as if out of nowhere, that man came in and wrapped his arms around shuichi from behind, lifting him into a hug with a huge grin and chuckle. he spins, then places the poor detective down, moving to stand in front of him. "i can't believe it's my favorite sidekick's birthday already! happy birthday bro, i've got something for you, gimme a sec--" he puts his hand in his pocket, and before he pulls it out, he kisses the detective right on the lips. "gift number one," he chimes as he laughs. (1/3)
and then, he holds out what had been hiding in his pocket – a small box with an orbiter magnetic fidget toy. “you get anxious a lot, so i thought, maybe this would give you something to do with your hands to calm your nerves, or something? plus, i mean, it just SOUNDS cool! so that’s gift number two!” surprise, there’s more! the leather messenger bag on his shoulder slips off, and he hands it to shuichi. “it has some things in it too, i panicked and bought almost the whole store.” inside the bag is, indeed, a whole bunch of edible things. some dark chocolate, dried fruit snacks, a small pack of cheese-flavored crackers, and two pieces of paper – specifically, two tickets to a movie. it’s a sci-fi mystery film. “you get to keep the bag, too.” he seems to be putting on his usual brave face, but the twitch in his smile shows he’s nervous about giving this. he’s really hoping shuichi will enjoy what he bought. “happy birthday!“
the detective flails around in the grip, a yelp that somehow still seems incredibly polite escaping him. he squirms as he’s spun, and only halfway through the ordeal does he realize who’s doing this. there’s only one person capable of a surprise like this–well, besides gokuhara-kun, but he’s certain that he’d ask first before doing something like… like this. and sure enough, the astronaut appears in his line of sight, grinning ear-to-ear. shuichi’s shoulders sag a bit in relief, a hand moving to adjust his hat before he remembers it’s not there.
how naive of him to think that momota wouldn’t plan something like this… he waits patiently, eyes drawn to the hand in the pocket, quietly taking in the messenger bag he’s holding, too. that’s certainly new. maybe while he was shopping, he got excited for a bag for himself?
something hits him and he realizes a second too late that it’s momota, or rather, his lips. a flush settles bright over the detective’s pale cheeks, something close to a stammer catching in his throat even as the astronaut pulls away. there’s more, though. god… with momota, there’s always more, isn’t there? he can’t suppress a little smile. he takes the box in his hands, not quite enthused but not quite disappointed, either. it’s called an orbiter–of course it is. doesn’t kaito realize he’d probably like this a lot more than shuichi would? though… it is thoughtful. he looks up, ready to thank momota, but he’s already taking the bag off his shoulder.
…more? guardedly, shuichi takes the bag and tugs at the zipper, careful not to break it. inside, he finds… ah, chocolate, fruit, crackers… how long has he been planning this? saihara’s never really been a fan of chocolate, but… still, it’s mind-boggling how much money momota’s spent on this.
“a movie…” he finally says, inspecting the tickets. “and i can take someone? ah, then i’ll have to take ouma-kun.” he lifts his eyes wickedly to gauge momota’s reaction, a teasing smile on his lips. slowly, he puts the fidget toy in his new bag, letting down his old bag and starting to transfer everything over. once he’s done, he slings it over his shoulder. it’s a little strange, not having his familiar bag, but it’s… nice. knowing that momota did all of this. “ah… i’m kidding about taking ouma-kun. kiibo-kun will appreciate it more.” that’s another joke, an attempt to ease momota’s apparent nerves. then he leans up and kisses the astronaut, gentle and sweet. “thank you… momota-kun. you’re really, um… i r-really appreciate it.”