Work Text:
Shuichi Saihara had a massive problem. A problem that came with dark plum hair, sparkling amethyst eyes, and a giggle so sweet that he could almost feel his knees buckle every time he heard it.
To put it simply, he was head over heels in love with Kokichi Ouma.
And he had no idea what to do about it.
His friends weren’t exactly much help. Kaito and Maki simply seemed displeased with his choice in men. Kaede was supportive as they came, but was truly clueless on how to help someone so hopeless. Miu just called him a simp over and over.
It almost seemed like he was eternally doomed to never tell Kokichi how he felt about him. It wasn’t as if he didn’t want to, of course. Just the idea of dating Kokichi, of being able to hold those soft, warm hands in his own, or learning just how wonderful those plump pink lips would feel against his own, was enough to make him melt.
And now here he was, sitting at his desk on the morning of February 13th, just a mere 24 hours before the most romantic day of the year, completely and utterly hopeless on what to do about this crush that had oh so easily spiraled out of control.
Maybe a love letter? No, too done to death.
What about anonymously leaving bouquets of flowers on his desk? No that was stupid, and he only had one day anyway.
He could just…tell him, but that was terrifying, an absolutely daunting task. There’s no way he'd be able to get the proper words out, he’d probably have to use an absurd amount of notecards to make sure he said everything he wanted to say. Knowing him, he’d probably drop them all on the ground too, and then he’d just be humiliated.
There was of course also the question of whether or not Kokichi even liked him back. Sure the supreme leader was fairly flirtatious with him, always calling him pretty, and of course his signature nickname of “beloved” had certain connotations associated with it.
But was he actually being genuine? That was the puzzling part. Kokichi was known for his pranks after all.
Shuichi simply sighed, catching sight of his clock out of the corner of his eye. If he didn’t leave soon, he would be late for class. The absence would definitely not be worth the extra few hours of thinking around in circles.
Plus, Kokichi was in all his classes. He couldn’t help but smile to himself.
— — —
8 hours later, he returned to his dorm room and flopped face first onto his bed. The day had been nothing short of absolutely exhausting. It seemed like almost everyone in his class had Valentine’s day fever. Miu had been working on some strange gadget, occasionally peeking over at Kaede before blushing and getting back to work. Kaito seemed to have been reading some article titled “Top 10 last minute romantic gifts to give your sweetheart when you forgot about Valentine’s day.”
And Kokichi, chatting away with Kirumi, the tiniest hint of pink evident in those plump cheeks, accentuating his freckles. He was too busy staring to hear what they were talking about, but he did overhear something about a kitchen. Was Kokichi planning to make something for someone?
Was he making something for Shuichi?
The idea made him blush furiously, burying his face in his pillow. He turned on his side, facing the bouquet of roses and carnations placed carefully in a vase on his desk. He had stopped by the gardens after class, paying Hope Peak Academy’s ultimate gardener a pretty penny for the beautiful flowers.
Was it cheesy? Absolutely. But he was out of options. He was confessing to Kokichi tomorrow, and nothing was going to stop him.
— — —
Waking up on the morning of Valentine’s day was like waking up on another planet. Shuichi could practically feel the love in the air as he walked through the halls to his homeroom, the bouquet of flowers clutched tightly in his hands.
He had been so nervous that he left a little later than usual, so most of his classmates were already present when he arrived. Miu was showing Kaede her new creation, a little hologram projector that created the words “go out with me Kaede?” in the air, which Kaede seemed to enthusiastically accept. Kaito seemed very energetic as he showed Maki the little stuffed bear he got for her. The brunette tried her hardest to seem annoyed, but Shuichi could see the smallest hint of a smile evident on her face.
And then Kokichi, who sat almost timidly at his desk, fidgeting in a way Shuichi knew meant he was nervous. His eyes almost seemed to light up when he caught sight of Shuichi, and he smiled widely as he got up from his seat, but Shuichi could easily tell that it was forced.
“SHUMAI!” the trickster screeched, giving Shuichi an enthusiastic hug around the waist. “I almost thought you would never come and I would be all alone on Valentine’s after all! WAAAAHHHHH!!!”
Shuichi simply chuckled lightly, feeling the heat rise to his face as he hugged Kokichi back, being careful not to damage the flowers. It wasn’t until he heard the crinkling of the plastic wrapping, that Kokichi finally seemed to realize what Shuichi was holding.
“Ohhhhhhhhhh? What’s with the flowers?” Kokichi asked, tilting his head towards Shuichi’s. “Did someone else try to steal my beloved Shumai from me?”
The nickname and the close proximities of their faces only succeeded in making him more flustered. His face must have been as red as a tomato as he sputtered, trying to find the right words to say before holding the bouquet out towards Kokichi.
“A-Actually Kokichi,” he muttered, barely loud enough for Kokichi to hear. “These are for you.”
Kokichi’s reaction was instantaneous. His cheeks flooded with color, his mouth falling open slightly as he gawked at the flowers in front of him.
“For…me?” He asked hesitantly, reaching out to take them from Shuichi with shaky hands. Their fingers brushed as the flowers left his grasp, sending another jolt of electricity through his body.
“Ah, yeah, they’re for you Kokichi,” Shuichi managed to force the words out of his mouth, despite his heart beating so fast he could hear it in his ears. He reached out to take one of Kokichi’s hands in his own, running a thumb along his tiny knuckles.
“I really like you, Kokichi. A-And I wanted to know if you would want to go on a date with me?”
Kokichi was silent for a few moments, simply staring slack jawed at Shuichi, before he stomped his foot on the ground almost in anger.
“That’s no fair Shumai!” He cried out, reaching into his backpack to hold out a small wrapped package. “I was gonna confess first!”
Shuichi felt his own mouth fall open as he took the small package in his hands. Unwrapping it carefully, he was met with what seemed to be homemade dark chocolate and salted caramel bark, his favorite sweet treat, with the words “go out with me Shumai?” written neatly on the top in caramel.
“I had Kirumi help me make it. I know it’s my beloved’s favorite!” Kokichi cooed, seemingly delighted with the joyous smile on Shuichi’s face. “And if it wasn’t obvious by now, I’d love to go on a date with you!”
Shuichi grinned, leaning down to give Kokichi a peck on the cheek. He was vaguely aware of the rest of their classmates gawking at them, but when Kokichi shifted onto the tips of his toes to give him a cheek kiss in return, he decided he didn’t care. He simply swept his new boyfriend into a hug, smiling like a lovestruck idiot.
All in all, it was the best Valentine’s day he could ever ask for.