ShuichixKokichi‼️

Chapter Eleven

A/N: warning! This chapter contains violence and themes of bullying. Please be aware of that as you read this chapter. Thank you!

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Kokichi's POV

My entire day yesterday was spent with Nagito in either his dorm or walking around the large academy we attended, with the exception of that painful morning. Painful because the man I looked up to the most pretty just told me that I was in love without a single bit of hesitation or a second thought. The more I had pondered on such a strange possibility the more it made sense.
'In love' was a strong phrase. It was more so a teeny tiny crush I had developed for Shuichi Saihara practically over night. Possibly overnight. I didn't know the first thing about love or crushing or any of that lovey dovey shit. I really only knew one thing and one thing well; how to get a job done. But that wasn't what I was doing right now.
Right now, on a beautiful Sunday afternoon that I could totally be spending out in town, I was in front of my unintentional enemy's room door, chewing my bottom lip out of nervous habit.
After our conversation yesterday, Komaeda-kun had told me some bumming news about our scandal. Our supplier was running much too low to spare us our product and we didn't have enough money to pay for what we couldn't give to our toughest client. He sent me out to inform this to them, and I couldn't bring myself to do it, more less knock on a stupid door.
You see, we were a part of a small chain. A chain of dealers that sold for only money. We strictly sold, using our own products was forbidden. We would need to provide for ourselves if we wanted anything.
Nagito called us the 'salesmen to a collect few'. I hated that. I sometimes caught myself wondering if I was simply being used so Nagito got out of things like this, but we had been through so much more than that, it proved otherwise.
It wasn't until I was face to face with a blonde boy that I realized I must have knocked on the door sometime during my re-evaluation of our so called work. Even though this guy was shorter than me, he still found a way to look down on me and make me feel small.
"If you aren't here with either my stuff or my money, then leave."
I swallowed hard. I had to play the part once more.
"Hiya, boss baby! I regret to inform you that we don't have either. You see, we're out of stock. We have a low budget, and we can't be sharing. I hope you understand. 'Kay, bye!"
I nearly got out of the sticky situation. I was steps away from a small victory and freedom before the boy grabbed my arm and dragged me to his dorm, slamming the door shut as hard as he could. I yelped from shock as I was thrown to the floor.
"Don't mock me, Ouma! You promised you would have it by next week, and now you're telling me you don't have any. ANY."
Though my stature was confident I could tell my eyes screamed fear. I scoffed and helped myself to my feet, plastering on a grin on my face and a finger to my lips.
"Ohh, I'm sorry, you actually counted on a liar like me? That's too bad. I feel bad, honestly, but I can't chit chat right now. I have things to do."
I again tried to leave but a hand grabbed my shoulder from behind and landed me back on the floor. I eyed the blade that was pulled out of nowhere and pointed near my neck. I already knew who it belonged to.
"N-now, Peko darling, the adults are talking."
"Scorch him for me, Peko. He's frustrating me."
NOW I was panicking. I scrambled away on the floor and stuttered protests and pleas and apologies, but it was nothing. The man himself, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, has spoken and what he says goes. No one messed with him, he was the ultimate gangster, but I had no choice but TO mess with him.
I gazed on in horror and Kuzuryu handed Pekoyama a lighter. She lit it up and held the small flame to her blade, heating up the sharpest part of it until I swore I saw a faint tint of red on the stainless steel.
Pekoyama always had this look in her eyes when she harmed me. A look of both malice and remorse, an odd combination to relate together, but a sensible one in her case. But she did as she was told by Kuzuryu and nothing more. At least every time I encountered her she did.
She was able to restrain my two wrists with one hand easily. I was too focused on crying to do much fighting back. The taller girl tugged on my scarf until a loud rip screamed through the room and it was thrown off somewhere to the side. She positioned her right foot on my abdomen and began her dirty work, holding the hot steel to my neck and dragging it across my skin slowly. She never cut, only burned. Like I was nothing but coal she was trying to ignite with a flame.
"Pl- ea- sto— agh!"
My cries were no use. She only planted one more long burn across the mid section on my neck until she heard Kuzuryu speak up.
"That's enough. I think he gets the point."
I was pulled to my feet by Pekoyama and shoved a foot away from her. The light blonde boy walked over to my scarf and picked it up, shoving it to my chest harshly once he reached me.
"We get our money or our stuff either way, there's no question about it. You're in the drug dealing business kid, it's not a play thing. Please leave, inform Komaeda-kun that we don't accept that terrible answer. If I get this stupid shit again, I won't hesitate to keep adding on to your count."
Pekoyama opened the door for me to leave and I immediately did, rushing off to anywhere but that room. I was humiliated and sick. I held my scarf up to my neck to avoid showing off my injuries, because Kuzuryu was right; the drug dealing business wasn't a joke. Any physical evidence leading to it got everyone who knew about it ruined.
I took the quickest route I could remember to any exit of the academy. I had planned on going to hang out with Rantaro or Saihara-Chan, maybe even someone else after that whole mess was over with if it had went well. Now I couldn't.
No, maybe I could. Rantaro...maybe I could.
I searched in my pants pocket for my phone and fumbled with it to unlock it, searching for my phone app. I clicked it, scrolled for a second, before I found his contact in my contact list. I pressed call.
..., ..., ...,
"Hello?"
"Rantaro? I, um, I didn't check if you were at the dorm today. Are you?"
There was a pause before he answered.
"Yeah, I'm here. I figured you would still be with Saihara right now since I didn't see you yesterday."
And, of course, being the person he was he didn't give me another chance to speak.
"You didn't do anything stupid, did you? You don't sound good. I'll leave the door unlocked for when you get here."
"Yeah...yeah, okay! Thanks guacamole!"
I took the phone away from my ear and hung up our call. I could kind of tell that he had an idea of why I called out of the blue.
After all, when you share a room with someone, you're bound to tell them some crazy things at some point.
About fifteen minutes passed since the call. I walked slowly to my door and turned the knob, pushing the door gently open. I was met with Rantaro's eyes on me in an instant, followed by him rushing to me and walking by my side to the bottom bunk, his bed.
"Kokichi, what have you been doing? Your scarf is ruined."
His green eyes glared daggers at me. I couldn't face him and verbally share my experience, but he knew that. He knew all about the 'business' I participated with Nagito. Rantaro wasn't a big fan of him.
It wasn't long before I began to gently sob, confirming my friend's suspicions. He gave me a mournful frown and turned on the bed we were sitting to face straight to me. Rantaro grabbed my scarf and took it from me and I reluctantly allowed him. It was hard to feel him stare at the large burns placed on my neck, along with the sore I previously had gained.
"It needs to stop, Kichi."
I felt his larger hand on my back, his fingers moving along my shirt in a comforting gesture. Rantaro treated me as if I was his brother, and I saw him the exact same way. He was like my older brother.
"I know."
My voice cracked when I responded to him. Along with this stupid situation, he had to watch me cry and cry, it was annoying. I hated the moments like this.
Rantaro left to the bathroom. He came back with some medical supplies.
"Before I start what I'm gonna do, I'm sorry about it. Feel free to hate me."
He chuckled in an attempt to make a humorous comment to lighten the mood. I forced a smile to assure him it was alright. It wasn't more for him than it was for myself.
I closed my eyes. I didn't want to know when he was gonna start. Clearly, we couldn't leave these unattended. With that in mind I was flooded with physical agony, a unhealthy mixture of both pain and relief while Rantaro dabbed a cold, wet rag to each burn. I whined at this.
"Sorry, sorry,"
He repeated to me, but there wasn't much of a point to say sorry. I couldn't even muster up any tears.
He continued for another moment before setting the rag down on the bed, grabbing a bottle of something. I glanced over the text on it, it read "Aloe Cream". He squeezed some of the treatment out on his index finger and began to apply it. He did this to both red splotches on my neck and the singular burn sore.
He went on for another five minutes with his at home treatment and patched my neck up with gauze and bandaging tape.
We sat in silence for a few minutes. It was a tense silence, filled with questions and frustration.
"Anything else?"
I shook my head no.
"Okay, get some rest Kokichi. You can nap on my bed."
I wiped at my eyes then giggled.
"Neheehee! Such a kind avocado. So thoughtful!"
Rantaro sighed and patted my head a couple times. I laid down and sloppily pulled the sheet over to cover at least most of me. I realized just how tired I was.
I didn't pay attention to much else that could be happening. I tuned out every other noise but the sound of my own heartbeat and breathing. Although, I heard a quiet conversation.
"Oh, thanks man. I forgot all about these. Oh yeah, he's here. He's laying down right there."
My eyes shot open. Who the hell was he talking to?
Just my luck. Shuichi fucking Saihara was standing at the door with a pair of shoes, which I assumed was Rantaro's. He caught my stare and we made eye contact. That eye contact was broken when he adjusted his focus a little lower than my eyes.
He noticed.
"...yeah. I just wanted to know, he didn't answer my text from earlier."
Shuichi looked back to Rantaro and chuckled awkwardly. He tapped his cheek with one finger. It was admirably cute.
The two exchanged a couple more words, then Saihara-Chan was on his way. He waved his hand bye to me before he left. I waved four fingers to him lightly.
My roommate closed the door. We looked at each other.
"He saw."
"He did see. I'm screwed."
"He texted you."
"He TEXTED me and I didn't answer, damn it."
"Answer him then?"
"I'm already on it, shush."

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A/N: nobody at all:
Me, thinking Kokichi's neck is a hamburger on a grill: 😋
Okay I'm sorry, I'm SORRY. A bit dark, don't you think? These chapters will lighten up in no time, I promise!
A big secret was revealed about kokichi today. Drug scandal? Cancelled 💅 👀
Also, um, 200 reads? Are you joking? TY TY THANK YOU 💕💞✨💗❤️