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Kokichi glanced over to Shuichi, who was sitting quietly across the blanket from him.
They were friends, close friends, and they decided to watch the fireworks together tonight. Kokichi normally hated having to go to firework festivals — he had no one to spend it with, so it was just a hunch of loud stupid noise. He didn't want to see his family, he didn't want to see his friends, he didn't really want to see anyone. He didn't ever have someone he relied on enough to ask to see the fireworks, he didn't ever have someone he wanted to see them with, so he stayed home and grumbled while hearing everyone else's stories.
However, Shuichi had come into his life almost a year ago, and that changed. He wanted to see Shuichi at the huge festival, and he was the one who asked first, and he was overjoyed when he got a yes. Normally, no one invited him out, so no one was free to be able to join with him alone anyways.
Shuichi though, nodded quickly, no hesitance in his actions.
Kokichi remembered the spark he felt in his chest when he was walking with Shuichi, watching the boy with the hat say he was too busy to join the parties or dates, he was busy with Kokichi that day. He felt important, and he liked the feeling.
"Kokichi?"
He glanced over, grinning at the voice, "Yesss Shuichi?"
"You're zoning out. Are you bored?"
"Ah, no," Kokichi hummed, glancing up at the boys hat that covered one of his eyes. The hat, it was still on.
"Do you want to tell me what the hats about? It covers your face, and I don't see why you'd wanna do that."
Shuichi frowned, glancing away as if he said something wrong.
"I dunno, it's a long story."
"We have a lot of time. Come on, I've been curious." Kokichi pried, crawling over and laying in front of the sitting boy, kicking his legs in the air. He truly want to know, but he's never bothered asking, now was probably the time.
"Ah, okay I guess," Shuichi agreed, "It's not very interesting though.."
"That's fine."
Shuichi sighed, looking down at him as he looked up expectantly. Kokichi liked the angle, he could see all of Shuichis face even with the hat on.
"Well...One time, I was with my uncle, who works at the police department. I was helping or something, just an uncle-nephew thing, and I guess one time I ended up figuring out one of the murder cases."
Kokichis eyes widened. He knew Shuichi was good at figuring things out, but he didn't have any clue he solved a murder.
"That sounds soooo cool."
"Haha, I guess...The man I arrested though, was staring through my soul when I saw him again. He had such a burning hatred for me, I think he would have damned me to hell on the spot if he had the ability. Everyone says he was in the right, that the victim deserved it, and I happened to solve it..."
Kokichi narrowed his eyes at the shakiness of his voice, "Yeah, that's what people do. Detective stuff, right? Mister hot-shot detective."
"They hated me." Shuichi said bluntly, which he didn't know why that meant anything, "I guess I gave justice at the wrong time. The look on his face, I can see it now. It kin of scared me."
"Soo why the hat?"
"I get anxious when I talk to people, I'm scared I'll do something wrong. The hat makes it easier to avoid peoples eyes, to avoid them in general. No one wants to talk to the weirdo who wears a hat indoors."
Kokichi frowned, he didn't really get it. Why did he need to avoid people just because of some random dude who gave him a weird look?
"You did the right thing though, why do you feel bad?" He questioned, "It's what the criminal deserves whether the victim was faulty or not."
"But..."
"No buts, you did really well I assume. I'm proud that you solved the case at least, that's like super cool," Kokichi hummed as he flipped over onto his back for more comfort, "No one cares what others think, and no one else is going to hate you like that again sadly. You're too likeable, I hate it."
"Too likeable..?"
"Too easy to get along with, it makes me sick." Kokichi sighed, shaking his head, "Anyway, I think you should learn to confront your fear of others. They can't really do anything to you."
"Sure they can, and it's not really that easy.."
"Make it that easy, duh." Kokichi rolled his eyes, "Come on, it's just us, no one is going to give you weird looks or wish harm onto you, it's okay to take the hat off. It'll help you see the fireworks easier."
"I guess your right.." Shuichi sighed, taking it off and setting it down beside them carefully. Studying the new view, Kokichi noticed Shuichi had a cowlick, and it was kind of cute.
"You look so much more ugly with the hat off."
"R-Really??"
"That was a lie! Jeez, I thought that was obvious." Kokichi chuckled at the frightened look on Shuichis face, "You look muuuuuch better with it off. I think you should keep it off."
"Haha, maybe one day. Confronting my fears will be a very slow process."
"That's okay! We have two more years or school to get through." Kokichi smiled, getting a lopsided one back.
"True."
Kokichi smiled wider after a moment of silent eye contact, reaching up and grasping his, dare he say, bestfriends hands and squeezing them. "Don't worry, I'll kill them if they look at you weird."
"That'd be the opposite of what I'd need."
"Sucks!" Kokichi laughed loudly, "And stop giving me that weird look. What, have you never taken your hat off with your friends?"
"Ah, no...not really. I don't have a reason to."
"Aww, am I special?"
"Quite."
Kokichi grinned sickly as he pulled Shuichis hands down to his face, playing the cool hands on his warm cheeks. It felt strangely nice, and Shuichis hands could use warming. Seriously, why were they so cold.
"I guess I'm the only person whose see your gravity defying cowlick!"
"Except for my parents, probably. I hate it sometimes, I wish it'd stick down more."
"I think it's cool, makes you different."
Shuichi raised his eyebrows, before narrowing them in distrust.
"You know, you lie an awful lot less when you're with me."
"Yeah, because no one would ever believe the things you hear me say even if you tried to tell them." Kokichi cackled, "They'd call you crazy, and that's a plus. I can hear them now, 'Kokichi, having feelings?!'"
Shuichi laughed softly at him, "I guess your right. I don't know why no one else seems to be able to figure out you like to wear a big façade."
"Don't get comfortable mister detective, it's not all a façade.'
"Sure it isn't. You're just a kid who likes to pretend." Shuichi hummed softly, pinching his cheeks gently, getting a swat at the face from Kokichi.
"We're sixteen, never say that again."
"You are a kid Kokichi. I don't see why that'd offend you." Shuichi said, "I am a future detective, it's in my nature to figure you out."
"You can only do that because I let you."
"Yeah, and I'm glad. Sometimes, it's a lot easier to not get mad at you for the things you say when I know you're only lying."
"Hmph," Kokichi huffed, "Maybe you've gotten too close to me."
Shuichi smiled down at him, and he nearly melted at the sight. Shuichi was always so full of care, and his smiles were the things that truly displayed that.
"I think I've only scratched the surface. You want me to know so much more about you, I know that."
"Hmm, do I? You sound rather full of yourself."
"I know you do, even the shittest people need to have someone who understands them."
"You'll never really understand me."
Shuichi chuckled, squeezing his cheeks again as his eyes were forced to close a little.
"Will you ever understand 𝘮𝘦?"
Kokichi rolled his eyes under their squishedness, "I guess not."
"Then we have an understanding. That's better than most people."
Kokichi stuck his tongue out, staring at Shuichis pretty eyes, "I hate it when you get sentimental."
"You just hate being confronted with your own feelings."
"Shut up."
"Make me."
Kokichi huffed as he flipped back over, holding Shuichis hands to his face. He was thinking of the meaning of those words, before he finally decided on one.
Shuichi eyes stared at him intently, before they flickered down to his lips, before flickering back up. Swallowing down whatever doubt he had, Kokichi held that position for a moment, keeping them inches apart. His worry was finally washed away when Shuichi got an expectant droopiness in his eyes.
Kokichi smirked, so this is what Shuichi 𝘥𝘪𝘥 mean. What a turn of events, who knew Shuichi was a sentimental kisser.
"Fine then, I wi–"
Boom.
Boom.
Then another boom.
They glanced up in surprise, fireworks suddenly lighting up the black sky without warning. They were loud, colorful and attention catching, different arrangements tearing their attention away from each other and onto the patterns.
The two boys scrambled away from each other after making eye contact again, blushing fiercely as they silently agreed to never bring that up again. They had no idea what possessed them and maybe they would never know.
Staring at the fireworks, Kokichi said it was comparable to the feeling in his stomach. He didn't know how the trauma dumping situation nearly turned into a kiss, but maybe he should stop thinking about it.
...That was a year before Kokichi finally confessed.
He laughed at the memory, it took the two another year to finally comprehend their feelings even though they almost kissed way before. They should have known from the start, but whatever, teenage boys will be teenage boys.
"You are always so goddamn giggly."
Shuichi was watching TV next to him as they cuddled on the couch of Shuichis apartment. Younger him probably would have never believed him if he was told this would happen.
"Shut up Shuichi, remembering how weird we were in highschool is fun!"
"Not another memory, I didn't know you liked thinking of the past so much."
"I don't, but this TV show really reminds me of us. Remember when we almost kissed at that one firework show? And then I didn't ask you out until a year later?"
"Stop, that was incredibly embarrassing." Shuichi whined, getting a poke in the side from his boyfriend.
"Aww, why? It was cute seeing you like that."
"Because I didn't ever let myself live it down. I remember I stayed up all night after that, it was horrid because I realized I had a crush on you."
"Why didn't you confess first then?!" Kokichi yelled, he thought Shuichi had forgotten about it the day after. He acted like he did at least.
Shuichi got an offended look on his face as he shrugged, "I was scared!"
"You are so useless sometimes.."
"Making you confess was much easier."
"Not when I thought I was slick bringing you to the confession corner. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 was embarrassing."
"I thought that was cute..."
"...We're breaking up."