Saimatsu Agere Oneshots

I Miss You

Author's note: This should go without saying, but do not sexualize this chapter. Nothing about this is inherently sexual, thank you for understanding.

There's something about spending all of your time poring over your schoolwork that makes you lose all track of time.

That's how Shuichi Saihara felt at this very moment. His eye bags were prominent and his third coffee cup of the day had long since been emptied. The words on his computer screen started to blur as he tried rubbing his eyes. There were even a few occasions where he slapped his face to get himself to wake up, but nothing seemed to help the fact that his vision brought him in and out of focus.

Regardless, he wasn't just going to give up. He had a couple of assignments due in three days that he wanted to get done as quickly as possible. They were assigned today, but he didn't have time to start anything until late at night due to the latest case he was working on. Now, he was quickly feeling the workload piling up on him. It wasn't necessarily his fault, it's just that he didn't know when breaks were necessary. He was tired and sore from hours of nonstop work today, but he was determined to finish this. He had too much pride to stop now.

A loud knock at the door startled him out of focus as he stared at the door. He sighed softly, wondering who could be interrupting him this late at night. It was one in the morning, what would someone possibly want from him at this hour?

Shuichi reluctantly got up and swung the door open, only to find Kaede standing there. She had her hands on her hips with an almost comical pout on her face. It was very clear that she wasn't happy with him. Shuichi gave a nervous smile to her out of habit, and she just let herself in wordlessly at first, shutting the door behind her.

"Just like Kaito said, you're still up.. your desk is a mess and you look like a mess," Kaede listed off, sighing softly. "I worry about you a lot more than you think I do."

A soft blush forms on Shuichi's cheeks in response to this observation. She was right, he had been working hard today. He's not necessarily sure how to take care of himself without some coercion often, and the mere thought of that fact embarrassed him. His shoes seemed to be interesting all of a sudden.

"S-sorry.." he admitted in defeat before looking back up at Kaede. "I just.. Have a lot to get done and it needs to get done immediately. It's hard to juggle school and work.."

Kaede sighed and gently placed a hand on Shuichi's shoulder. The touch brought him a strange sense of calm. It almost looked like the detective had deflated.

"Here, let me help you.. You should take a break." Kaede spoke as she swiftly but gently closed the laptop on Shuichi's desk.

Shuichi didn't know what to say. His eyes widened slightly in response to Kaede's actions. "K-Kaede! I have work to do.. You can't just make me stop working," Shuichi huffed and pouted a little.

The pianist didn't seem to like this answer. She had her arms crossed in disappointment for a moment. "Geez.. You work way too hard. You don't even know that breaks are important.. and this is coming from the girl who spends every waking moment on the piano."

"But, Kaede.."

"Nope, none of that. No 'buts', no nothing. You're taking a break, and tomorrow it's Saturday, so if you need me to help you, I will!" Kaede reassured, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "So you don't need to go through it alone, you know? I just want you to take a break for now. You look like you can barely stand."

Shuichi couldn't continue to argue anymore. Instead, he just slumped his shoulders and closed his eyes. He looked completely worn out. When he slumped over and relaxed, it felt as though all the heavy weight of the day left his shoulders. He was so tired, and Kaede was being really convincing. Shuichi sighed softly and nodded a little. Kaede was making a compelling argument, and the bed was getting more inviting by the second.