Kokichi sat at his desk in his room, staring out his window as he watched people walk around. He had nothing he wanted to do in particular. Shuichi had claimed he was busy when he asked to spend time together & he knew Rantaro was most likely spending time with Korekiyo.

He let out a sigh, pushing himself away from his desk & letting his chair spin a little. He wished he had something to do on a day like today. His birthday to be exact. Being alone on his birthday was nothing new but he at least expected a small encounter with someone.

When he heard a knock at his door, he immediately got up, praying it was someone who could cure his boredom. He opened the door, forcing a smile on his face. Kiibo stood there, jumping a little from how quickly the door was answered. "Oh hey Kiiboy, why are you here to harass me?" Kokichi quizzed, cocking his head to the side slightly.

Kiibo rolled his eyes. "We're having a study session in the gym, would you like to come?" He offered, looking off to the side a little.

The supreme leader could tell he was lying but he decided against calling him out on it, he was curious & bored. "Alrighty, lead the way dickless" He teased with a small giggle, closing his door behind him.

"That is robophobic!" Kiibo scolded before starting to walk toward the library.

Kokichi caught up to the other, his hands clasped behind his back. "Don't get so offended, it's true!"

The robot decided to stay silent for the rest of the walk until they reached the destination. He stopped before they opened the door. Kokichi shot him a confused look. "Go ahead, I need to ask... Uh, someone else!" Kiibo insisted before marching off in no direction in particular.

Kokichi watched him, pouting a little as he looked back to the doors. He shrugged, at least it if it was some sort of prank, he could laugh it off. He pushed open the door cautiously, only to be surrounded by darkness. The lights then switched on & a chorus of 'happy birthday' echoed the gym. He took a step in, looking around. "Have you guys lost it or something?" He quizzed, furrowing his eyebrows.

Shuichi walked up to him, giving him a hug which caused his heart rate to speed up. "We planned this surprise party for you" he explained, a smile on his lips as he pulled away.

The shorter boy could swear his heart would explode any moment, his crush had cared enough to throw him a party on his birthday. He had to admit, he was somewhat speechless. He finally managed to push out words after a short moment. "You guys didn't have to go to this trouble. That's a lie, I am the supreme leader of evil, so I should be treated like this everyday" he giggled.

Kiibo soon entered the gym & began talking with Miu. The group talked among each other with Shuichi lingered around Kokichi. He rummaged through his pocket before handing the other something. "Happy birthday, I got you this" He mumbled, feeling a little embarrassed. He knew his choice of gift was somewhat girly but he hoped the shorter boy would like it anyway.

Kokichi hesitated before taking the small box into his hands, staring at it. He then opened it, revealing a necklace with a small panta bottle charm attached. He began to grin, quickly wrapping his arms around the detective. "Aww, thank you my beloved" He cooed, pulling away as he shoved the box into his own pocket. He intended on wearing it after today, but he wouldn't want to get caught wearing it by the others.

He was so focused on Shuichi that he was surprised when Kaito approached, resting his arms around the two boys' shoulders. "We're gonna play truth or dare, the man of honour should join us" Kaito announced, ruffling Kokichi's hair before walking over to the circle forming.

The supreme leader grabbed the detective's hand & dragged him over to the group. "Alright, but I can't promise to be truthful" he sang, crossing his legs once he was on the floor.

Rantaro put a half bottle in the centre. "Ouma, you wanna go first?" He offered, looking over to the birthday boy.

Kokichi nodded eagerly, leaning forward as he spun the bottle. & so the game began.

The bottle landed on Kiibo. A smirk formed on the short boy's lips. "Truth or dare?" He asked.

"Truth" Kiibo answered slowly, fearing what the other would ask.

"Do robots have dicks? You have to answer me now!" He giggled, sitting back.

The robot sent him a glare before shaking his head. "Will you stop asking now?" He asked.

At the beginning, most people went for truth. The only people who took dares were Kaito, Miu, Rantaro & Ryoma.

The bottle landed on Shuichi. "Truth or dare, Pooichi?" Miu barked.

"D-dare" He stuttered in response, earning a shit eating grin from the inventor.

"From this point on, ya have to say 'in my bed' at the end of every sentence, got it?" She laughed, crossing her arms with a satisfied look on her face.

Shuichi sighed, at least it wasn't anything dirty. "Hey hey, Shumai!" Kokichi began. "What comes after O in the alphabet?"

"P... In my bed" He mumbled the last part, a wave of embarrassment washing over him. He avoided any other questions which weren't a part of the game. He spun the bottle, which landed on Rantaro.

Before Shuichi could ask, Rantaro answered with dare. Shuichi let out a few hums as he tried to think up a dare. Rantaro then changed his decision. "Truth, I'll go with that instead" He commented, wanting to continue the game.

Shuichi nodded, looking around before speaking up. "Who is your crush?" He asked. He wasn't entirely sure if he even had a crush but it was pretty much mandatory to ask that specific question in this game. He received a few bored groans.

Rantaro rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a nervous chuckle. He glanced over to Korekiyo, his face turning redder as he noticed he had his eyes on him. "If, uh-" It was strange to see Rantaro struggle to speak, even for Kokichi. "If it's not obvious, my crush is Shinguuji".

He looked over to Korekiyo again, who was staring back with widened eyes. He quickly looked away, looking down as his hair fell over his face a little. He spun the bottle, which landed on Tsumugi. "Truth or dare?" He asked.

"Amami, may I speak to you outside?" Rantaro was sure his heart stopped at that moment as Korekiyo spoke.

He looked up to the other & nodded, standing up & stretching a little. "Sure, Akamatsu can pick a dare for me" He commented before leaving the gym with the anthropologist.

Kaede gave a small thumbs up. "I'll go with truth" Tsumugi replied, poking her chin with a finger.

"Have you cosplayed more male or female characters?" Kaede asked, not sure on what she could possibly ask.

Tsumugi thought for a moment. "I think more females" She answered, taking a few seconds before spinning the bottle. The head landed on the supreme leader. She held back a smile as she asked the question. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare, duh" Kokichi answered with no hesitation, a grin plastered on his lips as usual.

Tsumugi rummage through a bag she had beside her before taking out a box of pocky. "The next person the bottle lands on, you have to play the pocky game. If someone loses, they have to crossdress" she replied, as if she had planned this out.

Kokichi blinked as he process her words, shrugging as he spun the bottle. "Sure, no way I'll lose to a peasant" he replied as he watched the bottle. He hoped it wouldn't land on a girl, he didn't like getting to close to them. His heart sped up as it landed on the boy next to him. Shuichi.

Tsumugi passed the supreme leader a stick of pocky, which he took with a somewhat shaky hand. He put the stick in his mouth, keeping it in place with his teeth as he shuffled himself infront of his crush. He propped himself on his knees to become level with the other. He put his sweaty hands on his thighs & leaned forward.

Shuichi stared at the pocky stick for a moment before putting his mouth on the other end. They both stayed like that for a moment before Kokichi took a bite forward. He snapped his eyes shut to avoid becoming embarrassed as he took more bites from the stick. He hadn't felt the detective pull away yet but he wouldn't allow himself to lose the dare. He scrunched up his face as he continued to lean forward, now struggling to balance.

He let out a small gasp as he fell forward, trying to keep ahold of the pocky stick. As he fell over, he landed on top of something. Not only that, but the pocky was replaced with something soft. He slowly opened his eyes, his heart accelerated  as he realised what he was doing. He was kissing Shuichi.

Part of him wanted to stay like that. He would if he wasn't surrounded by his classmates. He put his arms either side of the detective & elevated himself slightly. "Sorry about that, I slipped" Kokichi whispered, looking down to avoid any eye contact. He then rolled over to the side & sat in his original position. He lifted his scarf to his face in attempts to hide his red face. To make matters worse, Rantaro & Korekiyo had returned & only witnessed the end of the dare.

Shuichi sat up quietly, ignoring the sound out chatter. The blood rushing to his face was his main focus at the moment. He traced his lips with his finger as he attempted to process what just happened. He was snapped out of his thoughts as he heard Kaito's voice, quickly retracting his hand from his face. "Hm? What?" He asked, blinking as he looked over to his friend.

"What's up with you?" Kaito repeated, shooting his side kick a look of concern.

Miu erupted with laughter before she chimed in. "I think that was the virgin's first kiss! Same with Ouma over there, no way he's been kissed before" she mocked.

Kokichi took a deep breath before returning to his normal state. "Cool story, where's the chapter you shut up?" He asked with a bored tone, earning a squeal from the inventor before she finally shut up.

Shuichi stared at Kokichi for a moment. Kaito snapped him out of his thoughts again. "Hey, Saihara! Spin the bottle already" He commented. The detective jolted toward the bottle & spun it. He remained mostly silent for the remainder of the game, taking glances toward the supreme leader every now & again.

After a while, people began to grow tired & started returning to their dorms. After Maki left, Kaito decided to discontinue the game. "Oh, & Ouma, your gifts from everyone are on the table" he explained as he got up.

"I don't think anything can top the gift he got from Shuichi, if you know what I mean" Kaede chimed in, laughing softly. Shuichi's face flushed when he realised what Kaede was implying. "See you guys on monday!" She then left the room.

Shuichi was about to leave but Kokichi held him back. "Can.." the shorter boy trailed off, catching himself before he went any further. He put on a fake smile. "Can you help me carry these back to my dorm?"

Shuichi gave a nod in return, making his way over to the table. He frowned a little as he looked to the food table, most of the food remained untouched. "Sorry your party wasn't that exciting" he commented, taking an arm full of gifts.

Kokichi shot him a slightly confused look as he skipped over to the spot beside him. "This was the best party ever, what do you mean?" He insisted, letting out a small giggle as he took ahold of the rest of the gifts. "Because I got to spend time with my favourite person".

They made their way out of the gym & toward the dormitories. "We should do this again next year, then" the detective suggested, smiling slightly. He stumbled a little, almost dropping one of the presents.

"Are you saying you want to lock lips again? You're making me blush" the supreme leader teased. From the corner of his eye, he could see the detective's cheeks flaring up.

Shuichi mumbled something but it ended up being too quiet for the short boy to hear. Kokichi gently put down his gifts at his door as he fiddled with the handle.

"What did you say? That was way to quiet" He quizzed, drawing out the last sentence.

"Nothing important". The two dropped the gifts onto Kokichi's desk. Kokichi glanced over to him, still awaiting a proper answer. "D-don't worry about it! Good night!" Shuichi let out a nervous chuckle, rushing out of the dorm & entering his own.

Shuichi closed his door, almost slamming it. He sunk into his chair, not caring how dim his room was. He stared at the pictures from the arcade, his heart battering against his ribcage. He took off his hat & sat it on his bed before running a hand through his hair. He tried to convince himself he was overthinking the kiss situation. It was an accident after all. He sighed, leaning back a little. He stayed silent, listening to nothing in particular. He could hear the wind outside & occasionally, footsteps in the hallway.

Kokichi was about to close his door since the ravenette had failed to when he left. He stopped when he noticed Rantaro approaching. "Hey, Ouma" he greeted, waving a little. "Did you & Sahara manage to finally get together?"

The supreme leader put a hand on his hip. "Of course not, he has a crush on Momota-chan" he huffed, shaking his head.

Rantaro gave him a bored expression. "You need to tell him, for real without hiding behind lies" he gave a short lecture as he leaned against the door frame. "Ah, speaking of" he trailed off, a smile forming on his lips. "Me & Shinguuji are testing out dating, turns out he had a crush on me too".

"Are you saying it wasn't obvious that he had a crush on you? Geez, you're a dummy" Kokichi teased, holding back a smile.

"You're one to talk" the adventurer slapped his friend on the shoulder before standing upright. "I'm going to my lab, see you tomorrow" he announced before starting to walk down the dark hallway.

Kokichi watched him for a moment. He then closed the door & switched on his light. He shoved all of the packaged gifts onto the floor, sitting down in front of them. He didn't bother to read the name tags as he opened them, carefully pulling of the wrapping paper instead of ripping it.

He smiled a little as he opened up a telescope, still boxed. Kaito didn't know him well at all. He pushed it to the side, when would he ever need that.

He scrunched up his face as he opened another, packets of condoms flooding out. "Miu, what the fuck?" He asked quietly to no one in particular. He would possibly think it was funny if it was one or two, but there was at least twenty in the pile. How did she manage to get her hands on so many? He decided to read the card inside. He opened the envelope to a card with a picture of a cartoon character. The words read "happy 7th birthday".

He ignored it & finally opened it, noticing a message written messily at the bottom of the card. "Stay safe, virgin".

He stared at it for a moment before standing up & shoving the rest of the gifts under his desk, deciding that was enough for tonight.

A week or so passed, Kokichi noticed Shuichi tended to avoid him as much as possible. He was confused for the reasoning. As antisocial as Shuichi was, he didn't usually flat out avoid anyone.

He scanned the cafeteria as he held his tray. He noticed two options. Rantaro & Korekiyo sitting at a table or Shuichi. Shuichi was sitting with Kaito, Maki & Kaede. He stood still while he thought for a moment. Perhaps if the detective was with his friends, he wouldn't be so quick to leave.

In the end, Kokichi decided on sitting with Rantaro & Korekiyo, which felt somewhat strange since he had recently gotten used to staying by Shuichi's side as much as he could.

"Ouma? Aren't you going to sit with your boyfriend?" Rantaro quizzed, intending on teasing him.

The supreme leader forced a giggle. "I think I'm scaring him off" he commented, trying his best to keep his enthusiasm in his voice.

Rantaro gave him a somewhat concerned look, knowing how his friend tended to mask his emotions around others. He was the only person Kokichi managed to talk to about serious topics without hiding it behind humour or lies.

"Ah yes, I have seen Saihara avoiding you lately" Korekiyo chimed in, resting his cheek on his hand. "Perhaps you need to ask him directly instead of simply avoiding the subject matter".

Kokichi pouted a little, clearly hating the idea of being serious with his crush. "Worth a shot I guess" he admitted, giving in. "I'll talk to him after class today".

Shuichi struggled to breathe as he noticed Kokichi looking in his direction. He exhaled with relief as Kokichi seemed to be going to another table.

"You okay, Saihara?" He jumped a little as Kaito spoke, nodding in response.

Kaede looked in the direction he was looking in. "Is this something to do with Ouma?" She asked, looking back over to him.

The ravenette stiffened, shaking his head slowly. As the others stared at him, he finally cracked. "A-alright, it's about Kokichi" he admitted, letting out a sigh as he played with his food with his fork.

The pianist nodded a little.

"Is it about the kiss that happened at his birthday?" Maki chimed in with her usual bored tone. She didn't bother to look up from her book.

"Y-yeah" the detective mumbled trailing off. "Harukawa, can I talk to you about this later?" All three of the others were confused by this. Shuichi didn't want Kaede to know he wasn't really dating Kokichi, she was the reason he was pretending to in the first place. He also didn't want Kaito to know since he would most likely constantly nag him to tell the truth. Maki was his best bet.

Maki nodded, finally looking up from her book. "See me after class at the library" she requested, returning to her book. She groaned a little as the bell rang since she hadn't been able to finish the book in that time.

After class, Kokichi approached Shuichi, surprised when Maki did the same & got to him before him. "Let's go" she commented, crossing her arms as she watched the boy pack his things.

"Go where? Can I come?" Shuichi jumped as he heard Kokichi's voice.

The assassin sent a glare his way. "I don't want you there" she spoke bluntly.

Kokichi was ready to insult her & then proceed to beg Shuichi to join. The detective raised a hand. "Not today, Ko- Ouma" he stumbled on speaking his name, cheeks heating up from embarrassment, trying to make his eyes focus on anything other than Kokichi.

The supreme leader felt his heart sting. He remained silent before pushing past the two & leaving. Shuichi watched as he left, feeling somewhat guilty. Kokichi then spun around, plastering a smile on his face "okay, see you later, Saihara-chan" he called over before rushing out the classroom.

He decided to ignore it for now to have his conversation with Maki. "W-we should go now" He spoke up, subconsciously adjusting his hat as always. Maki nodded & the two began to head toward the library. 

Once they got to the library school library, they decided to take a seat at a table in the corner so they would be mostly isolated from anyone else. Maki decided to take book, opening it at a certain page since she planned on staying after the chat. She looked over to the boy as he sat down. 

"You promise not to tell anyone anything I say?" Shuichi pleaded, fiddling with his sleeves as he chewed at the inside of his lip.

Maki nodded. "Just tell me already so you can stop moping, it bothers Kaito" She mumbled the last part as she began to play with her hair. 

He nodded, taking a deep breathe as if to prepare himself. "So, me & Ouma aren't actually dating" he made sure to speak in a quiet voice, looking around every so often to make sure none of his classmates were nearby. "He agreed to be my fake boyfriend because I accidentally told Akamatsu I had one". As he spoke more, he realised how much of an idiot he really was. 

The assassin simply nodded, not really sure how to react. 

"I have a crush on... Someone" he began again, choosing his words carefully. "But he has a girlfriend". 

"Then just get over it" she commented, furrowing her eyebrows slightly.

Shuichi rubbed the back of his neck, using his other hand to tap the desk in a slow rhythm to calm himself. "I also get a weird feeling around Ouma. It's like how I feel around my crush but... More painful?" He puckered his lips a little as he realised how strange it sounded. He looked over to Maki, wondering if she was understanding it at all. 

"Explain" She replied, nodding as she signalled him to continue.

He hummed a little as he thought. "W-well, my heart beats so fast it feels like I could pass out. I get weird thoughts about him" he attempted to explain the best he could but there was so many feelings he couldn't explain. 

The brunette brought a hand to her chin as she thought for a moment. "Have you considered you might be in love with Ouma?" She suggested. She seemed somewhat disappointed that out of all the people in the school, her friend would gain interest for someone she pretty much hated.

Shuichi hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "O-of course not, I don't see him that way" he retorted, scratching his cheek absentmindedly while his other hand continued to tap the table as he spoke. "I don't know what it is". 

Maki nodded a little as if she understood. This was followed by a sigh. "Just talk to him" she replied, becoming uninterested in the conversation. "It's not going to solve anything if you avoid him".

Shuichi stared at the other for a moment, pausing in the rhythm of tapping the table. "I guess you're right" He admitted, standing up. "Thanks, Harukawa, I'll talk to him". He straightened out the bottom of his blazer before exiting the library. 

Maki returned a small wave before beginning to read the book she had picked out prior. She let out a quiet growl as someone sat in front of her at the table. She looked up, shooting them a questioning look. 

"Can I talk to you?" Rantaro quizzed, resting his cheek on his hand as if he wouldn't take refusal.

The brunette leaned back in her chair, closing over her book. "What?"

"I heard your conversation" He began, starting to fiddle with one of his ear piercings.

Maki furrowed her eyebrows slightly, crossing her arms over her chest. "If you tell anyone about Saihara fake dating Ouma, I'll take that as a death wish" she warned in a low voice. 

Rantaro gave a sheepish smile as he swiped at the air. "No, it's not that" he replied, then clearing his throat. "Ouma already told me. Thing is, I don't think either of them will make a move any time soon, so I was wondering if you'd help me".

The assassin stared at him, considering his request. She wasn't particularly interested in getting involved in her friend's love life. She shrugged a little. "It's not my concern".

The adventurer rolled his eyes. "Just help me make some scenarios where they could realise how they feel each other" he continued, set on making her agree. 

She let out a sigh. "I'll think about it" she picked up her book, signalling she wanted to end the conversation. 

Rantaro smiled slightly as he got up. "Alright, thanks" he replied before making his way back to the bookshelf he was previously looking over. 

(word count: 4149)

(Sorry this took so long, I've been struggling with school & low-key writers block. I'm also starting a KomaHina fic, so look out for that)