Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Calming, serene, at peace. That’s what Shuichi felt while sitting on the couch of his room, with his boyfriend, Kokichi, snuggled up against him, playing some sort of game on his handheld. He loved moments like these. When the sun was setting on the world around them.

The room they occupied was barely lit up by the outside sun barely shining through their curtain of the room they shared. It was tranquil, it also left behind a nice ambience, almost a romantic kind of lighting. It reminded him how much he cared for his significant other, and how happy he was to just spend time with him together.

“You see this guy!” Kokichi spoke up, tapping his finger on the screen, pointing at a monster as he left a slight smudge on the screen he had proceed to ignore. It looked, well, like a fish monster, of some sort? They had sharp pointed teeth, and were much taller than the character Kokichi was playing as.

“What about him?”

“This guy is great! He’s like, the prince or some shit. Such a dream boat, a total hunk, so much better then you!” Kokichi laughed, covering his mouth as he grinned.

Shuichi couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the statement. Kokichi was known to tease, and at a point, it unfazed Shuichi. He knew his boyfriend was joking, it was nothing new. He always tried to tease back, but, he was never very good at it. Sometimes, he believed he sounded like a fool, but he tried anyway.

“Does he make a better pillow, though?” Was all Shuichi could think of.

Kokichi clicked his tongue, looking up, thinking about for a moment. “Hmm…well..” He trailed off, still thinking, as if not fully sure. “Yes.”

Shuichi smiled, it was small, but a smile. “That’s a lie.”

“Pfftt, no way. He’s gotta be, the comfortable guy I know.” Kokichi mumbled, snuggling up closer to Shuichi, as if to put irony to his statement, putting his head underneath his boyfriend’s chin. “You’re only like, third, maybe fourth.”

“Oh? So who’s ahead of me than?”

“Nishishi, that’s a secret!” Kokichi said, still focusing on his game, an even bigger grin on his pale face. “But, honestly~, third or fourth may be giving you too much credit.”

Shuichi let out a small joke huff, pushing Kokichi out from under his chin jokingly.

He had only let out an exaggerated offended gasp, looking and pouting at Shuichi, earning himself another playful eye roll, only to lean back into his side, having slid down a bit.

Shuichi gave up with the teasing, continuing to watch Kokichi to play his game. He draped his arm around the smaller purple haired boy, running his fingers through his hair. This smaller boy didn’t mind, it was comforting, and he paid no mind to it as he went into the forest in his game to kill some things.

So he kept playing with his hair, almost absent-mindedly at this point. Kokichi’s hair was soft, kind of like those fake fur coats you find in the store, and once you touch them, you never want to let go. That’s how Shuichi felt about this moment in time. He never wanted to let go of it.

At a point, though, it turned Shuichi was essentially petting his boyfriend’s head. However, heads are expected to be smooth, flat. So, when Shuichi ran his hand over Kokichi’s head and felt a bump, at first he wasn’t fully sure. He had paused, running his hand back over the spot. That was most definitely a bump he had felt. He wasn’t sure how to react, so he moved to another spot, only to feel another bump shortly after. He let his hand fall to Kokichi’s shoulder, poking him gently to get his attention.

“Kokichi.” He said, quietly, looking at Kokichi, who, of course, was still focused intently on his handheld.

“Yes~?”

Shuichi breathed in. “Are you, um, aware you have bumps on your head?”

His boyfriend had paused for a second, looking back up at him. “No.”

“Ah, well, you should probably-.”

“Shuichi.” His tone was serious, a bit tired sounding? “Of course I know I have bumps on my head.”

“Oh, well, you should still probably get them checked out?”

Kokichi clicked his tongue against his teeth, making a noise when the air was forced between his teeth. “They’re fine.”

“Oh, alright.” Shuichi didn’t want to push his luck. He didn’t want to upset Kokichi, and the way he was shutting down by not messing with him and getting quieter than usual, he knew if he kept it up, he felt he’d be crossing into that territory.

But Kokichi, was not predictable, even if his boyfriend had thought he could fully read him. So, he interrupted Shuichi’s thoughts with a loud, exaggerated laugh. “Nishishi! Did you know that back in the day, imperfections like mine on one’s head were thought they meant that someone had been born deviant due to psychological traits!” Kokichi shuffled, sitting more up straight next to Shuichi.

Shuichi had planned to answer, he wanted to know why Kokichi knew this random bit of trivia, but Kokichi was clearly taking the reins on the conversation.

“Is my beloved~ worried I may be some sort of criminal?” Kokichi sung out, pausing his game, and setting it down gingerly onto the edge of coffee table. He turned his body on the couch, crossing his legs, facing his blue haired boyfriend, smiling. “I have the head of a delinquent! Doesn’t that worry you?” His face felt like it was entirely just a grin with teeth showing at this point, that’s how over the top it felt.

Shuichi cleared his throat, covering his mouth with his hand balled up into a fist. “No? The idea of lowbrow and highbrow is completely incorrect.”

“No, I’m a shining perfect example!” Kokichi whined, stretching out, settling his top part of his body into Shuichi’s lap. “They should like, study me, or some shit for their proof!”

He sighed, rubbing Kokichi’s shoulder softly in circles. “No but, I was just, worried you know? You have gotten them checked out, right?”

A small hum came from Kokichi, as if he was a bit annoyed Shuichi was being serious. “Yes…” He mumbled, fidgeting to get into a better position. “I had a few removed, but I forgot about two of them…” He paused, sucking in his cheeks. “And, shots, hurt a lot!” Kokichi rolled onto his stomach, stretching his arms out, as he looked up as Shuichi. “Like, a fuck ton! Too much!”

“Well that’s good, the getting them checked out, not the shot part.” Shuichi smiled softly, earning a small blush from Kokichi, who had looked back at the coffee table to hide his face, as he attempted to reach for his game again, barely managing to grab it.

“Well, yea, duh, of course.” Kokichi said, unpausing his game.

“Also, they’re not imperfections.” Shuichi responded, back tracking to call Kokichi out on something he had said moments before, resting his hand on Kokichi’s head once against, as he rubbed his significant other’s head. “I’m sorry if I gave you that impression, I was just concerned, you know?”

Kokichi scoffed, not looking up from his game, but Shuichi could still see part of his red face. “Ha, you’re gay.” Was the only witty reply Kokichi could manage, it was almost laughable.

“I mean, so are you.”

“No, I’m fucking straight as shit. I’m just using you because you’re like, semi-comfortable to use as some sort of weird human cushion.”

“Ha, sure you are, Kokichi. You’ve fooled me and the entire world.” Shuichi laughed, continuing to pet his boyfriend’s hair as he watched him play his game.

It was moments like these Kokichi loved. Laying in a dark room, the sun had recently gone down. The room being lit up by his game as the noise of it filled the room.

His boyfriend, who he loved spending time with, reassuring about things he was self-conscious about. That these things he saw as imperfections didn’t make him a bad or flawed person. It was comforting, made him happy that someone could care about him in such a way.

Chapter Text

There are only two ways Kokichi eats popcorn. Either tossing a piece up in the air and catching it, or shoving as much in his mouth as possible and devouring it with such a false vigorous hunger. Shuichi can’t stand the latter. The noises that are made are gross and exaggerated, his face is wrinkled in disgust just thinking about it.

“Shuichi~”

Shuichi turns to the shorter boy, setting down the book he had been reading. Kokichi is sitting cross legged on the floor with a bowl of popcorn in his lap. His popcorn, it’s covered in something. It’s not butter, but some sort of seasoning? It isn’t sticking well to the popcorn, rather, it’s sticking to the bowl instead. He assumes the popcorn wasn’t buttery enough for the seasoning to stick to it.

Crunch. Another handful of popcorn is shoved into Kokichi’s mouth. Shuichi twitches as the boy clearly chews with his mouth open on purpose, trying to get a rise out of him.

“Want to try my popcorn?” Kokichi grins, holding a popped kernel between his fingers. He rotates it, staring at it, as if he’s inspecting it for faults.

“Ah, but I don’t know what you put on your popcorn.” Shuichi lets out a small grin, rubbing the back of his head. Anything Kokichi made, usually has some sort of horrible twist. But, he was eating it, so it couldn’t be that bad, could it?

“Well, I could tell you I poisoned it, but you wouldn’t believe me!” Kokichi frowns, looking up at Shuichi. “Or I could tell you I licked it!” He brings the popcorn up to mouth, letting his tongue run across the popcorn as he’s now smiling once more. “Which is now the truth!” He laughs, eating the popcorn as he quickly grabs a new one to replace it.

The blue haired detective thinks for a second. He didn’t fully trust Kokichi’s generosity, and he was sure there was ulterior motives at play. But, he was curious nonetheless. “Sure… Why not.” He responds, he’s about to get off the couch when he hears Kokichi yell at him.

“Eh! Eh! Eh!” Kokichi wags his other hand’s finger at him, looking disapprovingly at Shuichi. “You have to catch it! No hands, mouth only! You win when you catch a piece!”

Shuichi settles back down into the couch. He thinks for a moment, wondering if he really wants to play this game. It seems fair enough, though silly. “Oh? I can try, but no promises about my skill…”

Kokichi throws the first popcorn, but Shuichi is too slow, and it hits his nose instead. He stares at it on the floor, then immediately, when not paying attention, is hit with two more pieces, earning the usual ‘nishishi’ laugh from Kokichi.

“You gotta, keep your mouth open the entire time!” Kokichi instructs, showing him how to do it as he tosses one into the air, catching it with ease. “Open your mouth, and move to where you think the piece would go!”

Shuichi listens, opening his mouth. Kokichi nods, and grabs multiple pieces in one hand, while his other hand holds a single piece. Before Shuichi can react, Kokichi grins, throwing multiple popcorn instead of just one. Shuichi flinches, but somehow, manages to catch one piece, much to his surprise and his soon to be chagrin as he immediately starts to gag.

“What did- you put on- that popcorn?” Shuichi coughs, spitting the popcorn out. The seasoning on it didn’t stick well, leaving him getting what felt like a powdery mess in his throat. On top of that, why was it spicy? And the salt! What the fuck had Kokichi done?

Kokichi laughs, loudly. “Nishishi! It’s cayenne pepper seasoning!” He says, falling backwards as he laughs, the bowl spilling onto the floor, along with all the seasoning in the bowl. “And probably, way~ too much salt!”

Shuichi stands up, still gagging. “Kokichi! The popcorn!”

The chuckles die down, and Kokichi sits back up, a pile of food under him, crunching under his weight. Kokichi shrugs, standing up, brushing off his white clothes. “Eh, I’ll clean it up later!”

“No-…” Shuichi trails off, grabbing Kokichi by the wrist. “Now.”

A roll of the eyes is what Shuichi earns. “Fine, but only if you help me! It’s your fault this mess was made!”

“No it’s not… but fine, I’ll help.” Shuichi sighs, going to grab a broom and a vacuum. He thinks to himself that this experience taught him to not take food from Kokichi. However, he finds himself being too nice to turn Kokichi down in future encounters, with situations like this happening again. Would he learn? Probably not.

Chapter Text

Saihara was always skeptical about having a boyfriend. His parents had never been the most supportive when he was growing up, though, not were they now. Back before he came out to his family that he was a boy, his family used to be shitty about how anxious and on edge he was. They weren't any better now, and honestly, only his uncle had been really supportive.

For one, Saihara hated when people he didn't know or like went into his personal space without his permission. The same went for when people touched him. People randomly hugging him, people randomly rubbing him on the back, people putting their feet on him. He would jump away, shiver, flinch, scoot away, it was a reflex at a point.

His family though, they always had to make a point to shame him. Back when they thought he was a girl, they told him he would have to make a ton of accommodations to essentially, please, a potential boyfriend. What if your boyfriend wants a foot rub, to hug you, to comfort you? Clearly, because allowing all these things, even if he felt uncomfortable, was more important to a potential suitor than himself as a person.

Honestly, it disgusted him. They didn’t understand him or try to. They just blamed him, called it weird, and tried to argue instead. If Saihara didn’t feel safe or at ease, he had every right to say no, and if someone actually loved him, they would understand and back off. That’s what he told himself.

But, another part of him believed him. He didn’t want to. It left a nasty taste in his mouth to think their words had sunken in. That part of him had allowed these words to be something he considered or thought to be true.

Maybe that was why Saihara had been so on edge when he started dating Ouma. He had figured that he’d always be at conflict with the liar. But they hadn’t, and when he started getting to know the Supreme Leader, and actually playing his games, he found that Ouma had indeed stole his thoughts and heart.

Though to be honest, he never fully minded when Ouma clung to him or hugged him. At that point Saihara had cared for the short purple haired boy, so most of the time, he had to hold back a blush and focus on something else. Just the thought of Ouma seeing him with his face heating up to bright red, well, it embarrassed him even more, making it even more difficult.

So when those thoughts about having to do something you didn't want to for a significant other started surging back up, Saihara found himself questioning his relationship with Ouma. What if Ouma wanted to do something that made him uncomfortable, and Ouma didn’t want to respect his space? Just the very thought of it made him bite his lips in worry. If he was a nail biter, they’d all probably be nubs at this point, that’s how worried he was.

So when one day, he found himself sitting on the couch, and Ouma sockless with his feet on his arm, Saihara wasn’t fully sure how to react. He didn’t want to lie, but he was afraid the truth would drive Ouma away.

“My beloved~!” Ouma cooed, stretching out, his feet both on Saihara’s arm. Saihara couldn’t help but shiver, at the awkwardness of the situation, and how cold Ouma’s feet had been. The cold wasn't bothersome, but bare feet, something about feet directly onto him, it weirded him out.

"My feet are so sore~!” Ouma whined, looking pouty at his boyfriend.

Saihara cleared his throat quietly, analyzing every single rational decision he could make. First attempt he’d make was just moving his arm to get them out from Ouma’s feet.

“Why are your feet sore?” He questioned.

Ouma, not taking the hint, grinned, put his feet back on Saihara, this time wiggling his toes. “I’ve done so much walking today! Kaito chased me all day! He wasn’t too happy about my little prank!”

Saihara didn’t respond right away, and instead shifted again, letting Ouma’s feet fall back to the couch. But that didn’t last long, the feet ended up on his shoulder this time, and this time Saihara flinched, very noticeably.

“Ah, does Shuichi-chan not want to give me a foot rub?” Ouma said, sitting up, feet falling back to the couch as he looked his boyfriend in the eyes.

“Ah, well, it’s not that…I mean… I just.. sorry?” Saihara looked away from Ouma’s gaze, too timid to see if it was an angry one. He didn’t want to lie to Ouma, and he wasn’t, but he wasn’t giving Ouma the full truth. Feet weirded him out, to be fully honest. If he could have stood feet, no pun intended, he would have gave Ouma what he requested, even though he knew his boyfriend was lying about having sore feet. Kaito hadn't chased Ouma around that much.

He felt another presence on his shoulder, and almost flinched again, before realizing it was Ouma’s hand.

“Shuichi, look at me.” Ouma spoke, earning him Shuichi’s awkwardly anxious gaze. Ouma was serious, a stern look, but not angry. It calmed him down a bit.

“Yes?”

“You can just tell me no, alright?” Ouma spoke, his serious face lasting a few more moments before turning back into a grin as he flopped backwards on the couch again. “Besides, if I ever wanted a seriously good foot rub, I’m sure I could ask Toujo!”

Saihara just kind of sat there, shifting awkwardly. “Thank you..” He had mumbled, hands in his lap. He didn’t know what to do with his fingers, everything felt awkward, like nothing was the correct pose or stance to make.

Ouma sighed, wagging his finger. “Tsk tsk!” He spoke jokingly. “I’m the perfect boyfriend, you should know I’m the most well behaved and calm person ever!”

That earned Ouma a small laugh, which made him grin more. A reaction from Saihara was a reaction nonetheless. Though he acted like an asshole and did a lot of pranks, Ouma genuinely cared about Saihara, and he wouldn’t do anything to make Saihara think otherwise. He's was a liar, sure, but that was mainly for his jokes, pranks and the general fucking around. Around people he had dropped his mask around? He wouldn’t hurt them on purpose, never ever.

And that was the cold hard truth.

Chapter Text

Ouma really couldn’t hide the warmth of his hand from Saihara as the two boys stood outside, one of each of their hands interlocked. Though even if Ouma was wearing a glove, the warmth would have radiated through the fabric. That being said, Saihara swore he could also feel the warmth radiating off of Ouma’s red face, even if they were a good few head lengths apart. But Ouma’s tomato looking face just felt like a radiator at this point. A cute one who was clearly embarrassed about Saihara holding his hand for the first time after some weird heart to heart moment.

Saihara was pretty sure he kind of confessed to Ouma, but at this point, his anxiety made him unaware if he was obvious or not.

“Saihara-chan.” Ouma mumbled, still red in the face as his eyes darted around. “Your hands are super slimy and gross! Sweaty! What are you, some sort of perverted creepy nerd who collects gross shit in their spare time and has never had human interaction before?” Ouma gags, using his free hand to point to the back of his throat. “I bet you collect Monokumas in your spare time!”

It seemed like Ouma was trying to deflect the conversation a bit, and thought he wanted to point it out, Saihara couldn’t help but blink at the last statement. “But how did you-”

“I didn’t!” Ouma interrupts, earning a sigh from Saihara. “You fell into my trap! Nishishi, I can’t wait to tell the whole school that my beloved collects those creepy bear dolls from around the school! Using your detective skills to find toys instead of an exit! Tsk tsk, you should be ashamed!”

Saihara shakes his head, squeezing Ouma’s hand which makes the supreme leader focus again. Still warm and soft. It’s comforting. “Ouma-kun-” He smiles softly at the shorter boy, finally meeting his eyes. “Can we deal with the topic at hand first?”

“At hand?” Ouma lifts their hands up. “So, which one?”

Saihara wants to mentally slap himself for walking straight into that one. “N-no… I meant the… me wanting to get to know you better thing.” Saihara’s somewhat confession. The one that he wasn’t sure how clear he was being.

Ouma hums, his red face having calmed down now due to his antics and jokes. “Is that really all you wanted to ask? If you could know the real me? Yawn, how boring.”

Saihara goes to open his mouth, but is met with a finger pressed to his lips ever so gently to shush him for whatever reason. Not like Ouma’s taking the chance to speak, he’s just grinning at his teasing. Though, even his single finger is warm. So Saihara speaks despite the finger on his face. “Y-yea… but can I ask you something else too?”

Ouma flutters his eyelashes innocently and moves closer. “What? Does Saihara-chan want a kiss too?”

Saihara’s eyes widen, and he goes to speak only for more pressure to be put on his lips by Ouma’s single finger as Ouma laughs his signature laugh again. Clearly he’s getting some form of entertainment out of this. But after a few moments, Saihara starts to speak. “I-I mean… I-” He mentally scolds himself for his weakness. “-I just wanted to ask you-you-you...”

Ouma grins widely. “Ask me what, my beloved, Saihara-chan?”

“Why are your hands so warm?”

Ouma blinks, standing back as he lets go of Saihara’s hand. Did Saihara mess up? He misses the warmth and stands awkwardly, waiting for Ouma to speak.

However, Ouma moves first as he takes both hands to cup Saihara’s cheeks. Still warm to the touch. “Oh, these warm hands? I warmed them up with my ass cheeks and sat on them!”

“Ouma-kun!”

“Nishishi~! That’s an obvious lie, Saihara-chan!” Ouma steps closer, rubbing Saihara’s cheeks gently- now causing Saihara to blush deeply. “I actually burned them and hid the marks with makeup!”

“Also a lie.” Mumbling, Saihara’s eyes glance down in embarrassment.

“Bingo!” Ouma beams, gently rubbing Saihara’s cheeks. “Though, I want to ask one question myself.”

“Oh? W-well, shoot?” Saihara glances up to Ouma for a moment, only to look back down.

With a small inhale of air, Ouma moves even closer to Saihara. “Are my lips just as warm?” And with that Ouma leans up, kissing Saihara gently.

The detective’s eyes widen in astonishment as he looks back towards Ouma. The one kissing him. His crush. It takes Saihara a moment, but he kisses back, eyes looking at Ouma softly as they part from the kiss. “I-I… I don’t know.” Saihara smirks, but he does know. It’s a lie. “I think I’ll need another one before I can answer that.”

And Ouma happily obliges.

Chapter Text

“As I just said, Saihara-chan, stole your heart, now I’m satisfied!” Ouma practically purred as he flicked Saihara’s nose with his now bandaged finger. The one that he had sliced open for the silly knife game. The one Ouma wanted to use to take Saihara’s life. His life being some weird metaphor for heart. A typical Ouma prank.

Saihara couldn’t help but just blink, staring down at Ouma. Forming words were hard, despite thousands running through his jumbled head at the very moment. What was there to say or ask? Why do this? What was the meaning? Have you used this prank on anyone else? Somehow, the last one made him sad. He’d rather this prank just be something Ouma did to him, but why?

“You’re probably asking why you!” Ouma cooes, backing up as he puts his hands behind his head, either ignoring the pain of his finger, or it not being that bad. “Well, here’s the real question, why not?”

“No.” Saihara finally speaks, shaking his head slightly side to side. “It’s really not.”

Clicking his tongue, Ouma backs up more. “Eh! I’ll leave you to figure it out!” With that Ouma dashes away, Saihara not able to reach out to him in time. Ouma’s gone, running back into the school with a speed practically unrivaled. Well, besides that one time Toujou chased him down for something major. But Saihara’s only seen her run that fast once.

Saihara sighs, walking back to his dorm. It’s getting a bit late, and he’d rather get rest early. He needs it after all these long days of hanging out with Ouma and dealing with his lies. But he still always looks forward to the next day. Maybe Ouma has stolen his heart after all?

“Ha, it’s like he’s my thief or something.” Saihara murmurs as he closes his bedroom door behind him, immediately turning red at his wording. His thief. They’re not dating at all or anything, but… he really likes the sound of that. Ouma stealing his heart is probably right. Saihara has thought about Ouma lot these past few weeks.

Is this what a crush is?

Sitting down on his bed after getting dressed, Saihara thinks about it and tries to figure out his emotions. His thoughts, his actions, the way he wants Ouma to tease him over other people. How he gets slightly sad if Ouma hangs out with someone else instead of him.

Oh god, this is a crush, isn’t it?

Groaning, Saihara covers his face. How’d he develop feelings and now just notice?

Well, tomorrow is another day. If he’s lucky, maybe he can steal Ouma’s heart back?

Though, little does he know, he’d already stolen it.

Chapter Text

Saihara hadn’t expected the first person he held hands with was someone he was also handcuffed too. Though, it’d be a lie had he not dreamed about holding hands with the Super High School Level Supreme Leader, Ouma Kokichi. Granted, he didn’t have much choice. Ouma wouldn’t let go of his hand and Saihara wasn’t sure what else to do. His hand was like a limp fish at this point due to his nerves.

“Saihara-chan!” Ouma whines, pouting as he tugs on Saihara playfully. “Why are you ignoring me my beloved!”

Saihara stammers and mumbles, still looking away as his face turns red. All because one of Yumeno’s magic spells went wrong, or well, as Saihara saw it she lost the key. Apparently using trick handcuffs was too easy and she went for real ones. They’ve been like this for a while now. A few hours at most.

“Speak up!” Ouma pouts more, poking Saihara in the cheek with his free hand. “Why are you ignoring me?”

Saihara shakes his head. “I… I don’t really want to…”

Ouma leans up, looking Saihara in his eyes best he can. Saihara only glances over before looking away some more.

“Please! Come on my beloved Saihara-chan! Tell me? Tell me! Tell! Me! Tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me tell m-”

“You’re really cute!” Saihara finally snaps and he blurts it out, turning even redder than before. Though, now Ouma is competing with his level of red, burning up immensely.

“Don’t lie to me, Saihara-chan!” Ouma responds after a pause, laughing a bit. “You’re not funny!”

Swallowing, Saihara turns to look at Ouma. This time though, Ouma’s looking away. “I’m not lying, it’s the truth… you’re just… uhm… cute and I like you a lot.”

Ouma looks down for a minute, then to Saihara. Before Saihara can say anything, Ouma makes a mad dash for it. However, with the extra weight of Saihara, along with the fact he’s still holding Saihara’s hand and they’re handcuffed, Saihara is dragged down. This causes Ouma to lose his footing and fall down too, both now sprawled out on the cold tile of the school.

Saihara just laughs awkwardly. Well, at least Ouma can’t run away and hide like he always does. This time he’ll take to him. Some part of him has an itching feeling that maybe Ouma might just feel the same.

They are still holding hands after all.