A/N: chapter two of hanahaki fanfiction !!
shuichi pov
Something was off about Kokichi. He had been ignoring Shuichi for a while now, despite how interested he seemed in him at the beginning. Shuichi thought he would eventually come back to hang out but he never did. If anything, it seemed like he was only pushing himself farther away.
It was weird to admit, but Shuichi missed him. Sure, Kokichi was annoying. But he was never boring. Hanging out with him was sort of fun, even though it was confusing. Shuichi found himself wanting to know more about him, and to learn to see through his lies.
But Shuichi had no idea how intrigued he was by him. Not until he went away.
His absence only made Shuichi want to chase after him more.
He kept thinking about him, more so than usual. He'd wonder where he was, what he was doing, what he really means when he says things. These were thoughts he already had, but now were noticeably more plentiful. And he investigated these ideas more and more, trying to solve a mystery that still refused to appear in front of him.
But then there were also some...other thoughts. More...personal thoughts.
Suddenly, he was thinking about Kokichi's smile and would have to force back a smile himself. He would think about Kokichi's games and how he used to think they were annoying, but now they just seemed like something he really wishes he was a part of again. He'd think of how smart he was and how much he appreciated him for that...
Sometimes he'd think about what it would be like to be... close to him. To...hold him. Or something.
He'd even gone so far and had a dream about him once. It was embarrassing. But he couldn't say it wasn't nice.
He was so scared this was some sort of crush. He didn't want to feel like that. Not in a killing game, it would be too much pain for him to endure.
What if Kokichi dies? What if he kills someone? What if he's the mastermind?
Kokichi wouldn't like him back anyway.
Shuichi couldn't risk it, so he pushed all the thoughts from his head.
He just wanted to know why he was being ignored, that's all and nothing else.
He didn't really have any leads. All he could deduce was from the last time he really talked to Kokichi. That was when he gave him that love key.
Shuichi knew what the love key did, that's why he chose not to use it and to give it away. He wasn't really ready to be that intimate, killing game or not.
Maybe the love key made Kokichi uneasy too. Maybe he unlocked the love hotel and something strange happened.
...Maybe Shuichi was there. That would explain why Kokichi was ignoring him, right?
No, it wasn't possible. Shuichi didn't remember anything from that sort of setting. Though, he wasn't supposed to. And maybe the setting changes while you're there?
...
No, that wasn't possible!
If it wasn't the love hotel, what was it? What else could have pushed Kokichi so far away? What other evidence from that last meeting they had was there?
Well, he had been acting a little sick. That couldn't have meant anything, could it? He was just coughing a lot, it was probably nothing.
Maybe he was avoiding him because he was sick?
