Work Text:
Shuichi has never been the best at admitting his feelings for others. First year, he conjured up a crush on one of his best friends, and it was painful. He had no idea if she felt the same way, heck, on occasion he doubted that she liked him at all. He managed to muster up the courage and confess to her, who gave him a sugar coated rejection. Since then, any romantic ideas were pushed to the bottom of the priority list.
Still, that didn't stop him from liking... no, loving a specific someone. But the chances of him returning the feelings were slim. Actually, not even that. There was no way that he returned the feelings. He didn't like him, he just liked teasing him.
And so, Valentine's Day meant nothing. It was like any typical day.
Except it really wasn't.
The whole school loved Valentine's Day. The halls were decorated with hearts hanging on the ceiling by strings, romantic quotes were scattered around the hallways, the air was even scented with floral fragrance. It was unavoidable. It felt like allergy season, but with hots instead of colds. Shuichi couldn't make it through the morning without being dragged into conversations like "Are you gonna confess to blah blah" or "What did you get in your locker?" And they weren't going to stop any time soon.
Overall, the school day was just a blur since he was being drowned in topics like love. He completely zoned out at the last period, since the final discussion was focused on romance and whatever. He wasn't involved, so he permitted his eyes to drift him off into la la land. It wasn't the first time he fell asleep in class anyway, and the teacher didn't seem to care.
"Wakey wakey, Saihara-chan!"
"AH— Ouma-kun!" Shuichi jumped in his seat at the sight of Kokichi. Class must've already been dismissed. Nobody else was in the classroom except for the two of them. How he slept through cleaning time and why nobody bothered to wake him up until now was an unexplainable wonder. Kokichi lifted his head off of Shuichi's desk and stood up.
"My beloved Saihara-chan, do you know what day it is today?" Kokichi chirped. Nice. Even Kokichi was worked up about this day. Shuichi was truly hopeless, wasn't he?
Shuichi lifted his index finger to his chin and scratched it, "It's Friday, February 14. Nothing significant about this day. No events today whatsoever. Absolutely ordinary. Why ask?" He joked. Kokichi pouted and lightly beat up Shuichi's arm in response.
"Are you just mad because you're not getting free chocolate?"
"I'm pretty sure that's your case, Ouma-kun." The punching got harder.
He finally made up his mind that Shuichi arm abuse wasn't a solution to his problems, especially seeing how Shuichi was getting amused instead of insulted, and his mood shifted drastically. "Can't you feel it? Love is in the aiiir..!" Kokichi twirled around, giggling like a giddy little girl. Shuichi caught his lips cracking a smile at this, and stopped as quickly as it came. If Kokichi saw it, he'd probably accuse him of being some kind of lolicon. "Even if you're a sad shut-in who's no doubt gonna die cold and lonely, that doesn't mean you shouldn't be enjoying a day exclusively dedicated to love!"
Shuichi snorted, "That's the most contradictory statement I've heard all day." At least Shuichi's laughter was something that Kokichi couldn't make fun of. He was smiling too.
"Glad you noticed! I'm a participant in the MCPTWTSP Competition, or in long, Most Contradictory Person to Walk This Shitty Planet. Someone else is in the lead, but as the Ultimate Supreme Leader, I plan on being in the center of the podium. Wish me good luck!"
"Good luck?" Shuichi's tone was a bit unsure, earning Kokichi's disapproval.
"That sounded soooo bored. You should be more interested that I'm partaking in something like that. Come on, show me some energy!"
"Good luck! Woo, you can do this!" He corrected. He clapped and cheered and pumped his fist in the air. Kokichi joined in gleefully. That lasted for a few seconds until Shuichi started to feel really out of character, and broke it off with a light blush coating his cheeks from embarrassment. Kokichi took advantage of that and teased him about it, which only made the red shade grow more intense.
Kokichi continued the romantic banter, which Shuichi wasn't bothered by, with the exception of blushing, until he brought up something which made him choke on his spit.
"Fun fact, I'm in love with someone!"
"Oh." There went his heart. Shuichi averted his eyes for a moment to zone out and think of a suicide plot. Did he want to be slowly tortured, lit to crisp, or just end it quickly with a snap of the neck? Even so, for the person he loved, he was willing to support him in whatever he wanted. And he couldn't deny that he was the slightest bit curious, since someone had to be really special for Kokichi to love them. "Who is it?" He asked, the tiniest sliver of disappointment lining his tone, and he scolded himself in his head. Luckily, Kokichi didn't seem to notice.
"Silly Saihara-chan, telling you just ruins the fun!" Kokichi tapped the tip of Shuichi's nose, receiving another shy reaction, "If you wanna find out, you gotta work for it!"
"What do I even need to do?"
He mimicked Shuichi's deep in thought pose, "Hmm... I'll give you ten hints on who it is, and if you guess right, I'll confirm it! Don't worry, you do know them."
"Ah, sounds easy enough." Shuichi shrugged.
"Buuuut, that's barely any work, so you're gonna do things I tell you for the rest of the day." Before Shuichi could protest, Kokichi added, "It would help with my Supreme Leader talent!" Not that he wasn't gonna hold back his protests anyway.
"Okay. Shall we start, then?" Shuichi already got up and out of his seat.
"Hey, I was supposed to be the one to ask that!" Kokichi growled, "Whatever. You're buying me Panta and chocolate, so I can't be mad for looong!~" Hold on, what? Soda and candy for a clue?
...Well, this was probably the best thing he could do for him on Valentine's Day anyway.
The two walked to the convenience store. Along the way, Kokichi whined. It wasn't about the weather or anything though, because in the matter of fact, it was a very nice day, and a great temperature especially for walking. It was about Shuichi not having a driver's license, yet Kokichi not only knew he did, but tagged along with him during his training. Occasionally even hijacked. And it was a convenience store. It wasn't that far from school. Complain later, Ouma-kun, Shuichi thought.
Once they arrived, Kokichi pushed ahead of Shuichi and dashed into the store. Shuichi stepped through the automatic door, and wandered around to find and meet up with Kokichi again. Kokichi was already holding a red velvet, heart-shaped box of chocolates with a big white bow. Shuichi was a bit flustered by the choice.
He was by the soda fridge, grabbing his signature one liter grape Panta bottle. Shuichi approached him and as Kokichi shut the fridge and turned to head over to the cashier, he bumped into Shuichi.
"Watch where you're going!" Kokichi snapped. Shuichi flinched at his raised voice, and started spouting out rapid incessant apologies. "Slow down, pard'ner. You know that I love when our bodies touch." The apologies stopped, and were replaced by Shuichi's flushed cheeks and him attempting to hide them behind his hand. The shorter boy just giggled and hugged him.
"You're so cute, Saihara-chan. I totally didn't expect you to sneak up on me, though! Super creepy!" Kokichi pulled away and sighed, "Alas, it seems that I have overestimated my speed."
Shuichi eventually recovered from Kokichi's comments, lowered his hand and exhaled. "You're slow."
Kokichi was taken back, "Hey, hey! That's your fault for making me walk here against my will! I have no energy and I'm about to collapse!"
"You followed me by yourself, I said nothing." He said, weight applied to 'nothing.'
"Love fall." Kokichi fell forward and Shuichi caught him. Kokichi simply wrapped his arms around the other, squeezing him again.
"Um... Isn't it trust fall?"
"Yeah, but I more than trust you." Kokichi released Shuichi's torso and hooked arms with him. Shuichi wanted to ask what he meant by more than trust, but Kokichi was just quicker to say, "You want your hint, right? Let's get a move on!" He rushed over to the counter with a stumped Shuichi.
Shuichi purchased the items, and parted from the store with Kokichi, who was already chugging down his beverage.
"They're sweet. Like, really sweet." Kokichi said.
"That... could be anyone."
"Did you expect me to say some give away hint or something?"
He stared at Kokichi for a while, debating on whether or not he should try to argue. Defeated and in silence, he just took out his tiny evidence notepad and scribbled down "Sweet."
Nine more to go.
"What next?" Shuichi asked. Kokichi didn't respond. He was probably getting to that.
Kokichi brought them over to a park bench and they both sat down. He pulled out a crumpled paper from his pants pocket. It was blank chemistry homework from the other day. That day, the teacher reprimanded him when he made the dog ate his homework excuse. He had to stay for detention. Kokichi unfolded the paper, turned to the back, and handed it to Shuichi.
"Write me a letter as if I was the love of your life." Kokichi ordered. Shuichi turned red for the thousandth (not really, but almost) time that day. It took a moment, but he obliged and began writing out his genuine feelings for Kokichi. Since he really did have feelings for him, he could write it effortlessly and it would turn out wonderful. The words flowed nicely, the positives were sincere, he included a few of their inside jokes and it was definitely a convincing love letter.
Once he was finished, he read it over twice and reluctantly passed it over to Kokichi. Kokichi finished his panta bottle and tossed it into the trash can a few feet away.
Kokichi's eyes glided through the paper. Shuichi instantly regretted pouring his heart out into it, but he couldn't just swipe it from the other's hands, even if that's what Kokichi would normally do. Shuichi looked the other direction so he didn't have to watch Kokichi's reaction.
Instinctively though, he turned back when he felt a tug on his sleeve. Kokichi was in his face, smile wide and eyes twinkling. "Do you actually love me or something, Saihara-chan? This sounds way too real!" He leaned on Shuichi, who was you can guess at this rate.
"I have a knack for these sorts of things. If you didn't know, I'm a part-time love letter typist." Shuichi said, tone sarcastic. Kokichi's grin grew.
"Ooh, perhaps you can write me a confession letter, then!" Kokichi suggested, "Wait, it would be pretty awkward to make you write a confession letter to yourself." Shuichi Blush Counter: 5.
Shuichi grumbled, "What's the clue?"
"Right, right!" Kokichi got off of Shuichi, and he immediately longed for the contact again. "They're adorable. Absolutely adorable. I watch them sleep because of how adorable they are."
"That last remark was redundant..." Shuichi muttered, writing "Adorable" under the first clue. Shuichi looked back at Kokichi, signalling that he's ready for the next hint.
The two got up and strolled the park. The sky was dimming as they spoke, and it was getting a little chillier. They huddled closer as Kokichi gave him a detailed murder case. It was a surprisingly difficult one, and it made him somewhat concerned that Kokichi was capable of plotting something this ingenious and... downright evil on the spot.
But he solved it.
"They're intelligent!" Kokichi exclaimed, "They get really high grades all the time, and are always in the top ten academic achievers!" Shuichi wrote down under the other clues, "Intelligent" and evaluated the words top ten. It didn't help though that he knew almost all of the people in the top ten, so he simply sighed and pushed those thoughts aside.
They were nearing the center of the park, where many people were gathered...
The gazebo glowed pink from string lights. A band was playing nice ballroom music, and couples were waltzing along. It was a lovely sight, and Shuichi thought that all he was gonna do was observe from afar, smile and continue the path, but was surprised by Kokichi dragging them over there to dance as well. Kokichi forced the chocolate box up Shuichi's shirt to secure it.
It took a bit to get into the groove of it, and Shuichi was obviously stunned for a minute or two, but the tension disappeared as they moved to the beat. The two laughed and danced like there was no tomorrow, staring into each other's eyes, smiling idiotically... Shuichi had to fight back the urge to sneak a kiss on Kokichi's cheek. Moments like these were ones that Shuichi would cherish forever.
But Shuichi was not the one Kokichi fell in love with.
That proud title belonged to someone else. He could never have it.
Anything good that he was feeling at that moment was washed away, overtaken by a really bad one. And it showed on his face.
"Saihara-chan? Do you have the happy curse?"
"W-What's that?" Shuichi asked, trying to not let his sorrow slip in his voice.
"You can't be happy for too long before you go all emo depresso mode? Perhaps you wanna listen to MCR right now? Yeah, this music is waaay too cheerful for you. Darkness drives your world and anything that radiates positive energy would make your brain detonate. Maybe that's why you hang out with the dark lord more than astro boy, who is always chasing the sun. I'll go fetch the clean up crew, if that's the case."
Shuichi went quiet. He stopped in his tracks and stared at the boy, eyes deadpanned.
And then he laughed. He laughed as if he never laughed before, and he was letting it all out because he was so happy he found it in him. He pulled Kokichi into an embrace once the laughter faded.
"Thank you, Kokichi." Shuichi whispered into the other's ear.
Kokichi didn't answer for a while, and when he did, "They're hot..." Kokichi's voice was muffled by Shuichi's clothes. He melted in Shuichi's arms, and they remained like that for a while. Right there, even if it was only brief, he accepted the idea that Kokichi was his. Kokichi didn't belong to that other person yet, anyway.
Shuichi didn't want to let him go. He wanted this moment to last for an eternity. But he knew he had to, and he had a mission to accomplish.
"Next?" Shuichi asked, writing down "Hot" under the previous adjectives.
The two strayed from the dance as more people began to fill in the space. Kokichi reached in Shuichi's shirt to retrieve the chocolate box, but kept his hand in for more time than necessary, making Shuichi's cheeks burn.
"Alrighty!" Kokichi skipped along the pavement, barely ahead of Shuichi, "Make a song up on the spot about me!"
Shuichi was confused and quite anxious. If he didn't choose his words carefully, this would become another fuel for Kokichi's persistent chaff. And if he was so clumsy in lyrics, he could end up revealing his feelings.
But he had to do it.
So he sang.
And he humiliated himself.
He wasn't the best singer. The melody was inconsistent, and he was kinda just throwing out compliments that didn't really fit with it. His voice cracked at a verse. But it was fine. He was just thankful that he didn't allude to his feelings at all. And Kokichi was laughing. Yes, at him, but that was the point.
"Wow, Saihara-chan! That sucked!" More laughter followed, gaining another glum look from Shuichi.
"You try to make a song up on the spot of someone. It's not easy." Shuichi crossed his arms and pouted like a child would.
"But it is for me, Saihara-chan! I hold concerts all around the globe for songs automatically generated in my artistically gifted mind, and anyone who records bootlegs gets tracked down and beheaded."
A drop of sweat rolled down Shuichi's forehead, "Considering the circumstances, those are some pretty extreme measures, even for a Supreme Leader of evil..."
"Oh, nono, Saihara-chan! If you only knew what measures I take, you'd agree they're pretty mild." Kokichi smirked. Shuichi rolled his eyes and chuckled to himself.
They made their way over to a tiny isolated park stage. Kokichi brought him up the steps, and stopped halfway.
"Gimme your phone." Kokichi pulled out his own and typed something.
"What for?" Shuichi asked, hesitantly handing it over. Not long after, Kokichi returned the device. On the screen was the prominent balcony scene of Romeo and Juliet.
"You're Romeo." Kokichi ran to the center of the stage. Why were they reciting this particular renowned play? Who knew? But he did know not to question Kokichi. Of course, this was fairly unusual. He never really acted before, aside from a second grade play where he was forced into some major role. But it was fine.
"Um..." He kicked it off with a stutter, "H-He jests at scars that never felt a wound..."
"Boooring. More acting, more emotion, more confidence, Saihara-chan!"
So Shuichi tried to do just that. "But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun!..." He seemed to relax as he got into it. He played with body language, his voice was flirtatious, he adjusted his facial expression to match the intimate prose... Anyone could be persuaded that he was head over heels for the boy.
"Ay me!" Kokichi read, already in character.
The two continued until the star-crossed lovers bid each other good night. Kokichi was unexpectedly good as well. Maybe that was a perk of being a liar. Shuichi wasn't able to match up to his level of professionalism, but Kokichi begged to differ.
"You're terrible. But that's a lie. I actually thought you loved me, y'know?" Kokichi beamed, "Didn't know that you had it in you to act. If our school holds a play with romantic leads, those roles are ours, 'kay?"
"W-Why specifically romantic leads...?"
"Because then I can kiss you without it being frowned upon!"
"Y-You shouldn't lie about that kind of stuff!" Shuichi stammered, engulfing his pink face in his palms. Kokichi inched toward him.
"But I'm not lying, Saihara-chan! I always wanna kiss you."
"Then do it if you're not." He challenged, a newfound confidence in his voice. Little did he know that confidence was going to be stomped all over and trashed. He didn't guess the supreme leader would get on his tip toes and press their lips together, and as soon as he did, Shuichi toppled backward.
"That was my power kiss, able to knock down any opponent!" Kokichi planted his foot on the center of Shuichi's chest like a defiant general who took victory, "That was the first time I've used this skill, and even I was alarmed by its power. Impressed?"
Shuichi was in complete shock. Why would Kokichi go that far for a stupid lie? Kokichi was an adept liar, and Shuichi was fully aware of that. He was more than fine with all of the flirting and teasing, but to bring something exclusively for romantic partners into play... That crossed the line. Especially due to his unrequited love for the other.
...
No, he admitted to himself that he invited him to do it because he wanted him to do it, and he felt ashamed for using that opportunity to his profit. Kokichi was usually baited by things like that. Of course he knew he'd do it, but he'd at least expect him to delay.
"If you try and charge me for sexual harassment or whatever, I hope you know I had your consent and you will suffer the consequences. Doesn't make it easier for you that I am a Supreme Leader." Kokichi said in an attempt to make light of what happened, but when Shuichi didn't answer, he just licked his lips and shaped them into a thin line. "Y'know, you have a mouth for other reasons too. I only meant to make you fall, not make you mute."
Shuichi had no idea what to say, and every time he had at least some idea, it wouldn't roll off his tongue. So instead, Shuichi merely stood up and brushed himself off, staring dejectedly down at his shoes. "I'm sorry..." He mumbled.
"Sorry? Are you seriously apologizing for this?" Kokichi angrily grabbed his wrist with one, and with the other, lifted his chin to face him. Eye contact. Shuichi's weakness. He felt Shuichi trembling, but that didn't stop him from saying what he wanted to say. "What next? You're gonna apologize to me if I, like, murdered Momota-chan just because you said to?"
"N-No! No, it's nothing like that!" Shuichi could feel beads forming at the corners of his eyes, "I'm sorry because I told you to do it in the first place. It was not right of me to provoke you like that... You're always willing to battle people through dares, to go against your morals just to prove that you're right... And I... I just..." Tears began to stream down Shuichi's face. His tears were ironically immature. He wailed like a first grader who dropped his ice cream cone.
He couldn't allow his bottled up feelings for the other boy to flow out. Not when he had his eye on someone else. It would be selfish. He would never speak to him again. He would file a restraining order against him. No more repartee. No more childish bickering he's grown to love. No more complaining. No more hugs from behind. Just cold glares, if he was even lucky enough to get Kokichi to look at him.
But Kokichi didn't know. Which is why he blanketed Shuichi in his arms, consoling him as best as he could, rubbing his back and reassuring him.
Shuichi's fingers weakly clutched onto Kokichi's hair as he sobbed into his ear.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... please, don't let go... I..." Every time Shuichi let out a little gasp through speech, the other held him tighter. Despite almost suffocating, it was comforting, and he was content.
Kokichi wasn't going to just leave him alone because of feelings. Feelings aren't a thing you can control. They come naturally, they go naturally. Cutting ties with someone because they love you is so dense, they'd literally be cutting all of their ties away. Kokichi would ridicule that person until college. And anyway, Shuichi was his guinea pig for pranks and shenanigans.
But he still couldn't bring himself to say anything. This wasn't about him at the end of the day. Did he mind? A little, but he had a case to solve.
"I'm fine now," declared Shuichi, a warm smile fixed on his face, "And I'm ready for the next hint. Sorry you had to deal with my ugly bawling." He detached from Kokichi, who wiped away his tears.
"Definitely not the first time, so it's cool!" Kokichi cupped the back of his head with his hands and grinned. Shuichi's eye twitched.
"Whatever, can I have the hint?"
"Also, were you implying you wanted me to kiss you earlier?" Kokichi interrupted. If it were anyone else, they'd probably slap the living hell out of Kokichi, but Shuichi just fiddled with his sleeve and went beet red again. "Nishishi! That's okay, Saihara-chan! Feel free to kiss me whenever you'd like. I'll never mind."
"Just give me the hint already!" Shuichi barked, trying to drive the topic away, and while it worked, it didn't help refute Kokichi's suspicions.
"Okaaay! You deserve two hints this time! They're really talented, and always interesting!" Shuichi wrote those two down beneath the others. As he slid his notepad and pen back in his pocket, a loud growl came from Kokichi's stomach.
"...Saihara-chaaaan~" Kokichi rubbed up against his arm, purring.
He shook his head and started walking, "Let's go." But Kokichi didn't budge.
"My legs are tiiiiired."
"As if mine aren't." Shuichi scoffed.
Since Shuichi didn't seem to get the picture, Kokichi casually climbed onto his back. He completely disregarded Shuichi's yelp and boldly chided, "Do not test the Ultimate Supreme Leader!"
"Get off." Shuichi demanded with no actual bitterness detected in his tone. He had already started heading towards the plaza, bearing Kokichi on his back. He tittered as Kokichi analyzed the irony in the situation... which resulted in Kokichi flirting with him to get him back.
The two entered the restaurant, flexing their cute nonexistent relationship on the established couples. One couple went as far as plagiarizing their idea when they exited the building. Shuichi was baffled when he turned around and found the couple at each other's necks. "Seems we correlate better than that pair," Kokichi whispered. Shuichi nodded in affirmation, but quickly wanted to take it back, not wanting to seem rude.
Beautiful scenic paintings were scattered along the wall. There were silver cushioned seats and marble table tops which were attentively set, aligned as if each utensil was professionally measured and laid down to comply with those measurements. Modest chandeliers hung above a few heads. It was nice.
Kokichi dismounted Shuichi, and the two walked around the restaurant. They quickly found a vacant table for two. The chairs were a bit tall, so it took Kokichi a second to sit down, and he literally had to jump. Shuichi debated on whether or not he wanted to poke fun at that, but he kept to himself, still allowing his lips to slightly curl up.
"What are you smiling about?" Kokichi noticed with a trace of irritation in his voice. Shuichi let out his suppressed laughter, and Kokichi became a pufferfish, proceeding to rant about his height. The other listened, pitying him but still entertained.
The waiter eventually came over to them. They gave them a menu and an order sheet, which they filled out together. As for beverages, Shuichi asked for water and Kokichi asked for grape panta. The waiter apologized, informing him that they didn't serve grape panta, hence made Kokichi pull out his phone to leave a thorough, 1-star review over grape panta. Then he requested cola, which they did have and Shuichi persuaded him to take it down.
Kokichi ordered sweets galore, and Shuichi settled for something a little more nutritious. They had a little debate between themselves whose choices were better, and came to the agreement that both sucked and they wanted something spicy. Maybe next time, they thought in unison. The same waiter returned with the food and drinks. Shuichi studied the food, noticing something off and he pointed it out. Four pieces of shumai.
"Shumai? I... don't remember check-boxing that." He mumbled, head tilted.
"Oh? I could've sworn you did, Shumai." Kokichi brought his index to his lips and smirked. Realization hit Shuichi and his cheeks went hot, more bubbly laughter coming from the supreme leader in reply. Kokichi broke apart his wooden chopsticks and picked up the shumai. He softly blew away the steam and carried it over to Shuichi's mouth. "Say 'Ahhh'!"
"W-What?" As soon as Shuichi spoke, Kokichi shoved the shumai into his mouth, and Shuichi was struck with panic, as he was totally unprepared. But he managed to chew and gulp it down. Relieved, a huff escaped his mouth.
"That wasn't 'Ah'!" Kokichi pouted. He lifted another from the plate and tried once more, "Whatever, you have another chance anyway. Don't blow it. 'Ahh'...!"
Shuichi wasn't sure what to do, if he should just steal his chopsticks and just eat it on his own, or submit to the leader feeding him. With a sigh, he chose the latter. "...Ahhh..."
"Better." Kokichi gently placed the shumai on Shuichi's tongue. It was much more pleasant than the first time, and he even enjoyed it, a goofy smile spreading on his face.
"It's good, you should—" Shuichi was cut off by Kokichi chucking the chopsticks into his hand, mouth already open. Shuichi gazed dumbly at him, completely oblivious to what Kokichi was implying.
Kokichi groaned, "I want to be pleased too, Saihara-chan."
Embarrassed by his choice of words, Shuichi's hand quivered, along with the chopsticks. He set them down on a napkin and grabbed his untouched chopsticks, preparing to slam the tips against the table and get them out, but Kokichi stopped him from going forward with that, handing him the already used chopsticks yet again. Why did he insist on sharing chopsticks? Fumbling with the chopsticks, he scooped up a shumai on the second try, and fed it to Kokichi, who had a more than satisfied look on his face.
"I can still be excited over an indirect kiss, even after a direct one. It proves just how much I want you, Saihara-chan!" Kokichi leaned over the table, his face barely centimeters away from Shuichi's.
"Ouma-kun, please stop joking like that." Shuichi countered, the discomfort in his voice apparent as he backed his head away. Kokichi's expression blanked, mouth agape, and he fell dead silent, perturbing the detective. Kokichi slumped back into his seat, poker-faced. Shuichi's mouth refused to utter anything. He had no clue what to do, and it made him panic.
Then as if no words were spoken, Kokichi bounced back to his lively demeanor, easing the tension and Shuichi managed to regain his composure. "Because you've been so good today, I'll give you the next hint. They're a classmate."
"That narrows the list down a lot..." Shuichi smiled sadly, writing down "Classmate." Only a few more to go, then Kokichi would unveil the truth. He couldn't deny he was nervous.
"Yep, you're gonna have to guess soon!~" Kokichi chimed, finishing off the last shumai. Shuichi observed, contrary to the time when he fed him, his face was bare of emotion. He swallowed, seeming uninterested and just trying to get it down. The two just shoveled down the food, silence between them, and soon enough, they were finished.
Then, out of the blue, "We're going to the bathroom."
"Huh?" Why were they going to the bathroom? Maybe it would be best if he didn't question it and just let Kokichi guide him.
Kokichi led him inside the boy's bathroom in the largest stall. When he let go of Shuichi's hand, he started at him, and Shuichi was inclined to move back. He found himself being pinned against the wall by Kokichi, and before Shuichi could ask for his incentive, Kokichi said in a deep, unfriendly voice, "Truth or dare?"
What the actual hell was that, Kokichi? "Oh, um... truth?" he accepted.
"Did you actually want me to kiss you earlier?"
Nope. He was not going to answer this question. "...Dare?"
"No, that's not how the game works!" Kokichi flapped his arms, irritated.
Shuichi wished he could hide his face under that dumb 'emo hat' he ditched, but of course, it wasn't there. And so the redness in his cheeks were completely exposed, much to his chagrin. He wanted so badly to slap himself, but since at that rate it was obvious how he truly felt, he just decided to say it. "...Yeah... yeah, I did."
"Okay, truth or dare!"
"That's not how the game works either!" Shuichi retorted.
"Well, it's a fair exchange." Kokichi shrugged nonchalantly, emitting another sigh from the other.
"Then dare." Whatever. What could the boy possibly dare worse than that truth?
"Kiss me, Saihara-chan."
Jinxed it. Shuichi just allowed the blush on his face and lowered his head in disapproval. "...You really shouldn't toy with people's feelings."
"Saihara-chan." Shuichi's head perked up. His name was said so sternly, lacking the typical burst of excitement behind it. It made Shuichi gulp to see Kokichi this solemn, with his eyebrows furrowed and eyes cloudy. "If I didn't want it, then I wouldn't have dared it. I don't wanna have to ask you please if you want it, but I will if I have to. Do not make me do it."
Shuichi was able to understand. And the only words that came to him were, "Is that a lie? Saying please?"
Kokichi's face dropped, then he just smiled. "...You know me so well."
They locked lips, eyes gently shutting. And it was the exact opposite of what Shuichi predicted. He thought that it would be similar to the one from an hour ago but to his surprise, it wasn't. The kiss was full of mutual passion, of burning lust, pure pining... It was like their lips belonged together, created especially for each other. And Kokichi took the chance to get touchy as well. Shuichi didn't even wonder why him. He was too entranced by the other's presence.
I really don't deserve him, Shuichi thought before they pulled away from each other, only for Kokichi to peck him again.
When Kokichi knew that Shuichi was up for it, "They're a horrible liar. They're always honest, and then when they get something that they for some reason feel obliged to lie about, they lie, and they suck at it." Shuichi scratched down "Horrible Liar," and for a reason that he couldn't explain started feeling kind of self-conscious about his own lying skills. He dismissed the thought and returned to Kokichi.
"Finally, the last clue. Are you up to the challenge?"
"Hopefully?" Shuichi responded with uncertainty.
"Oki-doki." Kokichi cracked his knuckles and cleared his throat, "Who do you love?"
This was it. This was the question that Shuichi feared. Say the wrong words and the other would turn around and never look back. The fear of rejection, of hatred, of scorn overcame him again, despite having made his mind earlier that was not what Kokichi would do. So, he lied. "I don't... love anyone..." And as soon as he said it, he wanted to go back in time to just bail. Kokichi was going to catch that lie. He always did.
"Nishishi... you're such a bad liar, Saihara-chan." Just as he thought. Kokichi gazed wistfully at him. "As if you wanna kiss me and you don't even love me."
He found me out. I wasn't careful enough. Shuichi thought, slamming his hand over his lips. But did Kokichi shun him as he dreaded? No, he didn't. Ease sweeped over Shuichi's body. He actually got mad at himself for thinking twice about that. If the other had kissed him, why would he have been angry for Shuichi loving him? He felt like such an idiot.
"I just wanna hear the words." His voice was so soft right there, if it weren't for the bathroom's echo, he would've missed it. Kokichi looked so shy and cute, and just, ugh. Shuichi could barely handle it. Albeit, he was probably just changing his aura to get the answer easier from Shuichi. And if he was, it was working. "Do you love me, Saihara-chan?"
He really didn't want to hold it in. He already knew about his feelings, so all he had to do was say it, right? And so he freed himself from the pointless cage he willingly trapped himself in. "...Yeah. I love you, Ouma-kun." He made himself blush from finally letting those words out. It was such a good feeling, he wanted to repeat them over and over again, tell Kokichi how much he loved him and how he really didn't want to lose him. That would be overkill though.
"Final hint. They're already my beloved. You should write that down, too." So Shuichi jotted down the hint and nodded, unsure why it came so quickly. Kokichi called so many people his beloved, including him so it was a bit of a useless clue.
Kokichi eyed the paper smugly, "I manipulated your subconscious so you would write things down exactly how I wanted." He held his fists to his chest with sparkling irises. Shuichi, despite being totally aware that it was a lie, was fazed by that, perhaps by the phrasing. Kokichi chuckled at the reaction and rested his hands at his sides. "But that's a lie. I was really scared that you were gonna mess it up, but you got it perfectly. Only you could do that, Saihara-chan! It's like we are spiritually linked! Believe me, I'm truly in awe."
"What do you mean?"
Kokichi stole the notepad from him and started to read each word aloud, in the order they were in. "Sweet, adorable, intelligent, hot, awkward, really talented, always interesting, classmate, horrible liar, already my beloved..." Kokichi paused to snicker, "You wrote 'my' instead of 'his.'"
"Ah! H-Hold on, let me fix—" Shuichi reached for the notepad, but Kokichi just ripped out the page and placed the pad in Shuichi's extended hand.
"It'd be weird to give yourself that title." Kokichi confessed, but it flung right over Shuichi's head.
"Huh?"
A grin was plastered on the other's face. He seemed to be enjoying this. "Today, I also found out just how dense you are," Kokichi giggled, dragging his finger down the paper, "Did you pay attention to what I made you do for each hint? I really thought that you were gonna get it from them, but man was I mistaken!"
"Huh???" Everything was just being thrown at him and it made his head spin to try and juggle it all at once. "S-Slow down!"
"Gimme the pen." Kokichi instructed, and before Shuichi could, took the pen in Shuichi's pocket for himself. He spun Shuichi around and used his back as a hard surface, despite there being walls. When he was done, he tossed the paper over Shuichi's shoulder and Shuichi caught it. There were new words on the line below the last hint.
"...Wait!" He read those last few words, blinking to make sure they were real. When they didn't disappear from his sight, he just read them over and over, making sure that he read them right. They were there. They were exactly as written. He turned around to face Kokichi. "But—"
"I'm not going to say anything. You're the detective. You crack this."
"—What about—" Kokichi gave him a glare, and he trailed off instantly.
What was even happening? There was a mistake. There had to be... So he examined the words, trying to think which one in their class represented them all. Nobody came to mind. He considered Rantaro, but he was far from awkward, and anyway most of the other clues were subjective. Who could it be?
He looked it over one more time, about to give up and just say the first name that would come out, and then it finally hit the dumbass! It was that stupid concept that everyone came to hate because of how cliche it was, that annoying fated task in first grade's Valentine's Day, an acrostic poem! How did he not get this, even with the words Kokichi wrote in conclusion? He was about to knock himself in the head.
"M-Me??"
"I can't believe you didn't get this sooner. Why would I spend my Valentine's Day with you and not whoever you believed I was pursuing? Why was I flirting with you so much? Why was I making you do things that demonstrate most of the traits? Why were most of them centered around love? Why did I literally kiss you and want us to kiss again?"
Shuichi felt like the stupidest person on the planet. How did he fail to understand? He laughed sheepishly, tapping the tips of his fingernails together, "That crosses off 'Intelligent.'"
Kokichi laughed as well, "Well, you still are... Just really stupid with love." He grabbed onto Shuichi's hands, intertwining their fingers. "Sooo?"
Shuichi didn't hesitate. "Yes. As long as you will be mine."
"Nishishi~ so cheesy, Saihara-chan!" Kokichi commented. He launched himself forward and pressed his head into Shuichi's chest. The two sunk to the floor and cuddled, both ignoring the fact that they were in a bathroom stall. Thankfully, nobody walked in to disturb their peace.
After a few minutes, they walked out. Their plates were already gone and there was a bill left on the table. When the person approached them to collect payment, Shuichi just handed them the card, still too focused on Kokichi. He was way too happy.
Getting Kokichi was definitely in his bucket list, although he never really imagined it would happen. Especially since he felt so inferior in comparison. Still, it wasn't a good time to think about how. All that mattered was that Kokichi was his, and he was Kokichi's.
They went back to Shuichi's dorm that evening and fed each other the chocolate that Shuichi bought. Not many words even had to be spoken. They were just happy that they finally got what they wanted.
Once Kokichi left for his own dorm, Shuichi took a push pin and hammered the special paper that brought the two together into his wall, above his work desk. Before choosing to grind away at his detective cases, he decided that he had quite a day, and that maybe for just for this night, he'd get some desperately needed sleep.
...Of course, Kokichi was Kokichi.
The next morning, he was greeted with his boyfriend in his face, hovering over him.
"K-Kokichi, how did you get in here?!" Shuichi panicked, trying to throw his sheets over his face, but he wasn't able to with Kokichi clawing onto them.
"'Twas the power of looove!~ You're really cute when you sleep, Shuu-chan!
S weet
A dorable
I ntelligent
H ot
A wkward
R eally talented
A lways interesting
C lassmate
H orrible Liar
A lready my beloved
N ow, will you be my Valentine?