Chapter Text
Shuuichi’s unsure about a lot of things.
He was unsure of his career choice. He was unsure about abandoning the path he had created for himself. He was unsure of his friendships with many people. He was unsure of himself. (He’s still unsure about that one offer Miu made to him back in high school. But he doesn’t dwell on that.)
Bur right now, in his tattoo store, in front of him, is a man. And Shuuichi’s not sure how he feels about this.
On a stool in front of him, sits a short man, in a white dress shirt, purple shorts and checkered shoes. His purple hair’s a mess around him and his eyes are wide with excitement. In an oddly cute way, he reminds Shuuichi of an excited child. That’s partly why Shuuichi is unsure about this.
“Hey, hey! Do you think you could, like… tattoo “I LOVE DICK” on my arm?”
He’s also clearly drunk.
“I… I don’t know if I could..” He hesitates. He's not entirely okay with drunk customers, seeing as they don't have a grasp on consciousness and rationalism/
The boy pouts. He freaking pouts at Shuuichi and he has to tear his eyes away. “Aww… why not? Is it because I look like a kid who just got wasted on his first night out on the town? Is that it?!”
The waterworks start and Shuuichi panics.
“W-wait! No! Y-you’re drunk and therefore, I’m not sure if you’re sure about making this decision!” Shuuichi stammers and searches for a tissue. He finds one and hands it to the other. “P-please don’t cry.. I didn’t mean any harm.”
The sniffles stop almost immediately and Shuuichi is startled at the sudden change in attitude.
“Nishishi! Aw, did you take me seriously? That was a lie, silly! Kokichi Ouma, at your service! 25 years old and a college student!” The other man, Kokichi, giggles childishly.
Shuuichi feels his mind racing, his face reddening and his heart slowly melting.
“A-ah.. It’s nice to meet you then.. I’m Shuuichi Saihara. And… uh..” He finally hifts his eyes to the other man leaning against the wall in his studio. White hair, grey eyes, white shirt, grey vest, black pants. “And you are…?”
“Kiibo Idabashi. Kokichi’s roommate.” He nods at Shuuichi. “Sorry for the trouble. He’s very stubborn.” Kiibo sighs and Shuuichi could only describe it as both fond and exasperated.
Shuuichi lets his eyes go back to Kokichi, who had hopped off the stool and was observing the designs he had on his wall. “Does… he know what he’s doing? Tattoos are permanent, after all.”
“Trust me, he is.” Kiibo rolls his eyes. “Even before he had gotten absolutely hammered, he had been thinking about getting one. He wasn’t sure which store to go to. My girlfriend suggested your store.”
“Oh… your girlfriend?” Shuuichi admits that he has many clients but he still feels a bit embarrassed when people mention his place. He's still not used to attention, despite being in the tattoo industry for more than 3 years. “She sounds nice.”
“Ah, Miu can be a character but she does have good intentions.” Kiibo is visibly flustered and Shuuichi is amused. Miu must be more of a common name than he thought .
His attention turns to Kokichi when the shorter man returns to the stool. “So you’re sure about this? Do you really want to do this?”
“Yep! I trust my beloved Shuuichi~” Kokichi leans forward on one arm, in an attempt to be flirty, but loses his balance and promptly slides forward and smacks his forehead on the desk.
“Charming. So, what design did you have in mind?” Shuichi decides to ignore the nickname (though he can feel his heart fluttering) and proceeds to pull out an album of designs.
“Hm… nah, surprise me. I make bad choices when I’m drunk. Isn’t that right, Kiibo~?” He spins on the stool and throws finger guns at Kiibo, who reluctantly nods. Shuuichi wonders what Kokichi has done and what's it like to be Kokichi’s roommate.
"Are you okay with that?" Shuuichi's not sure if Kokichi has any grasp on the current situation. Kokichi shrugs. "Surprise me~ I've been so bored lately and you seem like the surprising type."
At this point, Shuuichi’s too tired to question him. He guides him to his work area and starts getting the things needed.
“Hey, Shuuichi? You’re really cute, did you know that?” Kokichi stares at him with an unreadable expression once he’s sat in front of the shorter boy.
“Uh.. thank you?” Shuuichi’s about ninety percent sure that the alcohol is getting to Kokichi.
“Like, you’re really cute. I’d love to have your face tattooed on me.”
They both stare at each other for a good ten seconds before Kokichi passes out. Shuuichi takes this moment to take a deep breath and to sort out his thoughts. He does not deal well with flirting but for some reason, this man in front of him has Shuuichi interested.
He... looks cute asleep.
Shaking his head, he starts to get to work. He’s a bit startled when Kiibo comes over and whispers into his ear. “Could you perhaps do me a favor?”
The taller man looks at him quizzically. “.. Sure?”
“Could you perhaps…”
Kiibo whispers more and Shuuichi grins.
When Kokichi wakes up the next day and screams when he sees what’s tattooed on his arm, Kiibo swears it’s music to his ears.
There, on Kokichi's arm, in beautiful penmanship and permanent black ink, was:
“Shuuichi Saihara.
0X-XXXX-XXXX”