Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It’s been one month since Shirogane Tsumugi, student president of class 79, decided that there would be a high school prom taking place this year! Even if this idea came from a light novel that she’s been obsessed with, the event has gotten the whole class excited. Shirogane debriefed everyone on typical Western traditions when it comes to school dances, too. Of course, in those traditions, it was mentioned that people will often ask a partner to go with them, romantically or platonically. Usually romantically.

So, the whole class had to deal with Momota panicking over how to ask Harukawa to their prom. It was a mess, with relentless teasing from Ouma and Iruma. (In the end, Harukawa confronted him: “Are you going to ask me or not? You look like you’re going to explode.” She said yes! Which, of course, also led to the whole class having to deal with Momota bragging about the first one to get a date).

From there, Chabashira asked Yumeno, who agreed. Though, the magician is still completely unaware of its romantic implications. 

Two days after that, Iruma made a big show out of asking K1-B0 to the dance. It was… well, her style. 

And now… two weeks until the dance, and Saihara is struggling over how to ask his person to dance. He picks at his cafeteria food, which doesn’t seem very appetizing to him right now. Momota – who sits across from the detective, and next to the assassin – speaks up first.

“Yo! What’s up with you, man?”

Saihara pauses. He somehow didn’t expect either of them to pick up of his mood, which, frankly, was just wishful thinking. “Um. Nothing, really. Just thinking.” He trails off.

“...Seriously? You don’t need to hesitate to talk to us! Spit it out, dude!!”

Harukawa just sighs, so… Saihara starts quietly, “Okay, okay. Um. I… want to ask someone to the dance, and I’m just… mulling over how to do it. Nothing big.”

“Nothing big!?! That is nothing to worry over! Just go for it, man!”

“Says you,” Harukawa says with only a little bite to her words. Becoming friends with Momota and Saihara has allowed her social skills to grow a bit.

“Hey!” Kaito huffs, fragile masculinity or whatever, “Anyway! If this is about who I think it is,” he smirks, “then you’ve totally got it! I believe in you, Shuichi!”

Harukawa nods, silently showing her support. Saihara smiles at the encouragement from his friends.

“Ah.. um, okay. If you… really think I can. Thank you, guys.”

They finish lunch with Momota going on about whatever topic. Honestly, Saihara was hardly listening. He’s too busy thinking. He’s well aware that Momota thinks that he’s going to ask Akamatsu to their prom. He also knows that who he really wants to ask…won’t go over well with either of his friends. He’ll just… keep his date a surprise, yeah!

-

So… later that evening, he finds himself outside Ouma Kokichi’s door with a freshly bought bouquet of purple carnations and white rain lilies.

He has thought of nothing to say, but he knocks anyway. Kokichi takes a couple minutes before opening the door.

“Hel-”

He pauses, standing there speechless just for a second. Saihara swears he sees a tiny of pink cover the shorter boy’s cheeks before he slams the door shut.

… He slams the door shut?

Saihara hasn’t even gotten a word in yet! Why did he do that??

Okay. Maybe he overstepped. If he leaves now, they can just… pretend this never happened. Yeah.

But, of course, the universe would never grant him that. Ouma opens the door again.

“Whoops! Sorry about that, Saihara-chan. There were hundreds of bees in my room! If I had kept the door open, they would’ve flown out and gone right for your flowers!” Ouma giggles, stepping out and shutting the door behind himself, “Anyway! Might I ask what you’re out here for?”

Saihara is super nervous, and he’s sure it’s showing, but Ouma… isn’t pointing it out or teasing him like normal. 

“Oh, well, um.. I..” Curse his awkwardness… get it out, damn! 

“I wanted- ahem, want to ask you to, um, come with me to the school dance?”

Saihara’s cheeks are pink. So, so pink. He looks down, holding the flowers out a little. Ouma takes them. Ouma takes them!?!?!

“Well, who would I be to say no to you, my beloved~! Of course I’ll go with you! Even though you seem like you’re about to run away, nishishi~”

“Ah! Um, really?” Saihara smiles. Like, really smiles, and finally looks up. 

“Well duh! Consider yourself lucky! Y’know, just last night, there were hundreds of suitors lined up at my door to ask me out. I had to get Gonta to throw them all outside of the building because they were practically begging for my hand!”

They both laugh, though for Ouma it was to add flair to his story, and Saihara was just giggling at Ouma’s antics.

“Alright. I’ll… um, see you then?”

“Yeah.”

Ouma nods, then retreats back into his room with a smile. 

So does Saihara, though he ends up going straight to his bed and just letting himself be giddy over the boy.

He said yes. He said yes! He said yes!!!

He also never specified if it was romantic. Actually, no, Ouma is smart enough to figure it out, especially with the flowers. That’s one of the many things that Saihara admires about the boy – his intellect.

Saihara just hopes that his friends won’t make too big of a deal out of it once the dance rolls around. Hopefully they’re both smart enough to realize that making a scene at prom would be more trouble than it’s worth.

Chapter Text

Someone was banging on his door really, really hard. He lets them wait for like 5 minutes, but alas, the knocking still continues. Ouma goes to open the door.

“Oh. My. God. What!!!” He groans, putting on his best pissed off face.

“Ouma! I’ve got new invention ideas and I need to share!!” Iruma is practically beaming. Ouma would never admit this, but seeing Iruma in her element is… sweet, in a way.

“Ugh, and no one else wanted to see your new sex toys? Not even Kii-boy?” Ouma rolls his eyes, but opens his door anyway. Iruma is probably his best friend, but they have an interesting way of getting along.

“But apparently you do! Ooh, or maybe, you just want an idea of what it’s like, virgin!” She laughs dramatically, walking in and sitting on Ouma’s bed like she owns the place.

“You better wash those sheets before you leave. I don’t want… whatever’s on you on my bed.” He scoffs.

They go over Iruma’s blueprints for a while. A lot of them are… really interesting, even if Ouma didn’t say so. He insulted them all, actually! There were only two blueprints left to go over when there were two soft knocks at Ouma’s door. 

“Did you invite someone else over to my dorm, skank?”

“Wh- no! I’m not that much of an asshole!”

Ouma goes to open the door, already a little annoyed.

“Hel-”

He pauses. Because there should be no reason why Saihara Shuichi is standing at his door, anxiety radiating off of him in waves, with a bouquet of purple and white flowers.

Ouma feels his cheeks warm up very quickly.

He slams the door, leaning his back against it, sliding down to the floor.

“Who could’ve been at that fuckin’ door to get you like… that?”

Ouma is panicking. He’s all… flustered or whatever and Iruma gets to witness it. He’s never living this down. He can’t really control what comes out of his mouth next.

“Saihara-chan.” He pauses, catching his breath. He can hear the detective pacing outside his door. “He had flowers.”

“HE WHAT!?!?” Iruma practically yells, “and you SHUT THE DOOR ON HIM???”

That realization hits him very quickly. Fuck.

“GO GET YOUR EMO BOYTOY??” She screams at him again. It’s her way of being supportive, okay? “God, he’s probably freakin’ the fuck out right now, Ouma. Open that damn door!”

He stands back up, opening the door with a grin. 

“Whoops! Sorry about that, Saihara-chan. There were hundreds of bees in my room! If I had kept the door open, they would’ve flown out and gone right for your flowers!” He giggles mischievously, trying to bring his personality back in. So Saihara doesn’t notice Iruma (and so Iruma doesn’t hear what’s about to happen), Ouma steps into the hallway and shuts his dorm door, “Anyway! Might I ask what you’re out here for?”

Saihara looks so nervous. In fear of scaring him out of asking whatever he’s about to ask, Ouma doesn’t tease. Any other day, though, and this would’ve been absolute gold.

“Oh, well, um.. I..” Saihara stumbles through it. It’s adorable and endearing. “I wanted- ahem, want to ask you to, um, come with me to the school dance?”

Ouma’s heart implodes, basically. It feels like the air just got knocked out of him.

Still, he's able to keep most of his personality up. And manages to grab the flowers that are offered to him.

“Well, who would I be to say no to you, my beloved! Of course I’ll go with you! Even though you seem like you’re about to run away, nishishi~”

“Ah! Um, really?” Saihara looked at Ouma like he genuinely didn’t consider this possibility at all. Ouma really wishes that the detective could see himself a bit more positively. 

“Well duh! Consider yourself lucky! Y’know, just last night, there were hundreds of suitors lined up at my door to ask me out. I had to get Gonta to throw them all outside of the building because they were practically begging for my hand!”

A bullshit story, and they both know it. It gets them both to laugh, and gets Saihara out of his thoughts.

“Alright.” The detective’s giggling slows, but his smile doesn’t waver, “I’ll… um, see you then?”

“Yeah.”

Ouma nods, smiling softly. It’s something gentler than his usual grin. For a bit of mysterious aura, he retreats back into his room, flowers in hand.

He pauses. Takes a breath. Two.

“Iruma-chan,” he starts, carefully. His voice is slightly shaky, like he still can’t believe what just happened. Nor can he believe that he’s telling this to Iruma, of all people, “He asked me out. To the dance.”

Iruma squeals. “SERIOUSLY????” She grins, then gasps at a sudden realization, “Oh my god, I won’t be able to tease you for being a virgin anymore!”

On a different day, he might’ve had some sort of snappy remark. Right now, though? He’s still recovering from whatever encounter that was.

“Shut upppp!!! Oh my god, I can’t even be happy for one second!!” He rolls his eyes.

Ouma sets the flower bouquet on his nightstand, since Hope’s Peak doesn’t exactly supply them with vases. He’ll buy one another day.

“He’s gonna be alllll over you, y’know. That’s a big ass bouquet!” 

Ouma grins, recovering quickly. “Well, duh! I am irresistible~"

Iruma rolls her eyes, quickly getting back to her blueprints. Ouma is only half-focused.

He’s going to make such a big deal over getting asked out. No one is ever going to hear the end of it from him.

Chapter Text

The next day, Ouma is one of the last few people to walk into class. Saihara looks up when he enters, and… fuck-

Ouma braided one of the flowers into his hair. The purple carnation sits just above his ear and it’s so, so pretty. It complements the shorter boy’s bright eyes and pale skin. When he catches Saihara staring, he just smirks, then walks up to his desk.

“Something catch your eye, Saihara-chan~? Or am I just that gorgeous!?” He giggles mischievously, knowing his words will get the detective flustered.

Saihara blushes, “Um. Your- your hair looks nice, Ouma-kun.”

“Why, thank you! It took me hours, you know!!”

“Really?”

“Nope!”

Saihara huffs and shakes his head. He’ll never understand Ouma, but his lies and playfulness are entertaining.

“Saihara-chan!”

“Yes?”

“We should totally match outfits for the dance!”

Momota glares for a moment. The astronaut’s desk is right next to him… so he does hear it all.

“Okay,” Saihara pauses, trying not to be obvious with his nervousness. Momota dislikes Ouma, and Harukawa hates him. This won’t go over well, but whatever. “What color?”

“Hmmmmm….” Ouma exaggerates his thinking, putting a finger up to his lips and furrowing his eyebrows. “Dunno! What do you think?”

“Ah…” Saihara pauses to think, not putting on any theatrics like Ouma. “Maybe… I can do purple, and you can do blue?”

“Saihara-chan, that’s not matching. Did you hit your head or something?” He teases.

“Our hair colors, Ouma-kun.”

“Oh!” Ouma grins, and Saihara swears he sees a light pink tint cover his cheeks. “You’re so cheesy, beloved!”

“Um, well, we can pick something else-”

“Non non! I love it! Even if it’ll be like a dumb Hallmark movie!”

Saihara sighs, unsure if that’s supposed to be something to reassure him or not.

Before he can think too hard about it, their teacher walks in, so Ouma takes his seat across the room by Iruma.

…

Lunch rolls around rather quickly. There’s no real reason for them to have classes here, since they all have different ultimates.

As per usual, Saihara sits with Momota and Harukawa. It’s oddly tense.

“What was that this morning?” Harukawa starts, her voice actually serious.

“What?” Saihara tilts his head.

“Are you seriously going with Ouma, of all people?” Harukawa has a slight frown on her lips and she crosses her arms.

“I thought you were going to ask Akamatsu!”

“Um.” Saihara pauses, looking down at his lap. He knows his friends are just looking out for him. Ouma doesn’t have the… best reputation around school. He’s always causing trouble. Especially for Momota. “Y-yeah.. I, uh, asked him last night.”

“Seriously!?” Momota looks surprised. “He does nothing but cause trouble!”

Harukawa can only scoff.

Saihara bites his lower lip, a bad nervous habit, “I-I know, but… I like him, okay?” 

…

Did he really just say that???

Harukawa glares at him. She’s held a grudge against Ouma since the boy outed her true ultimate.

“I…” Momota is at a loss for words. “Look, man, I want you to be happy. We do!! But… I really feel like Ouma’s gonna mess with you.”

“He won’t. Promise.” Saihara finally looks up, smiling softly. “Just… don’t do anything at the dance, please? I want him to have fun.”

Harukawa and Momota reluctantly agree.

“If he breaks your heart, I’m beating his ass.” Harukawa says, completely serious. It causes Saihara to chuckle a little, though.

“Okay. Uh- thank you?”

She nods.

They’re able to talk normally, staying away from any topics about Ouma, for the rest of lunch. 

Even if his friends aren’t happy with it… he’s really excited to go to the dance with Ouma.