He is so considerate to me. It almost makes me feel bad for being so selfish to the point where I passed out. Making him worry because I got so focused on everything else that my own wellbeing was not accounted for. I can be such an asshole.

"Kokichi...it's okay if you aren't. You don't just have to smile and bear it, you know?" Shuichi's soft words put me back into perspective. We were sitting against the bark of a tree outside the school. It was somewhat hot outside, but with the cool shade of the tree over us it was nice to be outside.

"Ah right sorry my beloved~ I was spacing out~ So unlike me," I said letting my over-sarcastic tone take the stage. Shuichi raised an eyebrow. I knew he was aware that I was lying about it- but he seemed to not want to completely expose my lie. That wasn't really doing its job seeing as we both knew that it was a lie.

"Hmm you are right you never space out," Shuichi said smiling a bit as his eyes were confident. Is he really going along with such a bad lie? Honestly this man just keeps getting more and more interesting.

"You must have been pretty distracted, maybe thinking about something important?" He inquired. I let my eyes narrow as a tight line formed on my lips. "What could be more important than you Shumai~ Of course I was thinking about you!" I took a breath moving my hands to hold onto his shoulders. I was kneeling in front of him so we were facing each other. His face was turning pink. That confidence he was showing earlier is faltering~

"I am so helplessly in love with a detective~ And me being such a fowl and lowly criminal must take a hit on the detective's reputation~ How sad~" I moved in closer so our lips were just barely touching.

"How does that make you feel mister detective? Being bested by your foe like this~" I whispered as his face inflamed. Laughing was out of the question, but I can't deny that the way he faltered was making me want to laugh so hard. His face was so flustered~ It is an expression that I always want to see him make, but to be able to savor it I must save it for these small moments.

"K-Kokichi?!" He gasped against my lips before I closed the gap. I kissed him for about two seconds before I saw his eyes close. This is when I slowly moved so there was slightly more space between our lips.

"That's adorable Shumai. You were so confident just now~ And then your confidence just crumbled when I made a move on you~!" I laughed, making him even more embarrassed.

"Ha ha very funny Kokichi...your lies are so funny." He said, retracting a bit. I was confused for a moment by his mood change, but soon realized that he was showing jealousy? For who? My lies- oh my god.

"Shuichi." I looked him dead in the eyes. He flinched at my tone change. "Did you really think I was just messing with you right now?" I raised an eyebrow. Shuichi looked at me with wide eyes before his head turned to the side.

"O-of course not." He frowned, making me roll my eyes. "Shumai~ I need to make a confession seeing as my beloved has been fooled by me~"

"I lie a looooot so you have to know that when I say things like that it's only because I love to see your flustered expression! It's not that I'm trying to make fun of you! Really- if I was going to make fun of you my words would be more- well cruel." Shuichi smiled at this. I smiled back at him feeling a twinge of guilt in the back of my mind for letting my theatrics go too far yet again.

"I know that...sorry I just felt a little insecure is all. I haven't been in a legitimate relationship before...well the weird on and off one Kaede would keep me in."  I softened my gaze.

"Please don't think that was a healthy relationship Shu-Chan~ This what we have here is a healthy relationship." I paused. He looked confused at my words which I want to believe that it's because neither of us have had healthy relationships with others- except for Shuichi and his mother. I would kill for their relationship- not literally of course.

"Our relationship is healthy because we both care for each other. We can talk about things when we don't agree or when problems arise. Like for example you noticing I have not been taking care of my body and helping to get me in a position where I felt more comfortable eating. That my good sir is a healthy relationship~" I cooed moving my hands to cup his cheeks. I squished his cheeks and he blushed more.

"I got it! But now you're just smothering me!" I smirked a bit at his comment.

"Well Shumai, that is what I will do as your boyfriend!" I leaned in closer pulling him into a hug.

"I will smother you with affection whenever you doubt yourself! And there is nothing you can do to stop me~," He laughed a bit and wrapped his arms around me.

"I wouldn't want it to be any other way Kokichi," He said softly before moving his hands to bring my face up so we could make eye contact.

"But aside from that, you need to eat something. It doesn't have to be more than you are comfortable with, but know that I am here and I want you to be happy and healthy." I felt my smile falter for a moment before I shook my head. I can do this. I can do this for Shuichi. And I can do this for myself.

"Alrighty~ You got me there! Your affection and adoration towards such a shady person like me is disturbing!" I called out, making him laugh under his breath.

"That's a lie...isn't it?" He asked, making me smirk. "Who knows~" Was all I said before taking the lunch he and his mother prepared for me.

It was a bento box with homemade chicken and ramen. I smiled to myself, feeling a sense of joy I hadn't experienced before I met Shuichi. Well more like meeting Shuichi and his mother. Their relationship oddly makes me feel happy even just to witness it. A shared sense of comfort from a healthy mother and son relationship. I wish that my mother actually gave a shit about me...well in the sense that she at least would accept me.

Sadly in the world today people like me aren't naturally accepted into society. I don't understand why the idea of being transgender is so forien to people. Or even criminal. My mother would be a prime example. I don't really have many memories of my biological father...but what I do remember is that he would always be so understanding if I did something questionable.

...

My mother and I were arguing again as she never really agreed with me being so routy all the time. But she was threatening to take me away from DICE and I was not going to stand for this!

"You can't just go and hangout with those heathens when I am not around! You could get hurt!"

"I am being careful! I do what is asked of me here so why do I have to give that up for your own sake?"

"Because I'm your mother! Just go to your room...We will discuss this with your father when he gets home." I scoffed and walked up to my room. Why does she just have to be a pain all the time?

Hours passed as I stared at the ceiling. I didn't even know what to do. I already cleaned the house and did my chores so now all there was to do was wait for my father to come home.

"Ko?" His voice called out as he knocked on my door. "Come in," I said before the familiar creak of the door was heard.

"So I heard you worried your mom again..." He moved to sit down next to me on my bed. I looked to the side and folded my arms over my chest. "You wanna tell me what happened?" His words were kind and I felt more comfortable talking to him than talking to my mom any day.

"She was being a big meanie! I found this adorable dog when I was walking home from school and I took him home to clean him up a bit- but he was covered in mud so he ended up making the house all dirty which is why mother got so mad." I stated my case before adding.

"She wants to take me away from my friends just because she thinks that me helping a stray dog was reckless." I whispered feeling irritated already. I hated my mother because of how she never listens. My father listens to me, but he isn't home most of the day because he is a highschool teacher at Hope's Peak academy so he is helping there most of the time.

"While I think that was a little troublesome of you to do...I don't think that her taking away your right to hangout with your friends is the right way to go about this. I think that maybe you and I should do something nice for her tomorrow." He said nudging my shoulder made me laugh.

"I will speak to her tonight and you and I can wake up early to make her some breakfast. And maybe then she will be a little more reasonable." He laughed a bit, making me smile. "Alright Dad." I said before pulling him into a hug. He wrapped his arms around me and chucked a bit.

"You will always be my reckless daughter Ko."

...

Sure my father was unaware of me being transgender because I was just a small child. It was time when the reality of the stereotypes that come with being a female kicked in. I had a rude awakening when I realized that the world was that rotten. It was disturbing to be catcalled when I was walking to school or even have other males come up to me acting as if they "deserved" my affection and attention.

I was disgusted. So I decided that being male would be better, because it fit me better. I wasn't a girl who wanted to dress up and be treated like a lady. I am a man who wants nothing more than to be a leader and show the world how much gender should NEVER be used as an identifier of a person.

People are people, so it doesn't matter how they identify. They are a person just like anyone else. So treat them as you would to any person you care for. Showing kindness first is very important, regardless of if you completely agree with that person's life choices.

"Kokichi?" Shuichi asked me, making me fall out of the pool of thoughts I was close to drowning in.

"Heyo Shumai!" I said with a smile plastered on my face moving to hold his hand. He blushed, but shook his head and looked at me with the same concerned look as before.

"Ah right- I was spacing out again. Sorry~" I laughed a bit before he let out a little chuckle. "No worries, you just seemed really deep in thought. I wanted to ask what you were thinking about?"

I froze for a moment. What should I tell him? I mean I do want to know his opinion on being transgender as I do believe that he is as well. "Well I was just thinking about how people in the LGBTQ community are looked at as if they are criminals. Especially transgender people. It disgusts me that people think so lowly of people they don't even bother to get to know. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where we can all just be people without people judging others just for something out of their control. Or something that makes them feel comfortable." He looked shocked at what I told him. I don't blame him because I have been teasing him all lunch so he must be confused. Confused because I just said something super serious right after all that teasing.

"I agree with you. That's the reason why Kaede and Rantaro resent you. And the reason why they resent me. It's unfair to have biases of things and then make those biases stab into other people just because they believe that some life decisions make people horrible. Even if it's just their preference with how they live, act, or even who they love. It's unfair that this is how the world works." I smiled at his words. He can be so cute when he is stating information that he is passionate about. The way he laced his words with his passion for his belief and the way he is honest about it makes me feel a different kind of way. It's a special kind of feeling that I only feel when Shuichi is able to be himself.

"Wow those were some serious words mister~ You might end up making me lose mine!" He laughed at my comment before his face fell. I was immediately concerned before I realized something. Kaede was laughing and seemingly having fun with Rantaro and the other people in her group. "Shumai." I whispered, placing my hand on his shoulder.

He turned to face me and I gave him a glance. "You miss them don't you?" I asked before his eyes widened. He shook his head pretty quickly. Too quickly for that to not be true. "Shuichi it's okay to miss them." I paused moving to sit next to him. He slumped against the tree as I leaned against him a bit.

"Sure what they did to you was horrible in every way imaginable, but you still care for them and there is nothing wrong with that. But you do need to understand that they will walk all over you if you let them. That is just how they work." I let my hand trail down his leg before intertwining my fingers with his own.

"You have the capability of being confident. And I am even here to help you feel more confident in yourself. You deserve so much and they almost made you settle for what they were giving you." I moved my body so I was kneeling next to him. He soon did the same so we were looking at each other.

"So Shumai. You can let them go. They treated you poorly and you deserve so much more than them. Hajime and Nagito and I are here for you! We are your new friends Shu~!" He blushed at my comment and smiled. "Thank you for that Kokichi."

"Well now that that's been taken care of I want to try some of Shumai's delicious cooking!" I said moving over to sit next to him against the tree again. He did the same moments after looking at me with a look of pride and adoration.

It made me feel more confident in being able to eat today. If I take small steps towards being able to eat more sooner or later I will be able to feel more comfortable eating. Then me and Shumai can make sweets and have our own little bakery~ Or maybe that part is just a lie~