Chapter Text
The idea of dating his rival's brother was one that had certainly crossed his mind, but was similarly one that Kokichi hadn't thought held much weight.
That was why he was, for once, more than happy to admit he was wrong when he and Kiibo officially became a couple. Except to Fuyumi, the smug bitch. He loved her as a sister, and as siblings tended to do, he hated the idea of admitting she was right. She already teased him for his new boyfriend and her supposed 'involvement', he wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of saying he had been wrong.
Unfortunately, Kiibo didn't like the idea of announcing this development from the rooftops as much as he did. Which was, in hindsight, completely understandable considering that he was blood related to two detectives, one of which was chasing him, and that Kokichi himself was a wanted criminal. But just because he understood that aspect didn't mean he had to happily accept Kiibo's insistence to not outwardly date his civilian self either.
"If you hang around too much, Shuichi may start to notice similarities." Kiibo had continuously repeated to him every time Kokichi whined about the rule, which was every time their relationship was brought up in conversation. It wasn't that he didn't understand the risks - in fact, he knew the risks more thoroughly then perhaps Kiibo himself - but Kokichi was always someone who indulged in pride, and if he wanted to show off his wonderful boyfriend, then he wanted to show off his wonderful boyfriend!
Still, he agreed and the two did their best to keep things subtle and secretive.
But here's the thing. Kokichi has no problem containing his adoration for Kiibo. He was a liar since the moment he was born, so avoiding verbal slip ups wasn't an issue. The issue lay in the fact that Kokichi had an insatiable urge to brag to Shuichi specifically about it.
So perhaps the thief was a bit more nervous than usual on this heist.
It was a crisp, late evening, three weeks after Kiibo's returned confession. The sharp breeze was none of his concern at the moment, darting through the warm museum with superhuman speed, though it would be when he inevitably ended up on the roof, as per usual. He was here to swipe an antique pocket watch, part of a new exhibit. It was worth the most, and Kokichi doubted he'd have any issues with finding some takers in the underground market.
With the all clear from Emiko, their resident hacker, it was a piece of cake to grab the watch. It was silver, with intricate engravings and elegant hands, and much heavier than he expected it to be. He shoved it into the pocket of his suit, the one in which he held the least chance of losing it. Now all that was left was his grand exit, though with the prize in his possession, he knew that it wasn't the time for reckless sprinting.
Besides, with the knowledge that Shuichi had invisibility powers under his belt, he recently felt less sure of his lack of company. He darted down the darkened corridors, large and empty as he let a boost of speed into his step, aiming for the stairs to the roof and promptly ignoring the staff only sign.
He noted the soft sound of a door closing as he travelled upwards without incident, preparing himself for an abrupt stop. As expected, as soon as he reached the door to the rooftop and swung it open, Shuichi himself faded into existence. He was standing directly in front of him, and Kokichi skidded to a halt to avoid running face first into his chest. Though, thinking about it, that would be unbelievably funny. An idea for next time, perhaps?
"Mister Detective! Fancy seeing you here!" He gasped dramatically, taking two calculated steps back to leave distance. He didn't move to check if the watch was secure in his pocket, purely to avoid giving Shuichi any hints that it was in that specific pocket as he instead focused on that sharp hazel gaze.
"Snake Eyes." Shuichi started tartly, with the exasperation of a man who has been in this situation too many times. Kokichi couldn't blame him, though he hoped today would be a bit more exciting, now that he had a new card to play. As long as he was careful with how much he implied, he figured it would be a safe way to spice up their little game. "I'm giving you the chance to return the watch before I begin to press charges."
The thief sniggered behind his mask, already well acquainted with the beginning of this speech. They both were. "How kind of you! I'm afraid I'll have to decline though - I don't have any watch."
Shuichi's eyes narrowed, and perhaps anyone else would mistake him as confident. Kokichi, however, could recognise the anxiety in his movements as always. He supposed confrontation never got easier for him.
"If you don't have it, then I'm sure you wouldn't be opposed to a pat down?" The detective suggested slowly, eyebrow taking a curious lilt. Kokichi's grin tightened for a moment, before melting into a comfortable sneer.
"Gee, don't you have enough people tripping over their feet to sleep with such a famous detective such as yourself as it is?" He mocked, rocking back on his heels and finding amusement in the flustered reaction from his enemy. Kokichi didn't move back, not looking to incriminate himself by creating distance, though he certainly wasn't moving any closer. He paused, considering briefly before he cocked his head with a glint in his eye. "Ooh, I guess it would be pretty hard to get laid when you share an apartment with your brother though, huh?"
Shuichi visibly stiffened as soon as the other referenced Kiibo, something sparking in his eyes. His breath caught as he choked out a question. "What?"
Kokichi, thankful for his distraction working and undeniably intrigued by the reaction, took a step towards the detective as he leaned closer with a giggle. He was trying to push his buttons, that much was obvious. "What, you thought I didn't know about pretty boy? You do realise your family tree isn't that hard to track, right?"
The detective exhaled, as if giving himself time to process this information, before fixing Kokichi with a glare that might have shot a lesser man dead, molten gold oozing with impulsive hatred. Kokichi smiled casually back, though he couldn't deny his surprise and delight at the new, extreme reaction he had prompted.
"Leave him out of this." Shuichi said, a rough edge to his voice as his movements grew more frantic. He stepped forward, hands curled into fists at his side. "This has nothing to do with him, or the rest of my family. This is strictly business."
Kokichi snickered, shaking his head in disbelief. "C'mon, really? If my family is involved, it's just as fair that your one is too." He knew Shuichi would try to refute that argument, so he was quick to swoop in and cut him off. "Besides, you can't control what I say! Freedom of speech and all that, y'know? If you could, that would be unlawful."
"That's not- I mean-" Shuichi groaned, raking a hand through his hair as he stormed forward. The thief stood his ground, hidden behind his costume, though he could safely say he had never felt intimidated by the detective until that moment.
"Bringing them up is just playing dirty!" The detective finally settled on that statement as he stopped in front of his nemesis. They stared at each other for one long, agonising moment, before a wild grin crept onto Kokichi's features.
"When did I ever agree to play fair?" He hissed, all malice and mischief as he swiftly elbowed the detective in the stomach and sped towards the opposite end of the rooftop. He hesitated there, glancing over his shoulder to see Shuichi recovering from the assault and turning to face him. He smirked smugly.
"By the way, I wasn't lying earlier. Your brother's a real pretty boy." He made a show of taking a large step forward, before lifting his other leg to hover over the edge. Shuichi recognised what he was doing, eyes widening as he began to rush forwards. "Would you mind if I said hello sometime?"
"Snake! Wai-!"
Kokichi didn't stick around to watch the detective chase after him, simply flinging himself off the edge. He heard a distinct metal clink behind him on the roof, presumably the watch that he presumably dropped. Still, there was no time to dwell on that as he plummeted downwards. He felt no fear, but he did feel the odd sensation in his gut that so often came with falling to one's death.
All at once, his descent halted as a grey sphere materialised around him. The sensation, to be fair, was barely better considering it was just as weightless, but it removed the possibility of his death. The sphere moved downwards slowly, before dissipating as soon as his feet touched the ground. He huffed, immediately turning to swat Ikki's arm.
"You couldn't have waited any longer to save my life?"
Ikki chuckled from behind his mask, shrugging playfully. "C'mon, Joker, you know I'd never really let you die that easily." He nudged him back, inclining his head towards the getaway van. "Got the goods?"
Kokichi laughed, reaching into his pocket and flashing his friend with the precious metal of the watch. "Who do you take me for? Obviously!" He hummed, eyes darting around before pushing him towards the van. "Now you all go ahead. I'm gonna make a pit stop. If I'm not back and you don't hear from me in three hours, start arranging my funeral."
Ikki rolled his eyes. "It's alright, Boss, just say you're gonna go be lovey dovey with your boyfriend to celebrate your victory." He teased, before saluting and bounding over to the van.
Kokichi made sure to wave the van off, before turning on his heel and slipping into the familiar alleyways. With his appearance, Shuichi would have some paperwork to do in the office which meant it was the perfect time to pay Kiibo a surprise visit. Maybe it would also be a good idea to let him know what happened.
Or maybe not. Who knows? He'd decide on the way.
_
Shuichi eyed the fallen pocket watch, still feeling light headed. He crouched down, picking it up and turning it over in his hands. It felt solid enough, cool to the touch as one would expect. It looked identical to the one that was previously on display, and in short, nothing was out of place.
Even so, he couldn't easily believe that a famous phantom thief like Snake Eyes would make such a novice mistake. Dropping the thing you were stealing didn't align well with the goal of stealing it, after all. He added pressure to the watch, keeping a close eye on it to monitor it for changes. At first, it held, metal digging into his palms until it suddenly burst into purple smoke, seeping through his fingers and swiftly being swept up by the wind.
He sighed heavily as he stood, not particularly surprised and therefore not disappointed by the lack of result. Even if it had been the watch, any sort of satisfaction was tainted by the memory of the interaction that occurred prior.
Snake Eyes knew about Kiibo, and possibly even where he lived. The thought was terrifying - it was every detective's worst nightmare. Still, Shuichi couldn't decide on how to face this knowledge. He didn't want to tell Kiibo, if only to keep his mind at ease, and besides, Snake Eyes had never shown any real hostile behaviour, so it was unlikely that anything would come of it. But there was a slither of doubt in his mind, and that was more than enough for him to dwell over.
He began the journey back to his car, which would lead to his journey to the office to record the heist, and finally back to his apartment, and his bed.
Shuichi couldn't wait to sleep.