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An exaggerated whine sounded through the air, bouncing across the walls of the dome that contained them inside the Ultimate Academy. That whine was quickly followed by a loud groan.
The whiny, pouting voice belonged to none other than the Ultimate Supreme Leader ('of evil', so he claimed), Ouma Kokichi. And the groan that trailed behind was that of the Ultimate Astronaut ('Luminary of the Stars', so he claimed), Momota Kaito.
"Why is this… so difficult?" Kokichi huffed petulantly, sprawled out on his stomach in the lush grass outside of the dormitory and panting like he'd run a mile in a minute.
"Because your body isn't used to this much strain," Saihara Shuichi, the Ultimate Detective—and no more than that, so he claimed—replied gently as he finished his rep of push-ups with a slightly flushed face and shaking arms.
"Because you're weak," Kaito simplified, earning a glare from Kokichi and a meek chuckle from Shuichi, which then got Shuichi a scowl, too.
Sitting upright and sticking his nose in the air, Kokichi huffed. "At least I do the work. Momota-chan's been sitting there watching us sweat like a creepy, kinky creeper!" Before Kaito could sputter a defense, Kokichi scooted closer to him and brought their faces uncomfortably close. "I bet you looooove sitting there, watching two dudes get all hot n' weak—"
Kaito shoved his palm on Kokichi's face, pushing him away firmly but carefully. His face was consumed by a fiery red blush. "W-What the hell is wrong with you, man?!" he shouted, trying and failing to compensate for the lack of control he had over the situation with volume. Shuichi, meanwhile, just pulled the mildly damp collar of his shirt over his nose and looked away to shield his blush.
Kokichi backed off but made a scene of wiping off his face after Kaito had touched it. "I wasn't blaming you or anything! I mean, isn't kinky stuff fitting for a dating show?" He shrugged as he spoke like their ordeal was nothing.
"I'm not exactly interested in participating in Monokuma's dating game…" Shuichi admitted. Kaito sighed, starting to cool down now that Kokichi's suggestive spectacle was over.
"Me either." He looked at his two friends. Kokichi, who was sitting back and still panting slightly from the intense workout, and Shuichi, who was looking up at the fabricated night sky above and seemed to be thinking deeply about something. He put a hand on his knees and started to stand. "Well, I think we're good on training for today. I'm gonna hit the hay."
Shuichi stood up and Kokichi slowly followed, stretching his back with a loud yawn. "Yeah. Thank you, Momota-kun," the former said with a grateful smile.
Kaito nodded and flashed him a thumbs-up. "Call me Kaito! Both of ya!"
Shuichi blushed slightly but gave a curt nod. "You can call me Shuichi."
"You can call me Daddy!" Kokichi chirped, voice as falsely innocent as ever.
"Dude…" Kaito exasperated, face pulling into a disgusted grimace. Once they reached the dormitory they all split up to go to their rooms.
Kaito opened his closet, checking for the umpteenth time for any clothes other than copies of his Ultimate uniform. No pajamas, no casual items, no nothing. It was a good thing Kaito's Ultimate uniform included a plain T-shirt underneath the jackets, and some somewhat comfortable pants. He changed and rinsed the gel out of his hair, then dropped into his bed with a sigh.
It didn't take long for his eyes to close and his mind to drift off. If he had any dreams, they didn't stick long enough for him to recall.
When morning came, Kaito was awoken by the already familiar dinging and shouting from the Monokubs over the monitor mounted on the wall.
"It's time for another wonderful day of love and bonding!"
"And you'll never believe who is coming in first!"
"But youse bastards ain't supposed to know 'bout that!"
"Wha-wha? They aren't supposed to know whose bond is the strongest?"
"THEY-CAN-ASK-PAPA."
"But nobody likes to talk with our dear Pops! That's fuckin' rude as hell!"
"So long, bear well!"
Not sure how to react to the morning announcement, as usual, Kaito got up, got dressed, and was just about to start gelling his hair when the monitor started to go off yet again.
"Wait, wait, wait, stop the party! Put all the guys away, my parents can't know my secrets!"
"But Monotaro, your parents should love you no matter what! I know I do!"
"Anyways! We gots a special bonding opportunity for youse!"
"TO-ENCOURAGE-MORE-FRIENDSHIP."
"A select few of your classmates have come down with a special strain of fevers called…"
"The Despair Disease!" all five cubs said at once, and then Monokuma popped up in front of them with a gleeful look. Kaito couldn't do anything more than watch.
"Thaaaat's right! The Despair Disease! High fevers and personality alteration make for great content, believe it or not!" Monokuma moved to the side, presenting a chart on the screen of a lazily drawn human body. "What does the Despair Disease do, you ask? Well, I'll give ya an example! Let's say some poor sap has the Liar's strain. Along with a gnarly fever, anyone with the Liar's strain can only tell lies! Puhuhuhuuu, how fun!" The chart rolled up and disappeared off-camera as Monokuma centered again. "Find out who has the Disease and what strain, and the sickfics will practically write themselves!"
With that, the monitor shut off and Kaito was left to process this. His first thought was to find out who had the Disease. Messily finishing the rest of his hair, Kaito then left the dormitory. The first dorm he thought to approach was Kokichi's since it was closer. He did an awkward speed-walk the short distance there and rapped on the door. "Yo, Ouma! Open up!"
He was met with an immediate yet desperate reply. "I can't!" Definitely Kokichi's voice. But he sounded genuine, like something was actually refraining him from opening the door. And upon listening a bit closer… Kaito could hear crying. But it couldn't have been Kokichi.
Unable to stand the puzzlement anymore, Kaito gripped the doorknob and swung the door open, sending a wave of light into the otherwise dark room.
Yeah, someone was definitely crying. Sobbing, in fact. Kaito reached out and flipped the light on, greeted by the sight of Kokichi lying on his bed, literally pinned down by none other than Shuichi, who was holding him tightly like he was a damaged child's teddy bear while sobbing uncontrollably.
Kaito immediately rushed over. "W-What happened, Shuichi? Are you alright?!"
Kokichi squirmed uncomfortably from underneath the detective. "He came in here crying like this! He said he wasn't feeling well and he was worried about me or something, I dunno. He won't let me up!"
Sniffling, Shuichi held in his sobs enough to speak. "I-I'm scared!" he shouted like that was any means of defense. Kokichi looked away and awkwardly patted his back with the one arm that wasn't pinned to his side.
Afraid of the result, Kaito leaned down and brushed Shuichi's bangs out of his face, pressing the back of his hand against the latter's forehead. "Fuck." he said simply. "Shuichi's got the Disease."
Kokichi sighed and continued patting Shuichi's back, though it seemed like he was genuinely trying to console the sickly boy this time around rather than pacify him. "What kind?"
Kaito shrugged. "I dunno… Maybe he's extra sad or something? The Sad Disease?"
Kokichi hummed. "So we just have to make him happy then!" The smile on the smaller boy's face felt… off. Disconcerting. Kaito rubbed the back of his neck.
"It was just an idea. That's… probably not what he actually has."
Kokichi furrowed his brows. "Oh. So what does he have, then?"
"I don't know!" Kaito threw his hands up in frustration. When he looked back at Kokichi he expected to see a sly grin, proud of setting off Kaito's temper once again. But Kokichi just looked confused.
Suddenly, Monokuma popped up in the room, both paws over his face as he giggled eerily. Kokichi glared at him and Shuichi clung to the former tighter, sobbing even harder now. "Congratulations, Luminary! You managed to find two infected at the same time!"
Kaito furrowed his brows. "Two? But–"
Wait. Oh, shit…
He immediately twisted around and put a hand on Kokichi's forehead, feeling the burning underneath exactly like Shuichi's. After the few seconds it took for Kokichi to process that, he scrunched his nose and turned his head away. "Grody. Get off'a me."
Kaito ran a hand through his hair and looked down at Monokuma. "Shit. Shit, shit, fuck… What kind do they have?"
The bear glanced at the two boys lying in the bed, then back at Kaito. "Why shouldn't I let you figure it out?"
He had to think for a moment. Luckily, Monokuma was easy to manipulate, even for a guy like Kaito who wasn't very street-smart. "It wouldn't be entertaining for your viewers if I was just confused the entire time, right?"
Monokuma hummed, then shrugged. "Mmm'yeah, I guess not! The audience does love a good himbo, but I'm callin' the shots!" He pointed an aggressive paw at Shuichi. "Sherlock there has the Emotional strain! Any teeny little emotion he feels is amplified tenfold!" Then he pointed at Kokichi. "And mister Molly there's got the Gullible strain! It's what it says on the tin!"
"So… Shuichi's emotional as hell and Ouma's just gullible?"
Monokuma nodded. "Not just any kind of gullible!" Kaito followed the bear's gaze to the other two boys. "Oi, you curly-headed freak!"
Kokichi's gaze shifted towards Monokuma, glaring at him with distaste. Shuichi sniffled and pulled Kokichi closer to his chest. "S-Stop it!! What did he ever do to you?!" He started sobbing once more. A prime example of the way a small twinge of hurt could lead to a full-on breakdown in Shuichi's case.
"He gets on my nerves, that's what!" Monokuma spat, then turned his attention back to Kokichi. "Did you know that Space Jam here's been to Uranus?"
Kokichi blinked, his expression contorting into shock. He looked at Kaito. "But… isn't that impossible?"
God damn.
"He's lying to you, Ouma," he said sympathetically. Kokichi sighed like his suspicions had been confirmed. For the most part, though, he seemed to believe Monokuma without question, and that was such a one-eighty from his usual self that it scared Kaito a little bit. The astronaut trainee looked at the mechanical bear beside him. "Get lost."
Monokuma kicked the ground like a pouting child. "Sheesh, kids these days! They have no idea how to respect their elders!" But he did as he was told and left as swiftly as he'd come, offering no means of help to Kaito and his two delirious friends.
Kokichi sat up as much as he could with Shuichi still holding him. "Jeez… I'm fine, Shuichi, you can let go."
Shuichi readjusted now that their positioning was different. "N-No you're not!" he wailed sadly. Kokichi's eyes flashed with fear.
"...Why..?" he asked after a moment. Kaito sighed and stepped closer, carefully prying Shuichi off of Kokichi like they were children.
"O-kay. Shuichi, don't start freaking Ouma out, please."
Shuichi sat on his heels and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "Yeah… I'm sorry…" he looked at Kokichi, who was looking between the two like he still wanted an answer on what Shuichi had thought was wrong with him. "I'm sorry, Ouma-san. I don't know what came over me."
I do, Kaito thought exasperatedly. "Let's just work on treating your guys' fevers. Get comfortable, I'm gonna go get some food."
"I'm not hungry," Kokichi called as he and Shuichi started to get settled against the headboard. Kaito scoffed.
"The hell you're not. You're thin as a stick," he replied as he turned the doorknob.
Kokichi's brows twitched. "I'm not," he insisted. "If you get me food it's not going in me."
Shuichi looked at him, his eyes welling with large tears once again. "B-But you'll get sick if you d-don't eat!" Just like that, Shuichi was full-on sobbing again. Kokichi's mouth hung agape as he watched like he was stunned by the fact that someone could care so much about his well-being, even if it was heavily exaggerated. Then, he crossed his arms and groaned loudly.
"Fine, fine! Just something small."
Kaito nodded. "Got it. I'll be right back."
"Hurry," was all Kokichi said back, and Kaito walked away from the door, behind which Shuichi's sobs came muffled through.
When he returned to Kokichi's room, arms plated with Kirumi's delicious waffles, Shuichi had stopped crying and was busy clinging to an oddly complacent Kokichi. Maybe the latter had just accepted that this was his reality for the time being and decided to roll with it. Or a small part of him was enjoying it. Kaito decided that that was probably it when Kokichi started trying to squirm away when he came in. He handed a plate to Kokichi and one to Shuichi, then sat on the ground beside the bed.
"Eat up. Then I'll go get water and wet rags," he said.
"I forgot you're a country boy," Kokichi mumbled, immediately starting to pick at his food rather than eat it. "'Till you said 'wet rags'."
"Shut up and eat," he replied, stuffing his own face full of fluffy waffles. Kokichi just continued to play with the food, and Shuichi watched him with his eyes filling up with tears again. Kokichi glanced at him and noticed this, and slowly stabbed a piece of the waffle and placed it into his mouth, obviously not quite comfortable with it.
Shuichi's expression lit up and he wrapped his arms around Kokichi, the plate on his lap nearly sliding off. His smile was so big and genuine, and it looked different on the ravenette yet so beautiful. Kaito felt almost blinded by it. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you!" Kokichi squirmed and whined in protest, but Shuichi didn't stop. "That's good! That's very good, you're gonna be healthy now!"
Kokichi paused, blinking slowly. "...Really…?" And Shuichi nodded vigorously. The leader looked over at Kaito as if asking for an explanation on any of this.
He rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous habit that Kokichi liked to point out often. Once he figured out what he wanted to say, he lowered his hand and smiled. "He's just happy you're eatin'! And he can't really help but express that right now."
After that, Kaito finished his food while keeping an eye on his two friends, one of whom was reluctantly and slowly taking small bites at a time, and the other who was practically beaming as he finished his food.
After everyone was finished eating, Kaito set the plates and silverware aside and stood up, slightly sore from sitting on the hard floor for so long. "Okay. You guys get comfortable, I'm gonna go get some water and medicine."
Kokichi smiled and waved. "Bye-bye, Space Buns!"
Leave it to the Momota Kaito to get distracted at such a crucial time. He'd gone to the kitchen for water and medication and stumbled across Kirumi cleaning post-breakfast.
"Yo, Tojo-san! Need any help?"
Surprisingly, Kirumi turned with a look of subtle surprise and nodded. "Why, yes. Actually, I would very much appreciate some assistance."
So Kaito helped the maid with what little there was to finish in terms of cleaning and started to get the water and medication he needed, though the supply of medicine wasn't as good as he would've liked it to be.
"O-Ouma-kun… Are you sure Kaito's here? Wouldn't he be at the warehouse or something…?"
"The warehouse? Are you sure?"
"I…I'm asking you if you're sure…"
Kaito furrowed his brows and immediately looked around the corner into the dining hall. He didn't know what he expected, but somehow he didn't expect to see Kokichi and Shuichi standing by the door, hand in hand and looking thoroughly confused. They looked like two little kids lost in a store, and Kaito couldn't deny that the sight was as cute as it was concerning. He walked towards them with as much firmness as he could muster being as worried as he was. Both boys looked pale and dizzy, and they were swaying ever-so-slightly on unsteady feet.
"Hey now, hey," he found himself speaking in a softer tone than he knew he could manage. He gently put his hands on either boy's shoulder and led them to the nearest dining table chairs. "What are you doing here? You need to be resting."
Shuichi's golden eyes became glossy with tears. "I-I'm sorry… I just started to worry about you, a-and then Ouma-kun started to worry about you—"
"Uhm…" Kokichi glanced away unsurely, wanting to protest but unable to in the face of what he considered an undeniable fact.
Nonetheless, Shuichi continued. "—so we c-came to make sure you were okay, b-but we shouldn't have, a-and I'm so-sorry..!"
Kaito gently put a hand on Shuichi's shoulder and rubbed it gently in an attempt to console him. Kokichi avoided any affiliation with the scenario, almost guiltily, telling Kaito exactly what part he had to play in this scenario. But before he could get a word of comfort out, the door slammed open.
"Heeeey, Tojo! I'm fuckin' starving, ya got any leftovers or somethi–" The familiar feminine voice came bursting loudly into the otherwise quiet room. "Oh, hey! It's Poo-ichi, and Moron-mota, and the twink!"
Shuichi jumped in his seat and quickly tried to wipe his tears. Kokichi sighed and put an elbow on the large table, resting his cheek in his palm. Kaito sighed in unison with him and turned to face Miu.
"I'm not a moron… And could you keep it down, please?" he asked, voice heavy with exasperation that just seemed to follow the inventor's presence.
"Why?" she asked, strutting closer and stopping beside Kokichi's chair. "What, does one of 'em got that whack-ass disease the little bitch bear was blabbin' about?"
At that point, Kaito couldn't help but snap at her. His patience was wearing thin with anything other than the two sick boys whom he had made caring for his responsibility. "Yeah, Miu, and they're not feeling the greatest, so just back off a little, okay?" he said, with more bite than he probably should have.
Miu paused. "They? Oh, shit, both of 'em got it?! What kind do they have?" She looked a mixture of amused and bewildered.
"Why the hell would I tell you?" Kaito snipped.
"'Cuz I'll fuckin' kill ya if you don't!" Miu shot right back. Kokichi's head snapped back to look at her, moving with more speed than he should have been in his state. His brows creased in concern as his eyes darted from Miu, to her hands, to Kaito.
"I'll tell you," he offered, a little too quickly, and Miu practically beamed. She pulled out the chair beside Kokichi and flipped it around, wrapping her legs around the back of it with a grin.
"Spill it, short stack!" she said loudly. Kaito scoffed, and Shuichi—who also knew about the strain of disease plaguing Kokichi—teared up once again as he witnessed Miu actively manipulating his friend, whether she was aware of it or not. Kokichi reluctantly told her about his strain but kept quiet about anything else.
Miu seemed entertained by this. "Oho~? Okay! Hey, you're not homo as hell, how about that?"
Kokichi pursed his lips and crossed his arms on the table. "I've never liked a girl. So that's… that's probably a lie."
Kaito stepped closer to Miu's chair as if shielding Kokichi from her. "That's enough. I'm not gonna sit here and watch you mess around with him like this."
Miu raised a brow. "You wanna see me mess around, Moron-mota?" She then looked back at Kokichi and held out her hand, four fingers raised. "I've got one finger up right now! Just the one!"
Kokichi seemed to grow frustrated with this. "That can't be right, either. I… I know how to count."
Miu snickered. "Your mom gay, Shrimpy!"
Kokichi blinked, surprise written all over his features. After a moment, he sputtered, "My mom's dead, though. So… joke's on you."
Kaito was stunned into silence in light of this bombshell, and Miu seemed about the same. It seemed to have struck a chord with Shuichi, who abruptly stood from his seat, tearfully glaring at Miu and his face red from either crying or anger. "Stop it, Iruma-san! T-This is just cruel! I thought you two were– were friends, so why are you treating him this way?!"
The blonde inventor glanced at Shuichi, a disappointed frown on her face, like the detective was boring her. That only pissed Kaito off even more.
"Sorry to rain on your parade, but you're kinda bein' a massive jerk," he said, putting a hand on Shuichi's shoulder and easing him back into the chair. "And my sidekick's right, aren't you and Ouma friends?"
Miu's eyes rolled from side to side, looking anywhere but at Kokichi. "I guess, some shit like that." She sat upright and pointed a finger at the supreme leader, who seemed to be in his own world by that point, just staring at the wall ahead. "But I didn't know his mom croaked. Seriously! I was just joking around until then!"
It was some seriously flawed logic, but apparently not enough for Miu. Kaito sighed, grabbed the water bottles, and then tapped both Shuichi and Kokichi on the shoulders. "Whatever. Hey, you two. Take this back to Ouma's room and I'll meet ya up there."
Shuichi grabbed a water bottle. "Ouma-kun's room is a mess…" he said with a subtle sigh.
"Then go to yours. Or mine…" Kaito pinched the bridge of his nose. "I dunno, man, just go to a room and I'll find ya."
Kokichi grabbed his water bottle and exasperatedly led Shuichi out of the room as the latter started sobbing and blubbering apologies. As soon as the heavy doors of the dining hall slammed shut, the crying abruptly went silent, and Kaito was left with peace.
…No such luck.
"So, Moron-mota!"
Kaito hoped that a very loud and very exaggerated groan would draw the inventor away. It did not.
"How's it feel to bag two warm bodies at the same time?"
Ugh. How much more gross could she get? "I wouldn't know," is what he chose to say, and it seemed like Miu wasn't satisfied with that answer.
"Oh, come on! You're totally screwin' those two when the lights turn off!" Kaito wasn't sure if she meant that literally or as a metaphor, but it didn't matter. He finally found the right kind of medication he needed and held it tightly, then made his way to the freezer and avoided eye contact with Miu as if his life depended on it.
"For the last time, I'm not doing anything like that! I don't have time for your shit today." He slammed the freezer shut, ice packs in either hand, and just for emphasis: "And stop calling me a moron!"
He stormed past Miu and made it a point to slam the dining hall doors shut as hard as he could. The fact that someone could think so lowly of him was enough to make Kaito's blood boil. Dating game be damned, Momota Kaito would never take advantage of anybody.
When he entered the dormitory, he found Kokichi and Shuichi conversing with Himiko and K1-B0, the latter of the duo looking worse for wear, posture sagging uncharacteristically, and overall lacking his usual energy. Kaito approached the group with a small smile, still trying to simmer down from the anger that had just boiled over mere minutes ago.
"Hey, guys. How's it goin'?"
K1-B0 sighed. "Not good. Monokuma decided I was a good candidate for the Despair Disease."
"You can get sick?" Kaito asked incredulously.
Kokichi smiled. "That's what I said!"
K1-B0 frowned. "I couldn't before. But Monokuma thought it would be entertaining to allow me to feel sickness."
"Because he keeps wanting to be like a human," Himiko added.
"Ohhh, they went for irony," Kaito observed. Then he gave a careful pat to the robot's cold, metal shoulder. "Hope you get feeling better, man."
K1-B0 nodded. "Thank you, Momota-kun."
Kaito nodded. "No problem. Now, you guys," he started, turning to Kokichi and Shuichi. "need to get some rest. We'll go to my room."
Himiko put a finger to her lip. "Nyeh… Are you guys sick, too?"
Shuichi nodded and Kokichi shook his head, a bright grin adorning his face and his curly hair bouncing with every turn of his head. Kaito could stare at him all day and never get bored. It seemed like every time the curls in his hair sprung around and he hopped and skipped merrily about, Kaito's heart pounded a beat faster. And the way Shuichi giggled at Kokichi's antics with his beautiful, genuine smile made the skipping of beats that much worse.
Seeming to prefer believing Shuichi over Kokichi, Himiko nodded. "Ohh… Well, go to sleep then. I'm kind of tired, too."
Kaito started to lead his two ill companions to his room, making sure K1-B0 made his way back to his room to get some rest before he shut the door.
"Poor guy," Kaito said, more to himself than anything as he fixed up the covers of his bed. "Monokuma's a real dick, doin' this to you guys."
Kokichi nodded. "Yeah! A real–"
"Please don't finish that," Shuichi interrupted, earning a pout from the supreme leader, which made him giggle. Kaito smiled and patted the bed.
"Okay, get comfortable," he said, and the two boys complied. Kokichi sighed comfortably when he got settled, and immediately shuffled under the covers and pulled the thick duvet up and over his curled-up body. Shuichi, who didn't seem quite as tired, stayed sitting up against the headboard. Kaito chuckled. "You comfy?"
Kokichi just closed his eyes and gave a short hum in response. Shuichi apparently grew curious about his friend's state and gently poked the pale boy's forehead, something he would normally never do but wasn't able to help himself given his strain of the disease. "Ouma-kun?" he whispered. Kokichi didn't so much as shift in breathing.
"D'aww," Kaito said teasingly, a joke meant to veil how the sight made his heart swell.
Shuichi smiled and very carefully pulled Kokichi's head into his lap, then started to twirl the smaller boy's dark hair between his fingers. Kaito guessed that he couldn't contain the adoration he was feeling, and he was doing the most he could to express it without waking Kokichi. If Shuichi had it his way in his current state he probably would have squeezed Kokichi until he popped. Which Kaito would have simply laughed at.
Once Shuichi was sure that he hadn't woken Kokichi, he spoke up. "Hey, Kaito?" The astronaut hummed as he carefully positioned the ice packs under Kokichi's feverish body, proning him to continue. "Do you think we'll remember this?
Kaito furrowed his brows and leaned back slightly. "What'dya mean?"
"I mean," Shuichi then paused, thinking about his choice of words for a moment. "Do you think Monokuma will make it so that we don't remember having the Disease?"
Kaito ran a hand through his hair. It was a good question, a plausible possibility. It seemed like something Monokuma would do, although it made no real sense if he wanted the Despair Disease to strengthen any bonds.
Tears were already running down Shuichi's face. He tried to keep them from dripping onto Kokichi, but he quickly had to lean back and accept his crying. "B-Because I don't want to forget… I want to remember this feeling."
Kaito raised a brow. "What feeling?"
Shuichi sniffled and sucked in a shaky breath. Despite the constant flow of tears soaking his face and the collar of his shirt, he still kept one hand in Kokichi's hair, gingerly caressing his head with his fingertips, and the smaller boy seemed pacified by it. He wasn't responding to the crying, at least, or stirring at all. "This feeling a-about you, and about Ouma-kun. I-I just… appreciate you both so– so much."
Kaito smiled. "Oh. Well, I appreciate you, too, man! And I know Ouma does, too."
The detective smiled gratefully, more tears streaming down his cheeks than ever before. "Y-You think so?"
"Come on, man, I know so!" Kaito laughed, which made a giggle bubble out of Shuichi, too. "He wouldn't train with us every day if it weren't for you. Wouldn't be able to stand me long enough to do one damn push-up."
"Yeah," Shuichi replied, his tears slowly falling less frequently. "That's because you don't do the training with us."
"Hey! That's not fair, you know the kinda physical training I have to do for the space program?"
"...I guess not. I'm sorry, I never thought about that."
Kaito stuck his nose into the air with pride. "Damn straight, bro." This prompted another watery giggle.
Shuichi shuffled slightly to lie down a bit more. He tried not to move Kokichi around too much, but it was a fruitless effort as the latter groaned and stretched out his legs, prying open his eyes just enough to see properly. Kaito grabbed the water bottles he'd taken previously and handed one to Shuichi, then gently coaxed the other one into Kokichi's hands until he took it.
"Both of you, drink as much as you can. You need to stay hydrated with such gnarly fevers."
Shuichi nodded and delicately sipped down nearly half of the bottle before he was finished and set it aside. Kokichi slowly drank about a third of his water and then started to lean back down into Shuichi's lap, his eyelids fluttering as he began to drift off again. Kaito quickly grabbed the water bottle before it tipped over and subsequently spilled, and the navy-haired boy resumed his gentle hair caressing until Kokichi fell back asleep.
"Jeez. With how tough he acts, you'd think he'd deal with this better," Kaito commented, no bite behind the statement. Shuichi shuffled down into the bed more, lying comfortably now with Kokichi now situated against his abdomen.
"I don't blame him," he said sleepily. "I feel really bad, too…"
"Yeah… Probably doesn't help that you've been crying all day." Shuichi started to tear up again, so Kaito quickly changed course. "Not that that's your fault or anything. Anyways, get some rest, yeah?"
The detective gave a subtle nod and shut his eyes. The hand running through Kokichi's hair slowed to a halt, and both boys were out like lights beyond that. Kaito leaned so far back that he nearly toppled over with a heavy sigh of relief.
Shuichi awoke with a startled gasp, the vivid nightmares he'd just experienced replaying in his mind, flashing behind his eyes and blinding him to anything ahead.
"So then, the one under the press was…"
"I'm the one who killed Kokichi!"
"Please, Kaito, don't leave!"
"Shumai!"
"Shumai!"
He must have jolted or jumped or something because two dainty hands gripped his forearms.
"Shumai, it's okay! Breathe, okay?"
He tried. He really did try. But it must have been an improvement to some degree or at least a noticeable change.
"Yes, yes, that's good. Slower breaths. Take your time. I'm– uh, I'm Kokichi, remember?"
Kokichi was there. He felt a small hint of relief and comfort blossom in the back of his mind, but the feeling quickly took over his entire consciousness without warning, like cotton puffing out and enveloping its bud in the blink of an eye. He wanted to show Kokichi how grateful he was and how appreciative he was of him. His skin tingled and his insides itched with the overwhelming urge to embrace someone he cared about so much.
"W-Woah… Is this a grounding thing? Like, touch?" Shuichi felt two hands slowly and very carefully settle themselves on his upper back, the same hands that had held his arms before. They rubbed his back so softly that he felt like he could go right back to sleep.
"I'm the one who killed Kokichi!"
He shivered. That dream…
"Just let me know if I'm doing too much, okay? The touch, the talking… Just tap me twice, or say so, or something…"
Shuichi couldn't help but giggle between his sniffles and shaky breaths. Kokichi wasn't the best at comfort by any means, but he was trying his best, that much was clear. And he was grateful for that. He held onto the supreme leader tighter.
"Where's…" he swallowed and exhaled shakily, still recovering from the fear. "W-Where's Kaito?"
"Momota-chan?" Kokichi repeated. "He went to go get lunch for us."
Shuichi sighed in relief. He moved his hands slightly across Kokichi's back, confirming for himself that he was still there. Kokichi started to part from him, and his brain immediately started screaming louder the farther he got. He made sure to keep Kokichi close to him and make sure he was safe.
"Do you wanna talk about your nightmare?"
No, no, no. It might come true if I talk about it.
"N-No… Please, I-I don't."
"Okay. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
Shuichi nodded and stayed silent. He just wanted to sit there, holding Kokichi in his arms where he could guarantee his safety.
"Thank you, Ouma-kun."
"For what?"
For being alive. "For being here."
Stunned silence passed unhurriedly. "...You're welcome..?"
He giggled again, softer this time. Neither of them spoke again for several minutes, and then the door to their right creaked open, and in stepped Kaito, who stopped in his tracks barely a step into the room. Then he sighed and resumed his entry. "I dunno what else I expected."
"Saihara-chan had a nightmare," Kokichi informed him, and Kaito slowly set down the trays he was tediously balancing in his hands.
"Oh… Jeez, is he okay?"
"Nope!" Kokichi's mellow attitude was quickly usurped by a chipper grin and a lighter tone of voice. Kaito reached out and jokingly shoved the violette on the shoulder. Then he turned his attention to Shuichi.
"You doin' alright, man?"
Shuichi nodded, the shaking in his breath and hands coming to a stop. Not that that meant he felt like letting go of Kokichi. If anything, he just wanted to hold Kaito now, too.
"Well, I brought lunch!" Kaito put two of the trays on the bed, either one with a bowl of thick, creamy soup and saltine crackers. "Kirumi made potato soup for you guys with the Disease. And make sure you finish your water, too." Kaito grabbed the two discarded water bottles, examined how much was drunk from each one so that he knew whose was whose and tossed Kokichi's to him. The smaller boy caught it with ease, and then Shuichi was handed his since he was closer.
Kokichi took a small spoonful of the soup in his mouth, and his eyes practically lit up. After that, he was shoveling each spoonful into his mouth like he hadn't eaten in weeks.
With how thin he is that may not be as unlikely as I would hope, Kaito thought with a frown. Deciding to shake that off—if Kokichi was underfed then Kaito would help fix it, so worrying wasn't necessary—he smiled as a contented smile found its way onto Shuichi's face as well, the flavors undoubtedly pleasing him as well.
"It's delicious," he commented, and Kokichi gave a cheerful nod in agreement, his mouth too full to get anything out but a chipper hum.
"Good," Kaito replied and sat on the floor beside the bed with a sigh. Kokichi, mouth agape and eagerly eyeing the spoon he was holding right in front of him, paused before taking a bite and glanced in the astronaut's direction. He lowered his spoon and turned his head to get a better look at him. Kaito didn't notice that Kokichi was distracted until the smaller boy stepped into his field of vision and sat on his heels to be at Kaito's eye level. Kaito quirked a brow to display his confusion. "What're you doing?"
Kokichi grinned wider and presented Kaito with a few of the saltine crackers he'd brought in the palm of his hand. "Astronauts are supposed to be, like, strong and decently sized and stuff! They can't skip meals because then they'll wither and turn into gross little raisins that nobody wants to send into orbit!"
Shuichi subtly slapped his hand over his heart and gripped the fabric over it, like he couldn't physically contain the adoration he had for this openly kind-hearted and thoughtful version of Kokichi.
Kaito shook his head and pushed the supreme leader's hand away. "I'm not gonna turn into a raisin for skipping a meal. Not that I did, I had a granola bar on the way here."
"How did you manage that while carrying the trays?" Shuichi asked almost immediately, and Kokichi—who was nodding at the statement beforehand—stopped and headed back to his place in the bed to continue eating his soup.
Kaito gave a lighthearted scoff and put a fist to his sternum. "I'm the Luminary of the Stars! Multitasking is a cinch for me!" His jaws hurt from the grin he stretched across his face. Shuichi's eyes softened and a faint blush tinted his cheeks.
"...Yeah. You're pretty amazing, Momota-kun," he agreed. Kokichi took another spoonful of soup into his mouth, watching intently for Kaito's reaction.
Kaito's face flushed and he put a hand on the back of his neck. "J-Jeez… When you put it like that it sounds like I was talkin' all big of myself." Contrary to mere moments ago, his voice became lighter and humbly dismissive. Shuichi hummed and set his tray with the partially eaten food aside. He slid out from under the covers and placed himself on the floor next to Kaito, wrapping his arms around the latter in a tight embrace. It felt like a heated blanket was pressed up against Kaito's side, and he wasn't sure whether he was feeling this warm because of Shuichi or his own emotions.
Kokichi blinked in surprise, and a quiet tisk echoed around the otherwise silent room as his mouth went slack, completely thrown off guard by this sudden turn of events. Shuichi parted from Kaito slightly and turned his attention to the smaller boy. Then, he extended an inviting arm outwards.
"You too, Ouma-san. You're amazing, too."
Kokichi pursed his lips and averted his gaze, deciding to absent-mindedly scrape the sides of the empty soup bowl rather than reply. Shuichi frowned and his eyes welled with tears, though it looked like he was trying harder to suppress them this time. Kaito assumed he was trying to stay cool and confident in an attempt to better persuade Kokichi into coming over.
"You deserve this," he added after a pause to try and collect himself. Kaito was surprised that Shuichi would take advantage of the motive affecting Kokichi after he had seemed so openly against it towards Miu, but it was for a good cause—not just taunting him—so the taller boy didn't mention it.
One of Kokichi's eyebrows twitched like the statement had struck a chord of confusion through him. Then, his expression was blank again, as it always was when he was deeply contemplating something. Whenever Kokichi's mind was too busy working on whatever calculations went on in his head to pull an extravagant expression, his face always fell into a careful, contemplating neutral. It looked a bit thinner this time, some emotion barely discernible this time, no doubt because of the illness hindering his steady composure.
"Come on, you heard him," Kaito pressed gently, outstretching one of his arms as well, inviting Kokichi into the center of a large, caring embrace.
After a few more moments of a fruitless internal battle, Kokichi sighed and got out of bed as well. Shuichi's tears ceased and he looked pleased as Kokichi awkwardly sat in front of them and slowly leaned his upper body into the circle of warmth created by the reaching arms.
Kaito moved his arm to the small of Kokichi's back, pulling him closer, and then moved to wrap the arm around the supreme leader's upper back. Shuichi did the same, and Kokichi shuddered slightly.
"I care about you both so much," Shuichi said softly, so gently that Kaito had to strain his focus to hear it. Several seconds passed, then the head of curly dark hair against Kaito's chest nodded in agreement.
Despite their overall situation—being trapped in a dome, forced into a dating game, and his friends stricken with artificial illness—Kaito felt a happiness blossom in his chest at the thought that he was becoming part of a special relationship. Feelings and vulnerability were being shared that would intertwine like vines and become a strong, well-nurtured bond. He felt so glad and content that it surprised him; he wanted to kick his legs and shake his head and scream with unbridled joy.
But he just took a deep breath, allowed himself to just feel the two boys in his arms, and let himself calmly bask in this feeling.
When Kokichi opened his eyes, he felt warmer than before. Kaito had told him earlier that day that he had been feeling cold because of chills and that his body temperature was actually pretty high. Kokichi knew that, of course. A supreme leader of all evil should know at least the basics in the medical field, should he need to—well, lead—and patch someone up.
Being evil and treating someone's wound definitely contradicted each other, Kokichi realized after a moment. Or did it? If it was one of his subordinates, then it would make sense for him to help, right? No, no– an evil person wouldn't care. But maybe they would if the injured person was a crucial part of a plan, or a useful ally, or a most helpful minion.
Kokichi sighed. Why, of all things, did his brain decide it wanted to delve into the rabbit hole of evil mannerisms as soon as he woke up? He shoved the thoughts away from another time and focused on what was going on around him. Slowly, he pushed himself into a sitting position.
He didn't remember falling asleep on the bed. The last thing he remembered was that soup Kirumi made—that delicious soup, he wanted more of it—and the hug.
Right. The hug. Kokichi hadn't been hugged in a long, long time. He probably didn't even have a grasp of object permanence when he was last embraced. And then, all of a sudden, Kaito and Shuichi came along and made him feel all warm and safe and—
And then he woke up in the bed. He violently shook the thought away like it was an insect that wouldn't let go of a twig.
Speaking of oddly comforting smiling weirdos, where were Shuichi and Kaito? If his memory served, then Shuichi would probably be…
Yep, Shuichi was lying right beside him, eyes gently closed and chest slowly rising and falling beneath the covers in deep, soothed sleep. Contrary to previous wakings, however, Kaito was also very close nearby, his head resting in crossed arms on the foot of the bed, undoubtedly asleep as well. Kokichi was the only one awake.
The Ultimate Supreme Leader looked around. There didn't seem like much to do, and he didn't feel tired enough to go back to sleep. Carefully and slowly as he could possibly manage, he got out of bed and made his way out of the dormitory.
He managed all the way to the front of the school and sat on the stairs with a sigh. Even if they were trapped in this dome and the breeze gently ripping through his hair was artificial, it still felt nice to get some fresh air. Kaito's room had been beginning to feel stuffy and suffocating with sickly air.
He hoped that the Despair Disease wasn't contagious. He'd feel awful if Kaito had to feel the way he was feeling because that stupid astronaut was just too damn considerate.
"Nyeh… Hello, Ouma."
Kokichi blinked, shoved his mind back into focus, and looked up at the girl casting a shadow over him: none other than the Ultimate Magician, Yumeno Himiko. He pulled a cheeky grin to his lips.
"Well, if it isn't little Miss Magic!" he said, trying his best not to space out. He felt tired. Yumeno sat on the step in front of him, facing him, and pulled some cards out of a bag that Kokichi just realized she had been carrying.
"I felt bad that you weren't feeling well, s-so… I wanted to do some magic for you."
The supreme leader blinked. "...Oh. Okay."
Himiko looked a mix of embarrassed and concerned that his reaction hadn't been grander, slid the cards out of the box, and began to shuffle them. "I'll do a simple one." She spread the cards in her hands and held them out to him. "Pick a card, any card."
Kokichi picked a card and looked at it. He got the four of spades. How lucky, he thought belatedly. Yumeno closed her eyes. "Now put the card back—anywhere you want—and shuffle the deck."
Kokichi did as much, putting his card in towards the top and clumsily shuffling the entire deck around, dropping a few cards and mumbling curses under his breath. He was really off his game today, and it was starting to piss him off. He wished Shuichi and Kaito were awake so they could talk to people instead and he could just nod along and space out whenever he felt like it.
After he picked up the dropped cards and passed Yumeno the deck back, she trailed her finger along the bumpy sides of the cards until she landed on one and wiggled it out of the deck. She held up the four of spades between two fingers.
"Was this your card?"
Kokichi nodded, and the little redhead looked proud. "He-hehehe! That's the power of my magic for you."
"Yeah, your tricks are pretty cool." He didn't have the energy to show how impressed he was. Yumeno frowned.
"...They're not tricks. They're real magic," she said sourly, and Kokichi raised his brows slightly.
"That's impossible," he replied at last. "Real magic, it– it doesn't exist."
Yumeno stomped a foot weakly on the ground, her small, dainty hands curling into fists. "Yes, it does! I'm a mage, so of course I know real magic!"
"But your Ultimate is 'Magician'," he countered, his brain firing up now in an attempt to try and reason with himself and thwart this oddity of a truth.
"They—" Yumeno faltered. "They messed that up! They didn't want to admit that my magic was real because they were afraid of my power!"
Just as Kokichi was about to try and rebuttal again, Chabashira appeared from around the corner, her dark green, pigtail-like hair bounced behind her as she walked. Her eyes locked on Yumeno and she immediately raced over.
"Himikooo! I was looking everywhere for you!" she paused before she got too close to Kokichi, casting him a disgusted sneer. "What are you doing with this degenerate?"
Kokichi managed his best shit-eating grin, making Chabashira pull up her upper lip.
"You're making a pretty ugly face there, Cha-chan!" he called, and Chabashira looked horrified as Yumeno looked back to see what he was talking about. The taller girl quickly put on a pretty smile for her.
"I'm telling you, my magic is real, and I am the Ultimate Mage," Yumeno whined, turning her attention back to the violette. Chabashira carefully approached and stood beside the redheaded mage.
"How dare you doubt Himiko! I've seen a lot of her magic, and it is definitely, totally real!"
"Okay, fine! Whatever…"
Before Chabashira could continue chastising him he saw Kaito walking near with a teary-eyed, sniffling Shuichi right behind him. The Ultimate Astronaut spotted Kokichi sitting on the steps and sighed, approaching faster now.
"Geez, dude! Tell us next time you're gonna run off!" he said exasperatedly. "You know how freaky it is to wake up to Shuichi crying hysterically and shoutin' that you're dead?"
"I dunno, it's never happened to me before," Kokichi mumbled, thoroughly annoyed by now, especially with a still-fuming Yumeno in front of him, blocking his view of the only two people he felt like tolerating right then. Kaito's brow twitched in irritation and he walked up to the scene, Shuichi following close behind with his arms wrapped loosely around Kaito's arm. The astronaut looked down at Himiko—who was still shorter even as she stood on the stairs—and ran a hand through his hair.
"Sorry for whatever he said or did," Kaito said earnestly, making Kokichi bristle. "Take whatever he gets up to with a grain of salt, especially right now, ya know?"
Himiko, cheeks puffed out and brows furrowed in full-pout, pondered for a moment before her posture relaxed and her shoulders slumped. "Nyeh… Okay."
Kaito turned his attention to Kokichi. "Stop antagonizing people when you're out and about, alright?"
Kokichi couldn't give a shit what anyone was saying to him. He blinked several times, but it didn't clear his vision. His chest suddenly felt tight, each deliberate breath required his full focus. But he couldn't bring himself to focus, it felt like his head was plunged underwater and his ears and brain were flooding, everything was muffled, quiet—
his body felt numb.
"This damn guy," Kaito muttered as he and Shuichi walked back to the dormitory. Kaito had an unconscious, burning Kokichi partially slung over his shoulder while Shuichi walked behind and kept an eye on Kokichi's face (as best he could while wailing and sobbing, at least). "He was getting better, I'm sure of it. Then he goes and—" The astronaut had to pause and take a deep breath before deciding not to finish whatever he was going to say.
"H-He– he jus-just colla-a-apsed!" Shuichi wailed. "A-And now he's w-wo-worse and he-he's never g-gonna get better and t-that– that n-nightma-are is go-gonna co-ome true!"
Kaito paused just as he was about to open the door to his room, glancing over the shoulder that Kokichi's head wasn't occupying. "What nightmare?"
"I-I don't wa-wann-na say it!" Shuichi cried. "I-If I sa-say it then… t-then…! T-Then Kokichi's gonna d-d-die and then y-you're go-gonna di-i-ie!"
"Die?" Kaito parroted, glancing at Kokichi's creased brows, his parted lips, and feverishly flushed cheeks. He entered his room and the sobbing Shuichi followed. The astronaut carefully laid Kokichi down on the bed, shifting his arms and legs to help him cool down. Shuichi sniffled and held his tears in as he untied Kokichi's classic checkered bandana with feather-light fingers.
"Uhm…" Kaito mumbled, glancing at Kokichi's arms and legs. "Those bands look kinda tight… Do you think that's cutting off his circulation at all?"
Shuichi glanced where Kaito was looking, at the belt-like bands wrapped around the arms and thighs of the Supreme Leader's uniform. Kaito reached out and fiddled with one on his arm to see if he could figure out how to undo it. Turned out they just buttoned on and off.
It's not even a real belt. Go figure even his uniform is meant to trick people.
"Uhm… Hey, K-Kaito..?" Shuichi's dazed voice spoke from behind him.
"What's up?" Kaito replied, not taking his eyes off of his work getting Kokichi's belts undone.
"I don't… don't feel good…"
After a moment of processing the Ultimate Detective's words, Kaito spun around. Shuichi was shakily sitting himself on the ground, his hands trembling and eyes hazy.
"Shit," Kaito hissed and scooted closer to Shuichi, putting his hands on the slimmer boy's shoulders. "Hey, look at me." Shuichi did as much, and then Kaito had no clue what to do from there. "What are you feeling? Like, ho-how do you not feel good?"
Shuichi blinked slowly and took a shaking breath in an attempt to settle down. "D-Dizzy… all of a sudden… I fe-feel w-worse…"
Kaito nodded and—with a caregiving passion raging inside of him like a supernova—slowly picked the navy-haired boy up and placed him beside Kokichi on the bed. "Lie down," he said softly, trying not to convey how despair dampened his spirits.
"A-Are we going to die, Kaito…? O-Ouma-kun and I..?"
"No," Kaito said, a bit too harshly he realized when Shuichi's tears doubled. "I'm not gonna let anything like that happen to either of you. Get me? You're gonna be fine." He brought a hand to Shuichi's head and ran his thumb up and down. "Just relax. You just need rest, that's all."
Shuichi nodded, still taking breaths as deep as he could in his feeble attempts to slow the spinning he claimed to be feeling. "'Kay," he mumbled, and his eyes slipped shut.
Kaito sat by the bed for a few minutes, making sure that both boys were asleep—in Shuichi's case, at least—and stood up with his hands balled into fists.
"Monokuma," he growled. "I know your bitch ass can hear me."
Sure as the stars, the black and white bear himself appeared out of thin air. "What'dya want, Astro-Brat?!"
"What the hell is going on?" Kaito demanded, gesturing to the two boys on the bed, both of whom seemed to have spiked in fevers.
Monokuma glanced at the boys, then shrugged as if it was no big deal. It definitely wasn't, not for him anyways, and that thought pissed Kaito off even more. "Everyone with the Disease is goin' through it! What's a fun motive without one last hurrah?!"
"'Last'?" the astronaut repeated. "So it'll be over after this?"
"Unless you want it to go on~!"
"No!" he retorted quickly. "Don't even think about pulling that shit. It's been a whole day, they've suffered enough."
Monokuma waved a paw. "Yeeeah, I wasn't gonna listen to whatever you had to say anyway. Puhuhuhuuu~!" The bear's expression suddenly shifted from gleeful to furious as he whipped around and jabbed a paw into Kaito's stomach. "Now don't bother me again or I'll sick my adowabwe wittwe cubs on you! I'm a very busy bear, damn you!"
Kaito put a hand over his stomach and glared at Monokuma, bringing his offense and disgust to the surface of his stare. The bear vanished, leaving the astronaut to look back at Kokichi and Shuichi.
They probably wouldn't be able to keep much food down in their state, and resting was crucial more than ever, so Kaito just let them sleep the oncoming night away while reading a few astrology books he'd grabbed from his dorm. Occasionally he'd mistakenly raise his book to show his companions something he found interesting before he realized that they were asleep. Kokichi and Shuichi always listened to his space-related tangents, something a lot of people wouldn't tolerate. Shuichi always just sat and nodded along with a content smile, and Kokichi would ask question after question and make comment after comment—but Kaito supposed that that proved how much he was listening.
He never realized how lonely he felt without his violet-haired and navy-haired friends until he was thinking about the cosmos all on his own. He decided to think that they were probably dreaming about them instead.
Kaito hadn't even realized that he'd nodded off until he was awoken by the duvet over the bed shifting against his back. Kaito turned and saw Shuichi shivering slightly. He blinked with a subtle furrow in his brows. There was no way he was cold with a fever like that. But when he stood he saw Kokichi trembling even more.
"Geez…" he murmured to himself, closing the book he held in his hands and approaching the bedside. He wanted to warm them up if they were cold enough to be shivering, but if they were still feverish then he didn't want to overheat them.
To Kaito's surprise, both boys felt cooler. Their fevers had gone down. Monokuma hadn't lied about the disease wearing off.
"Probably feeling cold 'cause the fever's wearin' off," Kaito thought aloud. He hummed decisively and carefully got into bed, lying between Kokichi and Shuichi and pulling the two chilly boys closer to him.
Shuichi sighed contentedly and Kokichi leaned into the warmth being provided, something that Kaito didn't necessarily expect, but he wouldn't be caught complaining.
It felt like a massive weight lifted off of his shoulders, knowing that everyone was going to be alright. His heart had felt like it was going to leap right out of his throat when Kokichi passed out, and he felt like he was going to be sick when Shuichi practically collapsed right afterward. Knowing that they were safe and he took ample care of them made him feel even better, like he'd had a good part in their recovery. At the very least, they surely knew how much they were cared for now.
Especially Kokichi, now that Shuichi's cried over him a million times, Kaito thought with a sleepy chuckle. He was exhausted from the day's events, and he dreamt of two particularly beautiful stars that night.