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Kokichi snags Kiibo by the elbow on his way to the kitchen to make popcorn. “Kiiboy, listen to me. If we unionise, together the two of us will be powerful enough to change tonight’s movie.”
Rolling his eyes, Kiibo pulls his arm free from Kokichi’s hold. “If you really don’t want to watch Clueless, you should take that up with Miu. But I’m not unionising with you. You got your turn to pick the movie last week, it’s only fair.”
To that, Kokichi doesn’t seem to have any particular objections, but he still pouts, standing in the entryway to the kitchen while Kiibo collects a bowl and a couple sleeves of microwave popcorn. He can’t eat it, of course, but being able to prepare it for his friends is plenty for him while Miu gets the movie ready. Sometimes, on movie nights, Kokichi deigns to help out, but more often than not he chooses to spend his time nagging one of them. Today, he seems to have chosen Kiibo.
These days, Kiibo doesn’t mind nearly as much as he used to—they’ve been living together for long enough that Kiibo would have to be a masochist if it was genuinely a problem for him—but he still can’t help but scoff whenever Kokichi tries to drag him into his schemes.
“I’m not gonna lie, I was totally having buyer’s remorse about you a little while ago, but I think you’re actually earning your keep these days,” Kokichi comments.
Kiibo sighs. “Is that so.”
“It is so!” Kokichi skips into the kitchen and leans against the counter at Kiibo’s side. Kiibo frowns at him as he continues. “You’re wayyyy more worth the investment than that old microwave we had. I made the right call!”
Kiibo puts the popcorn into the microwave and folds his arms. “Well, I hope you don’t expect me to thank you,” he says dryly, before shaking his head. “To think that I choose, again and again, to renew my lease and deal with your constant robophobia…”
“Awww, you know you love me!” Kokichi giggles. “You like me too much to take me to court, anyhow.”
That, in fact, did not used to be true. Kiibo would have taken Kokichi to court years ago if it weren’t for circumstances preventing him from doing so. Nowadays, however, Kiibo is afraid that Kokichi is right—and
knows
exactly how right he is, which is worse. Kiibo would not have renewed his lease if he didn’t like Kokichi, Miu, this whole arrangement they have going. Still, there’s nothing stopping him from reaching over and giving Kokichi a firm flick between his eyebrows.
“Ow!” Kokichi yelps, hand flying to shield his face from further assault. “That was so mean! What happened to the laws of robotics?”
“Yes, I wonder,” Kiibo replies flatly. Kokichi blows a raspberry before beelining from the kitchen, and almost instantly Kiibo hears the swell of his and Miu’s voices as they get into it about… well, whatever it is they’re getting into it about. Kiibo shakes his head as he turns his attention to the microwave, but can’t suppress the smile that creeps across his face. It’s not the teasing. There’s just an easy familiarity to this, to their routine of watching movies together every week, that he enjoys. It’s undeniable.
With the popcorn distributed between two bowls—despite knowing that Kokichi will just be stealing from Miu’s regardless—Kiibo returns to the living room, where his two roommates are squabbling over a seat on the couch. The TV is on but paused, the movie ready to go. Kiibo sets the bowls of popcorn down on the floor by their feet, then sits on the far end of the couch and steeples his fingers.
“Kokichi, give Miu her space.”
“That’s unfair!” Kokichi cries. “She’s the one who started it!”
Miu elbows him aside. “Am not! You’re the motherfucker who insisted I was sitting in your spot—”
“That’s because you are! You instigated by sitting in my spot! Ergo, you started it!”
Kiibo raises his eyebrows. Kokichi is lying; he never seems to care, particularly, where he is seated on the couch. He is absolutely just doing this to get a rise out of Miu, and getting a rise he is. Kiibo listens to them banter for a moment longer before deciding he doesn’t actually care that much, reaching for the remote to unpause the movie.
“Just don’t kick over the popcorn,” Kiibo warns. “I won’t clean it this time.”
Kokichi pauses and glances over at him, then shrugs as his attention returns to Miu, who he is currently moving from the spot by force, jabbing at her ticklish sides with two fingers. “It was you who decided to worry about someone else’s mess. You should’ve called me. I would’ve made Miu do it.”
“Yeah, like hell!” Miu exclaims, before letting out a little shriek at another poke. “Fine, fine! I’ll move! God, you’re unbearable!” She shuffles along the couch cushions until her side is pressed into Kiibo’s, which Kiibo doesn’t mind at all. He does mind, a little bit, when Kokichi then chooses to ignore the spot he fought over entirely and pitch himself across both of their laps, but it’s a minor issue. Tangential, really.
Especially given that the position has Kokichi’s head perfectly situated in Kiibo’s lap, lolled back to peer into his eyes. Kokichi’s got this ridiculous smile on his face, and he’s a little pink, probably from all the squabbling. Kiibo stares for a beat too long and refocuses on the remote so he can actually play the movie.
“You make an awful pillow, Kiiboy,” Kokichi remarks. He immediately contradicts himself by snuggling back into Kiibo’s lap, his eyes falling closed.
“Oi.” It’s Miu’s turn to jab Kokichi’s side. “You’re gonna miss the movie.”
Kokichi hisses and twitches away from the touch. “And? I already tried to start an uprising about it. Just because my partner in crime abandoned me in my time of need doesn’t mean I changed my mind.” Again with the prompt contradictions; Kokichi rolls over onto his side to watch the show, eyes wide open now. Next to Kiibo, Miu adjusts a bit, one of her hands on Kokichi’s side as if to keep him steady while she does so. She somehow manages to manoeuvre enough to get the popcorn from the floor, putting a handful in her mouth.
Like clockwork, Kokichi steals a few pieces. Miu just lets out a resigned sigh and nudges the bowl to let him reach.
Kiibo fights to keep a straight face. He doesn’t want to act embarrassing, so he won’t say it—but these two, these times with them, are in so many ways a highlight of his life… It’s hard not to smile when he’s spending time with them, even when they’re both acting like children. Fortunately, the movie is a sufficient enough distraction to keep him from blurting anything ridiculous. At least for now. There’s no telling what he might say later.
If that time does come, though, Kiibo supposes the two of them will just have to deal with it. Kiibo tolerates enough squirminess and antics from his roommates; the least they can do is sit with the fact that Kiibo likes them.