Work Text:
Preheat the oven.
Prepare the pans.
Add the ingredients
Mix the ingredients.
Bake.
To Shuichi, baking could not be a simpler pleasure. Every recipe pre-made, every ingredient so precise. Just follow the instructions and everything will be fine. No need for flair, no need for confusion, just instructions.
It was life's greatest joy, his biggest passion. Baking was something he was good at, not good, amazing. Everyone said it, everyone agreed, and so did Shuichi. He could spend hours wafting in the alluring aroma of baked goods as he mixed the pale batters he poured into silvery trays. It created an environment of peace, understanding, and joy. Everyone wanted his pastries, cakes, cookies and melted into their savory taste.
As such, it was no wonder he landed a job at the most popular bakery in Towa city.
Shuichi could not help but smile at the bustling noise and chattering voices on the other side of the kitchen’s door as he watched one of his lustrous cakes rise in the oven. Working for Danganronpa Bakery was a dream come true. Though toil and hardships he had to cross, it gave him a title he held close to his heart. An exquisite baker.
“Is that a custom order?” A female voice perked from behind him. He whipped his head around to see his blonde best friend smiling down at him, white apron covered in pink music notes and hair tied back with a striped band.
Shuichi stood, brushing the dust off his own navy-blue apron, “The cocoa coffee cake. It hasn’t been ordered in awhile.”
Kaede gave her usual cheery smile, “Ah so that’s why I didn’t recognize it! Besides, you tend to specialize in bitter sweets, so I wouldn’t know much about coffee cakes...”
Shuichi smiled back, “That’s true, it is rather an uncommon taste. I’d be far more useful if I could specialize in sweetness like you.”
Shuichi’s specialty: bitter.
Kaede’s specialty: sweet.
Everyone in the Danganronpa excelled at their craft, but that did not mean they did not have a certain… gift of sorts. Each one of them specialized in their own sections, and as such it tended to be what they stuck with in the kitchen. Perfection was required, after all, and different bakers created diverse goods across the bakery, part of its charm.
“Don’t be so pessimistic!” Kaede reassured, “I think your goods have far more integrity than mine! They’re special, and they make our customers think!”
Shuichi laughed nervously, “I guess your right. I’ve just always struggled with not putting enough sweetness into them.”
“We all have our personal tastes, and no matter how hard we try it’s going to affect our baking, perk up Shuichi!”
“If Ruruka caught you two babbling like idiots, she’d fire you for sure.”
Both Shuichi and Kaede’s gaze snapped over to the cold, feminine voice of Maki with guilty eyes, watching as she expertly cut out floral shapes in a yellow cream with a bladed dagger,
Maki’s Specialty: Sour
“That’s not true!” Kaede whined, but quickly ran back to the counter where she had been mixing batter, “Ando-buchou is so sweet!”
“U-um sweet may be a little far…” Shuichi brought up meekly. Ruruka may have been the best boss they could ask for, but that purely was because of her skill in the kitchen. Her people skills were not a strong suit per se…
“You guys can’t be slacking!” Kaito exclaimed from across the kitchen, lighting a cream on fire with a flourish, “With Tenko AND Himiko out today, we’re being run thin!”
Kaito’s Specialty: Extreme
“I thought Angie and Tsumugi were coming in today to fill their spots?” Shuichi questioned.
“I definitely would like Angie here today…” Kaede said through a pout as she stared at an un-frosted batch of cupcakes, “She’s does way better at decorating than I ever could…”
Angie’s Specialty: Decorating
“Tsumugi is. But she’s out there manning the register,” Maki explained, eyes trained on her rapidly moving blade, “But the other spot is being filled by…”
“By?” Kaede prompted as Maki’s voiced dragged off,
“By Kokichi…” she spat.
Everyone immediately groaned in an impressive unison. Shuichi already feeling a headache come on. “Annoying,” was the single word all the bakers used to describe him. Even though Shuichi found him tolerable, and even had a bit of fun with the violette around, but there was a far more pressing matter when it came to him,
Kokichi’s goods were awful.
No one understood why Ruruka hired him. No one understood why she continued to keep him around. Shuichi could not comprehend how everything he made turn out so disgusting. It was the easiest thing: follow the rules, follow the instructions, add what you need to add, mix what you need to mix. The precise, right numbers. Yet whenever he watched Kokichi attempt anyone’s recipes, it was like he could not get it through his head. He struggled through with a confusion not one of them could make sense of, and the result was always ludicrous. That, on top of his horrid attitude and work ethic, elicited Ruruka to make him work in their secondary kitchen whenever he baked, so he could not bother or ruin anything. No one had seen him make a dessert in over a year, and somehow, SOMEHOW, he still had his job.
It boiled Shuichi’s skin.
He worked tirelessly for his position, perfecting recreation down to a speck of sugar. Everything he made tasted exactly as it was supposed to, yet for some reason, Kokichi did not have to. Ruruka was almost as much of a mystery him, purposefully hiring such a- he had to be polite… but his distaste was imminent.
“Maybe he’ll stay in the secondary kitchen?” Kaede brought up with meek hope.
“Ruruka's only rule is that he has to bake there,” Kaito reminded her while rubbing the back of his head, “Don’t mean he gotta stay in there the whole time.”
“And Atua knows just how much he likes to annoy us…”
“He isn’t that bad…” Shuichi tried to argue.
“Last week he added covered the inside of my apron in glue!” Kaito exclaimed, eyes filling with fury, “I had to get rid of that shirt and apron!”
“I think it was your dumb fault for not noticing,” Maki scoffed, “But he is a rodent. That is certain.”
Shuichi sighed, there was no point trying to convince them that it was not his personality that set him so far apart from the rest of them. They all had rather- intense opinions about him that were not likely to change. Though personally, those supposed flaws were something Shuichi found rather intriguing…
“Lets just keep working!” Kaede decided, “Maybe he won’t come in today after all!”
“Maybe whooo won’t come in today?”
Shuichi could practically feel the room’s mood shift.
“Hi Kokichi…” Kaede said through a grimace.
Kokichi’s specialty:?¿?
“Hm?” the short boy was wearing his usual- interesting get up, not even an apron for spills or splatter, “Is my presence that surprising? I told Ando~Chan I could take Himiko's shift! And lookey here, your prayers have been answered!”
That’s odd… something about Kokichi’s face was… off-putting? Something was-
“Really?” Maki checked, eyes colder than ever, “Because you look pretty alive to me.”
“Whaaa?” Kokichi whined, bringing balled fists to eyes shimmering with tears, “THAT’S SO MEAAAN!”
“Put a sock in it!” Kaito barked, “If you’re here to work then get to it!”
The tears were whipped away with a cheeky smile, “Oh? So you want me to work over here?”
“As if,” Maki scoffed, “Go back to your kitchen.”
Kokichi cheeks puffed out in a pout, running over to Shuichi, and which much shock from the former, wrapping him in his arms, “Everyone's so rude! At least you’re nice Saihara~Chan! Protect me from these demons!”
“Uh- Uhm-“ Shuichi blinked rapidly down at him, opting for weakly patting him on the head, “We’re really busy right now Kokichi… maybe you should go work?”
“Not like you'll make anything edible,” Kaito scoffed, going back to his performance-esque baking.
“Be nice Kaito…” Kaede whispered, yet only resumed her work as well.
“Hmph! Maybe I don’t want to be around you losers anyway!” he pointed his nose haughtily in the air, strutting towards the door with one of Kaede’s cupcakes in his hand. Wait-
“HEY!” Kaede cried, scanning her cupcakes frantically in confusion, “THOSE ARE SPECIAL ORDER!”
Kokichi titled his head, eyes filled with an innocence Shuichi could not decipher the sincerity of,
“Then just make another?”
“What part of we’re fucking busy don’t you understand?!”
“Geez you guys are so dramatic!” Kokichi said, waving his hand off dismissively before taking a bite of the cupcake, “How could I turn down Kaede’s amazing cupcakes!?”
“KOKICHI!” Kaede cried.
Maki tightened her grip on the bladed dagger, “Do you want to die?”
“Ooh, so scary~” Kokichi whimpered, a mocking grin spread across his face, “Welp I should get to work before I become part of Maki’s next recipe! Later losers!”
He winked playfully at Shuichi, skipping down the hall without a care in the world,
“That fucking asshole…” Kaito grumbled through grinding teeth, “He doesn’t deserve to work here…”
“Personality doesn’t make a good baker…” Kaede reminded him,
“Yeah, look at Ruruka,” Maki scoffed, turning back to her desserts, and resuming her work.
Kaede pouted, but did not refute her statement, “There’s no use worrying about people like him. Let’s just try to finish up!”
The kitchen staff nodded, and everyone’s focus returned to their work.
All except Shuichi, of course.
How could he focus? His mind was so muddled with mysteries he did not understand. A terrible baker, working successfully at best bakery in Towa City.
He would never understand.
~♡~
The sun had already began dipping below the horizon as Shuichi was closing the bakery, though from his position mopping up the floor, he could not tell. The only thing he could see was the orangeish hue that bled through tinted windows, mind completely absorbed in his menial task,
“You almost finished there?”
Shuichi lifted his head, eyes met with another one of his coworkers that stood behind the counter, “Yeah, s-sorry Tsumugi…”
Tsumugi perked her lips into a reassuring smile, “Oh don’t worry about it. I had to finish the toll anyway!”
Tsumugi’s Specialty: Simple
“Profitable day?” Shuichi inquired. It better have been, with how much baking he had to do today. Even your biggest passions can become rather exhausting after hours of work.
Tsumugi nodded enthusiastically, “Biggest in months! And its not even a holiday!”
“Must be a new recipe,” Shuichi deduced, finger resting on his chin in thought, “Those really get the customers talking.”
“You said it!” She chirped back. She walked out from behind the counter, heading over to help Shuichi, but turned back her head with a curious expression,
“Hey,” Her smile had lowered into a frown, glasses glinting towards the kitchens, “Did you… see Kokichi come out?”
“Hm?” Shuichi questioned, “Oh um- I wasn’t really paying attention… but he isn’t the kind of person you can miss so I don’t think so,” his eyebrows furrowed in concerned realization, “Is he still back there? We closed two hours ago.”
“I’m not sure…” Tsumugi drawled, switching her gaze to Shuichi, “He often stays after the closing shift but he should have left by now…”
If anyone would know it would be Tsumugi. She worked register far more often than the rest of them, having a way with people none of them could,
“D-don’t tell him this but… I’m worried about him.”
Shuichi’s eyes blinked open in surprise, “W-worried about him?”
Tsumugi nodded reluctantly, “He- he takes so many shifts… I mean, how many shifts have you worked without him?”
Now that Shuichi thought about it, he could only think of one or two instances where Kokichi did not come into work in the years he had been working there,
“Maybe… twice?” He voiced aloud, “I guess I just got so use to seeing him that it- it wasn’t really something I questioned?”
“Me too,” Tsumugi admitted, “I asked some of the others- and they think the same way. He works so often… gets here so early, leaves here so late. It’s just plainly worrying!”
“Maybe he’s having some issues at home?” Shuichi guessed.
“He’s- uh- rather cheery for that, don’t you think?”
“Does anyone understand how Kokichi works?” Shuichi reminded her, “Atua knows what goes on in his mind.”
Tsumugi conceded, “I guess you’re right. But I really don’t think that’s it… I don’t know I just think he’s overworking himself.”
“Overworking?” Now that was not what Shuichi expected to here, “I don’t think I’ve even seen him working in ages.”
“Well, we don’t really know what he’s doing in the secondary kitchen,” Tsumugi brought up.
“I doubt it’s work…”
Tsumugi’s head tilted in confusion, “I never took you for one to jump to conclusions.
Shuichi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “I’m not usually, but something about Kokichi is just different…”
Tsumugi’s eyes filled with an unusual knowing. How peculiar… “I see, well I hate to be a bother, but do you mind checking on him for me? Its just… he likes you a lot better than any of us, so I think he’d respond best to you if you were the one convincing him to leave.”
“I guess you’re right,” Shuichi begrudgingly agreed, “I have been curious to see what’s going on in there anyway. At least now I have a good excuse.
Tsumugi wrapped her arms around Shuichi with a bright expression, “Thank you Shuichi! You’re the best!” She adjusted the satchel over her shoulder before heading towards the door, “I have to leave, but good luck with Kokichi!”
Shuichi gave a weak wave as her exit sent the small bell resounding through the empty space, Shuichi feeling his stomach plummet as he stored the mop and bucket back in the storage closet before heading behind the counter and off to the door at the end of the hall. He had not been in there for so long, he did not even remember what it was there for, besides Kokichi of course. How needy can someone be? To take a kitchen and not even work, so aggravating…
He took a breath, better to save his patience for dealing with the insufferable Violette. He may be the most tolerable of his workers, but after the busiest day he’s had in a while, it was certainly wearing thin. He gripped the brass handle with a shaky hand, and body for that matter. Why was he so nervous? Was the mystery that nerve wracking to him.
He shook it off, swinging the door open into a kitchen far smaller than the one he was working in, but still an abnormal size for a single person. Counters lined the comfortably beige walls, a few chairs stacked under a tinted window with a form hunched up under a checkered apron laying on them. Centering the room was an island of a similar deep black to the counters, but its hue and shape had no diversities. It was what lay on top that caught Shuichi’s eyes.
They were… desserts?
But- none he had ever seen.
It was an anomaly for sure. Ruruka’s cookbook was inordinately specific. Each recipe came with printed pictures showing exactly what the desserts were supposed to look like. Yet- the miniature shapes of a dark-chocolate hue with a creamy purple paste swirled on top looked nowhere near anything that existed in the cookbook’s contents. Had Kokichi messed up that badly? No- he may be an awful baker, but he could not even recall purple frosting anywhere in the book and their shape was indescribable, unorthodox, and completely unrecognizable. What was he looking at?
He approached the counter cautiously, still reeling from the shock that Kokichi was actually baking and actually doing his job, no matter how badly he was failing. Honestly, was it so hard for him to do something Shuichi found easier than breathing.
Once he was practically looking down the desserts, his eyes tracked back over to the form on the chairs. It was no doubt Kokichi, despite his face being half-obscured by that apron. That purple mop of silky strands was a giveaway, but he had never seen him like that…
His eyes were fluttering gently against the rims of his eyes, curled up so small he was only taking up a chair and a half. He could hear soft snores muffled by the thick apron ,crafted by the very bluenette that had sent him to that kitchen in the first place. He was- asleep?
“This certainly wasn’t a good location to choose,” Shuichi deduced aloud, despite being the only one listening to his voice, “I mean- that can’t even be comfortable…”
How do you even fall asleep during work anyway? It was rather silly- and only further showed just how lenient Ando-Buchou was being with Kokichi! What was this favoritism anyway? What did Kokichi have that Shuichi did not? It clearly was not the ability to follow instructions, seeing how he had just leisurely decided to take a nap in the middle of his shift. How lazy, how careless, how…how…
Was Kokichi- always that pale?
He left the table to creep slowly towards the shorter. The closer he got, the more alarming features were visible to him. His skin was a sickly shade, eyebrows knitted closely in clear discomfort and disgustingly purple bags hanging under his eyes. Were those there that afternoon?
Realization hit Shuichi like a bus- that’s what was so off-putting about his face. How had it taken him so long to see? Was he okay? Was he getting enough sleep? Did he pass out? Did he need an ambulance?
No- he had to calm down. He could not have passed out if he was lying on the chairs with an apron functioning as a blanket. It must have been intentional, but that was not much less worrying. Why was he so tired? How much had he been working recently? And on what?
Shuichi looked back at the table.
Could that be-
There was no way. It was just another failure from the worst baker in the bakery… right? What else could they be? They’re not… they’re not…
They’re not part of the cookbook. There’s no rules to make them, no recipe, no instructions! Bakers do not create. They follow, they listen, they do. It’s what Shuichi knew how to do, it was- what made him so good at his job.
There was just no other way.
Recipes were made by connoisseurs, not bakers working behind the counter of a store! It must taste awful; it must be repulsive!
He either made the recipe or got it from somewhere else. Those were the only two options.
His lips were so tight, eyes so wide. What was simple for others to understand plagued his mind with coiling vines and thorns. He was so curious… he just had to try them.
He looked back over to Kokichi.
He would not notice… one gone…
Before he could change his mind, Shuichi rushed back over to island, picking up one of the petite desserts in his hand. He looked at it skeptically, but his determination had already stilled. With one swift motion he placed the desert in his mouth and bit down, letting the flavor rush across his tastebuds. He gasped,
It was incredible.
Almost like Keebo’s specialty, it was a flavor he could not quite describe, almost like Kaito’s, it was a burst of flavor that overwhelmed his senses. It had a bitterness that appealed so strongly to his preferences, yet a sweet undertone he found far more pleasurable than he normally would. It was so silky, like misty clouds on a chilled day, and the design was so intricate it could rival Angie’s skills. He wanted more, he wanted them all. Nothing could compare to the delicacy we had been holding, it was-
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
His head snapped back over to the chairs, stomach plummeting into a freezing river as he saw Kokichi hoisting himself up with bleary, yet furious eyes. He was blinking in and out of sleep, but glaring strong enough to send shivers down his spine,
“I- uh- you- we…” Shuichi whimpered, grabbing tightly onto his pant legs and casting his eyes down to the floor, attempting to back up as slowly as possible.
“I said-“ he sat up straight, thought his nails dug into the wood with shaking hands, “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?”
“I just came to check on you!” Shuichi squealed. He had seen- well- heard Kokichi’s wrath before, when Tsumugi had entered the kitchen months prior to bring him some ingredients. From the screaming, he could decipher she had eaten one of his desserts, and never spoke of it again. Now he was facing that wrath himself, and he could not have been more terrified.
Kokichi’s eyes tracked over to the tray of desserts, and Shuichi could of swore his eyes were showing more fear than anger, “Just- checking? Then why-“
“I’m so sorry!” Shuichi interrupted, bowing as deeply as his body would let him, “I-I-I was just curious! I-I hadn’t seen i-it in the cookbook and- and I wanted to s-see…”
Alarmingly to Shuichi, Kokichi sighed, burying his face in his hands with quickened breaths, “Why you… why did it have to be you…”
“It- it was amazing Kokichi…” Shuichi attempted to conciliate, though his words held nothing but the truth, “What… what was it?”
“It’s none of your damn business!” Kokichi snapped, ripping his hands away to reveal teary eyes, “You’re not suppose to be in here! This is my kitchen that’s my dessert,” he buried his face back into his hands, shaking his head rapidly, “AND NO ONE’S SUPPOSE TO TRY THEM!”
“You’re- dessert?” Shuichi reiterated, breath leaving his lungs as his suspicions were confirmed, “So you did create it?”
Kokichi huffed, cheeks puffed out as he wiped the tears from his eyes, “No…”
“Is that a lie?”
“…Maybe…”
“I’m- so confused-“ Shuichi admitted, “You created that dessert? From scratch? And you’re- upset about it?” It was unfathomable to him, something he never managed to accomplish, something he should be so proud of, and he was- embarrassed?”
“Can you just leave?” Kokichi whimpered, still disturbing Shuichi with how calm he was.
Shuichi took a breath to still his nerves, before shaking his head, “I came to check on you. Tsumugi’s worried you may be overworking yourself.”
“The bitch who made the same mistake you did? Why does she care?”
“Because- she’s nice?” Shuichi tried, frankly he did not know either, “But she isn’t wrong to be worried. You’re here more than anyone else, and I wouldn’t say those chairs make a good bed.”
“They’re just fine!” Kokichi rebutted, flinching as he turned his neck to face Shuichi, “Stop meddling and leave already!”
“Look Kokichi…” Shuichi started with a sigh, “I know you don’t get along well with the other bakers… including me- but I don’t think locking yourself in here is the right option! How often are you interacting with people? How often are you leaving? This isn’t healthy, and I’m just trying to make sure you’re safe,” It was not just about Tsumugi anymore. Maybe he was annoying, maybe he was favorited so heavily it made his blood boil, but that did not mean he did not deserve the basics of comfort.
“Whatever… “ Kokichi grumbled, “I just get lost in my work sometimes, okay? It’s not like I’m dying or anything…”
Shuichi knew he was pushing it, but it was now or never, “What- is your work exactly?”
“What?”
He tried not to flinch or whimper away, but the accusatory stare was so much to handle, “Those desserts on the table… they aren’t in our cookbook, and Ando-Buchou is super strict about them being just like the recipes. But you, ah- can’t really…”
“Can’t?” Kokichi snarked.
“Well… not- well-“
“Wow!” he chirped, “Shu~Chan really isn’t holding back today, huh?” A puppeted grin was plastered on his face, arms thrown carelessly behind his head, “You’re right! I have nooo clue how to bake by the book!”
“By the… book?” Shuichi checked, head tilted quizzically.
Kokichi blinked open his eyes, innocent and full of purity, “Ya know, the standard way to bake! Measure, time, all that crap!”
“I’m- not following…”
His eyes peered down, “Well maybe you shouldn’t. It’s better when simpletons like you don’t understand.”
“Well… what if I want to understand?” Shuichi voiced, “What if I want to know how you keep this job? What if I want to know why you work by yourself? What if I want to know why you get such special treatment from Ruruka? What if I want to know you! What if I want… what you get?”
It was the truth. It was the truth for all of them. Everyone wanted the special treatment Kokichi received, the praise, the glory. They all worked so hard for it, yet the worst of them got the most? It never had been fair…
Kokichi seemed taken back by his words, blinking rapidly with a gaping mouth, “You’re… you’re jealous? Of me?”
“Well of course…”
“Are you an idiot?!” Kokichi snapped, fury filling his face, “I’m jealous of you! You’re all the ones who can work with others, you’re the ones who can bake!”
It was Shuichi turn to be taken aback, “Can’t bake? Kokichi those desserts were delicious-“
“AND I DON’T KNOW HOW THE FUCK I MADE THEM!” Shuichi could see the beginnings of tears collecting in his squeezed-shut eyes, “It’s not fair! I don’t understand recipes, all those measurements and times it makes no sense! I try and I try but it always turns out terrible! All I want is to be a baker like all of you… not stuck just making them blindly…”
“Hold on… you don’t use a recipe?”
Embarrassed blush was creeping onto Kokichi’s face, eyes cast to the floor with a shadow created from his bangs, “There, I admit it. Are you happy with yourself? All I can do is create from an idea. I can’t even recreate anything I make. I can’t measure out my ingredients or record how long I baked it for, ‘cause then my idea just fades away… I can’t taste it anymore. It’s pathetic,” He gripped his forearm tightly, voice dropping to below a whisper, “I’m pathetic…”
Shuichi could barely believe what he was hearing, “Are you serious? Kokichi- that’s amazing!”
Kokichi snapped his gaze back up to Shuichi, “What?”
“Being able to bake just from an idea in your mind, a taste in your mouth? I’ve… never heard of that. That’s- the most incredible thing I’ve ever heard, I never realized how talented you are!”
“Talented?” His eyes widened to unproportionable levels, hands pulled to his chest.
Shuichi nodded, a sheepish smile resting on his lips, “I could never do something like that, and I don’t think anyone else in the kitchen could either. I’ve never been able to stray away from a recipe rather than the occasional edit of the ingredients… baking without measurements seems impossible, and I could never create an entire dessert based on an idea or taste!”
“But… but I can’t even follow a simple recipe!” Kokichi refuted, “Or make something more than once…”
“It sounds like your baking is a lot more special than mine…” Shuichi admitted, “I don’t think that’s something to be ashamed of, rather, I would be so proud of myself if I could do that.”
The words seemed to hit right to Kokichi’s heart, eyes once again brimming with water, “B-but Ruruka~Chan thinks so low of me, she refuses to let me work with anyone else…”
Shuichi approached the smaller baker, grabbing one of hands and pulling it closer to him, “Kokichi… Ando-Buchou speaks so highly of you, we never understood it. You’re her favorite baker, she says your desserts are her inspiration.”
So much finally made sense. The way Ruruka spoke of Kokichi was so different than the other bakers. She never mentioned his ability to create orders, yet as an “inspiration everyone should follow.” If only he could have learned sooner what she had been talking about…
“I never knew…” Kokichi whispered, gaze traced back to the floor, “I always… I always thought I was-“
“Pathetic?” Shuichi recalled.
Kokichi nodded solemnly.
“I think I’m the pathetic one here…” Shuichi replied wistfully.
Kokichi audibly gasped, shaking his head vigorously, “You’re an incredible baker! I’ve always wanted to be able to bake how you do… you were my idol.”
“Really?” Shuichi gasped in return. He felt- so honored. All the flirty comments and attention, he always assumed he was Kokichi’s favorite person to pick on. He never could have imagined he was his… idol.
“I could teach you…” Shuichi suggested, heat running into his cheeks and heart.
“You would- you would do that?” Kokichi responded breathlessly.
Shuichi nodded, “If you want to learn to follow a recipe, I don’t mind helping at all! But…”
“But?”
Shuichi stilled his nerves, taking a breath and bowing deeply, “COULD I PLEASE WATCH YOU BAKE SOMETHING?”
Shuichi could feel the chills enter Kokichi’s body, “W-w-watch me?”
“I want to learn how to bake like you do as well,” Shuichi admitted, raising himself up with a sigh of relief that he had gotten the outlandish request out of the way.
Kokichi pursed his lips, “But- but I start messing up when I bake in front of people.”
Shuichi brought a hand over his mouth in thought, “Have you ever considered that that may have been the reason Ruruka gave you your own kitchen?”
Kokichi stayed silent for multiple prolonging minutes before lifting a nail to his mouth to bite on, “I never thought of that…” He finally pulled his usual plastic smile back on his lips, arms clasping around his back, “You really are something Shumai! You should’ve been a detective, not a baker!”
“Oh no, no…” Shuichi stumbled, waving his arms defensively in front of him, “I don’t think I could even look someone I sent away in the eyes; it would be so stressful…”
“Nee-heehee!” The laugh he used to find so annoying was a relief to hear, watching the tears dissipate from his eyes, “I guess that’s true! Well… since you are my favorite subordinate, I guess I could let you watch me bake!”
“R-really?” Shuichi squealed.
“Yep!” Kokichi said with an enthusiastic bob of his head but pulled his face into a kitten-like anger and pointed a finger at Shuichi, a hand place haughtily on his hip and chest leaned forward, “But we’re gonna make a deal!”
“A deal?”
“I want you to come in here and bake with me!”
“Really?” Shuichi gaped, to say he felt honored was an understatement now…
“It doesn’t have to be every day! I know how being away from his friends would hurt Shushi’s tiny baby feelings… but at least once a week!”
“Uh- would Ando-buchou be okay with that?” Shuichi checked, a finger resting thoughtfully on his chin.
“Hm?” Kokichi tilted his head innocently, “Well according to you I’m her favorite! Besides she gives me whatever I want!”
“I’m surprised you didn’t figure out you were her favorite…” Shuichi admitted.
“That was a lie, obviously!” Kokichi scoffed, hands hooked haughtily on his hips.
“Mhm…” Shuichi played along, smiling as he remembered the amount of shock his expression held when he learned Ruruka valued him. He watched Kokichi go to speak, but be interrupted with a yawn, “I think you should probably get home though…”
He noticed Kokichi flinch at that, but decided not to mention that, “I guess, can’t keep my luxurious castle and waiting staff alone!”
Shuichi rolled his eyes playfully, but was met with a look of genuine curiosity, “You’ll come here tomorrow?”
“Yeah… I promise.”
Kokichi’s eyes lit up in sparkles, “Yay! See ya tomorrow Shumai!” He watched him grab a bag from under the table, and start to sprint out of the room, but as he reached the door, he stopped in his tracks, a thoughtful look cast at the floor. He nodded to himself, and ran over back over,
And pressed his lips onto his.
“Just wanted to try out a new flavor!” He chirped with a face erupted in blush before sprinting out of the door faster than before.
Shuichi stared forward in pure disbelief, eyes wide and mouth agape as he brought his fingers tentatively to his lips.
He had solved so many mysteries that day and learned more about something he thought he understood so well. With new information, ideas, and beliefs,
But now he was even more confused than before.