Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

»Here's your coffee.«

Akechi blinked and looked up from the phone screen he had been staring at up until now, only to be greeted by the sight of a white, smoking cup being placed on the table in front of him. A small smile appeared on his face as he raised his gaze a bit higher. Akira Kurusu was looking right back at him, pokerfaced, but not in an opposing way.

»Thank you very much, Akira-kun.« He returned his attention to his mobile now lying on the counter, right hand reaching out to grab the cup. Absentmindedly, he took a small sip. The silence unfolding wasn’t uncomfortable at all; on the opposite, it was rather relaxing. It was always this way when he  visited Leblanc; he came in, sat down in front of the counter and got served his coffee by Akira. They usually stayed silent; Akechi was often tired from work, so he appreciated the quiet nature of the black haired boy. Usually, he would never speak up until Akechi himself started a trivial conversation, until he left late in the evening in a unusually good mood.

Today was different though, and he couldn’t quite figure out why.

»You're left-handed?« Akechi looked up again, and apparently the confusion was written all over his face, because Akira brought a hand to the back of his head and dragged it through his wavy hair in an almost sheepish gesture.

Almost? No, not really; the boy on the other side of the counter was a very reserved person in general who appeared pretty meek and almost shy most of the time (although his choice of words tended to be rather… bold, from what Akechi had observed).

»Ah, sorry, I just noticed you were tipping on your phone with your left hand and…« He trailed off, and as always it was a bit hard for Akechi to tell what exactly  Akira was thinking; the fact he could barely see his eyes behind the big glasses reflecting the soft light didn’t really help. But if he had to guess, he'd say the boy wasn’t really feeling sorry for asking; quiet he may be, he wasn’t nearly as shy as he appeared to be on first glance.

Akechi pondered for a moment, taking another sip of the delicious coffee, causing Akira to shift his weight from one foot to another.

»You are correct, I'm indeed left-handed«, he finally replied after letting the full taste of no doubt very high-quality beans unfold on his tongue. He chuckled quietly. »You sure are observant for noticing this.« Akira tilted his head and finally the reflection of the light vanished, revealing his eyes. Unfortunately this didn’t give away much either, but for a split second Akechi thought he saw a hint of amusement flash through his gray orbs. He waited for Akira to say something else, but the boy just nodded and stepped to the sink, continuing to wash the dirty cups. Akechi was a bit disappointed when he resumed to look through the documents on his phone; it wasn’t often Akira started a conversation by his own will after all, so he had hoped it would go on for a bit longer. While at this point he was already fairly certain the black haired boy really was a member of the infamous Phantom Thieves of Hearts, he did enjoy talking to him.

And if it was just to spend some more time with the only one he ever really told something about his

past before he'd murder him without hesitation or regret.

He didn’t want to think about anything concerning the events in the far away future (or his past) right now though; at this moment, he was simply a high school detective enjoying some coffee made by someone who was simply a sixteen year old high schooler part-time working in a Café, one year his junior and very interesting to talk to.

However, Akira seemed to have noticed his darkened mood before he had been able to get rid of the dark thoughts threatening to rise to the surface of his mind, as he stopped in the middle of his cleaning and started staring at him. He simply stared, not saying anything, as if expecting Akechi to speak up. He coughed slightly, feeling a bit uncomfortable now after all, before meeting Akira's gaze and smiling, tilting his head in what he hoped would make the other boy think he was just imagining the change in atmosphere. »Is something wrong, Akira-kun?« Akira blinked, putting the cup down next to the sink, taking off his glasses, wiping them with his sleeve, before putting them back on and continuing to stare. »…Akira-kun?« What's gotten into him? For a moment he thought he'd never get an answer as Akira kept quiet for some more time, but then he finally opened his mouth:

»There's shit on your shoulder.«

With that being said he resumed his task of cleaning the cups as if nothing had happened.

Akechi felt his eye twitch.

He slowly turned his head to first the right, then the left side, carefully analyzing the blue fabric of his favorite jersey, and indeed; there was a fat, black-white-brown liquid on his left shoulder which didn’t look like it would be able to wash out.

Favorite. Jersey.
Suddenly, a noise echoed through the otherwise quiet Café.

At first Akechi wasn’t quite sure what it was he heard; only when he laid his eyes on Akira, who was staring at the cup with the most smug grin Akechi ever saw - although it was immediately replaced by a desperate attempt to stop the ugly snickering from leaving his throat - he understood what he just heard.

It was Akira Kurusu's ugly snickering.

He blinked.

Akira looked at him, and that seemed to give him the rest, as he finally burst out into laughter, although Akechi could not understand at all how this situation could be anything to laugh about.

His favorite jersey had been tainted!

»Akira-kun?«  At the sound of his voice, which by how far he himself could judge didn’t sound amused at all, Akira suddenly stopped laughing at once, but a bright smile remained on his face, and it looked more genuine than anything he had ever seen on the other boy's face before.

»Sorry, Akechi-san. I'll bring you something to clean it right away.« When he disappeared somewhere, Akechi had already almost forgotten about his temporary anger; he was now wondering way more over why he had just thought the smile was the first genuine expression he had seen on Akira's face. Sure, Akira liked to stay pokerfaced most of the time, but it was not like he was emotionless; his eyes were very expressive, and he smiled slightly at Akechi every time they talked (out of politeness or not didn’t matter; although Akechi's pride didn’t allow him to even consider the possibility Akira didn’t enjoy talking to him the same way he did).

Without his consent, his thoughts started drifting into darker territory again.

Akira always seemed to draw stories out of people with his meek aura; hell it had even worked on Akechi. He wasn’t entirely sure what it was about the boy, but Akechi knew from first-hand experience people liked talking to Akira. Telling him things they usually wouldn’t tell anyone, everything being taken in in by observant ears and answered with short, considerate words. Never pushing, and still getting all the answers he obviously longed for.

And while not telling a single thing about himself.

»Sorry again, Akechi-san. I really wanted to tell you sooner, but I got a bit…« He trailed off again, and Akechi wasn’t sure whether he despised the way the younger boy always left his answers up to the imagination of the one he was talking to, or if he was grateful for it (despise because it made it even harder to judge the other's mood, personality in general, which was unacceptable for a detective like Akechi, and grateful because he was fairly certain the things Akira left unsaid were anything but nice).

»It's okay.« He sounded a bit more grumpy than planned, and he glanced at Akira's face while accepting the cloth he brought him to check if the boy noticed.

He then realized why he had thought about Akira's smile earlier.

The black haired boy had dark bags underneath his gray eyes, and his face was incredibly pale. Akechi wondered how he hadn’t noticed Akira's tired appearance before.

While gently scrubbing at the bird filth (he didn’t even get his hopes up to ever see his jersey clean again), he asked:  »Are you perhaps tired, Akira-kun?« Akira looked at him, clearly taken aback, before bringing a hand up to play with a single string of hair hanging into his face like he always did when he was uncertain of something. 

»… a bit.« Figures. Of course he wouldn’t get the detailed answer he was hoping for.

»You look really tired.« - »Yeah?« - »Yes. Are you sick?« Akira frowned, and it was then when it hit Akechi; the boy didn’t want to share anything concerning himself with him. He almost wrote it off as something natural; it wasn’t like they were the best of friends, and it seemed normal Akira wouldn’t want to share something like this with him. However, if Akechi's assumption was spot on, he wouldn’t tell anyone; not even his (very unsuspicious) growing pack of friends.

Trust no one but yourself? No, that didn’t seem fitting either, as he didn’t seem to have any problems sharing daily trivial things (as well as his secrets about the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, he thought a bit bitterly), and he did seem to trust his friends. What was it, then?

The answer he deduced left Akechi feeling nothing but annoyance.

»Not really. I guess I'm just tired from playing video games all day yesterday.« Again, he scratched the back of his head in a sheepish gesture, as if embarrassed being caught over something so banal.

However, the blank stare Akechi gave him seemed to make Akira realize his little lie didn’t work. He sighed and let his hands slip into his pockets.  »What's it to you?« He sounded almost defensive. Akechi brought a hand to his mouth, crinkled his eyes shut and chuckled.

»Nothing, I guess. I'm just worried about your health. I think I told you before; you're a very interesting person to talk to, the only one I can talk to freely at the moment, actually. It would be a shame if you were to collapse or something due to you not properly taking care of yourself.  « Although he was fairly certain sweet words wouldn’t lure Akira into spilling the beans, he opened his eyes again and continued, »So, if there is anything you want to share, feel free to tell me. I think I owe you this much after you always listen to my boring stories.« Akira shuffled his feet and muttered something. »What was that? I didn’t quite catch it-«

»… your stories aren’t boring. I enjoy listening to you.« Although he expected something like this as answer, he was still caught a bit off guard; he felt his eyes widen for a short moment, before he got his composure back. He smiled friendly.

»I'm glad to hear. Well then, why don’t you share what's burdening your heart?« Akira's eyes narrowed a bit and he crossed his arms. Whoops. He's definitely getting defensive now. Maybe he could have formulated this a bit better.

»What makes you think my heart is burdened? I could just be a very diligent student and study the whole night.« Ah. Answers to questions like this were easy.

»Detective intuition«, he replied with a wink. »Besides… by all respect, you don’t seem to be that kind of diligent student.«

At this, Akira let out a desperate sigh and dropped his arms. All the impassive defiance which had resonated from him seconds prior had vanished, he simply looked tired now.

It was a quite unsettling sight, as it reminded Akechi of the image the mirror at his apartment liked to show him whenever he got home from a meeting with Shido, or another "job well done"; a job which sadly wasn’t connected to his official job as detective.

Akechi patted the free chair next to him, showing the younger boy what he hoped was a reassuring smile, as the sudden comparison had shaken him a little more than he would like to admit.

Akira's stare bore into him, and there was a look in his eyes which Akechi wasn’t used to from him; it was a bit mistrusting but above all calculating. As if he was pondering over whether Akechi was worth hearing whatever he was about to tell or not. For a moment the detective feared he had gone too far and Akira would kick him out, but then the younger boy looked him directly in the eyes again, and when he saw nothing but the kindness Akechi had set up for him, he finally complied and stalked around the counter to sit down next to him, placing two cups of coffee the detective hadn’t seen him prepare in front of them.

If he was allowed to exaggerate, at this moment Akechi felt a bit like he was luring a dog mistrusting humans into believing he was different, into believing he would be kind to him and never hit him, feed him and pat him, just to kill him off in the end after all.

He wasn’t sure if he liked this comparison, so he quickly shoved it off his mind. Even if he did like it, it certainly wasn’t very beneficial in this particular situation.

»Akechi-san.«

»Just Akechi is fine.« He paused for a moment, pondering if he should really say this, but he figured not much harm would be done and it would just aid in gaining Akira's trust. »I'd offer for you to call me by my given name since I do the same, but I feel more comfortable when called by my…« He hesitated for a moment. Damn. »… my family name.«

»Because of your mother?« God, he really is straightforward with his words. Knowing it was his own fault Akira came to this conclusion, he decided to not strangle him just yet.

»Ah, yes.« He cleared his throat. Akira rested his chin on a hand, looking at him with his head tilted slightly.

»I don’t mind. You're my senior anyway, it would feel weird to call you by given name. It still does a bit with Makoto.« He nodded to himself.  »Just Akechi then.« He lowered his head a little so his black bangs hid his glasses almost completely.
Akechi wasn’t sure what exactly he expected to hear, but he had a few ideas. Maybe he had troubles with his girlfriend. With his part-time job. With his guardian. Maybe he really did play too many video games for too long. Or maybe his parents had decided they wanted him back after all, not minding their son was officially a criminal; welcome him back in their arms when they came to visit and apologize for sending him here alone in the first place.

Akechi gave his best to not let his eyes twitch in annoyance at the thought.

So, these were only a few of the options he had thought of, but most of them were similar. So he didn’t expect to hear Akira Kurusu say, »You know I'm approving of the Phantom Thieves' actions. But lately…lately I've been wondering if they're really doing the right thing.«

Akechi stared. He stared, and when it became obvious Akira was waiting for some kind of verbal reaction, he said something absolutely worthy of his status as ace detective.

»Huh.« 

A Phantom Thief doubting the Phantom Thieves. In a quick moment of hastiness he thought Akira had pretty much just openly admitted to him, Goro Akechi, that he was a Phantom Thief. Why else would he be so beaten simply because he was doubting some people he didn’t even know? Luckily he remembered just how many cases involving crazy Phantom Thieves fans they had solved in the past few weeks; Akira must be aware of this and think Akechi would act under the assumption he knew Akira was a very hardcore fan.

»Why are you suddenly doubting them? I thought you were pretty firm in your beliefs in them; that your idea of justice completely aligned with theirs.« He saw Akira frown under his bangs.

»Justice?«, he murmured, then made a sound which, to his surprise, Akechi identified as bitter laughter. »I don’t even know what that is. Of course I support them, but that’s just because I can't come up with a better idea myself. Morals are so hard to understand. Everything you do has a disadvantage. You think you do the right thing, but the more you think about the negative side which you thought was small in comparison the more you notice just how much damage you actually produce.« Akechi felt the conversation had turned into a monologue, and he wasn’t sure how much more Akira could say without openly outing himself as Phantom Thief; in that case he would either have to ruin his own plans and arrest him or play dumb, which would turn Akira even more suspicious of him in return. So, he quickly interrupted him;

»Akira-kun. I agree with everything you just said; it's very true. So, what of it is bothering you so much you look like you haven’t slept properly in two weeks?« Akira lifted his head and blinked at him. He raised a hand to push up his glasses.

»I'm… just wondering if I should really keep supporting them. Or if it won't end in a disaster if they keep going like this…«

»You're acting like it would change the course of their actions if you suddenly stop supporting them.« The words must have come out harsher than he had intended; Akira's head snapped back up and he stared at him with wide eyes. But then he smiled and closed his eyes.

 »Ah, not really. I don’t think I'm that important, don't worry. I just…« And he trailed off again. Akechi felt his eyes narrow, but luckily Akira continued right away. »…It's just for my own beliefs. I care about those y'know.«

Uncomfortable silence settled between them. Akira kept quietly playing with his hair, and Akechi knew if he didn’t say anything soon this discussion would be over before he could get more out of the boy.

»You know about my opinion of the Phantom Thieves, so I won't repeat myself. But I should let you know, I really enjoyed the input you gave back at the TV studio. It made me view the Phantom Thieves from another perspective, and I acknowledge what they are doing also has its good aspects.« When Akira's fingers stopped moving Akechi knew he took the bait. »So, I'd say feel free to believe what you want. It's not like it will have much impact.« Yeah as if. I wonder if those outcasts would even be able to go on without their precious Leader, the way they follow him around like lost puppies. Like he can give them what they're yearning for. He thought he finally got a grasp of Akira's situation. They probably think he's some kind of superhuman who will solve all their problems. They are so dependent on him. They admire him. They love him and think he's perfect. He gritted his teeth. And he didn’t even ask for it. He didn’t have to do anything to get their attention.

 »…Akechi? Are you okay?« He flinched when a hand waved around in front of his eyes, drawing his attention back to the boy in front of him. Akira raised an eyebrow. »Were you even listening to me?« Akechi blinked and smiled apologetic. 

»I apologize, I must have been lost in thoughts.« Although he would clearly love to hear more, Akira just nodded when he didn’t elaborate. Akechi wanted to ask him to repeat what he had just said when the other stayed silent, but suddenly his phone buzzed. He quickly flipped it open and looked at the message.

Come to my office at 9pm.

Akechi glanced at the time and felt his eyes widen. It was already past 8pm. A voice in the back of his mind complained about this turn of events, but he just turned back to Akira who was looking at him with unhidden curiosity. »I'm really sorry, but I have to take my leave now. My boss just told me he has urgent business with me.« Akira nodded quietly and got up, grabbing the two cups without a word. Akechi tilted his head to the side as he watched him, feeling the need to ask one last question.

»Akira-kun, why didn’t you tell any of your friends about this? If I remember correctly, they are loyal Phantom Thief followers too. Surely they would have been able to offer advice.« Akira frowned thoughtfully, but before he was able to form a no doubt dodging response, Akechi added, »In general, you seem to not talk about any of your problems to them. They always tell you about theirs, but I don’t think you openly share yours with them. Or tell them about your past for that matter. Why is that?« Sighing, Akira closed his eyes, a small smile tugging on his mouth angles.

»Is this your detective intuition again?«

»You learn fast.« Akira slowly shook his head before shrugging.

»They never asked.«

»…what?«  Another brilliant reply.

»I mean, sure, they sometimes ask me about some things they notice, but they never really dig into it. I never felt the need to share any of my "problems" – or my past I guess– with anyone. I don’t need any kind of support from others when it comes to that; I'm fine and can handle it on my own. Besides, it's none of their business.« He shrugged again, but when he saw Akechi's taken aback face, he quickly added, »Don't get me wrong, I don’t mind others sharing their problems. I understand others need to get it off their shoulders, and apparently I'm a good partner for those conversations. But I don’t like sharing personals things that much. And I like to handle my problems on my own. It's just who I am.« He smiled, more to himself than at Akechi. »And as you can see, when asked I can be quite talkactive too; I don’t think I ever told anyone this much about myself at once ever since Ryuji and the others asked me about how I got on probation.  «

Akechi stayed silent. Then he slowly turned and stiffly said, »Thanks for today« before heading for the door. His hand stopped halfway to its destination.  »You really are an interesting person, Akira Kurusu.«

Akira stared after him even when the door had long fallen shut, before sighing and putting the cups down. »It's not like I'd leave those guys alone even if I decided for myself our actions are wrong«, he muttered. »It's too late for that.« He crossed his arms behind his head as another smile appeared on his face, directed towards the door.

»Y'know, I'm quite the Trickster, Akechi.«

It was 10:00pm when Akechi arrived at home. He angrily threw the dirtied jersey he had all but forgotten about off, gritting his teeth.

He leaned onto the wardrobe and stared into the mirror. His fingernails grinded into his palms so hard they almost drew blood. The face staring back at him wore a cold, emotionless expression; in opposite to the anger he felt on the inside. It was an expression he knew he'd never see on Akira.

He had everything Akechi had desired all his life long, and yet he didn’t appreciate it one bit. It was people like him he hated the most.

Deep down, he knew he was wrong. Deep down he knew behind the pokerface he loved to wear, Akira cared deeply about those around him; possibly including Akechi.

And yet.

When he opened his eyes again, he was not startled by the satisfied smile on the reflection in the mirror, because he was certain at that moment he looked the same, for the first time in months.

It will all end soon. I will end it- end you with my own hands, you unworthy, lying trickster. 

 But first…

»Shit, this jersey reeks!«

Chapter Text

“Are you okay?”

Akira scratched the back of his head when Akechi's head snapped up and he looked at him, startled. However, the surprise was quickly replaced, hidden behind a polite smile, causing him to frown.

“Yes, I'm fine. Why are you asking, Akira-kun?” – “Ah, no, it's just…” He stopped, thinking carefully about his answer. “… you've been really quiet.” He mentally scolded himself for this lame excuse and quickly added, “And you look tired. ”

The look Akechi gave him let him know the detective didn’t buy his words, but he didn’t say anything about it. Instead, he hummed quietly and took a small sip from his cup.

“How unusual. ” – “What?” Akechi chuckled. “It's quite uncommon for you to start a conversation, and even less common to ask about my condition.” Akira didn’t answer; it was the truth after all. It was usually the brown haired boy who would start a conversation by asking him about his day, his friends, his opinion on the recent actions of the Phantom Thieves (although these questions have become less common, now that he thought about it) or simply talk about his own day, knowing Akira would listen and give him a small piece of his opinion. Normal, every-day talk between two associated high schoolers.

If only it would be that simple.

“It's okay if you don’t want to tell”, he said, not meeting Akechi's gaze, instead focusing on cleaning the dishes left by the last Leblanc regulars who had said goodbye when Akechi had arrived; they always did, knowing the two boys would spend most of the evening together. It's become that normal for him to come here, huh, Akira thought. It felt like it had been just yesterday when Akechi had first come to visit. It was October by now; a lot had happened since back then. Including the most recent event…

“I can't believe Okumura-san actually was killed.” Akira frowned, but didn’t react to Akechi's muttered words. They were soon followed by a question directed at him, “Akira-kun, can I ask you something?” He looked up, tilting his head.
“What is it?” Akechi smiled.

“As expected of you. You don’t seem very affected by the news of Okumura-san's death.”

“…”

“I really admire this part of you. Although, maybe I shouldn’t think like this. It wouldn’t be very good influence on my job if I stopped caring about these incidents after all.”

“I think you're free to think what you want.” Akechi slowly raised an eyebrow, but didn’t respond. He rested his chin on his gloved hands, not taking his eyes off Akira. He really did look tired; more tired than Akira had ever seen him before.

If only I didn’t have a hunch as to why he looks so tired...

“...I'll cut straight to the point. I'd like to ask your opinion on something concerning this case. Akira-kun, do you think the Phantom Thieves are responsible for Okumura-san's death?”

There was something sharp in Akechi's eyes, and Akira knew he couldn’t slip up right now. Especially if the hunch he had harbored for months now would prove to be correct. He couldn’t afford to mess this up.

So he answered truthfully.

“I don’t know.” Anymore.

Akechi sighed, as if he was expecting an answer like this. “How about you?” – “I'm not sure either.” He didn’t elaborate; Akira figured he wouldn’t be allowed to say any more. He still waited for the other boy to keep going, but the detective just continued to stare into his cup, something close to listlessness in his eyes. “Are you sure you're okay?”

He wasn’t sure if there actually was annoyance flaring up on the other's face for a split second or if Akira was turning paranoid, but no matter which one it was, Akechi now tapped a finger against the counter desk with increasing speed, smile returned to his face.

“It's cute you're worried about me”, Akira could feel his cheeks heat up against his will; this was the second time he got called 'cute' by another guy. “…but it's nothing unusual. It's just been more stressful than usual at work... everyone is suddenly trying really hard to capture the Phantom Thieves, as if they noticed the danger they pose only now after something actually happened.” His eyes snapped back and locked with Akira's, who almost flinched out of instinct.

Ever since they had stolen Okumura's heart – and ever since his death a few days ago – the mood between the Phantom Thieves had been tense. Everyone was wondering if it really was their fault Haru's father had to die; if they had done something wrong, abused the powers granted to them by who-knows-who.

Akira wished he could be worried about that, too.

Instead, he worried his own suspicion of who the murderer and the one behind the mental shutdowns was would become reality.

No, it can't be. He thought as he stared at Akechi who was now complaining about his incompetent coworkers, not noticing Akira wasn’t really listening.

Akechi, who had sworn he'd catch the one behind the mental shutdowns, who was searching more desperately than anyone else, who he spent many evenings with talking about random things, who smiled at him and complimented him on the coffee he made, Akechi…

… who heard Morgana talk.

“Uwah!” His dark musings were interrupted when Akechi suddenly almost knocked his cup away. He quickly found the cause of what had startled the detective; Morgana, who had shown up out of nowhere, jumped onto the counter, warily eyeing Akechi before turning to Akira, blinking.

He shook his head ever so slightly, causing the black not-cat to sigh. 

“Uhm… this is your cat, correct?” His attention flipped from Morgana back to Akechi, who had calmed down and now curiously looked at him.

“Ah…yeah, he is. His name is Morgana.” Why is he here? Although he never told him so, Akira guessed Morgana must have noticed the pancake incident too, because for some reason he never was around when Akechi spent the evenings together with Akira in Leblanc.

Said detective slowly reached out and tried to pat Morgana; however, the black cat hissed and backed away. Akechi pulled the hand back and instead scratched the back of his head with it. “I have to admit, I've never been popular with cats. He's really cute, though.”

“You're popular with humans though. Ever since Okumura died your popularity shot up big time again, didn’t it?” Fall for it. It wasn’t a mental plead, it was an order.

“Ahh, well…” He hesitated, as if he felt uncomfortable talking about this topic. “I guess so. Although it doesn’t feel right to sacrifice someone else's popularity for my own.” Right. “It's been quite the hassle, really. I get recognized and talked to everywhere I go. ”

“It doesn’t seem to bother you much though.” When he didn’t get an answer, he continued, “Isn't this what you wanted? You wanted to expose the Phantom Thieves and bring them to justice, but shortly after you said that, their popularity drastically increased, while you became hated by the entire net as the one opposing those bringing justice. Still, you didn’t give up, and now everyone believes they're murderers; you got publicity's trust back. Everyone trusts what you says, everyone thinks you are just and the Phantom Thieves in the wrong.” Akira knew he was being incredibly out of character. He knew, and he knew Akechi would notice, and he also knew this would make it even easier to get what he wanted from the ace detective.

A short silence followed with Akechi just blankly looking at him. Then another smile and,

“If I wouldn’t know you better, I'd think you're actually angry about this turn of events, Akira-kun.”

Perfect.

He let his eyes widen slightly, lowering his gaze and shuffling his feet bit, like a child embarrassed over being caught lying by an adult. He raised a hand and twirled the strand of hair hanging into his face between his fingers.

“Then again, you are a loyal Phantom Thieves follower. I suppose seeing your idols fall like this isn’t very nice either. I apologize; I should have realized that even if you're not directly involved, it may hit you hard as well.” – “…” He looked to the side slightly, sharing a glance with Morgana, who nodded knowingly. “Although… say Akira-kun, do you remember how you told me you aren’t sure if what the Phantom Thieves are doing is right anymore? Have you made up your mind by now?”

“Huh?” He returned his gaze to Akechi. Has he always been this close?  

“I'd think this turn of events would shake your belief in them even further if you were already wavering.” He put a hand to his chin and tipped his head forwards, thoughtful. “It's been a few months already, hm… time sure flies.” He laughed cheerfully, folding his fingers on the counter. “So?”

“…” The detective was being awfully pushy, as if he didn’t even try to hide how suspicious he was of Akira. Two can play this game, Akechi. “I already changed my mind shortly after we talked back then, actually. I've been wondering this before Akechi, but why are you so obsessed with solving these mental shut down cases? And why do you spend so much time here in Leblanc?” He could feel Morgana's unbelieving look and the unsaid 'are you a complete idiot?!' reached him loud and clearly, but this was a gamble he was sure he'd win. He could already predict the answers Akechi would give.

“And here I thought I already said it often enough. Are you consciously fishing for compliments?” He chuckled, but Akira just gave him a dead stare.

“And are you going to dodge the questions?”

“I am not. I already told you before.”

“How about the real reason?” If they would have been alone, Akira would have laughed at the utter disbelief and bewilderment radiating from Morgana, increasing in power with every word he said. But in the current situation he had to be satisfied with mentally laughing at the annoyance showing on Akechi's face, most likely against his will.

He wasn’t provoking the detective without a reason, of course.

It was simply a fact there was something off about him, and Akira knew what it was. As much as he tried to think of a different option, it just fit too well, and as much as he enjoyed Akechi's presence, for the sake of the Phantom Thieves- no, screw those; for the sake of his friends – the first real ones he ever had – he had to gather the necessary intel; had to put a hold on Akechi if he wanted to protect them.

He had picked up on some of Akechi's habits and puzzled them together as well as he could, until he got an idea on what could be his motives. Firstly, he was always trying to please others, and while it didn’t show on first glance, he was trying it quite desperately.

Then, Akira believed him when Akechi said he enjoyed their talks, but he also didn’t miss the dirty looks the other gave him at times; how he slightly loses his composure when the Akira talked about his friends or family in general, how he stiffened up at certain times…

Akira had always been a good watcher. He couldn’t handle words well, but this was something he had always been good at.

So, he came to one conclusion; if he really was the culprit, he wasn’t the master mind. It was more likely he acted under someone, and that someone was a person with a huge emotional influence over Akechi, but also likely someone he despised judging from the bitter expression on his face whenever he received a message from his "boss".  Another victim. Probably.

He would try his best to save the detective if it ever came to that, but if he got in the way of his friends he wouldn’t hesitate to…

To what? Could he really put an end to someone? Was he capable of such an act?

'Ruin is what awaits you ahead on the road you're walking on. It will result in your death.'

“Death…“, he muttered.

“Excuse me?” Wait, did I just say this out loud? Surprised by himself, he stared at Akechi who was looking back, clearly confused. Then, he chuckled again, and for the first time in a while his composed attitude seriously pissed Akira off. “I'm sorry, but I really don’t know what else to tell you. I-”

“I believe it was them.” He lazily let his hands slip into his pockets. “I believe it was the Phantom Thieves who killed Okumura.” Silence. Morgana let out a sound which sounded suspiciously close to a groan.

“…Why?” Akira shrugged.

“If someone doesn’t shy away from completely altering one's ideals, then they also wouldn’t shy away from murdering someone.” Akechi opened his mouth; however, before he was able to say something Akira's phone buzzed. He muttered an apology and looked at the screen. It was a message from Sojiro.

'Close up the Café immediately. I don’t care if that boyfriend of yours is there, I'll be heading over soon and I can't have any costumers staying'.

“Sorry Akechi, but you have to leave for today.” In the end, he didn’t get what he wanted to hear out of him, but there would be other times. Probably.

Akechi eyed him, wariness in his eyes. “I apologize for phrasing it this way, but you were acting a bit weird today, Akira-kun. Did I do something to anger you?”

He held back the guilt gnawing on him, pushing it away with full force, keeping an indifferent expression. “Nah.”

“… if you say so. I'll be taking my leave for today, then.” Shortly before he reached the exit he stopped, and Akira felt reminded of that one evening all those months ago; the one he had first probed Akechi and tried to get his real opinion on the Phantom Thieves out of him, as well as transmitting his own thoughts on the matter.

“Akira-kun… I suggest to not try and force personal information out of me.” A sinking feeling spread inside of Akira at the coolness in Akechi's voice. “Do you remember how you told me your problems aren't anyone's business and you like to handle them on your own?” He glanced over his shoulder, and Akira never saw his eyes look as dark and clouded as they did now before; not even his bright smile could help out there. “The same applies to me.” Then he was gone.

Well, this didn’t go as planned.

“It looks like I really overestimated your interrogation skills. Or rather, your common sense. How much of an idiot can someone be?!” He almost rolled his eyes when Morgana's shrill voice kept increasing in volume next to him. “Were you actually trying to sell us out?! Was that your goal?! Because jeez, you did a really good job if that was your goddamn plan!” A tail wacked him across the cheek. “Are you even listening, Akira?! Geez, what's wrong with you! You're-”

“He already knows”, he grumbled, rubbing his cheek. Those words caused Morgana to stop and stare at him with narrowed eyes.
“Explain.”

“He already knows. I'm sure of it. You know just as well as me he heard you talk back at the TV studio. And there are other things which point towards it. What I don’t understand are his motives.”

“So you tried to get him to say it on accident?! Look, I know you kinda have the ability to make all kind of people spill the beans about their pasts, but if he really is the culprit then I think you're underestimating-”

“I'm not”, Akira said cautiously. “That’s why I did it.” Morgana kept quiet for a moment again, thinking, before letting out a desperate sigh.
“I really don’t get you sometimes, you know. I still don’t know what you were trying to do, but I trust your judgment to be correct. Still, please be more careful; I don’t want to…” He hesitated. “I… I don’t want to lose the only place I belong… to someone like him. ” Akira closed his eyes, feeling a strange, familiar feeling of loneliness spread through him; a feeling he had often felt in the past before moving to Tokyo and meeting Ryuji and the others. In a sudden moment of weakness, he patted Morgana's head. The black cat had its ears down and didn’t protest.

“Me neither, Morgana. And we won't.” I'll find out why you're doing what you're doing Akechi, and when I do I'll stop you. Then we can enjoy coffee together without having to be afraid of suddenly having a knife stuck  between our rips at any moment.

“Hey… are you sure you're okay? You were really acting out of character; you seemed so upset. Don’t try to tell me it was an act; I know you're a better actor than that. ” Akira blinked.

“I sounded upset? ” He tilted his head. “I guess I still don’t want to suspect Akechi. I mean, I really do like him.” He shrugged. “But if he is the culprit then we can't do anything against it.” A content laugh echoed through the room.

“This is why I like you so much. You're always so bold with your words. Now, let's clean up a bit before the chief arrives! Akira? Hey, are you listening?”

He smiled slightly and complied.

He couldn’t get upset with Morgana because he knew the cat had no idea of knowing his "boldness" had caused him more trouble than anything in the past.

Chapter Text

“I've hated you since day one.”

Akira's brows furrowed.

“I've been waiting to get rid of you and show you how pathetic you and your filthy excuse for justice are since day one.”

The black haired boy's eyes were wide, pupils shivering ever so slightly.

“Case closed.”

Something shattered.

“Woah, Akechi, are you okay?”

Blinking, Akechi returned to the present.

“W-what?”

Confused, he looked to the side and saw the shattered remains of the cup of coffee he had just dropped. Looking back up, he saw Futaba staring at him with slightly widened eyes. Did he just...?

“I'll clean it up.” Before he could react, Akira appeared beside him from behind the counter and crouched down to pick up the shards, as well as put a cloth on the quickly spreading coffee.

“A-Ah... I'm sorry, Akira.”

“No problem. Don't worry about it.”

“Yeah, Sojiro shatters cups all the time! Don't tell him I told you that though, he gets super upset about it, hehe...” He threw a quick smile at the two, mentally scolding himself for being so careless.

“But, what exactly was that? Already getting weakness seizures at your age? Don't overwork yourself so much Mr. Charming, or you'll have to retire before even reaching your twenties!” He forced a chuckle at the girl's attempt of humor, hoping it would seem genuine enough and ignoring the strange look Akira gave him.
“Don't worry, I can take care of myself.”

“Sure you can. That's why Mona always has to save your sorry ass!”

“Ahaha. Fair enough.” Grinning, Futaba jumped from her chair, clearly feeling like she had won this round.

“Alrighty, I'll go home now. Don't go to bed too late you two, tomorrow is the big day!” Akira scoffed.

“That's rich, coming from you.” He smiled warmly when the girl elbowed him jokingly.

“Nighty night!” Then she was gone.

Silence.

Akira went back behind the counter, the sound of shattered porcelain filling the cafe when he poured them into the trash can. After that, he went back to cleaning dishes and cups in silence.

Appreciative of not having to uphold a conversation for the time being, Akechi leaned forward while tapping on his phone without any real intention behind it, completely lost in thought.

Maybe he shouldn't think of the scenarios he had dreamed up for when he finally put a bullet through Akira's head while the boy was right in front of him,

“Idol Clash?” Blinking, Akechi looked at Akira, who was staring at his phone with a raised eyebrow. He dropped his gaze to said object and felt his cheeks heat up ever so slightly; he had opened an app without paying attention.

“It's rude peering onto other people's screens, Akira”, he attempted, but judging by the other's amused face his attempt at playing it off didn't really work. Amused? Was that really an amused face? Because Akira's face looked the same as always, eyes hidden by the reflection of his damn glasses like always, mouth drawn into a straight line... like always.

He felt his insides churn. Attic trash...

How? How did someone like this have everything he didn't have? He couldn't understand it. He-

“Hey Akechi, come to the beach with us next year.”

His guts clenched. “Excuse me?”

“We went there this year, but Haru hadn't joined us yet so we plan on going there again. It's still in the far future obviously, but wouldn't you like a break every now and then too?”

…

“But aren't you back in your hometown again already next summer?” No, he won't be.

“Hmm. I guess so. So?” He won't be anywhere.

“And why invite me? I'm the reason you guys will have to stop being Phantom Thieves, you know.” He'll be a corpse and rot somewhere.

“I guess so.” I'll end him with my own hands.

“And you'd still invite me?” I'll take everything from him, because he doesn't deserve it.

“Yeah.” So why...

“Why?”

Akira looked at him again, expression unreadable.

“Dunno. Because we're friends?” Friends.

Breathing out, Akechi leaned back, sighing but allowing an exasperated smile to touch his lips.“You know, you were the one who refused to become my assistant back then.” Akira smiled slightly back at him.

“I'm surprised you even asked me, considering you already knew I was a Phantom Thief back then.”

“What makes you think that?”

“You're smart and we're stupid and obvious.”

“Don't denigrate yourself like that. I meant it.” Had he been making fun of him the entire time? Knowing he had been on his case and still not seeing even the slightest threat in him?

The thought made his blood boil.

But in one thing he was right. They were stupid and he was smart. It would all end tomorrow.

“Thank you, then.” Akechi blinked.

“What?”

“If I wouldn't have been the target of your investigations, maybe I would have accepted your invitation.” He stopped and Akechi was about to tell him off for it (ever since temporarily joining their group, he had seized the opportunity of finally being able to nag at Akira's bad habits without it seeming weird or rude), when his voice suddenly took on a serious tone. “You know, I do understand where you're coming from. I always have. That's why I didn't protest when you offered the deal. But the thing which made me respect you and your idea of justice the most was what you said back at the baseball hall.” The baseball hall?

“Ah... about how people's desires cause them to commit crimes?”

“Yeah. That.” He glanced to the side. “I... You probably know how I got on probation already, but... yeah. But it didn't come like that, so there's nothing we can do. It's nice having you on our side for at least a bit now, though.” Akechi stared at him, finger tapping against the hold of the new cup Akira had given him.

“I see. Well, it is obvious what happened to you has been unjust. Maybe after we are done with everything I can look into it for you.”

Akira didn't answer, eyes unseen by the reflection of his glasses, face lowered.

“What, you wouldn't like that?”, he asked jokingly, only slightly startled when the other boy lifted his head and his gray eyes bore into his with an intensity he had never experienced from him before.

It doesn't matter. It all ends tomorrow.

“No... I'd be grateful.”

“Ahaha. That's good to hear. Don't worry, leave it to me.”

Akira's heart felt like stone in his chest as Akechi chuckled happily.

It was so hard to accept. So very, very hard.

“Ah, but don't expect too much out of it, okay? I can't make any promises. The man who sued you must have a huge influence if he was able to get it through...”

Hey Akechi... why?

“It's not like it would change anything. I'm almost done.” What did I do to make you hate me?

“Hey, don't be so negative. Even if your probation is over, it will forever stay with you on paper. We wouldn't want it to affect your future careers, do we?” What did those people do to make you kill them?

“Thank you for caring so much about me, detective.” Please let me understand.

“Well, we're teammates after all, even if only temporarily.” He closed his eyes. “Akira?”

“Yeah... we are.” That's why they had already plotted an entire perfect plan for how they were going to deceive the guy deceiving them and planning on killing Akira.

“It feels kind of nice, to be honest. Having teammates you can rely on, I mean.” Just that they didn't rely on each other in the least.

“Yeah. It does.”

“I'm not really used to it. I've spent a long potion of my life on my own, and now I have all these fans, but it's still a bit lonely. Ah, you wouldn't know that feeling, right?” There wasn't the least bit of venom in his voice or his expression, and a few months prior to now Akira may have believed it to be a genuine statement, but now he could still feel the negativity directed at him radiating from Akechi's entire being.

And the worst was, he was so wrong.

“Hmm.”

“Cat got your tongue again? And here you were making such promising progress.”

“Sorry.”

“You're forgiven.” He looked onto his phone and slowly got up. “It's time for me to go home; Futaba-chan is right, after all. Tomorrow we'll steal Sae-san's treasure and then I'll look into your case, alright?” He winked at Akira who didn't respond. “Good night, Akira.”

Then he was gone.

Both of them knew that this would be the last time Akechi would ever walk out of Leblanc, but only one of them knew this wouldn't be the last time Akira would.

And that knowledge hurt Akira more than the thought of him actually dying.

A few days later Navi couldn't pick up Akechi's readings anymore and Akira was left wondering why they couldn't have met a few years earlier.