Roommate - oumasai

It's character backstory time!

"Younger?" Kokichi asked curiously.

"Please just sit down.. don't say anything, just listen." Kaito instructed pointing at a couple of empty chairs in the hallway.

Kokichi sighed but then decided that he needed to know what was going on. He needed the full story of what everything had happened and by the way Kaito was acting, it had to be important. So he sat down followed by Kaito.

"Just let me speak okay? Don't interrupt me."

Kokichi nodded.

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Right so.. this is how it's going to be layed out.

Narrator (Kaito)

The present.

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When he was younger, around 11 or 12, he lived with his dad. I saw him at school and I always knew that something was wrong with him but I could never pinpoint exactly what it was.. he always used to act so distant towards people.

One day, he started wearing that hat. You know the one.. the black one with the two stripes that he used to wear all the time.

I just thought it was a fashion choice.

I know now that it wasn't.

I started to be more friendly with him, he looked lonely and I thought he needed a friend. I know now that he needed a friend more than I thought.. it took years to gain his trust but he never took that hat off.

I always desperately wanted to know the real reason why he wore that hat. So one day I decided to steal the hat, as a joke..

I remember that day like it was yesterday... he was standing in the corridor, his back facing towards me. I remember creeping up really slowly then suddenly grabbing his hat and pulling it off his head.

"Are we getting to the interesting bit?" Kokichi interrupted.

"I told you not to interrupt me. So shut up." Kaito said in an angry tone.

Kokichi rolled his eyes but allowed Kaito to continue. "Fine."

Like I was saying.. I pulled his hat off his head and he suddenly turned around out of shock like I expected.

I didn't expect to see him with a black eye and a few other cuts and scrapes on his face.

"A black eye?! What the..." Kokichi spurted our all of a sudden.

Kaito simply took a deep breath to get himself together.

They were my first questions. I begged and begged for him to tell me but he didn't tell me for months.

I still remember the day I pestered him enough to tell me. I still remember what he said..

"It's.. my dad."

Kokichi's eyes widened and his face drained of all colour. "His.. dad?"

Kaito sighed and looked down at the floor.

It turned out to be his dad that was giving him the black eyes and bruises. I wanted to tell him to go to the police or get some help but he said no. He refused.

I begged and begged him to tell someone and after a few weeks he eventually he plucked up enough courage. I went with him and he told the police that day, he gave a statement and a few weeks later he was taken away from his dad for his own safety. His Uncle was selected as his guardian.

"Where was his mother?" Kokichi asked nervously.

"She chose her career over him, I don't know if I'll ever forgive her for that." Kaito snarled through gritted teeth, still staring at the floor.

He was happy with his Uncle. He worked when he got home from school as his Uncle's assistant in his Detective agency. But around 7 months ago his Uncle was sent overseas to work a case that was too dangerous for him to assist with.. so his mother was called to look after him.

She had to legally look after for him until he's eighteen but she stayed a bit later to make sure he settled into University, she'll leave again in no time. I know she seems like an attentive mother, she probably feels guilty for everything she's missed out on and could of possibly stopped from happening.

And that's it.. that's the whole story.

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Kaito was in tears, bawling his eyes out by the end of the story. His head was burried deep into his hands and he was clearly crying. Kokichi on the other hand, had no idea what to do. He didn't know what had happened to him..

What should he do? Go back in to see him again or just stay here like an idiot?

He was going in.

Before Kaito could stop him, Kokichi got up from the chair and stormed into Shuichi's room. Shuichi instantly looked up and greeted Kokichi. "Hey."

Kokichi didn't say anything but sat by Shuichi's bedside instead. "Hey, uhh.."

Shuichi didn't know why Kokichi was so nervous. Then it hit him. "Kaito told you didn't he?"

Kokichi's eyes instantly widened.

Shuichi sighed then smiled to Kokichi, "I knew Kaito was probably going to tell you.. he's too much of a good friend to not tell you even if I asked him not to."

"Yeah, he told me."

"So, what now?" Shuichi asked nervously.

"It's up to you, I don't want you to feel uncomfortable and I understand that you probably don't want to talk about it. So it's upto you." Kokichi replied gently.

Shuichi was so used to people pitying him when they found out that he expected Kokichi to but Kokichi didn't seem to pity him, he was different from everyone else.

"No, I want you to know.. maybe not in detail but.. I'll tell you." Shuichi replied, not really ready to re-tell the story, "My Dad used to be a great man but when my mom left it broke him. I think he look it out on me because I reminded him of her.. they were the toughest years of my life Kokichi.. if it wasn't for Kaito, I don't know how everything would have turned out. I'm really sorry that I keep running away from you.. I'm just used to running away. That's the truth."

"Shuichi..."

"Let me finish.. umm, I'm sorry I keep running away from you.. I'm just scared of if I screw it up. I'm not going to run away anymore, not from anyone and defiantly not from you. Truthfully, I really want—" Shuichi sighed, not restraining what he was saying, "—I really want you."

Kokichi's face dropped, had he just heard that correctly? Shuichi wanted him? He wanted him.

"Oh that reminds me, I have a favour to ask, can you tell me what I'm missing from the lectures? I'm not going to be able to make it for weeks because of..."

"Yeah."

"Thanks K, you're the best."

Kokichi blushed gently before waving goodbye to Shuichi, "I can tell you need to sleep, get some rest." then exiting the room.