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Life in front of the cameras of the Japanese media's world of stages and lights and perfectly strewn together masks and facades was a life Goro Akechi (or better yet known as the 'Detective Prince') was accustomed to. For many, such a life was simply unachievable; they didn't have the ability to keep up with such a habit of constant movement to morph into the form that best fit all who would view it. Akechi could see why. Respectfully, some people simply aren't cut out to present themselves in the most desirable way at all times and in all honesty, sometimes he couldn't help but find himself envying those who did not carry such a burden in their simple, naive lives.
Recently, the topic of his own love life had been mentioned frequently on the many talk shows he had no option but to sit through and smile sweetly, while dropping the occasional polite chuckle whenever the host would make a dreadful joke. Akechi wasn't surprised, afterall, his adoring female audience devoured the rumours and brainless " shipping " with the detective's female associates like no tomorrow and of course hosts would catch onto how much attention that form of romance-baiting could bring. Frequently he'd be asked if he was dating the well known model Mika, a girl who he had became friends with out of their shared bitter disdain for the people around them who they had to appeal to, and honestly he couldn't laugh harder, as he thought of how she talked about Ann Takamaki- a girl she hated with a passion and that passion was a deep romantic rivalry that many simply couldn't understand, Akechi could though, perhaps due to his own similar situations.
He supposed he only had himself to blame for the recent uproar about his " secret romance " that was being speculated about. All because he let a far more colorful reaction slip through this time around… Damn him . The detective truly thought he had mastered the art of sweet-facing through all the rumours and gossip thrown his way that he was questioned about and of course this was far from the first time this topic was brought up.
Maybe it was on account of the fact that now he was truly lying about his lack of love, or maybe it was how that one host phrased it.
" Is there anyone special to you out there you don't want us knowing about, Akechi-kun? "
Akechi hated to admit it, but that line had been replaying in his head constantly throughout the past few days. It shouldn't have, it was simply another stupid question to probe more into his personal life followed by a generic laugh and wink from the host to be friendly, but the phrasing . Something about it made him react in the way he did that night, with a startled yell of objection and a flushed face that made the female audience swoon and giggle, but made him want to die .
He didn't care what anyone said, a " flustered " look was not a good look on him and most certainly not one he wanted his fans to see.
" Anyone special …"
Maybe that was it. Typically, he'd just be asked if he had a " lucky lady " or " a pretty girl " and each time he denied so, he'd be followed up with an amused laugh and a comment about how any woman in the audience would be " happy to fill that role " or whatever.
Goro Akechi knew who he was, he knew confidently that he, as a homosexual man, could never be attracted to a woman in the way that the eyes of the Japanese media wanted him to be. Of course, he could never admit that aloud. A popular idol figure, such as himself, coming out and embracing a lifestyle so unconventional to the society around him would be considered ' taboo ' for many of the people that consider themselves his ' loving ' fans.
That was why, with his secret safe in his back pocket, it was so easy to deny any relation with a woman stemming into anything more than platonic. It was simply impossible for him to imagine himself in that position.
But " anyone special " wasn't exclusive to women, which caused Goro's mind to drift to someone who could indeed fill that role: his curly, black hair, his glasses, his dark, piercing black eyes that saw all . Truly, if anyone were to fulfill the role of a 'girlfriend' for Goro it could only be him.
That host was different from the others he had spoken to during this whole fuss; they had been pulling these thoughts from Goro's mind all night and they probably didn't even know it. Never once had they referred to a pre-assumed attraction to women once and Akechi couldn't help, but believe that, perhaps, they were onto something that others could not grasp.
No, no way. No way could they have guessed, could they have?
Akechi couldn't bother to think about it any longer, as he shut the laptop that sat in front of him on his desk, fingers clicking away on its keys, while his mind ran like a wild stallion with all these thoughts.
Who cared if one person in the sea of curious interviewers and fans had caught onto a crack in the vault where he kept his secret, at the end of the day, this was all part of another trend that would eventually be a drop of water in an ocean of content that would wash it away like nothing. At the end of the day, he was the Detective Prince and his role was to keep up the facade of his mask to appease his beloved viewers.
And Goro Akechi was a wonderful actor.
Truthfully, there was only one person who the young man could be Goro around and not the Ace Detective Prince Goro Akechi and he was going to see him right now. After a little run in with a Shujin student who intrigued him on the set of one of his shows, Goro found himself talking to the other man more and more after they had exchanged contact details.
His name was Akira Kurusu and he had everything Goro resented him for. Unlike himself, Kurusu-kun felt no need to hide behind white lies and savoury lines, he had strong beliefs he wouldn't change for anyone , no matter what power they held over him and he was more than happy to share them with the world. In him, Akechi had found a truly admirable and fascinating debate partner. As time went on, he found more than just that in Akira, he found a worthy rival with the same amount of charisma and intelligence as himself, someone who always had the right quip at his points and the most fascinating, yet ever so slightly infuriating, oppositions.
Akechi couldn't help himself in indulging with Kurusu's presence, he always was the first person he'd think to call when the detective had an ounce of free time after all, but maybe he was indulging too much .
Maybe that indulgence would explain his embarrassing reaction to the question revolving around his " special someone " that he couldn't stand anymore.
" Oh whatever …" he banished the thought. Goro was smart and Goro was calculated, he wasn't going to slip up and ruin the perfectly constructed public cognition of himself just because of one boy.
"Akechi!" A familiar, baritone voice dragged him out of his thoughts and he smiled, turning towards it. Right outside the cafe the two had started to frequent after the ' disguise incident ' (that Akechi would prefer to forget about), was Akira Kurusu, waving towards him with a smile. He had such a nice smile, Akechi thought, he often wore a poker face, but that just made the nice blush on his cheeks and grin across his lips look that much more endearing- Akechi would have to learn how to smile that nicely.
"Kurusu-kun," he addressed him politely, "I'm glad you accepted my invitation, the past few days of my work have been rather drab, so I'm pleased to have some company to break up the time," it wasn't entirely a lie, being a detective could be some of the most boring shit on Earth when all you're doing is covering files and reading through papers.
"No problem," he smiled back genuinely, before the two made their way into the small establishment.
It was a nice, little shop, nothing special, not as homely or as good of quality as Leblanc or Jazz Jin, but it was nice for a little hang out and some conversation with Kurusu-kun, which was truly all Akechi wanted to do today. His mind was running rampant and Akira Kurusu was the only one who could bring it to a halt.
"I was watching your show the other day-"
" Oh ?" The words grabbed Akechi's attention fast, as he sipped his coffee, not breaking eye contact with the other boy, "I wasn't aware you were a fan," he chuckled, playfully.
"Well, it's always on the TV in Leblanc," he rubbed the back of his neck coyly, "and I like hearing you talk about things."
Akechi would die sooner than he would admit the effect those words had on him.
"But anyways," he resumed, "are those rumours true?"
The detective held back a sigh, "the rumours about my alleged secret love affair?"
Kurusu nodded with a chuckle.
"No, my dear, I do not in fact have the secret, scandalous relationship that my fans are so craving," he teased, "these sort of rumours simply come about when you're a public figure that everyone expects to fall into a certain conventional mold," he took another swig of the dark brew he had ordered, although it was good, it left him disappointed, Akira could brew it much better , "It's exhausting."
"Seems like it," Akira responded, "besides, a lot of girls would be really upset if they found out their beloved Detective Prince already had a girlfriend," he giggled, adorably - Akechi would add, "they love you, someone in my class even doodled a massive drawing of you on the blackboard."
Oh how nice it was to be wanted, was it not?
"I see," Goro tried not to cringe at imagining some poor soul pouring their efforts into capturing his personage with white chalk, "Well if it makes those girls feel any better, the chances of me ever wasting my time on a girlfriend are slim to zero."
Akira's ears seemed to perk up at that, "Ah, are you playing for the other team then, Akechi?" He smiled and Goro winced.
"I-" he stuttered. Fuck, he was too careless!
Just as a typical lie was on the tip of his tongue, Kurusu spoke up again, noticing his unease, "Sorry, you don't have to answer that," he rubbed the back of his neck- a nervous habit of his, "I get you might not want to share that."
"Don't go making assumptions, Kurusu-kun," he huffed, surprised at the layer of annoyance he let slip out.
"Sorry, sorry," he apologized once more, "I just want to let you know that if you are, y'know, you can tell me, I am bi myself so I know what it's like."
God, this boy was just full of surprises. That's probably why Goro liked him so much.
"I…" his words seemed to have gotten lost in his dry mouth. Akira Kurusu was supportive of his sexuality, not only that Akira Kurusu liked men . "Thank you, Kurusu-kun," was what he could mutter out, "you know I don't like to talk about my own sexuality much, it could cause scandal, but I appreciate your acceptance."
Akira giggled sweetly, "No problem," he laid his arms crossed on the table, laying his head atop them, "my parents weren't the most supportive of my sexuality, or really any of my hometown for that matter, but coming to Tokyo, I feel so much more free now."
Akechi kept his ears wide open, drinking in the conversation. Kurusu didn't talk much about his hometown or anything at all about his life before probation, so this was of much interest to the detective. He wondered if he was the first to hear of such things, but maybe that was putting himself on too high of a pedestal.
"I'm glad," Akechi smiled back, "the only people who know of my ' secret ' are Sae-san and yourself and I'm quite happy with keeping it sealed to that amount."
"That's fair," Akira nodded, "you don't owe anyone that information."
The detective chuckled in response, "You'd think so, wouldn't you? But when your life is in front of cameras, you owe the public everything , that's why you have to master the technique of molding the perfect version of yourself for everyone's consumption."
Akira frowned, black-eyes tinged with sadness, "I see."
Akechi ignored the slight pang of regret he felt at that expression Kurusu made, deciding to check down on his watch, "Ah, it seems I've gotten carried away again," he chuckled, "we should be going now, thank you for the wonderful company, Kurusu-kun."
"No problem," Akira nodded before the two tracked to the station together.
On return to his apartment, he was ready to collapse onto the bed and enter a state of full fusion with the piece of furniture. Unfortunately for him, that kind of sloth was not something he had the privilege of enjoying, as there was always something to do. Thoughts of Akira Kurusu returned to his head and he pushed them out with frustration.
Enough of him, find a quick distraction.
Mindless social media scrolling was always something he could do. He pulled out his phone and curiously looked through what had been happening while he was away.
Huh ?
Trending:
Detective Prince
Secret Lover
Seemed the public still hadn't let go of that stupid trend. Curiously, he clicked on to see what the hell his fans were blabbering about.
Detective Prince Enjoyer@Nhdjqj282zka
Lmfao I think I found the Detective Prince's secret lover [520_459.jpg]
Just mindless drab- holy fuck is that Akira Kurusu?! And himself?!
" What the fuck ," was Akechi's reaction. Who the hell had spotted them in public? And then had the gall to take a picture of them?
This was bad, very bad, very, very fucking bad .
The replies most certainly weren't helping with the dread that bubbled up inside his stomach, he quickly clicked off the site and turned off his phone. Breath in and out , who cares if some rando on the Internet saw him and had started to spread the rumour that Goro Akechi was in a secret gay relationship with another man ? Who cared if the post had… holy shit a lot of comments . Akechi cared, that's who, he cared a lot .
A message pinged on his phone, forcing him to pick it back up from the bedside dressing drawer he had placed it on.
It was from Kurusu.
Kurusu
Seems like we've been spotted
Attached to his message was a link to the post Akechi had just seen and he bit down on his lip hard with anxiety that ate him up inside.
Goro Akechi
Yes, this is quite the problem.
Goro Akechi
I can only hope that the public gets sick of spreading around this stupid gossip.
Kurusu didn't need to know how stressed he was.
Kurusu
It's gotten a lot of traction though
Goro groaned, yes, he knew that, Kurusu.
Goro Akechi
I'm aware, however there's not much else I can do.
Goro Akechi
I can't magically make these rumours disappear.
Kurusu
Actually, I may have a good way to get rid of this for you
Goro Akechi
And what might that be?
Kurusu
Futaba could help
"So you want someone's post deleted?"
"Um," Goro hesitated, he hated hesitating, "Yes, thank you."
Kurusu had managed to drag him over to Futaba Sakura's house, where the two now stood behind her as she clicked away on her massive monitor consisting of three large screens that Goro couldn't deny were impressive.
Click. Clack. Click click click. Clack!
Goro turned to look around the room while the repetitive clicking of the keyboard sounded out throughout the silent room, in the corner of his eye he spotted a colorful set of figurines and- no, it couldn't be ! He casually walked over to the stand while the young Sakura was occupied in what Akira referred to as her 'hacker mode', completely immovable in her current goal, and he inspected the items that had caught his eye, very casually.
Sakura had a whole collection of ☆Phoenix Rangers Feathermen R☆ figures arranged so neatly and perfectly on a table that Goro would be astonished had it not been for the fact she was missing Grey Pigeon from the set. Goro didn't care too much for the newest character of Grey Pigeon despite a large portion of the Feathermen fanbase taking a liking to him, but that didn't mean he was simply going to own an incomplete set, that was preposterous! Unfortunately, Kurusu seemed to have noticed his interest in the collection.
"Inspecting something, detective?" He asked with a chuckle, his hand underneath his chin in the same fashion Akechi often found himself doing, the knuckle of his index finger holding up his head from a curled fist. Akechi held back rolling his eyes and instead opted for smiling sweetly.
"I just couldn't help but notice Sakura-san's figurine collection," he explained.
"And done!" Quickly interrupting the two, Futaba cheered loudly, throwing her hands up in the air in victory, as she rapidly spun around on her swivel chair.
"That didn't take long," Akechi commended, satisfied with her service.
"What can I say, I'm a hacking master !" She giggled, loudly emphasizing the 'master'. "You'll all be calling me Futaba-sama soon, hehe," she grinned mischievously.
"Nobody's going to call you that," Akira sighed to which the girl whined in offense.
"Anyways," she moved on, "I did a little digging on the person who posted that creepy image of you two and they're a total stalker fan of yours," she cringed, exchanging a look to Akechi who simply crossed his arms.
"Well, it's not entirely surprising, when you're a celebrity people start feeling entitled to know more about you than they deserve," he huffed, pretending not to notice Akira's sympathetic frown and sweetly, pitying eyes.
"Yikes," the girl made a disgusted face, "I don't know how I'd live with that….Well, anyways, I got the whole account taken down, they shouldn't be able to bother you two any longer, at least online," she smiled.
"Thanks, Futaba," Akira returned the expression, grateful.
"And, is it true?" She asked.
"Is what true?" Akechi raised a brow.
"That you two are dating," she questioned, placing her chin in both her cupped palms, crossing her legs up on the large chair.
"Thats-"
"No, it's not," cutting off Akechi, Akira butted in.
"You sureeeeee ?" She grinned mischievously.
Akira frowned, "Futaba-"
"Kurusu-kun," Akechi returned the favour, cutting Akira off, "It's fine, no need to make a fuss about it. We're not in a relationship."
There was an air of silence for a second, Akira's awkward gazing around the floor of the room to avoid Akechi's gaze and Akechi readjusting of his black and white striped tie as if it wasn't in line enough.
Futaba was the first to break the silence, realizing what was going on, "Hey, uh," she mumbled, never being the best with comforting words, "you know, Akechi, if you're like, gay, or anything, I won't judge!" She reassured, "Hell I'm a massive lesbian myself! And Akira's bi," she pointed to the awkward boy, "if you haven't noticed already, we're both mega gay in this room, so if you wanna talk about it with us," she fiddled with her hands, "That'd be cool."
Akechi sighed deeply, massaging his forehead and mumbling, " God …" although he didn't believe in one, "I wasn't expecting for my 'little secret'," he air-quoted, "to get out so quickly. Yes, I'm gay and I'm not very interested in talking about it," he huffed, although somehow, a weight seemed to have been lifted off his chest that he didn't even notice was there.
"That's fine too!" Futaba awkwardly chuckled, before silently staring down at her fidgeting fingers in her lap.
A moment of silence passed once more, as if the three were mourning the death of the conversation, before Akechi decided that he hated mourning and spoke up. "By the way, I noticed you're missing a figure from your set," he addressed the girl, gesturing to the Feathermen collection.
She leaped off her chair and prance over to him at the mention of her beloved set, "What do you mean?" She asked and Akira seemed equally confused.
"Grey Pigeon," he simply put, "I thought you were a collector?"
"Oh yeh!" She gaped, before pouting, "I really really wanted to get that limited edition Grey Pigeon figurine but urghh !" She groaned loudly, "It's so expensive !" She threw her head back, before throwing it forward in realization, "Wait! I didn't know you were into Feathermen!"
Akechi blushed, "It's very popular nowadays with teenagers, it's unsurprising that I've heard of it."
"Don't believe anything he says," Akira smirked, "He's an enthusiast ."
Akechi shot him a death glare disguised under a smile.
" Oooooh ," Futaba cooed before gasping loudly, "Do you have the Grey Pigeon figure, Akechi?!"
"Haha, I'm afraid I don't collect-"
"Yes he does," Akira smiled, a man unafraid of death, "He's got the entire set," he leaned in, "Even the limited edition Black Condor figure."
" Kurusu-kun ," he gritted his teeth, " That was supposed to be private ," he whispered with malice.
"O M G," Futaba clenched both her fists in front of her chest with large, starry eyes, "REALLY?!"
Akira chuckled and Akechi sighed, accepting his fate.
" Yes …"
The next day, the very moment Akechi had gotten home from school, he was truly and absolutely fed up . Casting his jacket to the side and falling onto the plush, velvet sofa and heaving a large, un-princely groan for himself and himself alone to hear in his blank apartment.
The walls were white and undecorated, the carpet on the floor was a blank, forgettable shade of cream and the interior was painfully minimalistic with browns and blacks and whites strewn together a hundred times over on the furniture. The sofa (that he had bought with Shido's payroll) was really the only thing that brought any interest in the living space that seemed like it was attempting to come across as suburban and respectable: modest and mature, but really that was just an excuse for not being daring enough to put any true feeling into being something more .
He fished for his phone in his pocket, checking all his reminders.
'Talk show' in 1 hour and 25 minutes.
He flopped his arm down the side of the furniture he was laid across and squeezed his eyes shut. He was so, so fucking tired and honestly? The last thing he wanted to do was smile and act all cheery on some stupid fucking colourful ass TV set in front of an audience of screeching fangirls, like banshees.
Too bad he didn't have a choice.
"So tell us, Akechi-kun, are all these rumors about your secret lover true?"
The set was horribly colorful, as Akechi sat on the plush, red, velvet couch (the one thing he liked about the eye sore of an environment) and smiled in his usual princely manner at the host.
It was becoming surprising even to him how long the mass media could cling onto one subject and he desperately awaited until his little scandal in the making would become nothing more than yesterday's news.
Maybe it was the fact he had a throbbing headache (not made any better by the bright lights and clashing colours) or maybe it was what had occurred yesterday with Sakura and Kurusu, but he felt a bit less willing to simply laugh and say that the gossip about him was just silly nonsense.
"Honestly, I don't see why it matters," he responded, keeping his kind smile, "I'm a detective, I'm a bit more concerned about deducing the culprit of my case than deducing who could be my potential partner," he chuckled casually. God he was so fake .
The presenter seemed dissatisfied with that answer, "Of course! We just couldn't help but be curious!"
"Ah yes," Akechi held back a disgusted face, instead opting for his default 'pleasant boy' smile, "Everyone's been very curious. I've noticed." If he had accidentally managed to let the bitterness in his tone slip out, then the presenter didn't notice.
"Indeed!" The female presenter next to the man who was prodding into his personal life laughed, "Afterall, you are quite the rising star, Akechi-kun! Even more popular than some idols, I even hear many women saying you're their ideal man!" She complimented him, but he honestly wanted to cringe up and leave, "At the very least, could you give the ladies in the audience some kind of intel on what your ideal girl is?" She asked with a mischievous, little smile as several school girls in the crowd swooned and gossiped about their conclusions on the question, before being asked to hush up.
Seemed he had been pushed into quite the tight spot, suffocated by all the questions. He could simply say that he valued his privacy or that he loved all women and had no specific tastes, but what would the crowd feel about him avoiding all these questions? Afterall, Goro Akechi was a performer and Tokyo was his stage, it was his job to maintain the perfect mix of respectable, yet still interesting enough that people, his fans , would wish to continue to support him so that he wouldn't burn out in forgotten cinders as the masses onto a new flame.
Luckily, on top of being a great detective and actor, Akechi was a great liar.
"Ah well," he chuckled in an affectionately awkward way, thinking of what to say next. When the idea came to mind, he instantly wanted to shoot himself. He hated it so much . Akira Kurusu . Akira fucking Kurusu was the first face to show up in his head when asked for his type. Fuck him- no, not like that …
But he had to say something and honestly Akechi would probably cringe for years if he had to look back on him talking about how much he loved 'cute, shy girls' or some other shit.
"I guess I quite like the quiet type, someone who's a good listener," he finally spoke up, willing to push away the images of soft spoken Akira and his gentle, yet firm, baritone voice, the conversations they had over the counter of Leblanc, Akira leaning over with a pleasant, yet genuine smile as they played chess over coffee and conversations of fate and the Phantom Thieves. He ignored the fuzzy feeling in his stomach- had he eaten something weird earlier ?
The male host laughed, "I see you're a man of culture, Akechi-kun! Who can resist the cute, shy type, glasses are such a turn on too!"
Akechi blushed, heat rising to his cheeks simply at the mention of some lenses attached by a frame that Akira Kurusu just happened to regularly wear as a fashion accessory. "I suppose glasses are quite appealing."
He cursed himself out internally, hoping the red on his cheeks wasn't too noticeable.
It was.
"You seem to find them very appealing with how you're blushing Akechi-kun!" The female presenter giggled and he wanted nothing more than to curl up in a ball and die.
"Please don't tease me," he smiled politely, hating the way his stomach felt like he had swallowed an entire butterfly sanctuary, hating the way his cheeks were reddened, hating the way that he knew that his fangirls would all be getting ideas about his new found glasses fetish and especially hating how, despite everything else buzzing around in his head, the thing that was at the center of his mind, projected onto a massive screen in Akechi's little, personal mess of a world was Akira Kurusu.
Why he wouldn't leave his mind Akechi knew the exact answer to, but the more he thought about it the more he wanted to swallow up the truth and push it down to a deep, dark ugly place where it would die, rot away and never be discovered. He couldn't do it, it was entirely impossible.
He could not date Akira Kurusu.
It was forbidden, by everything that he molded himself into, by everything he worked so hard to maintain, by everything he was going to do to him , having a relationship with Kurusu was destructive in the most painful way.
"Hahaha, nothing to be ashamed of, Akechi-kun!" Snapping him out of his thoughts, the male presenter took great entertainment in this segment of the talk show. "As a man myself, I know how it's like seeing an adorable girl with a pair of specs, just really adds to the innocent charm."
" You don't understand me at all ," he groaned internally, but couldn't help but mull over the pervy man's words. 'Innocent charm', Akechi couldn't lie that he didn't find Kurusu's glasses attractive and he pulled them off far better than Akechi himself could, but did they make him look more innocent ?
Akechi supposed that they did, now that he really thought about it. It wasn't often that he saw the boy without them, but he remembered vividly of when they first visited that nice, little cafe before being confronted with the Detective Prince's daunting fans. Kurusu, being ever the trickster and pain in the ass, decided to mess up his hair and pull off his glasses to place onto Akechi under the guise of 'disguising' him (which was absolute bullshit ). Despite it not being what he had been focused on at the time, it was the first chance he had gotten to see Kurusu without his glasses, being met with dark and intense eyes with a mischievous sparkle in them. A while after Akechi managed to get the information out of him that the reason he wore those fake glasses was to blend in in Tokyo. Akechi questioned why someone like Kurusu, despite his criminal record, would have to blend in with his black hair and regular appearance. If anything, it would have to be his eccentric group of friends who should focus on blending in more. But he realized it now, the intensity, the sharp cut of Kurusu's eyes that felt so intimate to see bare and unconcealed with the way they didn't look at a person, but rather in them, opening them up like the petals of a rose and picking out all their secrets.
So he supposed, with everything being taken into account, the glasses did make him look more innocent and unsuspecting.
"I suppose it does," he added in response to the male host's statement.
"Well, it seems like the time's really escaped us!" The female host perked up, "Thank you again for being on the show, Akechi-kun!"
"I was happy to be here," he smiled, lying out of his ass and ignoring the fact he had several internal crisises while sat on a plush, red seat for the past hour or so.
After all that, he needed a drink…
Where better to go than Jazz Jin? He thought contently, pushing open the doors of the vintage jazz bar, Muhen already ready to greet him with his cheery smile that was so genuine. There weren't a lot of people that Akechi liked, especially not adults, but Muhen was something close to a father to him- no , he didn't deserve to be compared to a man like that , he was much better.
"Akechi-kun!" He grinned, waving him over and clasping his shoulder firmly like casual friends did, "So nice to see you around here, didn't you just have an interview?" He asked and Akechi couldn't help, but feel relaxed by his presence.
He nodded in response, "Yes, it was quite a drag," he sighed, "I came here for a drink, your establishment never fails in those," he smiled politely, as the taller man patted him on the back with a laugh.
"You're right with that!" He cheered, "Come, I'll serve you up today's special," he insisted, sliding up to the bar and instantly preparing up some fruity, non-alcoholic drink. The way his hands worked was impressive and so reminiscent of Kurusu and how he pulled out the flavours of all the coffee he worked with so intricately. Making drinks was truly an art form. "Here," he said, sliding over a tall, pink and red gradient drink that smelled of strawberries. Akechi curiously sipped it, it was good as always and not too sweet, despite the appearance. "It's not Valentines or anything, but the drink's so popular we decided to serve it up this week as a special," Muhen explained happily, pushing up his rounded, black hat, "Say Akechi-kun, you got anyone special to you?"
Akechi didn't hold back a sigh for once. Seemed he was never free from all the speculations …
"Honestly, Muhen? It's quite complicated to say."
The darker man frowned from behind his sunglasses, "What do you mean?" He asked, expressing concern for his regular's wellbeing.
"Well," Akechi paused, tapping an index finger on the 'Tall Glass of Love' (no seriously, that was the name), "There's someone…who I can't get out of my mind," he admitted, deciding he had a enough of fucking around, "Everywhere I go, I think of them, everything reminds me of them."
Muhen chuckled affectionately, "That's love, kid."
Akechi smiled sadly, "I know, I hate it," he replied, earning a sad expression from the other man. "The closer I get, the more I find myself encapsulated by him-" he paused, shocked at what he had just admitted. Fuck. Since when did he get such a slippery tongue?
"A guy, huh?" Muhen smiled kindly, noticing the way Akechi stiffened up in front of him, "No judgement from me," he assured, "How did you two meet?"
The brunette boy opened his mouth before closing it hesitantly, wishing his fruity, little drink had some alcoholic kick to it right in the moment to take the edge off. " Fuck it ," he internally thought, before relaying the events of how him and Kurusu had met, starting all the way from the first time he had saw him at the TV station, how he had seen something special in him, something different that kept him upright on his toes. Kurusu wasn't like everyone else in that audience at the talk show, he didn't care about what Akechi thought about his opinions because he didn't say it to seek validation from him, Kurusu spoke about the Phantom Thieves with such passion and conviction at a time where the approval rating for the thieves was low. He didn't care if the esteemed Detective Prince would find him respectable or not for his opinion, because regardless he would say it with all his belief and that drew Akechi in, made him crave more from that growing bud of what would become a rivalry. A confusing, passionate rivalry akin to the many games of chess the two had played over the bar table at Leblanc, always trying to guess the other's move.
"Kurusu-kun?" Muhen tilted his head, "You mean the guy you're always coming in here with?" Akechi nodded and the man broke out into a large smile, "That's great Akechi-kun! You always seem so happy with him and he seems like a great guy," he enthusiastically said.
"He is stupidly selfless and has an undeniable saviour complex, yes," the younger man dully responded, finishing his drink, "and I suppose…" he bit his lip, "I do find myself relaxing around him."
"I think he feels the same about you," he responded, instinctively taking the empty glass and putting it to the side in the sink, "I've seen the way he looks at you, he looks so peaceful," he chuckled, "You pulled yourself in a good catch."
Goro felt a heat rush up to his cheeks. Akira was… peaceful around him?
"Ah," he responded, frozen like a deer in the headlights with not a single smart word on the tip of his tongue to respond with.
"I think you should ask him out," Muhen quickly pitched in, ignorant to what all this new information was doing to Akechi's brain.
"I-" he choked, "I can't do that," he reinforced.
"Why not?" The relaxed man asked with another sad expression, "I think you should give it a go, rejection ain't all that bad."
Oh Muhen, oh poor, lovely Muhen . If only he knew how much Akechi was holding back, how detrimental it would be of him to take things further with Kurusu. It's not that he didn't like that idea of doing all those things with Akira: taking him on dates (where Akechi would pay, of course), listening to the idle chatter of how his day went and enjoying every detail, walking around with him hand-in-hand or arms linked with nobody there to make such a big deal out of it and maybe even taking Kurusu to his bed at the end of the day, feeling how their bodies entangled so perfectly- he was getting carried away . Back to the point, Akechi simply couldn't make his relationship with Kurusu anything serious without serious consequences to the little plot he had been conducting against him. Allowing himself free leisure to do as he pleased would be throwing away years of hard work to uphold his big plan, his great scheme- his revenge plot against the certain father of a bastard child.
"Ah, I'm afraid that's not my only concern. You know how it is for me, I'm a public figure, having a partner who falls out of the norm could cause complications for me," he explained, not lying but certainly not telling the whole truth either.
Muhen sighed, "You have things too rough, Akechi-kun," shaking his head, he crossed his arms disappointedly, "You're only a teenager, you need to live more for yourself or else you're not living at all."
He was right, Akechi wasn't living, he was surviving .
'It's difficult to do that," he laughed bitterly.
"Well, I'd love it if you started," Muhen smiled, tilting back his hat with one hand, "It's a shame to see my favourite regular like this."
Something panged in Akechi's chest squeezing it tight, he didn't deserve Muhen at all. "Well, I can't make any promises," he re-emphasized, "But I suppose I can try," he added with a laugh, solely because he believed he had made Muhen frown one too many times in one afternoon.
"Well then try your best," he pleaded, patting Goro on the shoulder with a kind expression only Muhen could make.
After getting a drink, Goro was supposed to go home and ponder over cases and his miserable, little life, but today he just didn't seem to have the appetite for it. Today, Goro just seemed to be craving running straight into his complicated mess of feelings he didn't want to feel, head first like a stupid crow into a glass door, unable to navigate through it. He couldn't stop himself, it was if his legs had been strung up by marionette strings and the rest of his body was weak and powerless to stop them as they dragged the puppet boy to his demise, his hand being yanked up to push open the wooden door with an 'Open' sign on it in big, bold, capital letters. The bell above rang to indicate his presence.
"Good evening, Kurusu-kun."
Akira, who stood behind the bar counter, drying up the last dishes for the evening, perked up when the detective walked into the small cafe. The orange sunlight infiltrated through the windows and bathed them in its golden, the angle allowing Akira's dark eyes to light up under the illumination and for Akechi to appear like an angel as it hit his back and lit up his fluffy, brown hair. He smiled in acknowledgement as his favourite took his seat, the same seat he would always sit on with no change.
"Evening," he responded casually, putting away a plate into the cabinet, "Coffee?" He asked, already knowing the answer before the other boy could part his lips.
"Yes please," he politely affirmed, crossing his legs casually as if several thoughts and dilemmas weren't running rampant in his mind, barely restrained. "You've never failed me with your coffee," he chuckled and Akira grinned.
"Well then I hope I can continue to live up to your standards, detective," with a dramaticized bow, he moved to crush up some beans. "Oh, I saw your talk show today too."
" Excuse me ?" Was what Goro held back from blurting out and he was grateful that his coffee was nowhere near prepared or else he would've choked on it. "Ah, I didn't know you watched it," is what he instead prompted to say, hoping the embarrassment on his face wasn't too evident, as he felt the tips of his ears grow hot and uncomfortable.
Akira giggled cutely, "Did you already forget what I told you, detective?" He grinned, teasing him and Akechi's eyes widened with sudden realization upon remembering their conversation from the other day in the cafe. "The show usually plays on the TV here, so I watch while I'm working," gesturing to the small TV on the wall, he hummed as he poured in the hot water to Akechi's coffee over the ground up coffee beans that rested in the filter. The air grew thick with the aromatic scent of the crushed beans and the scent was like home to Akira, enveloping him and becoming a part of him, which probably explained why he always smelled so strongly of coffee no matter what; it was a comfortable scene, a familiar one.
"Right, I'm afraid I have quite a lot on my mind. I promise I'm not so unattentive," he managed to reply with. 'A Lot on his mind ' being quite the understatement.
"No problem," Akira reassured, "By the way, I didn't know you were into glasses ."
Ah, alright, guess it was time for Goro to shoot himself (or Akira) in the face.
"I-" he coughed as Akira smirked over at him, passing him his usual cup of dark, black liquid with not a hint of milk or sugar in it, just how Akechi liked it (like a weirdo). "It's not as perverse as the host made it out to be," he insisted, "I just find them to be quite an appealing accessory."
Kurusu grinned, leaning on his hand propped up on the counter. "Say Akechi, do you think my glasses give me an ' innocent charm ' ?" Exaggerating his point, he held the handle of them between his fingers and pushed them up from where they were slipping down the bridge of his nose. Their faces were close now, really close , with only the width of the counter in between them creating any actual distance.
It felt like someone had turned the thermostat all the way to its limit and then broken the handle going further with how hot Akechi felt and how hot Akira was, but he was not going to just sit there like a muttering, bumbling idiot. He was Goro Akechi for fucks sake, a detective , a celebrity , he always had something smart and witty to say and he was never on the flustered side. "I don't know Kurusu-kun," he sighed with a chuckle, "I don't think you're so innocent at all ."
The dark haired man feigned offense, "You wound me, detective," he pouted, "I'm plenty innocent, but what about you?"
Goro scoffed, "What are you implying?"
"How innocent are you?"
Innocent… innocent charm . Did Goro have that same innocent charm that drew people in? Warp their very perceptions of everything he could be into a thin, narrow and easily digestible facade? Hide what was just underneath the surface in plain sight? He didn't need to think too long on that one, letting out a chuckle, "Not as much as I seem," a devilish grin slipped across his features, almost turning the ends of his soft, milk tea brown hair sharp and his ruby eyes blood-hued, yet handsome, "That's my answer to you."
"Then let's stop playing these games," Akira addressed him directly, as if he wasn't already the only person he could address in the small, empty establishment of cafe Leblanc. The wooden walls and floors encompassing them as evening's orange wash poured over them like liquid gold gave such an intimate feeling, afterall it was just the two of them- alone. Akechi was almost taken aback by the usually quiet boy's sudden assertiveness, as he slipped off his slightly foggy glasses to clean them against his shirt, before tucking them in his apron as opposed to wearing them; not like he needed them anyways.
The silver-tongued boy found himself digging in an empty wallet for a good reply, "What do you mean?" He asked and they both knew he knew the answer.
"You know what I mean," his dear rival replied, for once unsatisfied with his equal's response. Akechi couldn't have his rival think any less of him and the thick tension in the room encaged him in a tight position. "I like you, Akechi," with firm conviction, he looked straight at the detective, unwavering, "Maybe I'm being cocky, but I think you feel the same."
The words felt…relieving, crushing, relaxing and stressful all at once, like a wave flowing over Akechi as he laid down unable to move with only the knowledge that it would drown him. "You always manage to exceed my expectations, Kurusu-kun."
"I'm offended that your expectations of me are so low then," Kurusu quipped back, almost uncharacteristically impatient.
Akechi knew what he wanted and he had no choice but to give it to him. "You're right," he smiled coyly, finally taking the first sip of his coffee that had become neglected due to the start of their 'innocent charm' banter. Surprising, as usually the caffeine addicted man wouldn't wait a moment to drink it down and move to give his standard compliments to the barista about his impeccable service or how rich the blend was.
"I'll admit it, I'm sure you're aware, but you were the person I was thinking of when asked to describe my type," he sighed, recalling the interview and flooding thoughts of Akira, Akira, Akira in his head, "I can't deny that you're irrefutably attractive," he mumbled.
"Aww, you're making me blush," Kurusu teased and Goro rolled his eyes.
"Yes, yes, are you happy that I'm feeding your bloated ego?" He groaned, "I can't believe what you've done to me…"
" What have I done to you ?" Akira leaned in close, too close , his voice almost a whisper. In a second Goro had lost any semblance of his Detective Prince patience, yanking onto the dark haired man's white, v-neck collar that left his collar bones exposed like a free meal to be devoured, his neck teasingly bare and smooth. His black, leather gloves tightened around the fragile fabric.
"You want to know what you do to me?" Red eyes piercing the now flustered barista, he asked rhetorically with a growl. "Everytime I go to another coffee shop I spend my time thinking about how you could make a better blend, everytime I'm at some stupid interview I think about how I'd rather be wasting my time with you , every single fucking time one of my fangirls asks if I'm interested in anyone I have to hold myself back from saying I'm into you ." He swore his knuckles were going white under his gloves. "Every second of my fucking life I spend thinking about you ." The proximity between them was even smaller now, but this time it was Goro getting too close, whispering up to the shell of Akira's hot-red ear, "I hate you, Akira. I hate what you do to me."
A moment of silence passed. Akechi realized they had been having alot of those recently, a lot of silent pauses. Akira blinked blankly, as if still processing the heavy information the other man had just relayed to him. "That was one way to perform a love confession…" He chuckled. "Do you hate me enough to date me?" He grinned.
Akechi looked at him expressionlessly for a moment. Fuck it, maybe this could work out as a benefit for him. "Did you not listen to a word I just said, Akira?" He raised a brow and the barista giggled his sweet laugh.
"Oh no, no, I was listening," he insisted, "You know I love listening to you tell me how much you hate me."
Akechi felt Akira's smile tug against his lips that were pressed to the detective's cheek, now flushing red.
This was going to end badly, but for now?
Fuck it.
He wasn't an idiot to reject a pretty boy under his arm.