Blame Me

Cafe

Kokichi Ouma walked quietly down the street, shouldering his way through the crowds. The small boy hated having to walk home, but it was better than having to wait hours for his drunken parents to remember to pick him up. The loud sounds around him boomed in his ears, and he longed to cover them and sink away into a tiny alleyway and wait for the storm of students to disappear. Eventually, he decided to do just that. Kokichi swiftly slunk down into one of the many alleyways, waiting it out until very few people remained on the streets. It took around ten minutes, but soon, barely anyone remained. It'd be easy now.

He retreated from his hiding spot, rounding the corner a bit too fast. As he lunged forward to sprint down the street, a tall, thin man bumped hard into him, sending him falling down to the hard concrete below him.

"H-hey! Are... are you okay?" The man stuttered in shock, his wide, olive eyes wide open. He reached his hand toward Kokichi, offering him help.

Kokichi looked at the hand, examining it for a moment, before finally deciding to accept the assistance. Kokichi nearly shuttered in disgust at how clammy the other's hand was. However, he managed to repress it.

"I'm... fine." Kokichi decided, dusting off his pants which were dusty and a bit ripped from the fall. He'd scraped the back of his leg, and it was bleeding through the small amounts of fabric that still covered it.

The other boy looked at him with uncertainty. "Your leg is bleeding." He commented quietly, lowering down onto his knees to inspect the scrape. Kokichi took a step back, feeling uncomfortable with the stranger so close to him.

"I... should go." The smaller boy announced, speed-walking down the street. He definitely did not want the other man to try to offer him help. However, much to his dismay, the other boy rushed to follow. "L-listen, I'm really sorry for bumping into you. I uh, didn't see you." The man sounded unconfident, his voice trembling a bit as he spoke, almost as if he was embarrassed. Kokichi waited for him to get to the point, and was shocked when he finally did. "As an apology... would you like to come to the cafe down the street with me? I'd be paying." This time, he sounded a tiny bit more confident, but as Kokichi looked up at him, he avoided his gaze. The tall man's cheeks were turning a bright pink with shame.

Kokichi thought for a moment. Was he really going to go to the cafe with such a gross looking, unkempt man that he just met? He didn't even know his name. However, the thought of food made his stomach grumble hungrily. His parents rarely fed him, he'd often have to go days without food. The thought of getting good, unspoiled food for free was a treat. He finally decided on his answer.

"Okay." He responded nonchalantly, "I'll go with you."

Kokichi guessed by how excited the other boy suddenly seemed, he didn't go out with other people often. Likely a disgusting pervert loner. The two walked side by side down to the cafe until they reached the clear, shiny glass doors. The building was painted a pretty light gray and had flower pots filled with gorgeous daffodils on each side of the doors. The tall, dark-haired man pushed the glass door open, holding it for Kokichi to walk in through.

As he walked in, he was immediately hit with the delicious smell of pastries, along with the bitter, wonderful smell of unsweetened coffee. The other boy led him to a booth in the back of the cafe, tucked away in the corner. Kokichi nervously sat down, looking over at the man who he still didn't know the name of. They sat quietly for a while, reading the menus. Kokichi had decided on having three grape macaroons along with salted caramel coffee. He didn't want to go overboard and scare the other boy away just in case he had any intentions of taking him out to get food again in the future.

Soon a pretty waitress approached them, and both of them placed their orders.

"Have you ever been here before?" The other asked as Kokichi spun around a small coffee straw that the waitress had given him.

"No." He answered simply. There was nothing else to add to that statement. He didn't need to explain himself.

"The food's really good. I... think you'll like it." He said with a small smile.

Kokichi looked over at him, finally asking the question he had been wanting to ask but hadn't gained the confidence to. "What's your name?"

The boy looked stunned for a moment, before slowly returning back to his soft smile. "Shuichi Saihara. I um, didn't realize I forgot to say that." He paused for a moment, "What's your name?"

Kokichi paused for a moment, letting the other boy's name roll through his head. Shuichi Saihara. It sounded unfamiliar, and he began to wonder what school the other boy went to. There were multiple schools in the area, which was why the streets were always so crowded.

"My name is Kokichi Ouma."

The two stayed silent until the food arrived, and Kokichi had to force himself not to eat all of his macaroons at once. He sat back, letting himself relax in the semi-comfortable seats. He sipped curiously at his coffee, which tasted sweet with a slight flavor of caramel. He smiled a bit as he decided that he liked it. He then began slowly eating his macaroons, relishing the sugary grape taste that filled his mouth as he ate.

Eventually, they finished, and Shuichi hurried to pay the check. They walked out of the cafe, finding that it was now completely dark out. "Would you uh... like to come home with me?"

The question shocked Kokichi as he looked up in surprise at the blushing man next to him. Did this guy seriously just take him to a cafe just so he could get laid? Shuichi quickly seemed to notice the stunned, disgusted look and rushed to explain himself.

"Y-your leg was scraped so uh... I was wanting to patch it up for you. Nothing weird." He promised, his face completely red.

Kokichi lowered his guard a bit. He really just wanted to help? He eyed Shuichi suspiciously for a second, but then shrugged.

"Okay."

It wasn't like he had much to come home to that night. His parents would be too busy beating each other and drinking to notice him gone.

The other man seemed pleased with this answer and began to lead him down the street. Soon, they reached a large apartment complex, and Shuichi brought him to the third floor. He began to fumble around with his keys, before unlocking the door. The apartment was surprisingly well-kept for such a messy looking man. Kokichi couldn't help but be impressed.

After patching him up, Shuichi led him to his bedroom and lended him a pair of boxer briefs and a baggy shirt to change into. Afterward, Shuichi excused himself to go take a shower. Kokichi didn't hesitate to change his clothes, wanting to free himself from his sweaty clothing. After changing, he nervously crawled up into the bed. He guessed that it wouldn't be too strange to share a bed with the other boy. He was confident that Shuichi would be too anxious to try anything.

Eventually, Shuichi returned, his hair wet. He was wearing a well-fitting t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. He seemed shocked to see Kokichi in his bed but didn't say anything. Instead, he joined him, laying down next to him. They didn't say a word to each other, and soon, both of them fell asleep.