Archive of Our Own ^beta

Shuichi’s face paled as he looked down towards the frail boy in front of him, his stomach filled to the brim with worry. Seeing his beloved stumble around whilst he made his way to the door wasn’t exactly the sight he thought he’d come home too—Kokichi ‘come home now’ text interpreted way differently than what it obviously meant.

Looking back on it, he should’ve paid closer attention to the other, his behavior seeming odd the last couple of days, but when he was greeted by Kokichi sobbing, he knew something was wrong. His entire face was red, one of Shuichi’s hoodies hanging loosely off his shoulders as tears welled up in his amethyst and golden eyes.

“K-Kokichi?” His voice was surprisingly firm despite his quiet tone. Seeing his usually confident and boisterous boyfriend in such a weak state, alone, made his heart ache.

“What’s wrong…”

The question (while seemingly innocent) only made the boy cry harder, causing Shuichi to pull the other into his chest. Kokichi was normally a bit of a cry-baby, his love of theatrics causing him to burst into tears on command, but seeing the young leader genuinely cry was a sight to behold; placing his head atop Kokichi he flinched, recoiling from the temperature.

“K-Kokichi! You’re burning up!”

The detective could feel an unease fill him—slowly starting to amplify his worries. He was aware the boy had an issue with hospitals; claiming they were a “government scam” and he’d only go to one when health care was free, but if he didn't get his temperature down soon they’d have to call an ambulance.

“C’mon, follow me.”

Gently guiding the other towards the bathroom, he couldn’t help but let out a small laugh, his boyfriend’s hazed eyes and small pout reminding him of something rather lewd.

‘He’s so cute…’

The small splash of the water hitting the bottom of the bathtub was oddly soothing, allowing his shoulders to relax as he got the tub to fill, directing Kokichi to sit on the small chair behind him as he did so, he would often bathe Kokichi, so it wasn't an irregular occurrence; even if it was under different circumstances, he couldn’t help but feel a guilty sense of pride.

He was the only one who would ever get to see the “Ultimate Supreme Leader” like this; no one else would ever be able to get this close to him.

‘Unless he leaves me…’

Shuichi’s face soured at the thought—he knew he wasn’t as perfect as Kokichi made him out to be, often describing Shuichi as the ‘best boyfriend in the world’. It made him feel like he had a title he couldn’t quite necessarily live up to yet again, though Kokichi had given him much reassurance.

Nevertheless, despite all of the compliments, real or fake, he wanted to make sure to be the best partner he could be; afterall his lover only deserved the finest things in life.

Shuichi had done research on aromatherapy, trying to find someway to help Kokichi de-stress, the unimaginable strain D.I.C.E had put on him leading the poor boy to be all tuckered out before he even got out of bed; and being a detective, he actually understood the concept quite well.

‘I think I’ll go with lavender, lemon, and eucalyptus…’

It wasn’t often Shuichi got to take care of Kokichi, the leader’s pride and his own fragility usually getting in the way of that—so Shuichi was going to savor this moment and dote as much as he could.

“You’re too happy about me being sick, don’t tell me you’re getting off to this you perv!”

“So what if I am, hm Ko?”

An embarrassed groan came from Kokichi as Shuichi removed his hoodie, motioning for him to do the rest himself.

“Oooooh, are you going to take advantage of me now that I’m under the weather Shumai?”

“Of course not Kokichi, you’re sick…”

Kokichi may have teased him, but he knew the boy was only trying to calm his own worries.

Grabbing a sponge, Shuichi lathered it with soap, the smell of manuka honey radiating through the room, their faint breathing and syrup-like atmosphere borderline euphoric.

Watching the cold water to run down the other boy's back he stared at his pale flesh, small marks and scars decorating his body—alluding to his currently unknown past.

Kokichi didn’t feel well, which probably caused him to panic, which is what sparked his outburst, or at least that's what Shuichi had concluded; tracing the events backwards in his head. Guiding the sponge across Kokichi’s back, he reveled in the peaceful quiet that surrounded them, they understood each other which allowed tranquility to prosper no matter what, even in the most stressful of situations.

The detective continued his ministrations, monitoring the other’s reaction, searching for any indication of discomfort as Kokichi finally began to relax in the water, tension flowing out of his body.

“Can I get out now? The water is searing hot! I feel like I’m bathing in the devil's piss!”

“‘Kichi...you just got in the tub.”

“And your point is?”

Letting out a gentle laugh, Shuichi grabbed some shampoo, gently dumping it on to the other’s hair.

“My point is to be quiet, and let me take care of you, you’re always so strong, as selfish as it is, I want you to depend on me—so please, just let me be strong and take care of you...”

“Lean on me just this once.”

There was a pause between Kokichi’s response, his shoulders sinking in submission to the detective's plea.

“I hate you Shushu…”

With nothing but a peck to the forehead, and a small smile, Shuichi continued to tend to his boyfriend in bliss.

“That’s okay…”

“Because I love you a lot.”