[He wraps his arms around her in turn, pressing his nose against the top of her head, closing his eyes and inhaling the scent of flowery shampoo. Huh...she showered a little while ago didn't she? He just noticed her hair is ever so slightly damp.]
[Does he want to know who it was though...that's the question. After a long moment, he shakes his head.]
No. It didn't mean anything and you don't feel that way about him so...it doesn't matter who it was.
[Okay, he's not wholly sure he actually believes that himself but...maybe by saying it out loud he can get that part of him that DOES want to know to shut up. Because it's better not to know...right? It wasn't his fault any more than it was hers. And it has to be someone she's met here whom he doesn't know. So if she tells him, it'll just color his opinion before he has a chance to really get to know the guy. And that's not really fair. So...it's better not to know.]
[Because it can't possibly be Kokichi, right? Surely she would have just said "Oma-kun" from the start, if that were the case. Nah, it's definitely gotta be someone he doesn't know.]
[You got it, Shuichi. She fucked the guy who hates pianos in an attempt to convince him that pianos are Great.
She hums quietly, then nods, closing her eyes as she keeps her arms wrapped around him. If he doesn't want to know then... that's fine. Maybe she should text Kokichi and ask him not to tell Shuichi, but that doesn't sound like something she should do. It's Kokichi's own decision what he decides to do, after all.]
Thank you, Saihara-kun.
[He's just... such a good boy. She's stupidly lucky.]
[Oh good, he was hoping that would be the case. Because then there would be absolutely NO doubt in anyone's mind that it was just because of tree weirdness and it would definitely NOT happen again because kaede would never willingly bang someone who destroys pianos.]
[So, you know...if she had to have dream sex with somebody other than himself, better that guy than anyone else.]
[Of course he wants another kiss, when does he not want another kiss? He'll even kiss back this time. And also give her a reassuring little squeeze because he really wants to be sure she knows he's not mad. Well, not mad at her, anyway. He is, admittedly, more than a little annoyed with the assholes who let the problem get to this point rather than just taking the display down.]
[But definitely not mad at Kaede.]
Mmm...if you roll over on your other side then, yes, you may.
[He wants to spoon. So sue him.]
[And also maybe go back to sleep for another hour or two.]
[She giggles quietly, brushing a hand through his hair and giving him a smile. Heck yes she wants to spoon. And maybe go back to sleep herself, since she didn't exactly have a restful night.]
You drive a hard bargain, Saihara-kun, [she teases, kissing him one more time before rolling over and scooting back against him. She still can't help but feel a little guilty, but... Shuichi isn't angry. She'll figure out how to look Kokichi in the eye later.
[He just laughs lightly in response, wrapping his arms around her once she's turned around and pulling her in close. Yes. For now, spooning.]
[He presses a quick kiss to the shell of her ear before settling himself more comfortably against her and closing his eyes. It...it doesn't really take him long to nod off again. It never does, when Kaede is next to him. He manages to get in a few more hours of sleep, but only a few. Because unlike Kaede, he DID have a very restful night's sleep, even if she woke him up early from it. So, soon enough, he's waking back up.]
[Now, normally he'd be all too happy to just lay in bed and snuggle with Kaede instead of getting up and doing anything particularly productive. But now that he's awake again...his curiosity and concern over the trees is back again. And he can't just lay there idly while there's a minor crisis like that going no. Especially since there's a chance it could happen to Kaede again or to him. She was upset enough over it happening just once...she doesn't need to go through it a second time.]
[So he gently nudges the pianist awake so that he can tell her where he's going, and ask her if she wants to come with him. To the dome, to investigate the trees. And maybe try and get a word in with whoever's in charge of that whole display. Boy howdy does he have some feedback.]
[But, in the end, she'd rather just keep sleeping. And honestly he can't even blame her. So after getting dressed and giving her a few gentle smooches along with the promise that he wouldn't be gone long, Shuichi heads out the door on his own. His destination? The fantasia dome.]
[Except...he never actually makes it there. Hell, he never even makes it off of their floor, thanks to a certain text message. He said he didn't want to know who Kaede shared her dream fantasy with, but apparently fate had other plans. Because he's finding out anyway.]
[And after one very emotionally turbulent conversation that took just about as long as it would for him to do a preliminary tree investigation, Shuichi is returning to his room. He opens the door and approaches the bed quietly, making sure not to turn on the lights if Kaede has them turned off. He's going to have to wake her, but...you know, he can be polite about it.]
[You still sleeping, girlfriend? Do you mind if he just...sits on the edge of the bed?]
[She had gotten up to turn the lights off, in fact. She'd gotten up only a few minutes after he'd left, but not with the intention of leaving. Kaede's tired, emotionally drained after spending hours dreading what turned out not to be a bad conversation at all, but it's hard for her to sleep with the lights on.
While she was up, she grabbed one of Shuichi's button-down shirts and wrapped it around herself in place of her robe. She's pretty sure he won't mind if she just... wants to sleep in something that smells like him. It's why she doesn't bother going back to her room after he leaves, either. Why would she? Here's where she feels warm and safe.
He hadn't been gone that long, it feels like, when she's gently woken up by the sound of his voice. The door had started to wake her, just a little, because unfortunately her ears are just too good to sleep through something like that, but Shuichi's voice is a comfort. She blinks blearily at him and gives him a sleepy smile, reaching for his hand.]
[He takes her reaching hand in his own, giving it a little squeeze.]
Good morning. [A beat.] Again.
[With his free hand, he brushes a few stray strands of hair off of her face.]
Did you sleep okay?
[He knows he can't really psend much time beating around the bush here, because who knows how long it'll actually take Kokichi to show up, but...somehow jumping right into "hey, so Kokichi is coming over to talk to you" as soon as she wakes up seems like poor form.]
[Honestly she could sleep a little longer, but jeez, what time is it already?? She'll sleep the whole morning if she's not careful. The nap was refreshing enough. Maybe she can get Shuichi to go to bed early with her tonight.
She sits up and stifles a yawn behind her free hand, clearly trying to wake herself up properly.]
[Oh hey...now that she's sitting up...that's his shirt, isn't it? She's wearing his shirt.]
[Cute.]
[Though also potentially a problem. But he'll get to that in a minute.]
Um...no. I uh...went and talked to Oma-kun instead. [Three guesses what about, and the first two don't count.] He sent me a text while you and I were talking, but obviously I didn't see it until I left, so...
[So yeah.]
He wanted to apologize for what happened last night. And he'll be over here soon to talk to you too. [He gives her a moment to process that before continuing, apologetically.] Sorry to spring that on you, but... I think the sooner you both talk about it, the better...
[She sure is wearing his shirt. Didn't bother buttoning it because his weenie nerd chest can't possibly match hers, but. Not the point.
She goes very, very still when he says he went to talk to Oma-kun, some of the familiar worry from this morning showing on her face. If nothing else, it wakes her up as fully as a splash of water.]
O-oh...
[Oh. Her earrings are back in her ears, too, in case Shuichi had tried texting her while he was out. A quick hand to one of them, and it's obvious that Kokichi hadn't tried texting her at all. He... went to apologize to Shuichi without talking to her first? He's not even dating Shuichi! The order of events seems weird.]
W-well, that's good, right? [Trying to sound upbeat, even though she's suddenly nervous again.] I wanted to talk to him anyway... is my sweatshirt still here?
[She's abandoned several pieces of outfits here over the past few weeks. Let her just... get dressed a little. Sure, maybe Kokichi saw her naked already, but-! It's the principle of the thing. No reason to be in her pajamas.]
[Shuichi nods, running his thumb over her fingers reassuringly.]
Yeah, it's good. [And then he lets go of her hand after a quick squeeze, because she's going to need that to get dressed.] And it should be? I haven't taken it anywhere, so unless you took it back to your room... Check the closet.
[That's where he puts all of the clothes that winds up in his room, be it his or Kaede's. Because he's sure as hell not going to leave it out on the floor.]
But um...maybe take my shirt off before he comes over here? Seeing something like that might...bother him, I think. He's...kind of a mess right now, though I'm sure by the time he comes over here, you won't be able to tell.
[He's being a little vague to give himself some time to figure out how much he should tell her. It's not his place to tell her most of what they discussed, but...he can't say NOTHING. Kaede isn't always the most careful about what she says. If he doesn't give her some kind of head's up, this discussion may end up being a bad thing, rather than a good one.]
[Why can't clothes live on the floor, Shuichi. They can be in a comfy pile together.
She does let go of his hand and head to the closet, too. She pouts at a little when he suggests taking off his shirt, but... it's Shuichi. He wouldn't say it if he didn't think it were important. So yeah, she'll tug off his shirt and hang it back up where she found it before grabbing the hoodie she was looking for to just tug over her head. The pajama shorts can stay where they are, though... that covers her enough, she thinks.]
Is... it my fault he's a mess?
[She has to ask that, though, fingers tugging at the ends of her sweatshirt's sleeves anxiously.]
What? No! [He puts his hands up in front of him in a sort of half distressed, half placating gesture.][He shifts a little on the bed so that he can face Kaede more properly now that she's moved to a different part of the room.]
He...he's been covering it up really well, trying to hide it from us but...he's miserable, Akamatsu-san. For starters: he's still carrying a lot of guilt about the killing game. Apparently, he's been having nightmares...ones bad enough to keep him from sleeping. I don't think he's had a decent night's sleep in weeks...he looked like a ghost when I went over there. Though I'm sure he'll have covered it all up by the time he comes over here.
[So...you know. Maybe don't mention that when he comes over here. You totally didn't hear any of this from Shuichi.]
And then on top of that...he's not enjoying this game any more than he did the killing game. All that talk about how easy he thinks it is and how he's not bothered about playing with strangers...that was all a lie. He's not having fun at all, even if he plays with people he actually likes.
He's...really lonely, Akamatsu-san. More than anything, he's just really lonely. And a game like "kink bingo" just makes that worse, you know?
[Because it's all about sex. About being intimate with others. The very opposite of being alone.]
Honestly, between all the residual guilt over the killing game, fear for the well-being of his subordinates, and everything that's happened to him here...I'm surprised he didn't crack before now.
[Well... at least what happened last night wasn't the direct cause for his breakdown, but now she just feels guilty for other reasons. Her shoulders hunch, just slightly, at the mention of nightmares; of course he'd have those. She still has them, and she hadn't gone through nearly as much as Kokichi had. Hell, she's still envious of how Shuichi can seem to sleep through every night without waking up. So she'd just assumed... it was just her. She had no reason to think Kokichi might be suffering, too, but maybe she should have.
That's what a friend would do, isn't it? See through the lies and help him? Instead she'd been so focused on Shuichi, on making the most of every day on this station and trying to forget the killing game, that she'd failed to look deeper, try to look past his lies.]
He seemed like... he was having a lot of fun.
[She sits down on the bed, eyes unfocused as she stares at the wall straight ahead. Honestly, she's replaying some of what happened last night, trying to think if there were any hints. But neither of them were acting like themselves, then, so how was she to know?]
If he doesn't want to play, then... we can play for him, right? What if we all moved in together? That would save money, and he'd be less lonely if he could bother us all the time.
[Me and you and your friend Steve, more like. But it's easier to propose moving in with Shuichi, which she's wanted to do for a while now, if she's suggesting it be all three of them.]
Yeah, well...he seemed like he was having a lot of fun during the killing game too. Lying is like breathing for him, Akamatsu-san. The only reason I got as much out of him as I did is because he's exhausted...it was much easier to catch him in his lies than it normally is.
[You should have heard them, Kaede. Most of them were so bad. So...very very bad. Shuichi sighs.]
I don't know about all of us moving in together. I mean...I'd be okay with that, [Especially since Kaede already seems to basically live here anyway.] but I'm not sure if that would just...make him feel more lonely. I think he might be a little jealous of what we have. But we can talk about that later.
I did tell him I'd play for him, though, and he accepted that, at least on a temporary basis. So we'll see, I guess.
[She can't say she isn't a little disappointed that he didn't agree immediately, but he's right. If Kokichi really is jealous, it might be worse to see them together all the time... hm. Tricky.
She can't help but huff a quiet laugh through her nose, though, leaning forward to rest her chin in her hands and give him a smile.]
I guess we'll have to really start focusing on our squares then, huh, Saihara-kun? If he still wants a secret base and all that...
[And she winks at him, trying to lighten the mood at least a little before Kokichi gets here. Whenever you're ready, boyo.]
[Hey, he never said he was opposed to just moving in with you. Just that maybe a me and you and your friend Steve situation might not be a good idea.]
[Shuichi's cheeks turn faintly pink, but he laughs quietly too.]
I guess so...I forgot about the secret base. Maybe I should have been more specific when I said "support".
[It's a joke, obviously. Kokichi clearly doesn't expect that out of him, and he knows it. Since the other boy said he wouldn't make him support him forever. But the mood could definitely use some lightening.]
Oh, hey...don't tell him I told you all of this. Not yet, anyway. Just focus on what happened last night, for now. He feels guilty enough about that without even touching everything else that's bothering him.
[Shuichi is pretty sure he might strangle him if he has to have the same conversation with Kaede. He was presumably not supposed to tell her any of the stuff he just did but...look, she needed some context.]
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diffidentive) wrote2017-11-13 11:58 am
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[Does he want to know who it was though...that's the question. After a long moment, he shakes his head.]
No. It didn't mean anything and you don't feel that way about him so...it doesn't matter who it was.
[Okay, he's not wholly sure he actually believes that himself but...maybe by saying it out loud he can get that part of him that DOES want to know to shut up. Because it's better not to know...right? It wasn't his fault any more than it was hers. And it has to be someone she's met here whom he doesn't know. So if she tells him, it'll just color his opinion before he has a chance to really get to know the guy. And that's not really fair. So...it's better not to know.]
[Because it can't possibly be Kokichi, right? Surely she would have just said "Oma-kun" from the start, if that were the case. Nah, it's definitely gotta be someone he doesn't know.]
[Maybe that hedgehog guy who hates pianos...]
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She hums quietly, then nods, closing her eyes as she keeps her arms wrapped around him. If he doesn't want to know then... that's fine. Maybe she should text Kokichi and ask him not to tell Shuichi, but that doesn't sound like something she should do. It's Kokichi's own decision what he decides to do, after all.]
Thank you, Saihara-kun.
[He's just... such a good boy. She's stupidly lucky.]
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[So, you know...if she had to have dream sex with somebody other than himself, better that guy than anyone else.]
You don't really need to thank me for anything...
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No, I do... I was really afraid you were going to be angry, or you wouldn't want to be with me anymore.
[Want another kiss? Too bad, he's getting one anyway, a tender, lingering one.]
Can I just... lay here with you, for a while?
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[But definitely not mad at Kaede.]
Mmm...if you roll over on your other side then, yes, you may.
[He wants to spoon. So sue him.]
[And also maybe go back to sleep for another hour or two.]
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You drive a hard bargain, Saihara-kun, [she teases, kissing him one more time before rolling over and scooting back against him. She still can't help but feel a little guilty, but... Shuichi isn't angry. She'll figure out how to look Kokichi in the eye later.
For now, spooning? Spooning.]
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[He presses a quick kiss to the shell of her ear before settling himself more comfortably against her and closing his eyes. It...it doesn't really take him long to nod off again. It never does, when Kaede is next to him. He manages to get in a few more hours of sleep, but only a few. Because unlike Kaede, he DID have a very restful night's sleep, even if she woke him up early from it. So, soon enough, he's waking back up.]
[Now, normally he'd be all too happy to just lay in bed and snuggle with Kaede instead of getting up and doing anything particularly productive. But now that he's awake again...his curiosity and concern over the trees is back again. And he can't just lay there idly while there's a minor crisis like that going no. Especially since there's a chance it could happen to Kaede again or to him. She was upset enough over it happening just once...she doesn't need to go through it a second time.]
[So he gently nudges the pianist awake so that he can tell her where he's going, and ask her if she wants to come with him. To the dome, to investigate the trees. And maybe try and get a word in with whoever's in charge of that whole display. Boy howdy does he have some feedback.]
[But, in the end, she'd rather just keep sleeping. And honestly he can't even blame her. So after getting dressed and giving her a few gentle smooches along with the promise that he wouldn't be gone long, Shuichi heads out the door on his own. His destination? The fantasia dome.]
[Except...he never actually makes it there. Hell, he never even makes it off of their floor, thanks to a certain text message. He said he didn't want to know who Kaede shared her dream fantasy with, but apparently fate had other plans. Because he's finding out anyway.]
[And after one very emotionally turbulent conversation that took just about as long as it would for him to do a preliminary tree investigation, Shuichi is returning to his room. He opens the door and approaches the bed quietly, making sure not to turn on the lights if Kaede has them turned off. He's going to have to wake her, but...you know, he can be polite about it.]
[You still sleeping, girlfriend? Do you mind if he just...sits on the edge of the bed?]
Akamatsu-san...?
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While she was up, she grabbed one of Shuichi's button-down shirts and wrapped it around herself in place of her robe. She's pretty sure he won't mind if she just... wants to sleep in something that smells like him. It's why she doesn't bother going back to her room after he leaves, either. Why would she? Here's where she feels warm and safe.
He hadn't been gone that long, it feels like, when she's gently woken up by the sound of his voice. The door had started to wake her, just a little, because unfortunately her ears are just too good to sleep through something like that, but Shuichi's voice is a comfort. She blinks blearily at him and gives him a sleepy smile, reaching for his hand.]
Mmm... good morning, again.
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Good morning. [A beat.] Again.
[With his free hand, he brushes a few stray strands of hair off of her face.]
Did you sleep okay?
[He knows he can't really psend much time beating around the bush here, because who knows how long it'll actually take Kokichi to show up, but...somehow jumping right into "hey, so Kokichi is coming over to talk to you" as soon as she wakes up seems like poor form.]
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[Honestly she could sleep a little longer, but jeez, what time is it already?? She'll sleep the whole morning if she's not careful. The nap was refreshing enough. Maybe she can get Shuichi to go to bed early with her tonight.
She sits up and stifles a yawn behind her free hand, clearly trying to wake herself up properly.]
Did you learn anything...? About the trees?
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[Cute.]
[Though also potentially a problem. But he'll get to that in a minute.]
Um...no. I uh...went and talked to Oma-kun instead. [Three guesses what about, and the first two don't count.] He sent me a text while you and I were talking, but obviously I didn't see it until I left, so...
[So yeah.]
He wanted to apologize for what happened last night. And he'll be over here soon to talk to you too. [He gives her a moment to process that before continuing, apologetically.] Sorry to spring that on you, but... I think the sooner you both talk about it, the better...
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She goes very, very still when he says he went to talk to Oma-kun, some of the familiar worry from this morning showing on her face. If nothing else, it wakes her up as fully as a splash of water.]
O-oh...
[Oh. Her earrings are back in her ears, too, in case Shuichi had tried texting her while he was out. A quick hand to one of them, and it's obvious that Kokichi hadn't tried texting her at all. He... went to apologize to Shuichi without talking to her first? He's not even dating Shuichi! The order of events seems weird.]
W-well, that's good, right? [Trying to sound upbeat, even though she's suddenly nervous again.] I wanted to talk to him anyway... is my sweatshirt still here?
[She's abandoned several pieces of outfits here over the past few weeks. Let her just... get dressed a little. Sure, maybe Kokichi saw her naked already, but-! It's the principle of the thing. No reason to be in her pajamas.]
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Yeah, it's good. [And then he lets go of her hand after a quick squeeze, because she's going to need that to get dressed.] And it should be? I haven't taken it anywhere, so unless you took it back to your room... Check the closet.
[That's where he puts all of the clothes that winds up in his room, be it his or Kaede's. Because he's sure as hell not going to leave it out on the floor.]
But um...maybe take my shirt off before he comes over here? Seeing something like that might...bother him, I think. He's...kind of a mess right now, though I'm sure by the time he comes over here, you won't be able to tell.
[He's being a little vague to give himself some time to figure out how much he should tell her. It's not his place to tell her most of what they discussed, but...he can't say NOTHING. Kaede isn't always the most careful about what she says. If he doesn't give her some kind of head's up, this discussion may end up being a bad thing, rather than a good one.]
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She does let go of his hand and head to the closet, too. She pouts at a little when he suggests taking off his shirt, but... it's Shuichi. He wouldn't say it if he didn't think it were important. So yeah, she'll tug off his shirt and hang it back up where she found it before grabbing the hoodie she was looking for to just tug over her head. The pajama shorts can stay where they are, though... that covers her enough, she thinks.]
Is... it my fault he's a mess?
[She has to ask that, though, fingers tugging at the ends of her sweatshirt's sleeves anxiously.]
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He...he's been covering it up really well, trying to hide it from us but...he's miserable, Akamatsu-san. For starters: he's still carrying a lot of guilt about the killing game. Apparently, he's been having nightmares...ones bad enough to keep him from sleeping. I don't think he's had a decent night's sleep in weeks...he looked like a ghost when I went over there. Though I'm sure he'll have covered it all up by the time he comes over here.
[So...you know. Maybe don't mention that when he comes over here. You totally didn't hear any of this from Shuichi.]
And then on top of that...he's not enjoying this game any more than he did the killing game. All that talk about how easy he thinks it is and how he's not bothered about playing with strangers...that was all a lie. He's not having fun at all, even if he plays with people he actually likes.
He's...really lonely, Akamatsu-san. More than anything, he's just really lonely. And a game like "kink bingo" just makes that worse, you know?
[Because it's all about sex. About being intimate with others. The very opposite of being alone.]
Honestly, between all the residual guilt over the killing game, fear for the well-being of his subordinates, and everything that's happened to him here...I'm surprised he didn't crack before now.
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That's what a friend would do, isn't it? See through the lies and help him? Instead she'd been so focused on Shuichi, on making the most of every day on this station and trying to forget the killing game, that she'd failed to look deeper, try to look past his lies.]
He seemed like... he was having a lot of fun.
[She sits down on the bed, eyes unfocused as she stares at the wall straight ahead. Honestly, she's replaying some of what happened last night, trying to think if there were any hints. But neither of them were acting like themselves, then, so how was she to know?]
If he doesn't want to play, then... we can play for him, right? What if we all moved in together? That would save money, and he'd be less lonely if he could bother us all the time.
[Me and you and your friend Steve, more like. But it's easier to propose moving in with Shuichi, which she's wanted to do for a while now, if she's suggesting it be all three of them.]
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[You should have heard them, Kaede. Most of them were so bad. So...very very bad. Shuichi sighs.]
I don't know about all of us moving in together. I mean...I'd be okay with that, [Especially since Kaede already seems to basically live here anyway.] but I'm not sure if that would just...make him feel more lonely. I think he might be a little jealous of what we have. But we can talk about that later.
I did tell him I'd play for him, though, and he accepted that, at least on a temporary basis. So we'll see, I guess.
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[She can't say she isn't a little disappointed that he didn't agree immediately, but he's right. If Kokichi really is jealous, it might be worse to see them together all the time... hm. Tricky.
She can't help but huff a quiet laugh through her nose, though, leaning forward to rest her chin in her hands and give him a smile.]
I guess we'll have to really start focusing on our squares then, huh, Saihara-kun? If he still wants a secret base and all that...
[And she winks at him, trying to lighten the mood at least a little before Kokichi gets here. Whenever you're ready, boyo.]
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[Shuichi's cheeks turn faintly pink, but he laughs quietly too.]
I guess so...I forgot about the secret base. Maybe I should have been more specific when I said "support".
[It's a joke, obviously. Kokichi clearly doesn't expect that out of him, and he knows it. Since the other boy said he wouldn't make him support him forever. But the mood could definitely use some lightening.]
Oh, hey...don't tell him I told you all of this. Not yet, anyway. Just focus on what happened last night, for now. He feels guilty enough about that without even touching everything else that's bothering him.
[Shuichi is pretty sure he might strangle him if he has to have the same conversation with Kaede. He was presumably not supposed to tell her any of the stuff he just did but...look, she needed some context.]