Work Text:
Kiibo was one to pride himself in his functionality, efficiency, and usefulness. While Maki, Himiko, and Shuichi worked to pay the bills, Kiibo stayed home. They all were trying to keep a low profile, and Kiibo was decently easy to recognize. It took the right clothes and make up to hide his robotic appearance. Occasionally, it would bother him to feel like he wasn't able to contribute financially, and the electric bill was high because of the power needed to charge overnight, but Kiibo found alternatives to support his family.
Even now, Kiibo was beginning the prep work to make dinner for everyone. He couldn't eat, or even taste, but he's able to record recipes in his memory banks and adjust them according to the critique of his roommates. It's takes many trial and errors to perfect anything, but Kiibo enjoyed the learning experience. To top it off, tonight was special, it was Shuichi's birthday.
Shuichi insisted that he still go to work today, that he couldn't afford to take an extra day off just for his birthday, despite Kiibo and Himiko's feelings towards that sentiment. Shuichi and Maki were both set in their ways, and there was no winning an argument against that team.
So, as soon as Shuichi left for work, Kiibo got started in the kitchen. He'd done his research and preemptively purchased the necessary ingredients with Maki. The lemon cake was already baked and cooling, waiting for the frosting and decorations. Meanwhile, Kiibo removed the lid from the pot of simmering stew and stabbed one of the steak bits with a fork. The recipe called for the meat to be "fork tender", so he assumed this is what it meant.
"This appears to be just about done. Now, I can let it rest and finish the cake." With hands on hips, Kiibo admired his own work before turning to where the cake layers sat on a cooling rack. He pulled out a bag, so cleverly hidden in the back of a cabinet that no one other than the home chef would need to get into.
"It needs to look perfect…" the robot reminded himself, popping open one of the vanilla frosting tubs, and got to work.
It was nearly an hour later and Kiibo was in distress. The videos he'd watched online made cake decorating look so simply easy, their work was flawless. Spinning the cake around, the frosting doing what they intended. Currently, Kiibo was fighting the lemon candies that insisted on sliding down the side of the cake. Why wouldn't they just stay where he put them? He practically forced them into the cake itself.
Looking upon his own lemony confection, Kiibo could only feel great disappointment. The cake was lopsided, the frosting was uneven and seemingly more on him than the cake itself. Candies and sprinkles were scattered in an unorganized mess. It was 6:13pm; Shuichi would be home soon. Kiibo hid the cake under a dome cover and—
Oh no, the door unlocked. If Kiibo had a heart it surely would have stopped. He, as well as the kitchen, was a sticky, sugary disaster. The door opened to reveal not Shuichi, but Maki and Himiko instead. Eyes fell upon the scene that was Kiibo standing around like he'd committed a crime.
"What the hell happened in here?" Maki inquired, brows raised.
"W-Well, I discovered that cake decorating is a far more advanced skill than I originally thought."
"Nyeh, is the cake even decorated? There's so much frosting on you!"
Kiibo could feel his faceplates heat up, LEDs lighting up pink. Maki shook her head, the bun of her hair wobbling slightly.
"We need to clean this up before Shuichi gets home." Maki sighed and set the bags of party decorations, causing the dining table to wobble slightly."Kiibo, go clean yourself up. I'll take care of this while Himiko decorates."
"I am sorry to have caused an inconvenience…"
"It's fine."
With that, Kiibo retreated into the bathroom, and threw his apron and clothes into the hamper. Team Danganronpa rebuilt his body to still be completely waterproof, so at least Kiibo was able to use the shower to clean himself off as needed.
"This water can wash away the frosting, but never my shame."
Shuichi's feet ached after a long day of work. He yanked on the band keeping his hair tied back and shook his hair loose. The September breeze felt somewhat nice in conrast to the ever-warm autumn sun.
"Finally home..." Cashiering at a major grocery store on a Saturday usually caused the right flurry of events to leave someone completely drained. As he opened the door, the sight set upon his eyes was not what he was expecting.
Maki was vigorously scrubbing the cabinets, swearing harshly under her breath. Himiko shouted, fighting against a tangled web of blue streamers, threatening balloons with her magic. All while Kiibo bowed on his knees in the middle of the room, nearly crying and begging for forgiveness. All of it was absolute chaos, and Shuichi stood in the doorway absolutely baffled.
"Um, guys?"
Maki's head shot up in a panic. She shouted,
"Shuichi!" which caught the attention of the other two. After a beat of silence, Himiko cheered with a celebratory pose,
"Nyehh…happy birthday!"
"It's my birthday?"
"Shuichi, I apologize greatly that you had to come home to this disaster!" Kiibo cried out, nearly hitting his forehead on the floor.
"We tried to have a decent party planned for you. It was Kiibo's idea, but we're all responsible for…this." Maki explained, gesturing to the current state of the apartment. Shuichi walked over to Kiibo and placed a hand on his metallic shoulder. Bright blue pleading eyes looked up. Shuichi simply smiled and said,
"Kiibo, please stand up. You're being too harsh on yourself." Shuichi put Kiibo's hands in his own, helping his robot boyfriend to his feet. "This was all really sweet. Honestly, I didn't even remember it was my birthday today. Thank you, guys."
The mess of the apartment was quickly forgotten as celebrations ensued. After the meal Kiibo successfully prepared, they all sat around the living room and each gave Shuichi their gifts. Being the center of attention was never the ex-detective's forte, but if it was only these three people next to him…he could deal with it. He accepted the red bag from Maki. Ruffling through the tissue paper he pulled out a mystery novel; the newest volume of a series he'd been invested in.
"Thank you, Maki. I didn't even know this was out already." Shuichi caressed the book's hardcover spine. It very much held that 'new book' smell that he really enjoyed.
"I happened across it at work in the new arrivals," made sense, considering she worked at a book store, "and remembered you talking about this series before."
"Here's mine, Shuichi!" Himiko practically threw the parcel into Shuichi's lap. He made quick work of the construction paper wrapping and revealed a variety box of tea. Shuichi opened the lid and inspected the contents; there were 6 different boxes of unique loose leaf teas and a steeper with a little weight attached to it. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the weight was in the shape of a cartoony robot.
"I thought you'd like the robot one best." She didn't want to think about, let alone mention that, the other option was a teddy bear.
"That robot's design is tacky, outdated, and disfunctional!" Kiibo exclaimed defensively.
"It's not even a real robot, Kiibo…" Shuichi shook his head at his boyfriend's immediate jealousy of a metal charm. Ridiculous as it was, he still found it adorable. "Thank you, Himiko. I can't wait to try some of these."
"Now, it is time for my gift. Shuichi, please accept this!" Another bag, blue and a bit larger than the one Maki gave. Digging around, Shuichi pulled out a soft wooly scarf, woven black and blue yarn.
"Kiibo, did you make this?"
"Yes, I've been working on it most days while everyone is at work. It will be winter soon, and I'm aware of how cold you can get—" Kiibo pushed his fingers together sheepishly, looking away from his boyfriend.
"I love it. Thank you, Kiibo." Shuichi leaned over, pressing a quick kiss to a synthetic cheek. Those LEDs in his face betray him once again. The gifts were set aside.
"I really wasn't expecting any of this, guys. I don't know what I did to deserve it."
"We all work hard and tirelessly to rediscover our lives. After all of the shit we went through, there's nothing wrong with taking an evening to celebrate something positive." Himiko and Kiibo could only nod at Maki's sentiment. They all know that Shuichi beats himself up the most. The trauma from Danganronpa plagues them still, yet Shuichi still believes that he sent so many of their friends to their deaths.
"Can we eat cake now?" Himiko unashamedly broke the tension.
Oh no
"I think that actually sounds pretty good right now." Shuichi agreed.
Oh no
"I know Kiibo made one. I'll go cut it." Maki stood, the others followed.
"Oh, NO!"
"Kiibo? What's wrong?" Shuichi stopped, placing a hand on the robot's back.
"The cake is a complete embarassment of my own confectionary skills! I did so much research beforehand, and still it…Maki, please, just remove the cover."
She did just that, removing the metal bowl. Her brows furrowed in confusion before glancing back at Kiibo.
"I am ready for your honest criticism." The depression in his voice said otherwise.
"It looks like a cake." she said flatly.
"I am glad that you can at least recognize it."
"It looks fine. I don't understand why you're freaking out over this." Shuichi and Himiko moved over, peering over at the lemony confection. The frosting was clearly spread on with a knife with varying peaks and valleys. Sprinkles and candies decorated the top and sides. There's even some writing in icing that sloppily says "Happy Birthday Shuichi!" with a "19" and a heart.
"I mean, it looks better than what I could do." Shuichi commented, shrugging his shoulders.
"Yeah, I kinda just wanna eat it…"
"You can't be serious!" Kiibo was flabbergasted; no one was offended by his hideous cake?! "It looks nothing like ones in those videos…"
"Videos? You mean those sped-up cake decorating clips made by professionals?" The ex-detective questioned curiously.
"Yes…" Shuichi stepped over to his sulking partner. With a hand to lift Kiibo's face, Shuichi spoke directly,
"Kiibo, this was the first cake you've ever made, right? You can't compare yourself to someone whose been doing it for years as their career. I'm really happy to be thought of like this."
Kiibo's eyes watered, thanks to the crying function given to him.
"Besides, I value taste over visuals with food anyway."
"Yeah, so let's stop jabbering and eat the cake already!" Himiko's impatience was rewarded; Maki was already cutting slices and plating them.
"It should taste amazing. I followed the recipe exactly!" Everyone, aside from Kiibo, dug into the cake. Creamy vanilla and tangy lemon sponge filled their mouths and fed their souls. Who cared what it looked like when it tasted this good? The delighted expressions on everyone's faces told Kiibo all he needed to know.
Later that evening, after the girls' retired to their room, Kiibo and Shuichi did the same. As they changed into their pajamas, Shuichi couldn't help but inquire as to why Kiibo was so stressed out today. The robot fiddled with the hem of his shirt, attempting to come up with a proper explanation.
"I wanted everything to be perfect for you. I don't mean to discredit the girls, but you work really hard, and I know how difficult it is for you to be out there. You didn't seem to care much for your birthday, so I felt as though I had to care enough for the both of us."
Shuichi said nothing, but he sat on the next next to Kiibo and held him close. He could feel metallic arms wrap around his back.
"I, for one, am grateful for your existance, Shuichi."
They moved so their foreheads would touch, noses brushing.
"You make it worth existing." Shuichi whispered, his long lashes fluttering.
"Well, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for all of you. So, please, give yourself more credit. I love you, very much, Shuichi."
"I love you too, Kiibo."
They couldn't tell who moved first, but their lips connected in a sweet, loving kiss. Nothing heated, yet it retained passion. Something that they both used to be so shy about, but through their trials grew to understand that they only have so much time to share in each other's love.
"I'll try, I promise."
"Good, now, let's get some rest. My battery is quite low."
"Yeah, work was exhausting. Add in the party, and I'm pretty drained myself."
They both shuffled under the blankets while Kiibo plugged himself in through the port on his neck. Shuichi nestled into Kiibo, his head resting on the metal chest cushioned by the comforter. Kiibo waited until he felt his lover relax, until he could hear light snores, before putting himself into sleep mode.