Chapter Text
Once Kokichi had gotten himself back together, Shuichi borrowed his shower to clean himself. He toweled himself dry and started picking up his clothes, which had been thrown haphazardly around the room in the haze of lust last night. His clothes were crumpled and dirty, but even if Shuichi wanted to borrow a change of clothes from Kokichi he was sure he could not fit into the smaller man's clothes.
"I never pegged Saihara-chan as the kind of man to fuck someone and leave without a word," Kokichi quipped.
"We'll talk about this - us - later. I need to take Shiori to aikido," Shuichi said, walking over to Kokichi and giving him a chaste kiss on the forehead. Kokichi flushed a deep red. "And please, call me Shuichi. No honorifics."
"I-I knew that! I was just testing you!" Kokichi rolled over in bed so his back was facing Shuichi, hugging the sheets around him. "And... you'll call me Kokichi?" he whispered softly.
"If you're alright with that, Kokichi," Shuichi replied, aware of the way Kokichi's breath hitched when he said his given name. "I'm going now. Lock the door behind me, okay?" He considered giving Kokichi a quick hug but decided that the other man needed time on his own to process what had happened, so he left the apartment and made his way home.
On the way home, Shuichi kept his eyes down and walked as fast as he could. He was aware of the way his clothes looked; rumpled and dirty with wrinkles all over, and the way people looked at him, but he tore himself away from his embarrassment with thoughts of starting a long-term relationship with Kokichi. He thought of the way Kokichi looked at him, as if he was the most precious thing in the world. He thought of the way Kokichi touched him, soft and gentle, as if he deserved all the love in the world. He thought of Kokichi's pale, smooth skin, the surprising amount of lean muscle he hid under his clothes, the way those muscles formed a defined V leading to his crotch-
...Okay, maybe not those thoughts.
By the time he got home, Shiori had already made herself a peanut butter sandwich. She sat at the dining table silently, munching on her food and taking a sip of milk between bites. Shuichi took a look at the table - a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin in front of where he usually sat - and he pieced everything together.
Shuichi kneeled in front of Shiori and took her hand in his. "Shiori, I wasn't drinking. I swear."
"I-I know. I was just scared. I'm sorry, I should have more faith in you..." Shiori placed the sandwich on her plate and sniffed. Shuichi realized how small her hand was compared to his when he held her hand in his own. Shuichi's heart lurched; she was just a child and she had already learnt how to help people with a hangover because of him. He pulled her into a tight hug. She deserved better.
When they broke apart, Shiori said, "You smell like... Ouma-sensei's shampoo?"
Shuichi's face burned. "A-ah, yes. I was at your sensei's. We made up." He was not sure if he should be proud that his daughter was so observant for her age, or if he should be mortified that she had pieced it together that fast. He was just glad she did not know about sex yet.
"You did?" Shiori squealed happily. "Then Ouma-sensei will join us for dinner next week?"
"I think so," Shuichi said. He still needed to speak to Kokichi about their... relationship status, but he assumed Kokichi would not mind free food next Saturday. "Hurry up and eat, we need to get going." He patted her head affectionately, squishing her idiot hair down and watching in amusement as it sprung back up in full force. He excused himself to get changed into clean clothes, then took Shiori to aikido.
He spent his free hour talking to Maki over the phone. She was due any moment now and was thus staying at home waiting for the baby to come. They had decided to name their son Fuyuhiko because he would be born in the winter, and Shuichi had to resist the urge to take a shot when he realized Kuzuryu's given name was Fuyuhiko as well. Shuichi insisted on taking leave to visit them when Fuyuhiko was born, but Maki told him they could see Fuyuhiko during the class gathering at Christmas.
"How about you, Shuichi? It's been two months since you said you were seeing someone new. How is your relationship going?"
Shuichi colored. "I- I'm not seeing them. But I have confessed my feelings and they accepted."
He could almost hear Maki smile over the phone. "I see. That's wonderful news. I hope to meet Ouma soon."
Did Shuichi hear that right, or did she just say Kokichi's name? "W-what?"
"I said I hope to meet them soon," Maki repeated.
"O-oh. I thought you said..." Shuichi trailed off, not wanting to reveal the fact that the person in question was Kokichi. Not that he was ashamed of being with Kokichi, it was just that he wanted to know how comfortable Kokichi was before revealing any information about them. He loved Kokichi too much to cross any boundaries.
"Shuichi?" Maki said. "I'm glad you're happy."
Shuichi smiled. "Thank you, Maki-san."
Shuichi staggered into his house in the early hours of the morning. He had been in a meeting that dragged on a little too long, and while he could usually excuse himself politely or end the conversation, he could not do the same when Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko, the Ultimate Yakuza and leader of the Kuzuryu group, was involved. Even if all he did was give legal advice and mediate, it still took a lot of energy for him to pretend to be unfazed while being surrounded by yakuza.
At least they had not noticed when he stopped at the first bottle of sake. He would not have been able to refuse had they offered a second round.
He dumped his coat and keys on the side and kicked off his shoes. Shiori's shoes were there, as were Kokichi's. He had told Kokichi that he would be late today and asked him to take care of Shiori, but he was surprised that Kokichi would still be waiting for him. He went upstairs to his room, where he found Kokichi lying on his stomach, grading papers on his bed.
When Kokichi realized Shuichi was back, he immediately abandoned his work and jumped off the bed. "Ooh, my beloved Shuichi is finally here! Come now, let's play... I missed you for the entire week, you know." His voice was sultry and his body language suggestive, his index finger teasingly playing with Shuichi's top button. He pressed his hips forward to grind against Shuichi's crotch slowly.
Normally, Shuichi would have obliged. Kokichi was an attractive man, and the way he dressed while in the privacy of their bedroom tended to result in his eventual undress every Saturday. Currently, Kokichi was only dressed in one of Shuichi's pajamas tops, the oversized shirt showing off his sleek collarbones. He also had no doubt that Kokichi had no underwear on.
Tonight, however, Shuichi was not feeling it. The accumulation of stress over the entire day plus his sheer exhaustion made him unable to even have any physical reaction to Kokichi's teasing. He pushed Kokichi away gently but firmly. "Not today, Kokichi. I'm tired."
Kokichi blinked, then smiled. "Okay!" he said. He went to get his clothes - which were folded neatly in a corner - and starting putting his underwear and pants on. Shuichi sighed with relief, until he realized that Kokichi was also changing his top.
"Where are you going?" Shuichi asked.
"Home. You don't want sex, right? So I need to get going." Kokichi pulled his blazer on, folded Shuichi's top neatly and stepped towards the door.
Shuichi reacted instinctively, grabbing Kokichi's wrist. "Stay. Please?"
"...If my beloved insists, I can't say no." Kokichi shed his blazer again, giving Shuichi a chaste kiss on the lips after he did so. "Want me to draw a bath for you?"
"I'll do it myself," Shuichi said. He unhooked the necklace and set it on the bedside table, then went to his closet to get a change of clothes. Even if he heard that silver would not rust, he did not want to take any chances with something as precious as his wedding ring.
The warm water in the bath relaxed him, causing Shuichi to almost fall asleep in the tub. But he remembered that Kokichi was still waiting for him, and so he got out, dried himself off and got changed quickly. When he got back to the room, Kokichi had changed back into Shuichi's pajamas top, though he kept his boxers on. He was sitting on the bed cross-legged, staring at the ring in his fingers. He did not even notice Shuichi come into the room, which showed how focused he was on the ring.
Shuichi sat beside Kokichi and brushed his hand on the other man's arm. Kokichi flinched violently, stammering out excuses as he did so. "I-I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to-"
"It's fine, I don't mind. You can look at it," Shuichi said. He watched as Kokichi tilted the ring to view the internal circumference, where the kanji 'Kaede' had been inscribed. Kaede's own ring had Shuichi's name on it, though it had been buried with her remains.
"I don't know how," Kokichi admitted.
"How?"
"How to... not have sex."
"That's alright. We have the rest of our lives to learn."
"Shuichi can help me! He probably has a lot of experience with that, with Akamatsu-chan from before." Kokichi forced a smile, but even the greatest liar could not mask the hurt behind those words.
He knew that Kokichi would always have his insecurities about their relationship, but that did not mean he did not hate the way Kokichi always put himself down. Kokichi was more than what he viewed himself as. He was not some cheap replacement for Kaede, he was his own man and Shuichi loved that about him. He would never forget Kaede or never stop loving her, but that did not mean he could not love Kokichi as well.
Shuichi gently pried the ring necklace from Kokichi's hands. "Close your eyes." Once Shuichi was sure that Kokichi's eyes were definitely shut, he let the necklace unfurl and clasped it around Kokichi's neck. Kokichi's eyes shot open before Shuichi was even done, his hand instinctively going to the ring, which now sat around his neck.
"It's important to you. What if I lose it?" Kokichi murmured, his fingers caressing the ring.
"Then don't," Shuichi said. "I'll admit that you'll never replace Kaede, but that's because the two of you are completely different people. I'm not good at expressing my emotions, but I do love you."
Kokichi turned his head away. "...I could throw it away. Or sell it. Or deface it."
Shuichi sighed. "You won't. I trust you. Now turn off your brain and go to sleep." He pulled Kokichi under the covers and fell into a deep, restful sleep, his boyfriend's warm body right beside him.
Shuichi wanted to tell Shiori about their relationship, but Kokichi was hesitant. Understandable, considering that if the school found out that Kokichi was in a relationship with one of his student's parents he might be fired, but Shuichi was sure that Shiori could keep a secret.
Shuichi had a sinking feeling that there was more to that than Kokichi's job being on the line. Despite how much he tried to hide it, Kokichi was a very vulnerable person. He had so many insecurities that stemmed from his lack of self-worth and Shuichi's previous marriage, insecurities that Shuichi would never be able to fully soothe no matter how many soothing words he uttered or gentle kisses he placed upon Kokichi. This was something Kokichi had to deal with himself, but that did not mean Shuichi wanted him to go through it alone.
During spring break, however, Kokichi had finally relented and allowed Shuichi to break the news to Shiori. Shuichi decided to break the news over their weekly dinner together. They decided that Shuichi, being Shiori's father, should be the one to start the conversation.
"Shiori, we have something to tell you," Shuichi started gently. Below the table, he felt Kokichi grab his free hand. He squeezed back.
"Is Ouma-sensei finally going to be my new mother?" Shiori asked.
Shuichi spluttered and choked on his spit. He coughed violently, his body instinctively trying to expel the foreign object lodged in his throat. Kokichi rubbed his back soothingly until the coughing fit died down. He took a sip of water and continued. "You knew?"
Shiori nodded solemnly. "Yeah! Ouma-sensei is wearing otou-san's ring, so it's obvious!"
Kokichi's eyes widened. "How did you- I keep it tucked inside!"
Shiori giggled. "That's a secret! So I can I call you okaa-san?"
Kokichi wrinkled his nose. "I'm male, so I should be otou-san too!"
"But that's confusing..." Shiori frowned slightly.
Kokichi hummed, tapping his chin with his finger. "How about this? Call me Papa, but only while we're not at school."
"Okay... Papa."
The moment those words left Shiori's mouth, Kokichi stilled. Shuichi felt Kokichi's hand tremble underneath the table. He opened and closed his mouth, trying to say something, but no words came out. Tears spilled over his eyes and down his cheek.
Shuichi shifted their chairs closer and hugged Kokichi to his chest. He rocked Kokichi gently, trying to help Kokichi get over his crying spell. When Kokichi was done, he pushed himself away from Shuichi's chest and sniffed. "I'm sorry. I don't know- I didn't think I'd be this affected." Kokichi accepted the tissues Shiori offered and blew his nose. Shuichi wiped away Kokichi's tears with his sleeve.
"S-should I not call you Papa?" Shiori said timidly.
"No!" Kokichi exclaimed. "I'd love for you to call me Papa. Unless... you don't want to?"
"I want to!" Shiori hopped off her chair and ran into Kokichi's arms. "I love you, and I'm happy that you're my Papa."
Kokichi buried his face into Shiori's hair, and Shuichi thought he saw the glistening hint of tears in Kokichi's eyes again. "I love you too, Shiori."
Shiori was due to move up to middle school next spring, though she seemed more excited that Kokichi was moving in than her graduation. Now that Kokichi was no longer teaching Shiori, they were free to express their love for each other. Shuichi had given Kokichi a set of spare keys to his house years ago, but now Kokichi was finally going to live with them.
Both of them were lying on their bed, staring at the ceiling. It had been a tiring day moving Kokichi's belongings from his apartment to the house, especially since they opted not to hire a mover. They spent the entire day helping Kokichi pack his things and carrying them back to the house, then unpacking them one by one. There were still some boxes left untouched, but they could get to that tomorrow. Shuichi's muscles were burning. He needed to rest.
"I just can't believe it's been more than five years," Kokichi reminisced. "It seems like yesterday when we first met again."
"Even though we can't get married in Japan, I still want to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you, Kokichi."
Kokichi never could say those words out loud easily because it was just the way he was. He had never been one to be direct and use words to get what he wanted or express how he felt, but it was fine. Because when Kokichi reached out to entwine his fingers in Shuichi's, Shuichi understood all the same.