Who We Were Before

Warmth

Warmth

That was the only thing Kokichi could think of when he woke up after what had probably been the best sleep he'd had since he'd woken up from the simulation. It had been so long since he'd felt so well-rested. It felt almost unnatural but he certainly wasn't complaining as he buried his face farther into this warm mystery object.

This warm mystery object that was moving.

That was breathing.

It was then that Kokichi realized that this mystery object was indeed a living breathing human being. The human being that he was hopelessly in love with that was currently cuddling him like his lover, Shuichi's strong arms wrapped around him in a protective embrace.

It was at that moment when Kokichi's brain short-circuited and he felt all the blood rush to his face that he recalled what had taken place the night before.

The press. I was under the press.

He could still feel it. The coolness of the metal as the press slowly lowered itself onto his bare chest. The metallic scent of his own blood as he felt all the bones in his body breaking one by one from the pressure. He wasn't even able to move or scream, just forced to lay there as he was crushed, his vision tunneling as Shuichi's words played in his mind. "You're alone Kokichi and you always will be." That was the only thing he could think of as his blood pooled around him, nearly drowning him. He had only one thought before everything ended. I never even had the courage to tell you that I loved you Shuichi. No lies, no mask, just the truth. I'll never be able to. But I'll get you out of here. You and everyone else. I'll redeem myself for all the deaths I caused. I'll defeat the mastermind once and for all. I love you and I always will. And then the agonizing pain stopped and everything faded to black.

And then Kokichi had woken up from his night terror to hear Shuichi's soft voice speaking words of comfort. He felt Shuichi's hand in his as Shuichi's gentle words grounded him back into reality, assuring him that he was safe. He felt his strong arms around him as he assured him that it was okay to be vulnerable, melted his heart with that beautiful smile that made all of his troubles disappear immediately.

And he had stayed. He stayed.

Kokichi had been prepared for the worst. Maybe Shuichi would refuse to stay and comfort him. Maybe Kokichi would wake up in the morning and Shuichi would be gone, having left the second Kokichi fell asleep. Maybe he would've moved out after seeing how crazy and unstable his new roommate truly was.

But none of that had happened. He had stayed. He had stayed the whole night, held Kokichi in his arms, protected him, assured him it was safe. He had respected Kokichi's wishes to not talk about his dream and in an instant, had decided to drop everything to help Kokichi even after everything he had done to Shuichi and his friends.

Kokichi was starting to tear up again but he didn't care. He loved Shuichi so much. With all his heart. He never thought it was possible to love someone like this. But he couldn't tell Shuichi how much he loved him. Not yet anyway.

For now he'd just allow himself to indulge in Shuichi's warmth as he nuzzled his face in his chest and eventually drifted back into a deep sleep once more.

————

Warmth.

That was the first thought that rushed to Shuichi's head as he felt himself slowly begin to wake up. His arms were wrapped around something small and warm, and there was a small weight on his chest, unyielding but not uncomfortable. Something soft tickled his nose and he wanted nothing more than to bury his face in whatever it was and return to his peaceful slumber.