Archive of Our Own ^beta

Kaito Momota was a pretty standard guy. He was the epitome of 'tall, dark and handsome,' and on top of all that, he liked to think he was a pretty decent guy.

The fact that he had two boyfriends didn't change that. In fact, it made Kaito feel better about himself. He was proud of who he was, and both of his incredibly smart and beautiful boyfriends had found him enough to love and care about. Not that he ever doubted himself as a potential partner in a relationship. No, not at all.

Did he necessarily believe in reincarnation? Well, an odd choice of topic, but the truthful answer was 'probably not'. It was hard to explain; Kaito wasn't ever really the religious type, and he never gave it much thought. He supposed that something had to happen posthumously, but it always sort of disturbed him to think about. So it was understandable that he was incredibly confused and even more skeptical when his classmate, Yumeno Himiko, claimed that she casted a reincarnation spell on both of his boyfriends while he was out training with Maki.

"Yeah, no," he recalled saying to her. "Not that I'm doubting your… magical abilities, but to reincarnate Kokichi and Shuichi, they'd have to die first."

Himiko shrugged. "I dunno how the spell works. They were my test subjects…"

That made Kaito exceedingly uncomfortable. Himiko certainly wasn't the sharpest of their class, not by a long shot. If she was practicing her magic or something and the 'spell' required her to kill someone in a roundabout way she didn't comprehend at first glance, she probably wouldn't think twice about it. He knew that Shuichi and Kokichi were both more than smart enough not to let that happen should that be the case, but he was a worried boyfriend, and just thinking about being without them by any means made him miss them instantaneously.

And when Kaito wants to see his boyfriends, he'll go see his boyfriends.

"...Okay," he complied. "Listen, I'm pretty tired, so I'm gonna go hit the sack. Make sure you get some rest, too, yeah?"

Himiko nodded and headed to her dorm. Kaito waited until she was gone and nobody else was coming before he softly knocked on Shuichi's dorm room door, trying to keep quiet so as not to wake those who went to bed earlier. He nearly jumped when the timid, quiet Shuichi's door swung open and a loud voice called out. "Enter if you daaaare!" He sighed as he recognized Kokichi's voice—not dead or reincarnated, thanks very much—and stepped inside, shutting the door behind him as the Ultimate Supreme Leader returned to Shuichi's bed, hopping onto it with little to no care. Shuichi, who was sitting against the headboard on his bed reading, sighed as he was jostled around by his boyfriend's antics. Kaito takes a seat on the ground beside the bed.

"So what were you guys up to with Yumeno-chan?" he asked casually.

"She wanted our help testing a spell," Shuichi replied coolly, turning a page of his book with his thumb. Kokichi pouted and leaned back to lie flat on Shuichi's legs, staring at the ceiling.

"It was so booooring! The Ultimate Supreme Leader doesn't have time for some magician's 'bibbity bobbity boo' nonsense," he complained.

Shuichi looked up from his book with a sly smile. "Are you sure? You seemed pretty fascinated when she was explaining how her magic worked."

Kaito put a fist over his mouth. "Oh, shiiiit…" He watched as Kokichi shot back into a sitting position with a completely red face. Then he seemed to regret revealing his flustered state and flopped back down, pulling his scarf over his face. Shuichi giggled.

"It's okay to enjoy other people's company besides ours, Kich," Kaito said with a confident smile. "I like hangin' out with Amami-kun and Maki-roll! And Shushi-roll likes to hang out with Akamatsu-san and K1-B0!"

"And you like to spend time with Gokuhara-kun, especially," Shuichi pointed out. "You act like you don't around us, but Gokuhara-kun talks nonstop about how much he enjoys your time together."

Kokichi curled up into a ball and rolled onto his side. Kaito found it amusing and kind of cute. He got onto the bed, laid down beside Kokichi, and relaxed under the calming feeling of just being with the ones he loved, being able to feel Kokichi next to him and hearing Shuichi giggle once again.

Kokichi fell asleep before Kaito did. He knew that much, given the way faint snoring faded into his hazy consciousness, coming from right beside him. They both fell asleep before Shuichi, Kaito knew because he felt somebody pull a blanket over them and carefully get back under the covers before he finally gave way to sleep, too.

When Kaito next awoke, he found that his boyfriends had left. Both of them were more morning people than Kaito, so he figured they had both gone out for breakfast already. He got up and entered Shuichi's restroom. Kokichi and Kaito stayed in Shuichi's room (because it was the cleanest of all 3) more often than their own dorms, so everything the three of them needed was there.

After Kaito finished brushing his teeth and fixing up his hair, he put his hand on the doorknob to leave the room, but was abruptly stopped by the sound of rustling in the room. He spun around immediately and flicked the light on.

His eyes scanned the room. Nothing looked amiss… The room was clean and tidy, just how Shuichi made sure to keep it despite Kokichi.

Wait a minute… Why is Shuichi's hat still here?

Shuichi never went anywhere without his hat to block any unwanted eye contact, and he never forgot it, not once. Kaito and Kokichi were working on trying to help, but even when he tried to go without wearing it, he always brought it with him.

"Oi! You guys still here?" he called. It was a dumb idea, really, given how there was little to no space for even someone as small as Kokichi to hide and if either of them were there he would know it. He wasn't surprised when he received no answer.

He was surprised, however, when the duvet on Shuichi's bed started to move. He shrieked and backed into the door. Whatever was under the covers inches closer to the edge of the bed, and Kaito found himself wanting to run and pull up the covers at the same time. He saw something light protrude from the edge of the duvet, and he had to squint to make out what it was.

It looked like teeny, tiny fingers.

What the hell?

The duvet was slowly lifted by the little hands, and big purple eyes blinked slowly from underneath. They locked onto Kaito and the lump under the covers immediately started moving again, lifting up the blankets with quite a bit of struggle. Kaito's head spun as he looked at the small child on his bed.

Dark hair that curled at the tips, big violet eyes, porcelain white skin; it was Kokichi. But it couldn't be! He was so tiny… Kokichi had always been smaller than his classmates, but he was very clearly a child, barely even a toddler. His gaze locked onto Kaito and he gasped with a large smile. He backed himself up to the very edge of the bed and slid his legs down. He was just shorter than the bed, and kicked his legs for a moment before he let go of the bed and landed safely on the ground. He turned around and ran to Kaito, though he was a little slow because of his wobbly little legs. Once he had reached Kaito he wrapped his arms around his leg.

"Mota!" he squealed cheerfully. "Is Mota!"

Still recovering from the shock, and too stunned to even think about anything beyond 'oh, my God, he's adorable', he slowly reached down and picked up the small boy in his arms.

"Hey…" he said gently, like speaking too loud would completely shatter little Kokichi, who was clad in soft white pyjamas designed to look like his Ultimate uniform. However, Kokichi's original scarf was still around his neck, and it was massive around his little body now. "Here, let's get this off you before you choke," he said, shifting to hold Kokichi in one arm and using his free hand to gently untie the scarf and set it aside.

He has a little scarf printed on his shirt! Kaito was going to die. He looked at the bed, and spotted another lump underneath it. No way…

Kokichi followed Kaito's gaze, and he reached out towards the bed, leaning forward as his lower lip wobbled. "Ishi!! Ee… Ishiii…!"

Kaito slowly approached the bed and lifted the covers closer to the headboard. Surely enough, sleeping away underneath was a tiny little toddler Shuichi, slightly bigger than Kokichi in size. He was just sleeping away, so peaceful and adorable. Kokichi squealed and squirmed in Kaito's arms so much that he had to put him down to avoid dropping him. Kokichi waddled over to Shuichi and sat beside his companion. He seemed to become content beside Shuichi, and looked up at Kaito as if asking what he was going to do next.

The Ultimate Astronaut thought so hard it almost gave him a headache. This must have been Yumeno-chan's spell. Maybe she was telling us the truth when she said Hope's Peak mislabeled her Ultimate? She said it was a reincarnation spell… but Kokichi and Shuichi never died! She must have gotten her spells mixed up or something.

Kaito had made a plan: he would have someone babysit for the two babies while he talked to Himiko! He nodded to himself. "Let's wake up Shuichi, okay?"

Kokichi pouted and wrapped his arms around Shuichi's slumbering head, looking at Kaito as if he'd suggested something heinous. "Ishi s'eepin'!" he chastised softly. Kaito chuckled.

"Yeah, but he can't sleep in forever. Then he won't be able to sleep tonight!"

Kokichi looked at Shuichi and pondered. Then he nodded with a determined huff and shifted slightly. He gently poked Shuichi's cheek, giggling when the tiny detective's face scrunched up and he turned his head away. He poked Shuichi's cheek again, and this time the latter began to stir.

"Mmmh… G'monin'..." Shuichi's sleepy little voice mumbled as he sat up slowly. The much more enthusiastic of the two babies giggled and clapped his hands.

"Ishi!" he cheered. Shuichi looked over at Kokichi and blushed at being praised for something so simple as waking up in the morning. Shuichi reached up and played with his bangs shyly.

"Alright! Now, how would you guys like to visit some of your friends for a little bit?"

They remember who I am… So they must remember the others, too. This should be fine!

Kokichi tilted his head. "Ishi an' Mota?"

Shuichi nodded, also looking stumped. "Kishi right dere! An' Kai'do right dere!" He pointed to Kokichi, then to Kaito as he spoke. Kaito's heart was actively melting like warm butter.

"Shuichi, do you want to see Kaede?" he asked. Shuichi's eyes brightened and he smiled, nodding. Kaito pulled him out from under the covers, and he realized that he had soft clothes designed like his uniform, too, just like Kokichi had. Shuichi giggled excitedly in his arms as Kaito's attention shifted to Kokichi. "Kokichi, do you want to see Gonta?"

Kokichi gasped and stood up on wobbly legs. "Go'ta!!" he said excitedly. The astronaut nodded with a smile.

"Yeah, we're gonna go see Gonta!" He picked Kokichi up in his other arm, and approached the door. He stared at the doorknob. His hands were full of adorable baby boyfriends. He hummed, and then crouched down slightly. "Shuichi, can you open that door for me?"

Shuichi nodded with an affirmative huff, and used both of his tiny hands to twist the knob and pull it. The door opened, and Kokichi smiled excitedly at this new adventure.

Knowing exactly where Kaede and Gonta would be, Kaito entered the laboratory portion of Hope's Peak, trying to keep Shuichi and Kokichi out of sight as much as he could. He reached Gonta's door and knocked gently on the door.

A few moments passed, and the door opened, revealing the burly but kind entomologist on the other side. Kokichi squealed with glee and reached out for him. "Go'ta!! Go'ta!" he shrieked with pure excitement. Gonta stared at the two little boys in Kaito's arms.

"That… Kokichi?!" he asked in shock. Kaito chuckled, trying to keep the squirming and wriggling Kokichi from falling out of his arm.

"Yeah… Long story short, Himiko got to 'em. I need to talk to her, so would you mind watching Kokichi?"

Gonta took a moment to process that information, and then he smiled brightly. "Of course! Gonta will watch small Kokichi!" He reached out for Kokichi, and Kaito carefully passed him to the gentle giant.

The juxtaposition in size between Gonta and Kokichi was already shocking without Kokichi being a small child, but now, seeing this little baby version of Kokichi in Gonta's arms—when Kokichi already seemed to be a slightly smaller kid as it was—he was close to being able to fit in the palm of Gonta's hand. Gonta held the small boy against his chest, and Kokichi settled down, content now.

Kokichi liked to deny ever having any attachment to anybody besides Shuichi and Kaito, but this was clear, unflappable proof that Kokichi was extremely attached to Gonta. Which Kaito found hilariously ironic because the pair of them were polar opposites down to the vocal cords, and he even found himself chuckling right there at Gonta's doorstep thinking about it.

"Gonta need to keep small Kokichi from bug friends, too?" Gonta asked, snapping Kaito out of his thoughts. He used his now free hand to scratch the back of his neck.

"Y-Yeah… Kokichi's not a huge fan of bugs. But I'm sure you guys will find something else to do!"

Gonta nodded and Kaito left to find Kaede's lab. It wasn't too far from Gonta's, and easy to recognize with the large piano key pattern on it. Kaito and Shuichi heard gentle, soothing piano playing coming from the room. Shuichi smiled. "A' K'aeday!" he babbled merrily. Kaito nodded and rapped his knuckles on the door, making sure Kaede would be able to hear it.

Kaede answered the door within moments, and Kaito had to explain all over again.

"Aww, of course I'll take him!" she said with a smile, and she took little Shuichi into her arms and cradled him with as much care as a human being could possess. Shuichi looked back at Kaito with a slightly somber expression.

"Kai'do gon' come ba't?" he asked meekly. "Fo' me an' Kishi..?"

Kaito smiled. "Of course I'm gonna come back! I just need to go talk to Yumeno-chan."

Shuichi still seemed unsure, but accepted the response and Kaede shut the door. Kaito could hear her cooing and the slow dinking of piano keys as he went to yet another Ultimate Lab.

"Nyeh?! So they're babies now?!"

"Literally just squeakin' by toddler age. What the hell happened?"

Himiko pondered for several minutes before she finally seemed to come up with something. "I did cast a reincarnation spell. But I have restricted my magic from ever causing harm. So instead of making them die, it probably just reversed most of their lives!" Proudly, Himiko put her hands on her hips. "He-hehehe! I figured it out!"

Kaito nodded. "Ohh, I think I get it! So because your magic restricts violence, the reincarnation spell had to use a roundabout, and it ended up turning them into little kids."

The magician (mage? Kaito wasn't certain anymore) nodded. "Exactly."

"So how long until it wears off or whatever?"

"Wears off?" Himiko repeated, eyes widening slightly like the question stumped her.

Kaito paused. "It– It's gonna wear off, right?"

"Nyeh… It should…"

Kaito ran a nervous hand through his hair. "Dammit– Okay…" He sighed. "Well, is there anything else you can tell me?"

Himiko shook her head and adjusted the brim of her hat. She turned to the caged birds behind her and held food out to them in the palm of her hand. Kaito sighed yet again and left with a mumbled 'thanks'. He had things to do before he got Shuichi and Kokichi back.

Kokichi was set down on the lush, grassy floor of the Ultimate Entomologist's lab. Immediately, his interest was set on the grass, and he started picking at it.

"What does small Kokichi want to do?" Gonta asked as he sat down in front of Kokichi. The tiny boy looked up at Gonta and held out his hands, a piece of grass falling off of one.

"Pa'ddy ca'te!" he replied, watching Gonta's hands expectantly.

Gonta tilted his head. "Gonta not know what 'paddy cate' is. Maybe Kokichi can teach Gonta?"

Kokichi nodded. "O'tay! An'– An' is pa-tty ca-ke," he corrected, putting emphasis on the correct pronunciations of the words. Gonta nodded in understanding while Kokichi stood up to better reach his friend's hands. He pressed his hands against Gonta's, and thus the song began. "Pa'ddy ca'te, pa'ddy ca'te, ba'ter's man. Ba'te me a ca'te as fas' as you tan…"

Gonta followed Kokichi's motions with a soft smile. "Rooooo'ww it… Paaaaat it… Mar't it wi'ff a… a 'G'! Den put it in da o'ben fo'w Go'ta an' me!"

The song was finished, and Gonta smiled as Kokichi merrily clapped his hands. "Yaaaay!!"

"Okay," Kaede said, mostly to herself, as she adjusted little Shuichi in her arms. Shuichi was entirely complacent, resting his head on her shoulder and letting her adjust him. "You're so cute! You want to help me play some piano?"

Shuichi nodded. Kaede took a seat on the piano bench and sat Shuichi in her lap. She giggled at the fact that Shuichi could barely reach the keys. "Here, how about you stand up so you can reach better?" Shuichi nodded once again, so she put her hands around his waist and hoisted him up onto his feet. He wobbled when she released him, so she kept her hands around him to make sure that he wouldn't fall. "There. Now you can play!"

Shuichi looked at the keys for a moment and started slowly tapping keys with his index fingers. The notes were in no way melodic, but Shuichi was convinced that he was helping, and Kaede had no problem with letting him help.

After he pressed a few keys, he looked back at Kaede with a smile. "I did it!"

Kaede smiled back and clapped her hands softly. "Yes, you did! You did so well, Shuichi!"

Shuichi's face blossomed red and he smiled happily. It was one of the most genuine and joyful smiles Kaede had ever seen on him. "Yay! 'Ank you, K'aeday!"

The pianist giggled. "Of course! You wanna play some more?"

Shuichi nodded and looked back at the piano. "Okae!"

Shuichi continued to play for a little while longer, and then he started to get tired. In a lab nearby, Kokichi also started to get sleepy, and the more they started to settle down from seeing their friends, the more they started to miss each other, and miss Kaito. Shuichi sat in Kaede's lap and tried to keep himself from dozing off as she played soft, gentle melodies that wouldn't overwhelm him. Gonta put Kokichi up on his shoulders, allowing him to see what the view was like from up high. Kokichi was excited and loud at first, but then he started to settle down and got comfortable there, resting his head on the top of Gonta's tousled, messy green hair.

Just before either of them could fall asleep, Kaito arrived and they were back in the arms of their favorite astronaut. Kaito didn't expect to be welcomed by two sleepy babies—maybe one, but Kokichi was a surprise—but it didn't matter all too much as he took them back to his (now baby-proofed) dorm.

"You guys should eat something before you take a nap," he said as he set the two boys down on his bed. Shuichi immediately let himself flop down onto the bed and curl up, and Kokichi looked extremely close to doing the same thing, especially after he saw Shuichi doing it. Kaito reached out and gently shook him. "Hey!"

Kokichi whined and laid down beside Shuichi. "I s'eepy. 'Mma 'ake a nap," he said, and Shuichi cuddled closer to his smaller companion. Before Kaito could stop it, both boys were out like lights. The astronaut sighed.

"Alright, then. Breakfast will have to wait." With that, he slowly and carefully picked up little Kokichi and tucked him in on the bed. He looked so small, his head sinking into the pillows and his body barely causing a noticeable lump under the thick duvet. He tucked Shuichi in the same, and he immediately rolled onto his side and put an arm over Kokichi. Kaito gently ruffled their hair with a smile. "Dammit, I can't stay mad at you two. I guess I'll go get breakfast and bring it back."

So Kaito went, got breakfast from Hope's Peak's cafeteria (the food was actually delicious, being made by the Ultimate Chef and the Ultimate Confectioner) and brought it back to his dorm. He got a bit more food than he normally would for Kokichi and Shuichi, both of whom were still asleep by the time he returned.

Walking all the way to the cafeteria and back took a while… Especially because Hanamura-kun started being weird again. I think they've had a long enough nap. Babies need naps anyways, right? Right!

With newfound confidence, he shook the two slumbering boys very carefully. Shuichi was the first to stir, apparently a much lighter sleeper than Kokichi, who was still drooling onto his pillow. Cute as it looked, Kaito would have to wash that pillowcase later. Shuichi tightened his hold on Kokichi, and then relinquished it as he sat up and rubbed his sleepy eyes.

"Wah… Wha' happen'? W-Whe'we's Kishi..?" His little voice was barely a mumble as he scanned the room for his friend. Kaito leaned forward and gently tapped Kokichi's arm, both showing Shuichi where Kokichi was and trying to wake the latter.

"It's almost lunch time, but I brought you yummy breakfast. Because Kaito's cool, isn't he?"

Kokichi slowly opened his eyes, blinking them a few times to clear them. "...Mota..?"

Kaito chuckled. "Yeah, I'm here. Kaito's here."

Kokichi seemed soothed by those words, and he sat up beside Shuichi. He got up onto his wobbly legs and stumbled over the covers to Kaito. He got a little too close to the edge, however, and the blanket slipped from under him, sending the little boy sliding down to the ground with a startled "w-woah!"

As if everything were in slow motion, Kaito's arms shot out and he caught Kokichi just before he hit the ground. Kaito didn't know if it would seriously hurt Kokichi from that height, with how small he was and how fragile Kaito knew he was from years of knowing him. He pulled Kokichi close to his chest, one hand holding his body and the other keeping his head against his chest, holding him protectively as he recovered from the adrenaline that had shot through him. Shuichi gasped and hurried over to the edge of the bed as well, though not getting as close as Kokichi had.

Kokichi's little body was trembling in Kaito's arms, and it only took a few short moments for him to start bawling. Kaito carefully got up onto the bed and rested against the headboard, keeping Kokichi in his arms closely. Shuichi followed closely, putting his hands on Kaito's arm and looking over Kokichi with worry prominent in his features.

Kaito smiled softly and rubbed Kokichi's head with his thumb. "It's alright… It's okay, little man, you're okay…"

Shuichi's eyes welled with tears and he bounced on the bed impatiently. "Is Kishi okae..?!" he asked worriedly. Kaito smiled at him, continuing to rub Kokichi's head and cradle him gently in his arms.

"Yeah, he's okay. He just got scared, that's all." He looked at Kokichi, who wasn't crying as hard, but he was still shaking and sniffling. Kaito gently set him down in his lap so that Shuichi could reach him. The little detective immediately crawled into Kaito's lap, too, and wrapped his arms around Kokichi.

"Is okae, Kishi…" he whispered. He parted from the embrace a bit to pet Kokichi's hair with a smile. "You's tough! Bi'd an' st'wong!" He puffed up his chest and flexed his arms as an example. Kokichi giggled a bit, and Kaito couldn't help but do the same.

"Yeah! You're like an astronaut! 'Cause astronauts are awesome and cool!"

Kokichi looked up at Kaito. His pale little face was red over his cheeks and nose, and his eyes were puffy from crying. Tear tracks stained his face and made it glisten under the bright lights in the dorm. "M-Mota i' a'to-naut," he pointed out. Kaito just couldn't get over Kokichi calling him 'Mota'.

Shuichi nodded. "Uh-huh! 'Cuz Kai'do is aweso'be an' coo'w!!"

Or Shuichi calling him 'Kaido'.

Kokichi hummed and put a finger to his lip like that made sense. "Ooohhh…"

Kaito smiled, happy that Kokichi was feeling better now. "Okay! Who wants brunch?"

The two boys—after asking what brunch was and Kaito explained it—were very enthusiastic about the food, and all three boys thoroughly enjoyed it after a very stressful morning.

"Mota…"

"Yeah?" Kaito asked as he finished taping another of the tens of pictures his little companions had drawn him to his wall. Kokichi and Shuichi were both looking at him from their place on the floor beside the pieces of paper and crayons that he had to borrow from Angie. Kokichi rubbed his eyes, almost coloring his face with crayon.

"I wan' Mota," he clarified, dropping the crayon in his hands and reaching out, asking to be picked up. Shuichi nodded.

"I wa't Kai'do, too," he added. Kaito smiled and reached over, collecting both boys into his arms. He looked at the moon clock on his wall.

"Hm, it is getting pretty late. Alright, what'dya say we put this stuff up for today and get to bed?"

Both boys nodded, and that became the plan. Kaito got everyone's teeth brushed, and he put one of his T-shirts on Shuichi and one of his hoodies on Kokichi. His clothes were absolutely huge on both of them (Shuichi's arms barely even made it through the sleeves and Kokichi practically disappeared into the thick fabric) but he just found that even more adorable. As they got laid down and Kaito cuddled the two boys close to him, he made sure to keep the collars of the tops down to avoid choking them because they were just that small.

The two boys drifted to sleep almost instantly, whereas Kaito waited until he was sure that they would be alright before he allowed his heavy eyes to slip closed and his mind to wander off into space.

The next morning Kaito was greeted by two extremely embarrassed (though admittedly grateful) boyfriends, both of whom were completely back to normal and just barely remembered the incident. But Kaito didn't mind, not in the slightest. In fact, he'd do it all over again to see those little faces smile.

But he definitely preferred his normal boyfriends' smiles. Yeah, seeing them again made Kaito sure of that.