[BEFORE WE START: !!! This is a comfort fic, which means I'll be projecting a few of my insecurities in the character's POV, while having another character comfort them, which means there'll be a lot of angst and a bit slow character development, I find this to be a healthy and entretaining way of coping, so if you're uncomfortable with that, please leave !!!]
TW: Stuttering, panic attacks
Shuichi's POV
I was sitting in a second floor window, looking outside with my legs dangling, hitting the wall to the rhythm of a melody, from how the sky looked, it seemed to be from 3PM to 5PM, I know, not very specific.
I looked up and saw a lot of birds flying around, it kinda looked like they were doing tricks in the sky
Isn't it beautiful tho? We have creatures that are constantly flying in the air, like if they were magical, they're so colorful too, and the way they communicate with eachother is amazing, it's almost mythical. I mean, maybe I'm thinking about it too much, but isn't that fun?
I sat in the window praising the view for about 10 minutes, because soon after, it was time to go
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEE-
I turned off my alarm with a groan and an annoyed face, "dang it..", I've been lucid dreaming for about 3 months now, and everytime it's time to wake up it's so frustrating, going back to reality, I wish I could live in a dream... but I guess on the good side of waking up I get to go to school and see my friends..?
Oh yeah, school, I probably should get ready for that
I quickly swiped off my "pajama" which was basically clothes that I get in christmas or my birthday that I don't like, but I guess I can use them for something
And in kind of a rush I put on my normal clothes, maybe I could try changing them for something new some day, but that's kinda scary
I got my hat, as usually, and grabbed my music player, I'm not having breakfast because- uh- well, I don't really have a reason, I guess I just don't feel like it, and so, I brushed my teeth and all the stuff you do before school you know? Well, except the breakfast
I looked at the clock, 6:30AM, it's Tuesday, so my uncle should be home in an hour and a half..
I pulled my hat to cover my face, plugged in my earphones and went walking to school, with my music on a low level just incase, you never know
I was humming to the rhythm of Arms Tonite, when I felt someone tapping my back to the same rhythm as the song, I kinda panicked and instantly turned around making my hands into fists and putting them in a fighting position, oh yeah i also kinda screamed "wHat is it T-THAT you wAAnt!!"
And then
I realised
Rantaro was staring at me with a "what the fuck happened" expression
Then he smiled... I knew what was coming
He started chuckling, and then laughing, then cackling, I was way too embarrassed and kept pulling my hat down, trying to cover what my hat can't with either my hands or hair
"Hnnnnnng s-stop laughing it i-isn't f-funny"
Rantaro was now holding his stomach of laughter
"O-ok, you're e-exa ... ex-a-ge-ra-ting n-now"
I hate that, sometimes my stutter gets in the way of how I pronounce words, and have to break it down in syllables, my friends usually ignore it because they know it makes me feel bad, but it's a different story with strangers and random classmates, and don't even mention teachers
"Hahaha.. ok, ok, but.. you have to admit it was funny"
He replied to me, still laughing between words
"I-it's my na-natural fight o-or flight re-reflect"
I tried to argue, crossing my arms and doing fists again, pressing down a little to try to calm down a bit
"Fine, haha, you win, sorry for startling you, but we should get to school before it's too late"
We started heading to school
"Y-Yeah, wouldn't like t-to have to s-s-sneak up again"
——————–—–—–—–
Little explanation
In this AU, they go to Hope's Peak, but the school that appears in V3, which is a special school for the last year, where they basically teach you things for when you get out, like communication, taxes, how to get basic necessities and all, but they can choose to live in dorms or not, Rantaro and Shuichi are some of the ones that chose not to, so they walk to school together. Of course in this AU there is no killing game, however Danganronpa (Only the first two games) did happen (The world was able to get back on it's feet tho), but it was at least 50 years ago, otherwise Hope's Peak would be emptier than the 20 water bottles I keep in my nightstand
REMEMBER THIS IS AN AU THAT I MADE SO THAT THINGS MAKE SENSE, I KNOW THE PLOT OF THE ACTUAL GAME
You can continue now ｡◕‿◕｡
—–—–—–—–—–—–——
"Hey, it wasn't my fault"
Rantaro crossed his arms, probably imitating the way I was walking
"N-No, it w-was"
I replied, followed by a giggle, which made me get a soft, fake punch from Rantaro
"Haha, see, that's what you should do, you have to fight back when someone says something wrong"
"B-But, it's n-not the same.."
"Well, how is it not?"
"Wh- uh- well, f-firstly, I-I don't know h-how strangers m-might react, I guess.."
"What do you mean?"
"Well... T-They may start t-thinking lo-lowly of me, o-or try t-t-to attack me.. on the other h-hand, I k-know my f-friends won't"
"Well, I'd say that if they get mad at you for correcting them, they are the problem, but I won't push to be a badass if you don't want to"
"T-Thanks, b-but I'm technically a-already a c-criminal in 72 c-countries"
Rantaro stopped in dry
"WHAT- Oh- oh wait you mean-"
"Haha, y-yeah"
"You scared me, for a moment I thought you were like- a killer or something"
"W-Well, we g-got to sc-school"
"Huh?- Woow, that was fast lol"
"N-Never say lol o-out loud a-again"
">:("
"H-How did y-you- ok i guess..."
We both entered the school and headed to our classrooms
I- uhm... i don't think you want to know what my classes were like haha
So anyway once the ring belled- wait no... once the bell ringed I was met by the one and only...
"Heeeeeeeeyyyy Shumaiiiii!"
I sighed a bit and smiled at him
"Hello Kokichi"
Somehow, when I'm talking to him my stutter calms down a bit, maybe I should see a doctor or something i don't know how normal that is..
"Where are you going? huh? huh? oh I know! are you going to a stripclub? dirty Shumai! dirty!!"
"wH- HUH? NO W-WHY WOULD I-"
"Hehe!~ just kidding! gotchaaaa, i knew you'd fall for that dumb Shumai!"
"Oh g-god... don't do t-that please"
"Aweeee but it was so fun... well, I guess if Shumai doesn't want me to, might aswell be a good boy and behave, right?"
"Ouma, don't say it like that, p-people will hear you and t-think wrong"
"Shu-shu, the classroom's empty"
"Wh- well, s-still!"
"Welllll anywaaayyyy, let's goooo! next period is free riiight?"
"I thought you didn't have free periods?"
"Well, not anymore! I gained them back"
"Oh... ok then sure"
I replied with an closed eye smile
Kokichi and I walked out of the classroom together, talking about constellations and joking about our other hobbies until we got to the yard
"Well if it isn't the astrology nerds HAH! You guys should thank me, I just gave a free nickname to you, greasy virgins!"
Miu shouted across the school's yard
"Huuuuuuh? The only greasy thing is your hair, probably from all the pulling it gets!"
"Uhm, O-Ouma, I don't think h-hair can get greasy because of that"
"H-Heeeh! hair pulling? That's so kinky!!"
Of course she'd get excited for that
"I don't think she knows that"
Ouma made fun of Miu once again
"Guys, guys don't fight please"
Kaede tried stopping the "fight"
"Ughhhh, fineee sorry flat tits"
For some reason Miu insists on calling Kaede "flat tits", she isn't flat tho?-
"Yeah, Kaede's right.."
Oum repl- oUMA REPLIED WHAT?
"HUH?!"
Seems I'm not the only one shocked
"We shouldn't fight... I should straight up beat you up"
Oh, I guess I had my standars too high
"HAH! COME AT IT FOOTICHI, I'M NOT SCARED OF SCRATCHING YOU UP"
Did she call him "Footichi"???????? ...
Kaede sighed "Why do I even bother"
"OI Stop it you two, you're getting unnecessary attention from the others, they'll think you're feral and put you in the veterinary"
Rantaro came closer joking, with Shinguji by his side
"You guys fight like a sex-deprived straight married old couple"
Shinguji added, it's kind of true tho
"Whaaaaaaat?! Ewwwww i would NEVER date a person! They all dissapoint me"
Kokichi said, I think we all know that was a lie but he'd never admit it
"Just kidding! I'd date someone if they worshipped me!"
Or maybe he would-
"Uh-huh ok"
"Why would you take what I said seriously?"
"You're not very fun, I assumed you were serious"
"Heyy! don't say that about our friends! We're all fun, in our own way!"
"Just admit it, you don't think he's fun"
"Well, I do"
Rantaro butted in
"Of c-course you do, R-Rantaro, you laugh at e-ev-everything"
I decided to add in the conversation
"Even Kokichi's dumb clown face!"
Miu remarked
"woof woof"
wtf
"Well, Rantaro I appreciate your effort in defending me but we should start walking to class"
"oh shit u rite"
"bye suckers lol"
oml he-
"W-WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT SAYING LOL OUT L-LOUD"
I shouted, while Rantaro ran away with Shinguji beside him like partners in crime
And then I realised
I had just screamed AND stutter in the middle of the school yard
Everyone was looking at me
I hardly pulled my hat down, making it cover my face until the bottom of my nose, and covered it with my hands too
I was getting too much attention, it was suffocating
Then I felt two different hands laying in both my shoulders, I looked to the side to see Kaede and Kokichi pulling me away, while pretending to talk to me
That helped drive the attention away, we continued walking until we got to the left hallway, where we simultaneously stopped
"That was crowded, you ok Shu?"
Kaede asked
"Yeah you seemed pretty agitated there Shumai"
"U-Uhmm.. y- n- I-"
I started stuttering again, I didn't know what to respond
"Hey hey! it's fine, you don't have to reply"
Kaede started rubbing my shoulder
"Yeah, take deep breaths n stuff, it wouldn't be gucci if you died here"
It seemed like Kokichi didn't care much
But...
He helped me too, and seemed a bit concerned, so he cares enough to help me calm down
Maybe he's afraid of showing emotions?
But that doesn't make sense, he shows a lot of emotions
No, he's probably trying to make the situation lighter, I should laugh
"H-Haha.. y-y-yeah i g- go... -I sighed, I'm gonna have to break the word down again- gue-ss
"Ok well, you and Kokichi stay here, I'm gonna bring something to drink, the three of us have free period now so it's fine"
"O-Ok, t-t-thank yo-you, K-Kaede"
"Oh, Kibo and Shirogane have free period too, right?"
"Y-Yeah.."
Akamatsu went to the kitchen, I suppose, to get a drink
"Hmmm, sooooo when you get nervous your stutter worsens?"
"U-uh, I-I d-dont k-know? I think-think so-o.."
"I'm guessing that's a yes"
You guess?-
"Wellll that's fine!! I don't mind your stutter, in fact I think it makes you reaaaaally unique you know?"
"H-huh?"
"Yeah!! it's like this little thing you have that makes you different in a special way!"
"I- Uhm- U-uh... t-t-thanks..."
"Uhhhhhhhhh... by the way... ughhhh, look, don't tell anyone i said this but... errr, good job"
wait-
"W-wh- wait- wh-wHAT?-"
"Geezzzz is it that weird for me to congratulate someone?"
"OH! U-Uhm, nono it's f-fine, but w-why are you co-congratulating me?"
"Huh? Well, because lf the socializing duh! You think i didn't notice how hard it is for you to socialize? Hmp! Saihara is doubting me!"
"Oh u-uh, nono! I-Im not, I just didn't t-think anyone would no-notice..."
"Hehehe!! Well, you did a really good job!"
Kokichi softly clapped twice
"Heyyy I'm back guys!"
Akamatsu came to us with three water bottles
"Ooh, you bought one for everyone!! Awww thanks Akamatsu! You kind soul, what would we do without you?!"
Kokichi said, once again, exaggerating his tone and emotions
It took Akamatsu a while to get what Kokichi meant but she ended up laughing anyways
"Ok Saihara, remember the breathing exercises we practiced?"
"O-Oh! Y-yeah..."
I breath in
1..
2...
3...
4
Hold it
1...
2...
3...
4
And release
1...
2...
3...
4
I continue this for about 3 minutes, taking sips of water everytime I finish a round, during that time Akamatsu and Kokichi were dearly staring at me, not making much eye contact to give me a but of space, but rubbing circles in my hands or back to help me relax
When I was calmer Kokichi decided to break the silence
"Oh wait I have something smart to say! Did you know breathing exercises help because controlling your breath is essential to control your brain? If you're agitated your brain can't process properly and you're unable to calm down"
"C-Cool haha..."
"Ouma, you know a lot of random facts, where did you learn this?"
"The origins are irrelevant"
Everytime Kokichi jokes around like this it's like a weight releases off my body, it feels nice, don't get me wrong, sometimes it's in a wrong moment, like he gets the timing off and jokes about it when I still feel bad, which can result in a small argument between him and someone else, but truth is, I probably would be really tensed up about 20% of the time if it wasn't for the little jokes he does. I have talked about this to him and he doesn't take it too seriously, but I want to thank him for helping me with this...
Oh wait, I got an idea!
"H-Hey, guys?"
"Hm?"
"Do you think we co-could, uhm..."
"It's ok, take your time"
"U-Uh.. maybe... hang out?... w-with everyone?"
Oh lord, it's probably weird for me to be asking to be around too much people, but, my friends are the people I trust the most in the world, and I feel like I should strengthen our bond
"Everyone?"
"Y-Yeah....... !!! I-If that's ok with you guys!! Y-You don't ha-have to do it i-if you don't wa-want to-...!"
"Hahaha! Of course we'd want to!"
"Yeah, dumb Saihara! Spending time with you is nice, why wouldn't we want to hang out?"
"But will you be ok with being with everyone at once?"
"W-Well-"
"Duh, dumb blonde! Why would he ask if he doesn't want to?"
"Oh! Sorry hehe"
Akamatsu replied, softly rubbing the back of her head
"O-Ok then, le-let's go ask the others?"
"Yes, yes!"
"We could also kidnap them, but I guess asking works too"
Akamatsu and I softly laughed, she probably wouldn't admit that Kokichi's remarks can make her laugh, as he would bug her with it forever, but we all know she can get along with him if they both try... Well, it's Kaede Akamatsu, she can get along with anyone if they both try
"O-Ok, so... Sh-Shirogane and K-Kibo have free p-period?
"Yes, should we start by them?"
"Yeah, p-probably"
"Ok ok! Let thee go in a mission!!"
Kokichi said standing up and pointing up, with a hand on his hip and a grin, probably imitating a protagonist pose when they're setting a plan in march
"Ouma, do you even know what "thee" means?"
Akamatsu said, softly standing up too
"No! hehe, but it sounds cool so whatever"
"Hehe, o-ok let's go t-then"
I stood up too, this would be a long day...