Beneath a Liar (Oumasai) [Discontinued]

Part 18: Panic Attacks and Surprises

(Shuichi's POV)

I wake up next to Kokichi, who is still sleeping. I stroke his hair while he sleeps. He really is adorable. "I'm sorry I couldn't..." Kokichi says. I freeze before realizing he's talking in his sleep. "It's my fault, goodbye." He keeps flinching in his sleep. "Ow!" He starts sweating profusely. He goes limp before hyperventilating. I start shaking him. "Sh-Shuichi!" Tears stream down his face.

"Kokichi!" I finally shake him awake. He jumps up and pulls me into a hug. He sobs and says my name over and over again. "Kokichi?" I ask concerned.

"I-I'm sorry, I just... had a bad dream." He wipes the tears from his eyes.

"Wanna tell me about it?"

"Not... Really..."

I hold him in my arms. "Are you okay now?"

"Y-Yeah, it was just so... real."

"I wasn't... hurting you in your dream, was I?"

"No, of course not, what makes you think that?"

"You kind of talk in your sleep."

"Oh." He looks at the floor. "I might tell you my dream later but we should head over to breakfast. You're probably starving."

"Yeah, okay." We walk to breakfast together. When we enter the room everybody freezes in shock. They start asking what happened. I stay silent, not wanting to tell them what happened.

"Monokuma kept him in his room against his will and made that rule as the new motive, but nothing happened so everything is okay." Kokichi lies.

"Y-Yeah." Everyone keeps staring at us. "Hey Kokichi, wanna eat at my room?"

"Okay." He agrees.

When we get to my room we start eating while sitting on the bed. Kokichi stares st his food, his eyes empty. "Kokichi?"

He blinks before looking up. "Um, Yeah?"

"You okay?" I ask.

"Yeah."

"Okay," I say. Kokichi goes back to eating. He looks at his plate of food as if thinking hard. Unexpectedly, he drops his fork. Kokichi?" He starts crying. "Kokichi! What's wrong?" He doesn't answer. Instead, he sobs into my chest.

"Is it about that dream?" He nods. "Can you tell me about it? If it's affecting you that badly, I need to know what it was about." He looks at the floor. "It's really bad, isn't it?" He nods. "You don't have to tell me everything if you don't want to."

He finally looks up and speaks shakily. "I don't actually remember it that well... All I remember is fear, then pain... then blood. Everywhere. And in the middle of it all... was you, with a pole through your stomach coughing up blood and..." He starts shaking.

I pull him close. "It's all right, It was just a dream."

"But it felt so real, and it was all my fault..." His voice cracks at the end.

"Kokichi. Look at me. I'm safe. You haven't done anything wrong, everything's all right."

"I know. I'm just so afraid of losing you." I stroke his hair in an attempt to soothe him. "Am I doing something wrong?" Kokichi whispers. "Does the universe hate me just like everybody else?"

"Kokichi-"

"You're the only good thing in my life and the universe wants to take you away. I thought there could finally be something good in my life. I should have known happiness doesn't last."