Deciding to post that older fanfic after all!! Maybe this can get me back into the writing swing ā”
CW: The story eventually has major character death. Not in this chapter but figured I'd still warn everyone. This one does have depictions of jealousy though, if that needs a warning for anyone :P
Ships: Kokichi/Kaede (duh ā”), Kaede/Shuichi (one sided), Shuichi/Rantaro
Info: Kokichi uses Xe/He pronouns bc its like, the shorter part of my full pronoun hc for xem lmao. Also heres the Ao3 Link !! Oh also there's a helluva boss reference in here but I dont like the show anymore. I just was a fan when I first wrote this.
The notorious Phantom Thief, the leader of an organization known as DICE. From small meaningless robberies to precious items that could only make you wonder what their using it all for, DICE was at the root of it.
Detective's Shuichi Saihara and Rantaro Amami have been entrusted with stopping for the criminal once and for all.
Kaede Akamatsu is nothing but a free lance pianist. Well, she's that and Shuichi's childhood friend. When the Phantom Thief starts showing more and more interest in Kaede, Shuichi finds out she may be what they need to solve this case.
After meeting Ouma, a boy with a rather unique gaze, Kaede finds herself spending more and more time with him and the Phantom Thief. However, in doing so she only is left more confused about her emotions than before.
Shuichi's laugh fills the cafe, making Kaede's heart flutter as he plays it like a piano. It's moments like these that Kaede cherishes; morning coffee and long chats about whatever comes to mind. The two of them have been doing these kinds of things since grade school.
Kaede loves everything about Shuichi, she knows him better than any song she has ever played. So, it was inevitable for her to catch feelings for him. Not that Kaede would tell him, she doesn't think she ever could, especially not now.
"It's nice to finally have coffee together again," Shuichi smiles, that damn smile. It's soft, relaxed, free from his usual stressors. Kaede loves seeing the delicate look on his face. "That Phantom Thief has been really active as of recently." Shuichi says with a sigh, his smile shrinking much to Kaede's dismay.
Kaede matches Shuichi's frown at the mention of the infamous Phantom Thief. Shuichi works at his uncle's old detective agency, and he was probably the best detective there. Maybe that's why he got the Phantom Thief case, Kaede still personally thinks it's unfair to him. Shuichi has pulled so many all-nighters just to find the next heist location, only for the thief to get away every time.
"It's alright, I understand how busy you get. But you can't work too hard you know!" Kaede huffs, chiding her friend. He always has the tendency to overwork himself when it comes to mysteries. Even now Shuichi was still working on that stupid case, evident by all the papers thrown about on the table they were occupying.
"I know I know, but we're getting really close! I can feel it!" He says with that gleam in his eyes that made Kaede melt. He looks so confident and proud of himself, who was Kaede to ruin that?
"I'm sure you are, but you can't catch a thief if you're exhausted all the time. I'll start making care packages again if I need to."
"Oh no, you don't have to do anything like that." With an embarrassed chuckle, Shuichi rubs the back of his neck.
Kaede was sure the embarrassment he felt came from him thinking he doesn't deserve all of the extra support, but that just wasn't true! Kaede loved making him care packages and would start doing it again in a heartbeat. It was a way for her to express how much she loves and cares about him, even if it's only viewed platonically.
"Alright, you better take good care of yourself then!" Kaede dramatically pouts for a few seconds before chuckling to show Shuichi that she wasn't actually upset with him.
"Ah, ShuShu pulled another all-nighter eh?" An all too familiar voice spoke up. There was a hand placed in Shuichi's hair as it begins to ruffle it. The way his hair moved made Kaede think of a nighttime stroll on the beach, watching as the waves meet the sand. But a storm arose inside of her as she fully realizes who is disturbing their outing.
Rantaro Amami: Shuichi's detective partner, and the bane of Kaede's existence. Kaede knows it's wrong to hate the guy ā she has her jealousy to blame for that ā but seeing the two be so close just makes Kaede's blood boil. They had met when Shuichi graduated from his apprenticeship, becoming a full-fledged detective. While only two years ago, it felt like eons for Kaede.
Rantaro whispered something into Shuichi's ear, making his face flush with a red hue that Kaede only wishes she could cause. Oh how Kaede's heart shatters. She would be an idiot to think Shuichi only reacted this way because of his shy demeanor. Yet there Kaede was, playing the role of the fool, as she holds onto this desperate hope of any chance her love is requited.
They begin to speak amongst themselves as if Kaede wasn't even there. They're both so lost in their world of nothing but each other. Kaede wants to scream at Rantaro for showing up, scream at him for stealing Shuichi's heart, scream for countless other things she holds against him.
'It isn't fair! I finally get to spend time with Shuichi after two whole weeks of canceled plans! But no! Rantaro had to come and... no, that's not fair to Rantaro.' Kaede frowns at her own thoughts.
It sickens Kaede how bad her jealousy has gotten, often despising herself for it. Shouldn't she just be happy Shuichi found someone he likes and is happy with, even if it's not her? Maybe Rantaro will take all of her favorite things to do with Shuichi, but that's not her place to decide! Maybe Rantaro would slowly take all of Shuichi's time so he completely forgets about her! Maybe Rantaro will be so amazing that Shuichi won't need Kaede anymore. No that wouldn't happen, Shuichi isn't like that, so why does she get so upset?
Even though she was trying to convince herself not to worry, after a few minutes she can't stand the sight in front of her. Rantaro was mere inches away from Shuichi with his stupid flirty smirk that turns Shuichi into a blushing mess. It was too much for her and she spoke without a second thought.
"Shouldn't you two be heading out to the office?" Oh how Kaede could laugh at how casual her voice sounded. She kept her jealousy so well locked up that nobody would know how strong her dislike for Rantaro truely was.
"Huh? Wait, what's the time?" Shuichi finally drew his attention away from Rantaro to skim the table for his phone. After a bit of searching, he found it under a paper. "Oh shit yeah, we gotta go!" Rantaro backs off from Shuichi, thank god, as he begins to quickly gather up his papers. Kaede mentally scolds herself for getting happy about that.
Seeing as Shuichi panicks over his papers, Kaede decided to step in. She lightly swatts his hands making him freeze and look up at her. Without meeting his eyes she gave a soft smile and begins putting away his papers. She knows exactly where to put everything, how to organize it in a way that Shuichi likes. She does this at a quick pace to make Shuichi not worry any more about being late. Once she finished, she zips up the bag and hands it to him, finally locking eyes without her smile ever faltering.
"Your keys are in your left pocket, not your right. Don't forget to take your coffee, and most importantly, have a nice day." She grabs Shuichi's coffee and makes her way to be standing next to him. She gives him the coffee so her hands are free to fix up his tie. Her face flushes slightly, she wouldn't have to move much to give him a loving kiss on the cheek. Realizing this made her heart burst. Luckily, she has more self-control.'Shuichi wouldn't want that.' she tells herself as she settles for ruffling his hair instead.
Shuichi reaches into his left pocket and pulled out his keys. He then looks back at Kaede with another smile. "Thanks Kaede! We'll hang out again soon, I promise!" His smile was so bright that it blinded any doubts Kaede had. She returns the look and makes her way back to her seat as Shuichi leaves through the door. Oddly, Rantaro was staying behind.
"You know him so well, don't you?" Rantaro gives Kaede a smile. She felt like he has some other intention with that question. Skepticism bubbling up as she picks her cup back up. She draws out a long sip before nodding.
"We've been friends for a while now, it kinda comes naturally." Kaede tries her best to keep her sweet tone but she knew she was brushing Rantaro off. She couldnt even fully met his eyes for crying outloud.
"Well, I hope I can be as helpful as you are one day." He speaks after a brief pause. Kaede has to try everything to keep a scowl off her face. All she can manage to respond with is a short chuckle, resorting back to her drink.
Another few seconds of awkward silence passes, Rantaro just standing there. It feels like his eyes are barring holes into the pianist's head. 'Why won't he just leave? Is he trying to get a reaction out of me? Or maybe he's just trying to be nice?'
"I should probably go catch up with him." Rantaro finally speaks up. "So, see you later Kaede." He gave his signature smirk before waving and making his way outside to the car.
Kaede sighs once the two were out of sight. Her grip tightens on her cup as the interaction repeats in her mind. It was stupid of her to be in love with her best friend, but how could she not be? Shuichi was everything she could ever wish for in a partner, he was always there to support her when she needed it, and he would never hurt her.
'God Kaede, why do you keep doing this? Rantaro hasn't done anything to you, you have no reason to be so cold to him. You and Shuichi are friends. You just have to accept that and let him be happy. Why are you so selfish?'
Before tears can escape from her eyes, her hand jolts, bringing her attention to where it used to lay. Coffee was overflowing the cup, falling down the side and ruining the table. She had been gripping her cup hard enough to cause it, burning her hand in the process. Of course she would miss something like that. She really needs to get her temper in check. She doesn't want to grow any more destructive. A few deep breaths to clear her mind, she's fine. These messy feelings are a problem for future Kaede. Right now, she has to focus on getting napkins. In her hurry she ends up harshly bumping into someone.
"Aw damn, this isn't how I expected my morning to go." A new voice fills Kaede's ears as she adjusted her balance. Once the confusion wore off, Kaede looks to the new person. The first thing Kaede notices about them was their eyes. A charming purple calls out to her, like a lavender field during the late night. Even in the dark, the stars were there to shine their light on each and every flower, creating a beautiful hue. Then, the sun rose. The golden warmth captured within their adjacent iris reminded Kaede of bright summer days and endless childhood fun. It was almost fascinating how a single feature can so easily draw her in.
Their wide doe eyes were framed by their messy hair. It made a small galaxy right before Kaede's eyes with all the purple and pink hues mixed with each strand. It didn't seem unkempt, just wild, matching the rest of their face just how it was.
"Aw, have I taken your breath away?" Their voice snaps Kaede out of her thoughts, as they seem to notice. "I'm so flattered! But, you'll have to get in line! I've got looooooads of people waiting to be graced with my presence." Kaede feels embarrassment flush up her neck. Looking down, she remembers what caused them to interact in the first place.
"Ah, your clothes!" Her attention is drawn to the coffee dripping off of their jacket. Looking down to the floor, she sees evidence of their collision. Two separate cups laying in a puddle of caffeine. Looking at her own clothes shouldnt be so suprising. The feeling of coffee clinging her shirt to her skin obvious now that she's seen it. "Oh my! Here, I can buy you another drink."
Kaede picks up the two cups with one hand. With her free hand ā and without warning ā she grabs the other person's wrist. Quickly the cups are disposed of and her focus is instead of cleaning up the other persons jacket.
"...I can clean it up myself, you know?" They say, lightly moving Kaede's wrist away from them. The pianist blinks dumbfoundedly. The napkins crinkle under her fingers as her grip twitches. Right, they're strangers. What is she thinking? Geez, she really needs to pull herself together.
"Ah, you're right, sorry." Kaede throws away the dirty napkins. She does her best not to focus on the awkward moment she created. Just keep things moving. "So what coffee did you get?" the other person stopped cleaning themself to shoot her a confused glance. "So... I can buy you a new one?" She didn't understand what they were confused about. She said she would buy them a new one, didnt she? Unless it was one of those things she forgot to say out loud. Either way, it was only reasonable she buys them one. They look Kaede up and down a few times before breaking out in laughter again.
"Aren't you going to clean yourself up first?" They ask, motioning to the coffee dripping from her shirt. Ah... It had completely slipped her mind. Her head really was screwed loose after Rantaro showed up. She grabs a few napkins to start scrubbing at the spillage. The stranger shakes their head with a chuckle as they continue to clean themself. "Soooo what's your name? And pronouns while we're at it?"
The pleasentry was a nice interruption for her scrambled mind. It was a good sign that her overstep didn't completly qeird the other out.
"Kaede, it's nice to meet you! I don't really mind any pronouns, but I mainly use she/her." She smiles at the person, pausing her cleaning to give them her full attention.
"Ouma, the future ruler of this world, at your service." Ouma gave a dramatic bow "Oh and I use xe/he." He says as he straightens out and throws away the napkins.
"Future ruler of the world?" The bold declaration caught Kaede off gaurd. Surely he was joking? Well, Kaede never minds a bit of playful dramatics! After a bit more work, she throws away her last napkin. A quick pat down her shirt to make sure she got most of the coffee out following suite. "So, how does his majesty take his coffee?" She asks as she turns her attention back to Ouma. He clears his throat, his expression neutralizing.
"I'll have a Neapolitan Cappuccino, more cappa than chino. Make sure it's got no more than 4oz of milk, the beans won't have the right texture otherwise. If you can't handle that, I'll have a venti Traditional Misto. Please use soy milk with two blonde shots, Affogato and Ristretto. I'd also love three vanilla pumps at the very bottom. Then add the coffee after." Ouma's grin returned to his face as he stared at Kaede expectantly.
'A nea.. with two-no three vanilla, wait was that the second or first one? Okay yeah, I'm not remembering that. Did xe even breathe saying that???'Ā Kaede thinks as she stood there, yet again dumbfounded.
"I think... I think you should just come with me." Kaede gives up completely on trying to figure out what his order was.
"Aw man, I guess you won't be a good minion then. Oh well, if you can't manage that, I guess I'll come with you." Ouma said with a snicker. Kaede couldn't tell if he was joking or just an asshole. She settles on giving him the benefit of the doubt and assuming the former.
"Soooo, what coffee do you get?" Ouma asks as they stand in line.
"Oh, nothing as spectacular as your order. Just a caramel coffee." Kaede shrugs. Some people call it basic, but whats wrong with that? Its common cause its good.
"Hm, yeah that's not surprising." Ouma says, looking around the room a bit "Where were you heading off to in such a rush anyways?" Kaede was starting to think she ran into the wrong kind of person. She holds back a sigh, she couldn't assume. She's trying to work on that after all! Besides, she just met this guy. Surely xyr just.. really playful.
"Oh, I was just trying to get napkins 'cause I spilled some coffee on my table." She pointed back to the table, that she still didn't clean up. Man... she really should go back to that. Ouma burst out laughing.
"Well, isn't that just ironic?" Xe said through xyr laughter. Despite Kaede's conflicting opinions of Ouma, she has to admit xe has a nice laugh. It isn't a nice laugh like how Shuichi has a nice laugh, but it's fun and has this energy to it that Kaede wants to understand.
The line moves forward with some small talk until they get to the front of the line. Kaede ordered another drink for herself before moving aside to let Ouma repeat xyr order. Ouma takes a deep breath as Kaede sends a sympathetic look to the poor worker who would have to track this.
"Can I get a medium vanilla mocha?" ... That's it? What happened to all the specifics? Kaede stares at Ouma for a few seconds, before realizing she has to actually pay. The two of them walk over to the side to wait for the drinks.
"So.. what happened to that really long order?" Kaede asks, raising an eyebrow at Ouma. Xe smirks slightly making xyr golden eye get this kind of mischevious sparkle.
"Ah, changed my mind." Xe shrugs as xe turns away from the pianist. Even as xe tries to be nonchalant, xyr lips still twitch with amusement. Kaede wasn't buying it though.
"You were just trying to embarrass me, weren't you?" Kaede crosses her arms as the other's compusure bursts. Snickers and giggles barely get restrained behind xyr hand.
"Maybe a liiittle bit, but I would've stopped it before it got too far, honest!" Kaede was skeptical, sure, but the way Ouma was smiling convinces her it was all in harmless fun.
The two of them get their drinks without too long a wait. Kaede turns to Ouma. "Well there you go, sorry about your other drink. Hope this makes up for that." She smiles, expecting Ouma to smile back and for them to part ways, but he looks to be in thought.
"Welllll, both of our outfits are kinda ruined. Technically, they just need a wash, but I don't wanna go allll the way home and waste away my day with laundry! So, since my other friends bailed on our mall plans, you should go with me instead!" Ouma grins up at her. Kaede was surprised, to say the least.
Could she really trust Ouma? They did just meet after all. Why would he even invite her out to the mall? Then again, it's not like she has much else to do. She hasn't gotten a job offer in quite a bit,Ā so there's no songs she needs to practice. Plus, it's not like she can hang out with anyone else, everyone is probably busy with one thing or another. She could just go home and spend time with herself, but she didn't exactly want to do that either.
"...I think you're thinking a little too hard about this. If you don't want to go that's fine, I just thought I'd offer." He said, looking up at her with his patchwork gaze. She realized she was taking too long and just decided to blurt out whatever answer her brain decides on.
"Oh yeah sure! It's been a while since I've gone shopping." Kaede's smile was a bit nervous. Her voice a bit higher in pitch.
'Well, I guess we're doing this then.'
WAHHHH MY SILLYYYYYS MY IDIOTTTTTS I love oumatsu so much and ready back on this was so fun!!! Now theyre stuck in my head RAH!!!
Thank you for reading!!! I hope you liked it!! Im probably gonna work on the second chapter again bc I MISS THEM,,,and I like a lot of the ideas I had wehehehe
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