[SHUICHI POV]

Kokichi Ouma was nothing if not demanding.

He was absolutely shameless about it, openly calling for all eye to be on him down to belligerently pestering his fellow classmates until they were forced to give him his attention.

And as much as everyone hated to admit it, he had them all wrapped around his little finger.

Kokichi Ouma wanted whoever was talking to sole focus to be on him and he always got what he wanted.

Needless to say, when he didn't show up at breakfast that morning loke hos did every day to begin his rounds of concocting whatever attention-seeking scheme he had cooked up in his brain it was... odd.

Shuichi wasn't worried, no. Not about Ouma himself, at least.

It was something he continously told himself, even as he had watched him stagger away with a concussion, forcing his feet to stay planted.

Even when he had dropped everything to find the nearest first-AID kit when Kokichi had, (very much purposefully,) cut himself while playing the knife game.

And he repeated it to himself even now, carrying a tray of food in hand to Ouma's dorm.

This was stupid. He was stupid for openly falling for another one of Kokichi’s schemes.

A long stream of whining about how he refused to take any sort of care if it wasn't from the detective himself and Shuichi can't help but wonder what god he must have upset to sic his little demon Kokichi on him like a leech.

And yet, he acknowledges there's a part of him... a weak, soft part of him that lets it keep happening.

Because he rolls his eyes, crosses his arms and sighs as loudly as possible... but then he does just as Kokichi requests.

He plays his idiotic mind games, he tends to his 'wounds,' and he lavishes the small trickster in his attention, even if he does it all with a scoff.

He turns the doorknob to the dorm. It's left unlocked just Kokichi said he'd leave it and the boy's eyes immediately light up as they land on his favorite detective.

"Shumaiii!~ You came!" He sings, his usual smooth voice with an raspy undercurrent now nasally with the beginnings of a cold.

Shuichi can't help but wonder how Kokichi even got sick when they were all isolated in one spot to begin with.

Kokichi clasps his hands together, looking absolutely delighted that Shuichi had put in all this effort just for him. "And you even brought me food! You're too kind!"

His eyes shift, wrinkling as they take on that familiar mischevious glint. "I wonder if your bedside manners are just as good. You'll have mercy and spoon-feed me my meal, right?~"

He sees Shuichi open his mouth to protest and he's already ready with a response. "After all... my joints are all achey... and my poor limbs are shaking... I'm afraid I'd make a mess of myself!"

He pouts, puffing out his bottom lip.