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Shuichi wiped a line of sweat from his forehead as he placed the last piece of pointed dripstone onto his and Kokichi’s new home. His back cracked in about 7 different places as he finally stood up from the hunched position he had been building in for hours, his entire body seemingly sighing in relief as he stretched. His wings ruffled in their confines, the tiny stretch mildly rejuvenating, but mostly painful at the same time from going so long without a proper preening.
The view from the top of the Keep was almost enough to make him forget about the pain radiating through his body. Perching on the tallest spikes of the tower granted him a beautiful vantage point of the entire server, from Maki’s tower that Kokichi had threatened to burn down, to Kaito and Rantaro’s boat that Kokichi had almost burnt down, all the way to the ranch right next door, which Kokichi had actually burnt down. Shuichi could see Miu and Kaede there now, Kaede’s pale yellow wings all fluffed up as she tried to calm her girlfriend down from a full on rage, the two of them picking up the still-smoldering pieces of their home.
…Why exactly had Shuichi decided to build the base out of wood?
“Shuuummmaaaiiiii!!!” A voice called from below him, and he felt his wings fluff up behind him, sending another spike of pain and itchiness through his back. “You’ve been building for hours! Come take a break and play with the pandas for a bit!”
Shuichi let out a long sigh, not able to help a small smile from stretching his face. He may have been against Kokichi’s idea of a panda sanctuary at the beginning of the games, only caving in when his boyfriend gave him those precious puppy dog eyes that he could never say no to, but he had to admit, playing with the gentle creatures did do wonders for stress relief. Taking a break wouldn’t hurt, especially now that the base’s main structure was complete.
Plus, he hadn’t had any Kokichi cuddles all day. And that was almost a greater crime than burning down the ranch.
Fighting every instinct urging him to jump off the top of the Keep and glide down like he usually would, Shuichi quickly made his way down the spiral staircase of the Keep. They had already had quite a few close calls during the first session when Shuichi’s brain didn’t quite register the fact that his wings were indeed bound to his back by sturdy straps, and that he would indeed take fall damage like any other player.
Before Shuichi could even make it to the first floor of their home however, another figure joined him on the staircase, stopping him in his tracks.
“Come on Saihara-chan,” Kokichi cooed, his voice full of both that sweetness that made his avian brain turn to mush, and an unfamiliar sternness that sent a shiver down his itchy itchy painful spine. “Let’s go to bed.”
“I uhh…” he stammered, letting Kokichi lead him back up to their bedroom. “I thought we were going to the sanctuary.”
“Oh my beloved, you should know by now that I’m not exactly an honest person.” Kokichi smiled at him, doing a small twirl before flopping onto the bed and patting the empty spot on the mattress next to him. “Nope, what’s really gonna happen is you’re gonna sit right here and you’re gonna take off those wing straps.”
Shuichi tensed. “But…but the advantage…” He reached his hand back to fiddle with the leather straps. Of course Shuichi wished he could let his wings out all the time, but the straps were necessary to make sure he didn’t have any sort of advantage over anyone. This was a death game after all. Of course he and Kaede made sure to take them off during breaks so they didn’t hurt so bad but…
Oh. Oh.
Shuichi could feel his heartbeat speed up, pounding against his chest. Their heartbeat, intertwined by the powers of the server that bound them together as partners, as soulmates .
“You and Kaede promised us that you’d take them off during the mandatory breaks, but I know you haven’t stopped working on building the base all day, Shumai.” Kokichi’s eyes glanced towards his own hand, as if he could see the metaphorical string between the two of them, interlocking their souls together. “I can feel how much they hurt you know, across the bond. I don’t exactly have wings, so it concentrates all the pain against my shoulders.”
Guilt quickly pooled in Shuichi’s stomach. Of course Kokichi would be able to feel his discomfort. That was the whole point of the soulmate gimmick this season! He wasn’t just hurting himself here. “I…” He started, trying to hold back tears. “Kokichi I’m so sor-”
“Nuh uh nope!” Kokichi interjected before he could finish his apology. “That’s not what I’m upset about. I just want you to take better care of yourself, okay?” His boyfriend rose from the bed slightly, just enough to grab Shuichi’s hand and coax him into their comfy little nest. “We both gotta be in tip top shape so we can win this together! I can’t let my beloved be blown up by a creeper like that dumb bitch Miu because he was so focused on his wings.”
Shuichi let his soulbound drag him into bed, sighing in relief when those small fingers finally freed his wings from their confines. He let them stretch out to his full wingspan, feeling Kokichi wince behind him as several bones popped from the lack of use, sending small jolts of pain through his body. The guilt filled him once more. If he already felt like this, then how bad had it all felt for Kokichi with the pain concentrated on such a small part of his body? He nearly whimpered at the thought before those fingers buried themselves in his feathers, scratching lightly at the itchy skin, and his brain quickly turned to mush.
“You think too much, beloved,” Kokichi spoke softly, running his fingertips gently over Shuichi’s primaries, making him shiver. “You always take care of me. Let me take care of you this time.”
Shuichi just nodded, his brain feeling way too mushy to form words as Kokichi got to work, freeing his poor feathers of all the mud and sticks and chips of wood (seriously how had he not noticed those?) that had caked up from so long without a cleaning. This was far from the first time that he had let Kokichi preen him in these games, I mean they lived in a sand biome for the first season for Christ’s sake! His feathers never seemed to be free of the grit no matter how hard they both tried. But this felt so much different, the soul bond between them seeming almost alight with their closeness and combined joy. It seemed pain wasn’t the only thing they shared here, judging by the light sighs he heard from Kokichi any time he dislodged a particularly large chunk of debris. Just like Shuichi’s pain was also Kokichi’s, so was his relief, his comfort, his joy. It set his heart on fire.
His boyfriend. His beloved. His soulmate .
He nearly felt like crying when Kokichi finished.
“Feel better now Shumai?” Kokichi asked, a genuine softness to his tone that Shuichi didn’t hear that often. One reserved only for him. Only for him .
Shuichi hummed in acknowledgment, turning around swiftly to wrap his arms around Kokichi’s waist, sending them both tumbling down onto the pillows. Kokichi yelped in surprise, but quickly hugged him back, snuggling into him like a cat.
“Someone’s clingy,” his soulmate murmured into his chest,
Shuichi let out a chuckle, sliding a hand from Kokichi’s back up to the base of his head. “Says you,” he retorted, running his fingers through soft purple hair.
Kokichi huffed, lifting his head off Shuichi’s chest to pout at him. “I have been neglected and denied Shumai cuddles all day while you made a wooden birthday cake.” He lifted a hand to poke at Shuichi’s nose. “You’re lucky you’re so cute, otherwise I wouldn’t have helped you at all.”
Shuichi just smiled, taking Kokichi’s hand off his nose to interlock their fingers together instead. “There’s the Kokichi I know,” he whispered. He placed a quick kiss to his soulmate’s knuckles, relishing in the small flush taking over his face.
“You- You're such a sap Shuichi!” Kokichi swiftly pushed his other hand into his soulmate’s face, squealing as Shuichi grabbed it to attack it with kisses. He released Kokichi’s hands to wrap his arms back around his love, giggling as Kokichi took the opportunity to pepper his face in kisses before finally pressing their lips together.
Shuichi chased his lips as they separated, earning a smirk from his boyfriend as he collapsed into his chest. Shuichi buried his face in Kokichi’s soft hair, letting out a long sigh. This was absolute bliss. Nothing could ruin this moment.
“I’m gonna burn down Kaito’s dumb boat the second your back is turned.”
“Kokichi!”
Some things never change.