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“Over here. I found something,” Shuichi called. You found him behind the computer, crouched beneath the countertop. He produced a chest, similar in shape and design to the previous one you had found the Flashback Light in. Eagerly, the detective opened it.
“This must be…”
Shuichi was interrupted by quick, light footsteps. “Oh! You found it!” said Kokichi, who nearly made you jump out of your skin. Despite his short stature, he loomed over the two of you with an eager smile. “Wooow, Shuichi! You’re pretty reliable, despite that lame face of yours! I respect that.”
“Y-Yeah…”
You raised an eyebrow. “He just insulted you, don’t agree with him.”
“Jealous much? Anyways, I’ll get the others, you two just bring that to the dining hall. And don’t go playing hooky, okayyyy? See ya!”
He waved goodbye to the both of you as he darted out of the room. Shuichi gave you a long-suffering look. “I suppose we should do as he says. There might be something useful in the Flashback Light.”
“Right.”
“…”
There was an almost uncomfortable silence with kokichi gone. Was it because not so long ago shuichi had sat you down until you could come back to reality? Your meek cognitives returning as you felt his strong hold on your shoulders.
——
The fabric of your cape dragged along the both of you two as you sat closely together almost fooling yourself that you were in a safe little alcove hidden away from the killing game, as if it were just the two of you and not the rapidly decreasing twelve of you all.
Sitting across from you. You could faintly feel the breath of a too caring shuichi, worry line indentation in his forehead. You really weren’t a great person making him worry over you like this. You haven’t been giving him much reason to have this type of faith in you. If you really thought about it, kaito has been there for shuichi instead of you. Could you allow yourself to call shuichi your friend?
“I-I’m sorry”, you muster out. Here you are freaking out and shuichi has to take care of it.
He shook his head. “You don’t have to apologise. I’m just… I’m worried about you, you know?”
“W–Worried about me?”
Why should shuichi worry about you. It’s not like you were getting eaten like himeko, left as a measly snack for some hungry fish or a cooling body on a library floor like rantaro.
You could feel his grip on your shoulders firmly stand their ground as if he had just made his resolve.
“Yeah. We’re friends, aren’t we? Friends worry about each other.”
—
The flashback light was left forgotten in the chest as you and shuichi stood still in your spots.
Shuichi reached on top of his head briefly before tugging at nothing seemingly forgetting about his lack of hat.
“what’re you looking at?”, you mumbled.
He was the calculating type, you knew that already so why weren’t you prepared when his gaze started dissecting you. This wasn’t your first rodeo, you’ve had countless detectives eyes on you at one point or another but this is the only one to make you squirm.
“You can put more trust in me you know”, he finally said.
“what-?”
“I mean it”, shuichi rushed. “I know it hurt you when Kaede took our plan into her own hands, maybe you’ll never forgive her for that but”
You had enough. What did he know about that. “You’re just a means to an end!”
You didn’t know when you started to raise your voice but you instantly regretted it when you looked up to see shuichi’s small frown.
“See?”, he threw out. “Your just pushing me out y/n”
You knew you were but how could you trust anyone in this situation.. even shuichi.
This wasn’t a part of the plan. Maybe you should completely cut shuichi off before he really got too close to your heartstrings and made you unrational.
Before you could do anything rash, shuichi started crossing the room towards you. Your heart rate picked up, was he going to bludgeon you? Maybe unconceale a hidden dagger?
You gasped as you felt his nimble arms wrap around you. Was he comforting you or himself? Either way you didn’t shake off the embrace and leaned against him, the two of you holding up each other’s weight.
Some phantom theif you were, letting a detective pull one over. Letting him steal your breath.
—-
“Ugh!” Kokichi winced. maybe he shouldn’t have come back for the flashback light when he noticed the two of you not coming down for the dining hall. The two of you were happily hugging.. that was just too cheesy. Didn’t he tell you two not to play hooky?