Hearts In Bloom

by saiharas_slxt

Summary:

Kokichi Ouma and Shuichi Saihara's lives were intertwined from birth.

It was entirely unimaginable for one to exist without the other. They'd always been together, essentially inseparable throughout their entire childhood.

When they are forcibly separated through no fault of their own, will they crash and burn; never to see each other again?

Or will their worlds collide once more, their unbreakable bond stronger than any other force in this world?

 

(Longfic, core tags are currently tagged, additional tags will update when needed!)

Chapter 1: Chapter 1: July & September, 2000.

Summary:

The absolute beginning of the story. Shuichi and Kokichi meet for the first time.

Notes:

Hi hi! We're SO back with this one, I've been working on this on and off for the past month.

Also, to make it easier to follow, I've given both Shuichi and Kokichi's parents' names.
Kokichi's mom: Kayoko
Kokichi's dad: Daichi
Shuichi's mom: Minako
Shuichi's dad: Takumi

I hope you all enjoy this!!

June 21st, 2000, 9:27am.

 

The usually quiet and somber hospital room erupts in cheers of happiness, countless “congratulations!” and the soft crying of a newborn baby. 

 

“It’s a boy! Congratulations, both of you. We’ll give you some time alone with him, then we’ll come back and we can help you fill out all of the paperwork. Congratulations, again,” the nurse smiles, ushering the rest of the medical team into the hallway and leaving the new parents together with their baby.

 

“I’m so proud of you, honey. I can’t believe I’m a dad now,” Daichi smiles, gently rubbing Kayoko’s shoulder as she coos at the bundle of blankets held tightly against her chest.

 

“He’s so beautiful. Welcome to the world, Kokichi Ouma. Your dad and I love you so much,” she murmurs, her eyes flickering to meet her husband’s with nothing but love in her gaze. They kiss for a short moment, their movements chaste and gentle before Kokichi’s soft cries pull them back to reality. They share a soft look before tending to Kokichi.

 

“I’ll do anything and everything to make sure he has the best life. He’s already so loved,” Daichi whispers, his eyes filling with unshed tears.

 

“I know you will, love. So will I,” Kayoko smiles, her own tears dripping down her cheeks and gently splashing onto Kokichi’s forehead.

 

“I love you.”

 

“I love you too.”

September 7th, 2000, 6:49pm.

 

“Congratulations! It’s a boy!” the nurse beams, passing the wriggling, screaming baby to his mom. She blinks away her tears, clutching him against her chest. His face is red and his eyes are scrunched up as he wails, the loud noise echoing against the hospital walls. 

 

“Congratulations, baby. Look, he has your hair,” Takumi smiles, pointing at the tiny tuft of navy hair adorning his otherwise smooth head. 

 

“Oh, my beautiful boy. You’ve got your daddy’s nose,” she giggles, gently bouncing him in an attempt to calm his cries. 

 

“Our precious little baby… I bet you’ve got your mommy’s eyes too, don’t you?” his dad coos, kissing his wife’s head softly and sighing as the cries become quieter and eventually stop. 

 

“Sweet Shuichi… can we have some time alone?” his mom asks, glancing at the medical team who are all looking on with joy for the new family.

 

“Of course. When you’re ready, Takumi can go to the reception down the hall and we’ll help him fill out the paperwork,” the nurse smiles, leading the rest of the team outside to leave them alone together with Shuichi.

 

“Should I give Kayoko a call? I’m sure she’d love to know he’s been born,” he asks, gesturing to his phone on the table in the corner of the room.

 

“No, I’ll call her. Grab my phone and sit down, you can hold Shuichi for a while,” she says, giving Shuichi’s forehead a gentle kiss. His dad smiles, grabbing her phone from the table and passing it to her, sitting on the edge of the bed and taking Shuichi’s tiny frame into his arms as he coos down at him. 

 

His mom excitedly flips her phone open, dialing Kokichi’s mom’s number and waiting for her to pick up.

 

“Minako? Hello?” Kayoko’s voice crackles through the tiny speaker as she picks up.

 

“Kayoko! How are you?” she asks, excitement dripping from her voice.

 

“I’m good, I’m just doing the dishes. How are you?”

 

“I’m great! Listen, if you’re free… you and Daichi should come to the hospital. Little Shuichi was just born.”

 

She can hear a happy gasp from the other end of the phone.

 

“Oh my God, congratulations! We’ll be there in twenty minutes. I’m so happy for you both!”

 

“Oh, and you should bring Kokichi too! We can introduce them to each other!’ his mom exclaims, glancing over at her husband playing peekaboo with a giggling Shuichi.

 

“Of course. We’ll see you all soon.”

 

“Alright, see you then!” Minako hangs up the phone, putting it away and focusing her attention on her family.

 

“They’ll be here soon. Aw, look how happy he is,” Minako beams, love filling her heart as she watches her husband and son laugh together. 

September 7th, 2000, 7:32pm.

 

“Minako? You have some visitors,” the nurse gently knocks on the room door before opening it fully. Kokichi’s dad walks in, followed by Kokichi’s mom who is holding a tiny bundle of blankets close to her chest. 

 

“Hi, lovely. How are you doing? How’s little Shu doing?” Kayoko smiles, bouncing Kokichi gently as she sits down. Shuichi’s dad hands him back to his mom, then wanders over to chat with Kokichi’s dad.

 

“Oh, he’s doing great. He’s been giggling with Takumi for the past half an hour,” MInako laughs, pulling the blankets away from Shuichi’s face.

 

“He’s beautiful, he looks so much like you,” she says, a wide smile plastered across her face.

 

“Thank you. You know, Kokichi's the spitting image of you,” she beams, bouncing Shuichi softly in her arms. 

 

“Aw, thank you! Kokichi, look! This is your new friend!” Kokichi’s mom giggles, holding Kokichi’s head and turning him towards Shuichi. His bright purple eyes are wide as he stares at his new friend.

 

“They’re going to be best friends, I can already tell,” Shuichi’s mom smiles, laughing at Kokichi’s tiny hands reaching out to grab at Shuichi’s blankets. Shuichi giggles happily as he blinks at Kokichi’s antics, his arms waving wildly as he tries to grab Kokichi's hands.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you liked this!

I'm hoping to have the next chapter out by Christmas, since it'll be a holiday special of sorts :3

My usual yapping:
I’m super hungover, publishing this on the train in the middle of the day. I have no sense of shame whatsoever. In saying this, please excuse any typos lol my brain isn’t working at 100% just yet.

Also, the AO3 author's curse got my ass (jk, I quite literally did this to myself) and I am now single. In totally 100% unrelated news, I'm looking for a beta reader. If this is something you'd be interested in, feel free to leave a comment or shoot me a message on my tumblr, saiharas-slxt. My only ask is that you'd be over 18, since there'll be eventual nsfw content in this fic (plus most of my other content is nsfw anyway). No pressure whatsoever, I just figured here might be the best place to ask!

Chapter 2: Chapter 2: December, 2000

Summary:

Kokichi and Shuichi's first Christmas.

Notes:

Slight tw for this chapter, for mild child abuse.

Merry Christmas y'all! I hope you enjoy this chapter, it was inspired by my little sister pulling our tree down in an attempt to eat the tinsel during her first Christmas. Our parents found it funny though, unlike a certain someone in this fic...

December 25th, 2000, 4:39pm.

 

The sun was beginning to set and the street lamps were slowly beginning to flicker on as cold, wet snowflakes fluttered to the ground, coating the otherwise pristine road and gardens with a soft blanket. The street was quiet, save for the occasional happy shout from one of the many quaint, tidy looking houses, the families inside clearly celebrating. 

 

Inside the Saihara household, Shuichi and Kokichi were being spoiled rotten by their parents, who were overjoyed to finally be spending Christmas with children of their own.

 

“Merry Christmas, Shuichi!” All four adults smile and coo at the tiny Shuichi, who’s swaddled in a light blue blanket, cuddled up in Minako’s arms. Takumi unwraps a small rattle, and holds it out for Shuichi to grab. His eyes seem to sparkle as he shakes it, giggling at the sound of the new toy. 

 

Kayoko takes a small gift wrapped in obnoxious, bright green paper from her handbag, and passes it to Takumi. 

 

“Merry Christmas. We got Kokichi a matching one,” she grins, watching Takumi unwrap the little box, revealing a small elf costume, complete with a pointy-eared hat. 

 

“Aw! It’s adorable, thank you guys! Did you bring Kokichi’s? Should we change them into their little outfits?” Minako laughs, bouncing Shuichi on her lap, the rattle shaking as she does. 

 

“Of course! Maybe we’ll take some family photos with the boys? Our little elves?” Kayoko smiles, taking Kokichi from Daichi’s arms and kissing his forehead before changing him into his own elf onesie, laughing as she puts the tiny hat on his head. It completely engulfs him, his rowdy purple hair hidden from view, his tiny eyes barely peeking out from underneath.

 

“Aw, the hat swallows him up! He’s still so tiny,” she coos, booping his nose and smiling at his happy babbling. Minako follows suit, changing Shuichi into his onesie and slipping the hat over his head. Shuichi shakes his rattle happily, giggling as he looks up at his mom. 

 

“Our little boys… aren’t they so sweet?” Minako smiles, setting Shuichi back down on her lap. 

 

“Come on, I’ll take some photos of you guys!” Daichi says, taking his small camera out of Kayoko’s bag. Takumi hops into frame, standing behind the chair that Minako and Shuichi are sitting on. Daichi aims the camera at them, holding his finger over the button.

 

“Say cheese!” he says, pressing down and hearing a click. The flash seems to scare Shuichi, who immediately bursts into tears, startling his parents in turn. Minako gently bounces him on her lap, trying to calm him down, at least enough to stop his crying.

 

“Aw, shhh… it’s okay sweetheart, it’s just a camera, it won’t hurt you…” she says, leaning down to kiss his forehead, wiping his cheeks with her hand. 

 

“Ah, sorry… I should’ve turned the flash off. That’s my bad,” Daichi sighs, shaking his head.

 

“Nah, it’s not your fault. Our little guy can be a bit of a crybaby sometimes,” Takumi laughs, patting Daichi on the back. 

 

“Oh, don’t worry. Kokichi’s a massive crybaby too. I’m sure they’ll grow out of it,” Kayoko smiles, booping Kokichi’s nose again. Shuichi calms down a little, so Minako takes the opportunity to bring him to another room to feed him.

 

“While they’re gone, why don’t I take some photos of you three? That way, Shuichi won’t get upset over the flash again,” Takumi offers, taking the camera from Daichi. They nod, and Daichi moves to sit next to Kayoko and Kokichi, wrapping his arms around his wife’s shoulders. 

 

“Say cheese!” Takumi says, snapping a few photos of the family. Kokichi happily sits through the photoshoot, giggling and making silly faces at the camera, but starts babbling and grabbing at Kayoko’s jacket afterwards.

 

“Looks like you’re hungry too, huh? Come on, I’ll feed you,” Kayoko smiles, picking Kokichi up and taking him to the same room that Minako is feeding Shuichi in.

 

“While they’re feeding the boys, maybe we should finish making our food? I think they cooked most of it, we’ve just gotta set the table,” Daichi suggests, wandering over to the kitchen. 

 

“Oh, good idea. I’m getting hungry now, anyway,” Takumi nods, following Daichi.

 

Meanwhile, Minako and Kayoko are still feeding their sons, chatting happily.

 

“Do you really think they’ll be best friends when they’re older?” Minako asks, smiling down at Shuichi.

 

“Oh, for sure. I mean, we’re still friends, even after all this time. If we can stay friends, so can they,” Kayoko murmurs, taking Kokichi’s hat off and pushing his hair out of his face.

 

“I hope they will. It’d be awkward for us if they hated each other, wouldn’t it?” Minako laughs, sitting Shuichi upright on her lap to burp him.

 

“Right? You know, I still can’t believe that we managed to have kids so close to each other. It’s like it was meant to be,” Kayoko says.

 

“Oh, I can. As soon as Takumi and I got married, we… excuse my language… were going at it like rabbits,” Minako giggles, fixing her shirt.

 

“Did you two really wait until you were married? Daichi and I were all over each other, even before we started ‘officially’ dating,” Kayoko laughs, ignoring the disappointed look Minako gives her.

 

“Of course we did. You two really should consider coming to church with us. I think you’d have a good time, everyone there is really nice, and accepting of people from different…lifestyles,” Minako says softly.

 

“Thanks, but I think we’re okay. I don’t think a church is really the place for us, y’know?” Kayoko sighs, pulling Kokichi away from her and fixing her own shirt.

 

“Well, if you ever change your mind, just let us know,” Minako smiles, standing up and taking Shuichi back to the dining room. Kayoko follows her, Kokichi laughing happily in her arms.

 

As they walk into the dining room, they can smell the fresh, delicious scent of roasted chicken, vegetables and buttered bread. Their husbands stand proudly by the table, despite having done nothing but set the table and move the food.

 

“Dinner’s ready. Just put the boys down with some toys,” Takumi smiles, getting them each a drink. For himself and Daichi, he has a can of beer. For Minako and Kayoko, he has hot chocolate, topped with whipped cream and marshmallows. 

 

The two women put their sons down on the floor, Shuichi with his rattle and Kokichi with a plush teddy bear. They leave them be and sit at the table, eyeing the food hungrily.

 

“Minako, you’ve outdone yourself. This looks delicious,” Daichi smiles, piling a heaping of every dish onto his plate.

 

“Wait until you see what Kayoko made for dessert! Trust me, it’s even better,” Minako chuckles, giving her friend a look from across the table.

 

“It’s not my fault the measuring cup slipped when I was pouring the rum! I wasn’t going to let everything go to waste!” Kayoko laughs, defending herself.

 

“Oh, of course it slipped when you were pouring the rum, huh? I’m sure that was such an unfortunate accident,” Daichi teases, elbowing her gently.

 

“It’ll just be a little strong, don’t worry!” Kayoko giggles, taking a bite of her chicken.

 

“I’m sure it’ll be delicious either way-”

 

Crash.

 

“What was that?” Minako gasps, glancing around. She spots her Christmas tree, collapsed on the floor with Kokichi and Shuichi lying beside it, the decorations scattered across the tiles.

 

“Boys! What did you do?!” Kayoko groans, rushing over. Shuichi seems stunned, while Kokichi is giggling to himself, his tiny hand wrapped around a length of tinsel. His eyes are wide and curious as he brings it to his mouth, trying to gnaw on the shiny material.

 

“Kokichi! You little shit!” Daichi exclaims, pulling the tinsel away from his mouth and picking him up. He smacks Kokichi, who starts wailing. The sound sets Shuichi off too, the room quickly filled with the loud, high-pitched cries of the boys, and the angry shouts of the adults.

 

“Hey! It was an accident, don’t hit him!” Minako yells, glaring at Daichi as she picks Shuichi up, checking to make sure he’s okay. 

 

“He’s being naughty!” Daichi retorts, ignoring Kokichi’s sobs. 

 

“He’s a baby! He doesn’t know what he’s doing, it was our fault for having the tinsel too low!” Takumi yells, hurriedly trying to fix the tree. Kayoko takes Kokichi from Daichi’s arms, a nasty look on her face.

 

“Why the hell would you hit him? Don’t be such an asshole!” she hisses, rocking Kokichi gently. 

 

“Fine, whatever. I’m going for a walk,” he mutters, grabbing his beer and storming out the front door, slamming it behind him.

 

“Is Kokichi okay?” Minako asks, her eyes filled with concern. Shuichi, thankfully, seems to be fine, albeit a little frazzled by all of the noise.

 

“He looks alright. Daichi’s just being an idiot, I’ll talk to him later,” Kayoko sighs, still trying to calm down Kokichi. “It’s okay, baby, daddy’s just being silly…”

 

Minako and Takumi share a look, but ultimately decide not to say anything.

 

December 25th, 2000, 6:13pm.

 

Daichi walks back in through the front door, greeted by the sight of Takumi playing with Shuichi and Kokichi on the floor, while Minako and Kayoko wash the dishes.

 

“I’m back. Sorry for storming out like that…” he mumbles, awkwardly making his way to Kayoko and hugging her from behind. She grumbles something under her breath and moves away, her arms crossed.

 

“What else are you sorry for? I’m assuming that walk was to clear your head and think about what you did?” she spits, looking him up and down.

 

“I’m also sorry for overreacting and… hitting Kokichi…” he sighs, though he looks more upset over the fact that he's still getting chewed out. 

 

“You’d better be. He’s a baby for God’s sake,” Kayoko growls, going back to drying dishes for Minako. He opens his mouth to try and defend himself, but realises it’s probably going to cause more arguments. He walks to where Takumi is sitting, picks Kokichi up and sets him down again in his lap.

 

“Kayoko’s mad at you. Rightfully so, you shouldn’t have hit him,” Takumi sighs, avoiding eye contact.

 

“I know, okay? I just… got overwhelmed is all,” Daichi mutters, his grip tightening on Kokichi.

 

“We all get like that sometimes, I get it. Just… try to control it better. For Kokichi’s sake,” Takumi says, playing with the ears of Shuichi’s elf hat.

 

Daichi doesn’t respond, instead giving a weak smile and booping Kokichi’s nose with a shaky hand.

 

“Sorry, little guy… it won’t happen again.”

Notes:

Thank you for reading!!

There'll be more frequent updates for the next two or so months, until I go back to uni. I'm aiming for one per week, though it could very easily turn into one every two weeks, because unfortunately, my job doesn't stop, and is only going to get busier since a promotion (kinda) is imminent for me...

As always, kudos and comments are so so appreciated!

Chapter 3: Chapter 3: February, 2004

Summary:

Kokichi and Shuichi's first day of preschool.

Notes:

This was meant to be out a couple of weeks ago, but I got bogged down with real life responsibilities... oops.

I hope you enjoy it though!!

February 2nd, 2004, 8:49am.

 

“Good morning! What’s your little one’s name? My name is Kaori, I’ll be his teacher this year!” says a young woman, her chocolate coloured hair tied up in a messy bun and her brightly coloured clothes giving her a chaotic yet friendly demeanor.

 

“Good morning, this is Shuichi. He’s a little shy, aren’t you sweetheart?” Minako chuckles, smiling happily at Kaori.

 

“Hi, Shuichi!” Kaori smiles, waving at the boy curling up in Minako’s arms.

 

“Okay, sweetheart, it’s time for mommy to go…” Minako whispers, patting Shuichi’s fluffy hair so that it sits somewhat neatly. She sets him down on the floor, his tiny puffer jacket almost swallowing him up, his little snow boots making soft sounds as he stomps his foot on the ground.

 

“No! Mommy, don’t go!” Shuichi whines, his eyes filling with tears. He clings to her leg, yanking gently on her pants.

 

“Shuichi, come on… Miss Kaori will take good care of you, and I’ll be back in a few hours,” she sighs, gently untangling his stubby fingers from her clothes. She picks him up again, handing him to Kaori. He looks incredibly upset as the young woman coos at him, huffing and squirming in her arms.

 

“We’ll take very good care of him, don’t worry. Has he got any friends already?” she asks, bouncing him gently against her hip in an attempt to soothe him.

 

“Ah, he does. I’m not sure where Kokichi is yet, but I know he was supposed to start today…” Minako sighs, glancing around the small room decorated with colourful posters and toys.

 

As if on cue, Daichi walks into the room, holding an agitated looking Kokichi in his arms.

 

“Sorry I’m late, Kayoko got called into work last minute. Wasn’t expecting to be on drop off duty, haha,” he laughs, setting Kokichi down on the floor. He immediately spots Shuichi in Kaori’s arms and runs towards the two, making grabby hands at Shuichi and giggling, clearly happier now that he’s allowed to run around.

 

“Wow, you look tired. Long night at work last night?” Minako smiles, noticing Daichi’s bloodshot eyes and dark circles. 

 

“Hah, yeah, you could say that… anyway, I’ve gotta head back home and get some rest,” Daichi says, waving at Kokichi.

 

“See ya, little man. I’ll be back later,” he grins, walking back outside.

 

“Aw, look, Shuichi’s got a friend!” Kaori giggles, putting him down next to Kokichi and letting the two play with each other.

 

“I might get out of here while he’s distracted,” Minako smiles, quickly dashing out of the room and back to her car. 

February 2nd, 2004, 10:46am.

 

“Come on, it’s recess time! Everyone get a piece of fruit and sit in a circle!”

 

Kokichi and Shuichi giggle together, and waddle over to the small table laden with various sliced up fruits. Shuichi grabs some apple slices, while Kokichi grabs a small container of cut up bananas. They sit down next to each other in the little circle that’s being formed on the floor. 

 

“Okay everybody! Today is a very special day, does anybody know why?” Kaori grins, looking excitedly around the room. Her gaze falls upon a girl with sleek brown hair, tied into pigtails. She seems to shy away from the attention, retreating into her jacket.

 

“Aw, come on Maki! Don’t be shy! It’s your birthday today, isn’t it?” Kaori says excitedly, watching as Maki blushes and hides her face with her hair.

 

“Can you tell everyone how old you are today, Maki?” 

 

“...Four,” Maki mumbles.

 

“Everybody say happy birthday!”

 

The classroom erupts in excited shouts, all the students happily yelling at Maki, who seems to despise all of the attention being on her. The boy next to her tries to give her a high five, but she turns away from him.

 

“It’s okay Kaito! Maki’s just shy, alright?” Kaori says, smiling warmly at Kaito who looks mildly irritated at Maki, grumbling under his breath as he turns back to his fruit.

 

“While you’re all eating, I’ll read you a story. This one’s called ‘Where is the Green Sheep?’” she smiles, holding the book up for the kids to look at the pictures.

 

February 2nd, 2004, 12:32pm.

 

“Alright, it’s nap time! Everyone, find a blankie and a pillow,” Kaori says, gesturing to the large box and stash of pillows in the back corner of the room. Shuichi and Kokichi grab one each, waddling to an open space and laying down next to each other. Once all the children have found a spot to nap, the teacher dims the lights.

 

“No! Bad Miu!” A girl cries out, a loud slapping sound drawing the attention of the teacher.

 

“Hey! Kaede, we keep our hands and feet to ourselves!” She scolds, looking down at the two girls. 

 

“She hit me!” Kaede whines, glaring at Miu, tears threatening to fall from her purple eyes.

 

“Miu… hitting our friends isn’t nice. Hands to yourself, alright?” Kaori sighs. Miu grumbles and rolls over, burying her face into her pillow, not interested in being lectured.

 

“What are we gonna do with you?” she says, taking a seat closer to the two girls so she can keep a better eye on them.

 

February 2nd, 2004, 3pm.

 

“Shuichi, your mommy’s here!” Kaori calls out, greeting Minako with a wave. Shuichi pretends to not hear her, too busy playing with blocks with Kokichi.

 

“How’d he go today? Any more tantrums?” Minako asks, glancing at the two boys. 

 

“None at all, actually. He had a wonderful day, would you like to see a drawing he did?” Kaori smiles, digging through a small pile of colourful papers.

 

“Of course! What did he draw?” Minako beams, happy that her son seems to be settling in relatively easily.

 

“Ah, here it is. I asked them all to draw their families. Are you and Kokichi’s family close, by any chance?” She asks, showing Minako the drawing. It’s a stick figure drawing of Shuichi, his parents, Kokichi and his parents, complete with smudges of crayon where Shuichi tried to colour in their hair.

 

“Aw, how cute! Yes, we are. Kayoko and I have been best friends since primary school, so our families are together a lot,” Minako chuckles, taking the drawing.

 

“That’s sweet! It looks like the boys are going to be best friends too,” she says, looking over at the two.

 

The two women look over at the classroom door as they hear it creak open, Daichi walking through.

 

“Hello. How’s my little man doing?” he asks, looking at the boys playing together.

 

“Hi, Daichi! He’s had a lovely first day, he’s done some drawings if you’d like to have a look-”

 

“Not today. I’ve gotta pick him up, drop him back home and then head straight to work,” Daichi sighs, shaking his head.

 

“Is Kayoko home yet?” Minako asks, looking him up and down. She notices that he seems far less tired than he did in the morning, yet the dark circles under his eyes are still glaringly obvious.

 

“Nah, she’ll be home in a few hours. Couldn’t find a babysitter, but he’ll be fine. Hey, Kokichi! Daddy’s here!”

 

Kokichi huffs, but puts his blocks down and waddles over to Daichi. Shuichi comes too, wanting to say bye to his friend.

 

“What? Daichi, you can’t just leave him at home! Why don’t I bring him home? I’ll take him and Shuichi out for cookies or something,” Minako says, Shuichi and Kokichi looking at each other excitedly.

 

“You sure? I’ll let Kayoko know, she can pick him up on her way home,” Daichi says, pulling his phone out and flipping it open.

 

“Of course! You know I’m always more than happy to have Kokichi over,” Minako smiles, ruffling Kokichi’s hair, earning a quiet grumble from him.

 

“Alright. Thanks, Minako. I’ll see you guys later,” Daichi smiles, leaning down to give Kokichi a cuddle.

 

“Be good for Aunty Minako, okay? Mommy will pick you up in a few hours,” he says, waving as he leaves the classroom and walks back out to his car.

 

“Well, I’ll let you all get home. I’ll see you tomorrow!” Kaori says, waving goodbye to them and going to herd up the rest of the kids.

 

“See you tomorrow! Alright, boys. Let’s go get you two some cookies!” Minako smiles, reaching down to hold Shuichi’s sleeve with one hand and Kokichi’s hand with the other. As they walk out to the car, Minako notices Kokichi is shivering slightly.

 

“Aw, are you cold? Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ve got a spare jacket somewhere at home…” she mumbles to herself, unlocking her car and buckling both boys into their car seats. She turns the car on and sighs happily as it slowly starts to warm up, a small reprieve from the harsh weather outside.

 

“You know, sometimes I’m really glad nobody actually looked at my baby shower checklist before they bought things… means I have a spare car seat for you, Kokichi,” she murmurs, driving out of the parking lot and back towards her house.

 

February 2nd, 2004, 3:27pm.

 

“Come on boys, let’s get you inside! Don’t worry Kokichi, I haven’t forgotten about that jacket for you,” Minako says, ushering the two into the house. She sets them up on the living room floor and Shuichi waddles over to his toy box, grabbing out a couple of toy trucks for them to play with. 

 

Meanwhile, Minako rummages around Shuichi’s bedroom, looking for a spare snow jacket to give to Kokichi. She eventually finds an old one that Shuichi had grown out of the year before.

 

“Kokichi, I found a jacket for you. It’s too small for Shuichi now, but you’re still so tiny… if it fits you can keep it, okay?” she says, holding up the small, black jacket. She helps Kokichi into it, buttoning up the front and spinning him around to check the fit. He puffs his chest out proudly, showing off his new clothes.

 

“Aw, perfect! I’ll tell your mommy you can have it when she gets here, okay?” she says, letting him go back to playing with Shuichi.

 

“Heheh, vroom vroom!” Shuichi giggles, rolling his truck over the floor.

 

“Wahhh! Watch out!” Kokichi grins, sending his truck sliding across the tiles, straight towards Shuichi’s. 

 

“Hey! Kokichi!” Shuichi yells, picking up his truck and glaring at Kokichi, who’s still giggling happily.

 

“Kokichi, play nice!” Minako scolds, though there’s no real anger in her voice as she watches them.

 

“Oops, sorry…” Kokichi mumbles, taking his car back and making little noises that sound like an engine revving.

 

February 2nd, 2004, 5:23pm.

 

“Come on Kichi, let’s get you inside… it’s too cold out here,” Kayoko says, holding her bag over one shoulder and carrying Kokichi in her other arm. She sets him down on the couch and brushes some stray snowflakes off of his jacket.

 

Kayoko looks around at the house, sighing as she looks at their kitchen table, seeing her favourite candle burnt, the glass container covered in soot.

 

“I swear, why does Daichi only ever use my nice candles when I’m not home?” She grumbles, setting her bag down and walking over to the fridge, ready to start cooking dinner for them both.

Notes:

Thank you for reading!

This is a little late but I hope y'all had a good new year as well, mine was eventful to say the least lol.

I can't give an exact timeframe for when chapter 4 will be out (because knowing me I'll get busy again and won't stick to it..), but I do have it planned out, I promise!

See y'all soon ^_^

Chapter 4: Chapter 4: January & May, 2006

Summary:

Kokichi and Shuichi's first year of school doesn't go without the occasional tantrum.

Notes:

Hi chat, I'm back!

This one is a very short chapter in comparison to the other ones, so... apologies for that. I fucked up pretty badly at work tonight and just wanted to write something to make me feel a little better lol. Pro tip: if you realise you've forgotten something in your store *after* you've set the alarm, it's better to take the L. Otherwise you risk setting off an entire security system and making your managers trek to the store at 1am to turn it off :')

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little chapter!

January 29th, 2006, 8:53am.

 

“Shuichi, we’ve been through this. It’s just like preschool, I promise,” Minako sighs, detaching Shuichi’s fingers from her jacket. 

 

“Fine, but I still don’t wanna…” Shuichi mumbles, kicking his feet against the carpet. He looks around the classroom, quietly observing the decorations and the way the room is set up.

 

They’re the typical things you’d find in a kindergarten classroom - colourful alphabet posters, a whiteboard with a cheesy stick figure drawing of the teacher and her class, even laminated name plaques on each tiny desk. 

 

“Trust me, you’ll love it, sweetheart. You won’t have any trouble at all, okay? You’re my smart little boy. You can already read, you’ve got your friends from preschool in the same class,” she says, ruffling his hair gently.

 

“Okay… I love you, mommy…” Shuichi whispers, waddling over to Miu, Kaede and Kaito, who are sitting down in a small circle, trying to read a book together.

 

Minako smiles to herself, then places Shuichi’s bag in his cubby before walking over to his teacher. She’s chatting up another set of parents, laughing happily. She spots Minako and excuses herself from the conversation.

 

“Hi, good morning! You must be Shuichi’s mom, right? Minako?” she exclaims, holding her hand out for Minako to shake. 

 

“Mhm, that’s me. And you’re… Miss Okumura, right?” Minako shakes her hand gently.

 

“Ah, you don’t need to call me that, that’s just for the kids. All of the parents are welcome to call me Aimi,” she says, looking around the classroom at all of the parents talking quietly to their kids.

 

“Ah, right. Well, Aimi, I just wanted to talk to you about Shuichi. I’m a little nervous about how he’ll go this year. He’s a smart boy; he’s already reading, and writing a little too. I’ve heard horror stories about kids like him getting left out because their teacher doesn’t have the right kind of work for them…” her voice trails off, glancing over at Shuichi. He’s sitting in the middle of the little circle, reading a new book to his friends with a happy grin on his face.

 

“I see. There’s no need to worry, Minako. I’ve been teaching for nearly thirty years, I’ve seen kids with learning disabilities, kids who should probably skip kindergarten entirely, and everything in between. I’ll keep a close eye on Shuichi, and I’ll let you know if I have any advice,” Aimi smiles warmly, the skin around her mouth and eyes creasing into heavily defined wrinkles.

 

“Of course. Thank you, I really appreciate it. Just one more question, do you teach the religion class too?” Minako asks, keeping her voice low.

 

"No, I don't. Each Tuesday, during the afternoon, we have a specialist take the religious students for the last hour of the day. The other kids get free time, because I can't exactly teach anything with half of the class missing," Aimi smiles, her gaze falling to the golden cross necklace adorning Minako's neck.

 

"Of course, that's understandable. Well, I'll let you get back to your class. It was nice meeting you," Minako waves as she turns to leave, her shoulders relaxing as she sighs. She feels a little more at ease, comforted by both Aimi’s experience and her obvious dedication to her students.

May 19th, 2006, 1:19pm.

“Oh, well done boys! Let me check over your books quickly… beautiful handwriting, Shuichi! And a lovely story from you, Kokichi! It’s nearly lunch time, so you two can go play in the corner until the bell rings. Just don’t get too loud, okay? Your friends are still working hard!” Aimi beams, jotting down little notes and corrections in both boys’ writing books. 

 

The two boys grin at each other, and quietly walk over to the play corner. Kokichi grabs a doll and holds it out to Shuichi.

 

“Let’s play house,” Kokichi grins, setting the doll down in it’s plastic crib, pulling a thin blanket over it.

 

“House? What’s that?” Shuichi asks, poking the doll.

 

“We’re gonna take care of our baby. Daddy, go get the shopping!” Kokichi giggles, doting on the doll and cooing at it. 

 

“Huh? Are you the mommy?” Shuichi asks, a puzzled look in his eyes.

 

“No, I’m the daddy. We’re both the daddies!” Kokichi smiles, looking back up at Shuichi.

 

“But we can’t both be it’s daddy…” Shuichi mutters, glaring at the doll.

 

“Why not? We’re both boys, so we’re both daddies,” Kokichi shrugs, taking the doll out from the crib and rocking it gently.

 

“That’s weird… my mommy says you can’t have two daddies…” Shuichi murmurs, grabbing some plastic fruit and fidgeting with it.

 

“Your mommy is silly,” Kokichi giggles, pushing a plastic piece of bread to the doll’s mouth.

 

“Hey! That’s mean!” Shuichi whines, crossing his arms.

 

“She is silly! We’re both the dad!” Kokichi pouts, “it’s okay, dolly, daddy’s just being silly.”

 

“No! That’s wrong! Boys can’t like boys!” Shuichi yells, his frustration and confusion manifesting itself as a tantrum and tears streaming down his cheeks.

 

“Boys, what on earth is going on over here?” Aimi scolds, “you’re distracting the whole class!” 

 

“Sorry Miss Okumura… I didn’t mean to make Shuichi cry…” Kokichi whispers, putting the doll down.

 

“It’s okay, sweetheart. Shuichi, have some water and come sit down with me. Kokichi, you can take care of the dolly by yourself, right? You’re a strong boy,” Aimi says, sitting down with Shuichi in a pile of cushions as Kokichi nods, turning his attention back to the doll.

 

“Shuichi, what happened? Why did you cry?” Aimi asks, her voice soft and non-judgemental.

 

“Kokichi said we’re both the daddy… that’s weird, my mommy said only a girl and a boy can have babies…” he mutters, cradling his water bottle and taking the occasional sip from it.

 

“Well, okay. It’s not a real baby though, sweetie. It’s just a toy. There’s no need to get so upset over it, alright?” She sighs, standing up.

 

“Okay… sorry for yelling…” Shuichi mumbles, his eyes still filled with tears.

 

“It’s alright. I’ll let you sit here until lunch time, just to calm down. Just have some more water, you can read a book if you’d like to,” Aimi smiles, going back to her desk to watch the rest of the class finishing their work.

Notes:

Me? Projecting bits and pieces of my own childhood onto Shuichi? No, I'd never do that.

Thank you for reading! I have a solid plan set out for the next chapter. Be prepared for a hefty time skip and just a teensy little bit of angst!

Chapter 5: Chapter 5: August, 2013

Summary:

A shocking revelation from Kokichi sends Shuichi into a spiral of self-doubt, strange emotions and online quizzes.

Notes:

Hi chat :3 back again with my favourite silly lil guys.

Just a quick note for this one: Shuichi's texts are bold, Kokichi's are italics.

Enjoy!

August 15th, 2013, 12:42pm.

 

The cafeteria is bustling with a variety of movements and sounds; the younger students giggling and talking amongst themselves, the older students making their lunch and trying to find a quiet place to study.

 

The loudest noise, however, is the grating voice of a girl yelling across the room.

 

“Hey, losers! We’re over here!” 

 

Shuichi and Kokichi share a somewhat disappointed look, their eyes wandering to the source of the noise. Miu is grinning at them, waving from a table in the corner of the cafeteria, surrounded by their other friends who all look thoroughly embarrassed.

 

“We should’ve known she was talking to us,” Kokichi sighs, shrugging his shoulders and walking over. Shuichi follows him, a similar look of exasperation on his face.

 

They sit down at two of the open spots, the rest filled by Miu, Kaede, Kaito and Maki, who are all eagerly eating their lunches.

 

“Miu, did you really need to call them losers?” Kaede sighs, shaking her head.

 

“Relax, I call you a loser all the time,” Miu laughs, poking Kaede’s arm.

 

“Yeah, and my mom hates that…” Kaede mutters, ignoring the incessant poking and focusing her attention back on her sandwich.

 

“Right, whatever. Now, I already asked Kaede and Maki something similar before you three got here, so obviously I have to ask you now!” Miu turns to Kokichi, Shuichi and Kaito, who all share the same confused expression.

 

“This can’t be anything good…” Shuichi mumbles to himself.

 

“Do you three like any girlsssss?” Miu giggles, ignoring the glare she gets from Maki, and the frustrated “ugh!” she gets from Kaede.

 

The reactions she gets from each boy are wildly different, yet so on brand for all of them. 

 

Kaito laughs, shaking his head.

 

“Nah, I’m waiting for the right girl to come along, y’know? I’m not gonna waste my time on some girl that’s not good for me.”

 

Shuichi gets flustered, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

 

“What?! Why would you ask that, I-”

 

Kokichi looks at them with a shit eating grin, cutting Shuichi off.

 

“Nah, I’m not into girls.”

 

The entire table turns their heads to gawk at Kokichi, who just shrugs.

 

“Like, you’re gay or something?” Miu teases, trying to get a reaction out of him.

 

“Mhm! Girls are kinda gross, especially girls like you, Miu,” Kokichi laughs, earning an irritated growl from Miu.

 

“Well, ladies. At least we don’t have to worry about the gremlin jerking his shrimp dick to us!”

 

“Miu! What the hell?!” Kaede groans, holding her head in her hands.

 

“I’m… going to fill up my water bottle,” Maki sighs, looking for an easy way out of the conversation. She quickly leaves the table, looking around the cafeteria for the tap that’s furthest away from the chaos.

 

“Wait, Kokichi, seriously..? You’re gay?” Shuichi questions, an unreadable expression on his face.

 

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Your parents would want me crucified if they found out, right? I don’t get why they care so much. I mean, it doesn’t affect them, like, at all,” Kokichi shrugs.

 

“I… yeah, please don’t tell them. They wouldn’t want me hanging out with you if they found out,” he murmurs, looking down at his sandwich.

 

“Wait, so you don’t care? Even though your parents do?” Kokichi asks, a curious look in his eyes.

 

“Drop it, Kokichi. I don’t know what to feel, okay? You’re my best friend, but… isn’t that... wrong?” Shuichi says, not sure how to appropriately react to the situation.

 

Kaito, Miu and Kaede’s eyes widen. Kokichi’s eyes narrow ever so slightly.

 

“Where’s Maki? I think I need to fill up my water bottle too…” Kaede whispers, standing up.

 

“Wait, I’m coming too!” Kaito chugs the rest of his water, following Kaede.

 

“This is awkward, even for me… who would’ve thought that the kind-hearted, God-fearing Shuichi Saihara was actually a gigantic asshole?” Miu mutters, leaving as well.

 

“I’m… getting the idea I said something stupid,” Shuichi sighs, shaking his head.

 

“Uh, yeah. What the hell?” Kokichi spits, “there’s nothing wrong with me being into guys. It’s not like I’m into you.”

 

“Look, I’m sorry. Can we just… agree to disagree? You’re still my best friend,” Shuichi whispers, a genuine look of shock on his face.

 

“No, we can’t. Not about this. Bye, Shuichi,” Kokichi mutters, grabbing his sandwich and quickly walking away, leaving Shuichi alone at the table to process what the hell had just happened.

 

August 15th, 2013, 5:36pm.

 

“Shuichi, dinner’s ready!” Takumi says, knocking lightly on Shuichi’s door.

 

“I’m not hungry,” Shuichi mutters, rolling over to hide his face against his pillow.

 

“What’s wrong? Usually you’re starving after school. Did something happen today?” Takumi sighs, gently sitting next to Shuichi and rubbing his back. 

 

“No, I’m fine. I’m just tired,” Shuichi grumbles, his voice muffled by the thick, fluffy pillow.

 

“Proverbs 12:22, son. There’s no need to lie to me, I’m your dad,” Takumi smiles, slowly pulling Shuichi’s blankets away and trying to roll him back over.

 

“Fine. I was really mean to Kokichi today, and he got mad at me. I feel really bad…” Shuichi whispers, his eyes red and his cheeks puffy from crying.

 

“Really? That’s not like you at all, son. What happened?” Takumi asks, a shocked expression on his face. Shuichi had never been the type to be mean, especially to one of his closest friends.

 

“I… was just stressed out by our exams, that’s all. I snapped at him when he tried to ask for help with our math homework…” Shuichi lies. He knows that lying won’t really do him any good, and there’s a chance Takumi will see straight through it, though he can’t bring himself to out Kokichi to his parents. 

 

He doesn’t even want to imagine the argument that would ensue.

 

“Oh, is that all? It’s okay, Shuichi. We all have our off days, and honestly, it’s a miracle that you two haven’t had a big fight yet, considering how long you’ve been friends. Why don’t you send him a message and apologise? Then, you can come out and have some dinner while you’re waiting for him to reply. It’s what the Lord would want you to do. And also your mom, you know how upset she gets if we don’t like her food,” Takumi chuckles, elbowing Shuichi softly. It earns him a weak grin as Shuichi sits up and reaches for his phone.

 

“Okay. Thanks, dad. I’ll be out in a few minutes,” Shuichi says, opening his messaging app.

 

“Of course, son,” Takumi smiles as he leaves, closing the bedroom door behind him.

 

Shuichi stares at the chat between himself and Kokichi for a moment before he starts typing.

 

“Hey… I’m really sorry about what I said today. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just didn’t know what to say, and I said the wrong thing. You're my best friend, gay or not. Are we okay?”

 

He sighs as he sends the message before he can overthink too much, tossing his phone away and leaving his bedroom to join his parents at the dinner table.

August 15th, 2013, 5:42pm.

 

Kokichi is sitting in bed, lazily doodling in a ratty sketchbook as his phone buzzes beside him. He checks his notifications, seeing a text from Shuichi. He reads it over a few times, his expression softening as he realises Shuichi seems genuinely remorseful.

 

“yeah, we’re okay. don’t feel too bad, you reacted the way any sheltered religious guy would. i hope it was eye opening tho… not all gay people are bad, despite what your church tells you.”

 

He sends the message and puts his phone back down, returning to his drawing. A sharp knock on his door soon interrupts him, though, and his dad walks into his bedroom.

 

“Oi, little guy. Dinner’s ready, you want some?” Daichi says, looking Kokichi’s sketchbook up and down.

 

“Huh? Oh, yeah, thanks. What is it?” Kokichi asks, putting his book and pencils away on his desk.

 

“Chicken and rice. Don’t expect too much though, we could only afford the cheap shit,” Daichi sighs, glancing away.

 

“Seriously? Didn’t you work a bunch of overtime this week?” Kokichi grumbles, his lips twisted into a slight frown.

 

“Yeah, well, things don’t always work out the way you want. You’re not the only person in this family,” Daichi mutters, storming away. Kokichi stands there stunned for a moment before he shrugs it off and wanders towards the kitchen, sitting down and spooning himself a small portion of rice, and an even smaller portion of chicken.

August 15th, 2013, 8:57pm.

 

Shuichi sinks back down onto his bed, his warm blankets enveloping him as he gets ready for bed. He checks his phone and sees the text from Kokichi, smiling softly as he reads over it.

 

“Thanks… if I can ask, how’d you know? I’ve never really thought about that kinda thing before.”

 

Kokichi’s response is almost immediate; Shuichi’s thankful he’s still awake.

 

“well, it’s the same as when you think girls are cute. i saw a cute guy one day, googled ‘am i gay quiz’ and took the first test that came up. why, you wanna take one too?”

 

Shuichi blushes softly at the thought of taking a quiz like that, but replies anyway.

 

“Sure, I guess? It can’t hurt to take it.”

 

“yay! let me know what result you get >:)”

 

Shuichi cautiously taps on the link Kokichi sends him, taking him to a website full of the most absurd quizzes, articles and advertisements one could imagine. He takes his time answering every question; genuinely thinking about his responses, how he’d react to each scenario listed.

 

Five minutes later, he stares down at his screen with wide eyes. The results screen reads,

 

“You’re probably bisexual! Nothing wrong with appreciating beauty in whatever form it takes. You’re likely the type of person to not really care about what’s… down there, you’d rather form a connection based on someone's personality!”

 

“What the..? That can’t be right,” he mutters to himself, scrolling through the endless page of quizzes before finding a similar one. He takes that quiz too, and unsurprisingly, the result is the same. He shakes his head, closing the tab and deleting any evidence he was ever looking at that from his search history. 

 

He quickly sends a text to Kokichi, his fingers trembling.

 

“Took the quiz. It said I’m totally straight.”

 

It’s not the most convincing lie Shuichi has ever told, but it’ll have to do.

 

“whatever you say. y'know, spaghetti noodles are straight til they get wet too ;)”

 

"Ew! Kokichi! I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

 

Shuichi sighs, putting his phone on charge and allowing himself to drift off into a restless sleep, tossing and turning as his dreams are plagued by thoughts he’d never thought he’d have, especially not about Kokichi.

Notes:

Thank you for reading!

I hope y'all liked this chapter, I enjoyed writing this one :3

As for the next chapter, I have a rough outline of it written up. It'll be a decent amount longer than the ones so far, and I'm so excited to see what y'all think of it...

Currently I don't have a super accurate estimated update time for it though, since I go back to uni in a few days and the week after that I am kinda being left in charge of my workplace. I'm hoping to have it done within the next two weeks but we'll see...