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Akira was getting ready for bed. It was only the afternoon but he had made no plans (for once) and was just going to lounge about for the rest of the day. Or, well, that was what he was planning to do when a ping from his phone signaled a text from one of his many, many friends. He groaned, putting his shirt back on and dragging his feet towards the phone haphazardly thrown onto his bed.
“Another hangout? You’ve gotta learn to say no to your friends or you’re gonna end up burning yourself up.” Morgana complained, jumping onto the bed and pawing at the phone.
Akira flopped backwards onto the bed and raised the phone above his head. He did not have the social energy to hang out with his confidants right now. Though if it was someone more than capable of holding up the conversation on their own, he guessed it would be fine. Someone like Ryuji or Ann or—-
Akechi! He sat up on the bed suddenly, scaring Morgana off of his resting place next to him. “Don’t do that! I’m fragile, you know! But, anyways, who was it that it’s got you so excited?”
Akira did not feel drained anymore. In fact, he felt extremely upbeat. He showed the screen of his phone to the cat, clearly displaying the detective’s request to visit this new ice cream parlor that opened in Kichijoji. Morgana sighed at the sight of the contact name. “Akechi again? He asks to hang out with you quite often. Don’t forget that there’s something off about him, don’t get too close.”
“It’s fine, I’ll be careful. We have the upper hand anyways, he doesn’t know that we’re the Phantom Thieves. Plus, it’s a way of gathering information!” Akira quickly replied to the text and got himself presentable. Or, at least, as presentable as he usually got.
“Do you even get any information from your meetings?” Ignoring Morgana’s criticizing murmurs, he went downstairs to tell Sojiro that he would be going out for the afternoon.
“Just don’t forget to take an umbrella, I saw that it might rain today.” Sojiro said, busying himself with making curry.
“I won’t!” Akira replied but before he could go get his umbrella, his attention was caught by a crossword puzzle left behind by one of the customers.
One crossword later, he made his way out of Leblanc. He let Morgana out of his bag, knowing that the cat would prefer hanging with Futaba than watching Akira and Akechi on their date spending time together. It was only as he stood in the train to Kichijoji, listening to the other commuters’ chattering that he realized. He forgot his umbrella.
Whatever. It couldn’t end up that badly. Forgetting his umbrella the first time had led him to meet Ryuji, so some positives could be found. He got off the train and into the bustling city. So many places and so many people and—- he didn’t know where to go. Taking out his phone, he checked the message again to see the name of the ice cream parlor. Scones and Cones. He went to check out how to get there through his navigation app, but then suddenly remembered that he didn’t have one.
The built-in navigation app of his phone had been replaced by the Metanav, and he never installed a new one. This was all Igor’s fault! He blew a raspberry as he shoved his phone back into his pocket. Aimless wandering it was.
It took him five minutes to get lost, no longer recognizing the street he was in. It took another five minutes for him to end up in a shady alleyway with graffiti lining the walls and bottles of beer lining the ground. Where was he? He didn’t know this part of Kichijoji. Usually, Akechi told him to meet him in front of the darts and billiards place or the arcade! Those places he knew how to get to. But, what was it again? Scones and Cones! He had no idea where that was.
And when he turned the corner to see two, um, very naked people getting it on, he decided that this was probably not the place. He left that alley as fast as his legs could take him. And landed in front of two heavily covered men exchanging something between them. But it was probably not legal. At least they’re not naked this time, his mind supplied. He still got out of there before they could see him.
Finally, he made his way back to the main street, somewhere he recognized. He checked the time. Almost five. Had he been wandering around for the past twenty minutes? Resolving himself to just ask for directions, he went up to a random person, awkwardly twisting his hair and looking down. Immediately, he remembered why he wanted to stay at home today. Extremely low social battery. It didn’t happen often. It couldn’t, he had way too many friends to hang out with. But when it did, talking to strangers was quite the feat.
“Um, excuse me, would— would you know the way to—-“
“Kurusu-kun? There you are. I was starting to think you’d stood me up.” And there he was. The man of the day. Akechi with his pleasant smiles and TV worthy makeup.
“Oh, thank god you’re here. I have no idea where I was supposed to go, but believe me, I did not go the right way.” Akira felt himself calm down. He was no longer lost and would probably not stumble upon any more illegal activities with a detective by his side. Or, wait. Would that not make it more likely?
“It seems you’ve had quite the adventure getting here. But the ice cream parlor really wasn’t that far. It’s just a bit down the road, to the left. Come, follow me.” Akechi made his way down the street, shooting occasional glances at Akira to see if he wasn’t getting lost once more. “I’ve actually been in the area for a while. I had no idea when you would arrive so I’ve just been doing tasks nearby to see if I spotted you at one point.”
“Aww, were you waiting for me? Did you want me here that badly?” Akira teased, picking up his pace so he walked next to the other. Honestly, the admission made him feel fuzzy all over and he’s pretty sure his heart skipped a beat. To think that he was waiting for him! But, of course, he wasn’t going to tell him that.
“Of course I did, I wouldn’t have invited you otherwise. I quite enjoy your company, you know?” Akechi smirked, looking him straight in the eyes as he said that. Akira blushed. He was supposed to make Akechi flustered, not the other way around! “Plus, it was a good thing I did, seeing the disastrous situations you seem to find yourself in every time you are left alone for more than two minutes.”
“I— well, it’s not my fault! Cities are just way too big! And I don’t have a navigation app anymore!” Akira complained. It wasn’t his fault that Tokyo had five billion streets in literally every direction. How was he supposed to know where to go?
“Ah yes. I had forgotten. You aren’t from Tokyo, right? You’re only here for a year.” — please don’t mention the probation, please don’t mention the probation, please don’t mention the probation— “But, even so, why didn’t you just ask for directions?”
Akira thanked the gods above that Akechi didn’t ask about the probation. But now he had a different question to answer. How was he supposed to say that he just didn’t want to talk to people today without sounding like an entitled jerk? Though, he guessed that from Akechi’s point of view, that reason wouldn’t quite make sense, seeing as Akira never had a hard time talking with Akechi. He seemed to always have the energy for that.
“Directions? What for? I would have easily found my way over even without asking for them!” Akira blatantly lied. It was so unconvincing that Akechi shot him an disbelieving look at his poor acting.
“Need I remind you of the first words you said to me just two minutes ago? ‘ Oh thank god you’re here. I—-“
“Okay, fine! I was lost! But— Oh look! The ice cream parlor!” Akira very unsubtly changed the topic as they approached their destination.
Akechi raised an amused eyebrow and let the questioning die out. But not without shooting him a look that clearly meant ‘I won’. Akira had to admit it. He had lost that round of banter by a longshot. Akechi 1, Akira 0. Yet that would change soon! He had the entire afternoon to get Akechi’s mask to slip up.
They entered Scones and Cones and took a seat at one of the tables. It was a dainty and quaint place, very aesthetically pleasing. The type of place you’d find on Pinterest. A waitress in an old fashioned, puffy sleeved, embroidered dress approached them. For an ice cream parlor, they really lay the vintage aesthetic on thick.
“Hello, sirs. What might be your order for today?” Akira shared a glance with Akechi. They just arrived, neither of them had any time to consult the menu yet.
“Uhh…” Akira said intelligently, as any intelligent person would.
“Could you give us two minutes? We haven’t quite decided yet, there are so many things to choose from!” Akechi plastered on his fake smile for the general public, blatantly ignoring Akira’s failed attempt at speaking.
The lady grit her teeth. She was definitely displeased and tried hard not to show it. But despite her words, it was very obvious from her tone of voice and expression. “Ok, sirs. I’ll be back soon.”
Akechi sighed as soon as she was gone. “She must be new or something. She doesn’t seem to be very experienced.”
“Yeah, she wasn’t exactly the nicest.” Akira agreed and grabbed the menu. He checked what they had. The choices ranged from ice cream cones to whole matcha cheesecakes. There were also milkshakes, pancakes, and… bread and omelets? And other stuff. He had no idea what he wanted to take.
“What are you taking?” He asked, hoping that hearing the other’s choice could help narrow down his options.
Akechi pursed his lips, genuinely hesitating on what to pick. “Hmm… I’ll probably take the pancakes and… I’d like to try their vanilla milkshake. I heard it was quite good.”
“Oh, um. I… I’ll take a slice of cheesecake. And…” Akira hesitated. He wanted to try their milkshake too, but he wasn’t really that hungry. No way would he be able to finish an entire milkshake and a slice of cake after the portion of curry he had for lunch. “I also wanna try the milkshake, but I will not be able to finish it.”
“You could share mine.” The words came out of the detective’s mouth so casually. Akira blinked, shocked by the sudden words. It seemed even Akechi was slightly shocked by his own words, wondering where they came from. “Oh, if you don’t mind that, of course. One milkshake’s more than enough for the two of us.”
“Uh, yeah, sure. I’d like that. Actually, I’d like that a lot.” Akira winked and hoped the heat rising to his face wasn’t visible for the world to see. Or, more specifically, for Akechi to see. He did not want to give him the satisfaction of seeing him flustered. Not after Akechi was the first one to slip up in his words.
The detective nodded and they sat in a comfortable silence for a bit, until the waitress came back to take their order. Akechi let out a pleasant smile. “Hello again. We’d like to order one stack of pancakes, a slice of cheesecake and one milkshake to share, please.”
The waitress smiled brightly back, her demeanor so obviously different from a few minutes ago. She nodded and left to prepare their order. “…she probably got reprimanded by her boss because of her unpleasant attitude when we first arrived.”
Akira only let out a laugh. Their order arrived soon enough and the sight of it almost made him burst out laughing again. Their individual orders were fine, with a nice presentation and cute decorations. Their shared milkshake on the other hand seemed to have two straws from the top. But the two of them reconvened together to form a heart and dip into the milkshake as one.
“Oh, um, excuse me, miss. We aren’t actually—-“ Akechi started to ask for separate straws and specify that they weren’t a couple. But Akira cut him off with a smirk. “Oh, come on, are you that much of a coward that you can’t drink from such a cute straw?”
Akechi’s eyes narrowed. “No, of course not. I have no problem with this whatsoever. I just thought that you might be uncomfortable with the implications.”
“Whyever might that be? I certainly don’t have any problems being seen with you in public. We’ve been going out like this for months now! And you still refuse to be seen showing affection!?” Akira cried with a hurt look on his face. He felt a laugh bubbling up but smothered it before it showed on his face, trying his best to stay in character. Technically, none of his words were false. They had been going on outings like that for months, and Akechi did not like showing him affection. But he knew exactly how those words would be interpreted by outside sources.
Akechi caught on to his goal instantly, and smirked, not backing down and instead filling in the character Akira built. “Oh, but honey, you were the one who said he didn’t want the news to spread to his friends.”
Akira pretended to shift uncomfortably, looking down and pulling at his bangs. “You know how my friends would react to us. They’d never accept it, they hate you! But that doesn’t mean I want to hide completely… I… really like you and it hurts me to know that the world will never know about us. Don’t you love me, darling?”
“Of course I do, hon. And I never said I didn’t want the world to know! But… you know that our relationship will never be any more than this! Our circumstances don’t allow it! You should be happy we even have this time together…” Akechi dramatically stated, looking downcast.
“But I want to be with you! I don’t want all this to end just because the world said it should! Who cares what fate has planned out? I want you!”
The waitress stared at the two of them, wondering if she should just go replace the straw or leave them entirely alone to settle their romantic dispute. “I’m just… gonna go and leave you two alone for a bit…”
The two boys shared a glance and burst out laughing as she left. Their games together were always fun and tense, but once another was introduced to their banter, that someone became the unfortunate victim of their entertainment.
“That was hilarious. Did you see her face?”
“I admit that it’s been a while since I had that much fun. I’d forgotten how amusing spontaneous acting could be with the right person.” Akechi smiled, completely genuine. “But we should probably get started on our food before closing time.”
He let out a small laugh once more, faker this time. “Though, give me two seconds to take some pictures for my blog.”
“I still feel lied to, by the way. How does a food blog even tie to being a detective?” Akira questioned, raising an eyebrow as Akechi took out his phone. “Like, I know. Public image and all that. But a food blog?”
“It was what my manager suggested when I was first starting out as a detective. It just stuck. And the habit’s kinda grown on me. It’s honestly a welcoming change from dealing with criminals or liars on TV. Plus, it gives me an excuse to treat myself from time to time.”
Akira listened attentively to his words, never passing up an opportunity to get to know him better. Akechi was an enigma, but one he’d like to get closer to. Who approached someone just because they had the gall to contradict them on TV? Well, Akechi of course. But that was just it. He was such an interesting guy, acting so differently in public than with him.
Though, Akira knew that he was still hiding things. He didn’t think that Akechi ever fully removed his mask for anyone. That just made him want to discover the person behind the mask even more. Every little crack, every moment Akira managed to catch him off guard, was so intriguing. He wanted to see Akechi’s mask break. He wanted to meet the real Akechi. The one with so much anger behind his eyes that made Akira’s heart skip a beat.
It wasn’t fair for Akechi to show him glimpses of his true self and then go back to the polite mask he donned for the rest of the world. It wasn’t fair. How was Akira supposed to resist the temptation? How was Akira supposed to resist him?
Akira shook his head. Now was not the time to dwell on his crush slight obsession with Akechi. He turned to his food. The cheesecake looked good and the consistency seems to be fluffy and not dry. He took a bite. “Oh my god, this is amazing.”
Akechi laughed, taking a bite out of his own meal. His eyes widened in surprise. “You’re right. This is quite exquisite. I’ve tried the pancakes at many other cafes but this is the only one that’s been the closest to—-“ He cut himself off, realizing what he was about to say.
At Akira’s questioning look, he sighed, shaking his head, resigned. “You really have a way of making me say more than I want to.”
“These pancakes are the most similar to the ones my mother used to make each year for my birthday.”
He hesitated for a second, glancing at Akira. Seeing nothing but gentle curiosity and understanding, he continued. “I’d wake up those mornings and she’d have taken the day off of work… She’d be there in the kitchen and just from the smell, I’d be able to tell what she was making.”
“You must have loved her a lot…” Akira said, for lack of anything else to say. In the silence that followed, Akira got an idea. “Wait, let me…” He quickly stole a piece from the pancakes and stuffed it in his mouth.
It was sweet. But also quite buttery. The texture was very fluffy even if the pancakes were thin. He’d have to remember this taste. Sojiro wouldn’t mind him using his kitchen for something like this. Akira had always been good at cooking, having lived mostly independently in his childhood.
“What—-“ Akechi stared at him, bewildered. “What are you doing?”
“I’m gonna make you pancakes of course! The special thing about these ones seems to really be the texture, huh? I think… a bit of tweaking to my usual pancake recipe and it’ll be just as you like it!” Akira beamed, feeling proud of himself for finding something that could make Akechi happy.
“Why… why are you doing this?” Akechi didn’t understand. And Akira didn’t understand his reaction. For once, his actions had nothing to do with their rivalry or their games. Akira just wanted Akechi to be happy, was that so weird? Though, he was surprised to note a slight tinge of red the detective’s face was donning. Was that really all it took to actually get him flustered?
“I just thought that it’d be something nice to do for you… You smiled when you tasted the pancakes. And not your princely smile, but a genuine one… I just want to be able to see that smile again.” Akira smirked as the red on the other’s face grew. He had found his weakness. Genuine niceties and adoration were the way to go. Akechi 1, Akira 1. Despite his genuine intentions, he wasn’t about to let such an opportunity to tease Akechi pass him by.
“Aww, are you blushing? Have my words finally gotten a real reaction from the calm and collected detective prince?”
The other shot him a glare. But it didn’t last. He shook his head and stared at Akira, an incomprehensible look in his eyes. He seemed conflicted, lost in thought. “You really are…” He didn’t finish his sentence, shaking his head once more. “Anyways, we should get started on our milkshake before it gets warm.”
And so they did. Though, neither of them pushed so far as to drink at the same time as the other. It was a sort of silent boundary, a sign of going too far. And as much as Akira liked flirting with Akechi, he knew that this was all just another game. Both of them knew that this could never go further than playful flirting and occasional casual touches.
They quickly finished up their meals. When the time came to pay, Akechi insisted on it being his treat. “It was me who invited you out after all. You can pay next time, if you really want to.”
“Next time?” Akira smiled a bit to himself, thinking of what exactly that would entail. He was content with not paying, with letting Akechi get the upper hand. As long as there was a next time, he was happy.
They left the ice cream parlor together, heading back into the streets of Kichijoji. “I trust you won’t get lost this time?”
“Hey! That was one—-“ The sky rumbled. Little droplets started falling from the sky, starting out slow, then producing a veritable downpour. “Fuck!”
The two of them ran back under the terrace of Scones and Cones, seeking shelter from the rain. Akira rummeled through his bag, looking for an umbrella, before remembering that he didn’t have one. He facepalmed himself, berating his own stupidity. “Double fuck, I forgot my umbrella.”
He shot a glance at Akechi who already had his umbrella out. “You can share mine, it’s big enough for the two of us. I’ll come with you back to Leblanc.”
“But… don’t you live somewhere around here? Why would you go back and forth between here and Yongen-Jaya?” Akira was dumbfounded. That would be so… impractical. And coming from Akechi of all people?
“Wouldn’t want to get you sick, would we?” Akechi smirked at him. “Plus, it would be pretty irresponsible of me to leave my kouhai out in the rain like this. As I already said, I am the one who invited you out.”
Akira sputtered. Kouhai? He could feel a blush rising to his cheeks. Oh god, why did he like that? Especially coming from Akechi, his rival. It should’ve made him angry being treated as inferior but all it did was make him feel butterflies in his stomach. He honestly wouldn’t mind calling Akechi ‘senpai’.
Akechi 2, Akira 1.
“Ah— uh, um… yeah.” Akira hoped his face wasn’t that visible in the darkness brought on by the sudden rain. “That would be—- Thank you.”
Awkwardly, he huddled closer to the detective and they started their trek to the train station. Their shoulders were wet so this close, Akira could easily feel the warmth coming from the other. It was… tantalizing. The closeness, the heat,… It would be so tempting to just move closer, to feel more than the lingering warmth of a shoulder touching his own. It was so tempting to just… ask for more. More than this game they played together.
It was so tempting. But Akira couldn’t do that. Not when the stakes were so high. After Medjed’s defeat, the Phantom Thieves' popularity had only grown. And now one of his new friends was in danger of being sold off and married to someone she didn’t even like. It would be imprudent to look for more with the detective on their case. But, god, if it wasn’t enticing.
Arriving at Leblanc, he offered the detective some free coffee. It was only fair after he literally walked him home in a torrential rain.
“No thank you. I really should be getting back.” Akechi let a smile show on his face. “I enjoyed today though. I’ll see you again soon.”
“Yeah… I enjoyed today too. ‘Till next time.” He waved as the other left Leblanc. From behind the counter, he spotted Sojiro giving him a raised eyebrow.
“Did you forget your umbrella on purpose so that you’d get your boyfriend to share one with you? Didn’t take you for the type.” Akira sputtered at his words, vehemently denying the claim.
“I’m going to my room to change out of my wet clothes!” He rushed up the stairs, ignoring Sojiro’s guffawing and the heat rising to his face. Boyfriend… What a dream.
Taking out his phone, he decided to take a look at Akechi’s food blog. He wanted to see what he posted about Scones and Cones during what could essentially be considered a date. He spotted the latest post from a few hours ago. A picture of the pancakes, the cheesecake and their milkshake with the heart shaped straw was there, enticing multiple comments wondering if Akechi was on a date, wondering who the lucky lady was. Below it was a review praising the food, yet criticizing the service.
Akira let out a giggle as he thought about their impromptu improv act in front of the waitress. Though, if he was honest, the conversation made his heart hurt. Despite both of their joking tones, he could tell. Neither of them had been lying in their words. Akechi wasn’t lying when he said he wanted that too… wanted him too…
But he wasn’t lying either when he said that they could never happen.
And so Akira lay in his bed, feeling a mixture of contentment and despair. Thinking to himself that maybe one day. Maybe one day, the two of them could go out like today and call it an actual date. One day…