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There was a soft, rhythmic thumping echoing through the room. The sound helped her think, even as she mostly ignored it to focus on the parts before her. Miu thought that it might have been hours that she had been shut up in her lab, eyes down and hands constantly moving. During all that time, the sound hadn't stopped at all. The pattern had changed a few times, but it hadn't stopped.
The sound was being made by Kokichi, she knew. The brat had made a scene when he'd come to visit her, forcing her to stop working to argue with him. After he'd eaten up enough of her time, he'd taken up a position on one of her unused desk, started tossing a ball against a wall, and told her to get back to work. As if he hadn't been the whole reason she'd stopped.
She would never admit how nice it was, having the subtle reminder that she wasn't alone. As easy as it was to tune out the sound, the fact that the rhythm of it changed every so often usually caught her attention enough that she never forgot he was there. She couldn't think of anyone else that would let her work without interruption, without lecturing her about taking care of herself, but still be willing to keep her company.
A hard knock against her lab door pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Come in!" Kokichi called out cheerfully.
She turned around to glare at him. "Hey! Don't go inviting people into my lab!"
Kokichi grinned at her, catching his ball and setting on the table beside him to focus on her. "I was just trying to help, you know. I didn't think you could hear anything with your head so far up your own ass."
'Why you--" She was cut off by the door opening and Kiibo entering the room, holding an armful of drinks and packaged bread.
"Kiiboy!" Kokichi cheered in greeting. She would never admit how cute it was, the way he lit up whenever Kiibo was around. She wondered if he did the same for her.
"Are you two fighting again?" Kiibo asked, voice heavy with resignation.
"Are you kidding? The two of us would never fight," Kokichi told him with a bright smile. "Miu and I only ever agree about absolutely everything."
"Shut the hell up, Cockikchi!" She cracked her neck as she walked over toward the desk Kokichi was sitting on.
"Yeah, Kiiboy! Don't insult our friendship! See how well we're getting along!"
Kiibo just sighed. "Could one of you help me with this?"
Kokichi waited until Kiibo was right beside him before plucking a bottle of panta from his arms and cracking it open. "I got you, don't even worry," he said before taking a swig of his soda. Kiibo waited a moment to see if Kokichi would provide anymore help, unsurprised when he didn't.
Miu took it upon herself to take the drinks from his arms, helping him carefully put them down on the table.
"Thank you, Miu," Kiibo said.
"What's all this, anyway?" she asked.
"I noticed that the two of you have been in here all day, so I thought I'd bring you something to eat." He smiled at them both, hands on his hips.
Kokichi was already picking through the assortment of breads. "Is this it?" he asked. "Do you think humans only eat bread?"
Kiibo deflated instantly. "Well, I--"
"Because you were right," Kokichi said as he tore open a package of melon bread and took a bite. "I survive exclusively on bread and panta."
"That doesn't seem healthy," Kiibo replied hesitantly.
Miu picked out a curry bread. "You should know better than to listen to anything this twink says, Kiibo."
Kokichi knocked the bread out of her hands before she could open it.
"Hey!"
"Are you stupid?" Kokichi questioned, glaring at her. "You basically bathed your hands in grease and you're gonna touch bread with those filthy things?"
"I'm not an idiot!" she replied, slapping his shoulder as she glared at him. "I was gonna leave it wrapped."
"Not good enough!" Kokiochi exclaimed. "Kiibo! Activate cleansing mode!"
Kiibo recoiled. "What?"
Kokichi rolled his eyes. "Give her hand sanitizer, you bucket of bolts."
"Oh!" Kiibo smiled at the idea of doing something helpful, pulling out a small bottle of hand sanitizer and holding it out to her. "Here you go."
Kokichi frowned. "You can't even spray hand sanitizer? Man, you're the worse robot ever."
"Hey! That's robophobic!"
Miu cleaned her hands quickly before tearing into her curry bread. It was only now that realized how hungry she really was. Had she even eaten breakfast today? She took a few bites too fast before choking and needing to grab a soda to wash it all down.
"Such grace. Such class," Kokichi drawled. "Truly a prince among men."
"No one asked you!" She yelled, tossing the wrapper of her curry bread at him. It didn't go very far. Luckily she was standing right beside him and it didn't need to go far to end up hitting him in the face.
"Well," Kiibo said awkwardly. "I guess I'll leaver you both to what you were doing."
He never knew what to do when they argued with each other too long. That was one of the reasons Kokichi went out of his way to tease him. Miu's main methods of engaging people, insulting or flirting, rarely went over well with Kiibo. If it wasn't about upgrading him or talking about her inventions, she was honestly a mess. That didn't mean she wanted him to leave, though.
"Wait what?" Her voice was more surprised and distressed than she meant it to be. "You're leaving?"
"You're just gonna abandon us?" Kokichi's voice was much louder and mildly insulted.
"Um, do you want me to stay?" Kiibo questioned. The honest confusion on his face was more frustrating than her arguments with Kokichi. They had been trying to get Kiibo to stick around with them in their owns ways for so long that it was almost discouraging that he still felt the need to ask that. Almost. Kiibo was too polite to just make assumptions. It was one of the thigs she liked about him, even if it was also frustrating.
"Of course we do, you dummy." Kokichi glared at him. "Don't those circuits you call a brain work?"
Miu hit Kokichi in the back of the head. "Don't be mean to Kiibo," she told him.
"Why? Want me to be mean to you instead?" he asked with a smirk. "Are you jealous?"
Miu squeaked, a flush spreading across her face. "Eeh?"
Kiibo sighed. "You could ask me to stay like a normal person, Kokichi."
"Nope," Kokichi said with a little pop. "That's my charm."
Miu placed a hand on Kiibo's shoulder. "Would you stay and have lunch with us?"
Kiibo smiled at her, making something flutter in her chest. "Thank you, Miu. I would be happy to stay."
Kokichi reached out and wrapped his arm around Kiibo's, pulling him closer as he picked up another melon bread. "Ha! You fell for our trap!"
Kiibo eyed him suspiciously. "What trap?"
"You made a deal with a devil, Kiiboy! Now you have no choice but to stay with us."
"Hey! Are you calling me a devil?" she asked.
"If anyone here is a devil, I think it would be you, Kokichi," Kiibo said.
"Ooh, does that make you the angel?" Kokichi questioned. "Alright, I'll tell her to do only the worst things and you can give her all the good ideas."
"What? No!"
"See, you're already used to your role."
Miu laughed, moving to Kiibo's other side and leaning against him. "Thanks for bringing us food," she said softly.
"You're welcome," Kiibo replied. "I worry about the two of you when you're alone."
Kokichi moved even closer to Kiibo, practically nuzzling his arm. "Guess that means you can't ever leave us alone, right? You don't know what we'll get up to. You're the only one that can keep us out of trouble, Angel."
Kiibo didn't have the ability to blush, but she was sure he would be if he could. "I... You're just teasing me," he stammered.
"Am I?" Kokichi asked with a wide grin, fluttering his eye lashes at Kiibo. "Am I really?"
Miu placed her hand on the desk behind Kiibo and Kokichi reached out to rest his own on top of it. "I wouldn't mind having an angel and devil on my shoulder," she said softly.
"Well... if you're both serious," Kiibo said softly. "Then alright. I'll be sure not to leave the two of you alone. You can count on me."
"Thanks Angel!" Kokichi chirped brightly.
Kiibo looked flustered again.
Miu laughed. "You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into," she told him. "But it's too late to back out now!"