☆ opposites attract | saiouma fic ☆

forty | thief

☆

After somehow managing to subside all of the Kokichi-filled thoughts in his brain for the time being, Shuichi went to sleep. It was a comfortable rest, sure, but kind of bland and uninteresting when there was no longer a short gremlin snoring in his ear and tossing and turning all night long. It sucked. He couldn't even cuddle with the stuffed bear that Kokichi made him get either, because when he squeezed it, it made this really eerie 'upupupu' noise that made him shudder. Who came up with that?

Regardless, it was nothing to lament over for too long, because the time to get up and get ready for school arrived rather quickly. It typically always did.

Once Shuichi checked the inside of his closet to see what he'd wear today, he quickly noticed that it seemed ever so slightly less full than usual. He rubbed his eyes a couple of times. Maybe it was just his imagination? He was pretty tired right now, to be fair.

Shrugging it off, he got dressed into something nice looking and went about his business. After he was completely prepared for the day, he began to walk to school. He wasn't all that excited about it—he usually never was on Mondays, honestly—but as long as he got to see Kokichi and Kaede, it was entirely worth it.

As he walked in and spotted them, Kaede seemed to be interrogating Kokichi about something. Bracing himself and taking a deep breath, Shuichi hesitantly headed towards the two.

"Good morning." Shuichi smiled slightly. "Um... is something wrong?"

Kaede quickly looked over at him, and with quickness, nodded her head. She gently grabbed Kokichi by the shoulders and made him stand in front of Shuichi.

"I'm glad you asked! You have to settle this debate for us, okay?" Kaede insisted. "This guy swears there's nothing out of the ordinary about his outfit today, but I disagree."

"Yeah, yeah! Look at me, Shuichi! Look close!" Kokichi hopped up and down, the cutest yet most mischievous smile in the world on his face.

"Oh, okay, uh... his outfit, right?" Shuichi asked, looking Kokichi up and down. He began to squint before it dawned on him.

Not only was Kokichi wearing Shuichi's hoodie, but his hat as well. That explained the closet thing earlier. Just how many clothing items did he steal from him? Of course, not that he minded it or anything... actually, Kokichi looked super adorable. Shuichi began to cover the lower half of his face just incase he started blushing.

"Yeah, I get it now, those belong to me." Shuichi muttered out, enamored. "I don't mind, but... you could've just asked me for it if you wanted them, Kokichi."

"But why?" Kokichi pouted, tilting his head. "Stealing is so much more fun! Consider it as me getting a little souvenir from your house!"

"Ah, okay then... sure." Shuichi reluctantly nodded, unable to argue against him. "But, Kaede, how did you even catch onto this? I haven't wore that hat or hoodie in a long time."

"Well, for starters, Kokichi suddenly walking in wearing an oversized black hoodie was a total red flag! Y'know, since he usually wears colorful stuff that fits? Besides, I distinctly recognize that little star on the side of the hat. It had to be yours." Kaede confirmed.

"I see... that was really observant of you, that's good."

"For real? Huh, I guess that's what happens when you're best friends with a detective!" Kaede smiled, placing her hands on her hips in triumph.

"Someone's proud of themselves... lame!" Kokichi remarked, ducking down just before Kaede could smack him upside the head. They'd clearly gotten used to eachother's antics.

"Geez, I guess I have to get faster, don't I?" Kaede sighed, now disappointed.

Trying to lift her mood, Shuichi suddenly perked up. "Oh, Kaede, you're performing today, right? Are you excited?"

Kaede hesitated, grimacing. "Yes, but also no? I'm super excited, but extremely nervous all at once... so I guess nervouscited? That's not really a word, but I'll make it one!"

Shuichi nodded. "I understand. I've seen what you can do though, so I have no doubt in my mind that you'll be great out there."

"Agreed! You've totally got this one in the bag." Kokichi chimed in.

"Thank you, guys." Kaede smiled. "Let's go to class, okay?"

With that, Kaede led the way and walked off first. Kokichi grabbed Shuichi's hand and dragged him along, and of course, they held hands going to class together, making it more obvious that Kaede was the third wheel in this situation. She didn't necessarily mind.