Little Do You Know

I've Done What I Can. Is It Enough?

Kokichi grabbed the mobile on the ground, hanging up the call and pocketing both phones. His mum rang the doorbell, making Kokichi's heart pound in terror. Shouting started up in the home, growing louder and louder. He trembled, concerned about his mum's and Shirogane's safety.

Without warning, the door flew open and Kokichi fell with a surprised yelp. He instinctively wrapped his arms around the person who collided with him, smelling the familiar rose scent of Shirogane's shampoo. The pain sparking across his body from the impact didn't matter when Kokichi realised the woman was crying and shaking violently.

He peeked out from behind her head, staring into the home. His mum stood at the entrance, seeming unfazed. A man appeared in the hallway, storming towards them whilst seething with rage. Kokichi scrambled to his feet, ignoring his body screaming for rest as he pulled Shirogane behind him. There was no way he'd let her get hurt anymore.

Staring at her father, Kokichi knew what'd happened. He didn't know what mixture of drugs he'd taken, but his teal eyes told everything. The man wasn't on the planet anymore. Probably not even in the same universe.

"Kokichi, take her to the car." He turned to his mum, her stone-faced expression never breaking from Shirogane's dad.

"Yes Mum," Kokichi nodded. He gently wrapped a hand around Shirogane's trembling shoulder, leading her towards the car. Opening the car door, he helped Shirogane sit inside and went to close it.

"Wait!" Shirogane gasped, leaping out of the car to hug Kokichi's waist. "Don't leave me." She began sobbing into his stomach, shirt dampening from the endless source of tears. Kokichi's heart dropped as he stroked her hair. It pained him to see her like this, to see her suffering when she didn't deserve it.

"It's okay, I'm just getting to the other side. I'm not leaving you, T," Kokichi whispered. He heard the conversation between their parents growing louder and more heated. Shirogane's father screamed incoherently, Kokichi's mother replying calmly and professionally. After all, she had experience being in arguments.

Shirogane detached herself from the man, slipping into the car and letting Kokichi shut the door as she wiped her tears, glasses in her lap. Kokichi hurried to the other side, jumping into the car as quick as he could. Shifting over to the woman, he wrapped his arms around her and let her cry into his shoulder. 

He could see their parents arguing over Shirogane's shoulder. Her dad threw his arms around, occasionally kicking at the air. God, he looked insane. His mother's hands flinched behind her back, the rest of her body irresponsive. "I don't know what happened," Shirogane sniffed through aggressive hiccups. "What did I do? Kokichi, I didn't do anything!"

"Ssh, it's okay, I know. It's okay T," Kokichi whispered. He continued rubbing circles on her back, the woman calming until her trembling ceased. She took deep breaths, the occasional sharp inhale catching her off guard.

Kokichi noticed his mother hurrying towards the car and slipped Shirogane's seatbelt across her torso. He sat in the middle of the back seats, throwing another seatbelt on so Shirogane could rest her head on his shoulder. She might've seemed calmer, but Kokichi knew she was fragile.

Kokichi's mum slipped into the car and locked the doors, driving away as her seatbelt clicked into place. "Hey, Shirogane. I'll take you to your mum's place, okay?" Her voice was low, just like when Kokichi would come home after appointments. He loved her.

"Thank you so much!" Shirogane sniffed, grinning from ear to ear. Kokichi squeezed her shoulder gently before continuing to rub circles over her uniform. "You didn't have to help me..."

"Nonsense!" Kokichi's mum gasped before he could respond. "You're family to us, Shirogane."

Kokichi giggled. "Yeah!" He agreed. Gasping, he slipped a phone over to Shirogane before he could forget to return it. "Gotta help my little sister!" He continued.

"I'm older than you, dipshit!" Shirogane laughed. She sat up, nudging him with her elbow. He grinned and returned the action, glad he could cheer up his best friend.

"Only by ten months!" Kokichi argued. Shirogane raised an eyebrow before bursting out with laughter, Kokichi soon joining as his mother released a faint chuckle. The laughter lifted Kokichi's spirits. Seeing the two smile and laugh made all of his suffering worth it.

.·:*¨💜༺ ༻💙¨*:·.

Kokichi sighed as he watched the streets zip past the window. They'd dropped Shirogane with her mum. She was an amazing woman who loved her daughter to death. It was a little funny to Kokichi. Both of them were similar in so many ways. Their fathers hated them and their mothers loved them. One difference was that Shirogane's dad was a great guy when he was sober, those moments were just rare nowadays.

The handbrake clicked as his mother stopped the car in the driveway, jolting Kokichi from his thoughts. He groaned, unbuckling the seatbelt as he struggled to leave the car. Now that the adrenaline of Shirogane's safety had worn off, his body ached more than ever.

He and his mother entered the home, only having enough time to lock the door behind them before Kokichi's dad appeared in the hallway. His hands were crossed over his chest, eyes hardened in a glare. "Where did you two go without permission?"

"We went grocery shopping," Kokichi stated. He and his mother went over the lie on the drive home. The young man didn't want to forget it and endanger his mother. His father stormed up to them, backhanding Kokichi so quickly that he stumbled backwards and fell to the floor.

"I don't remember giving you permission to speak," he spat. Kokichi grunted in pain as he stumbled to his feet, using the wall as an aid.

"We went grocery shopping dear," Kokichi's mother repeated.

"Where are they then?" His dad demanded. Kokichi's blood froze, he hadn't thought that far ahead amongst the panic.

"I went for some fruit but the store didn't have anything I could use."

Kokichi stared at his father whose gaze flicked between the two, eyes narrowing further in thought. Without further discussion, he turned and walked down the hallway. Releasing a sigh of relief, Kokichi fell into his mother for a hug. "Come on sweetie, let's get you back to bed."

The two walked hand-in-hand to Kokichi's bedroom, the male slipping into his bed as his mother tucked him in like a toddler. She kissed his forehead, a pained smile on her lips. Kokichi returned it, his smile full of an equal amount of pain. He sighed, body relishing in the comfortable position.

As his mother stood up, Kokichi grabbed his phone from his pocket and turned onto his side, staring at the black screen. "What are you doing?"

"Waiting," Kokichi muttered. He knew he needed to keep his voice low. Glancing at his mother, he assumed the lack of panic meant he wasn't shouting. "In case Tsumugi calls," he elaborated. "I need to be there for her if something happens." Her safety was a responsibility he took onto his shoulders, increasing his burden. That didn't matter to him, he already carried Mount Everest on his shoulders.

"Kokichi, she's with her mum now. She's safe," his mother replied. She reached out and rubbed circles on his shoulder. He liked the contact. It made him happy. Feeling obligated to wait for Shirogane, Kokichi didn't respond. His mind said she was wrong, but his gut said she was right. "I promise," Kokichi's mother added.

"Okay..." Kokichi sighed. He slipped his phone onto the bedside and grabbed Fifi, hugging her tight to his chest. His mother connected his phone to his charger and kissed his forehead before leaving the bedroom.

Kokichi let a tear escape his eyes. All he wanted was for Shirogane to be safe.