Falling like Dominos

Did he...?

Shuichi Saihara POV

I'm.... in shock... I just watched Kaede Akamatsu, my best friend and crush, get executed. I don't know what to do, only tears can escape me. Kaito isn't helping, he's only talking about being 'manly' about this, and saying something along the lines of 'You shouldn't cry, Kaede wouldn't be proud.' I don't care though, I'm allowed to mourn the loss of my best friend, aren't I? I'm not completely sure what Kaito's saying, I've tuned him out for the most part. He's the least of my worries right now.

Until...

I fell to the ground. My cheek hurt, I was surprised, and I heard a familiar, annoying voice directed at me. (I don't have this scene memorized by heart, I'll make up some dialogue for when Kaito punches Shuichi 💃🏻)

"Cmon, sidekick!! Kaede wouldn't want you to cry over this!!! Keep hope!" Blah, blah, blah. That's not an excuse to punch me.

"That's not an excuse to punch him!!!"

Surprised, I looked up. There, standing in front of me, pretty protective looking might I add, was Kokichi Ouma. He was standing up for me, I think. Kokichi rambled on about how it was a dicky move to make, and after he was done lecturing Kaito, he turned to me, offering a hand.

"You ok Saihara-Chan?"

God, do I hate that nickname... "I-I'm fine..."
I'm not the best liar, and that was easy to see for Kokichi. He could pass as the ultimate liar if he wanted to. I wouldn't be surprised if he was really the ultimate liar hiding behind the title 'Ultimate Supreme Leader.'

Ignoring the thoughts and ideas flooding my head, I took his hand. I mainly had to pull myself up, though, because Kokichi isn't the strongest. He's surprisingly weak. Weighing only 90 pounds, it's understandable that he wouldn't be that able to help me up, a 127 pound male...

I over analyze things too much, don't I?

Kokichi Ouma POV

I made my way to the elevator, gripping Shuichi's hand. I prayed to god no one would take it the wrong way, and I stepped inside, rubbing circles on Shuichi's back. I tried my best to comfort him, but I'm not the best person to go to when your sad, so it was somewhat difficult. Yet, I understood how he felt and how bad you can feel.

I watched 3 of my DICE members get murdered when I could do nothing about it. I don't like thinking about that, but I need to face it somehow. It's all my fault that they're dea-

"Hey gremlin! Press the fuckin' button!!" Miu's voice intruded my thoughts, I guess she was yelling at me to press the button for a while. Flinching a bit, I giggled and let out a badly formed response. "Don't get so loud! We can all here your annoying tone from a mile away." She let out a... shriek? I'm guessing it was a shriek, but it sounded more like Tarzan swinging on a vine. Before we knew it, we made it back to the dorms. Shuichi looked understandably exhausted and distressed.

"Hey Shuichi, you wanna sleep in my room for the night? I don't want you to be alone in a time like this-"

"I-If you'd really l-let me, I'd e-enjoy that..." Oh. Uhhh, I'll take that as a yes.

"Of course I'd let you Saihara-Chan! Follow me!" I dashed off to my dorm, forgetting Shuichi's probably really unstable from all the crying he did. Realizing that he was either wandering off or far behind me, I stopped and turned around, running back to him. Once I got to him, I just giggled and grabbed his hand. He smiled at me, which made me feel good. I made Shuichi smile at one of his darkest times....

We made our way to my dorm, and I set up my things on the couch. "Wh-What are you doing..?" "Oh! I'm setting my things up on the couch, you can sleep on the bed!" I smiled, motioning to where my bed was. It blended in with my checkered themed walls, so it's easy to miss. I see how he wouldn't find it. "Y-You don't have to s-sleep on the couch, I-I can! It's you r-room after all.."

"No! Unless your up for sleeping in bed together, I'm not gonna let you sleep anywhere else but my bed!!"

Shuichi blushed at the comment I made, which I also blushed at it, as it suggested we sleep in the same bed for the night. "I-I don't mind th-that... I want you to be c-comfortable, t-too..." Did he just- accept us sleeping together? S h i t. That was a joke, Saihara-Chaaaaaannnn~

"If you insist!!" I threw my stuff onto the bed, sitting down and motioning for Shuichi to sit with me. Just then, the night time announcement played, signaling it was time to sleep. "Hey Shuichi! Wanna stay up all night and play games and stuff??" Shuichi only shook his head no in response, and I made a pouty face. I leaned my head against his arm, unintentionally falling asleep on him. I haven't realized how tired I am, I guess I haven't been sleeping very well anyways...

Shuichi Saihara POV

Though it was somewhat embarrassing, I laid Kokichi down beside me and covered him up with some of his blankets. He's pretty light, so it's not that hard to hold him. I laid down, too, almost wishing I didn't decline his offer to pull an all-nighter with him. I ruffled his hair a little bit, and fell asleep.

[Word count: 952]