Shuichi got to class early. He was hoping to talk to Kaito before Kokichi got in the way. Even if his crush wouldn't like him back, he still enjoyed alone time with him. He couldn't hold back the smile as he noticed Kaito sitting on Maki's desk, however Maki hadn't arrived yet. "Good morning, Momota" Shuichi greeted as he approached the taller boy.

Kaito looked over in his direction as a grin stretched across his face. "Hey, there's my sidekick!" He responded. "Good morning!"

Shuichi let out a quiet laugh before responding. "Why are you sitting on Harukawa's desk?" He quizzed, tilting his head to the side slightly/ He noticed the astronaut's cheeks tint. Something he had never seen before. He wished he could see him blush just for him but of course that wasn't a possibility.

Kaito rubbed the back of his neck, his lopsided grin changing to a sheepish one. "Well, I was gonna tell Maki roll how I feel about her as soon as she got here" he replied.

The detective felt a wave of sadness wash over him as he held his breath. He saw this coming but the answer was still painful. He nodded slowly. "Ah, g-good luck" he looked down at the floor.

However, Kaito picked up on his body language. "Is something wrong, Sahara?" He asked, causing the shorter boy to jump a little & snap his head back up.

"No, sorry! I was just... " He trailed off as he thought up an excuse.

"You don't have to apologise" Kaito waved a hand, chuckling a little. Apologising so much was a bad habit Shuichi needed to drop.

"Sor-" he gulped before he was able to utter the word. "I was wondering where Kokichi was". He was proud of himself for coming up with a believable lie on the spot, something that rarely happened.

Kaito nodded, ruffling his sidekick's hair as he hopped off the desk. "Looks like you don't have to wonder anymore, your boyfriend is here" he pointed out, nodding in the direction Kokichi. He had just entered the room, rubbing an eye with his hand as he let out a yawn. The astronaut then left the room, presumably to look for Maki.

After Kokichi noticed Kaito walking past him, he scanned the room for Shuichi. Once he spotted him, he seemed to suddenly wake up as he dashed towards him. "There you are, my beloved" he giggled, capturing the other in a hug.

The detective's cheeks heated up at the nickname, this was new. "B-beloved?" He repeated, covering his face with one hand.

Kokichi rolled his eyes. "Of course, we're dating so you need pet names" he replied matter-of-factly, as if Shuichi was supposed to know this information.

"O-oh" The raventte simply replied. Lucky for him, the only other people in the class this early were Himiko who was busy sleeping, Gonta who was playing with a cockroach on his desk & Angie who was too focused on whatever she was sketching out. He let out a small sight of relief when he noticed this.

"So" Kokichi drew out the word, pulling away from the hug. Shuichi shot him a confused look, as if to tell him to continue. "Do you have a pet name for me?" The taller boy could've sworn he heard Kokichi's voice crack a little.

"Uh.. I'll think of one" He pushed out the words, speaking lowly.

The supreme leader gave him a satisfied smile, poking the other's nose. "Alrighty! Don't bust a brain cell" he teased. He then decided to stop the embarrassing conversation while more students flocked into the room. Including Tenko, who would surely scold them. & Rantaro, he probably wouldn't let Kokichi hear the end of this.

"Amami, what are you wearing?" Shuichi asked, pointing out the strange shirt Rantaro was wearing. Now that he mentioned it, Rantaro was wearing a dark green shirt with red roses on it, definitely not a shirt Kokichi had seen before.

Rantaro looked down at the shirt, as if he didn't remember what he was wearing. "Oh, this isn't mine, it's Korekiyo's" He admitted, accompanied by a small shrug.

"That doesn't help with the dating rumours" Kirumi chimed in as she made her way to her desk.

"Hey, did avocado ass get laid?" Miu teased as she marched into the room, spitting a little as she let out a laugh.

The adventurer blushed a little but somehow didn't become too flustered to answer. Shuichi envied him. Heck, Kokichi envied him. "My other shirts got wet so he let me borrow this, nothing like that" he replied with a small chuckle as he sat down at his desk.

"Geez, you sure sweat a lot" Kokichi giggled. "You've already ruined four shirts with your sweat-"

"Kokichi..." Rantaro interrupted with a growl, crossing his arms.

"It's a lie! Only two shirts, well four now!" He quickly responded, ignoring the glare he was receiving from his best friend. "But that was also a lie! Or was it?"

The teacher entered the room, leaving no more time for Kokichi to reveal the truth. Not that anyone would believe him if he did but at least they would get closure. Kaito & Maki arrived a few seconds after the teacher, Maki seemed to be holding back a smile. Shuichi felt his heart sink, they must have gotten together. He couldn't concentrate the whole lesson, spending half of the time staring at Kaito & the other half, out the window.

Kokichi glanced toward Shuichi every so often, chewing at the inside of his cheek. He could tell what was bothering him. He would comfort him if wasn't for the fact they were in the middle of class. He froze up as they suddenly made eye contact. They stayed like that for a few seconds. Kokichi was the first to look away, whipping his head to pay attention to the teacher, almost pushing his work off the desk in the process. His face must have been clearly red, it wouldn't be hard to miss.

Shuichi blinked a few times before looking out the window. The small encounter replayed in his mind a few times, his heart started to speed up. As he realised what he was doing, he became embarrassed, only causing his heart to hit against his chest even harder. He hid his face with one hand. His classmates probably weren't paying any attention to him but he couldn't take the risk.

After class, the detective was surprised to notice Kokichi was the first one to leave. Normally, he would harass him or at least talk to Rantaro or Gonta. However, before he left, Shuichi noticed him look over to him. Could it be he was embarrassed about what happened? Shuichi furrowed his eyebrows before standing up, making his way toward Rantaro.

He hated to interrupt his conversation with Korekiyo but he wanted to know if Kokichi at least spoke to his friend before rushing off. Rantaro noticed Shuichi walking over. He waved a hand as if to shoo the other off. "If you're looking for Ouma, I think he ran off to his dorm" The adventurer commented before returning to his prior chat.

Shuichi nodded, looking back to Kaito & Maki before leaving. Maybe talking to the short boy would help him take his mind off his crush. He made his way to Kokichi's dorm, humming to himself on the way. It was lunch now so the hallway was clear. Other than the short supreme leader fiddling with his door lock.

"Kokichi?" Shuichi called out, causing the boy in question to jump, looking over as if he had been caught in the middle of a murder.

Kokichi quickly put on a grin. "Hey Shumai, can't talk right now! There's a bomb in my room I need to defuse!" He announced, returning his attention to the lock.

The detective drew closer, looking over the key. "Kokichi, that's your locker key" he pointed out, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Psh, yeah I know! I'm not an idiot" He laughed, his voice cracking a little as he spoke. His heart was beating so fast he couldn't think of anything witty to say. He turned his keychains around & inserted the correct key into the slot, unlocking it. "See you later, m-my- Shumai". He stumbled over his words before attempting to enter his room.

However, he was stopped as he was pulled back. "Did something happen? You seem off" the detective pointed out, staring at the wall which was much more interesting than eye contact.

"There's a bomb in my room, of course something happened!" Kokichi replied in a slightly aggressive tone. He pulled himself away from the other.

"Kokichi, please, tell me what's wrong" He pleaded.

Kokichi bit his bottom lip, a little harder than he expected. "You expect me to tell you I have a massive crush on you? I'd rather die from the bomb-" he froze up, realising what he had just let out. His face glowed red, slapping a hand over his mouth. Stupid.

"Y-you what?" Shuichi asked, staring at the other in disbelief. He would be lying if he said his heart wasn't pounding harshly against his chest.

The supreme leader stared at his crush, his mouth moving & quivering slightly as he tried to form a sentence. Instead, he quickly entered his room & closed the door. His knees almost buckled beneath him. "Fuck, how am I gonna cover that one up?" He asked himself, falling into his chair. He slapped his palm against his forehead. He must really be going crazy. He looked over to the door, wondering if Shuichi was still outside. He shook his head. Why would he wait? He just confessed his love for someone who most likely despises him. He ran a hand through his hair, groaning. He decided to start planning out a lie he could tell Shuichi tomorrow, praying he wouldn't be forced to stay another detention.

Shuichi stared at the door with a blank expression. He didn't know what to feel right now. The only emotion he could pick out was confusion. Complete & utter confusion. Was this another one of Kokichi's lies? If it was, then why would he act like that? He really looked like he meant it.

He took a step backwards, almost stumbling over himself. He didn't know what to do. Pretend nothing happened? Declare his love for Kokichi like some cheesy movie? He let out a sigh, ignoring how fast his heart was going. "You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost?" He looked over in the direction the voice came from. Rantaro began to walk toward him.

He shook his head. "I- I don't know. Did you see..." the detective trailed off his sentence as he pointed to the door weakly, not taking his eyes off the other.

Rantaro crossed his arms & nodded, stopping once he was at a close distance. "Listen, Saihara, the only advice I can give you is to ask him about it" he pursed his lips, holding back any information. He would love to tell Shuichi then & there but he knew there was a possibility that it would turn sour for Kokichi. It would be better to take a step back for now.

Shuichi nodded, fiddling with one of his sleeves. He heard a click noise beside him as Kokichi's door swung open. The short boy began to laugh. "It's a lie! Did I get you with that one? You should've seen your face" he cooed, pointing to the other.

"A- a lie?" The detective repeated, staring at the supreme leader wide eyes. Rantaro simply face palmed, walking away. "You shouldn't mess with me like that".

"Aww, did I get your hopes up?" Kokichi asked as he clasped his hands behind his head, grinning widely.

Shuichi blushed a little. He really didn't understand Kokichi sometimes. Sometimes was an understatement. He shook his head, letting out a small sigh.

"You did make me blush when we made eye contact though, that was like some cheesy movie" the shorter boy admitted, adding a giggle at the end. "But hey, you should try to stop fawning over Momota-chan so much, his girlfriend won't like it". Now Shuichi had a sad expression, good job Kokichi.

The detective rubbed the back of his neck, nodding a little. "I- I know" he replied, a little quieter than he expected. He hoped the other at least heard him.

"Hey, if I make you fall in love with me, you won't have to worry about that idiot!" The supreme leader commented, although he was only half joking.

"N-no way that would work" Shuichi replied, crossing his arms.

"I was just kidding, geez you gotta have a more flexible sense of humour. But if you wanna try it, let me know" he winked before entering his room. "I need to go take care of the bomb now, it accidentally exploded". He giggled, waving a little before closing the door.

Shuichi stared at the door for a little. What did he mean by bomb? He shrugged it off, deciding to make his way to the cafeteria.

A few days passed, not much had happened other than Shuichi managed to mostly get over Kaito. Kokichi however, hadn't been in class so far this week. It was strange not being constantly harassed by the short boy as often & he had to say, he missed it.

After class, Shuichi decided to make his way to Kokichi's dorm along with Gonta who was also curious. "Amami say Amami has not seen Ouma much too" Gonta explained as Shuichi knocked the door. He glanced up to the taller boy.

"Weird" He mumbled, averting his attention back to the door. No answer.

Gonta frowned at the result. "Gonta will ask others!" He declared before making his way to the courtyard. Most of their classmates were planning to hang out at the new cafe. Shuichi watched him walk away, rocking back & forth on his heels. Did Kokichi drop out of school without telling anyone? He wished that would be surprising.

He sighed to himself, beginning to fiddle with the doorknob. He jumped a little as the door opened. Unlocked. He looked through the crack, into the dark room. "K-Kokichi?" He called out quietly. He pushed the creaking door open wider & stepped in.

There Kokichi was, laying down in his bed. His limbs were stretched out & his duvet was hanging off him. "Kokichi?" The ravenette repeated, louder this time. This time, Kokichi's eyes opened as the short boy let out a groan.

He sat up slowly, he seemed to struggle with it. "Shuichi? Whatre you doing in-" His sentence was cut off as he began to cough.

Shuichi decided to close the door slightly & walk over to the bed. "Are you sick?" He quizzed, putting a hand to the supreme leader's forehead.

Kokichi batted his hand away, sniffling as he shook his head. "Supreme leaders of evil don't get sick, stupid" he protested, however his hoarse voice said otherwise.

The ravenette rolled his eyes, putting a hand to his chin as he thought. "Wait here, I'll go get some stuff" he announced, as if the other seemed in the state to not wait, leaving the room & closing the door. He looked around, wondering if Gonta had returned. After deducting he was most likely still in the process of asking around, Shuichi turned on his heel & started walking somewhat quickly to the nurses office.

Kokichi stared at the door Shuichi had exited. He rubbed his sleeve against his nose. He cursed whatever God caused him to get sick. Not only that, but whatever God let his crush see him in such a state. He pulled away his duvet & hopped off his bed, ignoring how shaky his legs were. He looked over his desk, drawings of Shuichi were littered over it. He decided to quickly shove them into a drawer, not caring if they became creased or wrinkled in any way.

As he shoved the drawer back in, he managed to fall over. He swore as he hit the floor.

Shuichi re-entered, his eyes widened a little as he noticed Kokichi. "What happened?" He asked, closing the door with his foot. He dropped the supplies he had gathered onto Kokichi's desk before rushing over to him. He put his hands around his waist & pulled him upright.

"I fell" Kokichi admitted, rolling his eyes as he held back a sneeze. He felt his heart race pick up speed as Shuichi put an arm around his waist, moving his arm over the taller boy's shoulder. They moved over to the bed. "Why are we moving to the bed?" Kokichi asked teasingly.

Shuichi's face heated up, dropping the other onto the bed. "Don't make it weird" he replied, covering his face with one hand.

"I wasn't making it weird, I was asking a question! Is my beloved Shuichi having dirty thoughts about me?" He cooed, a small smirk formed on his lips. He opened his mouth to say something else but he was interrupted with a sneeze.

The detective made his way to the desk, picking up a brown medicine bottle & a silver tea spoon. He poured the liquid onto the spoon & held it up to the shorter boy's mouth. Kokichi hesitated, looking up to Shuichi & back to the liquid before opening his mouth, allowing the medicine in. He swallowed, scrunching up his nose & sticking out the tongue. The ravenette let out a small laugh at his reaction before going back to the desk.

"What was that? Poison? Pepsi? It tasted gross" Kokichi commented, praying the next thing his crush would offer him wouldn't be as bad. 

The other shot him a confused stare as he picked up an orange. "Pepsi?"

"Eh, not pepsi" Kokichi decided to take back his comment, sitting up a little. "At least pepsi has no taste".

Shuichi rolled his eyes, his attention turning back to peeling the orange. As he did, he noticed paper underneath the box of tissues. He glanced quickly to the other before picking it up & examining it. "Kokichi, did you draw me?"

Kokichi froze up before almost jolting out of bed. "D-don't tou-" he sneezed before he could finish his threat. This sneeze was followed by many.

Shuichi stared at the doodle a longer, a smile forming on his lips. "Can I keep it?" He asked, looking back to Kokichi.

The supreme leader gave him a look of disbelief, he then shrugged & began to grin. "Sure, but it'll cost you" he giggled.

The ravenette wasn't sure if he meant what he said or not but decided to put it back on the desk for now, returning to peeling the skin from the orange. Once he was done, he sat at the edge of the bed, hesitating a little before he actually did. He then handed the other the fruit. "I couldn't get soup but this might help you get vitamins" he mumbled, not wanting to admit he didn't fully pay attention to what Mikan had told him. 

Kokichi refused to take the orange, shaking his head. "It's not like I'll die or anything" he protested.

Shuichi held it out for a few more seconds before taking it apart & eating it himself. "I hope you feel better for your birthday" he commented, not looking over. 

The shorter boy's eyes widened a little, he leaned toward the other. "You remembered my birthday?" He asked, coming out louder than he wanted which caused the detective to hold a hand to his ear. Shuichi simply nodded. "Aww, I could kiss you right now". He giggled as Shuichi's face flushed red. He then began to cough, hitting his fist against his chest.

"I- I told you not to say stuff like that" the detective mumbled, quickly standing up before he caught the germs. He picked up the tissue box & the drawing he found, handing the box to Kokichi. "If you need me, I'll be in my dorm. Try to get some rest".

Kokichi watched him as he made his way to the door. "Thanks" He mumbled quietly, laying down, hoping Shuichi didn't hear him. He heard a click as the door closed.

He got ahold of his plushie he had won, cuddling it as he was overcome by sleep. 

Once Shuichi got back to his dorm, he stuck Kokichi's drawing on the wall next to the pictures they had taken at the arcade. He smiled a little, his cheeks were tinting red as he thought about what Kokichi would say if he saw this. At least it would help Kaede's perception of the fake dating situation. He decided to then lay down on his bed & scroll through his phone for a while. He mentally scolded himself every time Kokichi came to his mind before he eventually fell asleep.

(word count: 3483)

(a/n: Thanks for all the comments, they motivate me to write more. Also, I tried to keep this one shorter than the other one *finger guns*)