinning, his brow furrowed, lust plain and naked on his face, he winked and said, "Preferably with a side of detective. Please and thank you!"

Shuuichi looked down at the licorice in his hands, surprised. Right! Right. He had forgotten what he was actually doing...and he suddenly felt foolish. Glancing between Kokichi and Kaito. Kokichi was now half-dressed, his face partly covered in the green syrup, pawing at Kaito's legs. Kaito would absolutely be fucking both of them right this second if they had let him, and wasn't even kind of trying to hide his desire for them.

He wasn't...well, if he was perverted and wrong and...dirty...for wanting this, then...well, it wasn't going to be Kokichi and Kaito who would want to make him feel shitty about it. They were enjoying themselves too. They wanted him to have fun. To take advantage. So...

"Um...sorry, yeah. I think chocolate sauce would go really well with the strawberry syrup, actually...a-and maybe we could put the sprinkles on top of it?" Shuuichi asked Kokichi, smiling slightly. A little embarrassed but kind of...pleased about it?

Especially as Kaito laughed, nothing mocking in it, just the guy having fun with the scenario as he said, "Yesss! That'd make me, what...a sundae? Isn't that what it's called, when you put chocolate and strawberry and sprinkles on ice cream? And some other stuff. Either way! Fuck yeah, totes wanna be a sundae! Now come on! Licorice! It's driving me crazy just watching you hold it!"

Shuuichi laughed. "Alright, alright...hold on."

He was going to put it in Kaito's mouth at first, but remembering what Kokichi had done with the chocolate...Shuuichi bit at one end of the licorice, leaning over and offering it to Kaito from between his teeth. Kaito looked just as excited for this as for when he saw what Kokichi was doing, and immediately bopped his head up, taking the rest of the licorice, but using the closeness to kiss at Shuuichi as well. When Shuuichi started to pull away, Kaito groaned, putting his hand on the back of Shuuichi's neck, holding him close as he whined, "Nooooo, stop leaving me...you both taste so good..." Another deep kiss, Kaito's cock jumping again, especially as he felt Kokichi's hands start to dip in that area, starting to fill in his lust and desire for them as he moaned, "Stay...wanna keep you..."

"Mmm!" Kokichi hummed, taking an eager, quick jaunt back over to the dresser to grab the extra items, practically able to feel Kaito's gaze on his ass as he left despite Shuuichi being more than an adequate attention-grabber. Strawberry-chocolate sprinkled Kaito...yum! "One Kai-chan sundae coming up!"

Kokichi giggled a bit at Kaito's needy stream of consciousness as he started applying the toppings to his abdomen, just having a lot of fun with all this. Having fun watching Kaito's desire grow, watching Shuuichi get more comfortable, enough to relax and enjoy himself too.

He poured out the chocolate sauce first, creating a base not just all over Kaito's abdomen, but close enough in the center that as Kaito's body heat caused the sauce to spread, it wouldn't have as many chances to drip onto the bed. Then, on top of that, he drizzled zig-zags of the strawberry syrup, the faint pink color making Kaito look like a true dessert. Then he liberally coated the whole thing in sprinkles, his mouth watering at the sight.

But that was mostly for Shuuichi.

Taking the same ingredients, Kokichi quickly repeated the process down on Kaito's crotch, getting as far down his dick as he could before the angle of Kaito's growing arousal made it impossible. And then, before it had a chance to melt too much, Kokichi leaned over and closed his lips around his husband's sweet cock, the wrong way, but still eagerly sucking and licking the syrupy mess up into his mouth.

As Shuuichi allowed Kaito to kiss him, doing his best to keep up as Kaito eagerly captured and re-captured his lips and tongue, his eyes widened slightly as the pressure on the back of his neck suddenly went from feathery and light, an invitation to stay, to a sudden squeeze, every muscle of Kaito that Shuuichi could feel tensing as Kaito suddenly gasped.

"'Kichi," Kaito seemed to breathe, a haze of dumb lust coming over his face, which Shuuichi watched with sudden, fascinated interest. Other than his own expression in the mirror (which was ugly) and seeing, in his own haze of mad lust, Kokichi finish on top of him (beautiful), this was the first time Shuuichi, more or less sane, had gotten to see arousal really start to build in a person. As Shuuichi started to hear the noises of Kokichi humming cheerfully against Kaito's cock, the sounds of his tongue running against his skin, Shuuichi could see Kaito almost immediately start to lose focus, his face reddening as the heat inside of him grew, the grip on his neck immediately loosening after the initial squeeze, a small, "Whoops...my bad..." on Kaito's lips as he gave his detective a sheepish look, rubbing soothing circles on the back of his beck, but even in that moment of consideration, the look on Kaito's face was still...

It was really, genuinely fascinating, watching someone start to lose their grip on their senses.

"Kaito looks cute, Kokichi," Shuuichi observed, as Kaito just laughed at this, giving Shuuichi an incredulous look as, undisturbed, Shuuichi continued to observe. "Whatever you're doing, it's having an immediate effect."

"H-hey now...don't f-fucking do your data-analysis thing now dude...t-time and place," Kaito half muttered, half teased, his breathing starting to come in heavier as he looked down at Kokichi, something increasingly desperate on his face, though he was clearly trying to keep his head as, letting go of Shuuichi's neck, he put his hands behind his own head again, attempting his easy grin. "A-and...fuck....y-you better hurry with that sundae 'Kichi made...s-starting to...a-ah...'Kichi..."

Whatever Kaito was trying to say was lost in his arousal as Kaito suddenly only had eyes for his husband, working at his head, but Shuuichi didn't mind. He was still enjoying the analysis. The change in personality, in self-control, maybe even intelligence? ...further evidence will need to be collected...multiple experiments with both available parties...no hypothesis established or desired yet. Just a general collection of data, see where it goes...could be a lot of fun...

Shuuichi blinked, taken out of his own head again, looking over at the sundae. Ah, the syrup was spreading. That was what Kaito was trying to point out.

And Shuuichi suddenly laughed. His analytical mind teased by the idea of exploring his partners and their reactions to things in the future...but his new, extremely odd craving for sweets overcoming it as Shuuichi said, a sweet smile on his face, "That actually looks amazing. Thanks Kokichi," before leaving Kaito to his increasing panting and moaning, going to dig in to the feast his boyfriend had made for him.

Kokichi smirked against Kaito's skin, giggling a bit as Shuuichi came to the same conclusion he had. Kaito was, indeed, very cute. In everyday life, in how he got excited over things and pumped up everyone else around him, to in bed, his adoring calls of his lovers' names, the tensing of his muscles and little gasps and whines. Very, very cute.

Looking over to Shuuichi, Kokichi gave him a wink and a thumbs-up before he returned to cleaning up Kaito's dick of sugar, which didn't actually take long, since Kokichi was well-experienced in being a sweets vacuum. Once he was done, though, Kokichi didn't move off his husband's cock, just taking a few wet swallows to clear his mouth as well as he could before the real fun began.

Parting for just a moment, Kokichi tossed his shirt away, getting comfortable in nudity, before climbing up in the bed, kneeling around Kaito's legs, placing a few kisses around Kaito's thighs.

"Kai-chan is just incredibly cute," Kokichi affirmed with a few more kisses, smiling with every sound Kaito made. "This is just the beginning, but Shuu-chan will get to see how adorable Kai-chan is when he's pleasured."

And with that, Kokichi settled himself down and took Kaito's cock into his mouth properly, caressing his head with his tongue and gently pumping the shaft with his hands, rubbing up and down but in little circles too.

"You...y-you both are weird..." Kaito grumbled, starting to squirm as Shuuichi licked up and down his stomach, getting more and more comfortable spreading his fingers anywhere that suited him across Kaito's body, and just...looking up to observe Kaito every now and again, apparently fascinated with his expressions as Kaito started to struggle to swallow around the water pooling in his mouth. "...n-not cute...like, like, the word you're looking for is d-dashing or heroic or o-oooh, mmmmm-!" Kaito pulled his hands out from under his neck, putting them over his face as his whole body tensed and shuddered under Kokichi's attentions, just trying to collect himself as he found it increasingly difficult to think about anything else.

He wanted to buck his hips. To move. Not because Kokichi wasn't doing a good job. His desires never had anything to do with that. He was just...not very good at being still. At not, just...taking action. Pushing back, constantly. Again, it had never really been a problem back at home. Despite Shuuichi and Kokichi's observations together, Kaito really did have, at the very least, one all important 'type', or character trait, that would qualify someone for more than just a one-night stand for him, and this particular type of person was difficult to control in any meaningful way. A trait that he enjoyed so god damned much and found so fucking attractive that he went out of his way to try to instill in it almost everyone he had ever met.

They had to be self-confident.

Maybe not self-confident all the time, or in everything they did. But often enough and strongly enough that they had real, self-evident, self worth. It was hard to take advantage of someone who knew their own value. You had to go out of your way to be a particular kind of controlling asshole to keep pushing something onto someone who knew how to tell you clearly 'No' and not be intimidated or guilt-tripped into backing down. And Kaito was, thankfully, not one of those kinds of assholes.

He was just the kind of asshole who had a hard time convincing himself to stop if no one else seemed bothered, or was at least willing to admit they were bothered, by what he was doing.

So yes. He wanted to buck his hips. Frankly, he wanted to sit up, rip the clothes off of Shuuichi, take turns face-fucking both of them, and then take turns plowing both of them until the only reason one wasn't screaming his name was because the other one was currently keeping him busy.

But...Kokichi had said no, and meant it, and Kaito was fully ready to respect that. Understood it. So he wouldn't. And Shuuichi, for all of his insecurities, reservations, and shyness right now...had been the one to pull him back when Kaito was prepping to put Kokichi onto his back. Like Maki had told Seiko, Shuuichi wasn't passive. His social anxieties made it more difficult for him to be assertive all the time, and his forced lifestyle as a slave certainly didn't help that perspective...but he was more than capable of fighting back when he wanted to, and Kaito, who grew up with him, knew this.

To put Shuuichi into context that makes sense for the narrative?

An extremely, almost desperately horny Shuuichi, on the effects of the pollen, had allowed Nao to stay in his room even when after just the first few minutes of everything starting, it had occurred to him that it was a terrible idea and he wasn't ready for the kind of intercourse she clearly had in mind.

An extremely, almost desperately horny Shuuichi, not on the effects of the pollen? Would have told her to leave after the first few minutes and would’ve gone to Maki or Kaito for help if she had insisted on staying.

He wasn't passive. He wasn't weak. Maki knew this. Kaito knew this. Shuuichi would...one day remember this. And then he'd get to show Kokichi that side of himself.

But for now, Kaito was going to hold back on him a little, just to let his friend get on his feet again.

And Kaito was fairly certain that day was coming sooner rather than later, when he felt Shuuichi's hands on his arms, pulling his arms away from his face as Shuuichi said, chin covered in chocolate and a slightly amused look on his face, "Kaito, come on...don't hide. I really like watching your expressions..."

"M-monsters...both of you are going to be monsters..." Kaito groaned, his dick growing thick and stiffening under Kokichi's attention.

Kokichi laughed around Kaito's dick at his protests, his insistence that he was something more "manly" than cute--as if being cute was gendered in any way--which, honestly, just made him cuter. Kokichi liked it when Kaito laid him out on his knees or on his back and fucked him while he called Kokichi all sorts of flattering, lovely things, but he liked this too. Kaito squirming in his own pleasure, trying to keep the image of composure and just being cuter with every noise and shudder that escaped.

It just made Kokichi feel like...Kaito was actually enjoying being with him, with them. With Kokichi and Shuuichi specifically, instead of just another body. Something that made him stand out from all the other people who Kaito had taken to bed.

Pressing his tongue flat and firm against Kaito's head, Kokichi dipped down a bit farther, letting his teeth just barely graze the lip of Kaito's head as he gently bobbed up and down, gradually coaxing the rising cock more and more as he could feel Kaito's arousal grow. After a bit, he had to scoot up on Kaito's thighs a little, following the cock as it rose. Something that Kokichi had managed to do on his own. Something that was starting to reflect in Kokichi's body too, his chubby cock starting to poke at Kaito's leg a little.

He kept in mind every tip his husband had ever given him, the tips to Shuuichi too, and, for a moment, Kokichi relaxed his jaw and kept his throat swallowing as he dipped farther down Kaito's cock, just firm enough for his head to push into Kokichi's throat for just a moment before the Dicean Prince came back, still stroking Kaito all the while.

Fuck Kaito was going to lose it, fuck fuck fuck!

He kept having to swallow spit down, kept having to fight his own body as it demanded he move, touch, grab, do. It felt good, it felt good but- "'Kichi, 'Kichi, please-" Kaito found himself begging, grasping at the sheets beneath him now that Shuuichi had moved his arms away from his face, finding himself flustered and a little embarrassed as Shuuichi kept taking breaks from his snacks to look over him, each pause causing him to look more and more pleased with whatever he was seeing in Kaito. "P-please, boss, I-I need-ah!"

Kaito's shoulders jolted as he felt a spark of electricity run from his groin to his chest as Kokichi, just for a moment, his throat tightened around Kaito's head, teasing and pressing around him before that pressure let up. Desperate, Kaito was getting desperate, he was gonna be good, he was gonna be good, but fuck!!

"Kaito, not yet..." Shuuichi said softly, spreading the bits of the sauce that hadn't been eaten up yet by him around Kaito's stomach with his fingers, considering the strawberry/chocolate against his digits and licking it slightly before bringing his hand over to Kaito, offering his fingers to his boyfriend, "Here. To keep you occupied."

"M-mmnnnn~!" Kaito moaned, biting his lip for a moment before taking Shuuichi's chocolate covered fingers into his mouth, just...wanting to cum and to move and starting to sweat...staring at the ceiling as Shuuichi took his fingers away, his cock so fucking...he was so full...he wanted to give what he had to Shuuichi and Kokichi. "Want you..."

Beside him, literally only comprehending in this moment that between the three of them, Shuuichi was the only one not naked...seeing the desperate desire on Kaito's face, the fun, laughing smirk on Kokichi's...

...this was a...they weren't going to...no one here would hurt him. No one was going to laugh at him or...point out all the things wrong with him. He...was pretty sure...

Shuuichi looked down at his shirt and, not really sure if he was actually comfortable or not...just kinda wanting to be at their level, more than anything else...he took slightly shaking hands and kicked off his shorts first, looking down at his grotesque, long dick for a moment, just...he was allowed to keep his shirt on, he was allowed, they wouldn't make him take it off...

...and then remembering what Kokichi had said about how he could put clothes back on after he took them off, if he wanted to, and feeling slightly comforted by this (he could just put it back on if it was bad he could just put it back on it was fine it was fine they liked him no one would laugh or hurt him it was fine) he took his hands underneath his light blue shirt and started to pull the shirt up...

...he got it up to his chest and lost his courage, immediately pulling it back down, his whole body shaking.

Not ready. He wasn't ready.

A deeper blush bloomed across Kokichi's cheeks, more than the pink of arousal, at being called "boss". He had teased Kaito pretty badly before... His cock was full and twitching, by now Kokichi knew enough to recognize the signs he was feeling and...he just felt proud. Making Kaito feel so good that he was moaning and ready to cum...

Kokichi pulled off of Kaito's dick and laid a soft kiss to his wet head, unsure if he wanted to make Kaito cum just yet. On one hand, he wanted to give his husband that pleasure, but on the other, he wasn't sure if he wanted the fun to end just yet.

Glancing up as he caught Shuuichi moving around, Kokichi smiled softly. It would've been perfectly fine if Shuuichi had wanted to remain clothed the entire time. If he would've wanted them to touch him through his clothes, or keep their hands to themselves. But, he was happy to see that Shuuichi was comfortable enough to take off his pants and to consider his shirt.

Kokichi spent a moment just appreciating Shuuichi's body, the soft curves of his hips and ass, his strong, thick thighs, that impressively huge cock, before he gave Kaito's cock a few more kisses and hummed, getting his lovers' attention. "Hey, checkin' in--do you guys wanna fuck? I'm happy to finish Kai-chan off if nah." With a smirk, he took Kaito's head back into his mouth and swirled his tongue around it, looking up at Kaito the whole time, mischief and affection glittering in his gaze.

"Do I wanna? What kind of question...course I wanna...wanna make you scream..." Kaito grumbled, absolutely befuddled as to why this wouldn't be the only thing he could possibly want to do right now, or ever. All he wanted to do was fuck them... though...he wasn't sure if he'd be able to. At least not as long as he usually tried to. That was the main reason he tried not to get himself too worked up before he opened up his partners and got them close. Fuck. How was he going to keep himself from cumming before they were finished!?? There were two of them even!! Fuck!!! Come on Kaito, take your breaths...in, hold it...one, two, three...out...one, two, three...wanted them...

As Kaito tried to get himself back under control, Shuuichi, who was far more coherent right now, actually considered the question more seriously. He was aroused, definitely, and he could feel his cock hardening a little at everything going on...but a double penetration right now seemed...a little much, honestly. So he said, "I think I'd like to, but...I don't have to? If that makes sense? If it's easier to not, that's fine with me..."

"What? Noooooo." Kaito groaned, getting up onto his elbows (ow, ow, cast, Kaito! Remember your cast you idiot!) and staring in a determined, aroused haze at Kokichi, saying, "Let me, let me, you'll both get off, it'll feel really good, I promise, please 'Kichi, don't finish me off yet, I can do you both, fuck!"

Shuuichi snickered, realizing what Kaito was insisting he could do. "Kaito, you really wanna try fucking both of us? You're already almost about to burst..." Shuuichi, for a brief second, almost wanted to offer to just fuck Kaito once he had fucked Kokichi. Then they'd all get off through fucking...but the mental image of trying to fuck Kaito...

Shuuichi's face suddenly went bright red. Too flustered to offer, though finding the mental image...very intriguing. M-maybe...maybe someday...but what he actually said was, "If you both just want to sleep together, I'd be okay. I could..." Shuuichi paused, feeling weird saying this, "...watch?"

Kokichi snorted softly, finding Kaito's eagerness endearing, but, of course, he wasn't the only person he was asking. Shuuichi was definitely enjoying this, but Kokichi didn't want to push him past where he was uncomfortable. It was why he hadn't just tugged Shuuichi close and offered to help him situate himself on Kaito's cock.

Taking a look at them all, though--Kaito ready and raring to go, determined to make the both of them feel good too even though Kokichi had brought him to the edge; Shuuichi comfortable and pleasured, though not very worked up; and Kokichi, horny and eager to get things going in some way...

Kokichi shrugged a little at Shuuichi. "If that's what you wanna do. This is your prize, so I was just wonderin' if you wanted to ride Kai-chan or somethin' but..." Kokichi trailed off in thought for a moment, flattening his hands to rub Kaito's crotch and thighs, playing with his balls for a moment before he hummed. "If Shuu-chan did just wanna watch, how 'bout he helps stretch me, and Kai-chan can calm down a little while we do so he doesn't explode the second he gets in me?"

"Or...if you wanted to do more of somethin', we could do that, then Kai-chan could fuck me from behind while Shuu-chan and I grind?" He looked between his boyfriend and husband with another little shrug and a sweet, adoring smile. "Whatever you guys feel like doin', really. I want us all to have fun."

"Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! To all of that! All of that is good!" Kaito insisted, looking over to Shuuichi, just, not wanting to push, but please Shuuichi???

Shuuichi, in turn, just blushed, turned on by the image...before looking at Kokichi in concern. "I...don't really know how to do that. And I don't want to do anything that might...leave you unprepared or something," Shuuichi said, again, thinking back to the rants Kaito used to give him about his frustration with partners who couldn't be bothered to take the time before shoving their dicks into places that can hurt...remembered that disappointment when he hadn't felt that pain when Nao had first put something inside of him...

...and then had been in so much pain that he couldn't actually walk for three days, no matter how good the pain had felt to him...

Yeah. He didn't want to do it wrong.

"...but if someone guides me, and makes sure I did it right..." Shuuichi shrugged, again, still blushing at the imagery that Kokichi had put into his head, "Yeah. I'm into it."

Kokichi gave Shuuichi another kind, understanding, very turned on smile and hopped off the bed for a moment to get the lube. "I'll let you know how you're doin', alright? I'm sure Shuu-chan will do great, but I'll let him know if I need more or less or whatever. And if you need more pointers than that, well, we do have the best coach around." Kokichi gave Kaito a wink as he climbed back on the bed now beside Kaito's legs, on the same side as Shuuichi.

Not wanting to make Shuuichi have to hold him up, Kokichi got on his knees and raised his ass in the air while he crossed his arms in front of him and lowered his head and shoulders to rest on them, the lube right next to one of his spread legs.

...and, this way, they couldn't see his red face from so easily going into such a compromising position.

"Okay, so, get some lube into your hand, right? Cover, like...I'd say your pointer and middle fingers? You can always get more. Th-then...slick up my hole and start pushing in. ...s-slowly, please."

Kaito, who had been entirely distracted by the fact that he'd cum if he so much as sneezed unexpectedly right now, suddenly, inexplicably, found that he was totally fine and, sitting up and cross legged, elbows on his knees and head resting in his hands, was watching, eyes practically sparkling, at the upcoming show. O-oh fuck...Kokichi was so cute...look at him...Kaito wanted him so bad...Kaito found himself looking appreciatively at the curve of his back as it led up into his ass. Look at his husband...so intoxicating...

As Kaito just admired his husband, he glanced at Shuuichi...and laughed at the guy’s 'deer in headlights' look. "Come on, Shuuichi. Don't just leave him hanging there. 'Kichi's gonna get cold, handsome!"

"R-right!" Shuuichi said, once again coaxed out of his head, having just been so flustered at seeing Kokichi in such a compromising position, waiting on his attention. Wow. Uh...w-wow… "Just...tell me if I'm doing it wrong," Shuuichi said, talking to both Kaito and Kokichi as he grabbed the lube, carefully running it through his fingers (it was thicker than his mucus. And smelled somewhat artificial. He's not sure why he felt like making the comparison), coating up his hand (was it too much? Too little? He glanced at Kaito, who was entirely unhelpful, just grinning like a kid who got his hand into the candy jar) before, just in case, taking a little more.

Using his non-lube-covered hand, Shuuichi ran what he hoped was a, if not arousing, then maybe just a comforting hand over Kokichi's back and over the curve of his waist (...rubbing his back, a reward for her whore doing a job well done...) and feeling a shiver run down his spine out of nowhere, not really sure why. He just...wanted to reassure that he was going to be careful. So he rubbed at Kokichi's back for a moment, taking some of the chill from his skin, before taking his long, thin fingers and rubbing some of the lube in between his cheeks, not entirely certain what all parts would need it and just wanting to cover all the bases. Once he did that, he used his thumb to push some of the lube from the bottom of his fingers to the top, rubbing at Kokichi's sphincter (it was...smaller than Shuuichi had expected it would be. Pinched closed. Kaito was going to get his dick into there??) for a little bit, not sure if that was affecting anything...before trying to push two fingers in-

Shuuichi’s brow furrowed slightly, worried. "Is...if it doesn't open up, do I just push harder?"

"One finger at a time, handsome," Kaito advised, guessing what the issue was. "That's not a universal thing. Some people you could start with two and be fine. You could do three right off the bat! Everyone's different. But our 'Kichi's just a little thing. Thin hips. You gotta open him little by little."

Shuuichi nodded, sort of just allowing Kaito's attempt at helpful ranting to wash over him as he stopped trying to press his two fingers into Kokichi, taking one finger and, going slowly, pushing his way in.

That was much more smooth. And wow...this was strange. Kokichi was warm on the inside. And...he was dry. That was strange to Shuuichi. No mucus...but, well, that was the point of the lube. To make it easier to push and pull inside of him, right? So Shuuichi, not really certain what he was trying to do, just started doing that, moving his finger in and out of Kokichi.

Kokichi was quite happy where he was, but it was still...embarrassing. He wondered if that was just a newbie thing, getting so bold for a moment before just flustering himself, or a him thing. But Kaito had never maliciously teased him for it, and Shuuichi wasn't either now, so...it was fine. He trusted them.

But he still hid his face in his arms, even facing away from them already, his cheeks burning. Though, he did smile as he felt Shuuichi give his back a little rub, a sweet gesture that was definitely appreciated. Probably helped the anticipatory shiver that went down Kokichi's spine when Shuuichi started rubbing lube around his sphincter, getting him good and slicked up.

Though... Kokichi could definitely tell Shuuichi used two fingers right off the bat, his hole unyielding so the detective was more just...pushing against his crack. With how big Shuuichi was...probably figured two was a small start. ...he probably wasn't as soft as Shuuichi was used to, if he'd ever fingered himself. Tighter. Drier.

...but just because they were different, didn't mean he was bad.

Kokichi relaxed a little as Kaito chimed in, assured again that all people were different. And that relaxation was needed as Shuuichi pushed in with one finger, going in this time and...

"Nmmm..." He already felt a little tight. Shuuichi's fingers were thinner than Kaito's, a little smoother, less calloused. Different, but, "Ah..."

Definitely good. Little by little, Kokichi could feel his rings start to loosen back up, each pass of Shuuichi's finger a little easier...especially because he was just doing the same thing. "Unnm...Shuu-chan? You're doin' great! Next thing, if you wanna try...like...kinda feel around? Dunno how to explain it, really. Press against my walls, help me open up more. Like Kai-chan said, I'm small, so I gotta work a little more to fit him."

Shuuichi's brow furrowed slightly more, flustered and concerned as he tried to understand what Kokichi meant. "Um...okay, I'll..."

"God, you're both precious." Kaito sighed happily, just entirely pleased by all this as he admitted, "I'm gonna miss these days, when you're both all new and learning and stuff, I can already tell. Ah well. Alright! The ultimate nob-gobbler is coming in with more advice!"

Getting onto his knees, Kaito shuffled over, first, just because he wanted to, leaning over to kiss Kokichi's back, running his hands over Kokichi's shoulder blades, smoothing out his muscles there as, kissing once and then again, he practically hummed, "You're doing great, beautiful. You can relax now. We've got you. Gonna get you all ready...here, do me a favor, babe. Suck at my fingers a little?"

Kaito could have just done it himself, or grabbed the lube...but he loved this shit, watching Kokichi peeking up from his cradle in his arms, taking his husband’s two outstretched fingers into his mouth, sucking at them a little and running his tongue over them, covering them in spit before going back to his resting position, those beautiful purple eyes looking up at him...

"Stunning," Kaito praised, before turning to Shuuichi.

As he looked over at Shuuichi, looking him over in appreciation, he grinned wide in approval at what he saw, before taking Shuuichi's face into his hands and kissing him hard, Shuuichi's finger still inside of Kokichi and, startled, not really sure what to do, Shuuichi just allowed his face to be led, again, just doing his best to keep up with Kaito as the man kissed at him, tongue pushing into his mouth, Kaito just enjoying himself.

...then, as Kaito was kissing him, he snuck his hand around Shuuichi's waist, snaking his hand down over Shuuichi's ass and, using two fingers, pushed them inside.

"K-kaito!" Shuuichi shouted, surprised, though Kaito just captured his lips again, kissing him gently now, exploring the inside of Shuuichi's ass, taking note of the differences this time. And there were some differences. The mucus was indeed gone, and...his hole was shrinking, Kaito realized. Three fingers had been almost nothing, last time. Now two fingers were fighting for space. Interesting.

The prostate was still inflamed though, and that probably contributed to Shuuichi's sudden trembling and quickness of breath as Kaito played with him.

Breaking the kiss, Kaito gave Shuuichi an adoring, gentle look, as he continued to play, and said, "Alright, you feel that? How I'm focusing on one part of your wall and then, when I feel it loosen a little, moving on to the bit just next to it, just circling around, little by little? Do that for Kokichi, but even gentler, okay? And when his skin doesn't feel like it's resisting you anymore? Then you can start pushing in a second finger. Now, our 'Kichi is a little greedy. He might start telling you he's ready for more when he's not. That's gonna have to be a judgement call, on your end, but I wouldn't recommend inserting anything larger until you don't feel any dry spots anymore, at least. And~" Kaito kissed Shuuichi again, touching at Shuuichi's prostate, causing his boyfriend to shudder against him again, "when you've got him opened up enough? I'm gonna show you a real neat trick. Show you where to press to hear all sorts of fun 'Kichi noises..."

Taking his hand out of Shuuichi, he lightly slapped his ass a little, causing Shuuichi to gasp, and said with a wink, "You got this, handsome!" before pecking him on the cheek and then backing up. Going back to his original sitting position, happily watching.

Shuuichi, extremely flustered and worked up now, half glared at Kaito, so distracted now... who just grinned good-naturedly at him. Rolling his eyes a little and huffing, Shuuichi returned his attention to Kokichi...admittedly with a much better idea of what he was supposed to be doing right now.

Like he had felt Kaito do, Shuuichi started curling his finger upwards, moving around little by little...pushing and massaging...

Kokichi rolled his eyes with a smile at Kaito's cooing adoration, delighting in the kisses he felt on his back, Kaito's more familiar hand giving him a rub too. And while Kaito could very easily just use lube too, Kokichi just gave him a fond smirk as he took Kaito's fingers into his mouth, still thankfully saliva-rich from blowing him. Looking over his shoulder, Kokichi gave his husband and boyfriend a little wink before lying back down.

He snickered a little bit as he felt Shuuichi's finger tense, hearing the small smacks of kisses behind him, wondering what Kaito's plan wa--

It was Kokichi's turn to jolt, his hole squeezing Shuuichi's finger momentarily as he looked back over at the scene behind him, alarmed by Shuuichi's shout but...he didn't look upset or even too overwhelmed. Kokichi watched in rapt amazement as Kaito fingered Shuuichi, growing a little hotter himself as he watched Shuuichi tremble and gasp, experienced enough to get a good guess of what his boyfriend was feeling. Feeling Kaito's adept fingers pushing and massaging and infuriatingly in the best way rub against every spot that made you writhe and moan...

Kokichi swallowed hard, feeling his dick stiffen more and his hole try to draw Shuuichi in more.

Cheeks cherry-red, Kokichi laid down once again but kept his face turned to the side, able to see Shuuichi just in the corner of his vision. Snorting softly, he turned a dry gaze onto Kaito, spreading his legs a little more and settling his hips. "I only ask for more because Kai-chan exploits that 'fun noise' spot, just, constantly. You try keeping your head while someo-waa...ahhh~" His voice broke off into a pleased sigh, feeling Shuuichi start to really loosen him up. In his usual fashion, little happy hums started coming from Kokichi's throat as he gently rocked back into Shuuichi's finger...but that didn't mean he was done talking.

Sending an aroused grin over his shoulder, Kokichi breathily laughed. "Ahh... I'm guessing you got a good demonstration then? Mm... If you think about it...Shuu-chan just had Kai-chan and me inside him at the same time again...all while Shuu-chan's inside me. Just...ah, yeah....feels good..."

His hums and little bits of praise only increased in frequency as Shuuichi added another finger, Kokichi gently rocking back into him with a lazy, pleased smile on his rosy face.

Kaito was a sinner. That was the conclusion he always came to when he found himself, just...this aroused. Even when it was entirely harmless lust...Kaito knew, without a doubt, that there would be a whole level of his trials, if not several, put in place for him to make him think long and hard about why he found Shuuichi determinedly opening up a happy, rocking Kokichi...his boyfriend prepping his husband in anticipation for Kaito's dick...f-fuck...he hoped when he got to that level in the trials, it wasn't going to be anything too difficult to overcome. Nothing like resisting visiting these memories or something, or not doing similar things with them (...both of them?) within the trials themselves when given the chance.

He'd never make it to paradise, honestly.

Listening to Kokichi, Kaito had a strong desire to just...take Shuuichi from behind and thrust into him while Shuuichi continued his work on Kokichi. Which was silly and unrealistic. No way Shuuichi would be able to focus, not if Kaito was doing it right...but it was a fun thought. And would probably be repurposed into masturbation material later...

Man. When was the last time Kaito had masturbated?

Amused by this thought, Kaito just chuckled, shaking his head when Shuuichi looked over at him in concern. "You're doing amazing, Shuuichi. Listen to him right now, not me; hear those happy little hums? That means you're doing just fine. I'll stop you if I see an issue."

"Oh...okay..." Shuuichi said, looking back down at Kokichi, just...flustered and a little flattered, watching Kokichi apparently entirely enjoying his touch. He looked...happy and relaxed and aroused and pleased...occasionally looked back at Shuuichi with an expression of open adoration and lust...it was...kinda fascinating...a-and incredibly ego-boosting, Shuuichi feeling a little more confident in his touches the more pleased Kokichi seemed by them.

Feeling emboldened, Shuuichi copied what he had seen Kaito do, still working Kokichi's insides as he leaned over and, gently, a tad hesitantly, he kissed at Kokichi's back...and then tried to compliment him.

"You...y'you're...you're really s-soft, Kokichi...a-and patient..." Another series of gently placed kisses. "I...I like you a lot...the walls feel softer...I'm gonna push in another f-finger, okay?"

Kokichi grinned a little wider, a little brighter, when he felt a soft kiss against his back. As much as he enjoyed the sex--and he really enjoyed it-- these moments of tender affection were the ones that he would tuck away into his heart, memories that would blossom up every time he felt especially fond of Kaito or Shuuichi, ones that not even the bad thoughts he had would be able to tarnish.

"I like you a lot too, Shuu-chan," Kokichi murmured back, rocking into Shuuichi's hand as he did. "A whole lot a lot...you're makin' me feel real good. Our brilliant, beautiful, curious, fun...nmm...wonderful Shuu-chan... Might take back that 'patient' comment though..." he giggled, giving the go-ahead for another finger, still keeping Kaito's promise in the back of his head. Hopefully Shuuichi would be a bit kinder and not...yanno, massage his sweet spot until Kokichi was begging for Kaito to fuck him just so they could actually do something before he came.

"Hnnnm... Wish I could fit Shuu-chan's cock...but we just gotta figure out other ways." As much as he'd like to try, Kokichi wasn't that far gone in his lust. Kaito barely fit as it was, and Shuuichi was much bigger. Still, if they were gonna go with the plan he laid out, he was looking forward to bucking and grinding against him, probably with extra force from Kaito thrusting into him.

"Nnggg-hahhh..." Kokichi felt his walls relax and loosen a little more, now comfortably trying to draw Shuuichi's slender, lovely fingers deeper into him, his entrance occasionally pulsing around him.

"You three in?" Kaito asked, excited. Recognizing that sound.

Shuuichi gave him a wary look. "...yeah?"

"Okay! Perfect! Alright, you're almost done Shuuichi. Now, the next thing I'm gonna show you needs to be treated like the god damned super power that it is, okay? Gotta use it wisely and responsibly...unlike myself. Who just does it because I love the reactions." Kaito sighed, shuffling over again. Noting the wariness coming off Shuuichi (not in a negative way, necessarily. Shuuichi was just aware that Kaito could be a little forward and impulsive and was reminded from the earlier fingering that he needed to keep an eye on him if he didn't want to be as surprised as much), Kaito gave him an appeasing wave of his hand as he said, "Relax. I'm not gonna use you as an example this time. Though yours is tons of fun to push too, so you know. No, here's what I want you to do..."

Running his fingers, lightly, up from the middle of Kokichi's back, to the center part of his waist, considering his skin...trying to mentally work out where, roughly, the most accurate place to point would be...he eventually worked out that, more likely than not, it was just about an inch and a half below the tailbone...so running his finger there, he pointed and said to Shuuichi, "You have nice, long fingers, Shuuichi...move your fingertips so that they're pointing up, wrist up, away from the bed...good, yeah, like that," Kaito observed Shuuichi's hand, "and then, gently...trust me, gently...start massaging roughly where I'm pointing."

"It's...not gonna hurt him, right?" Shuuichi asked, suddenly feeling Kokichi's ass tense around his fingers, almost as if in reaction to hearing what Kaito was saying. Was...no, he...he probably wasn't afraid, but...Shuuichi just wanted to make sure... "I don't want to hurt him," Shuuichi insisted to Kaito, suddenly nervous.

Kaito looked at him in open confusion, stunned at even the very idea...before shaking his head, taking the back of Shuuichi's head, running his fingers through his hair, and kissing at his cheek as he assured him. "I don't want to hurt you, and I would never trick you or ask you to hurt Kokichi, okay? I don't like the idea of either of you in pain. I'll never want that. You can always feel free to ask me what something is going to do, or clarify if you're uncertain about something I want, or just straight up tell me no and to fuck off...but even saying all that, please know that the last thing I ever want is either of you to be unhappy during this. You don't have to be afraid of me. Just tell me off if I do something stupid and I'll stop. Okay? You're safe. Everyone's safe..." Kaito kissed at his cheek again, his ear, at his forehead, just running soothing fingers through his hair.

"...okay..." Shuuichi said, feeling Kokichi's ass loosen a little again. Feeling a little foolish, that he had maybe overreacted to just feeling Kokichi tense up a little bit. Afraid his fears would break the mood, Shuuichi, gently, started moving his fingers up into the spot that Kaito had pointed out.

...he could feel something? Like a small spot in Kokichi's skin that was slightly more raised than the rest of him. Curious, he felt around it...

Kokichi snorted a bit as he realized that Kaito absolutely was going to follow through, enjoying the feeling of Kaito tracing around his back, instructing Shuuichi what to do... But he felt himself suddenly brace for it, almost involuntarily. Part of it was in anticipation, yeah, but...Kaito never really told him he was going to hit his sweet spot before he did. He'd never had time to prepare for it. And now...

Kokichi turned a little more in surprise when he didn't feel that jolt of pleasure, looking up at Shuuichi and Kaito, seeing Shuuichi's uncertainty...and Kaito's sincere reassurance. Kokichi trusted him, trusted both of them. He wouldn't have let Shuuichi get three fingers deep in his ass if he didn't. Kaito had messed up before...but he wasn't going to make that mistake again, and...and Kokichi would speak up to hold him accountable if things started to veer. They would be better.

Smiling softly over his shoulder, Kokichi rocked his hips back and forth a little. "It's okay, Shuu-chan. I'm more excited for what's comin' next, actually. But same as not wanting something to happen to you, if you don't want to do somethin' to one of us, say the word and we won't ask again, alright? Relationships go both ways."

More aware of his reactions, Kokichi made himself relax more, trying to not overthink things before- "AAAaaaahh~!" He wasn't thinking about how smug Kaito would definitely be, simply pressing into Shuuichi's fingers as his toes curled and he clutched the sheets a little, letting out a happy moan.

As Shuuichi blinked down in astonishment at Kokichi's immediate reaction to the pressure, Kaito just leaned against him, arms around his shoulders, looking entirely pleased as he said softly, an almost lewd expression on his face, "Fun 'Kichi sounds."

Just...entirely fascinated, Shuuichi played with the spot some more, feeling Kokichi, who had been relatively calm before this, start to moan and writhe under his touch, his ass tensing and spasming around Shuuichi's fingers as Kokichi started to rock harder against them, gripping at the sheets below him. Curious how loud Kokichi could get, Shuuichi started to massage more firmly against the spot, Kokichi's body starting to tremble and shake as-

Shuuichi felt a gentle pull at his shoulders, a kiss at his neck that got him out of his observatory state, relaxing his fingers as Kaito whispered into him, "Careful, careful...he's not gonna get to enjoy this last bit if you rile him up too much...like I said, it's a super power. Gotta be responsible with it. He could definitely cum from just you doing that alone...which could be fun for next time. But we have a plan this time, right?"

Kissing Shuuichi's neck again, Kaito let the detective go, sort of...plopping down onto the mattress next to Kokichi, resting his head on his arms and giving Kokichi's red face and hazy eyes a fond grin as he said, "Well, 'Kichi? I think you've worked our boyfriend hard enough. Ready to get on him?"

"Nnga-ah-uuuuu! Ah-ah-ah! Shu-waah!" Kokichi moaned and mewled as Shuuichi worked his sweet spot, making lightning strikes of pleasure shoot through his body, making his gut bubble and his cock twitch and wetten, his ass spasming as his thighs trembled. And, just as when it would be Kaito behind him, laughing and gently teasing and calling him greedy, the crashing waves of pleasure just got stronger and stronger, making Kokichi shake and raise his voice, not thinking at all about how thick the walls were since...well, he'd never had to worry about that at home.

And then he was given a break, just as he really felt he was going to cum early. Kokichi panted, little residual shocks still keeping him tight with arousal as he drooled a little onto the bed, the sheer need in him stopping pretty much all thought for a moment.

It took Kokichi a second to register Kaito's words, still catching his breath, but the mention of getting on top of Shuuichi made his legs shake a little. Nodding, Kokichi started to push himself up on slightly uncoordinated arms. "Ya...yeah...oh god..."

Sitting up, missing the feeling of Shuuichi in him, but knowing that Kaito would be coming soon, Kokichi looked over his boyfriend with blatant lust and desire, his face red and expression sloppy as he took a deep, steadying breath. "C'mon, Shuu-chan...let us make you feel good too. Wanna feel Shuu-chan under me...wanna pleasure him too..."

Just like when Kaito was on the verge of cumming earlier, Kokichi, after being riled up so much...seemed disconnected. Dizzy and both...focused and unfocused, if that made any sense. His speech pattern notably affected, and his body exhausting under the effect of what was being done to it, but the Dicean Prince pushing through it either way, pursuing pleasure with single-minded determination.

It was fascinating to the detective. He wanted to take out his journal and write down every little reaction, track the cause and effect, experiment with hypotheticals. He wondered what actually caused that almost mindlessness in near bursting arousal. Was the effect from the brain or the nerves? Was it placebo? Insufficient evidence, but personal history suggested no. But then, that was observer bias, wasn't it. Could enough pressure make the mental disorientation effect last longer, past the act? Any potentially permanent effects, side effects, to overall cognitive function that could be considered concerning? Ha. If so, that would explain some things about Kaito...

Shuuichi winced internally, looking over at the Luminary Prince, who had laughed at Kokichi's eagerness before sitting up himself, looking happy and expectantly at Shuuichi. That had been...unkind. Kaito wasn't stupid. It had just been a joke to himself, but...especially considering how hard Kaito had been trying for him lately...Shuuichi decided he needed to get out of his head again. These were his lovers, not his experiments. He didn't need to be looking at this like that, not right now, anyway. He just needed to be...present.

So Shuuichi smiled warmly at the approaching smaller prince, reaching out and scooping him up into his arms, kissing him chastely...then daring to go a little deeper, kissing him longer, gently pulling him on top of himself as he laid back down on the bed. "Is this what you all meant?" Shuuichi asked, kissing Kokichi again, enjoying the feeling of the man on top of him, Shuuichi's own erection pressing against Kokichi's stomach, feeling Kokichi's dick resting next to it, swollen and wet and pulsing.

"Yeah, but hold on bud. Let me help you out there. Let me just scoot you over a little bit for a sec, 'Kichi...thanks beautiful," Kaito said, kissing Kokichi's hip, which was now resting against Shuuichi's hip, Shuuichi still holding onto Kokichi as he looked curiously down at Kaito.

Kaito didn't wait or linger. He was so ready to fuck Kokichi. So, taking Shuuichi's dick, Kaito took the head into his hands and, wetting his lips for a second, took it into his mouth.

Shuuichi clutched Kokichi tighter. "...ha...o-oh, Kaito...y-you don't have to...I was already h-hard..."

Kaito ignored this, just focusing on getting Shuuichi harder. Grinding always felt better when you were close to done...had to get Shuuichi closer...

And.

He...he didn't mind spanking Shuuichi. It was a more normal kind of fetish that didn't make Kaito's insides squirm. It wouldn't really...do any permanent damage...

...but he really didn't want to have to try to distress or hurt Shuuichi if he could help it. He really, really wanted Shuuichi to cum without having to be the bad guy again.

So he ran his tongue over Shuuichi's head and swallowed it down and he could feel Shuuichi's legs start to squirm and turn underneath him, his dick swelling against the back of Kaito's mouth, touching his throat. And, swallowing hard, trying not to choke, Kaito tried to take Shuuichi down into his throat.

Nope. Nope nope. Not...fuck Kaito couldn't do it. Not yet anyway. Fuck it was going to take some doing to get used to The Beast going down anywhere. Kaito was ready to work at it! B-but not right now. Holy shit.

So, giving up on deep-throating Shuuichi, he simply worked his shaft with his hands and licked at his head, the way Kokichi had done for him, before coming off Shuuichi's dick with a POP, kissing the head before saying brightly to Kokichi, "Alright! He's ready!"

And he was. Shuuichi's face was now the one red and hazy and his brain dim and sputtering, struggling to be coherent under the pleasure his body was under. In a way, it was alarming. Shuuichi had spent a long, long time in this state...basically all the time. All day every day. And it had been miserable, though he hadn't been conscious of it while it was happening. He never wanted to go back to how it was. Never never never...

But this was just temporary. Temporary, stupid pleasure. And Shuuichi trusted them. They would take care of him. They wouldn't let it last all day. This would feel good and then it would stop and then it would stop...he trusted them. He trusted that.

Feeling Kokichi shuffled back onto him, their dicks trapped between each other again, Shuuichi kissed at Kokichi, just wanting to be affectionate. To show appreciation. To love him.

Then looked up, wide eyed, as Kaito suddenly loomed over them, arms on either side of them as he looked brightly down at them, his grin...sharp and wolfish and excited.

"You guys look amazing..." Kato said, lust and desire in every word, shifting his hips down behind Kokichi, his knees on either side of their bodies as well as Shuuichi suddenly heard Kokichi gasp on top of him, a slick, slurping sound coming from somewhere below them as Kaito gently pushed himself into place. "I'm so lucky...you good, 'Kichi? Everyone feel good? Okay...hold on..."

And then Kaito started to move his hips.

Kokichi grinned with delight as Shuuichi pulled him into his lap and kissed him with full, desirous enthusiasm, already excited with feeling Shuuichi's hard-on next to his, The Beast truly living up to its name as it towered over Kokichi's cock, girthy and firm with arousal. He couldn't wait. It really was a shame he couldn't fit Shuuichi...feeling him cum in him would be amazing, he bet.

And yet, and yet, there was always another step. In the moment, Kokichi was always impatient for the big event, but he enjoyed the process of getting there almost just as much, if not more. He and Kaito working each other up until they couldn't take it, now adding Shuuichi into the mix...it was perfect.

Kokichi watched with wide eyes as Kaito moved him to take The Beast into his mouth and was soon torn between Kaito's absolute mastery and watching Shuuichi start to pant and squirm. Both sights were just...glorious, and Kokichi didn't want to miss a moment. Giggling a bit, he snuggled to Shuuichi's side and held him steady, pressing kisses to his shoulder and neck as he reached down to help Kaito out with any part of the length he wasn't stroking or massaging at any moment, his own arousal just burning hotter seeing Shuuichi's grow.

But then it was time. Kokichi situated himself on top of Shuuichi, returning every kiss and stroking his hair, his legs spread wide to accommodate for Shuuichi's hips, though their softness made them easy to rest against.

And then?

Shuuichi couldn't help tensing, much like Kokichi had when Kaito had warned him that his 'fun noise' spot--prostate, he'd been rubbing Kokichi's prostate--just filled with a sudden shock of pleasure as Kokichi and Kaito bore down on him. For just a moment, he let out a moan that accompanied Kokichi's more drawn out one, his eyes fluttering as he felt the Dicean Prince's cock rub against his own, felt the wet bulb of his head slide along his, now wet as well, length.

And then, again.

Shuuichi didn't have much room to squirm, not with two people ostensibly on top of him, but he still writhed, still felt his knees jump and his thighs shake as he felt the pressure of Kokichi's cock slide along his own.

Kaito didn't hold back. He had been riled up to the point of almost cumming, and then had come back down, and then had been riled up again, aroused and needy and just so excited, watching Shuuichi work at Kokichi, and then working on Shuuichi himself. He was so, so ready to burst, and honestly, he had to be quick to make sure his lovers got theirs before his self control gave out on him.

So he didn't hold back. He pushed and rocked into Kokichi's backside, which felt so, so good around his dick, small, messy noises background noise to the sounds that made Kaito almost lose his fucking mind...Kokichi and Shuuichi, whining and panting and breathing against each other, a fucking...god damn chorus of lust and pleasure that Kaito could happily listen to for the rest of his life.

They were both so beautiful. Beautiful and handsome, both of them. Intoxicating. Kaito wanted to lean down and bite Kokichi, mark him, claim him...but that would limit his movement, and bouncing Kokichi up and down Shuuichi's cock was the only way his other lover was also going to get off. Had he marked Shuuichi yet? Fuck he needed to mark them both. His. His.

"I got you, 'Kichi...f-fuck...I got you both...gonna take care of you both. Mine..." Kaito felt a growl in the word, and let that happen. Enjoying that possessive neediness in him, for just the moment...the way it pushed and compelled him to rock harder, faster, into Kokichi, just wanting to make those noises louder...wanted them to let the whole damn world know that their Kaito was pleasuring them...taking what was his.

Just, for right now. While it was safe to do so. While everyone was prepped and taken care of and comfortable and everything was nearly done. Kaito just wanted to indulge that side of himself.

"Mine, mine..." Kaito panted to himself, staring down at Kokichi's shoulder blades, his husband pressing himself into Shuuichi's collarbone, cute and mewling and beautiful... At Shuuichi's hypnotizing, golden eyes, upturned and dazed with pleasure, looking up at Kaito. Addicted. Kaito could get addicted to that look. Shuuichi...his handsome detective... "F-fuck...want you both. Love you both. Mine."

Kaito's rhythm was intense, unrelenting, so most of the force was coming from him, but Kokichi still moved in time, pressing up against Shuuichi and rocking back into Kaito, continually pressed to one of his lovers if not both. Kokichi had tucked his face against Shuuichi's collarbone, kissing him every moment he could that wasn't taken up by panting and moaning.

Shuuichi certainly appreciated it in an almost disbelieving way, those small, soft lips pressing against him, just for him...

He had certainly enjoyed being filled up with his boyfriends last time, and he would definitely enjoy it again, but right now...he didn't feel that overwhelming need to be filled. To be taken over and over, to feel seed spill inside him and...

Right now, all Shuuichi needed was to feel Kokichi's cock rub against his, to feel Kaito pressing both of them into the mattress. To hear Kokichi's mewls and Kaito's growls. That Kokichi breathed out that he was amazing. To hear that Kaito claimed him as his.

Shuuichi hazily stared up at Kaito, completely unconcerned about making a gross expression at this moment--the mortified introspection and overanalysis would come later--as drool spilled over from the corners of his mouth. He was finding, as Kokichi had that first time, that being wanted felt...incredible.

Kokichi suddenly tensed, crying out in pleasure as he fisted Shuuichi's sleeves, and Shuuichi could feel his smaller dick throb, close, so close...

"Please, please, unph, god, Kaito, Kokichi, please!" Getting a flash of inspiration, Shuuichi started rutting his hips up against Kokichi, proving very clearly that not all of his weight gain had been from fat. He bounced Kokichi on top of him, his, his small b-boyfriend rocked between him and Kaito for a few rough moments before Shuuichi felt his back suddenly arch and he held Kokichi close, not thinking at all about how Kokichi was squishing against his chest as he--

"Aaa-AAAAUUUN~~!!"

"Sh-sh-shu-k-ka-ohh!"

Even if Kaito hadn't been ready to burst before, which he absolutely had been, hearing his lovers both cum more or less together was more than enough to push Kaito over the edge, just another thirty seconds of rutting against them, as hard and as fast as he could for this final push, before feeling himself forced to stop, to grow still, his body shaking and tense as he spilled into Kokichi, his breaths hiccuping with effort as he moaned in time with his orgasm, a deep, guttural "Hr-rrrrrrnnn...hm!" noise, the sound ending in a whine as Kaito rested his forehead on Kokichi's back, breathing heavily at the effort his body had just made.

Kaito's own orgasms were always a lot quieter than Kokichi's, Kaito often finding himself feeling compelled to be quiet, to try to hold it in, if he could. He had no idea where he picked up that little habit, never even noticing he did it until Korekiyo had pointed it out to him, but in the moment he almost felt bad that he hadn't let out a louder sound to join in with his lovers. Wanted to let them know how good he felt, how amazing they had been. Wanted to make them feel loved and confident that they had done well, the way their noises made him feel.

But, well...he had his own way of showing these things, he supposed. So, feeling the last of himself spill and sputter into Kokichi, daring to push his hips in and out of him for a few careful pumps, that post-cum sensitivity biting and sparking at him as he made sure he was really empty of everything he could give, he started his process of kissing at Kokichi, at Shuuichi. There weren't that many bruises this time, Kaito not having gone out of his way to make any, so instead he just focused at parts of their bodies layered with sweat, kissing at their shoulders, their necks, their faces, and each time he kissed one of them, he'd say something like, "Amazing. You're so amazing,” or "Thank you, you did so good."

"You felt so good. Look at you. I could stare at you forever. You're so wonderful."

"You were so patient. Are your hips okay? Gentle now, let me pull out, babe..."

"Did it feel okay, handsome? Are you okay? Do you feel like you need to go again? Good. Good...just so long as you feel good..."

"I love you so much. I love you both so much," Kaito reassured them both, finally pulled out and no longer on top of them, taking his weight off of them but keeping his arms around Kokichi's back, rubbing at his muscles, pressing his lips to Shuuichi's temple, just kissing him gently, trying to radiate a sense of stability. A sense of love.

Kaito then suddenly chuckled, resting his forehead against Shuuichi's hair as he said, "That was a long one, huh? Lots of prep time for that one...it was good though...so worth it...you were both so amazing..."

Kokichi tucked his face against Shuuichi a little more, stifling his whine as Kaito pulled out, satisfied with that warm feeling of his husband finishing inside him but feeling a little over-sensitive as his ass wanted to cling to Kaito but was far too well-lubricated and loosened to put up resistance.

And then, as Kaito fawned over them, Kokichi felt himself relax and calm down to enjoy the afterglow, for now not caring about the mess on his and Shuuichi's stomachs, especially when he felt tentative arms circle around his shoulders. While Kaito got off them, Kokichi felt no need to--one of the advantages of being small, he supposed--and Shuuichi...felt happy.

Feeling Kokichi in his arms, feeling Kaito's warmth curled around them and kissing at his temple...hearing the three of them pant and slowly regain their breath. He...felt like he belonged. At least for now, it felt like...this configuration was how things were supposed to fit.

Especially when he felt Kokichi shift a little, nuzzling his face into his neck and squirming his arms into the bed to hold Shuuichi back, trying to tangle his legs with Kaito's, though he gave up squirming after a moment, feeling far too boneless. "Nmm...wanna sleep with Shuu-chan..."

Kaito immediately felt a sense of guilt run through him. Shuuichi couldn't stay. He had lost that argument. The fact that Kokichi had helped him lose that argument didn't make Kaito feel any less bad about the upcoming reality that he'd have to...sigh...kick Shuuichi out of their room at some point tonight. It was well into the evening now too. Shuuichi would need to take his medicine soon, was probably already late on it, based on when he usually took it...

An hour. He'd give them an hour to nap, then he'd wake them up and go get Maki to take Shuuichi to bed. Yeah...

Fuck that sucked. Kaito didn't want to pass Shuuichi off like a damn football to Maki...he hated the fact that when the nap started, he couldn't let himself sleep with them, because the pollen was still in the room and...he didn't think Shuuichi would mess up by this point. Was certain his lover had gotten a hold of himself in the last few days...

...but fuck, Kaito couldn't risk it. They had made too much progress by now, just to risk it all for some after-sex napping.

But, an hour. He could give them that hour.

"You can," Kaito said, sitting up, kissing Shuuichi on the forehead for a moment, running a thumb through his hair, before kissing Kokichi on the cheek, lingering there for a moment before saying, "You guys sleep for a bit, okay? Then...Shuuichi, you gotta take your medicine and sleep with Maki tonight. Let's do her a favor and take a quick shower when I wake you up later, okay?"

Shuuichi blinked slowly, sighing a little, holding Kokichi close to him. "...kay," he said. Not wanting to argue. Knowing that he was supposed to be sleeping with her on this trip anyway. That was...that was okay...he was allowed to stay and sleep for a bit...that was...okay...everything was okay...that was just how things were, for right now.

Maybe not forever?

Maybe he'd get to stay, someday?

That'd be nice...

...wow...he was tired though...

Kokichi knew that they couldn't. For the first night, at least, they'd agreed that Shuuichi would be better off sleeping with Maki again. He knew that he should roll off of his boyfriend and help them all get clean again, bidding Shuuichi a good night before he could actually sleep.

But he was tiiiiiiireeeeeeed, and his body felt heavy and warm, and Shuuichi was soft and warm and comfortable and entirely cuddleable and Kokichi didn't want him or Kaito out of arm's reach. He groaned, really feeling like a brat as he snuggled into the crook of Shuuichi's neck and shoulder and held him tighter, not wanting to let go

Though, he cracked an eye open in surprise as Kaito...oh, Kaito... His darling husband... Sighing, Kokichi pressed a soft goodnight kiss to Shuuichi's jaw. "One day...we cann'all sleep togeth'r...mmm...love you guys..."

And in true Kokichi fashion, it wasn't long before he was breathing soft snuffles into Shuuichi's shoulder.

The hour came and went, and while his husband and boyfriend slept, Kaito took a quick shower himself and started the process of cleaning up the room. He closed up all the food bags and put the cold items back in the ice, intending to bring them downstairs after Shuuichi was sent off to bed. Not wanting to get the covers sticky, he left them on the floor and untucked the other half of the bed sheets that Shiuichi and Kokichi weren't asleep on, rolling it over them to at least trap some of the heat they were generating with them. He'd finish changing the sheets when Shuuichi left, just put Kokichi on the loveseat in the corner while he cleaned up.

He got all of this done relatively quickly, and spent a good twenty minutes just watching them sleep. Thinking about things.

When the hour was done, he let them sleep a little more, heading out real quick to knock on Maki's door down the hallway. He gave her a sheepish grin when she told him, half scolding, that it was late and she had been debating just going to their door and demanding Shuuichi back already. "That medicine of his has a time-limit, Kaito. The effects will fade if he doesn't take it regularly," Maki scolded, crossing her arms with a huff. "We're trying not to sabotage him, remember?"

Kaito had apologized and asked for twenty more minutes to get him clean, and Maki had conceded, saying his medicine would be ready for him when he got there. Doing his best not to wake Kokichi, Kaito roused Shuuichi, gently coaxing him out from under Kokichi and out of bed, convincing the still half-asleep detective to take a shower.

Shuuichi could, of course, shower by himself...but, he was just...worried about him. A little. He just wanted a chance to talk to him while they were alone, and asked if he could join him for the shower.

Shuuichi seemed to consider it for a moment...before saying no. Not stating why, though Kaito could see Shuuichi push his shoulders forward a bit. Trying to hide the curve of his chest under the bagginess of his shirt.

“Fine...could I talk to you through the curtain while you shower?”

“...why?” Shuuichi had asked.

“Just checking in,” Kaito had replied. Running his thumb over his cheek, pushing some of that loose hair back, he said, "Just wanna make sure everything that happened is okay, handsome."

In the shower, Kaito had wanted to ask Shuuichi if he felt safe. If he felt better lately. Wanted to make sure that his friend wasn't...feeling taken advantage of or anything like that. It was just on Kaito's mind. After all, their first time together, Shuuichi had been half-crazed and desperate. Now that they had all had sex together without any drugs influencing it (a weird constant in Kaito's relationships, lately), he just...wanted to make sure that Shuuichi still felt the same way about things.

He wanted to talk about all that, but Shuuichi asked Kaito why he kept calling him 'handsome' now, and it pretty quickly derailed what Kaito had wanted to say.

"Because...why not?"

"It's...kinda weird, Kaito."

"I call you handsome because you are. You don't like it?"

"No, I mean...you've never called me that before..."

"Wasn't dating you before. I've always thought it though. But that's not news to you. I've been attracted to you since we were kids. My handsome, cool sidekick!"

"...it's kinda weird dating you."

Ah. This was closer to what Kaito had wanted to talk about. But...man, that was not a good start.

"...but you want to, right? Or...I mean, if you...said yes because you...just wanted to date Kokichi...or...if you just don't feel that way anymore..."

"No, no, I-I didn't mean like that! I just...it just feels weird because...you're my best friend...and so is Maki...but the dynamic between all of us has been...different...since we got here. Everything feels weird."

"Here at the beach?"

"No."

"...yeah..."

"...do you think we're ever gonna be normal again? I...I m-miss us..."

"Hey, man, are you okay in there?"

"No."

"...look, this isn't forever. Me and Maki are...going through something right now. That's why we're fighting so much. But we'll get through it and then we'll settle, like we always do. And you and Maki...things are just weird right now because she's worried about you. You know how she gets. Also, I think she might feel a little bad for how little we noticed the last month? About what was happening with you? God knows I don't feel great about it...so, ya know. She's overcompensating. But it'll go back to normal soon."

"...and you and me?"

"Am I really treating you that different?"

"Yes...no...yes?"

"...I don't know, man. I'll try to be better. But I think it's...you and me is like with you and Maki. Once you're, ya know...once you're good, and we know you're good? Like, that everything is...fixed, or settled? Then things can go back to nor-"

"What if I'm never better?"

The shower ran for a while. Steam starting to fill the room. Kaito thought carefully about what he should say.

"...you're already way better now than you have been for a while man...and the medicine will only improve over time..."

"I'm all messed up, Kaito..." Shuuichi murmured, looking down at himself, but not even really just meaning physically. Just...everything.

"No you're not," Kaito said firmly...before sighing. "And, if you are? Then not forever. And...even if some of the things that happened in the last month made changes that are here to stay? That's alright! We'll adapt! Deal with it. You're fine, Shuuichi. Everything is going to feel normal and stable again someday, okay? It's not always gonna feel like this."

"...okay."

Eventually Shuuichi turned off the water, and Kaito left him alone to get dressed, before walking him over to Maki, who opened the door, gave Shuuichi an appraising look, and deciding he looked okay, gave Kaito a goodnight and closed the door behind him. "Me and Shuuichi are going to the museum early tomorrow morning to case it before your trip there tomorrow afternoon. It won't take us long," Maki told him before she did so.

This was the first Kaito had heard of the trip, but he nodded, not surprised. Kokichi had seemed fascinated by the place. It would be fun.

Heading back, he picked Kokichi up and, whispering little reassurances and shushing sounds, dropped him off on the loveseat, just long enough to change out the bedding (surprisingly, the sheets were mostly just covered with the lube and sweat, more than anything else), before picking up Kokichi again and curling up next to him under the covers.

Then, before he fell asleep, he took a second to thank Atua for loving him, and told him about Shuuichi and Kokichi, and how much Kaito loved them, and how worried he always was for them, and asked, a tad uncertainly, does the bonding ritual have to only bind two souls together?

Atua didn't answer. That was okay. Atua hadn't answered him for many, many years now. Probably...probably never had? Kaito had been a very, very imaginative child...but those old memories, of Atua showering him with adoration and reassurance, of playing with him and cheering him on, always in different voices...faint pressures against his cheeks and shoulders, almost like hands, touching and patting him soothingly...assuring him he was loved and protected, at least in those moments...

Every time Kaito felt lost or scared or alone, he thought back to those childhood memories. Felt calmed by them. Even if it had all just been in his head, that was what Atua's love felt like, Kaito knew this. And sometimes he wished he could just pass on that incredibly loved feeling to Kokichi, or Shuuichi, or Maki, or all of them...so he prayed to Atua, told him his worries and concerns and thanked him for everything he had done and hoped he might take care of them as well...

Maybe pay Shuuichi a visit with those reassurances? He really seems like he needs them...

Exhausted, Kaito finished his prayer with a thank you, curling around Kokichi and holding his husband close to him.

-

Hina had an amazing day, honestly.

It was stressful! Of course it was stressful! But, well...that was kind of part of the fun, wasn't it? Planning a secret proposal was stressful! But it would be so, so worth it to really, genuinely surprise Sakura...to genuinely catch her off guard for once! She was going to be so happy...

Eeeeeee, at least Hina hoped she'd be happy!?

Hina leaned against her bike with a tired 'squeeee' sound, both nervous and excited as she always was when her brain started going in that direction. Sakura wanted to get married! They were always talking about their future together! Hell, they were talking about kids someday! Sakura wanted to get married! And Hina was going to propose! She was going to do the biggest, most cool, most out of this world proposal anyone had ever seen! She wanted everyone to know and see just how much she loved and doted on her girlfriend!

She wanted Sakura to feel just...really, really special. The most important, beautiful, special girl in the world. Just for a day.

...and then again when they got married, but EEEEEEEEEEEE that was something to think about later, her brain was already spinning trying to think through this proposal! Was she going to like the ring? Maybe Hina shouldn't have gotten the ring...it wasn't very...Dicean...but Hina had felt weird at the idea of proposing to Sakura without the ring. Sure, okay, it was totally shallow Luminary mentality and a wedding wasn't defined by material possessions and the whole concept of claiming someone with a trinket was historically only there for suuuuper sketch reasons! Hina knew that! She was woke!

...but bowing with the ring outstretched had always seemed sooooo romantic to her as a child and...she really just...wanted to do it. Show Sakura her devotion in the way Hina had learned it growing up...

A-and it's not like she was still totally brainwashed. It's not like she was going to ask her to do a bonding ritual or any of that silly nonsense! Puh-leeeaaaase.

It was going to be wonderful! It was going to be fun! Hina was so, so excited! She wasn't nervous at all! She...what the hell?

Hina dropped the bike and ran. "Hey!" she screamed, quick as the wind, her body ripped from a lifetime of sports and physical training as she, as fast as she could, went to stop the two men wearing masks and holding lit Molotov bottles, looking at her in startlement as she shouted, "Get the FUCK away from Dr. Kimura's office!!"

The men hadn't been expecting to see anyone. The guards were distracted by an outburst at a local bar one street over, and it was late. Very late. Hina had taken the last train back to town, having gone out of town to get herself a proposal-worthy outfit and the ring without the rumor mill spoiling it for Sakura. One of the men dropped his bottle and immediately ran, but the other one was determined to finish the task, and drew back to threw, assuming he had enough time before she got there-

-and was entirely wrong as, pushing it all out for one last burst, Hina sped to him and then leapt, kicking the bottle behind him and down to the ground with a spin, before landing on the ground and, keeping the momentum of her spin, kicked him in the stomach, sending him back on the shards.

Then she ran in front of the pharmacy, spread her arms wide, and said, fury in her features, "Just you fucking try it!!"

A few lights came on in the street around them, people who lived above their stores disturbed by the noise and opened up their windows to check on what was going on, a few seeing the scene and immediately running down to help. The man, realizing this was lost, only the smallest little flame still burning on the street from where the bottles fell, booked it before anyone could finish getting down their stairs, though two more people immediately ran after him.

Hina stood by the store as people went to go grab some guards, not wanting to leave it undefended in case something else happened. She eventually would give the guards a statement and a description, but for now, she just breathed heavily, rage boiling in her blood.

How dare they. How dare they??? To Dr. Kimura of all people!

Maybe it was an old feeling of good old fashion Luminary paranoia that made Hina stay with the store, even after the guards were finished talking with her, until the sun came up again the next day. Maybe it was just a mixture of her Luminary/Dicea upbringing. The community needed to be taken care of...and unless you were ready for someone to take advantage of that community, you better be damn ready to take care of it yourself, to the death if it means that much to ya...

...or maybe it was just her own, personal debt to the good doctor, who had helped her through so much...

But Hina stayed. And during the day, she talked to people she trusted, and together, they started shifts of watching after the store, ready to protect Seiko Kimura.

-

Still used to his regular schedule, Kokichi woke up early the next morning with a satisfied sigh and a slight ache in his thighs. Nothing bad. Just the consequence of being spread over Shuuichi while Kaito slammed into him, he supposed.

The thought made him blush, though his lips turned up into a smug smile. It really sucked that Shuuichi couldn't spend the night...but one day, he could. And then it would be his turn for morning snuggles, awakened by kisses and gentle check-ins to make sure he was feeling alright.

Kokichi looked out towards the window and appreciated the soft early morning sun, even that different from home. And, as much as he wanted to cuddle and kiss his husband...he was also sticky with dried cum plastered to his stomach. So, instead, he carefully extracted himself to take a shower, spending a bit of time trying to figure out how the hell the damn thing worked. Why wouldn't all showers be the same?! Why didn't they have some sort of standard?!

Out of the shower, Kokichi got himself dressed and sunscreened up, and started packing, in not too much of a hurry, but...he really wanted to get that early morning atmosphere down. It would be time-consuming enough just drawing a landscape he had no practice with.

Debating just leaving a note for Kaito, Kokichi thought better and gently shook his still dozing husband. "Kai-chan, I'm going down to the beach. I'll see you later, sweets."

Kaito had been having a deep, dreamless sleep, and when he felt light hands shaking him, he blinked his eyes open, a little...confused. Where was he?

The room was unfamiliar...but, well, there was Kokichi. So it was probably fine...beach house! They were at the beach house! Right, right...sleepy still...he blinked again. Who was waking him up again? Maki? Was it training time? No, no, Kokichi. Right...

Beach?

Kaito yawned and reached out of Kokichi, pulling him close and snuggling his head into his shoulder, trying to draw Kokichi back into sleeping...and scrunched his nose. Sunscreen smell. Blegh.

Finally, Kaito blinked, and enough of the sleepy haze went away that Kaito finally understood what Kokichi was trying to say and...

...his guilty, first instinct was 'is it okay for him to go by himself?'

But of course it was. The beach was safe and nearby. Kokichi was feeling healthy and strong lately. Kaito didn't need to hover. His husband was fine. If he wanted to go to the beach by himself, that was fine.

So he kissed at Kokichi's shoulder and let him go and yawned, murmuring, "kay...be safe...don' go 'nto the water, kay babe? Not to your waist, anyway...wave might..." Kaito yawned, really wanting to go back to sleep. To think he had used to be a morning person. His sleep schedule was wrecked since he had moved to this kingdom. "...sweep ya up and stuff...just be careful..."

Kokichi laughed softly at Kaito's sleepy state, running his hand through his hair and kissing his forehead. "Wasn't planning on it. I'll be right by the house--might even be able to see me from the window."

It was a sort of freedom that Kokichi craved. Just...leaving and going down to the beach, not worrying about being chaperoned or anything. He could draw the beach and the ocean from the balcony, but...he'd had enough of drawing from windows. He wanted to be there.

Though, he wasn't being dumb. He let Kaito know, and if he didn't see them when he went downstairs, he'd leave a note for the others. He wasn't going to go anywhere near the water, and he was going to be practically right in front of the house so...safe. Safe, but free.

Giving Kaito another kiss, Kokichi left him to his sleep and quietly made his way downstairs, wondering if Maki and Shuuichi had already left to check out the museum.

Maki and Shuuichi were actually just preparing to leave, having finished making and eating breakfast...well, they hadn't made it. Hajime had. The guy had been up before Maki even, and that had surprised her. When she had half-interrogated him about it, he had just grumbled something vague about picking the absolute wrong room to sleep in.

When Timothy, who had woken up with the sun because Chase kept barking and whining at him, needing to pee, walked back inside, Chase at his heels, and asked Miss Harukawa where she and Mr. Saihara were going, Hajime had asked him, tentatively, something concerned in his face, "You slept in the attic, right? Did you...sleep alright?"

Tim had just given him a confused look before shrugging. "Yeah? I slept fine?"

"You slept fine, Mr. Hinata," Maki corrected.

"I slept fine, Mr. Hinata. Why?"

Hajime had just sighed in a bit of relief, though also, like...really?? Even the attic was better soundproofed? What the fuck man...grumbling to himself as he made breakfast for everyone.

Maki had explained to Tim where she was going and what she was doing and he asked, "That sounds like assassin stuff. Shouldn't I go too?"

Shuuichi watched, interested, as Maki hesitated...and smiled slightly behind his cup of coffee when she said, somewhat embarrassed to admit this, "I...thought it might be a bit boring for you...it's a lot of observing and waiting...I didn't tell you that you had to be up this morning..."

Awww. Miss Harukawa, trying to low-key give her charge a break on his vacation. Cute.

Timothy, not understanding what she was trying to do, assuming he was being underestimated, simply puffed his cheeks and insisted, "I can do it! I can wait and observe and stuff!"

Maki sighed, Shuuichi just giving her a small smirk as she did so. "Looks like he wants to come, Miss Harukawa," Shuuichi pointed out, laughing slightly at Maki's glare in his direction.

"...fine. It'll be good for you to see what a casing mission is like anyway. But Chase can't come. Hajime, you will watch the puppy while we're gone," Maki decided.

Hajime, who had just passed Maki her breakfast, said, "Hey, you know I don't work for you, righ-"

"Do you wanna die?"

"Don't make her ask again," Timothy whispered to Mr. Hinata, saying knowingly, "She only ever asks once."

After some snarking and one entirely unnecessary appearance of a dagger, it was agreed that Timothy would go with Shuuichi and Maki, and Chase would stick with Hajime for the morning. The three were just finishing up eating and getting ready to walk out the door when Kokichi came downstairs.

Shuuichi smiled, giving his boyfriend a shy wave. "Morning, Kokichi."

Kokichi lit up when he saw everyone (or, almost everyone. Seiko had crashed around 5AM after continuing on with the light research she'd prepared to be able to do on the trip, and Katsuki had appeared for a moment to give Maki a report of the night's activities before disappearing again, ostensibly moving around to keep an eye on all of them at the house) and gave them all a wave before absolutely beaming and jogging over to Shuuichi to give him a bit of a headbutt to his arm as a more personal greeting.

"Good morning! You guys heading out?" He was glad to catch them, but he didn't want to keep them for long. He wasn't sure how long casing the museum would take, but he didn't want to put them on a strained time limit. The show sounded like a lot of fun, so if they could go secure in the knowledge that it'd be safe to do so...then they could actually enjoy it.

Patting his bag a little, Kokichi nodded over to the beach. "I dunno how long I'll be out, but if I'm not here when you guys come back, I'll be right outside--gonna do some drawin' today."

"We shouldn't be long. A few hours at most. Here, let me see you before you go out," Maki said, taking Kokichi's face in her hands again, turning his face this way and that to catch certain lights...before nodding. Letting him go. "Alright. The umbrella is leaning outside by the door if you want to take that with you, though the sun shouldn't be too bad this early."

"You'll have to show me what you've drawn later, Kokichi," Shuuichi prompted, giving him a fond look, readjusting his hat over the light beach-town clothes they had helped him pick out. He'd be comfortable walking around in them, which was ultimately the point. "I'd really love to see it."

"Heeeeey, are we going?" Tim asked, feeling bad as his puppy whined at him, confused why she was tied to a chair in the kitchen when her master was heading for the door. "Come oooon."

"Don't whine, Timothy. Yes, we're going. Be safe out there. If you decide to sleep on the beach, find or create shade first," Maki instructed, before heading to the beach. "Come on, Shuuichi."

"Coming," Shuuichi said, watching Maki and Timothy head out the door and...glancing at Hajime, whose back was turned to them as he cleaned up the kitchen, Shuuichi leaned down and pecked Kokichi on the cheek real quick. "Bye. Have fun on the beach," he said with a small blush before heading out the door.

Kokichi subjected himself to Maki's inspection gracefully, giving her a smile once she had deemed him alright. He wondered what she was looking for in those moments. He blushed a little but nodded to Shuuichi, excited to have someone take interest in his little hobby (he was actually surprised Kaito hadn't asked to see anything in his sketchbook), and then he laughed a little at Tim's impatience.

This was...nice. Comforting in a way Kokichi didn't really know how to explain. Especially with the little kiss he got from Shuuichi, brightening his smile even more.

Judging correctly that Chase was staying in the house with the rest of them while Tim was helping out Maki and Shuuichi, Kokichi popped into the kitchen for a moment, leaning down to scratch behind her ears. "Mornin', Hajime-chan. If you need a break from Chase, you can leave her with me--she might enjoy waiting around outside a little more? Anyway..."

He gave the housekeeper a thankful grin. "Thank you again for all your help with this. Really, if you ever need anything, I'll do my best to help in return."

"Hey, if you're up to taking her down to the beach, I'm sure she'd way prefer running around outside to hanging out in here with me. Go for it," Hajime said, still cleaning up the kitchen. He had already made Seiko some food, but considering he didn't know when she was coming down, he was wrapping it up and going to put it into the fridge for her to reheat later. He had already offered Katsuki some when he saw her that morning, but she had assured him she wasn't hungry, so, well, whatever.

Speaking of... "You hungry? Here, I have some sandwiches I made up yesterday specifically for any beach trips. Didn't assume it'd be this early, but, well, better for it," Hajime said with a shrug, heading to the fridge and taking out one of the many brown paper bags that were in there. "It's nothing special, just an egg-salad sandwich with some vegetables and chips. It's yours if you want it."

Hajime hesitated, briefly, as he glanced at the back door leading to the path to the beach. Should he...say something? Or offer to go with him? Like...was it okay for Kokichi to go down there alone? Hajime tried to imagine what the boss would say about it, and honestly...no, he probably shouldn't...

...but, well, he shouldn't have helped them leave for that party that night either, and that had turned out fine. The prince would be fine. He was literally just going to go sit on the beach for a while. What could happen?

...Hajime would check on him every now and again. It was probably fine.

"Oh, thanks! I'll probably come back in to eat, though. Make myself take a break." Just as with his work, Kokichi could get pretty absorbed in drawing and would look up after hours and hours simply baffled by how much time had passed. He wasn't particularly hungry at the moment, so if he used his stomach as a timer, he wouldn't just while away the entire morning glued to his sketchbook.

Nodding a bit, Kokichi crouched by Chase and gave her a few more scratches, cooing, "What do ya think, Chase? You wanna hang out at the beach with me?" He'd keep her on her leash the whole time--somehow it was still intact--and, just like with himself, he wouldn't let her go near the surf, but she'd still have the freedom to run around him, sniff to her heart's delight. Maybe he'd even draw her!

Figuring her enthusiastic yipping and tail-wagging was more from just recognizing her name than anything else, Kokichi figured it was good enough. If there was anything he could do to help Hajime out, well, hanging out with a puppy was not really a favor at all.

He untied her from the chair and wrapped the end of her leash around his wrist before starting to head out. "I'll see you later!"

Despite wanting to capture as much of the early morning ambiance as possible, Kokichi took his time walking down the little path to the beach, letting Chase sniff around at her own pace before he settled down just to the left of the path, right in front of the house as he'd said. And, after a few more pets, he pulled out a pencil and his sketchbook and got started.

As the day went on, the beach became slightly more crowded, people trickling in to enjoy their mornings in the sand, very much like the day before. In fact, there were even a few familiar faces. The guy with washboard abs was out doing his morning run again, seeming pleased as punch to be out there. Two of the women from yesterday’s volleyball game were back, chilling out on long beach chairs together, sunning themselves and chatting idly. And over by the hole...

There was a group of adults. Four in total, three of them middle-aged and one of them younger, mid-twenties. They were also in chairs suitable for the beach, having set up an umbrella for themselves and looking like they had been there for a while already. They were all chatting together, and every now and again, one of them would look over at Kokichi. The group debating something together. Two of them, the middle-aged men, were drinking from bottles that were covered in brown paper bags. Hair from the dogs that bit them last night.

Chase was so excited!!? About the beach!!! Her master wasn't here, which was kind of a bummer, but the flower-smelling human was free with pets and ear scratches and this was also entirely adequate for Chase, who was excitedly exploring, sniffing, exploring, and then re-sniffing everywhere she could. A bit of a ways from the flower-smelling human, she had started digging a hole, but??? What was she going to put into it!???? Decisions had to be made!!!!

The puppy, entirely unable to focus on one goal at a time, kept taking a break from digging her hole to sniff around for a suitable treasure to bury. This stick? Maybe!!! Lets try biting it! Good stick. Maybe bury!? How deep is hole!? Must dig in the hole some more!!! Yes! Hole is a little bigger! What should she put into the hole!??? Must find something!!! Oh! Look!! A stick!!!

There was something different about the horizon. Sure, back home, it stretched for miles like here, but it was broken up by mountains or buildings. Looking out over the ocean? It was just...flat. Vast. Even distant waves overshadowed by just how freaking huge the ocean was. Kokichi wondered if there was someone on the other side looking out over it, if they had a sense that there was someone looking back.

Kokichi was mostly focused on his art, creating a life-like portrait of the beach and every now and then flipping to a different page to draw quick sketches of people that passed by in his vision, or a few of Chase running this way and that, but he was less focused than he otherwise would've been, always making sure that Chase hadn't chewed through her leash and giving her pets whenever she came close. He wasn't Tim, so he wanted to make sure she was as happy as she could be away from him--the attention span of a puppy helped with that, for sure.

Having felt around under him, Kokichi judged that there weren't any sharp rocks or shells around and decided to bury his feet in the sand a little, marveling at the feeling. Maybe he'd try it out on wetter sand later, though...he hadn't brought a towel, and he didn't want to track sand into the house...

Something to think about.

Trying to get the way a certain track of sand sloped into the ocean, Kokichi noticed a shadow come up over his sketchbook, and he looked up, blinking at the person who had come near. "Oh, hello?"

"Hey," greeted Brent with a small smile, one hand in his pocket and the other giving Kokichi a little wave, that small smile turning into an excited grin as he said, laughing sheepishly, "Sorry to bother you. I saw the sketchpad and heard the siren call of another artist. The name’s Brent Ryder. Do you mind if I look?"

Brent was fair skinned, with jet black hair that he wore stylishly short, and had sharp eyes that were as red as Maki's. He was wearing black swim shorts that were long, down to his knees, but a casual white t-shirt, clean and likely bought specifically for this trip. He was tall, probably as tall as Kaito, but much skinnier, his muscles lean and natural, likely from a childhood of playing sports. He was in his mid-twenties, easy on the eyes, and knew it.

And he wasn't going to mention that his mother, fussing and insisting to her disbelieving husband and brother-in-law, no, really, I'd recognize him anywhere, that's definitely Prince Kokichi, had sent him to chat.

Brent's father didn't buy that for a second. The prince would be taller, no doubt. But he did suspect, based on the stories his kids had been telling him, that there were some Luminary pieces of shit in the area, and was just hoping he'd get a chance to corner one. Show them that this kingdom wasn't for certain types of people, and anyone from fucking Luminary topped that list. The kids had said they thought Luminaries were hanging around this beach, so he and his brother had brought out chairs and Brent to sit and keep watch for some Luminary trash this morning, and damn Bessy had of course wanted to come along, all fussy and worried about them picking fights. Silly woman. Wouldn't be a fight. It'd be a warning.

So, Bessy, convinced the small stranger on the beach was their kingdom's prince (ha!), and Budd, half-thinking the kid (kid? his brother Bob asked. You think he's a kid? I'd say fifteen, maybe, myself) might be the piece of shit his kids had been whining flooded their hole and then fucking bowed to them, sent their son Brent to work out for himself what was up with the stranger. What with him being closer to the kid’s age at least a little bit, anyway.

Which was just fine, with Brent.

He liked them looking young.

"Oh, uh, yeah, sure!" Kokichi held up his sketchbook for the man to see, a little surprised that someone would be so interested in what he was drawing, but, he supposed...that was something he'd heard artists talk about. It was likely just from the fact that Kokichi mostly drew while he was in his room that people hadn't really been interested in what he was doing before.

"It's no bother, Brent--just thought I'd get some drawing done before sitting out in the sun would be more of a problem if I forget to put on more sunscreen, yanno?" Kokichi laughed softly, already seeing a light dusting of freckles starting to appear on his arms and legs, and, unknown to him, on his nose. "I'm Jaski--what sort of art do you do?"

Kokichi glanced away to check on Chase for a moment, making sure she was still on the leash and alright before looking back up at Brent. He was...getting to talk with one of his people! Someone who'd come up to him--well, maybe because they recognized him, the person at the museum yesterday had, but there was a good chance Brent had come up to talk just...because. Seeing Kokichi, not the Dicean Heir Apparent. And Kokichi was excited to speak casually with one of his people, away from the castle and any politics that he'd been pulled into for the past month.

Jaski? Cute name. Not the Dicean Prince though. That guy’s name was...what was it...right, right. Kokichi. Prince Kokichi Ouma. Sorry mom, you lose this particular debate.

Also, he...didn't sound Luminous? But then, that could just be him hiding his accent. They did that to try to fit in. Not that he was as gung-ho to fight a Luminary as his dad and uncle were. He wasn't really super into politics himself. Honestly, he didn't really care about either thing his parents had sent him over here for. This kid was, just...really fucking cute. And his uncle was right, hearing him talk, he was probably a teenager. Maybe sixteen? Nice.

Taking the sketchbook from Jaski's hand, Brent sat down beside him, looking over it with an interested eye. "Heeeey, look at that," Brent said with a whistle. "You got some talent! So you're a proper artist then? That's neat, I like it. You really got an eye for detail. Me? I make comic books," Brent said, smirking a little before shrugging casually. "Nothing professional...yet. I'm working on a book now, with my buddy Kyle, and when it's done we're gonna shop around for some publishers. Ya know how it goes."

He didn't mention that he and Kyle had been planning to finish this comic book for years now, and were only on chapter two. And that Kyle kept saying things like 'I'm just into other things these days, man. You can finish it on your own if you want.' Kyle didn't mean it, Brent was sure. Once he and his girlfriend broke up, which was gonna happen eventually, they'd be back on it!

"You here on vacation or live nearby or what?" Brent asked, looking through the pages. Glancing down at his pant leg, he saw a black Labrador puppy sniffing at his shoes and snorted. "Cute dog."

Kokichi laughed bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thanks, but it's more of a hobby for me. I think the art teachers I've had over the years would be happy to hear that I can get detail down, though." Nodding in understanding, Kokichi perked up a bit, mind immediately switching to business mode, wanting to ask about the genre and budget and to suggest publishers and...

But, unless someone directly called him out, Kokichi wasn't going to endanger everyone and break cover. So, normal guy Jaski would just be interested in the concept of a comic book. "Oh, that's super cool! I'll have to keep an eye out in the future for a comic book by 'Brent and Kyle'."

"Ah, I'm here on vacation--enjoying the last of summer, sorta." Vague enough, and true enough. Plenty of people were doing the same. And easy enough to pivot from. Kokichi smiled at Chase, leash still attached. "Isn't she? Now, if we can get her to stop chewing through everything, she'd be even cuter."

Passing his sketchbook back to him, Brent gave Jaski his best smile, raising an eyebrow at him. So cute...yeah, Brent was super into it.

"A chewer, huh? You a chewer, little guy? Are ya?" Brent said, giving the puppy a warm pat on the head before saying to Jaski, "Hey, ya know, best way to deal with feisty dogs is to tire them out. I was thinking of taking a walk down the beach. Wanna come with me? I'd love the company."

While Kokichi gave Brent a thankful smile, he shook his head. "I wanna finish up this drawing--and my friends are going to meet me here in a bit. Don't wanna scare the shit out of them, thinking I'd made good on my threats and finally ran away with the dog," he joked. Not thinking in the slightest that, perhaps, someone already worried about the life of the Dicean Prince might understand that to be a veiled plea for help.

Tucking some of his hair behind an ear, his wedding ring on display for a moment, Kokichi gave the man another warm smile. "Thanks for coming by to talk to me, though!"

Brent spotted that wedding ring and frowned. Whooooa...was this kid married? Shit, maybe he wasn't fifteen. Seventeen? Shit, even that's too young to be married. Who gets married that young? What a trainwreck. It was always the pretty ones who were crazy.

Ah well. Brent wasn't too bummed out about it. He didn't exactly struggle getting company. He just really liked the way this one looked. Bet he was a screamer. The small ones always are. Ahhhh well.

And, anyway, at least he'd finally get his mom to stop worrying. He'd just go back and tell her and his dad and uncle what was what. Mission accomplished. Man, he should have asked for some sort of award. What a pain.

Still, no need to burn this bridge. Who knows what could happen? A ring doesn't mean shit in an unhappy marriage, after all. So, smiling back, running a hand through his own hair, he said casually, "Sure, Jaski. Was real cool meeting you. You see me out in the world, feel free to say hey, alright? I'd be into looking at more of your artwork." He gave the purple-haired teen a wink, before saying cheerfully to the puppy, "Bye pup."

Getting up, Brent headed back to his family to give them the play by play of what happened.

"It was nice meeting you too! I'll still be here for a bit, so I'll probably see you around." Kokichi waved to the man, just pleased with how the interaction went. Someone being nice and interested in him past feeling obligated to do so just because he was the prince. Hell yeah.

Turning to Chase, he cooed at the puppy for a bit, flopping her ears around. "Well, that was nice, wasn't it, Chase? If Tim and the others are still out for a bit, I will take you on a walk though. Maybe Kai-chan will catch up with us--that'd be fun, wouldn't it!"

He went back to his sketchbook after that, smiling a bit more at his work. If someone else thought it was good...maybe he'd really get to bring a little of the coast back for Ikuo to enjoy. Hopefully he'd be able to find an actual souvenir today, but he wasn't about to hire a painter to bring back a scene, so... Just sort of a commemoration of the trip. Something that couldn't have been done by anyone else, something that proved that Kokichi was there. That he'd left the castle and saw some of the world.

Katsuki nodded to herself, judging that the man who had spoken to Kokichi was of no immediate threat. The roof of the beach house really was an incredible vantage point for the beach. The two had talked for a little bit, and Kokichi didn't seem to be struggling to move afterward--normal interaction.

Still, she noted the group the man returned to, the four that had come down from the house three doors away some hours ago. The house Miss Maki had been concerned about. Hm. Continued vigilance, then.

-

Damian tried to back up, but his back was against the wall. Or, rather, against the wheel of a caravan, the three adults who had him cornered not giving him any room to run for beneath the caravan as they kept their sword and spear close to him. Trapped. He was finally trapped.

“…m-mama…” Damian sobbed, pressing back further into the caravan wheel, trembling, “P-please don’t, mama…”

The woman who had been his mother looked down at him with wild, mad eyes. Mikan was not holding a sword or a spear, like her two companions. She was holding something far scarier to the young Damian, who shivered and sobbed as she got closer to him.

She was holding a needle.

“Shhh, shhh…it’s okay, sweetheart…” Mikan cooed soothingly. Stepping closer and closer with strange, jaunty steps, as if she didn’t really know how to use her legs anymore but was making an attempt. Damian knew this was because Mama had broken one of her legs a couple of days ago and was just…still walking on it. Somehow. It was scary. As she got closer, he could swear that he could hear the chipping of her bones.

“M-mama…” Damian squeezed his eyes shut. Mortal terror ripping through him as he begged, “I-I don’ wanna die…please mama…”

Mikan stopped at this. Looking down at him curiously. Eyes flashing a bright, neon pink as she frowned, her face laced with grief as she said in that high, sweet voice of hers that used to bring Damian so much comfort, “I should have never brought you into this world, sweetheart. You were always going to be nothing but tragedy from the start. You were always going to be miserable, no matter what Mama did…it was selfish of me to keep you here…I never did tell you who your daddy was.” Mikan suddenly realized. A smile splitting her face, eyes bright as she kneeled down in front of Damian, putting her hand soothingly around the side of his face, rubbing his cheek with her thumb. “That’s why you don’t know how bad the world is, sweetheart. Mama never told you. What a bad mama.”

Damian shivered and shook harder, trying to look at his mother but eyes constantly drawn to the needle in her hand, filled with…something. Something terrible, he was certain. It was always something terrible, these days. People didn’t feel better anymore, when Mama pinched them with the needle. People writhed and screamed now, and then they died. Dying was sometimes the good part. Sometimes it took hours for them to die. “P-please no, Mama, please…”

“My husband was a Luminary soldier who came to Dicea to protect an embassy that Mama worked at when she was young, who I became smitten with because he had this beautiful, light blue hair…like the sky, sweetheart. He looked like the sky. And he was…brave and strong and so charming, sweetheart… Mama didn’t know what he meant back then, when he said he was something called an Indentured, but he told her that his contract was done once his time at the emissary was done, and he wanted to stay in Dicea, stay with me, love me to the end out of our days…and his commander, who owned him, hearing his plan, gave him permission to just go ahead and marry me, if he was so in love, and that they’d work out a way to let him do it. Because my husband was beloved by everyone who knew him. A good man. A truly good man…”

Her grip went up into Damian’s hair, and she tugged at his roots as he cried out, loudly. “That’s not who your daddy is.”

As Damian screamed, frightened out of his mind, Mikan waving the needle back in forth as fury ripped through her face, she said, “Your daddy was a black-haired, green-eyed monster who took me screaming and crying and laughed when he heard my good husband dying nearby, who died trying to protect me. Your daddy left me to die in the flames, and I should have, sweetheart, I should have died right then and there and left to be with my husband…but some men saved me and now I’m here…and so were you…with your green eyes and your black hair…I sobbed for weeks, when your hair started to come in and I realized you were gonna look just like that monster…”

Her grip softened, and Damian looked at her, heart thumping in terror, and for a second in her expression he saw hope that he was going to get out of this. He saw Mama in her expression for a second as she said, “But I loved you anyway…don’t know why, but I did. Right from the beginning. My little demon…and I love you still.”

All hope shattered when her expression hardened, a cruel smile on her face as she brought the needle to his neck. “Which is why I have do this, sweetheart. This is a bad world to raise children in. Better you follow my husband. He was a good man, sweetheart. I’m sure he’ll love you on the other side, if anything’s over there. Guess for your sake, better hope there is,” she said with a laugh.

“Mama please, no, no Mama please!!!”

“Gah-!!” Mikan’s eyes suddenly went wide, and to either side of her, both of her companions suddenly stumbled or were yanked away. Looking behind herself, she saw that fucking kid Kokoto, who was sporting a sweet grin of her own as she finished shoving the dagger into Mikan’s back, stepping back quickly before Mikan had a chance to swing the needle in her direction as she screamed, “Little bitch!!”

“Sorry, old lady! He’s one of ours!” Kokoto laughed, sticking her tongue at the old woman, practically dancing away from her attacks. Adults were so slow! So slow! Ha ha ha ha!

Her friends were currently in the process of murdering the other two adults, stabbing them over and over again, getting at their legs so they fell. Every now and again one of the adults would throw a kid off of them, but another would just dive in and keep stabbing until their friend could return, the four children now covered in blood and laughing merrily at their kills.

Kokoto wasn’t going to kill Mikan, though.

It’d make Damian sad.

So instead she just dodged and dodged, and finally ran around the old woman, heading to Damian and grabbing his arm, who sobbed in relief as he allowed himself to be led away. “Come on, come on, she’s got him, let’s go!” Masaru shouted, rounding up the kids with his rallying call, the five of them running for the main tent.

Tengan’s tent was sorta like ‘base’ in a game of tag. He didn’t like the noise, so no one was allowed to kill anyone else in there unless he gave the order. It was also where Monaca spent all her time, who, while having been a friend in the kid group since the beginning of this trip over half a year ago, had become...kinda worshipped, now, by at least Jatarou, Masaru, and Kotoko, who did everything she said and seemed to melt and simper under her attention. Damian didn’t really understand why Monaca had become the worshipped leader of the group, but passively followed along, which Monaca allowed, and Nagisa was doing his best to fake his adoration, in fear of what might happen to him if he didn’t, and Monaca, while aware of the trickery bit but also delighting in this, allowed that to happen as well.

So, crawling into the big tent, the group of children ignored Tengan, who gave them curious looks as he looked up from the book he was reading on a divan that the traveling caravans had commandeered during one of their brief trips near a town, and headed straight for Monaca, who was lounging on some big pillows again as she looked at them with delight. “Yay! You found him! Damian, I was so worried! What were you doing, leaving the tent by yourself?”

Damian shivered and shook, face red and stained with tears that were still falling, covered in blood that wasn’t his. “I…I-I…went to go find my m-mom…”

This wasn’t true. It wasn’t even kind of true. Damian knew how dangerous his mother was now. Beside him, Nagisa, who also knew this wasn’t true, stared at the floor, tense and frightened. Unable to find delight in the kills he had just made like his friends could, sick on despair pollen as they were.

Damien had been making a bid for his mother's medical notes about the pollen. Both him and Nagisa hoping to re-create the cure she had made for despair pollen overdose. Hoping…maybe it could do something for the people infected…

But they couldn’t admit that. No one infected wanted to be cured. They liked the madness. Reveled in it. The caravan trip had become a violent circus of rape and murder, only a third of everyone who had gone on the trip to begin with still alive anymore. They weren’t working together as a group beyond moving forward when Tengan demanded it, all the different factions of the group finding temporary sorts of peace when separated into their own caravans. But once the caravans stopped, and they all interacted again…

The only reasons the kids had survived so far was they were working together, and Monaca had special privileges from the secretaries, such as spending time in the main tent. She wanted them alive, so they were alive. If she didn’t care, or actively hated them, Nagisa had a good guess that the kids wouldn’t survive much longer without her support. Thus his desperate attempts at faking adoration as he said, earnestly, “She was acting crazy, Monaca! Damian was just trying to talk to her, and she flipped out on him! But we killed two more adults because of it!”

“Yay!” Monaca cheered, clapping her hands enthusiastically, “Two more? That means there’s only thirty-seven left! I bet we can get that number all the way down to ten by the time we get to big sister Junko!”

“Yeah!” Masaru shouted, jumping up and down and pumping his fist into the air, “Big sister Junko! I can’t wait to tell her all about our trip here!”

“Big sister is so pretty. Sometimes all I do when I’m asleep is look up and stare at her. She’s so beautiful.” Kotoko sighed, a blush coming to her face as she giggled.

“Awwww, I wish I could see big sis,” Jatarou, who wasn’t addicted to despair pollen, had an intolerance to it…but was just kind of a freak anyway, it turned out, sighed. Looking extremely put out. “I can’t wait to meet her.”

“She’s not gonna want to meet you, Jatarou!” Kotoko scolded, sticking out her tongue at him. “She’s just gonna want to meet Monaca! Because Monaca’s like big sister Junko! Though we’ll still get to see her! Isn’t that exciting you guys?” Kotoko said, smiling brightly at Damian and Nagisa.

Damian and Nagisa glanced at each other, just…once again, hopelessly confused. In the same way their friends had recently started obsessing over Monaca in particular, suddenly they all couldn’t stop talking about ‘Big Sister Junko’…who was…probably the queen? But they all talked like they saw her all the time…

“Y-yeah…it’s e-exciting…” Damian half sobbed, still wrecked over what just happened.

“I’m super looking forward to it! Big sister is the best!” Nagisa tried, hoping that was enough…and feeling slightly better as his friends cheered on his enthusiasm.

Then, suddenly, “Damian,” Tengan suddenly called. “Nagisa. Come here. I wish to speak with you both.”

Again, another glance at each other from Damian and Nagisa, looking over at the head secretary before glancing at Monaca. “Go on, go on! Uncle Tengan’s calling!” Monaca encouraged them, giving them permission to go.

Reluctantly, both boys headed over to the head secretary…not looking at the general, sitting in the shadow of his couch, uncomfortable to see the general so low after all he had done in the beginning to help them survive. General Juuzo was a broken man.

Literally, kinda. After being used as a makeshift executioner for the beginning part of the journey, the general had, having a mental-breakdown, finally taken he sword and, using the help of a wall and his feet, cut off both of his hands, insisting loudly that he couldn’t be used for that anymore. No doubt assuming he’d be left to die, instead Damian’s mother had saved him, and after waking up with no hands and still not allowed to leave Tengan’s side, the general had become…quiet. Distant. Lost in his head. Sometimes the kids were forced to leave the tent when they weren’t ready, Tengan wanting to itch some sort of craving or indulge a mood, and the kids were left to fend for themselves on the outside, even Monaca. Those were always the most dangerous times.

When they were allowed to return, the general would always look worse. Way worse.

There was nothing they could do for him, so the kids didn’t look at him, both bowing to the head secretary as they said, “Yes, Head Secretary Tengan?”

Tengan smiled warmly at the both of them, putting down his book and playing, idly, with some of the general’s hair as he said, “I was listening in on you kids’ conversation…I’m curious. Why are you two in particular so eager to meet, as you call her, ‘big sister Junko’. You two don’t even know who she is.”

Nagisa squirmed in discomfort at the head secretary's gaze. It wasn’t a secret he and Damien weren’t infected, but… “We…we’re excited because our friends are excited, sir…”

Tengan nodded, chuckling to himself. “Pretending to follow the will of the group, while in the same breath, running off looking for medical journals. Oh, please, don’t look so alarmed. It was just a guess, but it seems an apt one. Damian knows his mother wants to kill him,” another sob, “So of course he wasn’t seeking her out. But if he knew he had to be near her regardless, wanting to talk to her is a good cover. I’m going to assume Nagisa thought of it. You would have made a lovely secretary someday, Nagisa…oh, stop with that look. I’m not cross with you. I thought it was rather brave. But foolish. Mikan’s cure won’t help with what’s going on here, boys. It only helps with overdoses, not addictions. You’ll only get yourselves killed pursuing it.”

“Tell me,” Tengan said, letting go of the general’s hair and sitting up, cross legged, reaching out to both the boys and grabbing their hands in his own, rubbing his thumbs against their wrists in soothing circles, “Why not just take the pollen yourselves? It's more than available to you. And you’ve seen how it’s affected your friends. They’re having a good time. Don’t you want to as well? Why hold back as you have been?”

“…I…” Nagisa swallowed. He thought about lying, but was afraid to lie to this man. Was worried he’d eventually trigger that temper that caused people to die. And it was so hard to get anything past him anyway… “…I don’t…want to be a seedling…”

Tengan sighed. Still rubbing their wrists. “And where did you hear a word like that?”

“…M-monaca…says that when we get to the capital…we-we’re all going to be seedlings, ‘cept Jatarou cause he’s all broken or something…but that she’ll still keep him as a p-pet anyway…that we’re all gonna b-belong to her…she says pets are just kept humans a-and seedlings…we-we’ll be…having her babies and s-stuff…I don’t wanna have any babies,” Nagisa said, a flash of real fear coming across his eyes. “A-and she said Masaru and Kotoko are already seedlings and they barely act like themselves any more, they’re crazy a-and I don’t-“

“Yeah…she said Mama’s a seedling too…I don’t w-wanna be like Mama…”

Tengan nodded at all of this, his face full of warm concern and understanding. “There are some personality changes that come with being a seedling, yes. But those personality changes make it easier to live in a world like this, don’t you think? You can’t change your fate now, boys. You’re on this road till the end of it, and it doesn’t get any easier for humans. But for seedlings? It’s good to be a seedling in Danganronpa. You’ll be taken care of. And,” Tengan chuckled, looking over at Nagisa, “You won’t be having any babies any time soon. Your body won’t be able to till it hits puberty, just like with humans. You’ll feel a little heat all your life, but nothing like what Damian’s mother is dealing with right now, which is partly why she’s acting so erratic. She’ll be more docile once she’s full. So you won’t be like her either, Damian.”

Not yet, anyway.

“Plus, you’ll get to see the world your friends keep talking about. The ones in their heads and in their dreams? Don’t they sound happy, when they talk about it? Flora love children seedlings. They make them as happy and as comfortable as possible. Don’t you want some of that happiness?”

“…Flora?” Damien asked.

“Like Monaca. She’s a flora. The kind of baby Damian’s mother will most likely be making, though every now and again a runt of the litter turns into a human. Which is fine. Just means you’ll likely have another seedling in the world. And if the human doesn’t turn into a seedling? Well, then they’ll become a sacrifice. Someone who works in labor or entertainment. Boys…” Tengan said, something serious in his tone as, his eyes hardening, he started to squeeze at their wrists, both boys squirming as they felt their thin bones start to bend, “You don’t want to be sacrifices. Jatarou is extremely lucky a Flora is already willing to claim him as a pet. Sacrifices live short, painful lives. You would both be happier as seedlings, even barren ones. There are laws to protect seedlings and pets. There are no laws to protect sacrifices. Which is the road you’re both currently on to becoming. Flora will use you, beat you, work you to death.” His grip tightened even further. Damian started to cry again. Nagisa found himself staring at the ground, fear ripping through his stomach. They wouldn’t be able to protect themselves with broken wrists… “And that’s if you’re lucky. God help you if you get picked for games. Then the rest of your brief lives really will just be torture…do you understand me?”

His grip went even tighter. Damian started to fruitlessly try to pull away. Nagisa closed his eyes and trembled.

“…w-we….should start taking the despair pollen…” Nagisa replied.

“That’s right.” Tengan nodded, relaxing his grip on Nagisa, who sighed in relief.

“…b-but…but we’ll go crazy, won’t we?” Damian gasped, his grip still tight, but still thinking of his mother, how she waved that needle around, “I-isn’t that bad-ah!”

Tengan glared at Damian, before saying, surprisingly gently, “I’ve been a seeding for almost thirty years now. Barren, but a seedling nonetheless. Do I look crazy to you?”

And then, to Damian’s immense relief, Tengan let go of both their wrists. Leaning back and sighing, he said, “If you ever end up needing your mind, there are medicines out there that, with the proper paperwork and permissions, can allow a Flora to stabilize their seedlings. Many Flora get this for seedlings who are coming close to the end of their fertility limits, for instance, to keep them from dying in childbirth. Some seedlings get it so that they can work specific jobs that aren’t suited to seedling mentality, like myself. It lessens some of the side effects, such as the heat and the craving for sweets, the stress-stimulus. Makes it easier to function independently. I’ve been on it for a long, long time now. So. Damien, Nagisa. What I would recommend to both of you, if you’re truly so afraid of ‘going crazy’…is to talk to Monaca about potentially getting you that medicine, when she’s older. You don’t have to worry about getting it right away. Like I said, you won’t feel the full effects of being a seedling until you hit puberty anyway. But you start taking the despair pollen now, no matter what she says about the medicine. You both want to be seedlings before we get to the capital. Trust me. There are no other good futures for you. It’s either be seedlings or die miserable, terrible deaths…like your general over here,” Tengan said, nodding to the general, who didn’t react to being called out. Lost in his head somewhere. The boys stared at him, wide eyed. True understanding coming to them as Tengan prompted, “Do you both understand?”

The boys, Damian with tears in his eyes, Nagisa frustrated, angry…both nodded their heads. Convinced. “Yes, Head Secretary Tengan.”

Tengan smiled and nodded. “Good. I’ll have some doses ready for you both by tonight. Relax. You’ll be grateful when all the fear and stress and hatred you feel right now? All of that will start to feel good. It’s going to be better from now on, children.” Tengan went back to playing with the general's hair, who flinched as he felt physical contact, the most he reacted to any of this, Tengan smiling at the little flinch as he assured them, “It’s all going to be so much fun.”

-

Kaito finally, actually woke up a couple of hours later, once more a little confused about where he was, for a little while. Eventually it came back to him though. Beach house. Vacation. Excellent threesome. Mmmmm.

And now...no Kokichi?...Right, right. Beach. Kokichi had told him before he left. He was going to the beach. Good? Good! Kaito was glad. His husband, stretching his independent wings. Exploring his world! Good for him!

...he hoped he was okay.

He was fine! Certainly! Probably having a blast! Kaito wasn't worried! He was not gonna worry about him! Not hovering! Not over-protective! Not Kaito!

It was weird to be by himself...this didn't happen very often anymore.

...oh! His letter!

Realizing this was the perfect opportunity to talk to Hajime, Kaito got up and got dressed, relatively quickly, for Kaito's usual pace, before grabbing the letter from its hiding spot and heading through the house, looking for Hajime. He found the guy in the living room, reading a newspaper, and Kaito had come to him with a sheepish grin.

"I need a favor," Kaito asked, rubbing the back of his neck, "And...if you wouldn't mind not telling anyone about it?"

Hajime raised a wary eyebrow. This guy was all over the place, when it came to 'favors'. One was just being discreet about his relationship with Shuuichi, another being 'please let me climb up your body to heft myself over a wall'. You never knew what you were going to get...and once again, Hajime was surprised, as Kaito merely took out a letter and said, "Could you make sure this gets mailed out today?"

"Sure," Hajime said, taking the letter and reading the address, raising an eyebrow, "...King Byakuya Momota? Isn't that your brother?"

"Yep!" Kaito said, grinning awkwardly, "Just...sending him a letter!"

"That you don't want anyone to know about?"

"...yep!"

"..." Hajime gave Prince Kaito a long, long look...why would Kaito want to keep the fact that he was communicating with his own brother a secret? Especially considering their parents had just died recently, certainly that was normal, to want to stay in touch? ...whatever. It wasn't Hajime's business. So he just shrugged and said, "Sure. It'll be done today."

"Thank you so much, man, I really appreciate it! I owe you!"

"Yeah, people keep saying that. I'm gonna need to start taking bribes or something."

"Ha! I mean, fuck, you're reliable enough, I'd bribe you. Consider me bribable! Hey, can I ask...totally random question. You ever...wrestle anyone before?"

"What?"

"I mean, you got those wide shoulders, man, and the chest and biceps...ya should be wrestling people. Fuck, wanna wrestle me?"

"...what??"

There was a soft laugh, Seiko just coming down the stairs to hear the tail end of that, still finding Kaito's seemingly endless reserves of enthusiasm and energy amusing. She looked as put together as she ever did--that is, professional, but tired-looking. And, considering she'd only just gone to sleep a handful of hours before, she sort of was, but it was nothing new for her.

Shuuichi was doing well, thankfully, but that just made Seiko worry about how he'd fare once he was properly off the pollen. According to Maki, he hadn't asked for extra, which was a good sign, even if he was just self-regulating and not actually feeling like he didn't need it. She would just...keep nearby once they returned and he was off it. Maybe spend more time in the castle's medical ward, setting up her office space. Be available if anything happened.

Not wanting to interrupt Hajime and Kaito, Seiko simply waved to the men before heading into the kitchen to make herself some coffee.

As Kaito earnestly explained what kind of wrestling he meant, "Like, ya know! Pin someone down, 1-2-3, that sort of thing??" Hajime just stared at him in baffled confusion.

Pin him down? ...Hajime suddenly remembered the cacophony of noise he had heard last night and, blushing bright red, said, "No, you can't pin me down, Kaito!?"

"I think I could!" Kaito cheerfully replied, entirely missing Hajime's point. "Sure, okay, the cast. I get that! But, I have a height difference on ya, and considering it sounds like you've never wrestled before, an experience difference! Not a ton of experience, I wasn't on my school’s team or anything like that," Kaito admitted, playing with his goatee a little before shrugging, "But I did date someone on the wrestling team for a short period of time, and he reaaaally liked to wrestle me bef-"

"Kaito, no! Th-that's not what I mean! ...but also that's exactly why I meant it like that! Oh my god! Do you even hear what you're saying!?"

"That... I want to wrestle you?"

"Seiko! Back me up here! That's weird, right!?"

Seiko was shaking her head when she walked back into the living room, her fingers wrapped around a mug of coffee and her mask pulled down. "Prince Kaito, while you do mean to perform a casual version of the sport of wrestling, it sounds a lot like you are propositioning Mr. Hinata." While she explained it simply, there was a kind of amusement in her voice, and the doctor came over to sit down in one of the seats, sipping her drink.

"Particularly when you use the same verbiage to describe past sexual actions." She raised a bit of an eyebrow at Kaito, a small smile on her lips. From being around him just the past week or so, Seiko could tell that Kaito genuinely just wanted to wrestle. It was obvious how much he adored Kokichi, and she would wager heavily that unfaithfulness wouldn't be an issue in their relationship. However, just being flirty? That was something Kaito likely couldn't help.

"Sexual actions? What?" Kaito asked, genuinely baffled, before replaying what he said in his head. "...oh! No, I meant he liked to wrestle me before his matches! As, like, a warm-up! We did it before every match! That's what I meant! Geez, you guys, get your mind out of the gutter," Kaito said, his teasing scolding lightened by his embarrassed laugh, cheeks flushing red as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Sure, they had also wrestled before sex a lot, but...he hadn't meant to tell them that. He had more tact than that.

Looking warmly at his sidekick, he smelled her coffee, and immediately perked up, looking to the kitchen eagerly. "Any of that coffee left? Could I have some?" Kaito asked, already heading to the kitchen.

There was still a mostly full pot left, and eagerly Kaito went to collect a mug, pouring himself a cup before smelling it deeply--a dark brew, nice--before heading back to the living room, sitting down with them and actually a little excited because?? he was talking to people that weren't Kokichi or Maki or Shuuichi and??? that was kinda nice????

Taking a sip, hot, but mmmmm, Kaito said to Hajime, brow furrowed, "Okay, so, no? Obviously I'm not propositioning you, Hajime. You have a girlfriend! And, ya know...I'm married? Look, I don't know if that's my old reputation crossing the border or something, but I'm not, ya know..." Kaito shrugged, conflicted. "Like that anymore, okay? Ya don't have to worry about that with me, cool? So! With that cleared up! Wanna wrestle? We can do it out in the sand! It'll be really fun!"

Seiko nodded a bit, closing her eyes as she took a long sip from her coffee. Just as she'd thought. Though... Old reputation?

Just as in Luminary, though Seiko didn't know this, the average Dicean didn't know much about the Momota family. For most Luminaries, especially after the war had started and trade between the countries had stopped, the most the average person knew were generalized stereotypes. And...for those who knew a little more...those stereotypes were just confirmed when it came to the so-called "upper-class".

Giving Kaito a curious look, Seiko thought about saying anything, before she decided on...at least one thing. "Prince Kaito, if you...had a promiscuous reputation before, that's not a reputation that crossed the border. Unless people attended the wedding, then there's a large chance all they know of you are rumors from the capital, and what people generally think about...um...your family."

Kaito nodded, taking a sip of the coffee. Man, he loved coffee. Fucking greatest beverage in the world, coffee. Even better than alcohol. Honestly, way better than alcohol. Having a husband that didn't drink a lot had kind of put Kaito in a position where he wasn't drinking a lot either, but, well...he didn't miss it as much as he might have thought he would. And he still got to drink it sometimes, a little bit! Like a little wine for dinner and stuff. Well, maybe not as much wine as he used to drink. Pollen shenanigans and all that. Eh. Ah well. But still! Coffee!! Hurray coffee!!!

...yeah, he heard what she said.

Who cared.

(They're mostly dead now anyway.)

(That really, really happened, Kaito.)

(It's not just in your head.)

He didn't care. He didn't care. People could think what they wanted. Who cared? Though, still...this was the first time Kaito had had a chance to talk to anyone about what, exactly, that picture looked like from a Dicean perspective...he knew people looked at him funny sometimes. That was fine. They looked at him funny back home too. But back home, there had been lots and lots and lots of reasons to look at Kaito Momota funny. Here he...just didn't know what those reasons were...

...Kokichi had barely known anything about him or his family or his kingdom, even, before he had gotten here. Which was fine. Kaito had known practically nothing about Dicea too. Besides a bunch of rumors about them that...weren't really true, he'd found...well, not how he had understood it, anyway. Father had said the Dicean soldiers fought so hard because they were terrified to return home defeated. And, well...they were all volunteers. People who had gone out there because defeat meant invasion of everything they cared about. Kaito would have been terrified to quit too...

...what did people here hear about Luminary?

So, casually, Kaito just nodded and shrugged and said, "Yeah...I mean...yeah, obviously. Hard to get news across a worn-torn border. Not that my love life was ever newsworthy." Except for when it kinda was. Your brother trying to have someone executed in front of the whole student body kinda...was the sort of thing that outed a person's previously personal and private sexual habits...to kind of everyone... "So, that makes sense...soooo..." Kaito took another sip of coffee. "...what kind of rumors...did make it across the border? If you guys have ever heard any, I mean."

Seiko grimaced a little and sent a look to Hajime, just...clearly unsure if she should really...say anything. Nothing was kind. Luminaries were...cruel. Violent, bloodthirsty warmongers. Would sell out their own for something shiny. Were brainless, just blindly followed whatever their king said...or whoever said that their king said something. There had to be something wrong with them, Seiko had heard people gossiping, to want to defend an awful place like that.

...she knew that, likely, most of the people actually fighting the war had no choice. Were people like Maki and Shuuichi, who were brainwashed and abused. Were children like Timothy, child soldiers, who were taught to see throwing their lives away as an honor, since the alternative was death.

And Seiko knew that it wasn't just the soldiers. From the refugees that confided in her, that a great population of people were forced into horrible, degrading positions, abused and humiliated, just to survive. That so many had died trying to escape. That the ones who did survive would have those ghosts haunting them for the rest of their lives.

Seiko took another sip of coffee and gave Kaito a half-shrug. "There's...nothing really flattering, Prince Kaito. We were at war."

Hajime, whose list of rumors were, like Seiko's...not kind...decided to break the ice by pointing out such a ludicrously, obviously untrue one that it was bound to actually make the Luminary Prince laugh as he said, "I hear y’all’s churches have blood-orgies every time someone turns eighteen. Bet that's a wild time, huh?"

Kaito lit up, always happy to talk about his faith as he said, "Oh, yeah! Coming of age ceremonies! Oh, wow, I've actually been meaning to ask someone if that practice carried over this side of the border...who told you about them? Was it an Atua follower? Do they work at the castle? I actually really, really need to talk to some followers at some point..."

Hajime stared at Kaito for awhile before saying, "Uh...don't...really remember who told me that...ya know what? Coffee actually sounds great! I'll go get some coffee too!" Hajime escaped from the room for a minute, re-calculating just...everything he could say to the Luminary Prince. Holy shit.

Seiko simply stared at Kaito for a moment, having barely even thought about the whole...national religion side of things. That opinion was more varied, at least, though there were people, er...vocal about how irresponsible and spiritually damaging it was to force every person in a country to follow the same religion. Others spat that it was appropriate that such violent people bled themselves to a god. Others still growled that it was a shame that Luminaries hadn't just bled themselves dry by this point, killing themselves all off...before friends would comment over how dark that was, and that people dying wasn't a good thing, and how are your therapy appointments going...

It was an odd state of thought that had only grown worse as the war continued. Dicean pride of looking after your community and helping those in need clashing with the pain of losing loved ones to people who didn't seem to care at all. Who would invade and kill every Dicean if they had the chance, not taking care of anyone

She hadn't told Maki, sworn to secrecy as she was, but...some Diceans had taken that anger out in...healthier ways. Especially in towns closer to the Luminary border, there were groups that organized to help Luminous run-aways and defectors escape. They had to be careful about it, of course, couldn't help as much as they were able since they could only help refugees who came to them first since any advertising would alert Luminaries to the process...but, in Seiko's opinion, it was probably better to channel that anger into helping the abused Luminaries find a better home than to wish death upon the nation.

In a slightly hesitant voice, Seiko gave Kaito a strained smile. "It might be different in the castle, but I don't know of any Atuan followers in the city, sorry."

Some of Kaito's enthusiasm dampened a little at that...before shrugging. Sipping at his coffee some more. "That's alright...that's the great thing about him! Ya don't really need to follow him. No one ever even really needs to know his name. He still loves ya anyway," Kaito said cheerfully, though worried at his mug a little. There was supposed to be an Atuan temple put up in the capital at some point...maybe he should stop that. He should probably stop that. He didn't want any of his people getting...he just didn't want to put them in a tough spot. He had a feeling being a follower of Atua wasn't the sort of thing you advertised in Dicea. And it's not like you needed to worship in any official way...it was just considered a nice thing to do for him and the saints...and then a bunch of other stuff had gotten added in that had driven his mentor to anger even just talking about them to Kaito...

Like the coming of age ceremony. He needed to...if he was helping set up the first temple here, maybe it would be a good idea to just kinda get all the followers to agree to set aside that particular tradition. It was in The Great Book, sure, but...Kaito's great-grandfather had just kinda...added that in...and the age used to be sixteen, and only female birthdays counted, and only priestesses and royalty could attend and...look, it wasn't a secret why the king had made the whole tradition in the first place. Though, he said Atua told him to...anyway, after he had died, the Atua religion had tried to salvage the new rule the best they could without just straight up accusing the deceased king of lying, so now it was anyone who turned eighteen, and the orgy was invitation only by the person coming of age, with priestesses regulating it all.

Kaito remembered running to his mentor, sobbing because Head Secretary Tengan had made a joke about looking forward to going to his, and that was when Miss Mery had explained where the tradition had come from, and how it wasn't a true Atua ritual, and had made Kaito swear to not have one and go to no others. He had never forgotten it.

So, yeah...maybe if he could...if it wasn't too late, maybe they could take away the coming of age ceremony? And maybe...clarify some other things that had kinda gotten muddled about the religion back in Luminary, according to his mentor? It was what she had always hoped he would do...just...clean up some of the...'misunderstandings' that had happened over the last few...well, specifically four generations...

Hajime eventually returned, having collected himself a little. Giving Kaito a somewhat more wary look (if THAT rumor was true, then what other ones were???), he asked, trying to keep things fair between them, "Well, Kaito, what kind of stuff did you hear about Dicea before you got here?"

Kaito shrugged. "I heard you all were brainwashed and crazy. That the reason Dicean soldiers were so zealous was because it would be death for them to return home. But, like Seiko said, I think that was more, ya know...war rumors than anything. As for just about you guys in general? ...Kind of not much, honestly? Other than Dad just talking shit about King Aiichi, I mean. Oh! Did you guys actually salt and burn a bunch of potato fields just to keep them from us? Did that actually happen?"

...hm. Seiko was no theologian, but...that sounded like a helpful clause for anyone who wanted to say they were a believer, but didn't want to actually show any devotion. It sounded like the sort of thing you'd do for complicated political reasons...

For all of the things that stressed Prince Kokichi out and put strain on his body, he had always seemed to accept the responsibilities of leadership gracefully and without issue. But, still, Seiko did not envy the world he would only go further into as he grew up and assumed more and more responsibilities. At least...she could do something about her worry now. As his...primary healer...

The conversation wasn't comfortable, and the state of Luminary was...atrocious, but not all the people were. Kaito was a prime example of that. Seiko wouldn't be here if not for him, and...she was thankful for that.

...so she decided not to comment on the "brainwashed" comment, though she thought it was pretty rich that they'd imply that while they brainwashed their own people.

Though Seiko actually snorted at the particular rumor Kaito brought up, quickly putting up a hand to cover her mouth as she looked at the prince with an incredulous, laughing sort of look. "O-oh, goodness no. Even if you were invading our country, it's better for food to go to someone." She shook her head a little, looking to Hajime for confirmation. "I-it's been a long time since I worked for Aiichi, but...I can't imagine anyone in the administration willfully contributing to food waste. Or to harm the land like that, preventing any future use."

Hajime shrugged. "Not that I ever heard about...wait, does that mean you guys found burnt fields and stuff?"

"Well, I mean...some soldiers came to Dad after we had managed to gain a couple more miles into your land. We got...what was that town called...shoot, I'm sorry, I can't remember. I was young when this happened, and I think you guys claimed it back at some point. But anyway, we sent a bunch of Indentureds to work the fields, and they were supposed to send food back to the reserves, but the soldiers said that the fields were untillable now because of stuff the Diceans did, and there was no food to send back. Dad was furious...but," Kaito laughed, rubbing the back of his neck, "Mom was convinced it hadn't happened. Said the soldiers and Indentureds were working together to hide food. That's why I asked."

"Man...Mom would be so pleased to know she was right," Kaito said with a grin, looking down at his mug fondly, thinking of her. "She was good at sussing out stuff like that. She'd get a theory about something, send Shuuichi or Miss Kirigiri to go look into it, and almost every time it turned out she was right. Crazy...she probably did know she was right, actually. That seems like the sort of thing that's pretty easy to follow up on."

"But, yeah, considering Kokichi gets all weird and twitchy about just not eating everything on his plate at dinner, I kinda figured maybe Diceans weren't actually burning fields." Kaito laughed, before pausing. Right, Kokichi... "He's been at the beach for a few hours now, right...it'd be weird if I went to check on him. He's fine. Do you think I should check on him?" Kaito asked Seiko, brow furrowed in concern.

It seemed that some Luminaries were still working to protect their own too. Seiko smiled softly into her mug, knowing in some vague way that that must be true, but...it was still comforting to hear. True change always came from within, after all.

She looked back up when Kaito mentioned Kokichi's eating habits though. Some of his malnutrition came from being too exhausted to eat while he was ill, but it wasn't just that. He'd...been pretty enthusiastic about dinner the night before, from her point of view. Ate a reasonable portion for his size. Hmm...she would have to request a log of his meals.

And she wasn't the only one wondering about the Dicean Prince. Raising an eyebrow at Kaito, Seiko simply shrugged. "It's not strange to want to check in with your husband, Prince Kaito. To make sure he is alright or just because you're curious about what he's doing." She paused, actually having wondered where Kokichi was. "He's at the beach?"

Giving Kaito a shy smile, she decided to give him an excuse if he still felt worried about crowding Kokichi. "Since it's getting closer to noon, he could probably do with a reminder to apply more sunscreen actually."

It felt...a little better to hear the PTSD lady say that Kaito wasn't being...hovering or stifling or overprotective, wanting to check on Kokichi. His husband was strong and independent and didn't need a guardian! ...but he was also kinda little and kinda new to the world and all alone right now. Which was fine! Kokichi could totally be alone! All day if he wanted!

...but it was super hot outside, so, yeah... "I think I'll go make sure he's doing that then. Kokichi with a real sunburn would be insufferable, considering how much he likes to be held. Alright! I'll be back guys! Gonna go check on 'Kichi! Thanks for the conversation! It was fun!" Kaito said, giving them bright grins, before putting down his mug and heading outside.

Meanwhile, at the museum...

Honestly, it was going pretty much how Maki had expected. The event was planned months in advance, with no big, last minute changes or events that would suggest anything hurried or rushed based on extremely new information. The employees and volunteers gushed about each other, or otherwise had reasonable complaints about each other, as people who had been working together for a while might, which suggested no unknown outliers, at least within the workforce itself. She talked to random customers, who all seemed to have similar ideas of what to expect from the event, and had heard no rumors of anything 'special' or any 'surprises'. No one seemed to know Prince Kokichi was in town, and views of Luminary were...

...well, okay. A few negative reactions to the possibility that Luminaries were attending the events was to be expected. It didn't actually mean any of her people were in danger. And Luminaries didn't exactly stand out. Even with Maki not trying to hide her accent at all, all of two people she talked to realized they might actually be speaking to a Luminary, and the two who had realized had gotten sheepish and meek and that was a good a sign as any that, while there was anti-Luminary sentiment around, it wasn't to the point that people felt comfortable actually calling her out to her face. So that was something.

So, otherwise, a totally safe event. Like Maki had assumed.

What she hadn't assumed was that Timothy would come up to her, totally straight-faced, and say, "I think Mr. Saihara is dying in the bathroom."

Maki had sighed and, not at all concerned about what it said on the door, headed into the bathroom to go collect Shuuichi. "Not feeling any better, huh?" she said, finding Shuuichi bent over the toilet, hurling his guts out.

Shuuichi, with a small whimper, shook his head. "Th-this was a b-bad i-idea..."

Maki nodded, reaching down to help Shuuichi back up once the hurling stopped long enough to suggest he was done. "Yeah...I'm sorry. We should have talked to Dr. Kimura before...I got over-excited when you said you wanted to try to go a day without it. This didn't happen last time you were late on a dose though...is it possible this is unrelated?"

"M-maybe?" Shuuichi said, leaning on her, sweating heavily and squinting his eyes in a way that suggested the light was hurting him. "B-but I also...am taking way less day per d-day...right now...c-could be I st-still had enough in my system then to g-get me through the-urp." Shuuichi's eyes widened, he put his hand to his mouth, and threw up bile into it...and a little onto Maki.

"..." Maki sighed, taking him to the sink. "It's okay. We're going back now, and you'll take your dose as soon as we get there, okay? And, well...now we know what to expect at least...."

"...w-when?"

"Hmm?"

"...w-when are you all...going to stop giving me th-them?"

"When you run out."

"Th-that's not an answer, Maki."

"Don't get mad at me. I don't know the answer. I haven't memorized how many doses you have left. I'd have to look," she lied.

...he had five days’ worth left.

That was it.

But, considering how bad he felt right now...she didn't want to panic him by telling him that. So she kept it to herself as she finished cleaning Shuuichi up, before saying to him, "Can you keep it together around Timothy long enough to get home? He just thinks you're feeling sick. We don't want him to know, remember?"

"...o-okay...I can keep it together...I can do it...c-can we please h-hurry? F-feel bad..."

"We'll hurry," Maki promised. Leading him outside.

As it turned out, Kokichi had forgotten to reapply sunscreen. After Brent had left, Kokichi had gotten a sudden burst of creative energy and even his idea of a stomach-based alarm clock had failed him. It didn't help that he so regularly skipped meals that his body found a lack of food nothing to complain about. So, skin dotted with blooming freckles and starting to turn pink, Kokichi was curled up only half in the shade, Chase dozing next to him as he scribbled furiously in his sketchbook, now filled with a lovely portrait of the ocean, several sketches in varying degrees of detail of the puppy at his side, and a handful of quick drawings of beach patrons.

In fact, Kokichi was so absorbed in his drawing that, this time, he didn't notice the shadow over him at all, simply blinking a few times to adjust his eyes to the change.

Kaito watched over his shoulder for a while, grinning as he watched one of Kokichi's drawings start to come to life. It was so neat, that Kokichi could do that...what a cool, talented husband he had...

...who had absolutely not put on any more sunscreen.

So, kneeling down behind him, Kaito gently kissed Kokichi's shoulder. "Damn, babe. Looking hot there."

Kokichi jumped, thankfully not with his pencil against the page, though he did have to scramble to not drop his sketchbook. It took less than a second for him to recognize Kaito's voice, but, sheesh! That was startling! Don't just sneak up behind a guy!

Snorting softly, Kokichi turned and returned a kiss to Kaito's temple. "Only you would think me curled around a sketchbook would be hot." Looking around him, seemingly getting a sense of his surroundings again, Kokichi noted the sun climbing higher in the sky with some confusion. "What time is it? Did you just get up? I didn't, like, totally miss the show, right? I would think Maki-chan and Shuu-chan would be back before that, but..." He made a little "I dunno" sound while he shrugged, lifting his feet out of the little sand pile he'd made and giving them a shake before putting his shoes back on.

"I think it's...almost ten? And yes, I did just get up, more or less. Had some coffee with Seiko and Hajime! And no, we haven't missed the show. Jeez, Kokichi, you really got absorbed, huh?" Kaito laughed, kissing at his forehead a little. "It was super cute. I've never seen you that gone before."

From a distance a woman, now sitting alone, not willing to leave yet while the eerily familiar-looking purple-haired child was still there, tsked and fussed a little as she saw a red-haired man come down the path from what was likely one of the beach houses, wringing her hands a little as she saw him kiss the...smaller...man? It had to be. Otherwise that was the most bold pedophile in existence. Which meant the purple-haired man wasn't a kid! Which meant her theory was still totally valid!

...oh dear...hadn't Bessy heard that dreadful Luminary bastard had red hair? Oh dear...and the way his whole body had jolted when he heard his voice! Oh dear...the poor thing...he must be so scared right now...

As Bessy worried and fretted over at her spot, Kaito totally missed her, just grinning down at his husband. "I like the drawing...sooo, don't take offense when I ask what it's supposed to be. I'm guessing you just started this one?"

Ten...alright. He'd been out for a few hours, but that was fine. Nothing to worry about. As much as he enjoyed being able to draw views he'd only imagined before, there were a lot of other things he wanted to do too!

Some of that being sharing this experience with his husband.

Laughing sheepishly, Kokichi shrugged a little, settling the sketchbook back in his lap. "I'm not really used to being able to draw out in the open, you know? If I didn't give it all of my focus, I'd just get bored too fast just sitting in my room."

"Mhmm!" he chirped, pointing out into the waves, a cluster of birds bobbing in the water. "Was tryin' to do a study of 'em so I'd be able to add stuff like that in other drawings, buuuuuut..." Kokichi flipped to the grander portrait of the beach, excited to show it off to Kaito. "Check it out! Like one of those fancy postcards, right? Do you think my dad'll like it?"

Kaito's eyes lit up, his grin growing wider. "'Kichi, that's amazing! Oh man, look at that ocean. That's so good, babe! Your dad's gonna flip when he sees this!" he praised, putting his arms over Kokichi's shoulders and peering down at the picture, trying to take it all in. "Man, that is so good. He's gonna love it."

Kokichi beamed at the praise and pressed into Kaito's touch...though he paused when he felt his skin tingle oddly. Taking a look down at himself, noting his...definitely pinker than usual skin...the growing heat of the day...if it was ten, then...

Oops.

"I hope so..." Kokichi murmured, looking over his drawing for a moment before closing the book and smiling sheepishly up at Kaito. "I want it to be worth maybe a sunburn, after all. Maki-chan and Shuu-chan said that they'd probably be coming back around now--let's go back so I can put on some more sunscreen and Chase can get some nice, cool water."

Smiling down at the puppy, Kokichi rubbed her side gently, her sleepy breathing not a pant, but it would probably be a good idea for her to cool off. "I meant to take her for a proper walk, but I got kind of distracted...though, she crashed anyway. Some guy came up to us earlier--nice dude, was interested to see what I was drawing--and mentioned that getting more exercise might calm her down from chewing through her collars and leashes? I dunno, though--Tim runs around with her all the time."

As he rambled, Kokichi got up with a stretch and picked up the sleeping puppy, supporting her against his shoulder. "Sorry I kinda ditched you this morning--I wanted to let you sleep."

Awwwww...Kokichi holding a little sleeping puppy...so fucking cute.

Putting a hand on the lower part of Kokichi's back, sort of playing at guiding him back inside while really just kinda wanting to be closer to him, Kaito said, "You're fine, 'Kichi. I think I needed the sleep. Y'all really wore me out yesterday. Besides, I got to have cool later morning conversations with people, and you got to meet helpful puppy-experts! So that's nice." Kaito decided, carefully following Kokichi up the path. "And we've got the whole rest of the day to hang out! You excited for this museum trip?"

Kokichi smirked a bit with rosy cheeks, feeling a little vindicated. He didn't ever want to put Kaito in a position where he had the same doubts Kokichi so often had, but it was a little nice to hear that his husband had been well-loved on to the point of needing to sleep in, after having said that he'd take care of both Kokichi and Shuuichi no sweat. An argument of little consequence won in a very satisfying way.

Nodding, Kokichi hummed excitedly. "Oh, totally! You remember those tickets I got yesterday? They're for a water show happening today--s'mostly why Maki-chan and Shuu-chan are scoping out the museum." He looked up with a slightly apologetic smile. "Just...didn't want to put any of us in danger, since that employee recognized me, and all."

"I really want to see the museum itself, but, if they think it's a good idea, I wanna go see the show! Are you interested in going too?" Kokichi barely paused for a breath, wondering if water shows were something that happened in Luminary--they did have a much bigger coast--or if it was a Dicean thing. "I've never seen one myself, but it's like...a light show mixed with...people doing cool performance shit with water?"

"Oh, that's a relief. I'm glad they're doing that. Every time I think back to that party, I keep thinking how much of a near thing that was. What if everyone there had turned against us? I'm good in a fight, 'Kichi, but a brewery full of drunk, angry people? I'd have been demolished," Kaito said with a small eye roll, not feeling embarrassed to admit this. He had only been one armed, after all, and weaponless, and even if both those things hadn't been a factor...still. That would have been dangerous. "I'm glad you thought to ask them for help. Thanks, babe."

"And hell yeah I wanna go see weird water shit! That sounds like so much fun! I mean, so long as my sweet, strong husband wants to take me," Kaito said, leaning down to kiss the top of Kokichi's head...before laughing, as he admitted, "Because god knows I can't afford tickets myself...probably? How much do performance tickets usually cost? ...and, shoot, how much money do I even have..."

As Kaito tried to remember what he had taken out of his safe back in the post office, Shuuichi, Maki, and Timothy were just walking through the front door. Timothy immediately started running around, calling out, "Chase! Chase! Come here girl! I'm home, Chase! Chase?"

"She's hanging out on the beach with Kokichi, Tim. Oof, Shuuichi. You look like death." Very, very briefly, Hajime considered making the joke 'Nao come for a visit?'...but thankfully caught himself in time. Woof. That would have been super insensitive. God damn. So instead, he said, "Something you ate?"

"He'll be fine in a bit." Maki told him simply, helping Shuuichi up the stairs, who just groaned.

Honestly, Kokichi couldn't believe that nothing had happened that night. How Monokuma had spoken to him had been...uncomfortable, but he'd take that a million times over all the possibilities of what could've happened. And, well...the knife game hadn't been great either, but, again, it was better than...being stabbed elsewhere.

...it still hurt, thinking about Aba and Itch and Tom. But...there was nothing he could do about them now. They were wanted criminals, and even if they were taken back to the capital after their arrests...considering what they'd done, he doubted Aiichi would let him talk to them. ...maybe...if they were arrested, after that he could talk to them. Ask why they thought everyone dying was a good idea, ask why they thought they could drug people.

Ask if any of that friendship had been real.

Sighing softly, Kokichi tried to push those thoughts away, instead smiling up at Kaito. "Of course I'd take you--they gave me plenty of tickets after all..."

It wasn't long after the detective and assassins had returned that the princes came back into the house too, Kokichi quickly seeing Tim and heading over to the boy. "Heya--Hajime-chan and I thought Chase would rather run around on the beach than be cooped up inside. She tired herself out a little bit ago, but was a perfectly lovely little lady. You're really doing a great job training her!"

Tim didn't smile, so much, but he looked notably relieved when he saw his puppy, safe and sleeping. Taking the puppy back, Timothy said quietly, "Thanks, Prince Kokichi," bowing his head slightly...before turning to Kaito and saying simply, "Mr. Saihara's dying. Thought you'd want to know."

Kaito twitched. "What??"

Hajime sighed, overhearing this from the kitchen as he called out, "He's not dying. He's just a little sick this morning. Maki took him upstairs."

Kaito frowned at this still. Sick? Was it something he ate last night? Well, fuck knows it could be...or...

Kaito's eyes widened, looking down at Kokichi. "Did you give him a dose this morning? I didn't."

Kokichi hadn't been expecting much, but he was at least happy that Tim didn't seem upset that he'd been looking after Chase. He...wasn't really sure why he was worried about that, Tim was more reasonable than thinking that Kokichi would...like, cover Chase in Dicean germs (especially since Chase was Dicean too???) but...he was just glad it wasn't a big deal.

Especially compared to what came next.

Kokichi's eyes widened in alarm, and Hajime's clarification didn't help. And then at Kaito's question...

Kokichi darted up the stairs, quick as a whip.

He hadn't even thought about it! When he'd seen Shuuichi that morning, and they'd been about to leave, he'd just...been so nonchalant that it hadn't crossed Kokichi's mind that Shuuichi hadn't come by to get his dose.

And...actually...he and Maki hadn't been in that much of a hurry when he'd caught them. There was totally time to get the dose... And Maki hadn't said anything about it either...

...Had Shuuichi been trying to go without it?

Something about that sparked a sort of pride in Kokichi's heart...but his worry still eclipsed it.

He ran into Dr. Kimura on the third floor, the doctor having gotten right to work. Barely pausing, Kokichi was in and out of the master bedroom in a flash, holding the horrid prize in his hand. "I've got it! Is he gonna be okay?!"

Maki had realized the issue with trying to get Shuuichi's dose almost as soon as they got upstairs. Mainly, that she didn't actually fucking know where it was being kept...and couldn't rightfully find out, because that would mean Shuuichi would know where the dose was being kept.

So, realizing that Kokichi and Kaito were nowhere to be found (where were they), and realizing she couldn't search their room for the dose, Maki had eventually taken Shuuichi to the bathroom and...just sorta...let him start retching into the toilet and...

Okay. Admittedly. Her fight and flight instincts started to kick in. Hard.

She started getting angry. Really angry. At Shuuichi, kinda. At herself, a lot. She had known he was going out without his dose. Had encouraged it. It wasn't Shuuichi's fault. He was just trying to get better. So it was...her own damn fault. For not talking to Seiko about it first. And...fuck, what the fuck, princes!? She and Shuuichi hadn't fucking held their hand for one morning and they had both missed giving him his dose. They hadn't even asked about it! This was why she couldn't trust them with the medicine. They were so irresponsible...

And the more she heard Shuuichi retch, the more frustrated and mad and worried she got, to the point where when Seiko had finally followed them up there, Hajime informing her what was going on...

Maki guarded the door. Eyes blood red and manic. Dagger in hand.

"I told you," she said, the irrational lie once again on her lips as she fell to fear and paranoia. "He's fine. Leave him alone."

Another long retch came in from behind her. Shuuichi throwing up nothing more than stomach acid by this point. Too sick and out of it to tell Maki that he wanted to see Dr. Kimura. Please stop, Maki...but he couldn't. Every time he tried to catch his breath, he found himself vomiting again. It was terrible.

Maki's irrational hatred didn't boil down when Kokichi rushed past and came out with the sticker, her protective instincts having lost all sense of reason by this point. Shuuichi was in danger. She killed danger.

Everyone and everything was danger.

So she glared at Kokichi, barely recognizing him, her vision reddening as she growled. "Stay back."

Seiko didn't push, sensing that it would make Maki's worry worse, but she didn't leave, standing her ground with a worried expression as she tried to get through to Maki, but... She simply frowned when she didn't let Kokichi in either.

"...giving him his dose should mitigate the worst of things, if he can keep it down... But it should dissolve on his tongue fast enough to get into his system even if he continues to vomit."

Assured by the doctor's explanation, Kokichi went back up to Maki and held his hand out. "Maki-chan, Shuu-chan needs this to feel better. If you don't want us to come in, fine, but get this to him, okay?"

She was stressed. Stressed and worried, which made for a dangerous Maki. So...he kept it simple. Not ordering her--never ordering her--but trying to get his words through anyway, trying to get Shuuichi help in any way he could.

Maki glowered at Kokichi, every bone in her body wanting to kill something. If she killed something, everything would be better. Everything was better when things died. Kill the few so many could live...

Maki blinked, frowning slightly. Trying to see through the haze of bloodlust.

Wasn't that Kokichi?

Maki frowned, worried and suspicious...if that was Kokichi, then where was...oh, there he was. Coming up the stairs...and there was Dr. Kimura. Kaito's other sidekick. She was supposed to be making Shuuichi feel better, right?

...Maki blinked some more, more of the bloodlust fading away. Right. Kokichi was holding a sticker thing. That would...that was what they had come home to get. Right. Okay.

Wordlessly, Maki reached out for the sticker, taking it from Kokichi before, giving Dr. Kimura a wary look (fucking healers...couldn't trust them...too easy to bribe. Should have made all healers Indentureds...that's the only way you'd know they wouldn't leave you to die and call it an 'accident'...but wait, no...that wasn't the problem anymore...that was back in Luminary...) and walking backwards, still keeping an eye on both of them. Finally she got to Shuuichi and said, handing him the sticker, "Put this in your mouth."

Shuuichi didn't hesitate. He wiped his mouth and then leaned over and took it from her fingers between his lips. She shivered slightly in repulsion, feeling his mouth run against her fingers, but bore it...her senses coming back to her...Shuuichi wasn't in danger. She wasn't in danger...they were just trying to help.

Maki blinked...and then turned to Dr. Kimura. "Shuuichi was late with his dose today. Symptoms noted were nausea, sweating, sensitivity to light, aggression and exhaustion...." She blinked again. "...sorry."

Slowly, it was like everyone let out a breath. Mostly, Kokichi was just glad that Shuuichi got the dose, but...it was good to see Maki break through her furious worry too. He hadn't really thought it was the case, but...it was relieving to see her calm down in a way that didn't come from an order. She was a person with her own thoughts and feelings all the same as anyone else. She could calm down on her own.

Seiko, really, was just glad that she didn't need to administer stitches on anyone. Nodding slowly, taking note of all his symptoms, Seiko tried once again to see her patient. "I see...greater withdrawal symptoms than the last time he was late... We'll have to look for those symptoms in particular once he's off it, then..."

Sighing, stopping herself from muttering mostly for her own benefit, Seiko just gave Maki a tired, if gently understanding look. "It's a good sign that you all wanted to try to have Shuuichi go without his dose today, but I would appreciate, if nothing else, a heads up. Healers don't prescribe arbitrary course amounts, you know. May I see him? I will not ask you to leave, Maki."

Maki flexed her hand...once. Twice.

The dagger disappeared.

Kaito, who had been watching this from the background, having gotten there late, gave another small sigh of relief. It wasn't very often he could see Maki get that worked up and then come back down on her own...it was probably because she had felt alone. Maki didn't panic unless she felt the situation had gotten out of control and she didn't have any immediate ways to fix it. Usually Shuuichi got through to her by just telling her the solution, like Kokichi just did. Kaito, however...well, more often than not, he didn't have a solution...so, for him, it was often just safer to order her.

But Kokichi handled it. So good! One less series of cuts to worry about!

Maki, lips pressed tightly shut...a little embarrassed, more than anything, just nodded, moving aside to let the healer through.

Shuuichi was leaning his head against the toilet seat, breathing heavily, already feeling a little better as he felt that familiar, pleasant heat going through his body...didn't want to stop taking the pollen...did he have to?? He was fine...didn't want to stop taking it...

Seiko knelt by Shuuichi's side and, after giving him a warning that she was going to touch his neck, checked his pulse, feeling the heat of his skin at the same time. The day was warm and he'd just been vomiting, so she couldn't accurately check for fever, but...well, it was second nature.

Satisfied that he wasn't about to collapse, Seiko rose to pour him a glass of water, aiming to head off his dehydration right away. "Maki reported nausea, sweating, light sensitivity, aggression, and exhaustion--when you have a moment, does that sound correct?"

"At a minimum, I would recommend you lie down and rest for an hour, Shuuichi. I have a feeling the spores will take care of most of your symptoms, but if any persist, after that hour I can give you something to help with your discomfort. I would like to help now, but we have to be sure of what the spores are going to solve so we don't end up causing an imbalance in your body."

As Seiko gently but firmly gave her care routine to Shuuichi, Kokichi carefully approached Maki again, this time just not wanting to crowd her than for any fear of her lashing out, pressing his hands together anxiously. "...I didn't even think to ask about it... You guys were heading out and things seemed good so I..." Got complacent. Failed to help the people you're sworn to protect.

Kokichi glanced down in shame, annoyance directed at himself evident in the narrowing of his eyes, the twitch of an eyebrow. "...I should've spoken up... I'll apologize to Shuuichi too, but I'm sorry, Maki. I should be better than this."

With a sigh that lowered his shoulders, Kokichi looked up at the assassin in worry. "Are you alright?"

Maki flexed her hands a little. Still... a little electric and tense. That had been foolish. Fucking humiliating...panicking just because there wasn't an immediate way to make Shuuichi stop throwing up...fucking pathetic...her mentor would have been ashamed...

The assassin turned her blood-eyes to the Dicean Prince, feeling herself wanting to...lash out. Not physically, just...wanting to spread some of this bad feeling around...

...but looking at his hung-dog look kind of took the wind out of her sails. It was hard to yell at people who were already beating themselves up. Shame. Maki could really use a fight...

Her eyes turned to Kaito...and narrowed.

Saying quickly to Kokichi, "Relax. I'm fine. I should have told you what me and Shuuichi were planning to do. I kept it to myself in fears you would object. I can't blame you for not noticing something I specifically hid from you. That said...Kaito?"

Kaito had been leaning against the bathroom door, listening in on Shuuichi slowly explaining to Seiko what his symptoms were, how fast they had come on...how he had been mostly fine right up until about nine and then had very quickly spiraled...added a headache to the list of symptoms as he drank the water she gave him, looking just down and tired and embarrassed at the attention. Kaito sighed when he heard Shuuichi try to quietly ask Dr. Kimura how many doses he had left. He didn't have to stop any time soon, right? He still had awhile left? Dr. Kimura?

Hearing Maki call to him, Kaito looked up, glancing at her in concern. "Yeah, Maki-Roll? You good?"

Maki nodded. "Yes. I apologize for taking Shuuichi away without ensuring he got his dose this morning. I made a mistake," she said, bowing slightly to Kaito, who just raised an eyebrow at that. "I apologize."

"Um...thanks Maki..."

"That said," she continued, straightening up. Something intense in her gaze. "Considering we will be attending a water show this afternoon, which, Kokichi, is a perfectly safe event to go to and looks like it will be something to see...and considering we have to start prepping to leave tomorrow. These next few hours are really the only time I have left to ask this, if I don't want to wait until we get home. So...would you spar me today?" Maki asked, giving Kaito a long, neutral look. "In private?"

Kaito tensed at the last part. Ah...okay. If she didn't want any witnesses, then this was...gonna be potentially serious. Okay. Okay.

He could say no. She'd accept a no. He knew that...but it would be such a slap in the face, if he said no. And he had no good reason to do that. Sure, his arm was still broken, but, well...what was a little broken bone between friends? And she probably wouldn't aim for it anyway...and if she intended to still go to this performance this afternoon, she wasn't planning to break him or kill him. Not that she would! ...well, probably not, anyway. Maybe the break him part, if she was really mad. And, also, maybe the kill him part, if she was really, really mad...but that clearly wasn't what she was planning! She was talking about going to future events together, so he'd be able to recover by then!

So...what was she planning to do then?

...ahhh, he was overthinking it. They needed to have this fight and he knew it. They'd both feel better when it was done. Okay. Okay.

Kaito grinned. "Heck yeah, Maki! I'm into it! Let's just make sure Shuuichi's good, let me grab my sword, and then we can find somewhere private, okay?"

Maki nodded, looking back over to Dr. Kimura. "You said he'll be good with some sleep?"

Well...that was true, but he still should've said something. Should've thought about it more, more than just grinning at the shy kiss Shuuichi had given him. He was supposed to look after people, and to mess up on such a simple thing? Shameful.

...but it was more important to just make sure Shuuichi was alright than to keep punishing himself. Reparations were always a better apology.

And while he was happy to hear that the show seemed like a safe thing to go to... Kokichi glanced over to Shuuichi, his hunched form over the toilet... They would touch base later. If Shuuichi was feeling good enough to go, great! Awesome! If he wasn't, then...they could talk about it. Kokichi had a feeling that it would make his boyfriend feel awful if they skipped on his behalf, especially after putting in the effort of making sure it was safe... They'd see.

Kokichi looked back up as Maki requested a spar, worried, but he didn't say anything before Seiko looked over as well, having told Shuuichi that they'd be home before he ran out of doses, and, if his symptoms were still so severe, she would not make him just stop taking them. They would do this safely.

"He should be, yes. Once the spores have time to really get into his system again, Shuuichi can tell us if any of his symptoms are still sticking around. He can choose to keep resting it off, or I can supplement headache relief or nausea or whatever is still going on easily." Giving a nod, confident in her assessment, Seiko sent Kaito and Maki a look. "Please come back in one piece. I'll be waiting with first aid, and I will be checking over both of you."

"I'll be fine," Maki said, walking around Kokichi and Seiko and heading to Shuuichi, helping him up as he groaned. "Kokichi, I expect you to look after Shuuichi while we're gone, in my room. We won't be long."

Kaito laughed awkwardly. "Hey, don't count me out yet! I've been getting a lot stronger just using my right arm lately! I think I can still take you Maki! Okay..." Kaito looked over to Kokichi, giving him a wide grin as he kissed him on the cheek. "I hope you'll root for your husband, babe! I'll come back with a kickass story of how I made a badass assassin yield!"

"I mean, if you want to lie to your husband like that, sure. I won't tell him different," Maki said as she headed out with Shuuichi. To Shuuichi, she said, "Hey...do you mind if I borrow something of yours?"

Whatever she was asking him for was lost as she turned the corner to her room, heading inside, and Kaito looked at Seiko, smiling sheepishly for a moment before bowing deeply. "Thank you so much for looking after Shuuichi! I knew I picked right when it came to you! You're so damn reliable and cool, Seiko! It's gonna be so awesome watching other people realize that too, from now on! I'm so pumped for it! Are there any, like, Dicean awards for medicine and science and stuff? We should totally fucking aim to get Seiko an award, 'Kichi!" Kaito's grin got a little more forceful and biting, his brow furrowed as he said, "Convince all those fuckers to attend and clap for her."

The way he said it, there may as well have been lightning thundering ominously behind him.

Oh, Seiko didn't doubt that Maki was going to put Kaito through the wringer, but she was still going to check up on the young woman. It would be irresponsible not to, and, especially after trying to take Shuuichi's treatment into their own hands...maybe Seiko was feeling more stubborn than usual. One of these days she'd get these kids to see healers when they were hurt or sick. They weren't in Luminary anymore--they could rely on other people.

Really...Seiko cared more about that than her reputation. With a quiet sigh, Seiko smiled awkwardly at Kaito's bow and praise, accepting his odd way of thanks. "It's no problem, Prince Kaito--I will always do my best for my patients."

Though, both Seiko and Kokichi sweatdropped a little at Kaito's threatening achievements. Chuckling awkwardly, Kokichi gave his husband a half-shrug. "Everyone is credited for the work they do, and...I guess it's easier to get research grants if you have a good body of work to prove that your research will tangibly benefit people. We don't really have awards like that though... It's just respect and recognizability when you read studies and papers people have published."

It was too easy to create, like, clubs of prestige if you could sort people into 'has an award' and 'doesn't'. Would discourage people from respecting newcomers to the community as much. And, while healers' and scientists' names and achievements were common knowledge, like...it was because people had read their papers. Not because they'd heard that someone far away had gotten an award for something they didn't know anything about.

Discovering things about the world wasn't a thankless job, but...it wasn't really about the particular people. It was personal achievement and passion for the purposes of finding things that would benefit society. Better than a 'thanks' and some clapping and some hunk of metal or whatever, in Kokichi's opinion, but...to each their own, he supposed.

Going up to Kaito's side and giving him a nuzzle, Kokichi sighed with a smile. "Be careful, okay? I know you and Maki-chan talk this way, but...I like my Kai-chan whole."

Kaito considered this extremely intelligent, capable woman in front of him...whose life work had been disregarded and put to the side on the word of one extremely powerful authority figure. Who, no matter how good the actual body of her research had become, was struggling to be heard in the greater medical community of her own fucking peers, since even professional people were prone to snap judgement based on heresy, were swayed by group-think, and were inclined to bow down to the opinions of more powerful people then themselves, way more than they were prone to in-depth, personal research on a person's merits and quality...

And he painted a grin on his face when both her and his husband looked at him like his idea was foolish and out of touch with reality. Why would someone need an 'award' to prove they were worthy of attention and respect, when of course everyone in Dicea was judged entirely on the merits of their work! And that mentality worked out all the time, every time!! Duh!!!

Stupid fucking Luminary.

Ha...ha ha....

That was okay! That was okay! Kaito just...had to learn the rules here, and...it was okay if he embarrassed himself sometimes and...if he didn't really understand some of the things Diceans said and did. Which had to be right! Because his husband had said it! That was okay! He was just...he'd be better! He'd find other ways to bolster Seiko's reputation! He'd learn! It was gonna be great!

Okay! Now time to go get the shit kicked out of him by Maki!!

"She wouldn't break any pieces off me, babe," Kaito reassured his husband...before amending, thinking about the guy in the pub with nine fingers, "I mean, probably? She hasn't yet, anyway."

"Of course I wouldn't. It would make Kokichi and Shuuichi sad, if I did that. So, I'll hold back," Maki said, leaving the bedroom, holding both of Shuuichi's batons. "Let's go, Kaito."

"On it!" Kaito replied cheerfully, giving Kokichi one last kiss on the forehead before promising, "Be right back!", running to his room to get his short-blade from his luggage.

Then, when it was all situated, he and Maki headed out!

...maybe it wouldn't hurt, though, to...not have an award, but highlight certain achievements the scientific minds of Dicea made in...at least the capital newspaper. A different person every week, a recurring segment, not necessarily lavishing praise on the person, but...celebrating what they had done. It would remind people that everything that had been done in history had been done by a person just like them, while also getting names out there. Perhaps introducing someone to a scientist or historian or whomever that they'd never heard of, spurring them to look them up in more detail and maybe even work off their work!

And it'd probably feel nice to see your name in the newspaper.

He'd talk to Ryouhei about it when they got back home. And, hey, maybe Dr. Kimura could be the subject of one of the first segments! Her work on his medicine was invaluable, after all, and once she published her work on despair pollen, that was definitely worth drawing eyes toward!

Smiling a little more assuredly, Kokichi gave Kaito's hand a squeeze before seeing him off and heading to Maki's room, settling down by Shuuichi.

It was actually tougher than you'd expect, finding a quiet, private place to spar in a beach town. Maki and Kaito both eventually headed to the beach itself, hoping there might be some part of it that wasn't super populated, and it took some walking before, at least in this moment, they found a long stretch of the beach that wasn't being occupied by anyone.

As they walked, they chatted a bit.

"...so...do you wanna tell me what this is about?" Kaito asked, giving Maki what he hoped was an approachable smile. "I mean...I know something's been bothering you for a bit, now..."

Maki didn't say anything for awhile. The two just walking for a bit. Still looking for a bit. Eventually, to lighten the mood, Kaito asked, "So, Shuuichi's batons, huh? Does that mean we're not seeing your daggers to-"

"I told you something was wrong with him."

There was sudden silence. The air getting chillier between them.

"...for fuck’s sake, Maki, that's not fai-"

"What's not fair about that!?" Maki said, turning on him, catching the attention of a few people around them, who gave the woman a concerned look. "I told you there was something wrong with him. Are you trying to say I didn't??"

"Hey, hey," Kaito put his hands up, wincing as he saw people look at his sword in alarm, now that attention had been called to them, "Let's calm down...not yet, okay? Not yet. Let's keep looking."

There was another long, uncomfortable silence between the two of them. Kaito tense, already wanting to argue. Maki radiating blood-lust.

Eventually, they found that long clearing, and got the appropriate distance away from each other.

Kaito sighed, tossing the sling of his cast into the sand. He wasn't wearing his sling too much these days, not finding he needed it anymore...but he might want the extra support on his arm after this, so he had brought it. Usually, by now, he'd be wishing he had some armor on as well, but...well, Maki was holding blunt weapons, not daggers. Which would still hurt like a motherfucker. But...well, Shuuichi used those things for a reason. Taser batons were effective for stopping attackers, without doing any real long-term damage, not unless you went out of your way to do so. Kaito had to assume Maki had asked to borrow them to make sure she wouldn't really hurt Kaito.

It wasn't the reason. But it was a nice perk.

"We don't have a ref. So...I guess just honor system? Call it when you know an attack was gonna land?" Kaito asked, watching Maki stretch out a little, loosening her shoulders.

Maki nodded. "Sounds good to me. I'm gonna try to steer clear of that arm of yours. Try not to do anything stupid like try to block the batons with it."

"Got it, got it." Kaito nodded, swinging his sword a little, getting familiar with its weight again. He took a steadying, stabilizing breath...before grinning at her. Sharp and predatory. "On your word!"

"Go!" Maki shouted with a leap.

Maki was well trained and talented on top of that, but Kaito always had sheer strength and, frankly, a shit ton of untapped rage to draw from that made him ruthless with his swings, and because of that, the angry spars between them always started off as fairly even.

There wasn't any talking at first. Maki tried to get Kaito off his feet, but that was a familiar move on her part, it usually being what she started with, and Kaito managed to not only keep his stance, but hit her side with the hilt of his sword, swinging her around himself and sending her towards the sand. Neither of them called it. It wasn't a killing blow, though it had likely hurt. Maki was unphased though, rolling into the sand, which sprayed into the air like miniature explosions at their movements, clouding the air and covering their skin and clothes almost immediately as Maki, finishing the roll by landing on her knees, sprang back into a run at Kaito, straight on.

Kaito already knew she'd be able to block this, but there were only two responses to her coming straight at him like this, and he couldn't safely kick her in the upper body. It was the kind of move he'd only pull on his best friend while raging out on personality changing plants. It could just as easily snap her neck as just send her flying. So, that move off the table, Kaito instead took his sword over his head and swung it down above her head, trying to put the blade into her skull. And, like he knew she'd be able to, she threw the batons over her head, catching it between them before throwing her momentum to the right, circling around him.

Okay. There wasn't that telling sound of electricity against steel. The batons weren't on. Good to know-fuck.

Kaito had been too slow to turn, and hadn't been able to catch it when Maki took both batons and smashed them against his side, knocking the wind from his lungs and causing him to fall into the sand. Before Kaito could regain his senses, Maki's foot was on his neck. If she reeled it back and smashed in his windpipe, he'd be dead.

"H-hit!" Kaito conceded.

"I..." Maki growled, grinding her foot onto his neck, "told you...something was wrong with him...and you told me to let it go!"

"That...I didn't...I was putting my faith in him, Maki! I won't apologize for that!" Kaito growled, letting go of his sword and grabbing her leg with both hands, throwing her off his neck. She somersaulted backwards, and by the time she had landed on her feet, she had to dodge again, Kaito already up and swinging at her again.

"Don't pretend it was just you trusting Shuuichi! You were distracted! You've been distracted since we got here!" Maki accused, dodging more attacks, her usually sure footing struggling in the sand before, with a gasp, she misstepped on some shells, and found herself falling.

Cursing herself for such a simple mistake, Maki hissed out "Hit!" when she felt the tip of Kaito's blade immediately on her stomach once she had landed into the ground. Glaring up at him, she continued, "Shuuichi and I followed you into a war torn border! And when we needed you, you were dancing with the latest crush of the week!?? How dare you!?"

Kaito winced. Something guilty running across his face as he took the blade away. "That...Maki, please...that wasn't how it was..."

"Then explain yourself!!" Maki screamed, taking her shot and kicking at Kaito's legs.

Kokichi had gotten Shuuichi another glass of water, but after that, the detective had just gone to sleep, wanting to sleep off his headache and residual nausea. Kokichi could respect that--it wasn't like he had really been expecting Shuuichi's company. But there was...something uncomfortably familiar about sitting in a bed while other people were out and about.

So Kokichi got his sketchbook back out, wanting to distract himself. He already had one drawing of a sleeping Shuuichi, but...well, Shuuichi really was gorgeous. Even more when he was awake, but if he was awake, Kokichi would rather spend time chatting with his boyfriend than drawing him, so a sleeping subject he'd be.

He wouldn't make Shuuichi uncomfortable with his staring if he was sleeping too.

And, while he was mostly focused on sketching the sleeping beauty, Kokichi did find his mind wandering a little.

...he hoped Ikuo would like the Luminaries. He worried over whether Ikuo would still like him, but...the worry was...a little more realistic when it came to his friends. Ikuo had always been kind to others, taking the younger residents and members of the staff under his wing. Had been the person so many of them had needed. Once you got past his death stare--Maki had that in common with his dad too--Ikuo was one of the most comforting people Kokichi had ever met.

With each of his assailants throughout the years, after things had been settled with them, once Kokichi stopped flinching every time he saw them...Ikuo had forgiven them too. Could acknowledge their broken situations without hurting Kokichi. If he could do that...maybe he could look past Luminary to see Kaito, Shuuichi, Maki, and Tim. Maybe...he could be the sort of person they needed too.

That...was a lot of pressure to put on Ikuo. Kokichi frowned a bit, drawing and erasing and fixing the shape of Shuuichi's hair, that one piece that always stuck up. Ikuo...had no obligation to be the person he was. Kokichi just wanted his father back. If he had that, if Ikuo wouldn’t feel worried to the point he wanted to protect Kokichi from his lovers and friends...that would be enough.

"God damn it, Maki, would you calm down!? I can't talk that fast!" Kaito shouted, scooting backwards as fast he could, looking between her and his sword as she got up and ran at him, swinging her batons with a scream and murder in her eyes as Kaito rolled to the side, taking some sand into his hands and, in a desperate move, throwing it into Maki's eyes before immediately getting up to run for his sword.

As she howled, putting her palm over her eyes too late, Kaito managed to grab his sword, getting up and then, wide eyed, staring in horror as a dagger landed right where he had picked up the sword just seconds before. "For fuck’s sake, Maki! Don't throw daggers when you can't see! Do you wanna kill me!?"

"Maybe!?" Maki screamed, trying to blink through the red burn of her eyes, trying to focus on that blurry, red figure she could still kind of see, another dagger in her hand, one of Shuuichi's batons in the sand. "Not that it matters, does it!? Not like I could! You sure didn't fucking mind ordering me around when I was just trying to read your brother’s precious letter!!"

"For fuck’s sake, what are we arguing about!? Can't you just pick something!?" Kaito demanded, running a wide circle around her, trying to just outrun the speed she could throw her daggers while she was as debilitated as she was. "What do you want me to say!? About what!?"

"Just admit to me that you abandoned me to die to hang out with someone you just met. Just say it! So that I can stop thinking about it!"

"I didn't! I panicked-augh!!" Kaito winced as one of the daggers dug into his boot, causing him to fall. Thankfully, it was only the edge of the boot, meaning it only cut the side of his foot, but still. Ow. Plus, now he was down again, and as he struggled to get his balance enough in the sand to push himself up again, Maki crashed down at him out of nowhere, straddling his hips and raising her dagger. He raised his arms to shield his face, shouting out, "Hit, hit! Second hit! I panicked, Maki! I panicked when you and Shuuichi left and I panicked when Tengan told me what was happening and what I was expected to do and I panicked with the letter from Byakuya! I'm sorry! I was scared and I didn't know what to do and I couldn't think! So I...I just pretended like everything was okay! Because that's what I do! I pretend everything's okay! And that was why I wanted Shuuichi to be okay! Because I was scared about everything that was happening at the same time, and...I just...I was scared. I needed Shuuichi, at least, to be okay, because nothing’s been okay since we got here, Maki!"

Kaito didn't realize he had started crying until he tried to see Maki through the space in-between his arms, and she came out all blurry. He was shaking. This was the hardest Maki had fought him in a spar in a long time, outside of blood-rages. He was starting to feel overwhelmed by her accusations. Saying things he'd otherwise...rather not.

There was silence for a moment, Maki catching her breath...before she said, "I was scared too. I was being sent to kill Shuuichi, Kaito. Do you have any idea...I was terrified. In our whole lives, the one time I really, really needed you to come give me an order to stop...and you didn't even try..."

Kaito finally got his vision to clear, and as he looked up, he was horrified to see tears in Maki's eyes. It was such a strange sight. She looked furious. Still wanting to murder him...but her tears started to fall onto Kaito's face as he looked up at her as she stared at him, clearly resisting the urge to bludgeon his brains out as she said, "Shuuichi and I don't have anyone else here, Kaito. It's just you. You...you have to be better. You can't abandon us...Shuuichi fucking got addicted to a dangerous drug and was fucking pulled into an abusive relationship because we were distracted for five seconds...and these Diceans are going to realize I'm crazy one day and I don't know what'll happen when that happens! We're new to independence! We're new to freedom! I don't have a job as an assassin anymore and I'm still trying to report to Kokichi like I do! I don't know how to...be a civilian!! Neither of us do!!! We're counting on you! We need you. Stop...stop letting us down!!" Maki screamed, her body shaking. More tears falling down her face.

This was a risk. Kaito had tried this before on some of their heated spars, and had once gotten a dagger literally in his shoulder blade for his effort...but he couldn't stand seeing Maki like this.

So he reached out and, as quickly as he could, drew her into a hug.

He tensed immediately, waiting for the attack...but it didn't come, so he just held her for a while as she sobbed, her tears stifled and furious, Maki clearly trying to swallow them down before they could escape her and failing, over and over. Her whole body twitching and spasming, rage and grief fighting for equal parts of her, both of those feelings just making her want to lash out. To attack. To kill.

...but she let herself be held instead, and did her angry crying, and Kaito just held on, waiting for her to get the tears out of her system, rubbing the back of her head and holding her close.

After awhile, when it felt like enough time had passed, Kaito said, "I'm sorry."

"I know," Maki muttered.

"I...I'll be better."

"Yeah."

"Maki..."

"Shut up. I know that was pathetic. Oh please master, don't abandon me," Maki said in a false high voice, Kaito disentangling himself, looking at Maki in distress as she pouted at the ground. "Stupid fucking...indentured mentality...I didn't think this would be a problem for me...I thought I was better than this..."

"First of all, I'm not your master," Kaito insisted, ignoring Maki's little exasperated 'tsk' sound. "Shut up! I'm not. At least...I've never viewed myself that way for you. I...I know that maybe doesn't mean much. I know your head’s all...kind of...twisted to obey me. And I can't...I don't know how to fix that...but that doesn't change the fact that you don't belong to me! And fuck, Maki, I just wish there was a way I could convince you of that in a way that the fucking shit in your head lets you believe it. I'll keep trying but...I don't know. I don't know if we can fix that. B-but that doesn't change the reality of it-!"

"The reality is you can make me do anything with a tone of voice," Maki said quietly. Looking tired. "And the one time I needed you to do that to my advantage, you abandoned me. And I just...that hurts, Kaito...I left the castle hoping it'd give you a chance to catch up to me before Shuuichi could see me...I was counting on you..."

"...I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I should have come as soon as the wedding was done. I should have gotten on a horse and went to find you both. I'm sorry I waited. I'm sorry I stayed."

"...thank you."

"And I'm sorry I missed everything going on with Shuuichi. You did try to tell me. You tried to tell me twice, even. I dismissed it both times. I should have listened, Maki. I'm sorry."

"Thank you."

"I'll be better. I promise. I'm gonna honor you both. You followed me into a strange, scary new situation, and I haven't been paying that the respect that is due. I owe you both so much...I'll be better."

"Thank you."

"...So...are we good? Should we wrap up? Is there anything else you want to talk about?"

Maki sighed. Wiping the tears from her cheeks...before sighing again. The sound steadier. She opened up her eyes, her face far more calm now.

"Yes," she said. "We have one more hit left before I win this spar. Two more for you. And I have one more thing I need to talk to you about."

Kaito...swallowed hard.

"Starting positions again?" he asked, sounding nervous.

"Yeah."

They went back to their starting positions. Both of them a little slower this time, both of them catching their breath. Kaito limping ever so slightly on his foot.

Kaito couldn't help but notice that Maki looked...less furious now and more...serious, maybe was the word. Calculating. She had a specific goal for this next part, more than just screaming and arguing with him.

Which meant this was likely gonna hurt.

Okay! Okay! You got this Kaito! Just watch her feet. Don't be tricked into watching her hands. If you see her throwing a dagger, it's already too late to dodge it. Keep moving in circles, always assume a dagger is coming, watch where she's going! You got this!

Swallowing, Kaito...tried to start this off right. It's not like he couldn't guess what this was about, after all. So he said, "Hey...look, before we start...I know you talked to Kokich-"

"On your word!" Maki called out. That serious look still on her face.

Kaito sighed. Oh well.

Readying his sword, Kaito took another breath.

"...Go!"

Once again, Maki came straight at him, which surprised Kaito. It wasn't like Maki to try the same move twice, especially when it hadn't worked last time. Unless she had been using the last time to work out something? Shit, he didn't have time to work out what her thought process was. He couldn't kick, so he brought his sword up again, aiming down at her head-AUUUUUGH!!!

Kaito didn't know that Maki had used the last attack to judge his stance in the sand. His legs were more spread out then they should have been, trying to adjust for the instability of the sand. And as he put his sword above his head, his lower body was completely unprotected. Which, for sparring, wasn't that big a deal. Maki knew that if she threw a dagger into his stomach, he wouldn't be able to dodge it and the wound would kill him, so it was a move she couldn't take, same as his kick. It was just an understood thing, that you couldn't take all the potential lethal blows available. Spars, for training purposes, had rules around that, but when it was just to settle disputes? Those rules were ignored in preference for keeping the rounds moving hard and quickly.

So, Kaito opened up his lower body, knowing she wouldn't throw a dagger.

Not thinking about Shuuichi's baton.

Shuuichi's electric baton.

With a flick of Maki's thumb, and a twist of her wrist, the baton flew, hitting Kaito straight in the lower abdominal muscles, the brief contact against him shocking his body with 50,000 volts of electricity. The brief contact wasn't enough to send his body into convulsions, but it was enough to shock him to his core and get him to lose his footing, his knees suddenly feeling like jello as he collapsed.

"Mmmm-ah!!" Kaito shouted, losing his grip on his sword as Maki stepped on his wrist, kicking the sword away once he had lost his grip. "Hit! Hit! Third hit! Ow Maki!!! Fuck!!!"

"That's not a hit," Maki corrected, raising an eyebrow at him. "That wouldn't kill you by any stretch of the imagination. Spar’s still on," she said, throwing her foot to the other side of his chest before sitting down on it. Straddling his chest. As he immediately reached up to knock her aside, she took the other baton and, with a flick of her thumb, pushed another 50,000 volts of electricity through him, Kaito spasming and jerking beneath her, unable to make much noise this time, his teeth clicking and grinding together.

Maki smiled. It was...disturbing on her features, as she went and rubbed a hand through his hair. "Funny...me on top. You, writhing and speechless beneath me...reminds me of old times a little. Funny, really. How often a person can make a one to one comparison, between sex and fighting. Isn't that funny, Kaito?"

"M-maki...p-please-hurp!!???"

Kaito stared up at her, wide eyed, as she grabbed his jaw, forcing it open with her grip alone, her eyes emotionless. Deciding his mouth was wide enough, his body under too much pressure from the shock of the taser to fight her off, she took Shuuichi's baton, thumb still on the switch, and considered him for a moment, eyes calm. A peaceful sort of violence in them.

Kaito tried to speak through her grip and the shock, Maki please, Maki no-

And, with no more ceremony, Maki shoved the long, metal stick of the baton down Kaito's throat.

The baton didn't look that big by itself, but down your throat? Kaito immediately felt himself start to choke, the long piece solid and unrelenting as his body tried to cough and breathe around it. He tried to shove Maki off of him, but the shocks to his body had turned his muscles to putty, and the grip of her legs around his body was too strong. He whined and screamed around it. Furious. Pleading. Stop!!

"Huh. Guess you can't always rely on ordering me, huh?" Maki said, turning the baton in his throat for a moment, before...pulling it out a little bit, and then pushing it in again. The motion extremely suggestive, and done with said purpose in mind. As she watched the panic in his eyes, his body choking around the item, she said, "Doesn't feel very good, does it? Being powerless, unable to do anything while someone plays with your throat? It's scary, isn't it? Not a very nice thing, for me to do to someone I care about. And I do care about you, Kaito. So much." Maki forced the baton deeper into his throat.

His vision was starting to spot. His heart going a thousand miles a minute. He wasn't going to last much longer. Please stop, Maki! Maki! Maki please stop!!

"I shouldn't be doing this. It's very, very cruel...how about this," Maki said, moving the baton in and out of his throat some more. Undaunted by how red his face was getting. How his eyes started to bulge. "If you never do that again...I'll never do this again. That sounds fair, right? You didn't plan to ever let it happen again, right? So, it should be an easy deal to make. Deal, Kaito?"

The sounds coming from Kaito were becoming weaker. More mindlessly desperate.

"Here...we're gonna go see a light show, later. Let's have our own little light show to mark the occasion of our deal. Don't worry Kaito. That powerless feeling you have right now? That'll end...oh. About an hour from now. Which sounds fair to me. That's probably how long it took your husband to stop feeling powerless that night."

"Lights up, Kaito," Maki said, flicking her thumb.

-

When Kaito, helped by Maki, leaning on her shoulder, finally got back to the beach house, he was relieved to finally be able to sit on the couch, Maki helping him take a seat before going to get him some water. His...head wasn't quite...all there yet. And he kept getting confused on the trip back. Where was he? Were they on their school trip still? If so, it felt like they had been here a long, long time...

...had he gotten in a fight?

He tried to ask Maki, but his voice wasn't quite working yet. It felt...stingy and hot. Every time he tried to talk it scratched something awful, so he kept quitting. Why did his throat hurt so bad? Someone had been rough with him...he'd have to tell his boyfriend about it. Korekiyo always wanted to hear about all that stuff. Kaito was always half worried he was using Kaito's stories for masturbation material, but, well...at least Kore didn't actually do that stuff. Not unless you gave him permission. And he was always so sweet. So insistent. You never have to do anything, Kaito. Don't let anyone convince you that you owe them something, even if you've already gone half-way. You gotta stand up for yourself, Kaito. You can't let people do stuff like that to you.

And you don't do stuff like that to others.

...that last part felt important. Kaito puzzled over it.

...if he was at the beach field trip, had he even met Kore yet?

Kaito, extremely confused over this mix of memories, grinned sloppily as Maki brought him a glass of water. "-nks ma'i..."

"You're welcome," Maki said simply. Before looking around and shouting, "Dr. Kimura, we're back!"

Seiko came into the living room quickly, blinking in astonishment at Kaito for a moment before sighing and heading over to him, first aid kit in hand. "Maki...putting Kaito in rough shape wasn't going to get you out of an examination too, I hope you know. A-at least...I hope this was all you?"

She sent the young woman a questioning look before checking Kaito over, tsking as she felt the slight irregularity of his pulse, the heat around his throat, the daze in his eyes, the apparent disorientation. There wasn't much she'd be able to do for him, but...she could give him something that would help with his dizziness. Help him get on his feet a little faster.

Setting Kaito up to rest, starting to look him over for any cuts or areas of painful blunt force, Kokichi, having heard Maki's voice but not wanting to leave Shuuichi alone, peeked down the stairwell, calling down. "Maki-chan? You guys okay?"

"We're fine, Kokichi! Kaito got a little overheated in the sun!" Maki called back up, before telling the healer, "I think I got him in the foot at one point. And do you have any, I don't know...medicine he could drink that would ease his throat? He may have a slight burn mark in there."

Seiko gave Maki a dry look before sighing and looking through her supplies. "I believe so... His mouth may taste a little soapy for a while, but...ah, this," she held up a stoppered vial with a white, semi-opaque liquid inside, showing Maki before setting it aside to mix into Kaito's water once he was done with what he was currently drinking, "It will...well, it's a little like putting aloe on a sunburn. It will provide a soothing sensation while coating his mouth and throat to prevent further abrasions."

She knew Kaito likely couldn't process her words at the moment, but she still let him know that she was taking off his boots, a little relieved when she only found a small, clean cut. Easy to clean, apply a disinfecting salve, and wrap. As she did so, she raised an eyebrow at Maki. "...you're keeping this from Kokichi? It's your business, and as long as I can treat Kaito I will not interfere, but as Kokichi's healer as well, I feel like I should ask on the grounds of his mental health."

"Certainly, doctor," Maki said, putting her hands behind her back and staring at the healer blankly. "If, in your professional opinion, it's better for Kokichi's mental health to know that I fucked his husband’s throat with his friend’s taser baton to settle an argument, then please. Don't let me stand in your way."

Kaito looked up, hearing Kokichi's name and looking around. Was his husband here?

...shit! Fuck! He couldn't go to Korekiyo! He had a husband now!

...Shit!?? Did Korekiyo even know he was married!? Shit Kore was gonna fucking leave him for this, Kaito just knew it...

"Snrrk."

Seiko quickly covered her already masked face in a bit of embarrassment, her laughs cut off right away from the loud snort that came from her, though she sent a tiredly amused look Maki's way. "Alright, alright, I see. You're certainly a group of odd ones, aren't you."

"I can't say I condone it, but I'll settle for being able to check over you two. I just have to trust that neither of you will do anything that will inflict lasting damage." Asking how you could help was far more helpful than saying 'no', Seiko had found. People made mistakes. Sometimes they did things they knew were wrong. If they felt like they were being judged or punished, then they would look elsewhere for help so...you just had to take them as they were, and do your best to provide as many resources as you could in the hopes that they'd choose better one day.

Setting Kaito up with the medicine in a new cup of water, coaxing him to drink it, Seiko then turned to Maki. "Your turn, miss."

Maki tensed. Crossing her arms and...pouting a little. "I just got hit on the side. That's the most he got me. Kaito holds back too much to ever really get me with that sword of his. It's why he shouldn't use it," Maki said, rolling her eyes. "Can't convince him of it though. Has to always play at being a knight or whatever other hero bullshit he dreams about."

Maki saw the look on the doctor’s face and sighed. "Fine. Here, you can see it. Look," Maki said, taking up her shirt and showing Seiko her side.

It was a pretty nasty bruise, and was as big as...well, as big as the hilt of a sword, and already a deep purple color. On other bits of her were many more smaller bruises, and some light cuts from where she had made contact with shells in the sand. No sword wounds though.

Seiko just hummed a little--nothing too bad. Taking a few wipes out of the kit, she offered them to Maki. "I have a feeling you'd prefer to clean your cuts yourself. I'll ask you to ice that bruise too--Kaito and Shuuichi are resting, so you can too."

She felt a bit bad about the fourth in their little group. For once, it wasn't Kokichi stuck on bedrest, and...she knew that he wouldn't even think of leaving if his friends needed time to rest. She'd only seen a little of it, but for Kokichi, who was so deeply intertwined with the Luminaries, he knew of their paranoia painfully well. To ensure that they could feel safe, he wouldn't leave them.

It was only for a little bit, but...this was still one of the first times the Dicean Prince was allowed his proper freedoms, and to protect those he cared about, he wouldn't explore those freedoms. There was probably a metaphor in that.

Maki took the offered wipes with a small thank you and, without much care, cleaned up the cuts. Heading to the kitchen she threw away the wipes before getting a brown paper bag and filling it with ice, before heading back to the couch.

Kaito, who was lying down, was staring down at the carpet curiously, who even knew what was running through his mind. So Maki just said, "Make room," as she lifted up his head, sitting down and letting him lie back down on her lap.

"Maki!" Kaito greeted cheerfully, looking up at her adoringly. That's right! He was dating Maki now! Had been wanting to do that all his life. It was a little hard, but...they were working through it! They'd go the distance, Kaito was sure of it!

Nuzzling into her stomach, feeling a little more secure with her there, no matter how confused he felt, Kaito found himself drifting off in a restless sleep, his throat, while still feeling much better then it had, aching still with every swallow.

-

"Order up! Double-fudge milkshake!"

Vera called out the order, giving a nod to the woman who came up for the order, watching for a moment as she took the drink back to the very pregnant seedling resting at one of the tables in the ice cream parlor. Vera kept looking just enough to see the satisfied, happy smile on the seedling's face, the woman who had collected the order looking on in adoration, before she got back to work, cleaning up the dishes she'd used to make the sugar-loaded drink.

Vera would never, ever wish to be a seedling, but it was nice to see happy couples around.

For a human, life in the Danganronpan Kingdom was weird. Where she lived and worked, no one really cared that much. They weren't given every comfort imaginable and lavished with attention like seedlings, but they weren't sent to breeders to become seedlings, if they could, or written up as potential sacrifices. They just...lived. Vera's parents, who had traveled around a lot, guessed that it was because their little town was so close to the Dicean border, and some of the attitude of their easy-going neighbors must've rubbed off.

Vera didn't know, but she was just glad the Flora in this part of the country weren't batshit crazy. Treating people like pets...how bizarre. Sure, all her friends were going to outlive her, but...that was just life. Living forever sounded more like a pain, and how you got the idea that you could own a person into your head.

Eh, but who cared. She was still on shift for the next four hours, and Vera was more interested in trying out the new roast recipe she'd gotten tonight than philosophizing why certain people did certain things.

Greeting the next customer, Vera started scooping up some cookie dough ice cream...with extra chocolate chips incorporated into it, please, and then a scoop of rocky road too!

-

Kaede was led into a sitting room by two servants, one who announced her presence while the other brought in, without prompting, a coffee for Byakuya, mixed as he liked it, and a tea for Kaede, the kind she would have asked for had it been offered. Kaede considered the already warm and prepared drinks, laid out among an assortment of pastries, and realized that Byakuya meant this to be a long meeting.

Fine.

Byakuya did not dismiss the servants or greet Kaede, instead looking over some paperwork, a frustrated look on his face. The servants finished setting up regardless, and then bowing to both of them, left, shutting the door behind them. Kaede stood, stiffly, annoyed at the rude treatment for several moments.

Byakuya eventually looked up at her, adjusting his glasses, and said, “Do you seriously intend to stand there the whole time?”

“I didn’t realize I’d be expected to sit and take tea with you, my grace,” Kaede said, a stiff smile painted onto her face. “I’m afraid you called for me at a busy time. I don’t think I can afford to-“

“This isn’t a request, Kaede. And stop talking like that, there’s no one around to perform or dance for. Sit down and drink your tea.”

“…fine,” Kaede said, going to take a seat, touching the edge of her cup and frowning. Too hot still. “Do you want to tell me what this is about.”

“…” Byakuya sorted through his papers some more…before putting them down on the table. “We captured a new group of rebels the other week.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. Loyal. Well trained. Most of them are dead now and we know almost nothing new. But one…said something very peculiar before he died.”

Kaede sighed. Already tired. “Oh? What would that be?”

“Long live the queen.”

“…A strange thing to say. Perhaps they mean Queen Sara? Or Queen Junko, even.”

“Kaede, if I promise to not execute you based on anything said in this room, could we stop pretending for five minutes that you don’t know that I know that you’re raising a coup against me?”

“I’ll admit to no such thing…but why would you want to do that?” Kaede asked. “What do you have to gain from a plain conversation, by this point?”

“A proposition. No double-speak or contradictory mind games. Just me, Byakuya, going to you, Kaede, with a deal that will benefit both of us.”

“…are you seriously trying to bring up the Head Secretary position to me again.”

“It’s a powerful position, well respected within the kingdom, and basically is the closest I can make you to a queen without actually marrying you! Not only that, but you are literally perfect for it, if you could just get your head out of your ass long enough to see that! Your placement in that position would restore the commoners’ trust in the royal family, and the power you would wield could bring the noble class to heel! We could finally put to bed this whole civil war you’re so determined to start and actually focus on running the government we are meant to be leading right now!”

“Sure…until you destroy it.”

“That won’t be for decades! You know this! And with your help, the transition would go smoothly! People don’t trust when I say something will benefit the whole. But they fall for your smile and honey act every time! With you as my Head Secretary, we could accomplish anything!”

“If we had every resource in the world, which we don’t, we still couldn’t accomplish what you’re so determined to set out to do. And myself joining up with you would ruin that reputation you’re so intent on banking on. The nobility knows what you want, and if I join you, their efforts against us will grow twice as desperate. And the commoners will always assume that my decisions were actually your decisions, given to me under duress. They wouldn’t trust anything I said, as your lapdog.”

“Dog is an apt word. Though I was thinking bitch.”

“Cute. Are we done now?”

“Sit down.”

Kaede huffed, sitting back down and taking the tea from the table, resigning herself to being awhile. What a waste of time…they couldn’t work together. They knew this. This was never going to work. It was infuriating that Byakuya kept insisting it could. It hurt, every time they had this conversation, in all its thousand different forms.

…it’s not like it wasn’t something she hadn’t wanted, what seems like a thousand years ago now.

…It’s not like she hated him.

The two sat for a while. Kaede waiting to hear the latest pitch. Byakuya thinking hard about what to say next.

“Have you considered just…waiting?” Byakuya sighed, putting down his mug of coffee, giving Kaede a tired look. “Like I said, you have the love of the people. If you waited, that love could literally put you in the seat of power you’re so desperately gunning for right now. You know what I have planned. It would give you that opportunity, someday. You know this. You even approved of it, once upon a time.”

“We were talking hypotheticals, my dearest cousin,” Kaede reminded him, smiling gently as she added in, her voice now honey-sweet, “And we were children. What was I, twelve? When you first brought it up to me?”

“Younger than that,” Byakuya said dryly, giving her an exasperated look. “Eleven. Kaito had just been forced to give up his claim, remember? It was a fairly major event. I’m surprised it didn’t come to mind. You worked so hard on it.”

“That wasn’t my fault…” Kaede said, her smile straining slightly in anger, this being an old argument between the two now. “Rumors spread a thousand different ways…and besides, I’m not accountable for what Haiji-“

“I thought we were being honest today?” the King-Apparent scowled.

“I am.”

“Certainly.”

The two cousins sat in the room, a tension thick and heavy above them. Byakuya looking…disappointed. Kaede frustrated. They allowed some time to pass, to try to keep themselves from saying anything they’d regret to each other…until Byakuya broke first. “You know, I really thought, once upon a time, that you would be my biggest supporter in this.”

“It’s madness. It’s never going to work. Don’t talk at me like I’m the bad guy for seeing reason,” Kaede said, her shoulders tensing, her own…doubts niggling at her as she gripped her tea tighter. “Our kingdom needs support within the system already in place. Not full on restructuring. You can’t just…tear everything down and rebuild it from the ground up. I know you think a lot of yourself, Byakuya, but trust me, you are not smart enough to rebuild a whole civilization. If you were, you’d know you’d need the people's support to even get the idea off the ground, which you don’t have, and I can’t give you. Hell, the civilizations you’re basing this idea around don’t even exist anymore! There’s a reason capitalist nations didn’t survive.”

“I would have their support if I had your support. We could paint a narrative that people would get behind. We could stage public, heated arguments between us on policies that, when they finally come about, it would turn out you won on. Convince people that out of everyone in the kingdom, only Kaede Momota can get King Byakuya to change his mind and listen. People would praise your name and curse me in the same breath over their much fuller dinner plates in the years ahead, and I am fine with that. I don’t care about being loved, if it means people will finally get out of my way to put my ideas into motion. And while I’m in the background starting the restructuring process, you could fulfil your goal of supporting the system already in place until I’m ready to let it fall. Together, we could do this.”

“Great. What a generous offer. Dedicate your life to fixing the kingdom, Kaede, and then step aside so that I can tear down everything you worked on and replace it with a fantasy government system that, historically, has never worked.”

“If you’re looking for still living, positive examples, Dicea already does something extremely similar with their monarchy system.”

“Which their current king absolutely did not adhere to, and if even half the rumors are true, they’ll suffer for it in a few years. Prince Kokichi is temperamental, child-like in nature, and paranoid on top of that, and none of that matters anyway, because he will likely die any day, with no replacement ready for him,” Kaede said, listing it out in a way that suggested she had read the list word for word in too many letters already. “Oh well. I imagine we’ll get Kaito back when that happens, so that’s something to look forward to. All that to say, they’re a bad example of anti-monarchy sentiment--their system doesn’t work as intended, if it ever did. They pick the next leader as an infant. How is it any different from being born into it?”

“According to my historians, they haven’t always picked infants. King Aiichi himself was picked at thirteen. And that’s where the brilliance of it lies! To pick someone proven through promise and experience to lead? And not just base leadership on, what…luck? Good genetics or divine right? That’s not a system that works! The only reason it’s still in place after all this time is because it’s convenient for Danganronpa. If the Flora could just be convinced to stay out of human affairs it would be entirely reasonable to-“

“If it was reasonable, it would have worked out for Luminary two hundred years ago! But it didn’t. The oligarchy system was too fragile, too easy to manipulate from the outside. Luminary needs a strong, capable monarchy. One that put its needs first! That’s how we’ll improve things!”

“That’s why I’m not suggesting another oligarchy, Kaede. And, sure, I could do it now. Just focus on the symptoms of the problem without ever actually solving the disease that is nobility community. Hell, Kaede, I know you’re convinced that you can bring them all to heel, if you were just queen. I know you’re convinced that all that needs to happen is for me to trip down some stairs and then you could just solve all our problems! One easy death and suddenly everything’s better!”

“Your parents’ funerals are in a week and you want to lecture me about expecting deaths to solve things?!”

“Shut up, I’m not finished talking. I know you think that you have all the answers, and you know what! Maybe you’d be right! I’ll concede to that hypothetical. Maybe you’d take power and be an amazing queen! Okay! Great! What about your child, who's not interested in politics? Your grandchild, with the furious temper and a grudge against women? Your grandchild’s second cousin, who's a little slow on reading and thinks it’d be funny to add a horse to his board of advisers for a laugh? You can’t account for what your yet unborn children will be like! Look at the difference between you and your mother! Myself and my father! Birthright is no guarantee! It’s a stupid system put in place to make our kingdom easier to control and negotiate with, literally put into place by foreign powers! If you actually wanted to take care of the ‘common people’ like you keep telling those idiots over and over again, then you’d stop being a power-hungry, self-serving bitch, turn against the nobility, and side with me!”

Byakuya breathed heavily, his hands clenched into fists, staring furiously at Kaede, whose lips were pressed in a thin, angry line, fury on her face.

“…can I speak now?”

“Don’t be a child.”

“Your goal is stupid. It’s obviously never going to work, and you’re delusional to think it will. When the next famine hits, we’re going to be in chaos and entirely unprepared because you tore down our whole organizational structure right before it started.”

“We won’t have to worry about the famine with the extended indentured program. With Queen Sara on board to start opening up her kingdom’s economy to the Indentured Program, her neighbors will follow suit. We’ll have the money three times over to feed everyone and more! We’ll have a monopoly on the global slave market. We’ll be so powerful that even Danganronpa won’t be able to manipulate our governments, which would make a capitalist-democratic nation feasible! We could potentially even stop paying their god damned ransom-”

“Which is why they’re not going to let it happen! They’ll invade us before they let it get to that point, and we barely just came to a draw with a kingdom half our size and with no organized militia to speak of! And now we have another famine around the corner! We are sitting ducks, and pissing off the monsters next doors will finish us!”

The two cousins huffed and puffed at each other, both furious, both wishing they could kill each other in this very moment…

…but there was something comforting, in this. An old, familiar feeling. They had been close, once…both of them growing up extremely interested in politics. In the kingdom and their place in it. Both equally intelligent, ready to take each other on in fierce debates that lasted well into the night. Kaede allowed to put her mask down because Byakuya saw through her bullshit anyway. Byakuya confident that she was listening and actually understanding everything he was trying to say to her, when so many others became meek at his fury or dim in the face of his theories and ideas.

They have been close. It was a shame that their passion and intelligence had both led down different roads…

“I could have been your supporter, if your ideas weren’t actual madness,” Kaede said, something…sad and resigned in her voice. “You can still change your mind. Nothing is too late. Stop threatening the noble class. Stop moving all the power to the wealthy elite. Play the game that’s already set up, Byakuya. We could win, still, if we just play within the rules already laid out.”

“The game is rigged, Kaede. If we keep playing it as intended, then all that will happen is we will continue to die and be controlled by fucking…Queen Junko and her filth. It’s madness to keep trying to flourish in a system we didn’t even design. We need to destroy it and rebuild, at all costs. Even your child-chasing brother understood that.”

“…how dare you…”

“What? I can’t compliment your brother’s intelligence when you seem so determined to follow in his footsteps?”

“I am nothing like him.”

“I am honestly baffled how you can say that with a straight face.”

“I’m going to help people, Byakuya. I want to fix the system. Not…use it to take advantage of people. Not like him. Not like you.”

“It’s only ten years of twenty percent of the population's life. The quality of life increase the kingdom population as a whole will enjoy far outweighs-“

“It’s never just ten years and you know it, Byakuya.”

“That’s annoyingly true. Tell me. Didn’t Rantarou’s contract end two years ago? I could have sworn it did.”

“…my mother owns his contract, not me-“

“Oh, yes. And I’m certain you fought her long and hard about giving your most efficient and dedicated slave the freedom to leave you. Tell me. Did he even ever ask you to try to help him? Or do you have him so whipped that he knew not to even bother?”

“…so are you done trying to convince me to work with you? Or should I sit here and suffer through more petty insults?”

“Imagine if your brother had been successful? If he was king right now. Tell me, what age do you think he would have changed the coming of age ceremony to? My guess is as low as ten. Truly, what a worthy successor to the throne, he was. “

“…he’s dead, and I’m alive. Maybe that should say enough about the system's success.”

“All that suggests is that this time around is that you, in particular, are incredibly capable, intelligent, and cunning…someone who, by every stretch of the imagination, deserves to be in a leadership position, and yet, those merits actually had nothing to do with your claim to the throne…both incredibly brilliant and stupidly lucky…and, thankfully, you’re all those things and not a pedophile. Now imagine if your brother had been even half as capable as you. I was being too generous with my guess. Based on what I remember about the man, he definitely would have pushed it as low as nine.”

“…you won’t change my mind.”

“You’re so intelligent that I genuinely can’t understand why not. My argument is sound.”

“Your proposal is delusional. For all the reasons I’ve already said and more. Even if it’s successful, there’s nothing to say leadership quality would improve. Instead of the ruling noble class, you’d have the wealthy one percent. What’s the difference?”

“It would make all the difference to the wealth and comfort of the kingdom as a whole. The ruling class would be made up of people who know how to both earn and keep wealth. That wealth will be spent. A thriving economy will lead to a thriving people. We could afford all the food in the world. Famines a thing of the past. No one will go hungry on our streets ever again!”

“It’s unsustainable. You’ve said that yourself, in the past. The system will crumble under its own weight within four hundred years, and that was being generous. None of the civilizations that tried it lasted beyond three hundred.”

“That’s still three hundred years of prosperity! That’s worth something!”

“Long-term stability is worth something. Monarchy’s last Byakuya. They last because everyone knows what to expect from them.”

“Certainly! Death, disappointment, and a shocking amount of sexual abuse!”

“I won’t hurt anyone!”

“I am certain both our parents felt the same way, and look what happened to us! That sure as FUCK didn’t save you, me, or Kaito!”

“…if I leave this room right now, will you have me executed? Arrested?”

“…”

“I’m leaving, sire. Thank you for the conversation and the tea. It’s always a pleasure.”

And with that, she was gone.

About two seconds after she left, a coffee mug smashed into the door frame behind her.

-

It had been...worrying. Kokichi had been happy to hear that Maki and Kaito had come back to the house, and he understood that stairs were probably a bit of an ask if Kaito needed to rest off heat exhaustion...but he still worried when he didn't hear from either him or Maki for the next hour.

He'd finished his drawing of Shuuichi, then started on another piece in his more comfortable, cartoon-y style, the four of them in a life-size version of the castle he, Shuuichi, and Kaito had built. Maki was bein' all cool, walking on the small divots in the wall, her hair exaggeratedly blowing in the imaginary wind, the same as the cape he'd given Kaito. He'd never admit it to his husband, but...it was kinda cool, being able to add in a bit of abstract form.

In the drawing, Kaito was holding him on his shoulders, cartoon Kokichi looking through a spyglass as he looked out over what Shuuichi was pointing out in the distance.

He'd just started to add in Tim and Chase running around the side of the castle when Shuuichi had woken up, thankfully feeling much better, and he'd put his sketchbook away after that. Maki and Kaito were okay and, after a few hours...

Kokichi practically skipped down the road into town, the tickets safely folded in his pocket. "Aaaaah! This is gonna be so cool!"

"Heck yeah!" Kaito agreed, his voice only rasping a little bit every now and again, sometimes just having to clear his throat, but otherwise okay as the three taller people easily kept up with Kokichi's hyperactive steps. Timothy needed to move a little quicker, but he was determined to keep pace with Miss Harukawa, Chase on her leash beside him, excitedly yipping at passersby, tail wagging excitedly at strange and interesting smells going by. "I'm really looking forward to this! Light shows are super cool! Timothy, you've ever seen a light show before?"

Timothy shook his head, not looking super impressed with the idea. "No, but...I mean, what can you do with a buncha lights?"

"All sorts of things! You can make them go pew! And bam! And baaah! ...well, maybe not baaah? Not sure where I got baaah from. But definitely pew and bam!"

"It's hard to describe, but they really can be very interesting. You'll like them, Timothy. What about you, Kokichi? Ever see any light shows at the castle or in your trips into town?" Shuuichi asked, feeling, just, so much better back on the pollen. What a dumb idea that had been...

"Maybe a festival?" Maki asked, whose side still ached a little, but wasn't worried about it.

"At festivals, yeah," Kokichi nodded. "We've actually been doing them a lot more often. Usually we only had light shows when things were too dry for fireworks, usually during Zenith, but, like, light shows are a lot better for the environment? Create less waste. And they don't have loud sounds that scare animals, or people who are sensitive to that sort of thing." Fireworks were still fun every now and then, but Kokichi wouldn't be surprised if they were mostly phased out for light shows.

"I've never seen a water show, though! 'Bit more involved than splashing around in a bath, I bet." Kokichi snickered a bit, doing a little twirl to come back to Kaito's side, taking his husband's hand. He'd been worried when he'd heard the strain in Kaito's voice, but...he had to trust him when Kaito assured that it was nothing. Dr. Kimura had seen to him, so he could trust that it wouldn't get worse, at least. "Are you guys still cool with checking out the museum when the show's over? I'm not gonna be heartbroken if you wanna ditch early and do something else. And I was thinking we could get dinner in town tonight? I saw a place yesterday that serves that type of fish I was talking about before."

Kokichi rambled excitedly as they made their way to the pool the show was being held at, most people paying little to no mind to the group, but a few casting glances their way, eyes sticking to the little purple-haired chatterbox before moving on with their days.

"I don't mind looking around the museum afterwards. I could show you some stuff Tim, explain what things are?" Shuuichi offered, not really knowing much himself about marine stuff, but taking the easy bet that he knew more than the landlocked soldier nine-year-old.

Timothy seemed to seriously consider this offer with the gravity only small children could, before nodding seriously. "Yeah, okay, Mr. Saihara. That sounds fun."

Maki gave an appreciative nod to Shuuichi, who smiled gently at her. She appreciated the break she was offering her. It was tough, being the main person responsible for a kid all the time, and she was a little emotionally raw today. It'd be nice to get some quiet time to herself...and, frankly, she was certain Shuuichi would behave more responsibly if he knew he had Tim to look after. Security through burdens.

Kaito and Kokichi should be alright on their own as well too, if the group decided to split up at any point. Their earlier casing of the place hadn't been idle. Maki was confident it would be fine, so long as Kaito didn't go around shouting 'Hey, look at me! I'm the Luminary Prince! Anyone wanna play a game of knives!?'.

...Sigh. She'd try to keep an eye on them.

"I am really curious about this weird seafood you keep bringing up, 'Kichi. That'll be fun! Totally up for it tonight!" Kaito looked around, extremely pleased as he said, "And it's nice and bright and hot out, so it'll be good to chill out next to a water show. The mist will cool us all down, I think."

Kokichi smiled softly at Tim's agreement, feeling a little relieved that he'd find the museum--or at least the idea of it--fun. While this was Kokichi's first trip out of the city...it was also supposed to be a vacation for Tim. Have him see more of Dicea, give him somewhere to explore where he wasn't surrounded by the people in the castle, give him that 'summer vacation' experience before he'd go to school. Something that was a little easier to talk about when someone asked you what you did on vacation than 'traveled with a peace party to a new country and almost killed the princes of two countries, then started learning how to be an assassin.'

...at least he'd have Cali to back him up at school.

Having reapplied sunscreen, Kokichi lifted his face to bask in the sun a little bit before agreeing with Kaito. "As sluggish as it can feel, I'm gonna miss this kind of weather. Though...sweater weather is some of my favorites too. And snow can make going outside kind of a pain...but curling up all cozy indoors? Awesome. And then seeing the world come back to life in spring?"

Kokichi laughed brightly. "I guess I just like all year?" Really, any weather he had the chance to enjoy was his favorite.

"I'm still curious how this winter is going to be. I guess it's going to be a learning experience..." Shuuichi said, looking around curiously. It was hard to imagine loads and loads of snow everywhere. He had seen pictures of such things, of course...but it was hard to really visualize it as a reality. "It should be interesting."

"We'll be fine! We're tough! The Luminary Cacti! Oh! Tim!" Kaito said, looking down at Timothy, and he reached out for Kokichi, putting his arms around his shoulder and walking in step with him. "We gotta get you a cactus to plant in the community garden! Me, Miss Harukawa, and Mr. Saihara already have some planned, and you should add to ours. We all picked different kinds of cactus! Cool, huh?"

"Why cactus's?" Tim asked, not thinking about the garden too much. He hadn't seen it yet. What was the big deal about a bunch of plants? Lights, plants...Diceans got super into really boring things. Well, Diceans and Prince Kaito, apparently, based on his sheer enthusiasm for all this stuff so far. Well, he had married one. It made sense he liked Dicean stuff.

"Cacti," Shuuichi corrected, "That's the plural for cactus."

"And it's because we're prickly," Maki explained.

"You mean because we stab people a lot?"

"Do you wanna die?"

"Nooooo," Timothy pouted...and then, to Kaito's great delight, he saw the kid make the same exact face Maki made when she was feeling self-conscious or annoyed. That little puffy cheek thing...awwwwww. "Luminary Cacti...okay. But I want a really sharp cactus! I saw a cactus once in real life and its needles were all soft and lame! Not that kind! I want one that stings!"

"We'll ask the gardener for a recommendation on sharp cactus's then," Maki assured him.

"It's cacti, Miss Harukawa."

"...I'm gonna give Kaito another piercing."

"What!!?"

"Oh, come on, it's not my fault your charge is developing better grammar than you, Maki," Shuuichi sighed.

Timothy perked up at this. Heck yeah his grammar was coming along. He was a real smart kid! Fucking just watch him!

"Oh, that's the building up ahead, right? The one with the dome?" Kaito asked, distracted from piercing threats at the fault of his lovers.

Kokichi snickered a bit at the banter, though he did keep an eye out, and...no one really seemed to bat an eye. Sure, most of them were probably too busy with their own lives to listen in on strangers' conversations, but even saying "Luminary" aloud...he didn't see any strange looks. Not that he thought he'd catch anything Maki and Shuuichi didn't, but...still. He had to protect his Luminaries.

Looking over to the building Kaito pointed out, Kokichi surged forward from the group a little, his excitement starting to pour out of his little body again. "Yeah! We still have time to get settled 'n stuff, but it's right there!!"

As they got closer, it was obvious that other people were heading to the same place, chatting about their excitement for the show. That someone's sister had been out practicing for months, seeming more and more pleased every day that passed. That they were glad they got seats right at the front--hopefully they'd get splashed! And, oh, it looked like Brent was going to see the show too!

Catching his eye for a moment, Kokichi gave the man a wave before he found someone else that caught his eye--the museum employee who had given him the tickets. Breaking from the flow of people for a moment, Kokichi went up to them to thank them for their generosity.

Oh, wow...what were the odds? It was the pretty purple-haired teen again.

It had to be a teen. Brent's mother had come back to the house in a tithy, insisting that the kid Brent had checked on wasn't a kid because she saw a 'red-haired beast' pawing and macking on him...but, I mean, that was being really generous, in Brent's opinion. Jaski didn't have to be an adult for some grown man to want to kiss him...though, she was right. If it was out in the open, he was probably at least in his mid-teens.

That was alright in Brent's book. He was still super cute...and that must be the famous 'red-haired beast'...

...okay. Admittedly? Seeing the two of them together did look a lot more like his mother's pictures of the royal wedding.

Brent still wasn't convinced. The Dicean Prince in the pictures had straight hair pulled back, and like dad had said, he seemed taller than this kid was. But that tall red-headed guy with the furrowed brow and the angry eyes...huh...

...there was no way. His mom was crazy. She was always reading those conspiracy theory pamphlets, and, especially in the last few years, she had gotten a...little fixated on the state of the war. Was convinced that the wedding was just the Luminary government taking over the kingdom without getting rid of its figureheads. Thought that the prince was being held against the king as essentially a hostage to allow the invading Luminary government to do whatever they wanted. She worried about it. Like...a lot. A lot a lot. Which Brent thought was stupid. Why obsess over things you couldn't do anything about? If they were being invaded, so what? So long as nothing changed for Brent, personally? He didn't really care.

...the guy had a broken arm. He didn't look so tough. Hell, the chick in the skirt next to him looked tougher than him. Brent wasn't sure why he thought that. She seemed to just...radiate an aura. Same way the blue-haired guy next to her radiated an aura of 'please step on me'.

...eh. Maybe if he saw Jaski again, he'd go up and try flirting again. It had to suck, trying to have sex with a dude with a broken arm. Brent could introduce the kid to a whole new world. Show him what it was like to fuck someone who really knew what he was doing. Yeah...

Sigh. Alright. Better go find his dad and uncle. They were both really into this light show, for some reason. Whatever. So lame.

Maki's eyes carefully watched as Kokichi suddenly bounded away from them, Kaito looking put out for only a moment before lighting up getting to see Kokichi talk to someone. Yeah! Progress!

As Kaito made up the lack of Kokichi by going to walk with Shuuichi, putting his hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder and leaning in to whisper something to him, Shuuichi just smiling up at him and shaking his head, replying with a small, "No, really, I'm fine," Maki observed the woman Kokichi was approaching. For one, she didn't seem to realize the prince was coming her way. So, her first reaction of surprise would be the most telling one...hmmmm....

...okay. That seemed normal. It was that brief moment where the woman didn't recognize him that put Maki at ease, before recognition dawned on her face after a second. Anyone who took a second to place a face to a name likely hadn't spent the last day thinking that hard about tricking, trapping, or harming that person. It was fine. It was good.

Maki allowed herself to relax a little more. Not knowing who had given Kokichi the tickets was the last big 'maybe' in the safety concerns, and that was done. She could relax. They would have fun here.

Just like yesterday, the woman insisted that it was no problem, that they were just extra tickets and she was happy to put them to use, but Kokichi still thanked her. Talking about how he and his friends were really excited to see the show, how he'd hyped up the museum before their trip. It was a short, but heartfelt conversation, and she seemed happy that he'd decided to come and bring others too.

He hurried back to the others, not wanting to get separated in a crowd, and, for just a moment while they were relatively hidden, he gave Shuuichi's hand a squeeze. He'd also found out the fastest way to get to their seats, so he led the way.

The pool was most often used for swimming competitions, kept indoors for people to use year-round. As such, the seats were arranged all around the pool instead of just from one angle like in a theater. The seats they'd gotten were mid-way up on one of the long sides of the pool, a little towards the front. The view was great, and there were a few empty spaces around them, likely other extra tickets.

Once they'd sat down, Kokichi looked up around the ceiling, pointing out rigs and lightboxes he noticed, excited to see how they'd be used in the performance.

Kaito, again, found himself leaning on Kokichi, just...happy to be around his husband, Shuuichi at his side, Tim, holding Chase to make her feel better and shushing her whenever she tried to bark, looking nervously at the people around him...but clearly also a little in awe and distracted by the setup of the performance. Even Maki, with everything that had happened today...

...maybe it didn't make sense, why their 'way of communicating' worked, from the outside. Kaito knew if he told Kokichi what had happened his husband would be...not happy with everything. Might look at Maki differently. Might even look at Kaito differently...

But there was an ease between the two now. Having aired out, well, mostly Maki's, this time, grievances. Getting to scream and bare their souls and not losing the momentum of their feelings as they came with blow after blow, really getting it all out, every hurt feeling or insecurity, every bit of rage. And, as for the last round...what had been less of a 'discussion' and more of a 'punishment'.

...honestly?

Kaito felt a lot better now.

Maybe that was an unhealthy mentality. Punishment was rarely actually meant to be cleansing by the people issuing the punishment. But...it was a comfort, to Kaito. To feel like he had suffered, at least a little, for what he had done. Because he felt like he should suffer. And it had been wracking him with guilt, driving him crazy, to just go every day...just...fine. To not feel any of the hurt that he felt he was owed. That he had earned.

...Kaito felt a little less like he was 'getting away with' something, with Maki there, to keep him accountable. To give him consequences that were actual agony. It was easier to focus on just moving on and trying to be better, without that aching, gnawing guilt, hanging over his head all the time.

He still felt guilty for the act itself. That feeling would probably never go away. He just...didn't feel guilty for not receiving consequences for it anymore.

It was relieving.

So the two were notably more relaxed together, and that caused Tim and Shuuichi to relax a little too, the two having been affected by Kaito and Maki's constant little snipes against each other. Shuuichi sat down at the bench next to Kokichi, who was sitting in between Kaito's legs, and he leaned against Kaito's leg, whispering to Kokichi, pointing out some things he had noticed himself. Tim, too cool to sit with the adults, was sitting in one of the higher seats, reveling in the feeling of being tall for a moment. Maki, in turn, was sitting next to Kaito. Glancing back at Tim every now and again just to check on him, but...yeah. Otherwise relaxed.

Then, there was a bell noise. Soft, with an echo. DING...DING...DING...

And as the bell rang, the lights dimmed down, and the audience, while still murmuring to each other, grew quieter and quieter, everyone's eyes adjusting.

And then, in the darkness, a voice rang out.

"Ladies, gentlemen, and those dusted across the spectrum! Welcome! To the most wild of water shows! To the most dramatic of circus acts! You fine folks are lucky enough to see the rare merging of performances! The Museum of Dicean Maritime History’s famous yearly water show, with the most acclaimed traveling circus group in the kingdom! May I present to you the proud performers of-!!"

Headlights lit up, focusing on the ten performers of the night, all hanging on ropes in wide, theatrical poses. All wearing checkered cloths as bandannas over white outfits layered in straps and strange, clownish white masks. Each outfit almost identical, but each person still somehow so individual and distinct looking.

One of them, a little one, wearing a black cape and a hat, was holding a microphone, more likely just to indicate who was talking, rather than actually being used for sound, as he shouted to a clapping, cheering audience.

"D.I.C.E.!!"

Kokichi gasped softly as soon as the headlights came on, recognizing the group right away from their appearances, his eyes as wide as plates. D.I.C.E. was...well, as the announcer had said. Probably the best circus performers in the country period, traveling or not. From the rumors he'd heard, maybe even the best on the continent. He'd never seen them perform, but from the descriptions...

Kokichi had never told anyone, but, especially when he was younger and had seriously thought about running away, he'd wanted to join D.I.C.E. Be a performer, just like his dad. Make people smile in a different way.

Now even more excited for the show, Kokichi gently took Shuuichi's hand under the darkness in the audience, giving it another little squeeze.

The first thing the performers did was go aquatint themselves with the audience, nine performers jumping off their ropes and landing in the pool, before getting out to go walk down the aisles, with the exception of the caped one, who stayed on his line and watched, talking to the audience, promising them spectacle and awe that day.

Some of the performers went to speak to specific audience members, complimenting a child's hat, or gently teasing an adult with an overly large cotton candy cone. One of the especially rotund members with a bald head came up their aisle, and at the beginning of it made a show of shaking his whole body, spraying the audience members nearby with flecks of pool water before going up the aisle, making little jokes and welcoming people to the show.

He spotted Timothy and the puppy and immediately started to move towards the boy...and then spotted the immediate nervousness and discomfort coming from the child. So, the performer made a show of checking his clothes for something, looking for something, Timothy (and Maki) watching him suspiciously as he even moved his belly up, trying to lean down as if he might spot something under there...before making a 'no duh' motion and, reaching behind himself, pulled out a...somehow entirely dry and perfect?? Cone of pink cotton candy?? Before offering it to Timothy.

Timothy glanced at Maki first before accepting, staring at it in awe. How?? But the performer just laughed, before heading back down the aisle, greeting more people. Before Timothy could try it, Maki shook her head, before reaching over and taking a piece of the cotton candy, inspecting it...before eating it herself.

"Wait five minutes. If I don't pass out, you can have some," Maki told Timothy, who just nodded, looking back to the performers.

There was a whistle sound, and suddenly the little performer, still on the rope, shouted, "Hey! Come on now! Stop schmoozing! I know our audience is fun to hang out with, but we have a show to put on! Let's go! Move move move!!"

"Yes, leader!" all the performers shouted out with theatrical salutes before running full speed to the pool, jumping into the pool with either elegant, beautiful dives...or silly ones, body slams and cannon balls. And as soon as they were all under the water, the lights turned off again.

When the lights turned on, there were three performers in the air, all the other lines gone now. They were holding onto three hoops...and music, playing from somewhere in the room, started to play as the three performers moved and hung from the hooks by their legs, making shows of hanging on one legged, then by their ankles, then by both their ankles, arms spread wide.

And then they started to spin.

The trapeze artists started to spin with so much force that it almost looked wild, and there was a sense of tension, as if they might fling themselves off by accident any second. The three colors of the loops they were on, red, yellow, and light blue, mixed and mashed against each other at the hoops rocked and leaned into each other, spinning all the less.

The music crescendoed, and they leapt from the hoops to the shock and awe of the audience! Hearts leaping into throats! Kaito grinned as he heard Timothy and Kokichi gasp. And with amazing dives that looked almost effortless, they all fell into the pool with barely a splash!

There was a cheer through the crowd, and then silence, as the lights turned to three lines, stretched across the pool. The same three performers reached up from the water, pulling themselves onto the line, spreading their arms wide. They balanced and then...

A voice came over the room, the leader talking to the audience as he said, "This is the tragic story of the frogs who demanded a king! And how it led to their ruin!"

And the three performers started to bounce, flipping over each other and landing on the other ropes, each one starting to become more distinct, more a character, as the man talked, colored lights reflecting on each performer. Green light on a frog, golden light on a god...and a dark red light on a snake.

Maybe Kokichi would've watched the interaction between the D.I.C.E. performer and Tim with a soft smile, finding his chest warming with pride at how one of his people could adapt kindness towards anyone...if he hadn't been similarly amazed at the performer bringing out the cotton candy. There weren't vendors in the crowd, and...like, there wasn't really a good place for an audience member to be hiding the cotton candy. So...how???

Kokichi didn't have much more time to wonder about the trick, though, as the show started to really get going. It...was like nothing he'd ever seen before. Even when Ikuo would perform tricks to amaze and cheer him up, like...it'd never been on a stage. His dad had just used whatever was around--which had still been amazing! But with actual production behind the skill...

He couldn't help gawking, oohing and aahing quietly, simply amazed by the scene.

"Three frogs, who admired humans and, seeing the bounty and pleasures their lives were due to the efforts of their king, demanded from the sky to bring them a king as well! The frogs did not realize that the sort of king for humans was an earned right, rather than a given thing...but, well, they were just frogs, so how could they know any better? But still! They wanted it so badly that they were willing to leap, leap, leap!" Every time the leader said 'leap' the performers lifted their arms up and, in theatrical froggy movements, leapt as high as they could go, ribbit sounds echoing loudly through the room. "Into the sky! Trying to shake a king out of its very roots!"

"So a god," and with that, one of the frogs immediately stood up, looking smug and staring at her nails, clearly unconcerned, "Who lived in the sky the frogs were trying to leap to, got annoyed with all the whining they were hearing from the frogs below, and to appease them, sent them a king they knew the frogs could use--a log!"

Up from the ceiling, which was too dark to see, the biggest of the performers, a man the size and shape that could have given the lady from the pub a run for her money, fell from the ceiling with a SPLASH! rocking the water out of the pool and onto the feet of the giggling and clapping audience. The man floated up, mask miraculously still on, and floated there, hands behind his back, whistling to himself. "The log would be a stable place for the frogs to stand on during trying weather, and would be a place they could dance upon on sunny days! Certainly this would make an excellent froggy king! But!"

The two performers still acting as frogs, made a great show of leaping angrily to and fro, shaking the lines and clearly just having tantrums, as the 'log' just floated lazily below them.

"The frogs were furious with this offering. This king did nothing! It just...laid there!" The log nodded agreeably. "Like a lug!" The log looked notably offended, and left, swimming out of the pool and huffing as he walked away. "That wasn't the kind of king the frogs wanted! So, again! They leapt! And leapt! And leapt!"

The voice died down as the god, trying to get away from the frogs, leapt up and caught a hoop still hanging from the ceiling, swinging away from them, but the frogs, determined, leapt up and got their own hoops as well, chasing the god around and around before finally catching her, shaking at her legs.

"And they gave the god a good thwacking! Telling them to give them a real king! So the god sighed, and was angry and annoyed by the attention, and finally, to rid of themself of the frogs, they said, 'I will give you a king that never rests, and never stops moving. And from him you will learn the ways of life."

And then, the golden light on the god turned dark red, and her movements became like a snake, gliding almost gracefully from line to line, and the frogs, terrified, started hopping away from her, but each one she caught in her hands and threw into the pool as the leader narrated, "And so the god sent them a snake, who indeed never tired, never stopped moving, and one by one, ate all the little frogs up! And so the fable went!"

The snake was the only person still left on the rope, looking around...and then bowed before the lights went out. The audience, realizing the scene was over, cheered, and the lights soon turned back on, with music playing as the performers, swimming in the water, started doing twirls and circles in time with the music.

Kaito cheered and whooped, enjoying the show immensely. Timothy was stunned, mindlessly eating his cotton candy now. Maki looked...interested at least. Observing the skill of performing on the ropes and in the water. And Shuuichi...

...frowned, slightly. Holding Kokichi's hand tighter.

Kokichi listened to the story in interest, the performers becoming more than just people for the roles they played. It was a twist on a children's fable, he could tell, finding elements of stories he'd been told as a kid. Be kind and grateful, don't be complacent, don't wait for someone else to miraculously solve your problems.

As the scene ended, he clapped his free hand against the side of his leg, still holding Shuuichi's hand, but... Ever so casually, Kokichi leaned towards Shuuichi, giving his hand a comforting squeeze to let his boyfriend know that he was paying attention. Under the music and sounds of water, he whispered softly. "You okay?"

Shuuichi hesitated...before nodding. An embarrassed look on his face. "Yeah. I'm fine," he whispered back. "Sorry."

The musical performance went by with the performers, almost miraculously, rising from the water under a rising fountain, literally dancing on top of the fountains before taking a bow.

Then a comedic skit went on. It was a lesson in 'Pool Safety' that started off serious, before degrading into a series of slapstick comedy as the performers kept repeatedly ignoring the leader’s safety pool-side rules, the leader getting more and more frustrated as the performers slipped against the tiles, did dangerous dives, and the worst one, ate food in the pool?!!?

"The worst! You're all the worst!" the leader shouted, frustrated and furious as his performers ran into each other, belly flopping on top of each other, as the leader shouted, "Nevermind! Kids, don't try this at home! Cut the lines! I swear, you're all so embarrassing!! I hate you, I hate you! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

The lights went dark with the leader’s obvious fake crying, and then the music turned serious again.

"And now since our last lesson didn't go so well, let's try another fable! The story of-!" the leader announced!

Somehow, the two performers the lights shone on were able to actually walk on the surface of the water itself, some sort of platform beneath the pool having risen. The two performers were the rotund man, who had given Timothy his cotton candy, who was shined under a light blue light, as the leader announced, "the dog!" and the big, strong performer, who was shone under a white light, and the leader announced, "and the Wolf!"

The performance was a dance, one that was both comedic and...surprisingly beautiful, both of the large men both capable of the exaggerated, clunky movements that got laughs out of the audience, and also graceful, long movements, that suggested the two characters were really having a very serious conversation with each other, as the leader explained as they danced.

"A wolf, struggling under strife and hardened by battles he did not start, was seeking shelter from some of the hardships of its life. You see, a terrible hunter was tracking the wolf, determined to shoot the proud creature dead!"

At this, the hunter was introduced, shining under a beam of dark red light. The hunter was the performer with long, spiked hair, and he looked through the audience suspiciously, going up and down the aisles, as if he might find the wolf any second among them, the audience laughing every time he looked in their direction, some of the children trying to be helpful by pointing out the wolf in the pool, which the hunter made a show of not understanding what they meant.

"So the wolf found a farm, and hid in its barns for a night. When the wolf awoke, it was surprised, for looking down at it was a...very well fed dog! Drooling down on his face!"

The rotund man made a show of looking like a happy dog, wagging its tail...and then, he peered into the audience and, judging where Timothy was sitting, made a show of jumping and waving at him, jiggling in delight when the puppy barked a few times before Timothy could shush her. Then the rotund man returned to his performance, making a show of being excited to meet the wolf.

"The dog was very nice, and the two quickly became comfortable together. They got to playing together, and then talking! The wolf, amazed at the ease the dog held himself with, how fat and happy he seemed, asked the dog what his secret was."

"I have a master who feeds me well, the dog explained! He fills my bowl every morning, and fills my water every night, and I never want for anything! In fact, my mother was a wolf like you! But the hunter took her in when she was hungry and lost, and took care of her all her life, and now does the same for me...and I bet would do the same for you!"

"The wolf was astounded. Someone would ease his hurts and feed him daily and take care of him for the rest of his life! Please, the wolf said. Could you introduce me to your master, so that he may consider taking me in?"

"Of course! Said the dog!" The rotund man offered the wolf his hand, the two skipping merrily along, which made many of the children laugh, seeing these two large men skipping playfully together. But as the dog led the wolf around, the wolf got nervous. "Tell me, dog! You scratch at your neck so much! Why not just take that collar off if it bothers you so?"

"Oh! Said the dog. My master insists that I wear it, and while yes, it can get uncomfortable, and my fur has started to thin there, It seems a fair trade for comfort for all my days."

"Tell me, dog. You speak so softly! Are you afraid of predators?"

"Oh! Said the dog. My master does not like it when I bark too loud, and beats me when I do it too much. So I have learned to speak less often and more softly. But it is worth it to be free of predators!"

"Tell me, dog...I smell the lovely scent of a lady dog nearby. It distracted me, I'll admit...but you didn't even seem to notice. Do you not like lady dogs?"

"Oh! Said the dog. Well, when I was young, my master took me to a doctor, and the doctor took a pair of scissors and-"

The strong performer suddenly gasped, realizing where the dog was leading him as they got closer to the audience. "Dog! You are taking me to the hunter! He will kill me!"

"No! No! Not if you are good and obedient! The hunter is very kind, the dog insisted! But the wolf wouldn't hear of it. I am sorry, dog. You seem a good lad, and I would have liked to have been friends with you. But I cannot put myself under his heel, not for food, not for comfort, not for safety! Goodbye, dog!"

And the performer ran away, leapt! And the audience gasped, because he was going to crash into the platform!...but somehow his dive was uninterrupted. And the wolf disappeared beneath the water, while the rotund man was left behind, looking sad and confused.

"And that is the fable!" the leader shouted, the lights turning off again.

Again, as the audience cheered, the scene immediately moved on to the next thing, this time another acrobatics performance through the air, as a clearly vain and overly done woman sang about diamonds being a girl's best friend.

And this time...Kaito clapped, a strained, slightly confused grin on his face. Shuuichi looked tired. Maki tsked to herself, before looking back to glance at Timothy, who at least seemed to have not caught on yet. Clapping enthusiastically at the show.

That one, Kokichi had heard before, though there had also been a variant where the dog had sold out the wolf that first night, not thinking twice about sending another creature to death because that's what it had been trained to do. The way the story went that they told in the performance, though, had always been interesting to Kokichi. Freedom and safety was always a trade-off. Sometimes there were compromises that seemed pretty good, but...well, it was like he'd been explained, long ago. You must be intolerant of intolerance.

...he took a breath. He didn't have to think about that right now. It was his job to, but...he could be allowed to enjoy a performance. To enjoy a vacation. Until he got a letter back from Kaede, there wasn't much he could do. ...don't freak out. You promised to be better. You need to be the leader they expect you to be.

Tipping his head against Shuuichi's arm, Kokichi took another breath and tried to focus back in on the performance.

There was another series of performances. Music. Parody. Comedy skits. One performance really showed off the full range of the pool, the performers hopping and dancing from one fountain to another joyfully. It was beautiful and fun and exciting.

And then the leader announced, "And now! For our final fable! The very simple story of the-"

This time, ribbons fell from the ceiling, beautiful and silky and pink. Very pink. Like...neon pink, which wasn't helped by the soft yellow lighting shining down on the ribbon, making the neon seem strange and garish in its glow, as performers started to slide down the rope, moving slow and sensually, upside down. "-Amaranth and the-"

The water of the pool, in turn, lit up with a dark red color, and the rest of the performers not hanging down rose up from the water, twirling and glistening that dark red color, reaching up towards the performers on the ribbon, masks still hiding their expressions, but something sad and longing in their body language. "-Rose!"

"Love is the rose-bud of an hour;

Friendship the everlasting flower!

And no friendship was more cruel,

more twisted,

then the ones between the amaranth and the flowers!"

The leader practically sang out the poem as his performers danced, before they started acting along to the story he told.

"The amaranth is a beautiful, almost pink flower, that falls from the sky, reaching down to the ground. While beautiful in their own right, the amaranth still grew down and down and down from their lofty heights to go and speak to the beautiful rose."

The performers on the ribbons started sliding down, getting closer and closer to the roses in the water, without ever actually getting close enough to touch them as the roses still reached up, desperate and sad.

"Rose, said the amaranth. I envy you! Look at your beautiful petals! Your strong, vibrant stem! The softness of the ground you feed from! Oh rose, said the amaranth. I spend every day, longing to be closer to you. To be more like you."

"But the rose replied, no, amaranth. Do not envy me. I shine beautiful and bright...but my passions burn my life short, and as swiftly as I am here I am gone, and return to the dirt. Do not envy my beauty, amaranth. I envy your strength. The length of your life. Please tell me! How do you live so long? So that I may accompany you to the many years ahead?"

The roses reached higher and higher. The amaranths gently guiding themselves lower and lower.

"Oh rose! Said the amaranth. We don't know the secrets to our long lives. Perhaps it's because you sit on the ground, while we hang from the heights? Perhaps, if we brought you up here with us, you could live as long as we do, and we can be the closest of loves, together, forever...come to us rose, beckoned the amaranth. Let us try it!"

"But as the amaranth got closer, the roses became afraid. Won't we die if we leave the earth? Will we still be roses? Please, Amaranth. What happens if we join you?"

"But that amaranth had no answers for the rose. They just said, over and over, come with us rose. Join us up here. You will live longer. We will love you forever. You will never hurt again with us."

"The roses, growing older in their fears, knowing that the soil they fed from was going barren, despite their fears, reached up to the amaranth...who fulfilled their promise! They grabbed the roses, and lifted them from the ground to join them in the heights!"

The ribbon performers grabbed the performers in the pools, lifting them into the sky with an incredible strength, doing so seemingly effortlessly. The roses spinning in the hands of the amaranths. At first in perfect harmony...when suddenly, two of the amaranths circled around one of the roses, who screamed theatrically...and when the performers separated, the person was gone entirely! Disappeared!

"But the amaranths are liars. They know why they live so long. They live off the fertilization of the flowers they draw into their roots, picking at the roses, so desperate to leave their soil, that the amaranths never lack for food. And if not food...then sometimes just for entertainment."

Two of the amaranth performers made a show of passing back and forth one of the smaller performers, a rose, before one of them 'accidentally' let her fall back into the water with a splash, laughing as she fell to her apparent doom.

"For the amaranths are cruel and selfish flora. The roses were wrong to sacrifice themselves and each other to the amaranths, and will suffer for the rest of their days for their mistake."

"And that is the fable!" the leader announced, the lights going off...and then lighting up, the final scene lighting up with festive music, the performers running around enthusiastically, playing with the hoops, dancing with each other, flipping and twirling through the audience aisles as the leader said cheerfully, "And that was the show! Thank you so much for enjoying our performance! You were an amazing audience! Please, while you're here, consider donating to the museum! The museum was nice enough to host our performance here and supplied us with all the resources and tools we'd need, they're an amazing organization! Kids, go! Learn stuff there! Parents! Tip your waiters and tip your museums! And if you have any more money left after tipping all those people, consider buying a ticket to one of our performances again the next time we're in town. You guys were great! See you all next time!!"

The last fable--if you could even really call it a fable--was maybe the most amazing feat yet, and...it did a pretty good job of drawing Kokichi back into the show, letting him forget his anxieties for a little while. It was a story he had never heard before and...he really couldn't understand the lesson. A sort of look before you leap lesson? Though...really, the blame rested with the amaranth, in his opinion.

A life getting by on the deaths of others...surely there was another way? And that was still no reason to play with their victims. If there really was no other way...the amaranth should've just been upfront with the roses. Maybe some of the roses at the ends of their lives would willingly give up that last stretch to help the amaranth.

...it was just a story. He didn't have to get all huffy with it.

Rolling his eyes a little at himself, Kokichi snorted and turned back to the others, an excited smile on his face. "That was even better than I imagined! People really weren't kidding when they described it."

The Luminaries were...also. Very confused by the last fable. Each of them trying to rationalize it to themselves.

...What did...that have to do with Luminary?

Oh, the previous two were obvious, at least to some of them. Shuuichi realized immediately the first one was making fun of Luminaries’ use of Atua to get them terrible, deadly royalty. True, but...he had been relieved to hear Kaito cheering, apparently not catching on to the show shitting all over both the faith he cherished so much, and his own, recently deceased father.

The second one Shuuichi and Maki had both caught, and Kaito had...understood enough. Starting to catch on to the theme of the dark red light, though...he wasn't really able to think about it hard enough to understand the purpose behind the fable. He had just recognized the light blue colors of Novoselic, being reminded of his mother for a moment...which had forced him to really pay attention to the rest of the fable, warning of the dangers of being obedient to the dark red light.

The last one though?

...no idea. Literally none. The roses were cast in the dark red light, so clearly they were Luminary, but...beyond that? If they were going based on kingdom color theme, Danganronpa's national color was yellow, which was what the pink flowers were basked in, but...even still? What on earth was that supposed to mean?

Confused, Kaito came to the conclusion that he was probably reading into it all too much and maybe none of them had been about Luminary. Maki came to the conclusion of fuck them, she didn't care. And Shuuichi...

He didn't know. But it picked at his brain.

And none of them wanted to ruin Kokichi's time, so they all looked at him and, Kaito painting his grin on, Maki giving him a small, approving look, and Shuuichi smiling warmly, gripping his hand tighter, they all gave their opinions.

"That was so cool! Wow! I can't believe how strong they all are! That was incredible!"

"It really was impressive. I wonder if I should try adding ribbons to training...could improve core muscles..."

"I wanna do ribbon training! That was amazing!"

"I really liked it. It was fun," Shuuichi said, sighing as he stretched out his neck against his shoulders. "Man, was that two and a half hours already? That did not feel that long."

Kokichi relaxed a little, glad his Luminaries had had fun. Kokichi rubbed his thumb along the side of Shuuichi's hand gently and laughed. "I'm glad you guys liked it--like, all the acrobatic stuff is obviously incredible! I totally have to ask my d--nanny if he's ever seen a D.I.C.E. performance before. I was a little worried, though, since I know, like...fables and national values and stuff like that don't always translate."

They could always be hiding their discomfort, but...if they were, he hoped that they'd talk to him about it later. He could ask about the Luminary equivalent and maybe they'd get to have a positive cross-cultural exchange.

Standing up from the seats, Kokichi stretched a little as he watched people start to filter out of the pool. "Everyone good to head into the museum? Or should we do, like, a bathroom break or something?"

"Bathroom break, please," Kaito said as, at the exact same time, Timothy shouted, '"Bathroom break! And I need to take Chase outside for a little bit. Mr. Saihara, would you take us?"

Shuuichi looked up, surprised that Timothy had asked him...before smiling and nodding, gently letting go of Kokichi's hand as he stood up. "Of course, if that's alright with Miss Harukawa."

"Sure. I could use a restroom break too. Then just...exploring the museum, right? I'll admit, I may just find a cafe and sit there for a while, if no one needs me. I'm not much for museum tours," Maki admitted. There had been a lot of anti-Luminary sentiments in that show, but...it hadn't been super in your face. Maki was fairly certain she could still rely on Dicean politeness to not have anyone actually call any of her friends out to their faces...or at the very least Dicean ignorance, not actually recognizing the signs that would out them as Luminaries.

Everything was still good. She still trusted their morning casing. It was still safe to be here.

"Sounds good!" Kokichi chirped, waiting for a break in the crowd to start leading his little group into the museum proper. Something for everyone--he and Kaito would likely nerd out over the exhibits, trading knowledge of their respective countries (though...probably in quieter voices), Shuuichi could go a little more in-depth for Tim's first time probably learning about seafaring and boatcrafts and exploring and ocean life... And Maki could have a break.

As with any sort of venue performance, there were lines for the bathroom, but it wasn't too bad. Kokichi ended up finishing his business before the others, so to free up space and not create needless confusion for other people waiting for the restrooms, he walked over a little bit into the lobby, looking up at the museum map. He'd looked at it the day before, but...it was still interesting.

He was particularly looking forward to seeing old navigation maps. Kokichi didn't really know much about navigating, but...he'd looked over his mother's old star charts thousands of times. It would be interesting to see what things carried over from sea to sky, what practices had come into use over the years. And, also, the really old maps had drawings of sea monsters to signify dangerous waters, and he suuuuper wanted to see those!

Kokichi clasped his hands behind his back as he looked over the museum guide, occasionally lifting himself onto his toes to better read something, unintentionally creating a pretty good picture of a lost, curious child.

The show had been a lot of fun, actually. Brent found, to his surprise, he had actually really enjoyed himself.

Man, some of those performers had been cute.

Or, well, he guessed at least their body types had been. He was honestly surprised the masks had stayed on the whole time. It had to have made swimming difficult. Still, that had just added to the wonder of it all. Pretty cool. He was glad his uncle had talked him into going after all. Though, the lack of intermissions was deadly. Fuck Brent had needed to pee that last hour, and on his way out of the bathroom, relieved, someone bumped against his shoulder.

"Oh, sorry! My bad man! Wasn't looking."

Brent raised an eyebrow, looking up at the...no way. Man, what are the odds he'd keep running into these people today? Fucking weird...anyway, he gave the red-haired man a dismissive snort, before continuing on.

...huh...if that guy was here, then maybe...

He spotted him in the lobby and actually laughed out loud. Cute...

...the other guy was nearby. But he was also at the very end of that long ass line to the bathroom. Honestly? That was probably plenty of time. Brent knew what he looked like. He had this in the bag.

Heading to the bench that the kid sat on, peering with a bright, happy smile over a pamphlet, Brent sat down beside him, putting a hand around his back and clasping his opposite shoulder, shaking him a little in a friendly greeting as he said cheerfully, "Hey hey hey. Look who it is! What's up Jaski? Long time no see."

Less absorbed in the pamphlet than he'd been in his sketchbook that morning, Kokichi wasn't all that surprised by Brent coming up to him and he gave the man a friendly smile. "Hey, Brent! Wooooow, right? What are the chances--it's been literal years since we last saw each other!"

Snorting a bit of a snicker, Kokichi held up the museum pamphlet for the other man to see. "What'd you think of the show--incredible, right?! I'd always wanted to see D.I.C.E and it was just...amazing." Kokichi sighed a little, a smile on his face. Despite the content that made him a little worried, it really had been a fantastic performance. He definitely wanted to see them again somewhere, likely if they performed nearer to the capital.

"It'll likely be less breath-taking, but I'm excited to look through the museum too--just reading up on it a bit now." Thus, the pamphlet. Kicking his legs a little off the edge of the bench, Kokichi tilted his head at Brent, a curious smile on his face. "I never did ask before--are you from around here? Have you gone through the museum before?"

Leaving his hand where it was, Brent chuckled, shaking his head in exasperation. "This place? Sure, too many times, honestly. My family owns a beach house here. We come down every summer. I personally just came down to see the show, but my dad's a boat nut, so I'm probably stuck here for another hour while he goes to gawk at the exhibits for the thousandth time and give mock tour guides to any poor kid willing to listen to him."

"Honestly, it's my last few days here before I head back to university, and...well, again! The show! Great! Fantastic, so much fun," Brent said, leaning into Jaski a little, sighing slightly. "But this whole trip has been kind of a bummer...this is going to sound super cheesy, I already know," Brent said, giving Jaski a sheepish smile, rubbing his shoulder with his thumb a little as he leaned in, saying quietly, as if he was embarrassed, "But...I was kinda really hoping for some sort of summer romance. I know, I know, it's such a stereotype, but it's my last year of college, and once I'm in the workforce the whole summer romance daydream is kinda dead, isn't it? I just really wanted to play with that whole fantasy..."

"But, shame on me...I had this whole summer to look, and literally only just met someone cute enough to want to spend my summer with...absolutely tragic..."

Kokichi nodded as Brent talked, humming in interest. It sounded like fun, being able to come to the coast every summer. He knew of plenty of people who took regular vacations to various places, but actually being able to see one of those places for himself had really brought the whole scene together in his mind. Somewhere that was so firmly cemented as "relaxation" in your mind, even if it was the daily grind for others.

Which was why Kokichi frowned in confusion when Brent described the trip as a bummer. Maybe it was just him being naive, but...he'd waited his whole life to travel anywhere. Being disappointed in going on a trip, especially to a place as beautiful and full of things to do like the town they were in...Kokichi couldn't fathom it.

...unless it was just the sort of thing you said to flatter someone, making them feel special.

Giving Brent an apologetic smile, Kokichi gently tried to move his hand off his back. "You're sweet, but sorry, I'm not your summer fantasy. But meet-cutes are never on a time limit, right? I'm sure you'll find plenty of people who are looking for the same thing."

Jaski's shoulder moved slightly, and accommodatingly, Brent allowed his hand to slide back a little, letting it slide down to Jaski's lower back as Brent gave the kid an openly hurt look. "What's the matter? Am I not your type?"

This time Kokichi tried to move Brent's hand away with his own hands. A friendly hand on a back or shoulder was fine, even if the context of someone trying to flirt with you made it...less fine. But, especially after being told 'no', Kokichi wasn't gonna stand for a hand on the lower back.

"I said I'm not interested--that's enough of an answer." Kokichi set his mouth in a frown, not really pissed yet, but firm. No one should have to explain why they wouldn't want advances. All the "I'm not feeling well," or, "I'm into other people," or, in his case, "I'm married and have a boyfriend." It didn't matter. A no was a no.

Sighing a little, Kokichi hoped that he was clear enough. "Look, I appreciate you coming to chat with me, but I'm not looking for anything sexual or romantic. If you just want to talk, that's great! But it's not going to lead to anything."

Brent frowned, insulted as his hand was actually pushed away. "Hey, would you chill? I'm just paying you a compliment. You know people aren't gonna like you if you're stuck up like that."

Brent leaned in closer, smirking as he tried putting his hand on the shoulder closest to himself now, squeezing those thin bones gently as he said, going back to the gentle route again, "And you don't have to be looking for it. Why shut me down? You should open yourself to more possibilities. Life will be more fun that way."

Okay. He was starting to get annoyed now.

Leveling a dry stare at Brent, Kokichi said bluntly, "Being told that you want to fuck me isn't a compliment. Nor is you continually insisting after I've said no."

Kokichi stood after that, getting the impression that Brent hadn't actually wanted to talk to him to have a nice conversation, and just wanted to get in his pants. Now that was an actual bummer.

He could take care of himself, but...he should see if any of his friends were out of the bathroom yet. If Brent followed him at all that would be a problem, but...it would just be a good idea to not be on his own, probably.

Not answering any of Brent's questions--his justification wasn't needed--Kokichi just bade him a farewell and well-wishes for his last year of college before trying to leave.

Brent raised an eyebrow at him before saying, "So...are you actually Prince Kokichi then? Because man, I've heard you overreact to stuff, but I didn't think it was gonna be this bad. Is that why they didn't let you out of the castle forever? Because you freak out whenever someone's nice to you?"

For a moment, Kokichi felt his heart stop in his chest. Not literally! But in the way that made dread and fear course through him. Brent had accepted the fake name without a beat so he thought...

...he...wasn't overreacting to this, right? He didn't want someone hitting on him, a-and he'd made that clear, and they'd kept doing it, so...leaving the situation was the right thing to do...right? Not wanting to think that badly about one of his people, Kokichi didn't want to say that Brent was just trying to make him back down but...

Kokichi swallowed around the lump in his throat, but his expression was just confused when he turned back around, raising an eyebrow at the man behind him. "Uh, no? I don't have to be a, like, out-of-your-league prince to not wanna fuck you, dude. And it would be pretty fucked up for you to hit on the prince anyway since he's, yanno, married."

Feeling defensive, Kokichi turned back around with a disappointed sigh. "Maybe you should work on learning how to take a hint rather than looking for a summer romance, Brent."

...he wanted to leave. To go hide out in the beach house until he could...he didn't know. Stop feeling like this. Sleep himself out of existence.

...but Kokichi could practically see the confusion and suspicion and disappointment on his friends' faces. How Maki would want to know what happened, and Kokichi would eventually tell her, and he'd have to convince her that it wasn't worth killing Brent. He'd have to convince Kaito too. And having to drag Tim away from something fun just because he was upset...

...now that was overreacting.

And Kokichi really did want to see the museum. To go to that sushi place for dinner. To enjoy his brief moment of freedom, and not sabotage himself by wanting to hide.

Still, Kokichi set his jaw and blinked to try and keep tears from falling as he walked back to the area in front of the restrooms, looking for his friends mostly by looking at people's feet.

Shuuichi, who had just stepped out of the bathroom, only saw two things.

Kokichi, looking back at a man on a bench.

And then turning around, staring at the floor, walking away with a tense expression on his face.

Shuuichi didn't second guess his first impression. The only thing he stopped to do was access the situation first. Mid-twenties, athletic, no weight training, wealthy enough to dress nice and keep hair moisturized, but the watch on his wrist was more expensive than his shoes, which was a middle class mentality, not the mentality of the wealthy. So... Conc=general local guard support due to class bias ( -local biases? insufficient evi + personal bias= inconc speculation) - connections to any people of influence or consequence - Prnc 'Kichi lvl of influ (+ Prnc 'Kichi lvl of influ? martyr complx + selfdestructive altruism = target protection? Oberv bias + historical precedence= probably.)+ Kaito's influence(-'Kichi=zero) ='s...

Kaito would win a fight but wouldn't be able to get away with beating him. Maki wouldn't be able to get away with cutting him due to lack of influence from Kaito and Kokichi's altruism. Both routes would lead to trouble which would upset Kokichi. Routes insufficient.

Okay.

Third route?

Another series of calculations ran through Shuuichi's head...

...yeah. That'll work.

He thought maybe he should ask Kokichi permission first...but Kokichi would say no. And that was no good. So, instead, Shuuichi went up to Kokichi and (don't be weird it's not weird he likes kisses it's allowed you won't make him dirty it's okay it's okay), taking his face gently into his hands, gave a light kiss to his forehead.

"I know you're upset. I'll be right back, okay?"

Kokichi looked up in surprise when he found Shuuichi and the detective took his face in his hand and...kissed him. On the forehead, but...it was a kiss! In public! That Shuuichi initiated! Kokichi's expression lifted into a delighted and adoring smile, his mood significantly raised from that small, yet grand to them gesture.

Enough that it took Kokichi a second to register what Shuuichi had said.

"Shuu-chan?"

It...it was fine. Brent was just kind of being a jerk (was he? Was Kokichi really overreacting?) but, like...he hadn't done anything. People were allowed to be jerks, even if it sucked. And if Shuuichi was going off to do something because Kokichi was upset (needlessly so?) then...it would be Shuuichi most likely getting in trouble. Shuuichi was, as Kaito had said, sweet, but...he still was from Luminary. His version of solving a problem would... most likely not work here.

Catching up with Shuuichi quickly, Kokichi gently took his hand and gave his arm a tug, offering his boyfriend a touched yet concerned smile. "I...I'm okay. You don't have to do anything. We're here to check out the museum, yeah? Once everyone's done with the bathroom break let's just...do that."

Sigh. He supposed Kokichi had been able to read his desire on his face. Shuuichi stared coldly at the man, who was openly observing them, a small, annoyed huff on his features...before smirking at them. Go on then, Brent's features beckoned, raising an eyebrow at the golden-eyed man, literally being held back by the prince. Fucking do something. I dare ya.

Shuuichi tensed, annoyed and frustrated. He should signal to Kaito when he comes out of the bathroom. One solid punch would take that look off his face...no, no, we already went over this. That route would cause more problems than solutions. Plus, Maki might see it first, and that was dangerous...third route wasn't going to work with Kokichi actively watching and holding him back. Even if it started working, Kokichi would probably come up himself to clarify the situation. Admit to the guards on Shuuichi's behalf that the evidence was planted...look upset and frightened at Shuuichi's actions....

"I shouldn't just stand by if he upset you," Shuuichi informed Kokichi. His features growing more frustrated, golden eyes flashing pink as his body grew more and more tense. "I'm your...I should at least say something..."

Kokichi deflated a little, just feeling...guilty when he saw that flash of pink (almost the same color as the ribbons in that last act...huh) even if he knew it was just the light catching Shuuichi's eyes just right, and not any actual indication of the detective's mood. But...there wasn't any point in talking to Brent more. He'd said his piece.

"...rumors are rumors," Kokichi muttered, shrugging a little though his shoulders stayed down. "He was just flirting with me. Kept doing it after I said no. Talked about some rumors about me. It's just...it's stupid, I know. I know they're not true. It's not a big deal, really Shuu-chan. Just a jerk being salty that someone turned them down."

With a breath, he tried to give Shuuichi another little smile. "It makes me happy that you'd want to defend me, but I've already defended myself. There's no reason to make a production about it."

For someone to go up to Brent and say how he'd upset Kokichi, like he hadn't been able to handle the situation himself. Like he needed someone to intervene on his behalf. Even worse if Brent insisted that he was overreacting and...it was embarrassing. He just wanted to move on.

"...or..."

An idea came to him. Kokichi smiled shyly up at Shuuichi, but there was a certain sparkle in his eye. "...would you want to help me with something? I'm not gonna kiss Shuu-chan if he doesn't want it."

Shuuichi could feel his features go colder...found himself wishing he could put the bully in his place… Shuuichi was gentle by the standards of his friends, but he was a bogeyman to a significant portion of the Luminary population for good reason and...it was so rare he could use that particular skill set to help others...he wanted to protect his boyfriend. He wanted to be strong and assertive in one of the few ways he knew how, to defend him...

...but recognized what Kokichi was saying and sighed. Relaxing a little as he turned back to the Dicean Prince. "I'm sorry," Shuuichi said, looking a little embarrassed. "I don't mean to overreact. I'm sure you already handled it as well as it could be. I don't mean to overstep."

Shuuichi raised an eyebrow as Kokichi's little add-on...before blushing slightly, not entirely understanding where Kokichi was going with this, but not...displeased or anything by the idea of a kiss. But how would that help? What was Kokichi going to do?

Still. "I...I mean...if you want to..."

Kokichi shook his head a little and squeezed Shuuichi's hand gently, smiling up at his boyfriend with a little more confidence. "I really do appreciate it, honey pie. As much as I don't want you to have to stand up for me, it makes me feel happy that you would in a heartbeat. I don't wanna cause any trouble...but fuck em."

With a little sneer, Kokichi led Shuuichi through the lobby a little bit, glancing over to see if Brent was looking at them--he was--and, going up on his toes, he kissed Shuuichi, lingering for a good moment and nipping gently at his bottom lip before dropping back onto his feet, a pleased smile on his face. He didn't need to justify himself to Brent, but, on the other hand, he wanted to show off his adorable boyfriend. It just so happened that it would get some pushy guy off his back too.

Brent's eyes widened a little bit, surprised...before narrowing in confusion. Didn't his mom say she saw the guy kissing the red head dude? No way she got him mixed up with the blue-haired guy hiding under a hat, so...

...tsk, whatever. Whore.

Brent scowled, looking away. Guy was probably diseased anyway...sluts like him always were...bet he was fucking that whole group...fucking freak...

Getting up, Brent ignored the two kissers with a deep frown, heading back out into the museum.

Shuuichi, in turn, blushed madly against the kiss and strongly resisted the urge to look around and see if anyone was watching them because, well...that was the point, right now. Though, when they did break the kiss, Shuuichi glanced over at where the bully was sitting and-

Shuuichi laughed softly. "I think you upset him," he pointed out, noting the guy’s annoyed expression as he got up to walk away.

Suddenly, the whole thing with Brent didn't feel as important. As much of a sickening thing in the pit of Kokichi's stomach. Instead...he was just surrounded by the comforting affection of his boyfriend. A much better thing to focus on, for sure.

Laughing sheepishly, Kokichi grasped one of Shuuichi's hands between his own and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Well, it's pretty rude to keep pushing your luck when you've already been turned down. Not to mention hitting on someone already in a relationship."

Rolling his eyes a little--really, some people--Kokichi started to lead Shuuichi back over to the bathrooms to meet up with the others. Or at least Tim and Kaito. Of all of them, Maki would probably fare the best on her own, but Kokichi still wanted to at least try and touch base before going into the museum.

"So, I got one of the pamphlets for the museum? I could totally spend a whole day here, but I'll try to speed it up so we can actually make it to a restaurant before they all close. Oh, do you wanna look through it?"

Kaito was leaning against the wall outside the bathroom, looking determined as Tim stood on his foot, keeping steady by holding Kaito's offered good hand as Tim insisted, "You're not gonna be able to do it."

"Shut up, just wait. You don't weigh that much."

"I didn't say I weigh a lot. I just don't think you're that strong."

"What would Miss Harukawa say if she heard you talking to me like that?"

"No one likes a tattler, Prince Kaito."

"Shut up. Hold on...look, look!" Kaito grinned proudly as he started to lift his leg; once he got past that first awkward angle of the first few inches, it was easy, lifting the nine-year-old into the air as Chase circled around beneath him excitedly.

Tim looked down, a small smirk on his face. Neat...

Kaito glanced to the right, and saw Shuuichi, looking over a pamphlet, walk in with Kokichi, who was hanging off his arm. "Hey! Hey guys! Look! 'Kichi, see if you can get on too!"

"He won't be able to maintain both your weight," Shuuichi informed him simply, curiously reading through the pamphlet. "Oh. Touring the internal ship recreation area sounds interesting. Immersive...and according to this, there's a room that's supposed to be a recreation of what it's like in the arctic waters? That's interesting as well."

Kokichi snorted, giggling a bit at how Kaito and Tim were keeping each other busy, though he wholeheartedly agreed with Shuuichi, and told the others so. "Kai-chan, you don't need a broken leg too. Please don't try to lift...what, 160 pounds with one leg." He looked over Tim, trying to guess how much the boy weighed. If his guess was anywhere near close, it was kind of amusing to think that he and Tim together still didn't weigh as much as Kaito.

Looking around and not seeing the last member of their group, Kokichi hummed. "Did Maki-chan already go find her cafe? And did Chase already go out while I was waiting in the lobby? I can be patient, but especially if Shuu-chan keeps talking about all the cool stuff we're gonna see, it's gonna drive me nuts!"

Tim shrugged, bouncing on Kaito's leg a little, pleased to see the leg stay up, though Kaito's face grew more determined, clearly exerting effort to do it. "Miss Harukawa ended up taking me since we couldn't find Mr. Saihara. Then we came back in and she said she wanted some coffee, and that she'd catch up with us after she grabbed a cup."

"At least that means she wants to look at the exhibits with us, if she's getting coffee to go," Kaito observed cheerfully, before grinning brightly at his lovers. "Sorry if you were looking for us. I thought you both were still somehow in the bathroom! Alright! Let's do this! What are we seeing first? Off, you."

"No."

"What do you mean no?"

"I wanna stay on. Just walk."

"I'm not gonna do that."

"You're not strong enough, Prince Kaito?"

"That's not what I said! Where are we going!? Kokichi, get on my other foot, I can take both of ya!!"

Kokichi rolled his eyes. Kaito could not take both of them, and while Kokichi kind of wanted to prove that...he didn't want to make Kaito fail in front of Tim. Sure, Kaito couldn't do everything, and Tim did know that, but...the longer that Tim could have the impression of his guardians being strong and capable and, in a sense, invulnerable, the better. There was a certain comfort in that, especially for a child.

So he just stuck his tongue out and turned around, still clinging to Shuuichi's arm. "Nuh-uh, I haven't filled up on my daily dose of Shuu-chan-affection yet. I'll stop holding his hand or arm or whatever when I wanna, or when Shuu-chan tells me to stop."

Punching a fist up in the air, Kokichi started taking them into the exhibit rooms. "To knowledge and wonder! The Museum of Dicean Maritime History tour is a go! First up, the history of Dicean aquatic exploration!"

Knowing one of their big-ticket items, the ship that Kokichi had talked about all that time ago was in the first room, a mid-sized wooden vessel that some of their first explorers had used. Before going to marvel at it, though, Kokichi was determined to read about all the smaller exhibit pieces first, learning about how land exploration, naturally, has been going on for years before Diceans took to the oceans. Once explorers had made contact with Kimigashine and the nations on the continent to the south, it had become incredibly important for Dicea to take advantage of their small coast. Instead of relying on Luminary roads to trade with Novoselic or Kimigashine, Dicea could establish their own lines by sea.

Even just that first room was fascinating, and Kokichi, despite his promise to Shuuichi, could already feel himself slowing down, reading every little plaque and observing every artifact, interacting with every immersive feature the museum made to make learning more fun for those not as academically minded.

The group stayed together, more or less, but how they interacted with the exhibits changed from person to person.

Timothy was mostly just happy to run around looking for stuff, getting a little shy and awkward whenever some well-meaning adult stopped him to compliment the puppy in his arms, admiring how quiet it was...until she noticed the attention she was being given and started yipping excitedly. Whenever that happened, he'd politely disengage and then go stick near the hip of one of the adults for a while, whoever was closest, until his nerves settled down and he started running around again. Whichever adult he was hiding behind usually took their chance to actually talk to him about the exhibits he was looking at, which Timothy half listened to when it was Kokichi or Kaito, but paid full attention to when it was Shuuichi.

"I don't get it. Why swallows?" Timothy asked, as Shuuichi pointed out a shirtless sailor with two swallows tattooed on his shoulder blades in a painting of one of the docks.

"I'm not sure...I just know that, if a sailor has one swallow, that means they've sailed 5,000 nautical miles, and if they have two, they'd sailed 10,000. And there was an old idea that if sailors drowned, swallows led their spirits to safety in the afterlife."

"To the trials?"

"Yeah..."

"Is 10,000 miles a lot?"

"It used to be, back when sailing was harder, I think. According to a water-obsessed friend of mine I used to have, they really only get it now if they themselves drove the ship that many miles, rather than just riding the boat. BM's get them, more than anyone, because they steer the ship."

"BM?"

"Boatswain's mate. You see those guys pulling the line?" And Shuuichi kept going, lightly explaining the few simple things he knew about ships, nothing terribly complicated, but which Timothy listened to with a fascinated ear.

When Shuuichi wasn't teaching Timothy, he mostly just read the explanations of everything quietly to himself, or listened to Kokichi talk about them.

Kaito mostly just glanced over everything, only stopping to read the explanation of an item whenever its looks had already caught his attention. Enjoying his time but mostly enjoying the quiet, sometimes gravitating towards Kokichi to check up on him, but also just sort of wandering around the rooms by himself sometimes.

At one point a young woman came up to him and started up a small conversation that made Kaito laugh at a few points, but then he flushed and shook his head, pointing over to Kokichi. The woman looked a little disappointed, but nodded before moving on, Kaito grinning wide after she left, flattered.

Eventually, a few rooms later, Maki showed up. Sipping a coffee and holding a belt.

She went up to Kokichi and asked, "Hey. Is it illegal to walk around in your underwear?"

Kokichi raised an eyebrow. That belt was definitely not Maki's. "...no. I mean, as long as it covers all your junk, it's basically like a swimsuit, so..." He gave her a confused, slightly worried smile. "Did you steal someone's pants?"

Judging by some of the stories he'd been told, this was...probably the most gentle outcome of someone trying to hit on Maki. As long as the poor sap still had all their fingers, losing a belt wasn't bad at all.

Kokichi found that he was strangely proud of her. He knew it was a difficult change from Luminary, where physical retribution was not only accepted, but expected too. But, for them to put in the effort to try and adhere to Dicean law...well, not breaking the law was kind of the least you could do, but he still really appreciated it.

Shaking his head a little, Kokichi tugged on her sleeve gently before wordlessly inviting Maki to come along. "So, did you check out the ship in the first room? It was smaller than I expected, but still, like, obviously, huge! I think it's just even more impressive that they managed to make multi-month trips in it! And the reconstructed cast of the header next to it, what it would've looked like before water wore it down? Incredible. I know it was for superstitious protection, but you could really tell that the artist put a lot of their passion into it."

Not questioning Maki much more, Kokichi chattered to her about what he'd seen in the museum already, his mood bright and excited.

Maki shrugged, sipping her coffee again. "Someone's certainly lost their pants, anyway."

Fuck you, Brent. Maki had no idea what he said to Kokichi, but she had seen Kokichi literally have to hold Shuuichi back from confronting him on her way out with Tim, and figured whatever it was had been bad enough to at least upset her detective. However, not so bad that Kokichi would let Shuuichi defend him, so...

It had been easy. She didn't even fake any attraction to him. Just engaged, let him take his shot, and then took him to a closet, took his pants, and proceeded to shred them into tiny, unwearable pieces while he threw a hissy fit.

And then told him the next time she saw him talk to her purple-haired friend, she'd use the blade on him next...which did, admittedly, shut him up.

So, ya know. Productive day so far, really. Maki was on a roll.

She listened patiently as Kokichi excitedly explained everything to her, admitting she hadn't seen the first room yet but she'd take a look on their way back, encouraging him to lead the way. Feeling entirely satisfied with herself.

World take notice: don't fuck with Kokichi Momota Ouma.

The museum was really amazing, and, like he'd said, Kokichi could've easily spent an entire day there, if not multiple. But, considering he'd skipped breakfast and had only grabbed a small snack for lunch...well, his stomach alarm clock went off, just many hours later than he'd planned on. Though, before they left the museum, they stopped by the gift shop, and Kokichi had seen something that made his eyes widen and had him make a beeline for it.

Made by a local artist, as with everything in the shop, there was a small needle-felted...he'd read the info card, and it was called a nudibranch. Or, a sea bunny. Able to fit in the palm of a hand, soft to the touch, was a frilled slug, pink and yellow with blue stripe markings even! It was...perfect. Ikuo would love it.

(...he hoped)

Explaining that they were from out of town, the clerk at the gift shop had carefully wrapped the sea bunny and Kokichi was holding the bag to his chest as they walked down the street until he saw the restaurant he'd seen the day before while they were out shopping. It specialized in sushi, but still sold other dishes so if anyone didn't want to try the special cuisine there were options, and while not the cheapest food, it was certainly affordable. There were plenty of people in town on vacation, but it wasn't peak tourist season, so the five of them (and Chase) were able to get a table relatively quickly.

Food was served in the usual Dicean way, in larger dishes that the table shared, so Kokichi got a little of most things for them. The slug sashimi he'd read about and so desperately wanted to try, two different rolls, some simpler portions that were just tuna and salmon on rice, as well as rice balls with an assortment of fillings, most of them not even fish, just to have something different.

As they waited for their food, Kokichi found himself looking around the restaurant in interest, the experience novel all around.

"I think I might drink a little tonight," Kaito said, giving Maki and Shuuichi an excited look as he asked, "Anyone wanna share shots with me?"

"Can't," Maki said, sipping at her water and looking around.

"Why not?"

"Working."

"...awwww, come on...really? Okay, okay, fine!" Kaito said quickly, noting Maki's sudden intense look, backing down before looking to Shuuichi. "Eeeey? Come on, man, shots?"

Shuuichi, to Kaito's surprise, made a small face of distaste, before admitting, "I'll be honest Kaito, alcohol kind of doesn't sound appealing at all right now." Shuuichi was looking through the menu, smiling slightly as he added on, "Dessert sounds amazing, though. I keep finding myself looking at this lava cake they're offering...would you be up to sharing something like that with me, Kokichi?"

"I'll take a shot with you, Prince Kaito!" Tim said from beneath the table, having just finished setting Chase up with a bowl of water, the waitress offering him some beef to feed to the dog if he wanted it.

"No," both Maki and Kaito said at the same time, before Kaito sighed. "Maaaaan...'Kichi? Up to doing shots with me? Have you ever had a shot before?"

As much as he wanted Maki to be able to enjoy their vacation, he knew her enough to know she would be 'working' until they got home, safe and sound. And...probably after that too, but at least in the castle he could work to make it feel like a place Maki could relax. ...though the returning fighters wouldn't help that at all, but...it was just something they'd have to live through. And...while it wouldn't be the same as what the castle had looked like before the war, having extra hands helping out would make the castle run more smoothly, would make it safer, and then, then maybe...

Kokichi sighed softly, but looked over at the lava cake on the menu, his eyes going wide as he read the description and looked at the drawing. "Ooooh! That looks awesome! One hundred percent, I will absolutely share that with you!"

And, well, he could share something with his other lover too. Giving Kaito an amused look, he nodded. "I have, though it was this awful tequila and I had to, like, chug a glass of orange juice afterward. I'll do one shot with you. I don't wanna get drunk tonight."

Not that two shots would really get him drunk, but it'd probably make him tipsy, and he didn't want to make the others deal with that. He didn't think he was a difficult drunk at all, but, like! He'd just been thinking about how he wanted to make things easier on Maki! Having to corral a drunk prince in an unfamiliar city was the direct opposite of that.

"Yeah! Awesome! I'll get us one fun shot each. Oh, oh!" Kaito's eyes went wide and shining, suddenly extra excited as he said, almost longingly, "I wonder if they can make a Flaming Lamborghini."

"No./No!" This time it was a chorus of Maki and Shuuichi, Shuuichi just looking exasperated, Maki furious, who continued on, "Absolutely not, Kaito. I banned that from you three years ago!"

"Oh right...forgot about that..."

"You forgot?? Have you had any since then!?"

"...wellll, okay, what about a Wolf-Pussy?" Kaito asked, dodging the question.

"Kokichi just said he wasn't a fan of tequila," Shuuichi pointed out, "He'd probably-"

There was an interruption of discussion as the waiter brought out some of their food, promising to be back with the rest in just a moment, before moving on. Maki looked suspiciously at all the food taken out, hesitating before saying, "Let me take a bite of everything first."

"Maki, it's fine. And if one of us should be doing that, pretty sure it's me," Shuuichi pointed out, looking with interest at some of the rolls already taken out, "I know what they taste like, after all."

"I'm not asking you to do that."

"And I'm not even offering. It's fine. We just arrived. No one knows who we are here. And even if a someone recognized us on the way in, the odds of them both having private access to a busy kitchen and having poison prepped just in case they saw us at this random restaurant are astronomically small enough to be basically considered inconsequential."

"...you're certain?"

"I am."

Maki nodded. Still slightly pouty, but satisfied with this as Timothy, sitting down and already starting to put things on his own plate, said, "Yeah, Miss Harukawa, it's okay. It's tough to poison dinners. I had a lot of help and time, had to climb down this weird scary shaft thing, and Prince Kaito's just fine."

"Thank you, Timothy, for that...reassuring statement," Kaito said dryly, before asking Shuuichi, "You were gonna make a shot recommendation, Shuuichi?"

"Oh, yeah. I was saying he'd probably appreciate a sweet shot. Why not a Sunset?"

"Oh yeah! That's perfect! You'll love it, 'Kichi! I'll get some after we eat a bit...ah, thank you so much!" Kaito said, bowing his head a little as the waiter brought out the second set, finishing putting their food down, before encouraging them to enjoy and let him know if they needed anything else.

Kokichi laughed under his breath as his friends debated what sort of shot to get--he didn't really mind whatever Kaito would get. He'd only had shots of straight liquor before, and he was only having one, so if he didn't like it, it would already be over--but his eyes widened as their food was brought out, everything just looking amazing. He could probably get Kaito to try out waaay too much of the wasabi that came out with the sushi, but...that was a little mean. Maybe at the end of their meal, after he'd already been able to enjoy the food.

And...right. Poison. He had to look out for that... Even if the only person who had recognized him had given him tickets to a really cool and totally safe show, and Brent had only had a guess about it, and did nothing with that knowledge. Clasping his hands nervously in his lap, Kokichi felt a little reassured by Shuuichi's points. and...

He sighed, offering Maki a small smile. "I know I'm not the best person to chime in here, but I would think sushi would be difficult to poison just in general. The point of it is to taste the fish and other ingredients without any seasoning--sorta why I thought you guys might like it? If there's any flavor that would be weird, I think we'd notice pretty fast."

Thankfully that conversation ended before the waiter came back, and Kokichi similarly thanked them with a grin before taking a few things from the middle onto his plate, pouring some soy sauce into a saucer and mixing it with a little wasabi on the side like he'd read. He wanted to taste the sushi plain first, but he had a feeling he'd probably like it more with the spicy, salty sauce.

"A Sunset sounds good to me! If it's sweet, I'll probably like it, and isn't that, like, a super fruity drink? Hell yeah." With that, Kokichi dug in, trying a piece of tuna sashimi first, pleasantly surprised with the smooth texture and the fresh taste. ...but it could use a little of the sauce.

Shuuichi was the one who, among the Luminaries anyway, tried the slug roll first. He did it not actually even knowing what it was, just varying his plate and trying a little bit of everything. Kaito and Maki, who had been paying attention to what was what, watched him carefully, and when he barely reacted to it, hesitantly put some on their own plates.

Kaito had some and looked down at it curiously. Not sure how he felt about it. The taste wasn't anything too weird, but the texture was a little strange. Nothing too bad, just-

Maki's face turned blue.

She twitched, trying to force herself to swallow...terrible...awful...oh my god...just swallow it it's already in your mouth just eat it just swallow!

She couldn't. She grabbed a napkin and spat it out, shivering in repulsion. "What...was that?" she asked. Sounding genuinely baffled.

Timothy had been about to eat his, but looking at his mentor, the roll, and his mentor again, reached over and plopped it on Kaito's plate, who just raised an eyebrow at him.

Now, Kokichi had always thought he had a pretty decent poker face--even if he had never played poker with anyone before. Whether he needed to hide his actual feelings to focus on something important, or to be taken seriously, or just when he wanted to keep up a joke, Kokichi could usually school his expression into whatever he needed.

His lips quivered. Pressed tightly together, his mouth wobbling in a very vain attempt at neutrality. And, before long, Kokichi couldn't take it, and he cackled, his whinnying laughs filling the space at their table.

Ni-HEEE--shishishi!! I-I'm sorry, M-ma--hishishishi!!" He couldn't even stop for a few moments, only stopping to catch his breath as he tried the slug roll himself.

Oh. Weird for sure, but kind of like...scallops, right. He'd only had them once, but the dense, tender texture was super similar. Swallowing, he wiped a tear from his eye as he grinned unapologetically at the assassin. "This is a local delicacy--something you totally can't get at home since it needs to be super fresh. I wouldn't be surprised if our dinner was fished up this morning! Is it still called fishing if you're catching a sea snail though?"

"You have kind of a weird laugh, Prince Kokichi," Timothy pointed out, dissecting one of his sushi rolls, carefully taking it apart before eating the individual pieces.

"Timothy!" Kaito said, tone scolding.

"No. He does," Maki said. Face blank and temple twitching.

"Maki!"

"You're going to have so many piercings by the end of this trip."

"You can't just threaten to pierce me every time Kokichi laughs at you!"

"I can."

Shuuichi, who had been considering Kokichi's question, frowned before saying "...yes?"

"Yes to what?" Maki asked, passing the last of the slug rolls still on her plate to Timothy, who in turn, passed them to Kaito, who looked more and more annoyed at this apparent slug train that was now coming his way.

"Yes to fishing sea snails still being...fishing? Maybe? I mean...wait, well...I suppose sea snails aren't technically fish...but the word 'fish' doesn't even necessarily always exclusively refer to, well...fish. Such as 'fishing' something out of the water. That could literally mean just grabbing someone's lost hat or...huh...or, unless we're all using the word wrong and it merely exists as a form of slang...maybe..."

"I think you broke Shuuichi," Kaito whispered to Kokichi.

As Maki drank some water, getting that awful texture off her tongue, she raised an eyebrow...and then rolled her eyes, finishing her sip before muttering to herself, "Come on...really?"

Brent walked in with a woman, wearing a sour attitude and a notably different pair of pants, the kind one might buy at a gift shop, that in no way matched the rest of his carefully styled outfit. Two men also came in with them, but they both immediately headed to the bar together, and unless you knew they were all together already, it probably wouldn't seem like the two men had come in with Brent and the woman. As a waiter went to help them, guiding them to a table, thankfully, on the other side of the room, Brent looked around...and caught Maki's eyes.

A furious, humiliated expression passed through his gaze, and he immediately hunched his shoulders up and seemed conflicted between acting haughty and above it all and genuinely trying to avoid her gaze at all costs as he slumped into the table with his mother, looking for all the world like a petulant child.

Kokichi just grinned and shrugged a bit at Timothy, not bothered by the comment. He did have a weird laugh--he'd never heard anyone who had a laugh quite like his. He'd asked Hideki once if his mother laughed like he did, and the answer had been a decisive no, though their giggles sounded similar, sort of. They had the same sort of tinkling quality to them, apparently.

He'd never been particularly self-conscious about it, but...it did help that Mikaku had once mused that, if you were prone to thinking that way, maybe Kokichi's laugh was a sign that he really was destined to lead Dicea. Kokichi wasn't prone to thinking that way, and it was just a coincidence that his laugh sounded like the Dicean leaders' namesake, but...well, any little thing that had people thinking that he really would be a good leader helped his confidence.

In any case, Kokichi just giggled a little more as Shuuichi muttered about the meanings of words and took a couple of slug rolls from Kaito's plate for himself, deciding to help out his husband a bit. The texture wasn't as unpleasantly weird to him as it apparently was to Maki.

"I mean, if you could say that you're fishing something out of the water, and pretty much everyone would understand that you don't exclusively mean fish, then does it matter that it might be slang? If it's widely accepted and understood, then that just becomes a meaning, doesn't it. Language is defined by how it's used, after all," he chimed in, raising an amused eyebrow at Kaito before looking back to Shuuichi, curious about what the detective would think about that.

Shuuichi nodded, sipping at his water as he mused, "Certainly, certainly...but then it becomes a point of interest if the new slang term, because it's so widely accepted and understood that it becomes a word in and of itself...does the creating of the new, connecting word retroactively change the context of the original? Because to 'fish' something out of the water just means to retrieve something from the water, but to go 'fishing' is widely understood to be to go in search of exclusively fish...unless we all collectively decide that the context of 'fishing' should start to match the context of 'to fish'...but I think it's fair to say that adaptation of the word hasn't been widely embraced yet, which is why the question comes to mind in the first place. Which brings us back to the original problem of, does it count as fishing if a sea snail is not, in fact, a fish..."

"When I went fishing, my squad leader caught a boot, and it still had toes in it."

"...well that just raises more questions. If we concede that catching snails is considering fishing, does that mean catching toe-filled boots does as well?"

"I hope you didn't eat any fish you caught in that water," Maki mumbled.

Involved in the conversation, Kokichi significantly slowed his eating pace, actually seeming to match the pace most people ate at, though he munched thoughtfully on a plum rice ball as he considered Shuuichi's point. And made a little face at Tim's. "Well...what about the special verbs for getting other stuff out of water? Like going crabbing? Like...I guess you could fish the baskets out of the water, and you could tell people you were going fishing even if you were only getting crab, but it seems more like "crabbing" is a more specific category under "fishing" at that point."

"I'd say then that the verb relies on what tools you're using--the "fishing" part not referring to fish, but to a fishing rod, since that would cover catching boots too, but...like, people can fish with nets or spears or even just their hands, and only spears are clarified with the term "spearfishing". You don't say net-fishing or hand-fishing. And you can't even say that catfishing is the word for getting catfish with your hands, since I'm pretty sure people just use that in the shitty scam sense these days."

Kokichi swung his legs idly under the table, just a little since he didn't want to kick anyone, and ate his rice ball, fully invested in the conversation. Not really because he cared so much about the usage of words, but because Shuuichi was invested too. Because someone else had treated his rambling with considerate thought and had engaged him. It was almost like he was in the middle of one of his old tutoring sessions, Hideki being one of the only other people to ever engage Kokichi in this way.

All that to say, Kokichi liked to talk, and as long as someone else kept going, so would he.

"Yeah, it's inconsistent...but, on that point, if we're defining it by the tools used, I highly doubt a fishing rod was used to trap the snails. But, as you already pointed out, fishing with a net, it being that a net likely was used to catch them...or, wait, does that make any sense? This is where my level of knowledge on the subject becomes too fuzzy. I'm imagining sea snails the same way I imagine land snails. Sort of pressed into the nearest hard surface. And while I don't know if that's the case, it kinda...feels right? To me intrinsically? Ooooooh, shoot, but that's easily observer bias...we need to know how sea snails are actually caught and-"

Kaito, who had gotten way lost a long time ago, just glanced back and forth between his husband and his boyfriend, smiling a little nervously. ...wow...he was kinda dating two...really smart people? He had known they were both intelligent, of course. But it was different, hearing them talk to each other. He kind of felt a little out of his depth. He glanced at Maki to see if she was getting the same vibe, but Maki seemed more interested in her food and observing the room than anything else, just doing what she usually did when Shuuichi got like this and going "Hm," encouragingly every now and again.

"I, uh, I think I'm gonna go get those shots! One Sunset and one Flaming Lamborghini coming up!"

"No," both Maki and Shuuichi said at the same time, though Shuuichi immediately went back to talking on the subject with Kokichi.

"Fiiiiine, I'll just get a Mad Dog. You guys are no fun." Kaito pouted, getting up and heading to the bar.

"He set himself on fire once, drinking those stupid things," Maki explained to Kokichi, rolling her eyes. "We put him out, and then he wanted another. He's an idiot sometimes."

Kokichi chatted with Shuuichi some more, pointing out that he knew that some aquatic invertebrates could sort of swim by fluttering their bodies, and that there were even some snails that could "surf" by extending part of their bodies to catch currents, though he wasn't sure if those were the kind of snails that people ate. Though, his attention shifted a bit as Maki explained why she and Shuuichi were so adamant about Kaito not getting his banned drink.

Chuckling lightly, Kokichi shook his head a little. "That sure sounds like him. I would think trying to have a flaming shot would be kind of hard to do when you have facial hair? But they do look real cool, so I can see why Kai-chan's into it." The more he got to know Kaito, the more he realized that "cool" outweighed "safe" a lot of the time in the Luminous Prince's head.

Honestly? Fair, though Kokichi could easily understand where his friends' exasperation came from...and how he'd likely join in. He loved Kaito, and he loved fun things, but Kokichi was absolutely sure he loved a safe and healthy Kaito most of all. Kokichi didn't ever want to use his health as a bargaining chip, but...maybe he could make a point by trying to do some of the things Kaito got into his head.

...or Kaito would let him and they'd both end up in trouble.

Sighing a little, Kokichi looked over to where he could just see Kaito's head going over to the bar, fond and worried. But...they'd figure it out. Life, each other, their relationship, the future...you just had to work on it one piece at a time.

"Barkeep!" Kaito said loudly, slamming his hand on the counter, "Two shooters! One Sunset, one Mad Dog! And, uh, on the Sunset, could you balance it more towards the pineapple and watermelon over the rum? I think my guy doesn't like the taste of alcohol much."

The bartender looked surprised at Kaito, not used to people...hitting her counter and stuff. But, whatever. "Sure thing. You mind waiting five minutes? I got a boy bringing up some more containers of rum. Busier night than we expected today."

"Sure! I'll be here! Here, let me pay for them now...um...how much?"

Kaito was relieved when the number wasn't as high as he had originally feared, cheerfully paying what was owed and sitting at the bar stool, cheerful at the vibe of the bar. The whole place was painted white over wood, and it looked really nice with the marine-themed decorations, and the bar was no different...but the other patrons there were a little louder, a little more rambunctious, and the bartender seemed a little less 'customer service' and eager to please, getting her orders and filling them up when she could, making idle chit-chat with flirty drunks and regulars. It was just more comfortable...at least to Kaito.

So, when the man one stool to the left of him gave Kaito a snort, catching his attention, Kaito wasn't turned off when the man laughed and said, "If you're gonna take it easy on the rum, why not just get your friend a glass of juice? Fucking more bang for your buck that way, at least."

"Hey, come on, it's still a shot! It's just not as strong, and I'm pretty sure he's only having one so I'm not the loser drinking alone, so-" Kaito shrugged, grinning warmly. "He's doing me a favor, I'm doing him a favor! At least I think it's a favor..." Kaito suddenly worried that Kokichi might not exactly...approve of, A: Kaito coddling, and, B: paying full price for a shot that was mostly juice. Errrrrr...hmmmmm...

"Eeeey, I think it's sweet. I had some mates back in the day who used to do the same for me. Though, usually that was because I was already too many in and making an ass of myself, and they didn't want me to freaking die by the end of the night!" The man's friend, who looked a lot like him, laughed jovially, "Anyway, sometimes that's just what ya do. Pay a little more for a little less! You're a sweet kid, son!"

"Eh, you're both crazy then," the first man said, rolling his eyes as Kaito laughed, giving the second man a pleased, flattered grin. "Well, shit, you're just sitting here for the next five minutes. And you're drinking alone? Fucking depressing. Up to taking some down with two old men, kid?"

"Shit, Budd, we're not old...well, fuck, maybe you are, ya old shit." The second man huffed, before gesturing to Kaito to come join them the next stall over, "Come on, son, it's fine! We've already bought them and we plan to get more."

"Uh, sure! Can I pay you for mine or-"

"Don't fucking insult us, boy, we're offering. Here. We're drinking Warheads. You dare sip at it and I swear I'll fucking drag you to the back alley and check you actually got balls down there."

"Geez, fuck, Budd, Bessy is right over there."

"What? No, shit fuck you Bob, I didn't fucking mean it like that, you weird shit."

Kaito laughed and rubbed the back of his neck, kinda not surprised that was where the guy's head was at, and not super worried about it either. The guy probably didn't even realize he was checking Kaito out. Not everyone realized they were attracted to him, in the moment. They just...found themselves talking a lot more about sex and bodies and, specifically, his body when they talked to him. Which was fine! It was a lot of fun, even! And the guy wasn't without his charm! Kaito liked the rough way he talked but the easy way he reached out. Confident. Confidence was very attractive.

...ah, well, it was just one more shot for the night. "Sure! Thanks. Should we toast to something?" Kaito asked, reaching out for his offered shot, admiring the blue color.

"Mmmmm...to looking out for each other! The Dicean way!" Bob offered, holding out his shot.

Budd shrugged but nodded, clinking the guy’s glass. "Sure, why not. Even if it means paying wayyy too much for essentially tiny shots of shit tasting juice."

"Yeah! To looking out!" Kaito agreed cheerfully, clinking his glass and then hitting it against the counter before taking it down as fast as he could. The immediate spread of warmth to his stomach and chest was what Kaito had been looking forward to, and he practically giggled, extremely pleased with how strong it was. "Shit! That's good stuff. What's in it?"

"Never had a warhead? Shit, what is in it...only ever order it, never made it myself..."

"Definitely taste a shit-ton of lime, that's for sure. Let's ask that pretty bartender, whenever those punks at the end of the counter stop hogging all her attention. Honestly, bet you anything those are university kids. Uni kids are always the fucking most obnoxious little shits at bars."

"Not just at bars. My oldest fucking brings those friends of his home, and they got the nerve to talk shit to me in my own home. This generation has no respect. Well, except you, son. You got a good sense of humor," Budd said, glancing at Kaito approvingly, who grinned wide at this, flattered and flustered, "Helps you're in shape. I find kids tend to be more tolerable the more muscle they have. Means you're the type to stick to something, even if it makes you ache and sweat, because ya know you're getting something good out the other end of it."

"Geez, Budd..."

"What?! What!? What the fuck was wrong with that!? I'm paying the kid a compliment."

"Thanks! I'm not working out as much as I used to, but I'm planning to get back onto it as soon as I can. I've been a little busy. I just got married! It's...a lot!"

"Heyyy, there we go. Congratulations kid. Budd, pass him another shot, kid got himself a ball and chain. He's gonna need more than one."

"Shit, you're right. Here you go. No, don't you fucking shake your head, I'm offering, you're taking. Honestly, you'd think he thought he was sending me to the poor house or something. I look that hard up?" Budd asked his brother, who just laughed.

Kaito sheepishly took another shot, hoping his friends weren't going to be cross with him. It'd be his last one! Well, then the one with Kokichi...and then that would be the last one! It was fine! Kaito wasn't about to get drunk on three shots anyway, soooo, "So what are we toasting this time? Something else Dicean?"

"Hmmmm...oh, shit, I know what we should be toasting." Budd snickered, raising his glass high.

Kaito ginned wide, followed suit, and listened.

The conversation at their table was fun and rambling, and the food was exciting and delicious, and, in all? Kokichi was pretty damn happy. Sure, the day hadn't all been great, but that was just life. You had to take the bad with the good, make sure you appreciated the good and took the lessons from the bad to make tomorrow better. He would make sure to bring Shuuichi his dose in the morning, even if he seemed to be doing well. Whatever Maki and Kaito needed to fight out, it seemed they had, but Kokichi would do his best to remember to apply sunscreen more often, and take breaks in the shade so no one got put out by the heat. The understanding of Luminous and Dicean culture was...on-going.

And...

Kokichi glanced back over to the bar, searching out Kaito in the clusters of people. He...hadn't been overreacting, right? He didn't need to explain he was in a relationship (with two people, even) for his 'no' to mean something. He'd...handled it in the right way...right?

Finding Kaito's bright red hair over in a stall at the bar, next to two older men, Kokichi sighed softly, worried and insecure and...

Maybe it was good luck. Maybe it was bad luck. But, somehow, above the din of chatter in the restaurant, Kokichi heard a phrase loud and clear, and, his eyes widening, he didn't think twice before hopping out of his seat and rushing to his husband's side.

"To that war-mongering piece of shit King Leon. Falling was too good for him. Hope that bitch of his suffered as she went."

Kaito...almost didn't register it for a second. It coming so out of nowhere. His eyes widened, but so did his grin. All teeth. Canines laid bare. In his hand, the shot glass cracked.

"Ha ha." Kaito laughed.

Then he smashed the glass against Budd's temple.

"What the FUCK!?" Bob shouted, immediately shooting up to defend his brother as Kaito followed that blow with tackling Budd to the ground.

"Ha ha!" Kaito laughed again, eyes red, pulling his arm back and taking the half broken glass, intending to punch back down and dig more of its shards into the side of Budd's face, which was already dripping red as pieces of glass lodged in his skin. Budd cried out in terror at the oncoming sharp edge of the glass to his temple, trying to shake off Kaito's iron grip as he saw through the blood dripping down from his forehead over his eyes, knowing a death sentence when he saw it. Both in the glass and in Kaito's eyes as he laughed madly, again, "Ha ha!"

But his brother managed to catch the wrist in time, putting his own hand at his risk as he forcefully ripped the edged glass from Kaito, someone entirely unrelated to this whole conversation and everyone in it, a concerned passerby, trying to grab under Kaito's arms and pull him away from Budd now that he didn't have a weapon.

It didn't matter. Kaito shook him off, immediately going back on top of Budd, and glass or no glass, he reeled back and brought his fist down against the older man's nose, screaming, finally coherent beyond just the mad laughter, "How dare you, HOW DARE YOU, you COMMON PIECE OF SHIT!" Another blow, in the teeth. Kaito's fists and hands bleeding just as much as the man's face, but Kaito didn't feel it. Didn't know it was happening as he screamed, "MY MOTHER WAS QUEEN!! THE THINGS SHE DID MATTERED!! SHE MATTERED!!! SHE DIDN'T DESERVE IT!! WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE YOU PEASANT PIECE OF GARBAGE!???"

Another blow. The skin beneath him becoming mushier with every hit.

He was too late. The man was already on the ground before Kokichi even got close. There was already blood before Kokichi got close. While his stomach didn’t revolt at eating snails, it was churning in Kokichi's body as he broke out into a cold sweat, his face going pale. But Kokichi didn't stop. He was too late, but he couldn't stop.

He couldn't think about what everything meant. But, just as the words escaped him when he realized what Kaito was going to do to Nao, Kokichi broke through the crowd and pushed his way between Kaito's fists and the man's face, eyes wide and frightened and determined.

"Kaito, stop!"

Barely even registering the small shards of glass that pierced into his skin, or how his vision was blurring at the edges, how he felt like he was going to vomit and pass out, Kokichi put his weak, shaking hands on Kaito's shoulders, trying to hold him back as he looked around at the crowd around them.

"Someone call a healer!"

Kill him kill him KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HI-

Kokichi said stop.

Kaito's arm immediately stopped, though his face was...conflicted didn't feel like an adequate word.

He wanted to kill him, please, please, he wanted to kill him, KILL HIM, she hadn't deserved it, it didn't happen, it wasn't real, Byakuya would never, please, please, please, she used to sing and rub his hair when she was happy, please Byakuya, she didn't deserve it, how dare he, how dare he, fuckING KILL HIM-!!!

Kokichi said stop. You have to listen. You're going to make everything worse. Everything's going to get worse unless you listen. Kokichi knows better. You have to stop.

Stop.

So Kaito stopped. Staring at Kokichi blankly for a moment. Not really certain what was going on as the adrenaline rushed through his electric, vibrating body, his nerves entirely confused why the fuck he wasn't moving if he was this ramped up. Energy almost pulsing through his skull like a drug. He'd remember what was happening when he calmed down, but for now he just... knew he had to stop. Someone had to die...but he also had to stop.

And Kaito felt Kokichi's hands tremble against him and, realizing something had scared his husband, Kaito gently took Kokichi's wrists in his hands and kissed at his palm. "Hey..." Kaito tried to soothe, giving Kokichi a confused, concerned look, "'Kichi?"

"We got a healer on their way! Someone put a towel to his temple!"

"H-hey, hey, Budd, you okay man? You hear me alright? Holy SHIT what the FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"

"Did he say mother?"

"Who is that?"

"The little guy’s bleeding."

"Dude, they're all bleeding."

"That dude’s nose is so broken."

"Dude, his face is broken."

"I-it's okay. Healer's on their way, right?!"

"Hey...there's no way that's Prince Kokichi, right?"

"Here? I thought he never left the capital."

"I heard he never leaves his room."

"The big guy’s a lunatic."

"I hope he's okay."

"Who was he screaming about?"

"He called him a peasant..."

"We have to get out of here," Maki said, all of these voices whispering to each other in a matter of seconds, a woman with a first aid kid running inside and being pointed in the right direction as a man came in just after her, following her huffing and puffing. Maki was talking to Kokichi, her voice tense and desperate, a hand on his shoulder. "Please, Kokichi, we have to go."

Kokichi...wasn't really thinking straight. He was huffing in little puffs of air, the blurriness of his vision steadily consuming the whole of it. He was cold and trembling and...he nodded dazedly at Maki's words, though his legs weren't really working right.

There were people hurting he had to help...but a healer was here to take care of physical injuries, and Kaito's...

you told him to stop he listened he listened but not really you know that he can't not listen you controlled him you said you wouldn't but he was going to kill that man it wasn't right for him to say that and he deserved a punch in the face but not to die you MONSTER you abused your husband you-

Kokichi gagged violently, his eyes fluttering and face ashen.

Kaito's eyes widened. Seeing Kokichi's face pale. Seeing the light start to go out of his eyes as his breathing became erratic.

Oh fuck oh no please please, not again. Kaito reached out to grab him, pulling him against his chest, looking over to the healers who were looking over Budd, whose nose was bleeding heavily and right eye was already swelling shut. "Wait, please, 'Kichi's having a-"

"Shuuichi!" Maki called out.

"Got it, I'm on him."

Kokichi was swept up from Kaito's arms, Kaito staring in first fury and then confusion as he saw Shuuichi take Kokichi from him. Running out of the restaurant with him, Maki grabbed Kaito's collar, "Up, up now."

Then she turned her blood eyes on the healers, judged both of them, and grabbed the collar of the man. "Don't fight me."

"Hey! What are you-"

Grabbing the collar of the healer and practically hefting Kaito up by his arm, Maki ran out, Timothy having been told to take Chase and run back to the beach house as fast as he could as soon as the fight broke out. Dragging both men along, Maki ran down the street, trying to distance themselves from shocked, gawking crowds, mostly staring at Kaito's state, her eyes following a now distant figure, trusting he would figure out where to go.

They ended up at a port. One of the non-touristy ones, where people got work done and the air smelled heavily of fish, a smell that didn't invite lingering. Shuuichi finally stopped here, near the alleys, the sparse population and heavy night blanketing over them keeping them hidden as Maki found him in the darkness, tossing the healer at Kokichi, Shuuichi holding him close and carefully listening to his breathing, her eyes full of violence, Kaito leaning against her and clutching his hand to his chest, the pain finally registering to him, and Maki stared at the healer and pointed at Kokichi. "If he dies, you die."

Kokichi didn't resist (couldn't resist) as hands grabbed and pulled at him, but only because he was accustomed to it. Being moved around like a doll for others' convenience...but mostly his, because sometimes he couldn't move and it was scary so others stepped up to the plate to keep him safe.

He had asked his Luminaries to save his life even if he didn't want their help.

But as Kokichi was maneuvered around, he wasn't really thinking about that. He was more focused on trying not to blow chunks everywhere. It smelled like blood and he felt so dizzy and he felt sick and--

"Urpp, urggg-"

Well, so much for that.

The world still felt like it was spinning even when Shuuichi stopped moving, and Kokichi could barely keep his eyes open, his skin cold and clammy and dangerously pale. He probably would've been better off to succumb to the darkness already, but Kokichi always found himself fighting for consciousness, wanting to be better than his failing body.

But it was always a losing battle. Kokichi fainted.

...and woke up only a few minutes later, his head reeling as he blinked up at Shuuichi and...

Sighing quietly, Kokichi whispered to the frightened man he could only assume was a healer. "'m okay...sorry fer th' trouble..."

The man, shaking badly, looked between Maki, to Kokichi...then back to Maki again, because it was hard not to look at someone who so clearly wanted to kill you.

...but he forced himself to look at Kokichi again. B-because, well...death threats or n-no he...the young man d-didn't look good.

So, heading over, taking off his backpack with all of his supplies in it, the healer, still with trembling hands, checked Kokichi's neck, feeling for his pulse, his temperature, noting the vomit and the spots of white in his cheeks.

Taking out his bag, he mumbled to himself nervously, saying things like, "Nausea medicine to help the dizziness, painkiller to ease the shaking, u-um, okay, okay, protein pill f-for blood pressure," and as he said all this he took out a small wooden bowl and a large wooden stick, mashing all these pills together into a dust before taking out a small container of water, putting the dust into the water and reaching over to give Kokich-

Shuuichi flinched. Pulling Kokichi closer to himself as he said, eyes wide and clearly frightened but somehow...cold. "She really will kill you," Shuuichi promised, staring at the healer, his arms still protectively around Kokichi. "No tricks. Even if you get away from us now, I'll find you. I already know where you work. You can't escape us."

"I..I-I'm not t-trying to t-trick you...how do you k-know-"

"33712 40th street," Shuuichi said, making a desperate guess, please, please, it was the only clinic he had seen in this immediate area he had gotten here so quickly it couldn't be a coincidence-

The man froze, shocked, and Shuuichi internally sighed. The threat had gone through. If the man was planning to use something slow-acting, well...this would at least make him rethink it. So when, after a moment, the man continued to try to feed Kokichi the water, Shuuichi allowed it to happen.

"I-I wouldn't hurt him either way...I- I don't understand what you think I'm going to d-do..."

Shuuichi didn't know, okay!? He was scared! Kaito had lost his mind out of nowhere and now there were probably guards looking for them and this would be an international incident and Kokichi wasn't going to be let out of the castle anymore and the Luminaries were going to be in trouble and no one would protect them and maybe all the things Miss Nao said would actually come true maybe it wasn't all lies and they'd be sent back and even if they weren't the front line fighters were on their way back, that was a bad series of things to happen at the same time, they were in danger, they were in danger.

As the healer finished feeding Kokichi the water, once again checking at his pulse to be sure, he looked back (because, again. Hard not to look at someone who wanted to kill you) at Maki...before noting the red-haired man, squatting and leaning against the wall next to her, looking tired and worried at the purple-haired young man and hiding his hand against his chest, protecting it behind a broken arm.

"D-do you want me to look at that?" the healer asked, indicating Kaito's hand, who just looked away, alarmed to be addressed.

"He's fine," Maki said. "What about him? Will he be okay? Is he having a heart attack?"

"N-no, just a fainting spell. He should be feeling more stable in a second...his hand could get serious nerve damage if he leaves it like that...you should let me take the glass out-"

"I'm fine."

"He's fine. I'll take care of it. Focus on Kokichi!"

Kokichi frowned, though he still couldn't quite sit up yet. Before, when Shuuichi had wanted to confront Brent...it had been a sweet gesture, but Kokichi had still stopped him. Because, even if he hadn't seen it in action...Kokichi still knew enough to know that leaving retribution to his Luminous boyfriend would be a bad idea for everyone.

And...he was probably right to do so. Hearing Shuuichi threaten the healer...someone who was just trying to help...

(because people didn't help in Luminary)

Kokichi drank the medicine-filled water without a thought, not having protested anything healers gave him since he was a small child. And...as soon as his head felt a little clearer, his balance returned even the littlest bit...

"Will you three fucking chill?"

He wasn't yelling, wasn't furious, but there was a cutting, disappointed quality to Kokichi's voice as he gave the three of his friends a firm look. "Things are different here, so don't threaten people who are helping you."

"Kaito," he looked over to his husband, "if you don't want this healer to help you, go see Dr. Kimura. I'm okay, so get yourself help. I'm not going to shatter. You're bleeding and have glass in your hand, and, frankly, that's more of a concern than me fainting, which, if you three remember, I'm prone to, especially when there's blood around."

He...could still smell blood actually, and still felt a bit sick, but it was something he'd just need to rest off. No immediate concern.

Looking to the frightened healer, Kokichi sighed again and softened his expression. "I'm sorry about this, sir. My friends are used to high-stress, severe situations. Thank you for your help, and none of this will come back to you negatively, I promise. Your place of work is safe, and your kindness and duty in the face of confusion and hostility truly makes you an invaluable member of your community."

He offered the man a small, yet genuinely grateful and apologetic smile. "We should really be going home, but if the local guardforce asks you for a statement..." Kokichi sighed again, not wanting to do this, but...he had to. "Then you may give them the name Kokichi Ouma to provide a statement tomorrow. Again, I'm sorry for pulling you into this."

Kaito, Shuuichi, and Maki all looked at him in shock.

Kill him. She had to kill him. He knew who they were. She had to-

Maki looked down, startled, as Kaito reached out and grabbed her knee with his cast hand...just quietly shaking his head no.

Shuuichi, too, in a sense...again. The right words were the wrong words. His body relaxed, but that was just because he realized they were done. Kokichi had given them away. Shuuichi had failed.

The healer, in turn...his eyes widened. "Wait...Ouma Ouma?? Prince Kokichi, please, I can take you back to the clinic."

"You're dismissed," Maki hissed, though she still felt Kaito's hand on her leg.

Once again, the healer found himself looking between Kokichi and the murder woman, Kokichi, murder eyes, the literal prince of his kingdom, death incarnate...

His courage failed him this time. "O-okay...w-well, the clinic is open all night, if you w-want to...y-you know where it is...ha...so..."

Kaito finally looked up, his adrenaline slowing down enough to the point where he wasn't going to lose it if he tried to do kind of literally anything right now...and he plastered a grin on his face. "Thank you for your time!"

Maybe in any other context, Kaito's attempt at following his husband’s lead, at being friendly and polite to the healer, would have come across as sincere and genuine...but the healer could see bits of Kaito's hand that were split open for reasons entirely unrelated to broken glass. Just parts of his fists, split under the impact of beating a man half to death...squatting in a dark alley in a quiet part of town with friends who had threatened his life, the Dicean Prince in tow...

And somehow, it was only just now, seeing the grin split the man's face, the healer realized, 'Oh.'

'That's the Luminary Prince.'

And suddenly a thousand rumors were justified as the healer stuttered out something like 'of course' but wasn't really anything coherent, before running off, heading back to the clinic, partly for safety, but also because that was likely where his co-worker had already taken the beaten man for treatment.

Kaito watched the man go, his face...relatively calm. Before standing up and admitting, "My hand really hurts. I need to go see Seiko."

Shuuichi sighed, his whole body exhausted. "This is such a mess..."

Kokichi watched the healer go, an ache in his heart. One of his people, so frightened... Who had acted like a wonderful person and had only gotten death threats in return.

He knew why Kaito, Maki, and Shuuichi acted the way they did. It still didn't make it right.

Just...not able to look at any of them right now (because he'd want to talk about it, to try and get them to understand, and they'd look tense and scared and alone because they didn't understand and he couldn't handle that right now) Kokichi just muttered his words softly to the ground. "Shuu-chan...can you help me up? We should go back to the house... Guards'll prolly understand that we can't talk right now, but...it'll be faster if we just go back before they look for us."

...his legs hurt. He could see red out of the corner of his vision, and, somewhere through the numbness in his body, he could feel blood still running out of the cuts on his knees. It wasn't a huge deal, the cuts weren't bad enough that he'd faint from blood loss, but...Kaito wasn't the only person Dr. Kimura would have to tend to.

Kokichi...couldn't deal with everything right then, but... He sighed again. "...I'm sorry, Kai-chan."

Kaito was walking ahead, leading the way out of the alley as Maki waited for Shuuichi to stand up, Shuuichi helping Kokichi get onto his feet, but offering him his shoulder for stability, the two following Kaito out as Maki took the rear.

"Hmm?" Kaito hummed. Sort of...lost in his own head. Feeling a little emotionally numb after a huge outburst like that. Kaito looked back to give Kokichi a questioning look, before frowning. Kokichi...didn't look good...Kaito wanted to pick him up. Didn't like seeing his husband walk around on those knees...

...the idea of Kaito being able to pick Kokichi up was laughable right now. So, he just turned around and continued walking again.

Why was Kokichi sorry?

Why did Kokichi say sorry every time Kaito did something horrible?

It was really, really strange.

"Don't be sorry. We were...I'm glad you told us to chill. That was getting to be a little much," Kaito admitted, laughing slightly. "That poor guy got real nervous. None of us were going to hurt him," Kaito lied.

Shuuichi said nothing. Maki balled her hands into fists.

"That's not what I'm apologizing for, and you don't have to lie to me."

Kokichi wobbled as he walked, his legs shaking as he took every step, but he kept his gaze slightly ahead so he wouldn't see the trail he was undoubtedly leaving behind. He was...probably going to have to take it easy tomorrow. More of a...damage control sort of day than a last day of vacation.

...the part of Kokichi that had been enjoying this vacation more than any other part, the part of him that was just a kid that had never really been allowed to live, wanted to cry. The rest of him, the leader, shushed that part. It wasn't important anymore.

"I'm apologizing for what that man said, even if it should be him apologizing to you. As much as I love you guys, Luminary has hurt Diceans greatly, and I cannot say that that anger is unjustified. However...how that man expressed that anger was. Even if there was no way he could've known he was talking about your parents, that's no way to talk about anyone."

Glaring at the ground, stumbling a little, Kokichi grasped at Shuuichi's shoulder for a moment to right himself. "...if you had just thrown a few punches...we might've been thrown out, maybe not, whatever. Honestly, he had it coming. But you were going to kill him, and that's where I, and likely anyone else who would've sided with you, draw the line."

...he didn't want to get into this. But he didn't know when to shut up.

"...I know I don't know as much about the world, and there's a lot that doesn't match up to the expectations I have. But how my view of humanity differs from yours isn't just because I've been trapped in that castle, and I don't even know how many times I've told you all that."

Kaito frowned, brow furrowed...really trying his best but... "...what?"

"He keeps telling us things are different here and we're ignoring him because we don't think he knows what he's talking about," Shuuichi clarified. Maki crossed her arms behind them, a similarly frustrated look on her face as Kaito looked back at them.

"Oh...okay," he said. Turning around and walking forward again.

They walked for a little while longer, Kaito trying to think. To consider what Kokichi had said and then Shuuichi had explained. He hadn't...thought he was in danger. That wasn't why he had hit the man. He had just...wanted him to die. It didn't really have anything to do with whether Dicea was safe or not. Though, Maki and Shuuichi running for it, kidnapping someone, and then threatening to kill him probably...was more indicative that the three of them, when it was all said and done, really didn't trust anyone around them...that was probably what Kokichi was referencing specifically, actually...

"...I... I'm sorry. I know I just messed everything up. I didn't...I'm not trying to ignore you, 'Kichi. I...shit, I don't really know what to say. I messed up really bad, didn't I..." Kaito said, doing his best as he added on, "But...I really am trying to see things the way-"

"I don't think things are really all that different here," Shuuichi said quietly. Doing his best to keep Kokichi steady every time he stumbled. Shuuichi just looked tired as he said, "None of the Diceans I've gotten to know are any different from the people I grew up with. I know I'm an outlier right now...I know I was...literally asking for it...but nothing’s been different. I think the only time I noticed someone being unusually kind when they didn't have to be was I when accidentally came on a Dicean’s shirt when I fell out a window and he caught me...and he didn't kill me for it...didn't even yell at me...that was nice...it looked like an expensive shirt...I really couldn't have defended myself against him either, so it really was just him being nice for nice's sake."

"Otherwise, though? Everyone's acted...kind of just how I've come to expect people to act. They either hurt you, help people hurt you, or cover up the fact that anything's going on. I don't understand what you mean when you say we can trust people here, Kokichi. Nothing’s different."

"...you came on someone's shirt when you fell out of WHAT?! WHOSE!? WHEN!??"

"Uh, the...day of the meeting? Yeah, the day of the meeting. After I got kidnapped. You won't believe this, it was actually one of Byakuya's informants who caught me..."

Kaito closed his eyes and groaned.

...Kokichi knew that Kaito was just trying to think. And he didn't want his husband to lie to him.

...but it still hurt that he didn't refute that. For all their talks about it...Kaito still thought he was just...a naive child that didn't know better. And so he would have to be ignored.

But then the apology came and...Kokichi didn't feel much better. Kaito was trying, Kokichi knew he was trying so much, but...there just weren't any results. When push came to shove, Kaito still lashed out. Still would abuse the power he had over Maki. Still thought that...he was somehow better than the average person by the circumstances of his birth. Still wanted to maim and kill.

Kokichi knew it was hard and would take time and effort. But...when there weren't any results...the solution was to try harder. And...it didn't seem like Kaito was willing to do that.

And then Shuuichi's point...Kokichi felt doubt blossom in his chest. Things seemed far and away from how his friends described Luminary, but...he had never expected someone to try and brain Kaito with a roof tile. And...the people at the brewery party were taking despair pollen, he now knew, but... And while he was mad at what Aunty Nao had done...she had done it in the hopes that Shuuichi wouldn't get himself killed or sent away. But...did that justify...?

Kokichi's train of thought was pulled to a complete stop, though, at the example Shuuichi brought up himself, his eyes widening as he tripped and clung to his boyfriend, a shock of worry going through him. "...ohmygod..."

Pressing his face against Shuuichi's shoulder, he let out a shaky breath. "I...I'm so glad you're alright..."

Shuuichi looked down at Kokichi and smiled a little, warmed at the concern. It was nice when people did that. Giving Kokichi a half hug, he said, "Thanks. I don't mean to worry you. Honestly, the whole thing was more embarrassing than scary. I was fine. I just brought all that stuff up because..." Shuuichi sighed. Looking tired again. "I don't know why I brought it up. I'm not even trying to defend what Kaito did. I just...I feel crazy, when you say over and over that things are different here. It doesn't seem different...maybe it is different and I just inspire that kind of mentality in people..." Shuuichi said, reasoning it out to himself, before continuing on, "But, either way... Kaito, that was insane, what you just did. What were you thinking?"

Kaito gripped his fists. A flash of rage boiling through his blood again.

"Who cares why he did it. We can all talk about what just happened later. That's not where the danger is right now," Maki said sternly. "The danger is...the danger is..."

Maki paused. Suddenly looking...a little lost...

"...I don't know," Maki admitted. Looking uncomfortable by the idea. Taking one of her pigtails and starting to pull at it worryingly. "I don't know. What's going to happen now...?"

Kokichi sighed softly. "Now...we're going to go back to the house, and Dr. Kimura is gonna fix us up...and we should get some rest. Then, tomorrow, we're going to talk to the guardforce and explain what happened. Then...we'll probably have to sign Kai-chan up for anger management classes...and maybe sign a restraining order."

Pausing for a moment, Kokichi looked back at Maki, then up at Shuuichi, and then ahead at Kaito. "I know you don't believe me...but you guys aren't in danger. We don't kill people here. We don't torture people here."

"It was wrong for Kai-chan to try and beat that man to death...but it was wrong for that man to say such heinous things about another person, and especially about their deaths. So...the Dicean way to solve the problem is to help Kai-chan outlet his anger in healthier ways, and for that man to be taught that while you can hold your own opinions about a person, publically celebrating someone's death is extremely cruel and shouldn't be done."

"Everyone is allowed to live their lives here. People will clash, but if you have the understanding to be considerate...then you can coexist."

Kaito felt a flash of nervousness. Starting to say "That's different from conditioning, right?" before stopping himself. Kokichi had gotten enraged the last time Kaito had asked something like that... and feeling bad at his own fear of the idea anyway. Shuuichi and Maki had both been through conditioning. What right did Kaito have to refuse it? It just...wasn't something he had ever had to be afraid of before. You weren't allowed to be submitted for conditioning unless you were in the program, after all.

...Byakuya kept calling their childhood training sessions conditioning. Told Kaito he wasn't allowed to tell people about those for his own sake. But Kaito honestly thought that was just Byakuya being...'reactive' again. His brother had an unfortunate habit of jumping to conclusions, when it came to Kaito, and had a personal vendetta against the Head Secretary on top of that. But calling those training sessions 'conditioning' was too much.

Kaito's father would have never approved of it, if that's what it was.

...and Kokichi wouldn't either! He'd never. So...that wasn't what this was going to be. It'd be fine. Kaito was fine.

"...are you going to be okay, 'Kichi?" Kaito asked quietly. Not looking back at his husband, guilt ripping through his stomach. "I...I didn't ruin your chances...for more trips? Did I?"

Kokichi's shoulders, which, apart from the one hiked up over Shuuichi's arm to steady him, were already slumped, lowered further as his gaze dropped. "...I don't know. I don't know what Aiichi's going to think of this. If I had to guess...I'd say that people probably wouldn't want you traveling until you can manage your anger better...but I don't know."

...he couldn't limit his friends' movements. He wouldn't do that. But...Kokichi was starting to worry that...he wouldn't really be able to bring the Luminaries anywhere. That they'd be looking for danger everywhere, and, in response, would become danger themselves. There was a difference in keeping yourself safe, and making everyone around you so uncomfortable as to lash out because you were openly hostile. And...he wasn't sure if the Luminaries knew how to do that.

...would Aiichi just not want Kokichi traveling with his husband? But...then who would he travel with? The people he most wanted to experience the world with... And how would he ever feel good about going on a trip if his friends were stuck at home?

...did this just prove that Kokichi was best suited to being at home? Only helping his people from a distance, through letters, never really...interacting in person. Not overreacting to people hitting on him...

Kokichi went quiet, his expression sadly resigned and almost...grieving.

Kaito glanced back at Kokichi...shit...shit...

God fucking dammit he always ruined everything why couldn't he get it together!??

He wished none of that had happened. He wished none of this was happening. His nerves were shot and he felt literally sick with guilt and anxiety over everything coming up. He had ruined Kokichi's trip. He had maybe ruined all of Kokichi's future trips. All Kaito had wanted was to give Kokichi this fucking trip and in one five minute run to buy some shots he had fucking ruined everything.

And Shuuichi looked tired and resigned and Maki was nervous and angry and fuck hopefully Tim had made it back to the house alright and it was all Kaito's fault.

He had fucked up, he had ruined everything, his husband looked miserable and could barely walk and there was blood leaking down his legs and it was all Kaito's fault and Atua PLEASE.

...but Atua didn't say anything and Kaito was on his own with this. Okay. Okay. Okay...

"Okay!" Kaito said, squeezing his hand in determination, and then IMMEDIATELY regretting it as he said, "Ow, ow, fuck...sorry, my bad. But, I mean, okay! Fine! If us all getting to take more trips together in the future relies on me getting all my anger out of me, then...I can do that! I can totally do that! I mean, I've done it before! I used to have, ya know, like...crazy anger issues as a kid. Like, I'd just freak out on a dime and literally attack people around me, they'd have to restrain me and stuff...but then I got it almost completely under control in middle school and high school! And that was without, ya know...having anyone helping me figure out how to do it! So...anger management, huh? That could be...that could be great! I'd love to be able to manage my anger! That's...that is absolutely a thing I can do...w-with some help!"

Kaito looked back at his husband, his expression clearly a little...strained. But optimistic as he said, "Don't worry, 'Kichi! I've totally got this! I-I'll show the king that I'm totally safe to be around, because I will be totally safe to be around! A-and I'm gonna make you really proud of me! I'll...this will be the last time something like this happens! I swear it, right now! On Atua's name!"

And then Kaito hesitated, realizing what he was about to say and the seriousness of the idea to him...hesitating, not sure if he could really honor this...before furrowing his brow and practically growling, "For my husband’s happiness, I won't fight anyone anymore. I swear it!"

Shuuichi gave Kaito a gentle, if sad, smile at the speech, thinking to himself that was a nice sentiment, but...

Maki, in turn, openly raised a doubtful eyebrow. "You're going to stop fighting people? What, are you going to take a vow of celibacy next?"

"Hey! I was ready to do that for Kokichi too! Don't ask, it was a misunderstanding...but I was ready to do it! Or, try to, anyway...look, my point is why not!? Why can't I? I'm not some dumb animal! I can stop fighting if I want to! And it would make Kokichi's life easier, so...so yeah! That's what I'm gonna do! I'm not fighting anymore!"

Kaito glanced at Kokichi, just a sort of...desperate sincerity in his eyes as he said, "I promise, Kokichi. No more fighting. Ever."

Kokichi offered Kaito a small smile, but...the look was very tired. And not just from his fainting spell and the blood dripping down his legs. "You're very sweet." So why couldn't he be to other people?

"But I'd never ask that of you. In fact, I don't want that for you." Kokichi took a moment to breathe, figuring he'd have to explain himself for quite a while. "I don't want Kai-chan to never be angry, and I don't want him to never fight. First of all, what you would have to do to yourself to get to that point would be something awful, and...like...being angry and getting into fights are good things?"

"There's plenty in the world to be angry about." Like the Luminous people's exploitation. Byakuya's murder of the king and queen. Nao deciding she could manage Shuuichi by herself. The Luminous secretaries. The people distributing despair pollen. The Remnants. "Things you should be angry about. Including what that man said."

"And there are things worth fighting for." The Dicean militia's moral sacrifices to defend their home. People poisoning your friends. "And...again, what that asshole said qualifies."

...and here was the sticking point. What he...wasn't sure his friends could understand yet.

"However...it's when your anger consumes you to the point where you can't think of anything else. When you consider ending someone's life to be not just a viable option, but what's needed to fix things. When you just want people to hurt and suffer and actually solving a problem isn't even in the realm of what you're thinking about...that's all I would want you to consider."

Feeling...sicker, the words coming out of Kokichi's mouth felt like sludge and he cast his gaze downward, feeling his eyes burn in grief and shame and disgust. "...you asked me not to go somewhere you can't follow. The only reason I can pull you back from where I can't follow is because I have the ability to abuse you, and I hate it, I hate it so fucking much but the alternative is you fucking murdering someone. And I'm bound to you, but I'm bound to them too. I've sworn to protect my people, and...I hate it, but hurting you is the lesser evil to letting someone die."

Kaito frowned, first in disappointment that his vow hadn't exactly gone over well...he had really been hoping Kokichi would take some real comfort in the idea that Kaito would stop fighting. And he could! He really, really could! ...but it didn't sound like Kokichi was very enthused by the idea...

And...wasn't not wanting to make people hurt and suffer why Kaito should stop being angry? Should stop fighting? Kaito only did it with Maki because he knew she could take his very real hits and could hold her own against him. Shuuichi...couldn't, or didn't want to, anyway, so Kaito just didn't fight him. Period.

So...shouldn't he just treat everyone like Shuuichi, then? Wouldn't that be a good thing?

...then his frown deepened, and he became more confused.

"...abuse me?" Kaito asked, just...where was Kokichi coming from, with this? "'Kichi, babe...you getting angry at me sometimes isn't abusive. I almost always deserve it, for one, and even saying 'almost' is being too generous, honestly. And you've never so much as raised a hand to me. We just...argue, sometimes. That's not abusive."

"...I understand what you're saying, Kokichi," Shuuichi sighed. "But I don't think it's abusive either...you never do it to hurt him. That counts for a lot, I think."

"We should go back to walking and talking. We're starting to make puddles," Maki said, looking at Kokichi and Kaito's feet, "We need to get you both to Dr. Kimura."

Kokichi furrowed his brow a bit, glaring at the ground as he shook his head a little. "Just because you're not doing the worst thing ever to someone doesn't mean you're doing something okay. Even if it's to their benefit, manipulating someone isn't okay."

Kokichi's face paled a little more at the idea of making puddles. He...hoped Shuuichi couldn't feel how his arms were shaking, how his breathing had become a bit more labored. He...really didn't feel well, more than just the circumstances and the conversation. But he made himself put one foot in front of the other again, trying to make it back to the Nanami house. Things...wouldn't be okay, but they'd be better once they got back.

...after a few more steps though, Kokichi stopped, a violent shiver going down his spine. "...think 'm gonna hurl again..." He put his free hand to his mouth, trying to breathe deeply to stave off the nausea. Whatever the healer had given him helped, but...he was still bleeding.

Shuuichi looked at his boyfriend in concern...before slowing down and squatting a little, offering Kokichi his back. "Get on, Kokichi, I'll carry you the rest of the way. It's okay. You can throw up on me, if you need to. I'll just change when we get back."

"Or, I can carry you bridal style. Might be easier on your stomach to be lying back," Maki pointed out.

Kaito shrugged, grinning sheepishly. "I, uh...I don't think I can offer to carry you, 'Kichi. My bad. Keep doing stuff to my arms."

Kokichi squinted at his friend and boyfriend, swallowing before speaking from behind his hand. "Don' wanna get blood an' vom on ya..." Another swallow, a softer look sent Kaito's way. ...he didn't want to dirty up his friends...but they had offered and...were probably more used to it. It would be faster for someone to carry him than to keep tottering his way down the street.

At the end of it, it would probably be better on his knees for Maki to carry him bridal style. Keep his cuts closer in elevation to his heart, might slow the bleeding. And his stomach wouldn't be rubbing against Shuuichi's back to potentially make him throw up down his boyfriend's front.

"Ma-maki?"

"On it," Maki said, not wasting a second before heading to Kokichi, Shuuichi accommodatingly helping him stand up straighter for her so that she, as gently as she could, could sweep Kokichi up into a bridal carry, adjusting him a moment to be leaning against her chest and stomach before saying, "Alright then. Let's go."

The walk was, indeed, much quicker after that, it being now Kaito falling behind a little, Maki taking the lead as Shuuichi walked beside his boyfriend, just keeping an eye on him. Kaito's slowness seemed to be just more depression than an actual, physical drain though, Kaito still trying to...understand why Kokichi hadn't wanted Kaito to follow through on his vow.

They were safe here. Kokichi kept saying so. Everytime Kaito didn't...feel safe...it was Kaito being wrong. It was all in his head. Kaito knew that. Kokichi wouldn't say it if it wasn't true. Doubts. Stupid, stupid fucking doubts...if Kaito would just listen, but nooooo...now that king wasn't going to trust Kaito with his husband...hell, Kokichi probably didn't trust him right now...Kaito just couldn't get it together. He just needed to listen. Why couldn't he just learn?? Everything would be better if Kaito just stopped trying to think for himself. Byakuya knew what was best. Kokichi knew what was best. They kept trying to tell him and Kaito wouldn't listen, and every time it just made everything worse.

And on and on and on and on...

Eventually they made it to the beach house, where Seiko and Hajime were already waiting for them, a nervous, impatient Timothy literally sitting on the step outside the front door, clutching at Chase before seeing them, his eyes widening...and then narrowing in anger.

Huffing a bit, Timothy turned away, as if he hadn't been staying up waiting for them to get back, getting up with Chase and shouting as he walked inside. "I was wrong! They're alive!"

"Holy fuck!" Hajime said, heading to the door, "You four! Inside! Now!"

Kokichi kept his gaze on Maki's opposite shoulder, something stable to focus on so he wouldn't just hurl everywhere. He took deep, steady breaths and swallowed every time he felt himself shake, his body just feeling cold and...weird. He didn't think he was going to faint again, he didn't think his lungs would collapse or his heart would stop, but he just felt sick.

He just... Dr. Kimura would look him over and he'd get some rest, and...they were leaving soon, and it wasn't like he was going to be very active while they were traveling. He...couldn't get sick. For one, he didn't want his father to feel vindicated and declare that Kokichi couldn't handle travel, even though that's not what this was! But...there was so much to do. He'd already been sick for so long. He couldn't keep living like this...

Kokichi looked up when he heard Tim and Hajime, and almost as soon as they got inside Dr. Kimura was right there, looking over the four of them before focusing in on Kokichi and Kaito. "S-sit in the kitchen--I'm taking the glass out first."

While he hadn't seen her, there was the sound of a tap turning on in the kitchen, Katsuki filling a large bowl with water for Dr. Kimura to use to clean the wounds.

"I'm okay, really," Kaito said automatically, more habit than anything else. He trusted Seiko. Then he looked down at his hand, daring to open it from its protective hiding against his chest, undoing the half curl of his fingers that he had since the fight, and wincing at the larger chunks of shards that had lodged their way in there.

Still. He'd live. Glancing at Kokichi's knees, he wanted to tell Seiko to just take care of his husband first...but Kokichi was already upset with him, and Kaito had a feeling that wouldn't fly right this very second. In fact, he was fairly certain that Kaito was pretty high on Kokichi's shit list, and...probably would be for a while. Kaito ruined the very first vacation Kokichi's ever had. Tried to kill one of his citizens. Said some...things that were probably supposed to stay in Kaito's head.

Just adding more and more things to the pile of 'shitty things Kaito's done to his husband'.

Better, better, better he had to be better.

...he knew that, he did! He just...wasn't sure what better was.

Deciding maybe the best thing he could do right now was keep his mouth shut, Kaito just walked to the kitchen, following behind Maki, seeing her sit Kokichi down on one of the counters and following suit, though he grit his teeth when his own hop onto the counter caused him to clench his fist by accident.

Broken arm. A hand that had just added another litter of cuts to the series of recent cuts that had already scarred...god, he was a mess...

Kokichi set up, Maki saw Shuuichi follow them into the kitchen and said, "Shuuichi, let's just go take care of your medicine now while I'm thinking about it. Come on, it's already getting late."

Shuuichi hesitated, looking over in concern to his boyfriends, kind of wanting to argue...but nodded. Following Maki upstairs.

Once the princes were settled, Seiko went to Kokichi first. Just from a glance, Kaito's hand needed more care, and he would likely be easier to treat if he could be reassured that Kokichi was alright.

So, taking a pair of tweezers, Seiko adeptly took out all the pieces of glass in Kokichi's knees, glancing up at the young man every now and then to make sure he was steady (and not looking at the blood rivers down his legs) and then...

She didn't even have to say a word. As soon as she pulled away Katsuki filled the space, taking a clean, damp cloth and pressing it to the cuts on Kokichi's knees, applying gentle pressure until the cuts clotted and he could be cleaned up without worry. Kokichi gave them both a grateful look, but closed his eyes, focusing more on not throwing up.

Then, onto Kaito... Seiko gently took his hand and started tweezing the (larger) shards of glass out of his hand, frowning at the other splits that clearly weren't from glass. "...Prince Kaito, how did you get these other wounds? I will not judge, I just w-wish to know s-so I can treat you properly."

Kaito's first instinct was to lie, but...that was actually stupid. This wasn't going to be a secret. The guards were coming to talk to him either tonight or tomorrow. Kokichi had told.

...okay. Nothing to do but kind of...embrace the reality, really. It was already done. There was no real fixing it by this point. Okay.

Still, Kaito didn't want to overly alarm his sidekick, so he shrugged casually, saying simply, "You mean the ones on my joints? Got into a bit of a fight at a bar. Put more into it than I probably should have. Some people are probably gonna come by and talk to me about it soon-ish. Tomorrow, maybe? I don't know."

...Kokichi wasn't the target of the glass. Judging by how the glass had cut into his knees, he had likely knelt where shattered glass already was, and in a fight, Kokichi would've known the glass was there. In Kaito's hand, the worst shards were on the palm of his hand, though there still were some around the sides of his hand. And some of the cuts on his hand weren't from impact but...well, her best guess was teeth.

It was more than just punching harder than he should've, but Seiko had enough to work with to treat her patient, and it wasn't her job to find the truth of what Kaito had done. If he wanted to talk about what drove him to make the decision, then she would listen and do her best to provide resources for whatever was bothering him (because, even more than looking pale and nauseous, Kokichi didn't look thrilled, and she had a feeling that Maki and Shuuichi would've stuck around to help or comfort their friends if Kaito had simply been defending them) but...well, psychology wasn't her expertise. She knew broad treatments, but psychoanalysis was not her forte.

Nodding to indicate that she'd heard him, Seiko finished up taking out the glass and grabbed another damp cloth, easily wrapping up Kaito's hand and applying pressure for a few moments. "...I need to take a closer look, but you might need stitches for a few of the deeper lacerations. Considering it's your hand, and that you don't have full use of your left, the-they'll have to be external stitches since you'll be less likely to accidentally pop those open. Are you alright with that, Prince Kaito?"

Kaito nodded. "Whatever you think is best, Seiko!" he agreed enthusiastically, trying not to wince whenever another shard was carefully pulled from his skin. His hand was probably going to hurt for a while. Sigh...well, hopefully it was fully healed by the time his cast came off, anyway. Then he'd have full use of both his arms! That was something to look forward to!

...

...

...

Did anyone know how his mother died?

He suddenly wanted to ask so badly. He just wanted to know. Maybe it'd feel real if he knew. Did anyone know? Hajime, who was watching from the other side of the kitchen, a stern, frustrated look on his face, might know. He always just seemed to know stuff. He'd have made a good detective. Did Seiko know? Katsuki?

...did everyone know how his mother died and just no one had thought to tell him yet?

Kaito had managed to dodge the king. So far, other than the letter his brother had sent, no one had told him anything about his parents. Dad had fallen out the window. Well, no...pushed. How long did it take to fall? Kaito remembered wondering that, when he had read the letter. How long did it take to fall? Was he scared the whole way down? Did he think of Kaito before he hit the ground, even for just a second?

What were their last words to him?

Byakuya had intercepted their letters. Would he give them to Kaito now? Could he have them? Were they proud of him? He had made it to Dicea. He had done the marriage, like he was supposed to. Stopped the war. He had done his best. Were they finally proud of him? Their weird kid who had conversations with himself and screamed all the time and couldn't be trusted to be king? Had he actually managed to make them proud, before they left? How did Mom die? Did it take a long time to fall from the tower? Had they been proud? Did they say that in their letters to him? Were they mad that he killed them? Were they telling Atua right now that he was their stupid, angry, disappointment child? Did Atua renounce him? He had done his best. He had done his best he had done his best he had done his best he had done his best Byakuya please-

Kaito blinked. Ooof. That had...ha! Ha! Pull it together Kaito. Focus. It didn't matter. None of that mattered.

Kaito looked over to Kokichi. "How do your legs feel, babe?"

They were sitting next to each other on the counter. Kokichi was...still frustrated with Kaito, but they would get nowhere if Kokichi refused to speak to him. So, gently, Kokichi leaned over to bop his head against Kaito's bicep, not jostling him even the slightest so he wouldn't mess up Dr. Kimura's work.

"Hurt," he shrugged, voice flat. "No surprise there. 's what I get for kneeling in glass."

There was a bit of a wince in his expression as Kokichi looked over to Hajime, ashamed, though he took a small comfort in the soft circles Katsuki was rubbing into the back of his knees where he wasn't hurt while she was waiting for him to stop bleeding. "I...think I need to rest this evening-" He didn't pause at Dr. Kimura's quiet snort. "But...I can wait on the couch to speak if guards come by. There was a healer who helped us, and I gave him my name and asked if we could give our statements tomorrow, but, well, you know how it is. But I can handle it. Everyone else can rest up tonight."

...none of the Luminaries could speak to any member of the guardforce that might come by. How they treated a healer who was actively helping them...if they faced against someone with actual authority to arrest them right now... Kokichi was just...terrified that his friends were going to kill someone.

Closing his eyes in remorse, Kokichi sighed softly. "...I'm sorry for involving you and Chiaki and her family in this, Hajime. You provided the good word of your reputation, and we have not respected that. I'll clarify that you had absolutely nothing to do with this and will keep the Nanamis out of it. I know that's not a perfect solution, but...it's what I can think to do right now. If they or you need anything more, specifically, I'll do whatever I can."

Hajime's eye winced. Shit. Chiaki's parents...he hadn't even been thinking about that. Shit, would this come back on them? Damn...

But no. That wasn't why Hajime was pissed.

"Thank you, Prince Kokichi. Your consideration towards me and my girlfriend’s family is appreciated...now...will someone fucking explain to me why a nine-year-old came home by himself, long after the sun’s gone down, fucking terrified and saying you guys were dead!??"

Kaito frowned. Right. Right. Timothy... "Is he oka-?"

"He's fine, but that sure as fuck isn't the point! I know there's culture differences! I know the kid used to be in the military or something! But he's also NINE and has never been in this city before YESTERDAY! Oh, and is terrified of Diceans! So it's not like he's gonna go around asking for help if he's lost! Who is watching him!? Seriously, what is even that kid’s situation!? Who’s in charge of him? Because you lot sure aren't acting like you are!"

Kaito sent a sudden worried look at the ceiling, terrified Maki might hear that...before looking at Hajime, a scowl on his face. "He was fine. This is a culture difference. He knows how to find his way around even unfamiliar places, he's trained to do that. Don't accuse us of not taking care of him, okay? Maki made a judgment call and didn't want him around the fight, and I agree with that. It was the best move she could have made right then."

"Sure...look, Prince Kaito, I like you. But wow. I know I've been keeping my mouth shut about stuff for you guys, but I'm not doing it if it involved a literal little kid. Shit like this keeps happening? I'm letting people know that Tim's situation needs looking at. I'm warning you now."

Kaito gripped his cast fist, grinding his teeth. Feeling the heat already licking at his blood again...before taking a breath. "Look...me and Maki will talk, okay? We'll get better with him. We're new at this. Just...whatever you're thinking of doing? Hold off. We'll...we'll get better. Just give us time."

Kokichi flinched a little. In the moment, he hadn't been thinking about Tim. He just needed to get to Kaito before something irreversible happened. And then...Tim was already gone by the time things had calmed even a little. It was a good thing Tim hadn't been there to see the fight and the aftermath, it was a good call to have him go to safety. But...not for him to be alone.

Hajime had a good point.

And Kaito and Maki wouldn't want to hear it.

...they should've invited Haneda.

While Kokichi's shoulders hadn't been squared since he had heard what that man said, he curled into himself a little. "...Kaito and Maki are Timothy's designated guardians. In declaring mentorship, that was the agreement the admins made with the Luminary Party. Aiichi hired Haneda to be his nanny, figuring that, even though Tim doesn't like Diceans, it would be important for someone familiar with our country to look after him as well."

Nevermind how Kaito and Maki would feel, Tim would be...devastated if he was taken away from them. Even with all the differences between them, the connection of being Luminous made Kaito and Maki some of the last people Tim could easily relate to. He understood Hajime's point. When it came to someone's life and well-being, it wasn't enough to try and be better. While you worked to improve, there had to be someone else to come in and handle things in the meantime. But, even if they were unparalleled in kindness...there weren't many people Tim would accept. And...in his eyes, abandoning him would...likely greatly set back any sort of comfort he might have gained in this new, uncertain situation.

Glancing at Kaito, Kokichi gently tried to bring it up. "...you guys should talk, but...once we get home, you, Maki, Tim, and Haneda should talk and plan out an...actual support system for Tim. You need to talk about school anyway...and it'll probably be easier to plan something once he has that kind of structure."

Actual support system? Kaito...wasn't sure what that meant...

He'd ask someone.

Someone who wasn't Kokichi. Where no one in this room could hear. Or judge him.

He'd figure it out, okay!? He and Maki could raise Tim! They had already sworn to. Hell, Kaito had kinda...thrusted Maki into this position in the first place. It had been his best idea at the time just to keep the kid alive, and now...well, Kaito was responsible for the fact that he was here, one way or another. He could do this! He...he was certain he could! He just needed to get it together more, was all!

He just...really just needed to work out what raising Tim meant.

...

He'd ask someone. Someone who knew how to raise children.

...he just had to find someone like that.

Kaito nodded at Kokichi's assertion, finally taking his hand back from Seiko as he said, "Yeah. That sounds like a good idea. We'll do that."

"Fine. At least I've said my piece. So, guards are coming here tonight?"

Kaito shrugged. "Maybe?"

"Are you ever going to get around to telling us why?"

"I did already. I got into a fight."

"A fight over...?? Ugh, nevermind. I'm sure I'll hear about it eventually. Kokichi, you're going to talk to the guards then, that's the plan? Do you want me to stay up with you so you're not talking to them on your own at least?"

Kaito frowned, having completely misunderstood that he was part of the 'them' that was designated to rest in the earlier statement, and so asked, "Why would he talk to them on his own? I've got to talk to them too. I'll stay with 'Kichi."

Kokichi sighed again. He'd done it a lot, and he had a feeling he'd keep doing it for...maybe the rest of the trip? The rest of the night, at least. "There was a man at the restaurant we were at that was very anti-Luminary. Said a bunch of gross stuff." He'd tell the whole story from his perspective when he gave his official statement, but, for now, when they were still patching up and needed some time to calm down...that was enough for now.

Giving Hajime and Kaito small smiles, Kokichi half-shrugged, a small shiver going through his body though Katsuki was quick to give his legs a reassuring squeeze. "If guards show up tonight, I'm only staying up to ask them to take our statements tomorrow. Trying to explain what happened when everything is so fresh will likely only start another fight." The best testimonies came when everyone was safe and calm, after all. You couldn't always get to that point, but taking some time to heal and rest was standard procedure, at least for a statement with more weight, if some were taken right after an incident.

"Kai-chan, if you wanna stay up with me, you can, but it's literally just to ask people who may not even show up to come back tomorrow, and then to go to sleep. It'll probably be more comfortable to just go to bed, sweets."

Kaito gave Kokichi a concerned look. He...didn't want him to wait with him?

...Kaito suddenly wanted to ask if Kokichi planned to come to bed at all that night, or if he was planning to just sleep on the couch, but bit his tongue. If 'Kichi didn't want Kaito around right now that was...fine. That was fine. Totally understandable. Kaito would just...go to bed then.

...if this was about Kokichi not wanting Kaito around, he didn't need to sleep on the couch! Kaito didn't need the bed! He could go sleep in the caravan! It was totally fine! Would bringing that up upset him? Kaito hated the idea of Kokichi sleeping on the couch. Fuck that conversation was too embarrassing to have around company though. Kaito couldn't bring himself to say any of that.

God he was the worst husband.

"Yeah. Okay...if that's what you want, 'Kichi..." Realizing if Kokichi needed space, he probably wanted it like...soon, Kaito turned to look at Seiko, giving her a sheepish grin. "Well, doc? Am I good to go?"

Having finished the stitches while they were talking, also disinfecting Kaito's hand and wrapping it up, Seiko gave the prince a nod, already moving over to take a peek at Kokichi's knees to see if he had stopped bleeding yet. "Yes. If you can, please avoid clenching your fist or putting pressure on your hand. Given the time to heal, your hand should be as good as new. If you feel any sudden pain, please come find me immediately."

Kokichi's knees were still a little oozy, but definitely in the process of clotting. Taking Katsuki's place, Seiko started disinfecting and wrapping Kokichi's knees next while the guard washed off her prince's legs, knowing he probably wouldn't be able to do it himself. Looking up at both princes, Seiko gave them a concerned look. "I would recommend you each have a glass of juice before going to bed, since you've been bleeding. It's not a miracle cure or anything...b-but it should help cell-reproduction and help you feel better while you heal."

Kokichi perked a little at that, remembering something. "Oh...the healer that helped us...he gave me something. I don't... I was kind of out of it, I don't know what he gave me..." He looked over to Kaito for help, wondering if his husband had caught what the healer had mixed up for him.

"Thanks Seiko! I appreciate your help. I already feel better." Kaito...well, it wasn't necessarily a lie. He didn't feel any worse. And now he didn't have glass in his hands! So that was a win!

Kaito, who like Maki and Shuuichi, had been paying close attention to everything the healer was doing, afraid that he'd hurt Kokichi in retaliation for being kidnapped, said without thinking about it too much, staring down at the stitchwork on his hand (it was kind of cool looking. Kaito always liked stitches), "He mentioned a painkiller to ease Kokichi's shaking, a protein...tablet? I think, for something to do with blood pressure. And...sorry, right, nausea medicine. And he only crushed and mixed three pills, before giving it to 'Kichi via water. So, I think that's all he gave him."

"Though, we know where he works if you need to know for certain exactly what it all was. It'd probably be pretty easy for me and Shuuichi to go grab him for you," Kaito offered. Not offering to bring Maki along for Kokichi's comfort. But needing Shuuichi because, if the guy wasn't at the clinic anymore, well...Shuuichi would be able to figure out where he went.

Seiko gave Kaito a tired look, but...well, as long as he didn't strain himself, that was the thanks she'd accept. Nodding her head a little, she listened to the list of what the other healer had given Kokichi, and...it was pretty much what she would have done. The painkiller was just a nice bonus for Kokichi, since it likely wasn't pain that was making him shiver, but, since the healer had given him something for blood pressure, then she could be assured that the type of painkiller wasn't anything that would lower blood pressure. So...he would be alright.

"N-no...I don't think that will be necessary. Given the types of things he gave Kokichi, there aren't any concerning reactions that I can foresee." Checking Kokichi's pulse just for confirmation, Seiko nodded, confident in her assessment. "Juice, rest, we'll bring down a blanket for you while you're downstairs too. If you feel any sudden vertigo, then we'll worry and speak with that other healer, but for now...rest."

Kokichi hummed tiredly, nodding. As much as he'd love to just go to sleep and really rest, the most he'd be able to do would be dozing. It was his responsibility to explain things to the guards before they were ready to talk.

...Kaito would be warmer than a blanket. But he wasn't going to make his husband sleep on a couch. Not when he especially needed some proper rest to cool his head.

Taking Dr. Kimura's offered hand, Kokichi carefully got down from the counter, wobbling a little but remaining upright. "Thank you, Dr. Kimura. I think I'll get started on doctor's orders right away." He offered her a small smile, looking exhausted to everyone in the room, but tenderly making his way over to get juice for both him and Kaito.

Hajime put together some pillows and blankets for Kokichi on the couch while he and his husband quietly drank juice together, Seiko fussing around for a while before eventually leaving them to it. There wasn't much of any talk between them. Things were...weird. And, trying not to be a burden, trying not to be an uncomfortable shadow, Kaito pretty quickly excused himself to head to bed that night.

It was weird, sleeping alone. Beyond sleeping on painkillers, Kaito had barely ever slept alone since...well, since leaving Luminary, not having any privacy on the caravans and sleeping with Kokichi since he got here...

Well, no. He supposed that first week back, Kaito had slept alone in his guest room. But, well, everything had been so hectic that week that he really hadn't had a chance to sit and think on the novelty it was, at the time. And, well...Shuuichi and Maki had usually stuck around until right before he was ready to actually go to sleep anyway, and Tengan had intruded that one night...

...Kaito stared at the ceiling. Exhausted and wishing he could sleep but feeling...kind of exposed. And stressed. Stress danced around his stomach like a burn. He kept finding himself turning in bed, as if some new position would alleviate the stress somehow.

Why hadn't the Head Secretary wanted to see him before he left?

...

God that was such a stupid thing to think about. Why was he thinking about that now, of all times!? Maybe because this was his first time with space to himself for a relatively long period of time, the night draining on as the thought picked and nibbled at him, competing with all the stress of the day and the month and the year and his life.

It was stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. He didn't care that Master Tengan hadn't felt like taking some final, likely mean jab at him before he left, the last time they'd likely ever see each other. It was stupid for that to bother Kaito. That he hadn't even been worth one final glance.

...had Kaito mattered to any of them...

STOP! God, what a STUPID FUCKING THOUGHT. Of course he mattered to his parents! They had both just gotten...busier. As he got older. And he stopped being in line for the throne. That was why they had gotten so distant. They were busy. It was busy running a kingdom.

And he didn't care that Tengan had decided Kaito wasn't worth his attention after Byakuya had started refusing to train with him. He didn't care. It didn't matter. Fuck what a stupid thing to think about, trying to get to sleep. If he was going to worry about something, he should worry about the fact his husband was sleeping on the couch just to get away from him. Or that he, Maki, and Shuuichi had easily just shown Kokichi the worst sides of themselves, and Kaito had...no idea what Kokichi thought of them anymore. Or that Shuuichi's upcoming withdrawal period was apparently going to be a nightmare if this morning was any indication. Or that Maki knew Kaito had raped Kokichi and had fucking tased the inside of him this morning. Or...that Timothy...

Fuck Hajime. Kaito could do this. He could. He could be a father to Tim. He could be a father to Kokichi's feeling baby someday too. He could do it. He could get his anger under control and think things through and stop ruining everything all the time. He could be everything everyone needed him to be. He could do it!

...

Maybe Tengan hadn't said goodbye because Kaito didn't matter anymore, and he knew it.

Byakuya had called his wedding to Kokichi him being 'sold'.

...did his parents think of it like that...

Would Byakuya give him their final letters to him?

How did mom die?

Kaito closed his eyes and eventually fell asleep.

-

After the toy doll handed her Bailsong's motivation letter, Komaru, surprised she was being allowed to read it, had no qualms with the idea of just sharing it with the group. After all, everyone else had shared their motive letters, with the exception of that poor bastard Saber, who never got the chance to, and Bailsong being outed for her lie about what was in her motive letter had been a revelation to the group. When they had all started sharing letters at the trial, it hadn't really occurred to Komaru to just...lie about what was in her letter. Had it occurred to anyone else? Had anyone else lied about their own letters?

Komaru had prepared to go to the group and present Bailsong's actual letter as proof that they needed to actually verify whose letter said what, see who among them could lie to the group in dire circumstances with a straight face. It could be invaluable for any future trials.

(would there be? other trials? Bailsong's murder of Saber had been an agreed upon dual between the cousins, trying to take advantage of a life-long feud and the rules of the game to both finally kill each other and set themselves up to more easily win the game, whoever survived between them. It had almost worked. There had almost been a split vote between Chad and Bailsong, not everyone convinced of Komaru's arguments that Bailsong was framing Chad with the victim’s help. They had only survived by two votes.)

But when she read the letter, she realized with a sinking heart why she had been given it in the first place. Fear, guilt, and a realization hitting her all at once.

Bailsong's noble family was funding her brother’s rebellion.

...that was why she had called her 'traitor'.

Komaru was still wracked with doubt over telling the others about her brother’s occupation to begin with. If the group survived, every person who knew was now a danger to both her brother and her entire family. But to also out the powerful, resourceful Linn family, who were apparently providing him aid?

Any single person here wouldn't just have the ability to get her brother executed. They could dismantle his entire operation, and everything he's been working for.

So, now Komaru was stuck in a position where she was purposefully hiding information from the rest of the group. It wasn't info that would hurt or help the game, really, beyond just being proof for her argument that there could be a way to find out who among them were liars. But still...if anyone even just found out she was hiding something from them? It would place additional suspicion on her, from then on.

A burden. The letter was a burden...something to make it harder for her to get through this game...

"Korekiyo, get off him! You'll kill him!" Someone (Marco?) shouted.

Komaru immediately ran to follow the shout, heading to the ballroom, surprised to see almost everyone in the game was standing around to witness what very much looked like Korekiyo making a legitimate effort to strangle Chad, pulling at a black leather line around his neck, his foot pinning him to the ground. Chad's face was bright red already, and white was starting to leave big, ugly splotches on his cheeks as he gasped.

Marco and Monique were trying to work together to pull Korekiyo off Chad, but Korekiyo shook them both off easily, his half-hidden face sweating from the effort, but clearly twisted in pleasure as he said, "What's the matter, Chad? Feeling overwhelmed? Feeling helpless? Please, if you'd like me to stop, tell me loudly and clearly, as soon as you are able. Safe words exist for a reason, after all."

Chad gasped and choked, his tongue rolling out of his face, which was now turning blue...

Komaru, realizing everyone strong enough to actually stop Korekiyo was happy to sit back and watch him do this, took a deep breath, braced herself, gripped her megaphone...and ran.

She did a full body tackle, catching Korekiyo in the middle, forcing him to let go of the line. As soon as he did, Chad managed to loosen the noose around his neck, coughing and hacking as he crawled away from them in a panic, but breathing, as Komaru shouted to Korekiyo, "Are you crazy!? We can all see you! Do you have any IDEA what kind of target you're putting on your back if we end up going to trial again!??"

"I'm half tempted to just kill him and accept my execution...the trials are nothing to be afraid of, and a thousand other possible afterlives are nothing to fear either..death is just the next step. And it would be so satisfying to hear the snap of his neck..."

"F-fucking...p-psycho...I didn't do a-anything..."

Korekiyo notably twitched, only held back from reaching out to grab the line again by Komaru physically holding him back. "That's really what I can't get over. How much you seem to sincerely believe you did nothing wrong."

"I didn't trick him! He knew where we were going and what we were doing! He was excited! I didn't make him do anything he didn't want to do!"

"You accepted gold to convince him to go to that party and leave him there and you expect me to believe it didn't occur to you that anything bad would happen to him?? It took me a YEAR to get through all the SHIT that left in his head!! And he still trusts you! He'll argue to anyone who asks that it was all an honest mistake! That you had no idea what was happening! That he just hadn't been assertive enough to get it to stop! And you fucking let him believe that after he saved your life!!"

"From his own shit-ass brother! Dudebro's a fucking Momota! He has everything in the world! So he had one kind of bad night!? I'm sure he cried into his silk pillows for all of two hours about it!" Chad said, getting up, holding his neck as he glared furiously at the dungeon master, most of his accent falling away in his rage as he spat, "I didn't make him do anything he wasn't doing already! Who cares if I was making a little extra on the side for just convincing him to do it with certain people? Some of us weren't born with literally all the money in the world. Who are any of you to judge me!?"

"I think the only person here furious enough to kill you about it is, in fact, one of the only other two people in our group who wasn't, as you put it, 'born with all the money in the world," Rawr-XD pointed out.

"And, frankly? I'm not super jazzed with you right now either, Chad," Komaru pointed out, standing up and helping Korekiyo up, now that he seemed a little less bloodthirsty, "But we can't attack each other, okay? And we've all got baggage."

"Yeah...didn't fucking tag-team him with my sister..."

"Shut up, Chad. My point is, we don't have to all like each other here, but we do have to...not kill each other, anyway. We need to be patient. A lot of very important people are in this group, or are children of very important people. People are undoubtedly looking for us. If we can refrain from murdering each other for long enough-" Komaru said, sending a pointed look to Korekiyo, who dusted his clothes off, a somewhat frustrated and embaressed look on his face, "-then we can all escape together and work out our grieviances with each other on the outside, where it literally won't result in a mass murder of the whole group or our own executions...okay? Can we agree to that? Just wait until we're freed before we start plotting against each other again? Bailsong and Saber just both died over their stupid squabbles. Let's not follow their footsteps."

"Well said, from our leader," Monique said, grinning cheerfully at Komaru, who balked.

"I'm...not the leader..."

"You may as well be," Samuel, who never said much, decided. "You basically ran the trial, back there. And a slogan of 'wait until there's less consequences to murder each other' is the kind of mentality I think I can trust. It's just twisted enough to be honest...anyway. If we're done with all this?" Samuel said, making a point of looking to Komaru...asking...

Komaru looked nervously at him, wondering why this intimidating noble was giving her such a ringing endorsement when he was barely willing to talk to any of them...before nodding. "Yeah? I guess we are."

"Good. Come on, Marco," Samuel barked, heading out. Marco gave everyone else a sort of sheepish, exasperated smile, before running to keep up with his fiance.

To Komaru's nerves and bewilderment, everyone else also looked to her, seeming to consider her the final word on the matter, before shuffling off into different directions.

...she was leader...which meant she was the dispute settler...which means all eyes were on her...and she was now officially keeping secrets...

...fuck.

-

Shuuichi woke up beside Maki. Feeling, admittedly, a lot better after a solid night sleep. He laid on his pillow for a while, staring at Maki, just feeling...kind of numb and calm. The night before, his thoughts had gone similarly to Kaito's, though for less long, his medicine knocking him out after a while.

Kokichi had seen a bad side to him. Twice yesterday.

Shuuichi liked to think it was just the effect of the withdrawal and taking his dose late, why he had found himself immediately relying on old habits. Habits that he knew, or at least strongly suspected, wouldn't work here in Dicea. It's why he hadn't thought about using any of his old skills here before, when he was dealing with trying to keep or resupply his doses. He didn't understand the laws here, and the bits he did understand suggested his methods wouldn't work. He couldn't have framed or blackmailed Miss Nao to give him his jar back. The laws were...well, again, he didn't really understand the laws here. But no one would have made her go away, was the impression he got. Everything would have just been exposed and she would have just still been there, and Shuuichi would have been sent back to Luminary, with everything exposed.

There was a part of him that still believed that, honestly.

Kokichi wanted to date him now...and it wasn't like Shuuichi hadn't noticed that, despite what Kokichi had said...he hadn't told anyone what Shuuichi had done. And the detective was just assuming, by this point, it was because Kokichi wanted him around.

Which means he would have been made to leave.

...he didn't really know if that was true or not. But it felt true. And he was afraid to ask anyone about it. Like if he brought it up, the fact that everything Shuuichi had done, as far as he was aware, was still a secret, would pop whatever protective bubble was around him.

He didn't feel safe. Things didn't feel different here. Things just felt dangerous in new, unpredictable ways.

...but maybe it had been unkind to tell Kokichi that. At least while he had been so stressed about everything. Shuuichi kind of wanted to apologize to him. Try to talk his feelings out with him, when things were calmer. Go tell him at least that he was sorry for his paranoia and fear yesterday. The next morning, Shuuichi could see how he had been the bad guy in that exchange. The healer was a threat, but the healer, based on his actions, hadn't recognized he was a threat. It literally didn't even seem to occur to him that he could get revenge on them or physically hold Kokichi hostage by withholding knowledge of how to help him, which was what Shuuichi had been most afraid of.

The fears had been...unrealistic for that situation.

Probably.

So, yeah. Shuuichi wanted to apologize.

He also wanted his dose.

He definitely wanted his dose.

But he'd wait a little. Let the princes sleep. Let Maki sleep too. She had been agitated all night, getting up at one point in the night to practice slashing movements with her daggers. Shuuichi didn't know if she felt bad about yesterday too or not. Maki was hard to read or predict sometimes.

But he couldn't lie there. He already felt restless. So he got up, deciding he'd go downstairs and get some coffee.

He was surprised, then, to see Kokichi curled up on the couch, huddled under a blanket that was too big around him, his face half buried into a pillow, making little breathing sounds. Shuuichi blinked at him in bewilderment. Kokichi had slept on the couch?

Kaito hadn't kicked him out, had he??

Uncertain if he should disturb him, but...kind of wanting to make sure everything was alright, Shuuichi approached the couch and kneeled down. Hesitating for a second behind running a hand through Kokichi's hair. "Hey...Kokichi? Are you okay?"

The night had been quiet. Hajime had stuck around for a while, though only in the kitchen for a bit. Kokichi could hear him cleaning. He'd wanted to offer to help--it was partially his blood, after all--but...he could already see the list of refutes Hajime would've given him. Kokichi was supposed to rest, and it clearly pained him to walk around. It was Hajime's job to clean, and he'd get it done faster by himself than if Kokichi tried to help. Kokichi was scared of blood and might puke again and make more of a mess.

So he stayed on the couch. Though, Hajime did come by late into the night with two bowls of the strawberry ice cream that they'd gotten and ate the treat with him in companionable silence. Out of everything, that had probably been the best part of the night.

Kokichi stayed up for hours, even when he felt fatigue press upon him, knowing that he had to be the one to explain things so they'd have that night to rest. And while no one had come by...he still felt better having done so. He'd fallen asleep some time in the early morning, exhausted and cold and lonely and...feeling like he'd failed. Failed his friends who didn't know what to do in this strange place.

It took Kokichi a moment to stir, but the fingers carding through his hair were comforting and kind, and once his snuffles broke rhythm, he slowly blinked sleepy eyes up at...his boyfriend.

Kokichi's smile was tired but very warm as he looked up at Shuuichi. "Hey Shuu-chan... 's it time to get up already?"

"No, sorry. I was just worried to see you asleep on the couch. Are you okay? Did something happen last night?" Shuuichi asked, still lightly carding his hands through Kokichi's hair. Glancing upstairs, as if he might suddenly appear if they discussed him, Shuuichi asked, "Kaito didn't shut you out of the room, did he..."

It didn't sound like his best friend (boyfriend. Shuuichi still had to remind himself that. The title had changed), and, honestly, Shuuichi suspected Kaito couldn't do that even if he wanted to. Though, Shuuichi honestly wasn't sure. His and Maki's discussions of Kaito and Kokichi's relationship, and how it affected his conditioning, was almost entirely theoretical by this point, beyond a few anecdotal incidents that Maki was mostly hung up on. She was a lot more worried about all that than Shuuichi was. Even if Kokichi's new place of authority in Kaito's life affected the conditioning heavily now, well...time would fix that. The same way it would with him and Shuuichi. They just had to be patient.

Honestly, Kaito kicking Kokichi out would probably be a good sign for all that. But even without the conditioning, Shuuichi had a hard time imagining his friend kicking Kokichi out, rather than just leaving himself. So... "I was just worried."

Kokichi rubbed one of his eyes sleepily, leaning into Shuuichi's touch though he blinked in surprise at Shuuichi's assumption. "What? No. No, things are okay, I ju-aaahun..."

Quickly stifling his yawn, Kokichi shook his head. "No, I stayed up in case any guards came by--would just have ta tell 'em to come back tomorrow...er, today now, but I didn't want 'em disturbing you guys." Because...he had a feeling that guards coming to your house in Luminary would...likely warrant a bigger reaction than just asking them to leave. Even if his friends didn't believe it...no one was going to get hurt.

...he just had to make sure they wouldn't hurt anyone.

"No one actually came by, so it was prolly a good thing that Kai-chan went to bed. Would'a been...boring, and he needs the rest." Rest that Kokichi now really wanted, but...he could rest later. He'd spent too many days sleeping. "I was cool with him goin' to bed or stayin' down here, and he chose bed, so. No, he didn't kick me out or anything."

Sitting himself up a bit, Kokichi rubbed his eyes a bit more, taking a deep breath as he tried to wake himself up. "...really only Kai-chan and I have to give our statements, so if you don't wanna, you don't have to. The option's just there if you wanna provide your perspective."

Shuuichi frowned, giving Kokichi a curious and...slightly bewildered look.

"You were going to just ask them to leave?" Shuuichi asked, wrapping his arms around his knees, puzzling over that idea. It'd have been very hard for Shuuichi to do his job back in Luminary if he just left when people didn't want him there. That couldn't be correct. "Because you're the prince?" he guessed.

Ding-ding-ding! Big winner! Your prize is another piece of evidence that the people you've grown to love and care about came from a broken home!

Kokichi shook his head, leaning against the back of the couch, still sitting up but still too tired to really be fully awake. "No. Depending on the situation, anyone can ask the guardforce to leave them be for a day right after the event they're involved in. It's called the recovery period; it allows people to seek medical help, rest, and wrap their heads around what actually happened."

"Like...we're not allowed to leave this town without giving our statements, and if we had tried, we would've been told to stay, and if we resisted that, then we would've been put into custody, but anyone can get a moment to themselves before giving a statement."

Humming softly, Kokichi pressed his cheek into the couch a little. "Normally...we'd prolly receive punishment here...but since we're from the capital and are going back...either gonna send a letter, or give Katsuki-chan a copy of the records to hold onto till we get back. Since she's a part of the guardforce."

"Oh," Shuuichi said, storing all this away in his head, to be added into his journal later. It was unrealistic to think he could write down every Dicean law he stumbled upon into his journal...but ones that would probably be relevant again in the future deserved a spot. He should go seek out a recording of Dicean laws somewhere. Sigh...Shuuichi should have started doing that immediately, honestly. As soon as he got here. But if Dicean law was written anything like Luminary’s...Shuuichi just wasn't looking forward to untangling that sort of labyrinth. Legal text was always a nightmare, and Shuuichi had had his whole life to learn Luminary’s. Starting over for Dicea was gonna be...challenging.

Oh well. He had to do it. Again, he should have done it already. He was putting himself and Maki and Kaito at a disadvantage, not having at least one of them schooled in the local laws. He had been so focused on studying medicine when he got here, he had just kept pushing it off...he had been selfish. He could have at least split the time. Given his friends the help he owed them. He'd...sigh...start working on it when they got back to the castle.

"I'm not sure if I'd have much to offer in a statement anyway. By the time I understood what was happening, everything was already done," Shuuichi explained, shrugging at his boyfriend.

"...You know, back in Luminary, I'd offer to give a statement for you that reflected the versions of reality that you'd prefer they believed," Shuuichi told him honestly. Cool, golden eyes staring at Kokichi from beneath the brim of his cap. "But you don't want me to offer things like that. Do you."

Kokichi sighed softly, agreeing with his first assessment that his sigh-time was far from over. "You'd be correct. It's hard, and I won't pretend that people don't have their own biases, but...our law and the training lawyers and detectives and guards go through encourages them to find the most objective truth they can. Only once you can understand why something happened can you start to really solve the underlying problem."

"...I think I can understand why your mentor had that policy of not finding motives, though it's not how we operate. Just because you meant well doesn't mean your actions didn't hurt other people. Intent doesn't erase consequence. However...we work to find where that original logic went wrong, while helping the party that was hurt. So...everyone gets helped, and hopefully that mistake won't be made again."

"Hm," Shuuichi hummed. Seeing the point of interest that branched into the two different policies immediately. "That makes sense, for your purposes. We're not like that. Law enforcement isn't really meant to help people, back home. Our primary goals are just more to hold people accountable than anything else, and make them disappear if their presence and actions unreasonably disturb the peace of others, or are useful to those in charge. I can see why your goals make sense, though. It's just...not part of our responsibilities as lawyers and detectives and guards, to make people better."

"It sounds like a lot of work," Shuuichi admitted, standing back up, considering the exhaustion visible on Kokichi's face as he continued accommodatingly, "But I guess it'd be easier, if that's what you're trained to do...sorry. That's a heavy topic for first thing in the morning. I didn't mean to just wake you up and then put that on you."

"You can go back to sleep, if you're still tired. I won't disturb you again." Shuuichi, again, looked up at the ceiling...before saying carefully, "Does Kaito know where my doses are? I'll probably go ask him for one in a second, after I put on some coffee."

Part of Kokichi wanted to ask what the hell Luminous law was there for, then, if not to help the people, but...he knew better now. The law was to help a very select few people, and would be changed to suit their needs.

Another thing he'd have to ask Kaede about, then. It was...fine, if they just wanted to hold people accountable, but it would have to hold everyone accountable equally, and then...hopefully she'd be open to listening to opening up a new public service that was actually there to help people.

He sighed softly, but looked at Shuuichi fondly, a part of him pleased with the exchange...even if he wasn't totally awake to let it sink in. "No... I moved them when I got them out in a hurry yesterday. Kai-chan might be able to find them, but...I should get up anyway, if you're up already."

There was so much to do...

Pushing himself up, Kokichi felt a tenderness in his knees, but it wasn't anything too bad. So he pushed himself through it and got up, rolling his neck a little with another yawn as he tottered his way towards the stairs.

Shuuichi watched him go, glancing at the kitchen, thinking longingly of coffee...but a dose sounded better. Much better. He hoped it was a stronger one today. He was so tired from yesterday. He'd feel a lot better on a stronger dose.

He was still nervous from what happened yesterday.

Yesterday hadn't felt good.

He really wanted to be as far away from that version of Shuuichi as possible.

Quietly, he followed in Kokichi's shadow, the stairs and wood creaking beneath their feet. Shuuichi kept trying to think of something to say to Kokichi, but nothing came to mind. He just kept thinking how he should apologize for his behavior yesterday...well, but it felt so early to bring it up. Still, though...if that as all he could think of, he might as well say it. Even if talking about it made him nervous.

So, quiet, to not disturb their probably still sleeping neighbors, he said to Kokichi, "I shouldn't have threatened the healer. And we shouldn't have run from the fight. I'm sorry."

Kokichi glanced over his shoulder as they made their way to the third floor, giving Shuuichi a small smile. "You should be apologizing more to him than me, but, thanks. I know you guys were scared, but...it does mean a lot to know that you know you didn't exactly...react in the most reasonable way."

"Or..." he hummed, "in the most reasonable way in Dicea. It probably would've been more than reasonable in Luminary, am I right?" That was likely where most of the disconnect was. Not that Diceans seemed more threatening, but...they were different. And, not having a plan of action for these different circumstances, the Luminaries relied on old reactions, only becoming more defensive when people didn't react how they expected.

So...he needed to be more proactive. Taking the lead in situations so, at least, his friends would have some sort of guide for those different circumstances.

There's no time to rest. Don't be complacent.

Coming to the third floor, Kokichi gave his boyfriend another soft smile before knocking gently on the master bedroom. "Maybe if we see him today, you can explain and apologize? You don't have to, but I'm sure it would be a comfort to him."

"Sort of," Shuuichi said simply, waiting by the door with Kokichi. "Myself and Maki are probably more outliers to Luminary personalities and experiences than we've led you to believe, honestly. We were extremely useful and well-used tools of the royal family, while they had us. Even just by reputation, a lot of people resented our roles. People's lives would have been...and probably were, honestly, once we had left, a lot easier with us out of the picture, as all of our possible replacements were less skilled and experienced."

"All that to say, we're just kind of used to strangers wanting to kill us. But not everyone does. Sometimes people just want to be assertive around us. Call us out a little, for their own piece of mind. Sometimes people are nice to us right away, just because they genuinely are nice...it'd have been nice to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. But Maki's not superhuman, and I'm not all-seeing. We had to be vigilant every time, and our enemies only have to be lucky once. It's...probably given us a screwed idea of people in general, really."

"And Kaito's privileges and authority just made it easier to deal with the consequences of acting like that. And there are consequences in Luminary for, well...threatening people's lives and cutting off fingers and getting caught extorting them, without official orders from someone above us. But that's what made Kaito so invaluable. Anything myself or Maki or several other people got caught doing to defend themselves, Kaito, as soon as he heard about it, would come in and claim it was all under his orders and that they had full permissions and that any consequences needed to be transferred to him, as the person in charge of them. And, because of his status, any real consequence was almost impossible to implement."

Shuuichi blinked, suddenly a little dizzy. That...hadn't started as a data dump, but at some point half-way through his explanation, his vision had tunneled, and, well...shaking his head, he just blinked in confusion, wondering where his conditioning had thought the order had come from. Kokichi hadn't even asked. "Sorry," he said. "That was weird. You didn't trigger that, I think I accidentally did that to myself."

Glancing at the still closed door, he mused, "Kaito must be really deep in sleep."

Tools... Kokichi clenched his jaw but listened to Shuuichi, his lips pressing together as...hm. He...hadn't really interacted with other members of the Luminary Party so...his only exposure was...people who were admittedly outliers, as Shuuichi had said. Kokichi had tried to shelve and be aware of his own biases when he talked to the others about Luminary but...he hadn't been thinking of their biases, simply taking them at their words.

...maybe that was a mistake.

Kokichi had never really liked how Kaito would talk about taking the consequences for others, but...in the cases where it was just opening an avenue for people to protect themselves and not have to deal with...being executed? He...wasn't actually sure what sort of consequences people would face that weren't the worst-case scenario he'd assumed.

...this was a confusing, complicated issue, and Kokichi really didn't have the brainpower for it right now.

What he did was for recognizing the blank, far-away look in Shuuichi's eyes, and Kokichi gently reached out to hold his boyfriend's arm, steadying him with a worried expression. Glancing at the door, Kokichi thought for a moment before leaning up to place a kiss to Shuuichi's cheek. "Alright...I'll try to be in and out getting a dose for you, then. I don't wanna wake Kai-chan if he really needs this rest. I would invite you in, so we could do somethin' cute like wakin' Kai-chan up with kisses, but..."

He gave Shuuichi an apologetic smile. "You're not supposed to know where the doses are. Maybe we could do that after you take it?"

Shuuichi gave Kokichi a mildly surprised look at the suggestion, before his cheeks pinked under a sudden flush, and he found himself losing the cool, distant chill he had had all morning as his eyes suddenly turned to the floor. "Yeah...that'd be nice..." Shuuichi admitted, lowering his cap a little in embarrassment. Kissing Kaito was...nice. It was a little strange sometimes. And honestly, Shuuichi felt like Kaito was a little...overwhelming, sometimes, in how much of himself physically he was so eager to give and to take in return.

...but it was still nice. And thinking about kissing Kaito brought up more lovely, recent memories. Beyond participating in a group hysteria.

Especially kisses right after his dose? Phew...

Shuuichi shrugged, smiling softly. "If he doesn't look like he needs the rest, sure. That'd be fun."

Hesitating for only a second (it's okay it's okay it's allowed he likes it), Shuuichi leaned down and gave Kokichi a kiss on the cheek in kind, before straightening up, a little flustered. "I'll wait here for you," he said, "Take your time."

-

Kaito had only slept a few fitful hours, had an intense nightmare he couldn't remember the details of about five minutes after he woke up, but which resulted in him staring at the ceiling again, his stomach clenching and unclenching with nerves and fear.

What if Kokichi didn't love him anymore?

It was possible, right? Kaito had ruined his trip. Kokichi had seen Kaito try to beat someone to death twice now, and this time had actually managed to land a few blows before Kokichi managed to talk him out of it. He had gotten Kokichi hurt. Physically hurt. There was glass in his knees, and Kaito had been too hurt and out of it to even try to carry him.

Useless. Kokichi's useless, hot-headed, Luminary husband.

And now his husband didn't even want to be around him. He wondered if Kokichi was cold. Oh no...in bed he was...he was always so cold...fuck Kaito couldn't even be good as a heater right now. Fucking stupid, useless, evil-

Kaito sat up in bed, taking some steadying breaths. Okay, enough. Stop beating yourself up. Pity party is over. Kokichi needs you to be better. He refused your vow to stop fighting, and said a bunch of stuff about...fighting people for vengeance instead of to solve a problem. That had been the gist, right? That was what Kokichi wanted out of Kaito. He wanted him to solve problems. Beyond just hitting them till those problems didn't exist anymore. Problem solver. To stop being so god damned dumb all the time...

Okay. Okay.

Kaito could do that!

So, what was the current problem? Well, that Kokichi had seen such a shitty side of Kaito last night...that wasn't really a problem that could be solved though. Next? That Kokichi needed to stay up to tell the guards they wouldn't want to talk to them until the next day. Today, essentially. Sun wasn't quite up yet, but today. Sooo the actual problem was that they needed to talk to the guards today.

No.

The real problem was that Kokichi needed to spend his last vacation day fucking talking to the guards to explain the stupid bullshit his husband had done.

...okay! Okay! There we go! There's the problem! Kaito could solve that!

Taking a pen and paper from the desk, Kaito wrote a quick note to Kokichi, which he'd likely see when Shuuichi needed his dose next: Morning babe! Went ahead and popped out to see the guards real quick, just gonna go give my statement, figure out what's happening, and then come back. The day is yours! Do something fun instead! I saw you eyeing that minimalist carnival thing downtown yesterday, you and Shuuichi should go on a date there! Tell me all about it when I get back. Love you 'Kichi! Kiss Shuuichi good morning for me (and don't forget his dose!), and if Maki worries tell her I'm fine and heading right back after this! I'm gonna take care of this whole thing! Later!

Feeling more than confident this was the right choice, Kaito left the note on his pillow, and being as quiet as he could, headed out.

It was a bit of a trial and error, figuring out where he was going, and eventually he had literally just found some guards to kind of lead him in the right direction. Then there had been some talking to a person at a help desk, explaining who he was and the situation. They had asked him to wait a little while for someone available to talk to him, and eventually someone had come to collect him, and now he was in a...okay, admittedly? He had gotten extremely nervous when they started heading to some closed doors...bad things happened behind closed doors...

But, the room they brought him to was airy and nice and, importantly, had a window. Kaito looked at the window in relief. Rooms people disappeared in didn't have windows. It could still be an uncomfortable situation, if they really wanted it to be, but...it was harder to do all that stuff, with a way to see in...

Besides! He was a prince! He...honestly wasn't sure if the person at the desk had believed him when he had cheerfully informed them of this, but, well...i-it wouldn't matter anyway. It didn't matter. Dicea wasn't like home. Kokichi said it was safe here. He said he'd be signed up for anger management. Kaito was planning to tell the truth anyway. No one had to make him say anything.

It was fine.

So, Kaito grinned brightly at the guardsman and said, "We were sharing some shots, but no, I wasn't drunk."

Diji nodded and wrote down Kaito Momota's answer on the sheet he'd prepared the night before, having taken initial statements from the other people at the restaurant. They'd have to get proper ones today, now that the dust had had time to settle, but it was enough to at least get a little of an idea of what had happened.

And, honestly? Like, well, practically everyone else in the country, Diji had heard some...rumors about the Luminary Prince. And, at least how the other party had described it, those rumors were kind of validated.

If you were thinking on a surface level. Guards couldn't do that.

So far, Prince Momota was...kind of a pleasant guy? More cooperative than they'd been expecting after hearing from Mr. Mondragon and then learning that one of the people involved had been Prince Kokichi and his new husband. But it was a guard's duty to protect the people and to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, no matter who they were.

"You said before you had never met Budd or Bob Brockman, so, you went up to the bar to order shots for you and your husband, made small talk with strangers, and they invited you to take a few shots with them. Is this correct?" Pausing, Diji thought back on his training, and...just in case... "Again, I'm not trying to pin you in anywhere, and I'm not accusing you of anything, Mr. Momota. I am just asking to make sure I understand the sequence of events last night."

"Yep! Warheads! We weren't sure what was in them, and just eventually conceded that there was probably some lime in it," Kaito said, cracking his cast knuckles against his knees slightly. The guard kept saying stuff like that. Like he was worried he was gonna offend Kaito. Honestly, Kaito wasn't sure if that was because of his status or that was a Dicean thing or just a 'this particular guy' thing, but it seemed like a good sign that this was going well!

Though...he...kinda wanted to correct the guard on his title. He was Prince Momota...you had to be strict, when it came to titles, or no one would respect you...man, if his mother heard someone call him Mr...

Kaito felt his stomach twist uncomfortably. It was fine. The guard just probably didn't know any better. Or it was a Dicean thing. Either way.

"Then, we made a toast, uh, a few toasts. To being helpful and stuff. And..." Kaito's grin became slightly more strained, wincing as he forced himself to stop trying to clench his stitched up hand, "...some things were said and I lost my temper a little."

It wasn't all that important what they were drinking--not in this case, anyway--but sometimes people would just add in details like that. Diji noted it down anyway as was protocol. You never knew what would become relevant, even if it was just the smallest side detail. The official report, once all the statements had been compiled, wouldn't have anything extraneous anyway, so it was fine to add small things in at first.

And for the major stuff...

"If you're comfortable explaining, what were the things that made you lose your temper? Eventually, we will have to get that information from you, but if it's still too raw at the moment, we can come back to it later."

Personally, Diji didn't think breaking a man's nose, cheekbone, and dislodging a few teeth was losing your temper "a little", as well as the comments he'd gotten from others concerning what Kaito Momota was shouting as he wailed on Budd, but... They'd get to it.

Seiko said don't clench your hand, watch your hand, don't pop the stitching, come on Kaito.

Kaito shrugged uncomfortably, laughing awkwardly. "Oh, uh...just..." Kaito could barely even think about what the man had said without wanting to lash out again, let alone repeat it word for word. No one should say things like that about his parents. No one should hear things like that. It was practically spitting on their...their graves...Kaito wondered if he'd get to visit those sometime in the future. He hoped the funeral was nice...

Shaking himself out of it, Kaito said simply, "Just a toast to the...to the recent losses in the Luminary Royal family."

While Diji wrote down the Luminous Prince's answer, he paused for a moment before bowing his head respectfully to the young man. "Personally, I am sorry for your loss, Prince Kaito. And I'm not really supposed to get to this yet, but in terms of this case, I am sorry you had to hear someone excited by your family's loss. It's difficult enough to have that sort of tragedy happen, but to be in an environment where people...aren't sympathetic, to say the least... I can't imagine how horrible it must feel."

Diji gave the young man a small smile, wanting to offer the drinks and snacks on the table between them again, but he didn't want to be pushy. "Let's just say, once we had heard what happened, everyone sort of understood why things turned out the way they did."

"So." Diji looked back down to the sheet, stowing his personal take away for the moment. "Your anger at the situation is self-explanatory. If you know, what were you trying to get out of attacking Mr. Brockman?"

Kaito grinned. "Thank you. It was very unfortunate. These things happen."

Not worth grieving over.

Kaito wasn't grieving.

Defending his family's name and dignity wasn't the same thing as grieving.

The last question was a little strange to Kaito, and he gave the guard a curious look. It was...obvious? Wasn't it? Maybe it was just one of those things the guard had to ask, for the sake of the paperwork.

"I was hoping to kill him," Kaito said simply.

...these things did happen, but it still hurt. But it wasn't the guardforce's duty to dictate how anyone grieved, at least when it didn't harm anyone.

Though, Diji did give the Luminous Prince a surprised look at his next answer, pausing for a moment before writing down the answer. 'Murder' wasn't really an answer they got to the question of why someone lashed out. "...so...what were you trying to get out of his death, then?"

Ah, right. This was what Kokichi was talking about. Kaito was meant to be solving a problem, when he was fighting. It wasn't enough to just do it.

With that in mind, Kaito said carefully. "I was hoping to get...him to be sorry he said it before he died? Or, no, I guess that's not what you asked. That's a result I would have gotten without him needing to die..." Kaito realized, staring down at the table in concern, like the wood might have the answer. "Um...I guess I wasn't trying to get anything. I just thought he deserved it."

"...again, I'm just trying to understand, Mr. Momota... But...in exchange for words, however hurtful...you thought the penalty for a stanger's words was their life?"

Kaito felt a strike of nerves run through his stomach at the guard’s tone. Hadn't he...already known that? Kaito was just telling the truth, but honestly, it's not like the truth was that revolutionary. They knew he had tried to beat a man to death after saying things about his parents. All of that was already common knowledge to the guards. What other goal could Kaito have possibly had? What had he been expecting him to say?

Realizing he might not have as good a read on this situation as he had thought, Kaito said with a nervous grin, "Um...yes?" Again, just trying to be honest, but...realizing from a look that this wasn't a good enough answer, he tried to explain, "He...you can't...you can't allow things like that to stand...you can't say things like that about the king and princess-consort. Not even in a different kingdom, where people don't...like them every much...it's..."

The word didn't feel adequate for the way hearing those things had ripped apart Kaito's heart and made him lose his absolute mind... but Kaito finished lamely, "...disrespectful."

"...and it's Prince-Consort Momota," Kaito muttered as an add on. Embarrassed at his own nervousness in front of this guard and starting to feel frustrated about that embarrassment.

Oh boy. Ooooooh boy. That... It was mean to think, but Diji did not envy whoever would end up as...Prince-Consort Momota's therapist.

"...alright." Diji wrote down what the prince had said, just...absolutely blindsided by what the young man had said like it was nothing. Profiling was absolutely against the law, but he couldn't help wondering if...were Luminaries just serial killers?

Taking a breath, he just...hoped the prince wouldn't freak out on him. "That...might have been the law in Luminary, but people are legally allowed to say whatever they like about anyone in Dicea. What Mr. Brockman said about your family did cross a line, and, while nothing is set in stone yet, I would wager he will have to take an empathy course. No matter what you personally feel, celebrating the death of another isn't a public activity, as you have no clue who you might be hurting."

"However, you have just admitted to an assault of passion, which would have been a murder of passion. There is no law in Dicea that allows the murder of another person in response to a comment that does not incite violence." ...he really hadn't thought he'd have to clarify that killing people was against the law. Most people who were apprehended for murder or attempted murder knew they were breaking the law. "And...well, the only law that does allow the murder of another person has to go through a committee of the highest Dicean authority, and only occurs in the case when someone is actively and willingly acting upon desires of genocide...by the way."

Clearing his throat, Diji looked down at his notes. "Er...again, all the witness statements will have to be evaluated before the consequences are decided, so...the assault charges aren't set in stone yet."

"May I ask what made you refrain from murdering Mr. Brockman?"

Kaito wondered what you had to do before someone decided you were trying to commit genocide. He'd ask Shuuichi. He hoped Maki didn't count.

And...he did know what those consequences were going to be, right? Kokichi had said anger management. Right? This guy...sounded like he was surprised by Kaito's account of what happened though...he sounded almost nervous when he suggested consequences. Was anger management that bad?

...had...Kaito misunderstood something?

...maybe this was a bad idea...

He couldn't help himself. Gently, he tried to crack the joints in his, uh...'good' hand? His other hand. Trying not to break the stitches as he worried at his joints, saying simply, "My husband, Heir Apparent Prince Kokichi, told me not to. So I stopped."

...Diji really couldn't understand the logic here. Killing someone just because they said something that hurt you, finding no problem with that, and then just stopping because your husband told you to? Diji was so glad he didn't have to figure this case out himself.

Writing down the prince-consort's answer, Diji wasn't totally sure how to proceed, but... "Is...your husband holding collateral against you?" Growing a little worried, Diji didn't want to think of the heir like this, but... "...if he is abusing you, we can protect you, Prince-Consort Momota. Many abusers say that they will know if you say anything, but nothing in this room will get back to him. With one hundred percent certainty, I can assure you this."

"Fucking would everyone stop fucking saying that!!!?"

Kaito didn't actually remember standing up, and his hand...he looked down, his hand throbbing...by some fucking miracle, he hadn't actually managed to break any of the stitching hitting the table, but that was obviously more a fluke than anything, as he curled the fingers around and cradled it to his chest, annoyed with himself. Temper. Temper. Watch your temper.

Taking a steadying breath, Kaito sat back down, bowing his head to the guard as he said tensely, "I apologize...I didn't mean to yell. I just...he is obviously not..."

Fuck, fuck, please don't let any word of this get back to Byakuya...please Atua...it wouldn't, right? How could it? Right? Still...

"...my husband is an excellent man and our future king..." Kaito reminded the guard through gritted teeth, "...and I would appreciate if you'd never suggest anything like that ever again."

Diji jumped as Kaito exploded suddenly, wondering if he'd have to subdue the man--someone who apparently??? Didn't find anything wrong with killing others???--but Kaito seemed to calm himself soon enough, and, after a moment, Diji did as well. He...didn't see the correlation between Kokichi Ouma being the heir and that somehow preventing him from being an abuser...but from all the testimonies he'd heard about the heir, nothing had painted that picture of him.

Sure, there were rumors about the prince being sickly and unable to leave his bed, about being overly emotional and unreliable, and those were just the more believable rumors. But there were plenty of people who had actually spoken with the prince through letters, and that picture? According to those people, Prince Kokichi was intelligent and compassionate and highly adept at administrative duties.

Diji supposed he could see for himself when he took a statement from the prince later. Or at least read the statement.

"My apologies. Considering that you stopped what you felt was just from only the word of another person...well, in that situation, we have to ask if you are in a safe situation. That you're not being manipulated. In the case where that's not what's happening, it can be a rather rude and outlandish assumption--I'm sorry for that."

So...he really did just stop because his husband said so?

Looking through his papers, Diji figured he'd just have to find out more about that particular point later, through someone else. "And...after you stopped, we have reports that you, your husband, and two others left the restaurant along with Mr. Mondragon. Why did you leave, and what happened after you left?"

"Mr. Mondragon?" Kaito asked. Not recognizing the name.

"The healer you brought along," Diji clarified.

"Oh, right." Kaito nodded...before hesitating. "Um...have you...taken Mr. Mondragon's statement already? What did he say about it?"

"We've taken his initial statement, but not his clarified one yet. I'm afraid I can't tell you the details of his statement, though. It would be a leading preconception, and we do our best to take every participant's statement at their word."

Considering how confused Kaito seemed to be at how Dicean law was carried out, Diji took pity on the young man and gave him a kind look. "After you say your piece on the events from your perspective, I can tell you the broad picture from Mr. Mondragon's initial statement, though. And if there's anything you want to clarify, you're free to do so."

"Right...okay..." Kaito said.

Right. Considering how confusing the last conversation had been, let's...not accidentally say too much...but also, it was just as important that Kaito protect Maki and Shuuichi, so...careful going forward...

"So...in concern for the...um...immediate consequences of the fight...I ordered my escorts, Maki and Shuuichi, to help me take Kokichi away from the fighting area. Recognizing he was hurt, I then ordered my escort Maki to-" Kaito had no idea if the healer had used any...difficult words. Like kidnapping. Or at least 'forced'. "-bring along Mr. Mondragon to look Kokichi over once we were in a secure area. The healer then performed his job admirably, and then I, along with my escorts, helped my husband home."

There. That was well said, Kaito was certain. The sort of thing Shuuichi would have said. If the healer hadn't told the guards what they had done, Kaito hadn't given it away himself, and...if he had, then Kaito had at least taken the brunt of responsibility. You couldn't blame Indentureds for listening to royalty.

(...they're not...Intentured anymore...)

That was...much less helpful than how Kaito had described things before. Pausing to organize the new information, Diji thought about what he should ask. "Immediate consequences... What injuries did you and your husband sustain in the fight? Was anyone else hurt? I am just assuming here, but considering you have what look like new stitches in your hand, can I say that you have had appropriate medical attention?"

Then, furrowing his brow in confusion, Diji hoped he could get a little more clarification. "You...ordered? Your...escorts? The other two are employees of yours?"

(...)

(...)

(...are they?)

Kaito blinked at the new thought, genuinely...dumbfounded by it. He wasn't paying them. Hadn't paid them yet, anyway, no matter what plans he had made. And...like he kept telling them...they're not Indentureds.

...why was he still thinking like...they belonged to him?

As Kaito started to recognize a very real, very active bias in his thoughts that he hadn't been conscious of before, in regards to his friends, he started to sweat slightly. He had just basically told this guard they were, right? He...he had just made an important, legal statement, on the basis that they...answered to him still.

...why did they answer to him still?

Because they did.

Well...okay. He was still in their chain of command. He was still their prince. That was why they answered to him...that was how he was still capable of triggering their conditioning, anyway. He was their prince. Even if they weren't under contract, and weren't employees, they still had to heed his words.

...back in Luminary, anyway.

...was that still a thing here?

...did, legally, they still answer to him?

Okay. That was something to think about later. Focus, Kaito. The guard had asked him a bunch of questions. Just...think about all that later. Focus.

"I, uh, I got some glass in my hand, 'Kichi got some glass in his knees...we have a healer in our traveling group, she went ahead and treated us fully when we returned home; Mr. Mondragon was just asked to ensure that the heir-apparent wasn't suffering any more immediate conditions that couldn't wait for our own healer to see him. Um...other than Budd? No one else was hurt, I think. Um..." Kaito hesitated. Did they? Answer to him? "...and yes. Maki and Shuuichi are my escorts. They came with me from Luminary to assist me in all matters, and I take responsibility for their actions last night."

Diji nodded and noted down the injuries from the fight, also adding that they had been seen to by a medical professional, and...just from his personal assessment, anyone who was able to give stitches like the ones in Kaito's hand was probably able to take care of the concerns the group had with no issue or room for doubt.

He'd still check in with Prince Kokichi when he came to give his statement though.

And then, with the matter of Kaito's escorts... Diji sighed softly and tapped his pen against the papers for a moment. "I'll be honest--as long as your escorts don't take any action to follow through with the threats Mr. Mondragon reported, there's nothing for you to take responsibility for. We do treat threats seriously, but considering Prince Ouma assured that they were not planned to be acted on, as long as nothing happens? Then they're just some scary words."

"Oh..." Kaito grinned wide. "Good. We didn't and also had no plans to act on those! Fantastic!"

Well...perfect! If they knew about the threats and kidnapping but didn't plan to do anything about it, then that was that problem solved! Good! Another situation resolved! Ha! Kaito knew he could handle this on his own! Kokichi was going to be so proud of him!

"So...is that it? Is that all you needed?" Kaito asked, not able to see what other questions the guard could possibly have. "What's the verdict then? What happens next? I'm good to travel back to the capital, right? Because I have to take my husband home at some point. It's supposed to be our last day here."

Nodding, the guard offered the prince a small smile. "That's all we need from you right now, correct. Once we gather the rest of the witness statements--including one from your husband, so let him know that we'll be open all day--we will compile the most accurate sequence of events and determine appropriate measures in response."

"Considering you all are from out of town, you'll be receiving the consequences in the capital. So...yes, you can feel free to start your travels tomorrow. We'll be sending a report to your local guardforce for implementation." Usually people were fine to just wait for whatever their consequences would be, but...well, it wasn't the most uncommon thing for people to get something of an idea.

"Now...as I've said, we haven't collected all the proper statements yet, but, as it's looking... I'd say you're probably looking at taking an anger management course, a recommendation for general therapy, and, if the Brockmans go for it, potentially a restraining order. And...just in general, Prince-Consort Momota...don't kill people, or threaten them with death? There wasn't anything that resulted from your intent this time, but...those are things that are really against the law?"

...how did he have to explain this to someone???

"But...you're free to go."

-

It was less than a minute before Kokichi came back out of the room, Shuuichi's dose in one hand and a note in the other, an extremely worried expression on his face. "Um, this isn't an order, but did Kai-chan write this?"

Shuuichi glanced at it before deciding it was, but took it from Kokichi's hand to read it, and reached out to carefully take his dose from Kokichi's other hand (for the first time without prompting) and placed it on his tongue as he read.

His eyes unfocused for a moment, lost in the heat...but as that initial heat faded, he read the message and...sigh. "Kaito...yes. He definitely wrote this. Honestly..."

Kokichi let out a small sigh of relief, though it was clear his tension was still through the roof. He...didn't think that Kaito would've been able to be kidnapped, not with Maki and Katsuki around, and not from the third floor, but...he was just worried.

"...I still have to go give my statement anyway..." Kokichi rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to push away the thoughts that Kaito had...run into the people that man was with (who would all likely be either home or in the clinic the man had been taken to) or other anti-Luminaries who were upset about the fight (even though he wasn't sure other people had even heard what that man said, or knew that Kaito was Luminous) or...anything.

Shaking his head a little, Kokichi tried to draw himself up. Okay...be the person they need you to be. You can do it. "I'm gonna get dressed, then head over to the community center. Maybe I'll see Kai-chan on the way or just there, but..." He shrugged a little. "Can you let everyone know if they wake up before I get back? I don't want people to worry."

Shuuichi read the letter again...before saying, "It's still early. We don't leave until tonight, and if they want you to give your statement first thing, they can come find you themselves..."

"...I don't know if you actually were looking at the carnival they set up by the beach, or if that was just an idea Kaito got into his head," Shuuichi said, folding up the letter and placing it into his pocket, "but I could take you there for a few hours… Kaito was wrong to think just going to give a statement himself would get you out of the responsibility, but he's right that this...this is your vacation, Kokichi."

Shuuichi shrugged, giving his boyfriend a tired smile. "I bet Katsuki and Hajime would fetch Kaito if we asked. Together, they're responsible and resourceful enough to get him back without incident. And even if something went wrong, even if Kaito's kind of...impulsive and brash, he's still strong and charismatic. He can take care of himself, and...Dicea's safe, right? He doesn't need us to come rescue him."

"I really could take you out to have fun instead...if you wanted to go."

Kokichi shifted his weight, uncomfortable but considering. "...I feel bad waiting to give my statement... It just means it'll take longer for them to compile everything and decide on the outcome... I don't want to be the person they're waiting on."

"And I'm not that worried about Kai-chan making it back alright...like, I sort of am, but I know that it's just me being paranoid and that they're not reasonable worries. And!" Kokichi looked up at Shuuichi, his expression pleading. "It's supposed to be all your vacations too. So..."

He thought back to Hajime's concerns the night before, glancing up at the ceiling. "So...I can go give my statement while everyone's getting up, then...we can all go to the carnival. We should do something to make last night up to Tim and...carnivals are fun. I'd feel bad if we didn't at least ask if he wanted to go."

Shuuichi nodded. "If that's what you want to do. As nice as it would be to have a date just between us...it would be more fun as a group," Shuuichi admitted, glancing over at his and Maki's door. "It would stop Maki from worrying, anyway. Speaking of, are you certain you want to walk by yourself?"

Kokichi relaxed a little as Shuuichi accepted his decision, though his expression softened and he stepped forward to take one of Shuuichi's hands into his own, rubbing his thumbs in little circles into Shuuichi's palm. "I would love to have a date with you, but right now...I think it's best for us to group up as much as possible. To not make people worry and not make people feel left out. So I'll just say that Shuu-chan and I will totally have a date in the future, and it will be awesome. Look forward to it!"

Giving Shuuichi's hand a squeeze, he let go and turned to go into the master bedroom, intending to get dressed and ready for the day. "I think Maki-chan will feel better if we give her more than a note, and I won't be totally alone. Since Kai-chan isn't back yet, I'll meet up with him undoubtedly. I'll be okay walking for a little bit on my own."

Kokichi rolled his eyes a little but gave Shuuichi a smile before he went into the bedroom.

-

Phew...all that had been a lot...but Kaito felt good about it!

Sure, fuck, that had been...kind of scary. But only in an abstract kind of way. There hadn't been any locked rooms, no threats, no bags like the one Shuuichi currently had hidden under his bed at the castle. It had been fine. And according to the guard, his punishment was likely to be just exactly what Kokichi had predicted. So...Kaito hadn't fucked up! He hadn't made anything any worse by taking care of this himself! And now, Kokichi was free to spend all day with Shuuichi, just enjoying his time and-oh, come on.

"'Kichi?" Kaito said, seeing his husband's extremely telling small frame and ridiculous hairstyle down the street. "What is he..."

Because Kokichi was heading in his direction, Kaito went ahead just a bit before stopping, watching his husband approach as people went to and fro around him. For a moment, a woman passed by him and gave him a death glare...but Kaito didn't notice her and she headed into the building a moment later.

As Kokichi finally got close enough to talk to, Kaito huffed. "'Kichi! Didn't you get my note? I went and gave our statement! What are you doing here?"

Kokichi hurried up a little as he saw Kaito in front of the community center--he had come to recognize the layout of the town from Gorou's designs--and...his husband didn't look happy. Ooph.

"I did get the note--scared the shit outta me before I read it." Rolling his eyes a little, Kokichi crossed his arms in front of his thin chest. "You gave your statement, Kai-chan. I was directly involved, so I still have to give my statement too. The carnival does sound like a good time, so, if you're down for it, we're gonna go after I'm done here? But I still have to give my statement."

Holding his position for a moment, Kokichi then relaxed, coming forward to put a gentle hand on Kaito's arm. "Hey, good morning, by the way. I know you know, since you just did it, but this won't take very long. Would you wanna walk back together after, or I can meet you back at the house? Shuu-chan was talkin' about putting some coffee on before I left."

Kaito's brow furrowed. "You have to give your statement...but you weren't part of the fight. You were just around it...I thought you were just planning to talk to them for me as my husband..." Kaito sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing the back of his head. "...geez...I'm sorry, I thought I could spare you the whole conversation. I mean, they're nice enough here. I don't think they'll cause you any trouble," Kaito admitted, looking back at the building. "But...oh well. That's my bad."

"Still! Good morning!" Kaito greeted back, thrilled that Kokichi didn't seem overly cross with him, if the touch against his arm was any indication. "Was the couch okay? I missed you last night...and heck yeah! We're gonna do the carnival thing? I mean, if you and Shuuichi don't want to go by yourselves, it'd be great for all of us to go! You mean Maki and Tim too, right? I know adding them isn't super date-like but...well, it'd be nice for us all to be together. Maybe we could even see if Hajime, Seiko, and Katsuki wanna go. Really make it a whole group thing! That could be a lot of fun, really!"

And for god's sake, Kaito desperately just wanted his husband to have some fun, after the catastrophe that had happened last night. A good trip overall! That was the best Kaito could hope for by this point. That there'd be more good memories than bad ones.

"Um, I'll wait for you to walk back with. So long as Shuuichi has his dose, anyway. And hopefully there's still some coffee when we get back. They kept trying to get me to eat and drink stuff in there, including coffee, but..." Kaito shrugged. "That felt weird. I couldn't bring myself to touch any of it."

Okay...okay. Part of Kokichi had been worried that Kaito just...didn't want him to weigh in at all, but if he had assumed that just one person from each party was expected to give statements, that made more sense. And, in that way of thinking...Kokichi was happy that Kaito had taken up the responsibility. Since...he was the one in the fight, after all.

"The couch was fine, though I missed my personal heater. You're really spoiling me, huh?" Kokichi laughed softly and gave his husband a wink, glad that Kaito wasn't actually upset with him. "I missed you too, but I'm glad you decided to sleep in the bed. I was really worried about you getting enough rest, and while I can fit fine on the couch, I dunno if it would've been comfy for you."

Coming a little closer to his husband, Kokichi nuzzled Kaito's arm a bit. "I told Shuu-chan this too, but this is supposed to be a vacation for all of us. I'd just feel bad if anyone was feeling left out, and especially for Tim if he missed out on a carnival." Kokichi wasn't his guardian, but after being called out...he did want to try and be better for the kid. To try and include him in his thoughts more.

"Ah...actually, I think the refreshments might be a cultural hospitality thing? Every office and event space I've ever seen always has things for people to eat and drink, and, like...food has always seemed like a...sort of welcoming, friendship thing. It's totally fine to not take anything!" he assured Kaito. "But I think it's more...making sure that you know you can have anything if you want, rather than forcing food on you. I dunno. Maybe that's something to explore later."

Looking to the entrance of the community center, Kokichi pressed a kiss to Kaito's shoulder before heading in. "I'll try to be quick!"

Kaito gave Kokichi a small wave as his husband rushed inside, feeling a small wave of anxiety when he lost sight of him behind the closed doors. No...it was fine. He was their future king, and...they hadn't done anything to Kaito so...it was fine.

Still, Kaito went to go against the wall next to the door, watching people come in and out, waiting for Kokichi to come out.

A restraining order, anger management, and...general therapy? None of which were a form of conditioning. Probably. Hm...okay. That...none of that sounded bad. He didn't want to be around Budd and Bob anymore anyway, so an order could restrain him all it wanted. He had already had time to wrap his head around getting some help managing his anger yesterday. And therapy...well, Kaito didn't really know what to expect from that. But...

Look, all in all, it could have been a lot worse. Still could be, he supposed...there was still waiting to see what the king himself would decide to do when he heard about the incident. Kaito just hoped that however he reacted, it wouldn't be to put Kokichi under any restrictions again. It wasn't his husband’s fault Kaito was a screw up. He just...didn't want Kokichi's life to be ruined by his mistakes. He wanted King Aiichi to just leave Kokichi alone.

(The observatory was just as tall as the war room.)

(Kings tripped and fell all the time.)

(It was an epidemic.)

Kaito snorted to himself, covering his mouth, before closing his eyes guiltily to himself. No...that wasn't a solution. Aiichi was king, and Kaito was a subject in his kingdom, for one thing. No matter what Kaito's feelings about the guy were, that was true, and such things mattered to Kaito. And also...Kaito had already told Kokichi that he wouldn't kill his father. The very first morning they were married. Kokichi wouldn't want Kaito to break that promise, even for his own benefit, and Kaito had no intention of hurting his husband like that.

...yeah, so...Kaito didn't really know what he would do, if they went home and he found out his actions had brought the walls down around Kokichi again. Probably put up a fuss. Argue hotly. Just work at it until those restrictions were gone. Just...fucking protect Kokichi from all the child-killing wardens that King Aiichi had surrounded him with, to the best of Kaito's ability.

And if it was just consequences to himself?

Kaito could deal. It would be fine. He'd talk to the informants and maybe...ask for some discretion in how his own actions and consequences were reported to Byakuya, was all. But otherwise? Everything was fine.

Feeling a little better about things, Kaito rested his chin on his knees and waited.

It really hadn't taken long. Kokichi had read through reports of crimes so he knew pretty much all the things the guards would need from him, so he gave the best run down he could. The guard--who, upon meeting him, had given Kokichi's hand a hearty shake and had thanked him for his help in allocating resources to help from the monsoon a few years back--had seemed surprised to hear exactly what it was Budd had actually said, and...Kokichi wasn't all that surprised to assume that Kaito, at least, hadn't gone into detail.

But...Budd would be alright, would likely have an empathy course to attend, the healer who Maki had grabbed was alright and not feeling threatened, the guard was understanding that Maki and Shuuichi had been worried about someone taking advantage of Kokichi in his weakened state, and thus had lashed out (a common reaction that often didn't have consequences if no one followed through), and they'd likely have no punishments, and Kaito's were likely to be pretty much what he'd assumed.

...there was an uncomfortable moment when he'd been asked why Kaito had stopped when Kokichi intervened, though. He had explained that he'd physically put himself between his husband and the other man, had been bleeding, which often frightened his husband, and...

"...Kai-chan has a lot of faith and loyalty placed in me," he'd explained softly. "More than I've proven worthy of. I'm trying to live up to that image, you know? So that when he decides to follow my lead, it's down the best path, and one he would've chosen for himself."

...there had to be a way to break conditioning...

But, in all, Kokichi walked out of the center about twenty minutes later, munching on a strawberry danish that he'd been offered. He had left the house without eating breakfast, after all, and dinner...hadn't exactly had time to settle. Thank fuck they'd paid when they'd ordered.

Kaito had been a little lost in his thoughts, having a mental check in with Atua while he was waiting.

'So...I'm a little worried that I've been taking advantage of my friends,' Kaito thought to himself, but specifically, thought to Atua. 'Maki mockingly said she was pleading with 'master' to stay, and Shuuichi keeps calling himself an Indentured every other conversation...and I keep telling them that this isn't the case anymore. That they're civilians now. But the second I was in a legal situation, I immediately started talking like that wasn't the case. Like they still belonged to me. I think, for all my assurances to them...it really hasn't gotten through to me either yet? That they're not mine anymore? And that's...really shitty of me, isn't it?'

He knew Atua always knew what was going on with him anyway, and regular praying wasn't really a part of the religion, but his imaginary conversations with the deity as a kid had gotten him into the habit of regularly telling his god how things were, what he had done with his day, what his current big fears and worries were. That sort of thing.

'...I don't think they do belong to me anymore. Not with the way Kokichi talks about servants and the class system and saying that people can argue with the king if they want to and...well, everyone except Kokichi, anyway,' Kaito thought to himself. Chuckling in a dry, humorless kind of way. 'The king can apparently just casually imprison Kokichi whenever he feels like it. Bet he can't do that to the staff. The heir-apparent has less legal rights then his own fucking two-faced, limp-wristed, child-murdering servants...'

'No, no, I'm sorry, I'm getting off course, sorry, I know that's not what we were talking about. Yeah, I know, I know, it's so much easier to get angry at other people's wrongs then it is to sit down and really look at your own. I'm deflecting, you're right. I know Atua...hmm?'

Again, Atua didn't talk back anymore, but Kaito often imagined what he'd say to any given thing and would answer in real time, holding entire conversations with himself.

'...ask Kokichi if they belong to me? God, forgive me, but are you fucking crazy?? Kokichi would lose his damn mind if he had any idea I was even thinking like that. He probably already has a shitty enough opinion of me as it is. Ugh, can you imagine how that conversation would go?'

'Hey, babe, uh, I know he probably doesn't...but do I own our mutual boyfriend? In any legal sense? Here?? Also, please don't worry about all the serious consent issues that come up if I don't but both of us think I do...fuck...'

'Fuck, yeah, I have to figure this out...this isn't fair to Shuuichi or Maki, to not know this, but Shuuichi especially right now...yeah, yeah, I know, even if there is something legal going on, we didn't start dating with all that in mind. But...I already don't feel great about a lot of things happening with Shuuichi right now. He didn't even like sex before this drug hit his system, and his head is all weird right now, and I don't think he thinks of himself as free or independent and...he kind of isn't and...I hope I'm not taking advantage of all that... and adding one more layer on top of all that is just...I mean, you can see why I'm concerned, right? I love them. I don't want to take advantage of them...ya know?'

He...knew he was talking to himself. Kinda. But he liked to think Atua was listening in on those self conversations and paying attention and...well, it all brought a lot of comfort to Kaito. Though, it sometimes got his mind to head in a direction that his carefully managed thoughts wouldn't usually go to...

'...sorry, what was that? I know of a lawyer in the capital I could ask? ...WHAT? No! I'm not going to ask the librarian’s fucking wife!'

'Why not?'

'Well, for one, I tried to kill her wife, and...still kind of...wish I had succeeded...'

'And for two, I just...I don't like her, okay? I've never met her, but I think if I did, I'd want to punch her lights out for what her wife did. Fuck. God I want to kill Nao...no, I know. Kokichi said no. Kokichi knows better. I know. Just because I can't...understand why...'

'She hurt Shuuichi! I can understand why before that might not have bothered him, but now that they're dating?? Doesn't Kokichi care??? How does it not drive him crazy? I feel like I'm going to lose my mind, every time I sit down and think about that. My shy, virgin, sex-adverse best friend was addicted to a sex drug that he had no idea was changing him, and when she found out she kept it a secret and used its effects to control and study him!! Yet she did nothing wrong, but I have to live with the first time I ever slept with my husband being a fucking rape??? I didn't even know what was happening! She's a fucking self-sacrificing saint and I'm the god damned monster who gets to claim he raped his husband twice. Atua, what do I do? God, please, I hate her, I hate her, I fucking hate her...'

Kaito blinked and realized in his anger his eyes had started to burn...he took a deep breath and closed them, discreetly wiping a loose, furious tear against his shoulder.

Everything made him so angry.

Everything made him so angry all the time.

He couldn't even think about important things concerning his friends without spiraling into wanting to kill someone.

He hated the king.

He hated Nao.

He hated Lake.

He hated all the people back at the castle who had hurt his husband and he hated all the people here talking shit about his parents and he hated...

(...he hated Seiko and Byakuya and Maki and Kokichi and himself...)

Kaito stared miserably at the ground and realized he had allowed his thoughts to spiral too long. It had been too hard to think about Shuuichi and Maki's status with him right now. He needed to...not think about the bad stuff right now. Or he wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it all and he'd lose his mind...

Okay, okay. So...let's...mentally get back on track.

Atua loves you. He really does. When everything feels like it's falling in over your head, at least you can always take comfort in that. He loves you.

Byakuya is...looking out for you. You can trust that. Whatever he does, he does because he thinks it's best for you. Byakuya is looking after you.

Kokichi knows best. Just because...some of the things he tells you frustrate you, doesn't mean he doesn't have a reason to do it. Kokichi knows best.

Maki is protecting you. She's terrifying, sure, and a lot of their fights had felt...really one-sided lately, and Kaito was having a harder and harder time being comfortable around her these days...but he still feels safer, when she's around. Maki is protecting you.

Seiko, Nao, Nao's wife...Seiko was doing her best to look after Shuuichi, and still is! The medicine is working! Kaito had to...be willing to look past the fact that she helped keep the secret. Seiko's done more good than harm, to Shuuichi. Nao's wife maybe hadn't even known anything was happening, for all Kaito knew. It wasn't fair to lump her in with her wife. And Nao...she...was trying to protect Shuuichi?...

...fuck Kaito didn't really honestly believe that. He knew that was the official story. But he didn't believe her. She was an evil, self-serving bitch who had taken advantage of his best friend at his literal lowest point. Kaito had no idea why she had done it. But he couldn't bring himself to believe it was to help.

...still, though. That was just doubt. Just because Kaito couldn't see the good points for her didn't mean they weren't there. Kokichi still clearly adored her. There had to be a reason why. Something Kaito just wasn't seeing. Kokichi knows best. Nao's continued existence was...tolerable.

The king and the staff back at the castle? Same deal. Just because Kaito couldn't see their good points, didn't mean they weren't there. Kokichi loved his staff and, despite everything he said, seemed to still love the king. Kokichi knows best. Their existences were still tolerable.

Everything was okay. Everything was fine. He didn't need to attack anything.

...yeah. Kaito took a deep, steadying breath, feeling proud of himself. Ha! Who needed anger management! Kaito was capable of managing his anger!

Sure, he was literally just sitting here for the last twenty minutes and had almost just sent himself into a blood-rage just...thinking about things. But! He had managed to calm himself back down! Winning!

As Kaito was reassuring himself that he had everything under control, he heard the door open again, and light footsteps walked up to him. Reassuring himself again that he was fine and everything was fine, Kaito looked up at Kokichi and smiled. "Well? How'd it go?"

Kokichi leaned over to place a kiss to Kaito's forehead, taking advantage of being taller for once. "It was fine. Explained what happened from my point of view, answered clarifying questions the best I could. The guard who took my statement seemed excited to meet me, so that was cool."

Taking another bite of his danish, Kokichi rubbed one of Kaito's shoulders, trying to knead out the tension in the small moment he could. Kokichi wasn't happy about the situation, make no mistake, and how Kaito viewed his actions was...troubling, and would likely be something they'd have to work through for a long time...but things were okay. And Kokichi wanted to reassure his husband of that.

"...we can talk about it more later, when the actual summons come in, but I'd be willing to come with you for your first counseling session, just so you can be more comfortable with it." He gave Kaito a sad smile. "...we don't kill people here, and we don't torture or brainwash them either. You'll be okay, but I'll be right beside you every step so you can see that."

"Ready to go?"

Kaito nodded seriously for a second...that'd be better...before remembering himself and laughing, rubbing his neck awkwardly as he stood up. "Ah, I'd be okay, either way, babe. I'm not afraid of these people. But if you want to...sure! It'll be a bonding experience!"

Kaito had a few...general questions. When would he start? How long was he supposed to do this? How often? Are you sure this wasn't going to just turn into conditioning...are you sure sure?

But he bit on those questions, feeling foolish. He'd work out the general questions as it came, and the last one was...dumb. Kokichi wouldn't let anything like that happen to him. So...yeah.

So, Kaito reached down and drew Kokichi into a hug, lifting him off his feet for a little before gently placing him back down, being conscious of his knees. "Yeah, babe! Let's go, let's do this! We have one more fun thing we can do and then an easy trip back home! And then, after that, your dad’s coming home, and you can celebrate by taking him out to town and giving him your cool-ass drawing of the trip you took!" Taking Kokichi's danish-free hand in his, Kaito said, "I know everything that just happened...kinda sucked, and maybe...had some ripple effects that I don't understand yet. But things are still generally looking up! And I just...hope you still feel that way too."

You didn't have to be blatantly afraid to get comfort from having a familiar face nearby. He knew Kaito was trying to keep himself open, but...it was clear he didn't trust most Diceans. Would be suspicious of any counselor or therapist or psychiatrist that he'd go see, not really because he distrusted Kokichi's assurances, but because people in those positions in Luminary...weren't people you would be happy to see, to say the least.

But, hopefully, Kaito would be able to get real help from them. At least in working out his anger and...maybe someone would even find a way through his conditioning. Kokichi could dream.

Kokichi giggled a bit at the bear hug Kaito pulled him into, hugging back with his free hand before giving Kaito's a gentle squeeze when he was put back down. And...while his smile calmed, it didn't fade. "I'm not gonna sulk for the rest of the trip, if that's what you're asking. I'm not going to ignore everything that happened...but that's not the only thing that happened on this trip, you know? You're going to have to face the consequence of your actions, and I'm going to stand by you while you do, but...like, that doesn't mean there aren't fun, nice things to do too."

"Things will be okay." Kokichi placed a kiss to Kaito's arm, swinging their hands a little. "And when they're not, then we'll just work to make them okay."

Kaito felt himself relax, just a tad, for the first time since everything had happened yesterday. More than anything...he really just wanted to make Kokichi happy. He wanted all of them to be happy, but...Kokichi especially. So to hear that the whole trip wasn't ruined in his mind was...a real comfort.

Things will be okay. Kokichi had said it. Kaito believed him.

"Alright!" he said, heading out with him, "Let's go get our people!"

-

Hajime had almost said no to the trip to the carnival, thinking of all the little last minute things he needed to get done before they headed out of town for the night. Which he still didn't really understand why they were leaving tonight and not tomorrow morning. Maki and Katsuki intended to drive the caravans through the first night, before going back to the original rotation. When Hajime had asked why, he had sat and listened through another one of the Luminary assassin’s paranoid rantings about breaking up patterns and getting twelve hours ahead of where anyone stalking them would expect them to be by that point, and that, yes, Hajime, all of that was entirely necessary, and- he had eventually just gotten exasperated and tuned her out. He liked Maki a little better getting to know her, but man, the girl was incredibly high strung. She really needed to chill out for half a second.

Anyway, he was going to say no...but then he heard Timothy ask Maki warily when she told him where they were going, "What's a carnival?"

"You know what a ferris wheel is?" Maki asked him.

"Big circle things you ride on? Yeah. Saw one near the pier. It was moving really slow."

"Good. Where that ferris wheel was, that's where we're going. Carnivals are where ferris wheels live."

"...oh?" Timothy said, entirely bewildered. "Okay?"

"Wow, way to sell it to him, Maki," Hajme said, rolling his eyes at her, receiving a glare that he just ignored as he grinned down at Timothy. "Carnivals are awesome, little man! I can't believe you haven't heard of one before? They have rides and games and, like, little weird attractions and things you can look at. You can win prizes there! It's a lot of fun! And the food is to die for! ...like, literally, if you eat too much of it, it'll probably kill you...oh, okay, no, I didn't mean that literally," Hajime said, seeing the sudden alarm light up in the kid’s face, trying to salvage the joke as he added quickly, "I just mean it's bad for you and would give you stomach problems in the long run. But a little bit sometimes? Super delicious and...look, yeah, I'm coming too. I'll show you how to have a good time at a carnival. Uncle Hajime's got ya, kid!"

Timothy glanced at Maki, who just looked annoyed and exasperated, before looking back at his...'uncle'... clearly just getting more and more concerned with every word he said to him. "...you're related to my parents? Do you know where they are?"

"Ha ha, wow! Okay! Nope? No I don't! I just meant...wow! Let's change the subject! You know what cotton candy is??"

"I had some at the museum..."

And after that little mild disaster, eventually the group got organized and decided everyone was going. Hajime chatting with Seiko, the adult he was the most comfortable with, and determined to show Timothy, who had Chase on her leash, a good time. Meanwhile, Maki was looking around the carnival, muttering things to Katsuki, and Kaito, excited by the energy and happy buzz of the area, put his arms around Shuuichi and Kokichi's shoulders and said, loudly to be heard over the din, "Well? What do we think? This a good place for a our last day here?"

Shuuichi looked around. The carnival was in full swing. Music playing in the air, people going from stand to stand, ride to ride, in groups, happy and laughing to each other. Shuuichi, in particular, eyed the game stands (most of them likely rigged, though in Shuuichi's case, that was part of the fun) with interest, though he also looked at the ferris wheel, the small wooden roller coaster, the merry-go-round and the bumper cars..."This place has more in it than I thought it would, considering they clearly just put it up for the summer," Shuuichi admitted.

Kokichi wanted to be responsible. He wanted to be the heir apparent, the person people looked to for leadership and comfort, the sort of person that people could look to and think to themselves, 'ah, I'll be okay in your hands.'

But he was also just a big kid at heart.

Kokichi's eyes were wide and glittering as he looked around the carnival, whipping his head from thing to thing, not sure what he wanted to do first but wanting to do everything. Laughing in delight, Kokichi felt himself puff up a little in pride. "I can only really speak for the capital, but whenever there are events going on, people really put their all into it. For some people, it's what they work on all-year-round, even if the actual event is only for a couple weeks."

"So let's appreciate their work!!" Kokichi was practically vibrating with excitement, attention pulled in every direction. "What do ya wanna do first? I've heard it's usually a better idea to only get food after you're done with rides, so you don't make yourself sick. I've never been on any rides before... Oh, oh, look! They have a petting zoo too!"

Seiko had been eyeing the petting zoo herself. She was content to mostly supervise the group, be nearby for anything that may happen (after last night, she thought it'd probably be better to accompany the others rather than be at a known location), but...well, she was rather fond of animals. During that morning that Timothy had been in the front caravan, she'd spent a long while just petting Chase while she tried to entertain Tim with medical facts.

Ever vigilant, Katsuki listened to Miss Maki's concerns and provided her own insight but...her smile did brighten a bit seeing how excited Kokichi was. For all of the weight and sadness and anger growing on the young man's shoulders...he was much happier now. And for the person who had given her a proper life...she could wish for nothing more than to see him getting one of his own.

The group talked idly of what to try first. Hajime thought a ride on the rollercoaster sounded fun, which Kaito thoroughly agreed with. Maki, admittedly, once she had started looking around with a more 'what to do' mentality rather then a 'oh my god there's so many openings here' one, noted with some wicked delight that there was a janky mirror-maze and 'scary' rail-ride that could be fun to take Kaito into. Shuuichi wanted to play the games and thought a ride around the ferris wheel would be calm and relaxing and give them a nice view. And Timothy...

Timothy, without asking any of them, just immediately started to head towards the petting zoo. Eyes wide and fascinated, entirely entranced at the sight of, very specifically, goats.

So, even as the group discussed what the plan was, little by little they all just ended up following him to the petting zoo, Maki and Hajime trying to keep an eye on the wandering Tim, Shuuichi and Kaito and Kokichi naturally following Maki, and Seiko and Katsuki naturally following Kokichi. There were some employees at the petting zoo, carefully explaining to excited visitors how to handle the animals and selling little things to feed them with, and Timothy stopped just short of approaching the zoo entirely on his own, intimidated by the employees, but, again, just entranced as he stared at the crazy, wild eyes of the goats.

Stepping forward a little, Seiko came to Timothy's side. "Would you like to look around the petting zoo, Timothy? All the animals are very used to humans, and...while I-I think some of the dogs might be excited by Chase, as long as you keep her on a short leash, she can meet the animals too."

Petting zoos were extremely heavily vetted. Most of the animals were pets or working animals of the people who lived in whatever town was setting up the zoo, and unlike regular zoos, which were more like rehabilitation and conservation centers for animals, the animals in a petting zoo were calm and used to people petting and moving around them. Sure, any animal, no matter how socialized, would freak out if they were hurt or if there was a loud noise or something like that, but that was why there were so many employees that were well-versed in animal handling to catch anything before anyone got hurt.

Looking over the animals, Kokichi distractedly patted both Kaito and Shuuichi, pointing over to a small girl who had a rabbit almost as big as her in her lap. "Oh, oh! Those are northern hares. They can grow as big as four feet and are just, like, the chillest lupines ever. I've never seen one before..."

Seeing Seiko trying to introduce Timothy to the concept of the zoo, an animal handler came by and stroked up a friendly conversation with them (causing Maki to immediately head in their direction), explaining how to handle the goats (they came from a local milk farm, and despite their looks, were extremely docile, the handler assured Seiko. This one right here had a thing for children especially, her name is Caddie, yes, go on, you can pet her like this...)

Kaito grinned at the rabbit, but also found himself looking fondly at the little girl, who just seemed...incredibly chilled out, happy to just sit on the straw bale and run her hands through the hare's fur, the rabbit itself chewing on something and staring around, eyes darting constantly, excited by the activity around it, though otherwise content to be as still as the girl holding it.

Taking Kokichi's hand, Kaito went up to the girl, before letting go of his husband and then immediately squatting down as low as he could go, staying a good few feet away from her and tucking his arms inbetween his legs and his chest as he said to her, "Hey, cool bunny. What's his name?"

The girl, again, in a very zen state, opened up one of her eyes to look with an extremely unimpressed air at the new adult now in her life, before closing both eyes again, keeping her face directed up at the sun as she said, with all the easy weight and gravitas a self confident eight year old naturally exuded, "I don't know. I've been calling him Sunshine. I don't want to know his real name."

"Sunshine is a great name! He even looks like a Sunshine! I'd be amazed if that wasn't actually his name."

"You should be. It'd be really weird if I managed to pick the same name as his real one," the girl gently scolded, opening her eyes, amused by this clearly very stupid adult. That was alright. Stupid adults were endearing, in their own way. "Did you want to hold him?"

"Can I?"

"He's very heavy," the little girl warned.

"We'll be careful," Kaito promised, before glancing at Kokichi. "Wanna give it a try, babe?"

Kokichi watched fondly as Kaito spoke to the little girl. However Kaito acted around some people in Dicea...he had always been very kind to children. It made sense, since that was a quality he appreciated in other people.

It was little more than a daydream at the moment, but...Kokichi thought of a day when Tim would bring a gaggle of friends back to the castle to play, and while giving the kids their freedom and space, Kaito would come by and make them laugh and someone would mention to Tim that his guardian was cool, and Tim would be embarrassed and insist that Kaito wasn't that cool, but he'd appreciate it internally and...

Kokichi took a look at the hare, making a show of appraising it before looking back to Kaito. "I think it might take both of us. We're not sitting, after all, so it will take more effort to support Sunshine."

Stroking the hare's head for a moment, after getting the okay from the girl, Kokichi went to support the hare's front end, internally gushing of how soft its coat was, and how docile the hare seemed to be, content to be lifted from what seemed to be a very comfortable perch.

Children Kaito had an ease with. He had learned it being introduced to Maki's new set of siblings almost on a regular basis. Kids came to the orphanage at all ages, and, frankly...were usually pretty recently traumatized, if they were old enough to understand what was happening.

When they were just kids themselves, it had been a matter of learning to talk to and make comfortable the younger kids and being companianable to the kids their ages or, rarely, above (you were forced into a career track by twelve, and out of the orphanage housing by then), but as they got older and Maki continued to regularly visit, Kaito joining every now and again, it just got to be that Kaito had to learn to talk to any random type of kid in kind of any state of mind. These days, the only kids Kaito usually had any real trouble with were the nobles’ kids. Most kids were kind of thoughtlessly cruel, honestly, just from not knowing any better, but noble kids were...sometimes genuinely mean and...

Look, for all his jokes about fighting Tim, he'd never actually punch a child. But hearing the things the noble kids said about other people, especially the children Indentureds that were occasionally around them, was the closest Kaito had ever come to actually clocking a child.

Still, the last thing this little girl did was remind Kaito of the noble children, and he bowed his head slightly to her (she watched that, amused. She had never seen anyone do that before. What a weird adult) as he carefully grabbed the bottom part of the rabbit.

Now...animals?

Animals Kaito had more trouble with.

Once the rabbit was free of the girl’s lap, Kaito immediately became less certain what to do, holding its hind legs both as if he was afraid to touch it too much (it had such thin legs! What if Kaito broke it!?) and at the same time immediately worried about its hind legs’ nails (holy shit a kick from this thing would hurt), saying nervously, "Uh...wow...this thing is big, huh..."

Shuuichi, who had been watching this whole thing from a distance (he wasn't that good with children, and found he tended to unsettle them with his quiet, looming presence. It was why he wanted to continue to do well with Timothy. It was a novel experience for Shuuichi, to be liked by a child), chuckled and came up, petting the rabbit’s back a little as the rabbit, still calm...did start to kick one of its legs a little, causing Kaito to fret and worry that he was doing something wrong as Shuuichi said, "Wow, its fur is really soft...and it's also half the size of you, Kokichi. If it was any bigger, you could ride it."

The little girl didn't say anything to any of this, but her eyes went a little wider now. Clearly enamored by the mental image.

Kokichi laughed softly, the sound not sharp or loud enough to startle the animal, even if it hadn't been relaxed. "Oh, I wish--it'd be a dream come true. Hopping across a glenn on a giant bunny? It sounds magical." He pet the hare along the side of its paw, making sure to keep it supported.

"I think bunnies would make for a wonderful travel companion. They have really good ears and noses, and they can feel vibrations in the ground too! They're really good at paying attention to surroundings, and you probably wouldn't have to worry about food since they can eat almost every type of grass." Laughing a little again, Kokichi marveled at the giant hare. "Though, I think I'd want to bring carrots along anyway."

Looking over to the girl, Kokichi offered her a friendly smile. "What do you think, miss? You've spent more time with Sunshine here than us, so I'd say you're more qualified on the matter."

The girl shook her head, giving Kokichi a, not necessarily mean spirited, but openly patronizing look as she patiently explained to him, "He's too fat to travel. It'd be mean to make him try. He'd be happier sitting still in the sunshine until he turns to stone."

"Stone?" Shuuichi asked.

"It's what happens when people die," she explained. Man. Lots of stupid adults today.

"Oh, okay," Kaito chuckled, looking nervously at the way the hare’s tail was twitching. Was this rabbit about to shit on him? Kaito swore to god...he had picked his nicest outfit for the questioning this morning... "But, ya know, something being fat doesn't mean it can't travel. In fact, I bet this hare is super fast, when it wants to move. I knew a guy who was three hundred pounds and still traveled all over the continent, all the time. He could run like the wind and had visited every single kingdom on the continent by the time I met him!" Kaito bragged, his eyes shining a little. "He was really, really cool!"

The girl rolled her eyes. "I wasn't saying fat people couldn't travel. Duh. But this fat hare doesn't want to. He is lethargy embodied."

"...that was a very good sentence," Shuuichi admired.

The girl sighed, as if burdened by the praise, as she simply said, "Thank you."

Kokichi hummed, looking back down at the hare in consideration. He'd mostly meant that, if there were some species of giant hare (even bigger than northern hares) that would be domesticated like horses were, they'd be fun to travel with, but... Sitting in sunshine, being fed carrots and leafy greens, being pet by kind, gentle strangers...it seemed like a nice life for a bunny.

"It's a good thing he doesn't have to travel, then, if he doesn't want to," Kokichi decided. "But it's nice that his owner can do some of the traveling for him, so people like us can learn about Sunshine while he lounges in the sun. Would you like to have him back on your lap?"

The girl sighed again, but accommodatingly held her arms out for him, as if she was doing Sunshine more of a favor than anything else. "Give him here. Otherwise he'll just sit in the dirt."

Following Kokichi's lead, Kaito carefully put the rabbit back onto the little girl’s lap, who immediately went back into her original position, petting the rabbit idly and turning her face towards the sun, letting it radiate on her. Looking zen and chill and at peace with the world.

"Alright. More pets to pet. Let's see..."

Going space by space, the three men went to go admire the other animals the petting zoo had to offer, petting furry creatures and admiring birds. At one point, they came to a less populated part of the petting zoo, where the reptiles and serpents were, and Shuuichi came up to Kaito from behind as the Luminary Prince looked at some strange, bug-eyed lizards, tapping on his shoulder. "I want one of these," he said simply.

"Want one of -OH MY GOD!" Kaito shouted, jumping backwards, the BIGGEST fucking fucking python snake Kaito had ever seen draped casually several times around Shuuichi's neck and shoulders. Kaito immediately pushed Kokichi behind himself, reaching out with trembling hands towards his mortally in peril boyfriend. "Oh my god, oh my god, don't m-move."

"It's okay," Shuuichi said, a serene expression on his face, incredibly pleased at the feeling of his temporary companion against his skin as he petted the snake idly, a handler who had helped him put her on watching from a distance. "She's nice. Her name is Pandora. I love her."

Even with what he'd explained earlier, Kokichi was amazed by the variety of animals in the zoo--northern hares, pasture goats, an absolute darling of a pony, barely taller than Kokichi, some retired messenger swallows, sheepdogs...the list went on and on, and Kokichi found himself fawning over every one. And thankfully no one had brought out a pet tarantula.

Snorting softly, Kokichi stepped around where Kaito had pushed him behind him, reaching out to gently pet along the belly of the python draped over Shuuichi. "Oh...she's so smooth! You've had a nice shed, haven't you!" he cooed to the snake before grinning up at Shuuichi. "We can take a look at breeders back at home, if you want. I know there was someone who was looking for homes for axolotls a while back..."

Looking back at Kaito, Kokichi gave him a soft look. "None of the animals here are gonna hurt anyone, hun. Her scales really are cool to feel--and I bet, just like me, Pandora would enjoy your heat."

"Uh huh," Kaito said quickly, taking a quick step back, in case either of them decided they wanted to prove it by having Kaito touch it. "Th-that's okay! If it's not gonna...eat you or anything...I'll just watch from here."

Shuuichi chuckled, feeling Pandora shift slightly around his shoulders, resting her head near his neck, enjoying the heat from beneath his chin as he continued to pet at her scales. "She's so calm and friendly...I wish I could take her home...but apparently she lives with a class at an elementary school here. The zoo just watches her for the summers."

"They let that thing around elementary kids!?"

"And she eats rabbits, which is kind of sad...but she only eats four times a year, which is very easy to accommodate...I like her a lot..." Shuuichi said, again, just looking entirely relaxed, honestly a bit more so than Kaito had seen his lover in...awhile.

Kaito frowned at all this, but...if being around the snake made Shuuichi that happy... "Look, if you actually get a snake, just please make sure it's not the 'eat Kokichi' type. It can eat all the rabbits it wants, though we gotta be sure to keep it away from Chase until she's old enough. On a side note, if it tries to eat either of you, I'm cutting its head off."

"Deal," Shuuichi agreed with an amused smile.

Was Kaito scared of snakes? Not terrified, clearly, but...more uncomfortable than not. Something to keep in mind then. There were wild snakes in Dicea, but they were all pretty small and non-venomous, mostly eating small rodents and bird eggs. He'd warn his husband if they were ever in an area he knew they were likely to be. And, luckily for Kaito, snakes weren't really the type to go out once the chill came in.

Sighing a small laugh, Kokichi kept stroking Pandora's scales. "As long as they're fed, snakes don't tend to attack people, and any that are good to be pets are de-venomed if they're that type anyway. We'll have to get some good heating pads though, so Shuu-chan's snake doesn't get loose in the castle looking for a warm place to settle. I've never heard of it happening in the capital, but in wetter places, there are snakes that get into house plumbing in search of warmth."

How Shuuichi looked at the python reminded Kokichi a lot of the look he'd had when he picked out his cactus. Just...content and comfortable. It was a nice look on his boyfriend, and Kokichi knew that he wanted to see that look as often as possible.

There was a handwashing station right outside of the petting zoo, and while Kokichi knew he could spend the whole day hanging out with animals, there were a lot of other things at the carnival that he wanted to check out, so, after a good while, he found himself giving his hands and wrists a good scrub, looking around as he washed. "Rides next? I've only ever been on a merry-go-round before...are roller-coasters as cool as they look?"

"Roller-coasters are SUPER cool!!" Kaito said, clenching both fists and then wincing, right, right, hand, fucking hand Kaito! Checking on his stitching (all still good) he said somewhat more temperately, "I mean, it depends on the rollercoaster, but most of them I've found are a lot of fun. Mind, I've only been on a handful." 

Maki came up to them, alone. "You all talking about the rollercoaster? Hajime and Seiko are already there. Timothy was really only interested in seeing the goats, so they offered to go take him on the rollercoaster once he was done. I was just about to head that way to wait for them."

"You gonna take a ride yourself, Maki?" Shuuichi asked, already missing Pandora.

Maki shook her head, clearly disinterested. "Thrill rides aren't my thing, and I don't like being strapped down. I'll watch you all do it."

Kokichi only got progressively hyped up by Kaito's enthusiasm, even if it was only excitement and not any descriptions. He had always loved the feeling of flying through the air so...it always looked fun to him. Maybe he'd get to actually try out rides now. There wasn't anyone here who would stop him, anyway.

Going up to Maki as she came to them, Kokichi was aware of the public setting, but he still briefly pressed his shoulder against hers in affection. "Do you think you'd wanna play any of the games, Maki-chan? A lot of them look like they're just different ways to throw stuff, and, well you've seen my aim," he laughed. "I think you'd get the high score easy though."

"Oh, oh! And we should look through all the food they're selling. Maybe we'll find something new and cool that you'll like!" If Maki was alright with letting Tim go with Dr. Kimura and Hajime, then she was probably more relaxed than he'd hoped but...he still wanted her to have fun too. Maybe in winning a cool prize, wowing everyone with her skills, maybe in finding a treat she'd like as much as red bean paste, maybe just in seeing the rest of them having fun. But he'd still try to include her, even if she always said no.

Maki just nodded, half-listening to Kokichi as she kept an eye out. Hajime and Seiko were easily the two most responsible people in the whole group (barring, in Maki's opinion, a few historical errors in judgment), so if there was anyone she felt comfortable letting babysit, it was them. And she knew Katsuki was around here keeping an eye on things anyway. Katsuki wasn't infallible, any more than Maki was...but it was still a comfort to know she was out there, wherever she had disappeared to.

Though, something Kokichi said sparked a thought, and she said, "That reminds me. We have to continue your training soon, Kokichi. Everything was put on hold due to, well...everything." Maki shrugged, Shuuichi lowering his cap in a flash of shame. "But I still intend for you to know some basics in self defense."

"Ah, come on, Maki, that's talk for later. Let's go get in line for the coaster! It doesn't look like it'll take long! Come on!" Kaito said, leading the way.

Kokichi sighed softly, but grinned brightly up at Maki. "I'm looking forward to it! Maybe I should vie for a top score, if just to get some practice in. And, of course, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't at least try to win some cute prizes for my dear boyfriend and husband."

Giving Shuuichi a wink, trying to lift his spirits, Kokichi linked his arm with Shuuichi's and followed after Kaito. He'd had one lesson--which he'd had to have in secret--before being on bedrest from a heart attack, Shuuichi was addicted to a drug that had a good chance of killing him or allowing him to become pregnant, Kaito's parents had just died and he'd nearly beaten a man to death, and Maki was plotting the downfall of nearly all established leadership in Luminary. There was...a lot going on. But part of life was being able to appreciate the moments of fun and happiness as they came.

So, amid everything...they could laugh in the sun, pet animals, ride a roller-coaster, play carnival games, and...be the 20-somethings that none of them really got to be all that much.

Kokichi looked over the coaster as they got in line, impressed by the construction and delighted by the shouts of excitement from each group of people zooming by on it.

It was only when they got basically to the front of the line that Kaito remembered Kokichi's heart stuff, and started giving his husband nervous looks, reaching down and taking his hand. Don't ask him, don't hover, don't smother him, if he couldn't handle it he wouldn't have gotten in line, don't, dooooon't-

"You sure you're good on this, babe?" Kaito whispered. Cursing himself as he did so.

Kokichi blinked up in confusion, giving Kaito's hand a gentle squeeze. "Yeah?" he whispered back, not totally sure why they were whispering, but obliging nonetheless. "I'm not scared of heights or anything. It looks like a lot of fun!"

Kaito had ridden coasters before, and neither Shuuichi nor Maki had made any sort of joke about it, so this wasn't Kaito deflecting his personal uncertainty... So why was he thinking that Kokichi wouldn't want to go on?

Wracking his brain for a moment, Kokichi snorted and raised an amused eyebrow up at his husband. "Kai-chan, there's not a height restriction on this ride. And if there were, Tim wouldn't be able to ride it before they'd stop me."

"Ha! Ha. Okay. My bad," Kaito said, not willing to push the question any further. It was okay. Seiko was around here somewhere. Specifically at this ride even! If something happened...well, it'd be okay. It was okay.

Outside the line, Maki was chilling out by the gate, watching the ride. Behind her, there was a tap on her shoulder, and Maki was incredibly pleased after her second of furious panic, looking back and down at Tim, who was smirking slightly, pleased with himself. "Don't get cocky, kid. You snuck up on me in the middle of an incredibly loud, busy event. That's child play," Maki said, crossing her arms and smirking back down at him.

"I'm nine," Timothy pointed out.

"Fine. Smaller childs play...still. Good job...where's Mr. Hinata and Dr. Kimura?"

Timothy pointed to a food stand not far from them. "They're buying chocolate bananas. They knew I was coming over here. You don't need to stab anyone, Miss Harukawa."

"I'll be the judge of that," Maki said, gesturing up to the rollercoaster. "Wanna watch this with me? Prince Kokichi is about to go on his first rollercoaster. My money he's a screamer."

"Prince Kokichi? Nah. He does those weird laughs when he's really excited. He'll laugh a lot," Timothy guessed, climbing against the fence to get a slightly better view as his mentor leaned against it.

"We'll see, I suppose," Maki said, watching. "They should be on next."

Kokichi just looked at Kaito for a moment, hearing that laugh that he'd come to understand that Kaito was trying to reassure himself of something he didn't really believe was okay, but had to believe was okay. And...normally Kokichi had just let the issue go. But if Kaito was keeping thoughts to himself because...he thought he was being dumb or that Kokichi was unequivocally correct...that was exactly the sort of situation he wanted to stop putting Kaito in.

So, rubbing Kaito's hand gently in the places he didn't have stitches, Kokichi gave his husband an encouraging smile. "Hey, if you're concerned about me, it might be something I haven't thought of, Kai-chan. Even if it is, I still wanna know where your head's at. I know you're not just looking for any sort of excuse to stop me from doin' shit, so...please talk to me?"

Kaito looked down at him, shifting uncomfortably on his feet, as Shuuichi quietly watched all this, curious. "...um...right! Okay! Look, I am, in no way, suggesting you can't handle this...but rides like these are kinda...designed? To get your heart rate to feel like it's about to burst out of your chest? It's basically, I don't know...stress for fun?"

Rubbing his neck awkwardly, the three shuffling forward in the line, the people around them politely not listening in, Kaito pointed out, "And...your heart kinda does weird things when it's stressed? And I just...don't know what the limits of that is, I guess. So I was just wanting to make sure you...do? Know? That you're good for this?"

Oh. Oh.

Kokichi's brow furrowed, though he was in no way upset with Kaito. In fact...he hadn't really...put that together with rides. Whenever his dad would throw him in the air, or Lake would run around with him on her back, it had never felt like those things put strain on his heart. But...

He looked up at the people currently riding the rollercoaster, felt the rumble of the cars. If this was designed to do that sort of thing...he had never even been in a carriage before the trip. If it really was that different by such a large magnitude...

Sighing, Kokichi hopped up on his toes and gave Kaito's arm a kiss. "I didn't know about that--I appreciate Kai-chan looking out for me. I'm gonna go talk to Dr. Kimura about it. Even if it might totally be fine, maybe it'd be smarter to try something like this out when we're closer to home, just in case. You two have fun, alright?"

Giving his boyfriend and husband a smile, Kokichi slipped out of line and...well, he didn't see Dr. Kimura right away, so he headed over to where he saw Maki and Tim leaning against a fence.

"Oh, wait, come on..." Kaito watched guiltily as Kokichi walked out of the line. "Ah geez...I keep ruining things..."

"No. That was a good thing, Kaito," Shuuichi assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "If Dr. Kimura says he's good to go, then we'll go with him again on the next ride. Better safe than sorry, right?"

"I...yeah, I guess," Kaito mumbled, still feeling like he should have kept his mouth shut. "But what if she says he can't?"

"Then...he probably can't, Kaito. Dr. Kimura...she's good at what she does, and cares about the prince. So..." Shuuichi shrugged, now allowing his own feelings about the doctor color his perspective. She was a good doctor. He knew she was... he hoped he'd keep getting his doses for awhile...she wondered if she still had his jar. She had two months’ worth in there, if she does... Miss Nao had to have given the jar to her, right? ...not worth thinking about right now. "So, if she says he can't, then he can't. And now we'll know. That's a good thing. Good job."

"...yeah, okay," Kaito said, feeling a little better about all that. Looking back at his boyfriend, Kaito grinned. "Well, that's alright! You and I get to go on it! You can hold me if you're scared, handsome," Kaito teased, wrapping his arm around Shuuichi's waist, pulling him in close and kissing him against the cheek. "I'll protect ya."

"How on earth would you protect me from a rollercoaster?" Shuuichi asked dryly, lowering his cap, embarrassed at the open affection in the middle of the line. "What, you're gonna catch me if the car goes off the line?"

"I could! I totally could!"

"Your arms are so broken, Kaito."

"That...is true! Hopefully nothing like that happens! You can hold me anyway!" Kaito insisted cheerfully, squeezing at Shyuichi's side a little, coercing a little laugh out of Shyuichi, before allowing himself to be pushed away.

"Enough, enough Kaito. Come on, we're next," Shuuichi said, crawling into the ride with his boyfriend, exasperated as his wandering hands immediately curled around his shoulders.

Outside, Maki glanced to her right, and said in disappointment, "Whelp. Guess we won't know either way."

"Why not?" Timothy asked, before following her eyes, and huffing. "Prince Kokichi! You didn't chicken out did you?"

"Hush, Timothy, that's not how you speak to your prince...but also, did you chicken out?" Maki asked, amused.

Kokichi chuckled softly and shook his head, not offended in the slightest. Sometimes it seemed like an uphill battle how the Luminaries tried to instill certain etiquette practices on Tim, but considering that no one in Dicea really used them... Well, maybe Tim would just turn out overly polite, and that was far from a bad thing.

"Nah. I still really wanna go, but Kai-chan mentioned that coasters can be iffy when it comes to people with heart problems? So I'm sitting out for now. Did you guys see where Dr. Kimura went? I wanna ask her about it, even if I probably shouldn't do any experimenting while we're so far from home."

Maybe people would be surprised by how well Kokichi was taking this, but...in a way, his own fury at being underestimated was allayed by his worry over Kaito's personhood. Kokichi wanted his husband to see that he could speak up, could say no, and things would be okay. And...insisting that he was fine, his chest didn't hurt at all, the coaster didn't even look all that fast...all that would just make Kaito back down and shut up the next time he felt worried.

So...even if he really wanted to ride the coaster...validating his husband's concerns was more important. Kokichi had waited this long for a chance to go on a thrill ride. He could wait a little longer.

"That makes sense to me, though I'll admit, I would have assumed Seiko already had a conversation with you by this point about what was or wasn't safe to ride," Maki admitted. She gestured behind herself. "She and Hajime are just grabbing some snacks. They should be...nevermind. They're headed our way now. If you're not gonna ride the coaster, do you want to go get something from the stalls as well, Kokichi?"

"You can have my banana if you want it, Prince Kokichi," Timothy offered, wrinkling up his nose a little as he saw them holding the chocolate bananas on sticks. "I wanted to get the swirly dough cinnamon chocolate thing, but Dr. Kimura said it'd take half a year off my life. And, like...who cares! I wanna die at sixteen anyway."

Maki narrowed her eyes. Dagger suddenly in hand. "Don't make jokes like that."

Timothy's shoulders hunched up a little at the sight of the dagger, before sighing. "I was just kidding...thank you, Mr. Hinata," Timothy said, taking the offered banana stick as Hajme and the doctor finally arrived, his earlier distaste at the thing forgotten as he immediately started to eat it.

"Here, Maki, we got one for you too, since we saw you were over here," Hajime offered, handing her a stick, before glancing guiltily at Kokichi. "Sorry, we didn't see you till it was too late."

"Kokichi can have mine. I'm not hungry. Thanks thou-"

Maki's words were drowned out as the latest cart got to the very top of the rail, hovered there for a second...before falling down. One very distinctive voice going, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HA HA HA HA HA!!!" as it rushed past the viewing gate.

Maki paused, watching the cart carefully...before muttering to herself, "Got it," suddenly climbing the fence in a flash, getting to the top, reaching out...and snatching Shuuichi's hat out of the air. Cap secured, Maki climbed back down the fence with a sigh. "Knew he'd forget to take it off."

Kokichi nodded a bit at the thought of getting some absolutely horrible for you food at the vendor stalls, though...he couldn't fully hide a wince at the 'joke' Timothy made. It was a joke he heard people make every now and then, wanting to die young. He knew they didn't really mean anything by it.

(...but it still hurt)

(because even if that doctor had been wrong...)

(...)

Kokichi swallowed and pressed his hands together anxiously, but tried to smile as Dr. Kimura and Hajime came over, waving off Hajime's apology. Telling him that it was fine, trying to insist to Maki that she should give the banana a shot, wanting to ask Dr. Kimura about rides, but-

Kokichi turned, a fond smile playing at his lips, his momentary anxiety just that. Momentary. Laughing a bit as Maki caught Shuuichi's hat, he turned to...to Seiko. "Aw man...that sounds like fun, but Kai-chan brought up a good point--do you think I'd be able to go on the coaster? Probably not now, but...at some point?"

Taking a look at the rollercoaster, Seiko considered it for a moment before giving her patient a small smile. "A rollercoaster this size and speed should be fine for you, if you're not feeling any chest pain beforehand. I w-would say to look out for something a little gentler to try out first though, and see how you feel. If you feel faint or dizzy or nauseous, or you feel chest pain or have difficulty breathing, that's probably your upper limit."

Kokichi nodded along with her recommendations, again debating with himself if he wanted to try the coaster out...but he didn't want to worry anyone. There were plenty of other things to do.

When Kaito and Kokichi finally got off the ride, Kaito was looking far more chipper, enjoying coming down from the adrenaline rush as he put his arm around Shuuichi, repeatedly reassuring his worried and fussing detective that no, no, you look fine, and of course we're gonna find the hat. It can't have gone far, right? No, I promise, we won't leave till we find it... "Hey! Check it out, Shuuichi!" Kaito said, gently shaking his boyfriend and pointing to Maki, who had already held the hat over her head, waving it at them, "Maki's got it! See? No big deal."

Shuuichi looked notably relieved at the sight of it, quickening his pace and heading to the group, his eyes low as he reached out for it, Maki easily handing it over. "Thanks Maki. I...forgot I was wearing it."

"You're good. Hey," Maki said, looking over to Kaito, still just kinda holding her chocolate covered banana without eating it, "Seiko says we should try one of the gentler rides with Kokichi and see how he feels before sending him on stuff like this. If he's good on the gentler stuff, he'll be fine. So, I say we do the haunted house ride."

Kaito opened his mouth to protest...before narrowing his eyes. "You're just trying to get me on a scary ride."

"Nooooo," Maki said in a way that wasn't reassuring at all. "Every horror ride I've ever been on has sudden stops and sudden fast parts. It's like the most low-key rollercoaster you can go on. It makes sense to start with that. But...if you're too scared to help Kokichi work his way up to his rollercoaster..." Maki teased, glancing over at Kokichi and giving him a small wink.

...okay, he knew Shuuichi was uncomfortable without it, but he was, just, awfully cute when he took his hat off. He would never ask Shuuichi to stop wearing his hat--he was plenty cute with it on too--but he would absolutely enjoy the moments he got to see Shuuichi's blue hair in its full silky tresses and cute little piece that stuck up.

And while he didn't like seeing Kaito actually afraid...fun afraid would probably be really cute too.

His smile ticking up just a little in response to Maki's wink, Kokichi sighed as he turned back to Kaito, giving him an understanding smile. "It's okay if you don't wanna come, Kai-chan. Not everyone likes that kind of thing. I've never been on a scary ride before, myself."

It was...kind of manipulative. So Kokichi changed gears a little from what he had originally been planning. Hopping over to Shuuichi's side, Kokichi gave his arm a nuzzle. "So I'm kinda hoping Shuu-chan wants to come on it? Like, if there's anything that's actually scary to me, I don't wanna make Maki-chan uncomfortable by climbing all over her."

Shuuichi glanced down at Kokichi, glanced over at Kaito...before sighing.

Putting a hand around Kokichi's waist, he suddenly pulled his hips close to his own, taking Kokichi's face into his hand and guiding him to look up at himself, saying lowly, "Of course, Kokichi, you can hold me...I'll protect you...you can ride in my lap, if they'll let us-"

"Hey, no, wait a second! Who said I didn't want to go!? I wanna cum! I-I mean go!" Kaito said, face flushing bright red, his dick entirely thinking for him now. He wasn't about to be left out of the haunted house ride! The haunted house ride sounded like a great time! The best!!

"Why are you covering my eyes, Mr. Hinata?" Timothy asked warily, suddenly unable to see as Hajime gave the three outraged looks, face beet red.

"Mr. Hinata gets flustered when people hug each other," Maki explained to Timothy, finally just eating her banana, since it looked like she wasn't going to get rid of it any other way.

"W-well some people should have more discretion when they hug!"

"...you're weird, Mr. Hinata."

Kokichi blinked in surprise, his innocent look actually genuine. He...hadn't expected Shuuichi to go that hard. Kokichi felt his cheeks start to warm as he found himself unable to look away from his boyfriend...until Kaito blurted out something that turned the pink on Kokichi's face a deep red, and then Tim wasn't the only person with their eyes covered.

It could easily be interpreted either way, but Kokichi had to take a moment to bury his face in his hands and stew in embarrassment for a moment.

"Okay! Haunted house ride! Let's go!" At least he could comfort Kaito when he got spooked. That would be fun.

The line for the haunted house ride didn't take long, and the carts were four people per, two people in the front of the cart, two in the back. Timothy asked Maki to ride with him, so she ended up taking a cart with Hajime and Seiko, their party going first. Then Shuuichi offered to take the front part of their cart by himself, Kaito and Kokichi in the back.

"We're right here if you need us, Shuuichi," Kaito said seriously.

"Oh, somehow I think I'll be fine," Shuuichi said dryly, looking at the cartoonishly bad scary decorations surrounding them.

The ride started and...look, it can't be stressed enough how non-serious this ride was about getting its scares. Ghosts popped on little animatronic metal poles and literally said the word 'boo', and every time they did, the cart jerked, as if trying to physically simulate a jump-scare. When they passed in front of a 'mirror that showed how you would die', the cart spun around, to let you see all the mirrors, all of which clearly had stickers on its glass that was meant to show murderers and monsters with gnashing teeth around anything it reflected. At one point a doll that was clearly a witch, with green skin and a wart on her nose, flew past the ride on her magic broom, all pulled by a string across the ceiling, and the cart sped up to its max speed to get away from her.

It was a ride clearly meant to be more goofy than anything else. Self-aware in its own irony.

...Right up until the last part.

Which was...different.

It was dark, first of all. Real dark.

There were sounds all around them. Like voices, murmuring into the void. Occasionally laughter. At one point a small, wailing sound. The narrator that had been following the cart the whole ride, who had been cheerfully explaining the demise of the ghosts and warning them of the trickery of the witches, said somberly, dreadfully, "Oh dear...and it looks like we've made a mistake, folks. Gone too deep into the mysteries and wonders of the world. Didn't you know? Weren't you warned?"

The cart came to a jerky, sudden stop. Kaito, who had actually been basically okay throughout the whole ride, suddenly started to shake. The ride leaving them to sit in the dark for just a tad too long. "...'Kichi?" Kaito called out, making certain his husband was still next to him, reaching and pulling him close to himself, "G-guys, do you think we're-"

Before he could finish his concern that maybe the ride was stuck, glow-in-the-dark eyes started opening up all around them in the darkness. Soft, green lights of eyes everywhere, some tiny, some big, surrounding them in the darkness of the room as the narrator informed them, "When you stare too long into the abyss..."

And then, all at once, all the lights turned on, and each of those eyes were attached to a monster, the cart surrounded by them, goblins, ghouls, ghosts, and monsters, reaching out to attack the cart as the voice said simply, "The abyss stares back."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

-

In the cart ahead of them, Timothy, having just stepped out of his seat, glanced back at the dark eye room they had just been driven out of, before shaking his head. "Who got scared by that? What a baby."

Maki sighed.

The ride wasn't bad at all. And Kokichi wasn't even talking about the so-called scares. Honestly, he wasn't really expecting it to be all that scary, and that was mostly why he was fine with cajoling Kaito into joining them. Nao had explained to him once, when he was looking over her blueprints for the haunted house, wondering why there wasn't anything truly scary in them when he knew she was more than capable of it, that for attractions that were open to the public, they had to err on the side of goofy rather than actually horrific. As much as she wanted to make something blood-curdling, and for the people who were really looking for a scare, they had to account that there would be small children and people with intense phobias and people whose 'fight' responses would be severe going to see these things. So, if you had to accommodate for an extreme, make it boring, rather than traumatizing.

So, anyway, the bit at the end was pretty cool, and made Kokichi gaze in wonder at the perfectly timed moment...though he had to cover his ears and gently calm his husband down.

But all the shaking and jerks and spins and soft slopes up and down were no problem at all.

Rubbing Kaito's back in comforting little circles, Kokichi helped his husband out of the cart, giving a sheepish smile to the employee who had come over to help out, worried by the loud scream. "Thanks for tryin' to spice it up for me, hun, but that still didn't get my heart racing any."

"Y-yup! Yup! Th-that's what I was doing! Just...just trying to get th-that heart pumping!" Kaito said, a tad too loudly, before sighing deeply, relieved to be off the ride. It had all been pretty goofy, but there had been a few moments throughout that had made Kaito nervous, and that last one...shiver.

"No effect, huh?" Shuuichi asked Kokichi, looking him up and down, before looking around... "What about the teacups? Those can go faster and slower, based on how willing you are to spin them. If we make those go really fast, and you start to feel like it's too much, Kokichi, it's easy enough to slow down without disturbing anything. And if the cups at their highest spin doesn't disturb you, then I doubt the rollercoaster's twists and turns would either."

...maybe he'd go through the haunted house at the harvest festival by himself this year. Spare Shuuichi the heartache and Kaito the heart attack.

"Oh!" Kokichi perked up, clapping his hands together. "Yes, I wanna ride those! It always sounds like people have so much fun on them; I've seen people come out only to get right back in line."

Meeting back up with the others, Kokichi looked around for the new ride. "Like...I might get dizzy from 'em, but it's easy for me to tell the difference between lightheaded dizziness and 'I've just been spinning around' dizziness. So don't count me out if I'm wobbly right after!"

Seiko nodded a bit once she figured out what they were talking about, figuring that Kokichi should be fine on the teacups. "Ah, I might watch you all for that one, though. Spinning rides don't really agree with me."

Shuuichi quietly considered the doctor for awhile as Timothy and Kaito started to get into a debate over who could spin their teacup faster, the debate getting heated before Maki said that Timothy should just go on a teacup with Kaito and Kokichi, and she and Hajime and Shuuichi would go on their own, taking it at a more reasonable speed and 'not the breakneck spin you two apparently want'.

"...actually, um...I think I'll wait with Dr. Kimura," Shuuichi said, lowering his cap slightly as he said, "Rides like these turn my stomach, sometimes."

Kokichi grinned wide at Maki's suggestion, excited to spin faster than the speed of light! Or trying to get there, anyway.

As those actually going on the ride got in line, Seiko turned to Shuuichi a bit. "Are you prone to other forms of motion sickness? I would offer to help, but if it's just from spinning, I can't imagine it comes up all that often..."

"...or were you hoping to ask about something else?"

Shuuichi tensed lightly. His feelings about this woman...complicated.

...but...

As their group quickly got through the line, people able to get on and off in large, easy to accommodate groups, Shuuichi re-adjusted his cap, watching his friends head to the front of the line, all of them excitedly talking to each other. Everyone seeming to genuinely be having fun now. Relaxed in their day out.

"...I...if I'm guessing right...I may not be entirely myself again soon," Shuuichi observed...before hesitating again, saying almost to soothe himself more than anything, "I mean, I don't know how immediate that'll be. But...that's in my future, right? Me being...different again."

Shuuichi, without being conscious of it, grabbed lightly at his shirt, twisting it between his fingers, a worried expression on his face... "...I know that's gonna happen eventually. And with everything else coming up when we get back...wait, no...I'm not saying what I mean. I don't mean to...that's not the point..."

Shuuichi bit the inside of his lip, before clarifying, "I don't know how many opportunities I'll have in the future to say this, is what I mean. Or if I'll...want to. But...while I'm still...kind of me...I just wanted to apologize."

The detective lowered his cap, ashamed as he said quietly, "For how I acted. For tricking you."

Seiko got the general subject Shuuichi was speaking about, but...she didn't quite understand exactly what he was trying to say until... She sighed softly, looking out at the others, happy to see them so lively.

"...thank you, Shuuichi."

"...at first, I thought you'd only s-sought me out because of...my reputation. Because you figured that no one would listen to me if I said anything about the spores. That I'd be just dying to work with anyone who gave me a kind word." Seiko huffed softly before glancing back over at Shuuichi, that old anger considerably softened. "And whatever your reasons in any state of mind...I do believe that you had genuinely good intentions. I only wish...maybe we had met earlier, before you started taking the spores, and this could've been avoided..."

And it wasn't fair to be totally mad at Shuuichi for how he had acted. By the time they'd met...that was a lot of the spores acting. Driving Shuuichi to do things that would cause him pain.

And that was why...

Seiko bowed her head, eyes scrunched closed in frustrated shame. "...I shouldn't have allowed Miss Umezaki to do everything she did to you. Frankly, I do not deserve your forgiveness for that."

"...the reasoning she gave me, was that Maki and Kaito had such faith in you, that if we had tried to tell them about the spores, they wouldn't have believed us. That you would deny everything, and they would believe you, because they love you." Seiko opened her eyes a little, smiling sadly at the younger man. "I-I have only known you all for a short time, but...it's plainly clear how much the three of you love each other. There's a care and trust that some people cannot even cultivate over their entire lives. It's a special bond."

"...maybe they wouldn't have believed us, but I still should've tried. Even if it likely would've made Kaito and Maki believe that you were being threatened...I still should've said something, even if my words would've been disregarded. Sometimes that still makes a difference." Seiko looked out again, her gaze falling on Kokichi as she said those words. She hadn't regretted speaking up about the consequences of Kokichi's treatment, but...she hadn't realized how much of an impact they'd actually made until Kaito and Kokichi had spoken to her about it.

Even if your words fall on deaf ears, even if they destroy the path in front of you...if you think they are right, you should still say them.

"I won't pretend and tell you that your withdrawals are going to be pleasant in any way...but you are my patient, Shuuichi. And, if you give me the chance...I would like to make up for my mistakes with you. I have sworn to give you the best care I am capable of, and that is a promise that won't weaken."

Shuuichi had been afraid the conversation might go to Miss Nao.

...he missed her.

He missed her so god damned badly.

Which was actual madness. Every day that passed made the memories of the previous week...harder. More alarming. Some of their time together, when he thought about it now, made him start to physically shake, made him want to vomit...but he missed her, he missed her, Atua strike him down, he still loved her...

Was she thinking about him at all? Did she miss him back? Would she be happy to see him when they got back? Would she...would she...

Shuuichi felt a shiver of fear and repulsion, and tried hard to focus back on what Dr. Kimura was saying.

"...Maki and Kaito are kind of hard to predict, even for me...so I can understand why you would have been nervous to talk to them about me. It's okay. They really could have hurt you, if they had misunderstood...Kaito tried to..." Shuichi sighed, lowering his cap, "It doesn't matter. I, just...I just wanted to apologize and...I understand why you felt like all that was the best course of action. Maybe it was. I don't really know. The only time I felt like my life had any semblance of order during all that was following Miss Nao's routine, so...who knows what I would have done without it...I don't know. Maybe it was all for the best."

(...a flash of memory. Pulling at handcuffs fruitlessly, desperately needing to pee, legs weak and throbbing, a terrible ache inside of him, wanting to call out for help and being too humiliated to follow through...too afraid...)

Shuuichi shook his head, a shiver of fear running through him.

Sometimes Shuuichi was tempted not to take the medicine. Trick Maki somehow, let the symptoms all start again.

Sometimes he missed the fear feeling good.

There was still a part of Shuuichi, that didn't wonder if the Remnants of Despair had a point...

"...I trust you, Dr. Kimura. At least, right now I do anyway," Shuuichi said honestly, shrugging at her, watching his friends try to spin like mad, Kaito and Timothy working together to spin their cup as quickly as possible, Kokichi unable to fight the gravity and riding the wall. "If...if you think I'll be better on the other side of it then...that's what I should do."

Looking at her, Shuuichi bowed his head to her. Tired, but glad to be able to get all of this out of his system as he said, "Thank you for taking care of me."

Seiko sighed softly. There was no way to know what would've happened if they did this or that, but... "...I still shouldn't have let her go as far as she did." There were all those caveats Seiko knew of; that if he couldn't get his thrills with Nao, Shuuichi would've tried to put himself in danger some other way. And he still had in the moments Nao wasn't actively threatening him, chewing through his fingers and wrists, going to a place where it would've been so easy for him to overdose, and where people wouldn't've cared if he was put in mortal peril. And...for as horrible as Nao had treated him, Seiko had to admit Nao had always made sure that Shuuichi would still be breathing the next morning.

But just because he wasn't dead didn't mean that there wasn't a better way they could've handled things. But you can only learn from the past to change the future.

"...I'll be doing my best, Shuuichi."

-

As predicted, Kokichi staggered a bit as he got out of the teacup, his balance off but a grin on his face. "That was awesome!!"

Kaito and Tim were actually slower to get out, both of them having thoroughly managed to spin themselves dizzy. Kaito stabilized first, and watched, laughing, as Timothy walked this way and that, determined but entirely unable to get himself stable, before stumbling a little-

Kaito caught him, laughing again. "Alright, here, just until your head stops spinning. Up on my shoulders, alright? Come on."

Timothy wasn't sure what he meant, right up until he found himself in the air, absolutely befuddled when he suddenly had a clear view of the carnival, sitting with his legs around the prince's neck. Timothy held onto Kaito's head, nervous for a second, both afraid he'd fall and just...kind of afraid.

...but his fascination at getting to look down at everyone's heads eased the discomfort, and oh! He could see Chase over by Dr. Kimura and Mr. Saihara's feet! He tried to wave at her, and then stopped when Prince Kaito started to walk, just wanting to make sure he'd keep his balance.

The assassin-in-training secured, Kaito went to go check on his husband next, laughing at his proclamation as he reached out to put a steadying hand on his shoulder. "Had a good time, huh? That's perfect! Seriously, the teacups are, in my opinion, one of the most physically demanding rides you can go on. You can handle those? You can handle any of it!"

Maki and Hajime soon joined them, the two having spun a bit before finding themselves just literally lounging on them, enjoying the light wind and sun from the natural slow spin the teacups always had as they chatted a bit. Maki complimenting the artwork she saw sprinkled around the beach house and Hajime taking his opportunity to gush about his girlfriend’s many talents--"Including games; man, you think her art is good? The way she dominates any game she plays is almost supernatural."

It had been a nice, calm conversation, and the two had come out of the teacups liking each other a little better than when they went in.

Maki quietly observed Timothy on Kaito's shoulders for a moment before, shading her eyes to keep them clear from the sun, said, "Got a good vantage point up there?"

"Yes, Miss Harukawa!"

"Good. Keep an eye out, it's your job to spot danger now," Maki instructed, entirely teasing, before looking at the princes and observing, "You two are ridiculous. I thought Kokichi was going to fly out of that thing half a dozen times."

"Nah, Kokichi did great! He's totally got this! He can handle anything this place throws at him!" Kaito declared, hugging Kokichi to himself and shaking him gently. "So what should we do next? Anyone feeling anything in particular call to them?"

"If he did, I would've caught him."

The voice caught pretty much everyone by surprise, Katsuki suddenly with the group again, at least for the moment. And while her statement could easily be something, say, Kaito would insist, though knowing it was borderline impossible, Katsuki said it with such a mundane sincerity that no one could really refute it.

It would've been easier to catch an airborne Kokichi from the trees above the ride where she had been surveying than on the ground, anyway.

With a smile, she held out a treat for Shuuichi to take if he wanted, what looked like some fried dough with powdered sugar on top, but was really a deep-fried chocolate creme cookie. She had another one meant for Kokichi, which she handed off soon thereafter.

Squirming a little in delight, Kokichi munched on the surprise treat, thanking Katsuki, and looked around before looking at his beaus sheepishly. "Since we're pretty sure I'll be alright...can we go ride the rollercoaster? If you guys don't wanna go again, I'll be fine riding it on my own."

Shuuichi lit up at the sudden sugar offered, taking it gratefully from Katsuki and bowing his head slightly at her. After a tough conversation like that, getting to indulge his increasingly rabid sweet tooth was a nice way to recover, and he munched on it cheerfully, before breaking a piece of it off and handing it up to Timothy, which Maki quietly allowed.

"I think I'll pass this time, Kokichi," Shuuichi said, giving his boyfriend a slightly apologetic look, "It's getting warmer out as the day goes on and I think I need to sit in the shade for a little bit."

"That's a good point...we should all be wearing sunscreen by now..." Maki looked up at Timothy, stating simply, "You're coming with me. We're gonna go buy and apply some sunscreen, then bring it back for everyone else."

"Awwww...but I wanna go on the rollercoaster again too!"

"Don't argue with me. You can go on after we've done so. Put him down, Kaito."

"Sorry kid, Maki's orders," Prince Kaito apologized, taking Timothy off his shoulder and pushing him towards Maki, who put a hand to his back and guided him away, set on her task. Timothy grabbed Chase's leash from Dr. Kimura just before he left, the puppy cheerfully following behind.

"Well, you know I'm up for it! Come on, Kokichi, it'll be fun to see you go on your first rollercoaster! Wouldn't miss it for anything!" Kaito said, offering Kokichi his hand.

Kokichi grinned up at Kaito before going over to Shuuichi and giving his boyfriend a sweet kiss on the cheek. "Okie doke. There are water stations all over the place, so if the heat is getting to Shuu-chan, keep hydrated, alright?"

Seiko hummed at that, having sighed at the deep-fried sugar, but...well, they knew how awful it was. And a treat every now and then wasn't that bad. "Actually...I think I'll go get some water for us. We've been here long enough that i-it's a good idea to drink something. Miss Okuniji, would you be open to helping me...?"

With a "mission accepted!" the two women broke off from the group to get water, and Kokichi returned to his husband's side. "Let's find a shady area by the coaster for people to rest, then we'll get in line?"

Kaito leaned down, put his arm underneath Kokichi's ass, and picked him up onto his hips, saying simply, "They're all adults, 'Kichi, they can find their own shade. We don't need to supervise. We'll just find them after we're done. Come on, you're all mine now, let's go." Kaito insisted, getting ready to move out before he felt Hajime's hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

"Put him down, Kaito, you're going to either pop your stitches or hurt your cast arm. Honestly, no wonder Maki's constantly paranoid," the housekeeper observed, rolling his eyes as Kaito huffed, putting his husband down. "If I grew up trying to look after your compulsively self-destructive ass, I'd be a ball of stress and anxiety too."

"Kokichi weighs nothing, I can handle it." Kaito pouted, as Shuuichi looked around.

"We'll go sit over at the eating area next to the food stands over by the rollercoaster, Kokichi," Shuuichi decided, wanting to accommodate Kokichi's concern. "They have shade set up there, and I'll get to watch you guys go on the ride. We'll see you after," Shuuichi promised, kissing at his cheek before moving to head in that direction, Hajime following him.

Kokichi didn't really mind how often Kaito wanted to pick him up and carry him around but...especially in this situation, in public and walking around everywhere...he could walk himself. His knees had stopped stinging hours ago, and his vertigo had quickly worn off after getting off the teacups.

So...Kokichi was kind of thankful to Hajime. He didn't want to squirm and end up hurting Kaito. ...even if he could've just asked Kaito to put him down himself.

Smiling at Shuuichi, Kokichi watched him and Hajime go for a moment before taking Kaito's hand and leading him to the coaster line, feeling his excitement start to ramp up again. "You can handle it, but I'll feel better if you're all healed up, Kai-chan. I know you'd be fine anyway, but I get too nervous to move around, worried that I'll hurt your arm. And, like, I know you're always down for cuddling, but I can walk around myself. You guys haven't tired me out yet."

Kokichi beamed up at his husband, wrapping an arm around his waist and hugging him from the side.

Kaito looked down at him fondly, holding him back. "I know, I'm sorry. I got greedy. I just like to be close to ya."

The two headed to the line, which to Kaito's surprise, seemed a little shorter this time than it had an hour ago. Probably just a stroke of luck, as almost as soon as they got into it, more and more people started lining up behind them, chatting together or quietly watching the crowds, many people chewing on snacks or drinking something to fight off the heat.

As the two waited in line, Kaito asked, "Alright, so, we're pretty well into the rides. Are you enjoying yourself? Anything in particular here you want to check off your bucket list?"

"No, I'm bored out of my mind and I am not having even the slightest modicum of fun." Kokichi looked up at Kaito with a blank expression before rolling his eyes with a snicker. "I'm having a blast, sweets. It was a great idea to come here! I'd expect nothing less from you--Kai-chan has tons of great ideas."

Some not-so-great ones too, but...those always seemed more like impulses than the actual ideas Kaito brought to the table. Standardizing travel between the Dicean and Luminous capitals, having childcare nearby castles for people to have an easier commute...if he had the avenue to, Kokichi knew that, despite what Kaito seemed to think of himself, he had so much to bring to the table in terms of policy. Almost ironically...it was a matter of getting Kaito to believe in himself.

Rubbing Kaito's back a bit, Kokichi looked out among the people enjoying the carnival, his gaze sliding over various attractions. "Well, this is kind of something I've always wanted to do, so we're already ahead of the game. But, speaking of, I wanna play some of the game stalls. And they all have overhangs, so we can stay in the shade while we play."

"If Kai-chan sees a prize he likes, I wanna give it a shot winning it for him!" Kokichi grinned up at Kaito, perhaps flipping the script on his husband a little.

Kaito considered him for a moment...before narrowing his eyes.

"Bet I could get you an even bigger prize," he challenged.

"Mmmm, I do like big prizes, and I would treasure anything my beloved husband won for me," Kokichi hummed, "but if there was something you really wanted? Like, really, really, would-mean-the-world-to-you wanted? I think that would be more special than something I'd simply adore."

Kaito pouted, a little put out that Kokichi hadn't accepted his challenge, but...alright. Let's think then...

...an idea occurred to him, or...really, kind of more of an old memory...one that still kinda hurt, sometimes. Which was dumb. It was really, really dumb. He probably shouldn't even mention it.

...it'd be kind of nice though...

He frowned. Conflicted with himself and embarrassed as he admitted, "I mean...it's kind of stupid..."

Kokichi thought for a moment before nodding with confidence. "A plush doll of a banana with sunglasses."

"Oh my god, but that actually sounds amazing," Kaito admitted, eyes widening. "We could put a little cape on it, and it'd be a little cool little knight banana...oh my god we should put Timothy in sunglasses and a cape! He would look so cute!"

Kaito quieted down as he got a few glances from other people in the line, Kaito's fondness for seeing people in cute outfits betraying him a little as he laughed awkwardly.

"Okay, but seriously, if we see that, I'm trying to get it. But, no, uh...I don't know if this place would have this. Totally fine if not. But...if they do that thing where you can win a fish as a prize? That'd be pretty cool," Kaito said, a tad uncertainly...before frowning. "Though...I guess it'd be kind of tough to get it home...it'd probably die. Maybe that's a bad idea...yeah, that's a bad idea. I'd like whatever you got for me, 'Kichi."

Kokichi snorted a bit, wondering if Tim would ever indulge Kaito by dressing up. If Kaito ever did get around to finding a monster onesie, he might indulge his husband for an evening, but no one else had to at all.

But, upon hearing what Kaito actually wanted...

"Oh! Yeah, I've seen those kinds of games, though usually if you win the person managing the game gives a donation to the aquarium. Pets as prizes can be a little uncertain if someone just wants to play but isn't ready for a pet, you know?"

"And...yeah, I don't know how a fish would do on the way home..." Kokichi hummed, frowning a bit in disappointment...before perking himself back up. "But we could totally get you a pet fish once we're back! And you could decorate the tank all cool! Maybe we should take a walk on the beach again before we go, so you could see if there's a shell or two that you'd wanna put in the tank."

Idly walking forward in line again, Kokichi's gaze went distant as he thought about it. "Or, if you really wanted a prize fish...I mean, we could see if someone has that game set up during the next festival, and if you are ready for a pet, you can adopt the fish you win. Or I win, scouring all the fish available for the perfect new friend." He grinned up at Kaito as the coaster was emptied and it was their turn to climb in. "Looks like a lot of us are getting new pets, huh?"

Kaito grinned wide. "Yeah! That could be fun. I mean...a prize fish would be nice, but honestly, I guess I just kinda want a fish. I could put it in my shrine! It'd be a nice reason to visit my shrine every day, needing to feed my fish." Kaito daydreamed about that, climbing in and holding out his hand to help Kokichi in, more out of courtesy than any actual need.

"Ugh, do you think Shuuichi's actually going to get a snake? Man...just you watch, that thing is totally going to end up eating my fish." Kaito pouted, lowering the safety rail down on top of them, before saying excitedly, "Okay! You ready? Gah, I always get butterflies in my stomach right before these things start."

The rest of the carts filled, and a man at the front put his hand up to motion to someone...and the carts started to move, the movement chunky and vibrating as metal chains guided them up the tracks.

Kokichi nodded with a smile. A pet seemed like it'd be good for Kaito. He already had a responsibility in looking after Tim, but...sometimes it was nice to have a lower-stakes responsibility. Sure, a fish was still a life, but it was a much lower maintenance one. It would need to be fed every day, and probably to have its tank cleaned every week or so, but...especially if Kaito kept it in his shrine, it would be nice to have a little friend to talk to while he prayed. Something that was just for Kaito.

It was kind of the same principle for Shuuichi, though a snake had a few more needs...but something a little more demanding would just suit Shuuichi's needs more, since...well, he hadn't had much control over anything lately. A life to take care of that would appreciate more involved bonding time, but would be happy just chillin' in a terrarium for hours sounded perfect.

And...maybe with pets, the castle would feel a little more like home.

Laughing softly, Kokichi held onto the rail in front of them, the guard pressed down on their laps...or, really more Kaito's lap, but Kokichi still felt secure enough, Kokichi tapped his feet excitedly on the floor of the cart, his smile widening as the coaster began to move.

"I'm so excited! Kai-chan, thanks for taking me today. For riding this with me. I love you."