#also oumatsu has been Established before this they haven't told anybody tho

[eggs-can-draw]

Hi this was originally gonna have art but maybe I'll rb this with it later I unno I do not have Time to draw it and still finish this before eep time anyways normal foreword HI I don't know where this came from I went into a fugue state and just kinda started typing on google docs. this is mostly shuichi and kokichi thoughts with an infodump disguised as exposition. uh. Warning for Oumasai but only if you wanna see it that way I unno they're complicated rn

Sea salt on his tongue. Blinding sun in his eyes. Sand under his feet that burned him like coals in a fire. Today was long but he wouldn't have spent it any differently. After everything they had been through, they deserved a summer to have fun and heal from everything that had happened.

His mind still felt fuzzy around the edges but after a few weeks, he had become a master at the basics of who he was.

His name was Shuichi, his name felt good and Right on his tongue. He knows who his friends are and who his family is, and with every passing day, he remembers who He is a little more.

That said, it still frustrated him to no end every time he saw something and could feel himself remembering but he wasn't remembering. His mind would call him back to something he didn't have access to. He wasn't alone in this, they could be talking about anything at all but one small thing and a blank look would slowly creep across his friend´s face. He swore if you looked close enough you could see the static in their eyes. Hear the buzz of memories failing to tune in correctly.

They learned to live around it but that didn't mean they accepted it. Dozens of family photos and mementos from their childhood had been brought with them on their summer rehab trip to help with reconnecting the dots.

When outside of their daily allotted “Memory Rehab Time” they spent most of their time goofing off. Usami had tasked them with using a friendship bracelet system to rebuild their connections with each other. For every friendship successfully reconnected, they would both receive a friendship bracelet, with Mister Nagito and Aunt Nanami helping them tie the bracelets together.

He enjoyed the routine. He would wake up, go for a walk around the island, and meet his friends at the Hotel Mirai restaurant for breakfast. They’d all spend some time working on recovery for an hour or two then were set loose on building bonds and making memories. Halfway through the day they would all meet up for lunch and chat about how their days were going.

Today’s lunch was slowly wrapping itself to a close, he had been talking to Kaede about some songs he wanted to learn on the piano (He knew how to play!) and she had been giving him advice when she was eventually pulled away by Miu who had ‘Important Hot Girl Shit’ to do with Kaede.

So here he was, cleaning up the sandwich he had been eating and wondering what to do next. He had been hanging out with Maki earlier, both talking about some memories that had resurfaced from their childhood, but the dark haired assassin was currently nowhere to be found. As he looked around, Shuichi eventually realized he was the last person left. This wasn't a problem really, he’d spent many an afternoon on his own and was going to spend this one working on a book he had found when who else but Shuichi’s self proclaimed “Life-Long Rival” came strolling into the room.

“Well well well, Mister Sherlock, all on his lonesome” Kokichi announced to no one, looking around as if the room were filled to the brim with people.

“Hey, Kokichi,” Shuichi replied, tossing his trash into the nearest can. “Why so late, I thought you loved lunch?” he added, turning to give the smaller boy his full attention.

“What can I say, I got a little caught up briefing my minions for our all out attack on the island, we strike in 5 days” he says, tossing a hand up nonchalantly.

“But since you’re ever so lonely, you know what that means!”

Shuichi gulps.

“You’re all mine Shumai”

And with his plans decided for him, Shuichi was quickly dragged out of the restaurant.

🌊🌊🌊

The sweet taste of ice cream, the loud noise of the Titty Typhoon, the cool ocean breeze on his now bare back, the calming lullaby of the ocean waves, the crunch of –

“LOOK ALIVE SUSHI-CHI!”

Violently ripped from his thoughts, Shuichi turned just too late to meet a water balloon directly to the face.

“What the- WHAT WAS THAT FOR???”

“You looked asleep!! I was helping!”

With a huff, Shuichi made his way over to the bench Kokichi was resting on. He WOULD retaliate but Kokichi just so happened to be wearing Shuichi’s jacket, leaving him safe (for now)

Once he sat down, a silence settled between them. Their day had been pretty hectic, with Kokichi taking him all over the islands to ‘Jog his memory’, but Shuichi was 99% sure he just wanted to goof off. All things considered, he’d gotten pretty fast after moving to a cane over crutches (not as fast as when he was in a wheelchair tho, he convinced Miu to add rocket boosters for the price of letting her ride too, and they never knew peace after that)

It was still kind of weird, all things considering. He didn’t realize just how much he knew about Kokichi until he was in the moment and suddenly talking about something dumb they did in the 4th grade. Kokichi always seemed a bit lighter whenever Shuichi correctly remembered what he was talking about, like a weight had been taken off his chest after an eternity of carrying it. Despite that, Shuichi couldn't help but feel like something was still bothering him.

“The sunset’s not bad,” Kokichi said, almost whispering. There was a fragility at the edge of his voice, threatening to crack and break everything.

“Definitely not the best sunset I’ve seen, but this will do for now, I suppose” Kokichi quickly added, a veil of confidence hastily thrown atop his voice.

“Uh, Kokichi-”

“I would prefer to spend this with my organization of evil, but you’ve made an ok minion for today”

“Kokichi.”

“The poison I put in your sandwich earlier definitely makes you an easy target thou-”

“KOKICHI.”

“UGH WHAT SHOE-ICKY?”

“Can we talk?”

“We were talking”

“You know what I mean”

“What is there to talk about”

“I just. I just wanted to apologize.”

“I- wait what?”

“I’m sorry for the way that I treated you. I understand that it was a ‘high stress situation’ and all, but I still hurt you and I just…”

“…”

“I don’t think I could live with myself if that was really one of the last things I ever said to you”

“…”

“…”

“…thanks, Shuichi. Really.”

Kokichi began to scoot away, but Shuichi shot up to stop him. They both stood there. Neither wanting to make the next move. The tension was almost stifling. Just as things reached their peak, Kokichi slowly moved forward and wrapped Shuichi in a hug.

🌊🌊🌊

Shuichi is a pretty honest guy. With that fact in mind, he definitely didn’t feel any tears on his back, and when they both sat back down on the bench, he remained perfectly composed the whole time.

And when he woke up later to find himself inside the small pillowfort him and their friends had built at the Hinata’s, he definitely did NOT wrap his arms around Kokichi.