Chapter Text
Kokichi Ouma's soulmate was a fucking asshole.
Well, he's sure they're a wonderful person, whoever they are. A soulmate worthy of the ultimate supreme leader himself.
But that did not change the extremely annoying fact that they seemed to be able to change their eye color at the drop of a hat.
And that was extremely frustrating.
The idea of his destined other half was something that had been shoved down his throat the second he had mentioned not being able to see the color gold at the ripe age of 3 and half years old. His caretaker at the orphanage had set him aside and explained that somewhere out there in the world was a beautiful little girl who wouldn't be able to see the color purple. She would be the person he was destined to spend the rest of his life with, and he would know it was her because they wouldn't be able to see the color of each other's eyes.
Emphasis on color , not colors , because there was only supposed to be one color he couldn't see. He wouldn't be able to see gold until he met that girl and they shared their first kiss (ew). Then they'd live happily ever after (ew again). That was how it was supposed to be. That's how it always was.
Until it suddenly wasn't.
The first time it had happened, he had been 5 years old, playing dolls with his best friend Emiko when he suddenly let out a shriek so loud that several older people ran into the room to see if he was in danger.
All he could do was sit there shocked, his eyes wider than dinner plates as other kids crowded around him asking him questions. All he could focus on was Emiko. Specifically, Emiko's eyes.
Because Emiko had always had brown eyes. A soft light brown like a cup of freshly brewed tea. But now, as he looked into her eyes,
All he could see was grey.
The same grey he associated with nothingness, with a connection he never asked for, never wanted.
The same grey he always saw when he was supposed to see gold.
Somehow, his soulmate's eyes had changed colors.
After that day, the changes became more and more frequent. There was no pattern to the changes, sometimes weeks would pass without a switch, sometimes there would be multiple per day. No matter how many times he asked the caretakers at the orphanage about it, he was brushed off. He was always 'too young to know,' or 'looking for attention.' Eventually he stopped trying. He stopped caring.
Soulmates were dumb anyway.
———
"KOKICHI WAKE UP!”
Kokichi jolted awake when he felt a massive pressure fall onto his stomach. His eyes flew open to meet the smiling face of his little sister, who was laying on top of him.
“Hiiiiii Kichi nii-chan!” The girl cooed, batting her eyelashes innocently. Kokichi didn’t let that fool him though. Emiko could be infuriating when she wanted to be, and right now, she had just woken him from his beauty sleep. That called for a death sentence.
“Emiko-chaaaaan,” he drawled, poking Emiko’s nose with his pointer finger. “What did I tell you about waking me up by jumping on me?”
“Not to!” The smaller girl just giggled mischievously, resting her chin on her hands and kicking her legs up behind her. “But I had no choice Kichi nii-chan! Your alarm didn’t go off and you’re about to be late for school!”
“Nishishi very funny Emiko-chan,” the leader giggled, reaching to his side table to grab his phone. “We all know supreme leaders don’t oversl- HOLY SHIT!”
He threw his sheets and his sister to the side to hop off the bed, wincing slightly as Emiko screeched before hitting the floor with a dull thud .
…She’d be fine.
He hastily changed clothes and brushed his unruly hair before sliding down the banister and sprinting into the kitchen.
“You got breakfast Yui?” Kokichi shrieked as he barreled into the kitchen. “I’m coming at ya!”
The girl working at the stove simply sighed, plating two perfect pieces of toast before Kokichi could even blink, and handing it out to him as he zoomed past.
He slid into his chair at the dining table, plopping his plate in front of him before digging in.
“Good morning boss,” Takeshi muttered from behind his newspaper. “You oversleep?”
Kokichi took a break from stuffing his face with toast to answer. “Of course not Takeshi-chan! I’d never oversleep! One of my evil enemies must have snuck into the base to shut off my alarm. Maybe we should change the key codes again.”
“Oh just shut up and finish your toast, Kokichi,” Hina scoffed from across the table. “We can’t have you being late for your first day at Hope’s Peak! What if someone else beats you to the cute boys?” She finished with a wink.
“Well suddenly I feel extremely motivated to go to school!”
The laughter of his family rang behind him as he scooped up his bag and left the base, skipping down the street until the large academy towered before him.
Letting out a giddy squeal, he ran through the large double doors, taking in the gaudy decor as he traveled through the grand hallways.
“Classroom 1B, classroom 1B, classroom 1B… OH here we are!”
Even from the doorway he could already hear several different voices from inside. He stepped through, eyes scanning over his classmates, the poor souls doomed to deal with his pranks for all eternity.
Who would be his first victim?
His eyes traveled around the room, finally landing on a pale boy wearing a navy blue baseball cap that covered his eyes. Kokichi could read him in an instant. Shy, socially awkward, a pushover.
Perfect.
"Heeeeyyyyaaa there pretty boy," he quipped, sitting smack onto the boy's desk, one finger resting innocently on his cheek. The boy sputtered, his face going bright red as he tugged the brim of his cap down to cover his eyes.
"M-Me?" Kokichi sighed exaggeratedly at the question.
"Well of coooouurse I mean you cutie! What's your name pretty boy? Or should I just keep calling you 'cute emo' instead?"
"O-Oh! M-My name is..."
"BEEP too late! I'm introducing myself now, cutie. Name's Kokichi Ouma! Ultimate Supreme Leader. Pleased to make your acquaintance." He gave an exaggerated bow and swore he could hear the other boy giggle.
Woah . That giggle was like honey, sending the butterflies in Kokichi's stomach into a frenzy.
NO STOP ! He mentally chided himself. I can't get a crush on every cute boy I meet. Even if he is the most beautiful boy I've ever laid my eyes on, and his voice is sweeter than candy, and he looks like he gives the best hugs and...
Oh shit his mouth is moving.
"...Shuichi Saihara. They call me the ultimate detective but I-I don't really deserve to be called-"
"Woooooaaaahhhh," Kokichi chirped, widening his eyes like a kid in a candy store. "You're a detective? That's so cool Saihara-chan!"
Shuichi reached up to tug the brim of his hat further over his eyes. "I-I'm only an apprentice. I'm not all that impressive," he sputtered. "I've solved a few small things here and there but then I...I solved this big murder case and suddenly I'm being accepted into the most prestigious school in the country."
He suddenly cut himself off, reaching towards that hat again. What was it with him and that hat?
"S-Sorry. I don't know why I said all that. Please don't ask any questions, it's...a bit of a sore subject for me."
Kokichi didn't say anything for an incredibly awkward amount of time. This boy was so interesting. Everything about him drew Kokichi in like a magnet. He felt himself wanting to spill lie after lie to this mysterious boy, hiding bits of his true self buried deep for Shuichi to uncover them. He wanted Shuichi to pick him apart bit by bit until he found the real him. There was just something special about him that made Kokichi want to tear down all the walls that had kept him safe all these years.
And maybe it was just wishful thinking on his part that he swore he could see a gleam of grey eyes from underneath that hat. That same grey that haunted him. Maybe he was so drawn to Shuichi because the 2 of them were...
The ringing of the school bell snapped him out of those dangerous thoughts.
"I'm afraid I must take my leave now, my beloved Saihara-chan." He blew a kiss at the boy and returned to his own seat, hearing Shuichi sputter in his wake.
He tried to listen to the teacher, Miss Yukizome, she said her name was. Despite his childish and aloof attitude, he didn't exactly want to fail his classes. Failing could cause him to lose his scholarship, and he couldn't do that DICE. Not when they were doing so well currently. So he needed to focus.
But his eyes wouldn't stop wandering to Shuichi's seat, wouldn't stop overthinking about that glint of grey eyes. He shook his head as if that would dispel the thoughts. He did this every time he met a cute boy. He'd get close to them, think they were his soulmate when the random color changes made him unable to see their eyes, only to be crushed when they all found their real soulmates and left him heartbroken. Shuichi was different. He could FEEL it. He wouldn't let his brain go down that path again.
But that didn't stop him from imagining what Shuichi would look like with twinkling golden eyes as he tried his best to focus on his notes.
———
As the months went by, Kokichi's interest in Shuichi only seemed to grow more and more, as did his crush on him. Unfortunately, the so-called ultimate detective didn't seem to have enough brain cells to register Kokichi's constant flirting.
Perhaps that was a good thing though, because if Shuichi DID notice, then everything would start spiraling out of control. He would lose one of the only friends he truly had once Shuichi found out how disgusting he was to have a crush on him. And on the extremely slim chance that Shuichi for some reason liked him back, it would just be a temporary thing until Shuichi inevitably found his soulmate and left Kokichi alone once again.
That is if the two of them weren't each others' soulmates, as everyone who bothered to talk to him seemed to think. He refused to get his hopes up. There was no way that perfect, beautiful Shuichi was fated to end up with a lying asshole like himself, no matter what DICE and Rantaro said.
Wait, why was he thinking of Rantaro?
"-ichi! KOKICHI!"
Ohhhhh right. He was talking to him.
"Hmmmm? What is it, my beloved Amami nii-chan?"
Rantaro just scoffed at him, more than used to his antics. "Well I was asking you what color you wanted for your nails when we paint them at tonight’s sleepover, but it seems you wanna think about your obvious soulmate instead."
Kokichi just sighed dramatically, leaning back in his chair and resuming to pick at the chipped polish on his fingernails.
"We've been through this already, Taro. Saihara-chan is not my soulmate! Never was never will be, okay?"
"I never said anything about Saihara," the green haired boy replied with a smug grin. Kokichi could feel a slight blush crawl up his neck.
"Touché, Taro. Touché. Nevertheless he isn't my-" He cut himself off when he saw the familiar glint of navy blue nearing the classroom door, frantically flailing his limbs around before relaxing into a position he hoped looked super cool and not dorky. Judging from the way Rantaro chuckled, he did not succeed.
"Speak of the devil and he shall appear." Rantaro briefly looked towards the door before turning back to face Kokichi. "Guess I'll just have to ask you by text la- Are you okay?"
Kokichi was absolutely NOT okay. He could feel the fire creeping up his face, and he didn't even have the power to push it back down. His eyes were wide like an owl's, pupils dilated, and he was positive that if he was in an anime, they'd be the shape of little hearts.
Because Shuichi Saihara had just entered the room.
And he wasn't wearing his hat.
About a month or so into the school year, Kokichi had caught wind of the reason why Shuichi wore that hat so much. A case had caused a fear of eye contact, but with the help of the detective's closest friends, he had gained more confidence over the last few months.
A few weeks ago he had even mentioned to Kokichi how he didn't think he needed the hat anymore, and was considering ditching it for good. The mental picture of Shuichi's face finally on clear display had blessed the purple haired boy's dreams for nights on end.
But that paled in comparison to seeing the real thing. Shuichi's navy blue hair shone in the bright lights of the classroom, like a cloudy night sky. One untamed strand stuck up higher than the rest and Kokichi was struck with the urge to run up to Shuichi and twirl it around his finger. His cheeks had a healthy flush to them, and the slight smile that graced those pretty pink lips made Kokichi's heart skip a beat.
His gaze then settled on the taller boy's eyes, and the butterflies in his stomach started to swarm.
Grey eyes. Soulmate , he brain supplied him.
Shut up , he responded.
Shuichi was surrounded the second he sat down. Jealousy curled in Kokichi's stomach as his classmates fawned over the detective's new look. He begrudgingly tore his eyes away from the living angel to look back at Rantaro, who was wearing the most smug look Kokichi had ever seen on a human face.
"You were saying?" The taller boy quipped, rolling a gold Sharpie between his fingers. Well, what Kokichi assumed to be a gold sharpie, seeing as today he couldn't see gold, and Rantaro had been annoying him with that marker all morning.
"I didn't say a thing Amami-chan!" He leaned forward to snatch the Sharpie out of his friend's hand, occupying himself with doodling on his arm, watching the grey pigment swirl around and around.
He was vaguely aware of the chatter still coming from the direction of Shuichi’s desk as he drew random lines and swirls all over his arm.
“I’d say his eyes are more of a lime green honestly.” Kaede’s melodic voice rang throughout the classroom and Kokichi held back the impulse to scoff as he recapped the marker.
Of course Shuichi wasn’t his soulmate. If he had green eyes, Kokichi wouldn’t be able to see Rantaro’s eyes or hair. It had all been some strange coincidence after all.
“Seems you were wrong Amami-chan. I told you there was no wa-“
His breath caught in his throat when he looked back up at his best friend, barely succeeding in holding back a scream.
Because instead of the lime green he was so used to seeing...
Rantaro’s eyes and hair were now a dull grey.
He looked down at the capped marker still sitting on the desk in front of him. The now GOLD marker.
He was frozen, Rantaro’s concerned murmurs falling on deaf ears as a thousand thoughts ran through his head.
That marker was grey and now it wasn’t.
Rantaro’s hair was green and now it wasn’t.
And Shuichi’s eyes were still a piercing grey, looking at him with obvious concern as he felt his own heart rate spike and his breathing became heavier.
Shuichi Saihara was his soulmate.
He threw himself out of his seat, staring at the swirling gold marks on his arm. He could briefly see all eyes on the room settle on him as he threw his bag over his shoulder and bolted out of the classroom, keeping the tears from falling as he heard Shuichi, his soulmate calling for him.
He’d come up with a convincing lie later. Right now he just needed to get out .
There were no rules about skipping classes at Hope’s Peak Academy, though it was discouraged. There were however rules about leaving campus while school was in session, which was inconvenient in times like these.
But a few guards were no match for a Supreme Leader with tricks up his sleeves (or better yet, prank gear up his sleeves), and soon he found himself at the entrance to DICE’s secret base.
Kokichi frantically input the passcode, throwing open the door before sprinting into the living room, where Takeshi, Yui and Emiko seemed to be in a heated game of Uno. The 3 of them turned to look at him, mildly annoyed looks on their faces.
“Kokichi,” Yui spoke up. “You’re supposed to be in class.”
“This is...more...important.” His words were soft due to the dryness of his throat and his labored breaths from running for so long.
“Shuichi...Shuichi is my soulmate.”
Everything was silent for a few seconds before Takeshi slammed his last card down on the pile.
“Congrats boss,” he said with a smug smile. “You are officially the last person to know.”
His confused face must’ve been hilarious by the way Emiko and Yui laughed. He just sighed and walked towards the table, Takeshi’s smile not faltering as he grabbed the Uno deck and reshuffled it to deal Kokichi in.
“So how’d you finally figure it out?” Emiko quipped from the other side of the table.
“Saihara-chan wasn’t wearing his hat today,” he responded, picking up his hand of cards and scowling at the spread. “Akamatsu-chan made some comment about how his eyes looked green to her and suddenly I couldn’t see Taro-chan’s dumb hair and eyes anymore. Is that just the dumbest thing you’ve ever heard?” He slapped a red skip onto the discard pile, hearing Yui groan softly beside him.
“First things first boss,” she picked up the card and put it back into his hand. “You can’t play a red skip on top of a blue 7. And second, that doesn’t explain why exactly you’re here instead of in class.”
“Well oooooobviously Yui-chan I bolted out of the room the second I realized it so that my soulmate couldn’t see me in a state of extreme emotional vulnerability.” He slapped a blue 5 on the pile.
She just sighed in response, placing her card down on the pile. “Is that a lie boss?”
“Nishishi~ you tell me! Anywhooooo what’s this about me being the last one to know?”
The 3 DICE members looked at him if he had just asked what color the sky was . Suddenly a door creaked and every head in the room turned to where Yamato had just walked into the lounge, the other remaining DICE members on his heels.
“Thought I heard you out here Kich,” he stated gruffly, ruffling Kokichi’s hair before making his way to the kitchen for a snack. “What were you guys talking about?”
“Nothin mu-”
“Boss finally grew a braincell!” Emiko chirped, leaping from her seat and pulling a slip of paper out of her pocket with a flourish as she flipped one of her pigtails back.
“Dumbass code number 34B: Boss figures out Saihara is his soulmate. Effective approximately 1:45 PM based on Boss’ arrival at the base, on March 21st, just as I predicted. PAY UP AKIRA!”
“I swear you’re cheating at this point,” the blond boy in question huffed, tossing a coin purse at the brunette, who caught it with ease. “I really need to stop going against you in bets.”
“You guys bet on my love life?” Kokichi shouted and slammed his hands on the table, causing Uno cards to scatter in all directions. “How dare you place bets on your supreme leader! And what’s with the codes? Why 34B? Is there a 34A too? Just how many do you have?”
“How’d you all figure out Shuichi was my soulmate? When did you figure it out?” He could almost feel small tears brimming at the corners of his eyes as he prattled off question after question at his increasingly concerned family.
“And...and why didn’t anyone tell me?”
Years of confusion and frustration over the colorful mystery personified in hot tears streaming down his cheeks. He didn’t even bother to try to hold them back as nine white-clad bodies collided with his own, enveloping him in their warmth as he shook in their arms.
“We’re sorry boss,” Hana, the youngest member, broke the silence. “We never meant to hurt you.”
“We just thought you’d wanna learn about it by yourself,” piped in Ren.
“You like solving puzzles and...and we thought it would scare you if you knew since you already like him,” finished Ryota.
“Well it did certainly scare me,” Kokichi chuckled, sniffing back a few remaining tears. “I appreciate you guys all looking out for me.”
“Well regardless, I’m glad we got this sorted out kiddo,” Takeshi ruffled his hair again. “You know what you’re gonna do now?”
“Yeah...yeah I think I do.” And he did. Shuichi was a kind soul, that was definitely true. Once he found out Kokichi was his soulmate, he’d never hurt him.
But Kokichi wasn’t sure if the same could be said for himself. He had a lot of issues, his lying for one thing, his tendency to run away from problems and hide his feelings. There was no guarantee he wouldn’t hurt Shuichi due to his trust issues.
Before he told Shuichi the truth, he needed to be sure Shuichi could handle him. Being hurt, that he could handle. But he could never forgive himself if he hurt his soulmate. He started towards the door before Hana’s soft voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
“So what are you going to do?”
He felt his lips turn into a joyful smirk, eyes twinkling as he turned to address his family.
“I’m gonna show him what it really means to be Kokichi Ouma’s soulmate.”
And with a flip of an imaginary cape, he left the kitchen and made his way to his destination. Normally for something like this, he’d head to Akira’s lab for prank supplies, but this was different. This time, he made his way to Ryota’s sewing room, where they kept their uniforms, and more importantly, their costume props for heists.
He threw open the door and made a beeline for the storage cabinets, scanning over the carefully labeled drawers before finding the one that housed face paint, clown noses...
And colored contact lenses.
He rummaged around in the drawer before picking up a set of bubblegum pink lenses. He slipped them into his pocket before pulling out his phone.
Froot gang: 2:57 PM
Grape : So Taro for the sleepover tonight I’m thinking bubblegum pink!
Slutberry : There ya are shitstain! We were fuckin worried about you!
Avocado : Why’d you run out of class earlier? Are you alright? Where are you? Do I need to come get you?
Grape : Calm your inner big bro Taro-chan! I’m safe. I just snuck off campus to visit DICE!
Slutberry : Doesn’t explain why the fuck you ran off asshole! Ya scared everyone half to death. Did seein Shithara’s face give you that much of a boner ya just decided to ditch?
Grape : Not everything has to be about sex you whore pig
Grape : I’ll explain everything later at the sleepover just have some pink polish ready for me Taro!
Avocado : Roger that buddy! Have a nice afternoon with your family. You deserve it!
Slutberry : Stay safe asshole
Kokichi popped his phone back into his pocket, mind already racing with his new plan. Stage 1 was set, it was all up to him now.
This was going to be his most elaborate scheme yet.