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Sojiro never considers himself a morning person, just an early riser. The sun must be peaking over the horizon if the sky is anything to go by. Futaba’s breakfast is sitting on the table waiting for the girl to habitually walk down, eat, then go back to her room for more sleep once she’s finished. He smokes a cigarette to get used to the morning chill for a while.
A lot has happened in the past few days but now it’s just an everyday morning. A few people are walking through the alleyways of Yongen-Jaya and streetlights are shutting off. Altogether quiet in the early morning as he walks slowly to Leblanc. He takes a last drag of his smoke before disposing it properly while thumbing through his keys. When Sojiro reaches the door, the distressed loud yowling catches him off guard.
“Morgana?” the cat is pawing at the door while on its hind legs. His cries grow louder at having the café owner’s attention. “H-Hold on, give me a second.”
He fumbles with the lock before opening the place. Instead of shooting out the door, Morgana scampers further inside to the foot of the stairs. Immediately a rush zips through Sojiro as he hurries along. This kid he’s taken in turned out to be troublesome, but ultimately a good one at heart. Concern for Akira reaches the forefront of his mind with the risks and stunts he’s pulled thus far, and the possibilities of what was wrong could be endless.
Arrested. Injured. Kidnapped. Killed.
The stairs themselves seem mountainous even if it’s less than half a minute’s climb. When he makes it up to the second floor Morgana is jumping up the foot of the bed and Akira is still there. The feline stopped making a sound as he walks up to the bed. Looking at the kid makes his heart sink.
As an experienced father, Sojiro knows a panic attack when he sees one. Futaba went through them as a traumatized kid at random points of the day. Each time he cradled the small grieving girl in his arms it always broke the levelheaded front he put up.
A curled-up body and violent twitches give everything away. The stretch tightened comforter lets him see that there’s an arm holding his stomach and a hand fisting into his dark mop of hair. Hearing the pained sobs kicks his instincts for being alert. Morgana paws closers but looks at Sojiro with a concerned stare.
“Let’s heat this place up first. Try not to touch him, alright?” Morgana nods as he brings the space heater to the center of the room. It takes a few minutes but the attic is warmer. Akira’s breath is even now, he loosens up, and Morgana approaches carefully then nudges their heads. There’s a soft groan, but this is where Sojiro messes up.
“Shit,” he inwardly curses. Maybe it’s been a little too long since he accommodated to a panic attack victim. One touch on the kid’s shoulder and Akira screams. Outrage and shock keep the café owner at bay. Just what did those bastards to do a defenseless teenager?
A soft mew seems to calm Akira who’s now lying on his side. The blanket shrugged down from the thrashing and the healing bruises visible without the concealer. This boy tries to give off a strong appearance, but there’s something wrong on the inside.
“Sojiro…?” the voice is horse. Akira’s not completely with them, it’s clear from the glassed look in his eyes and the way he’s still shuddering from his strong inhales.
He has to clear his throat, “Y-Yeah kid. It’s me. Get some more sleep okay?”
A quiet morning… He’d spoken too soon.
“Can you hear me?” he blinks and everything is a blur, “…tell me… name.”
A white lab coat peeks into view and he slowly reaches to cover a bruise over his arm. No- Don’t!
If he messes this up now he’s going to die. A bullet in his head. Blood on the floor. Akechi’s warped toothy grin going to hunt down the rest- going to kill everyone else.
“Still alive. Don’t die, Don’t Die, donotdie. Live!” he coughs and retches but nothing comes out. Throat too parched.
Drugs-! More drugs?! Keep fighting… Don’t give them what they want! Fight back, be quiet, don’t get hit. No more pain... S-Sae is coming. I’ll be unconscious, and I’ll miss my chance. Just hang on. Let it be over. I’ll come back soon… Futaba don’t hack the camera- don’t watch this, and trust me. I can handle this- Don’t cry! PLEASE.
He chants their names in his head as a prayer. It’s his single thread keeping him tethered through this torture. No matter what shit Akechi is going to put him through he’s going to win.
Focus on victory. Focus on home. Just act like it’s nothing.
Shrug off everything and walk away with your freedom so everyone else can be safe.
Fight back.
Rebel.
Third Eye activates itself and he can see the blue glow of two outlined figures talking. Everything else is black and fuzzy and moves his head carefully. Did they break him? Why are the outlines weird? He’s not looking at their shoes. It’s their legs…?
It’s warm.
“Coffee?” he breathes sharply. The smell hits his noise.
“Huh… looks like this is doing the trick,” a woman’s voice.
“Leblanc…” fingertips sense his quilt and grip, “Nightmare?”
“Night terror ought to be the answer,” Akira sinks into his pillow more. It’s Sojiro.
“Why…?” he swallows, “I’m fine. The past few days- I-I wasn’t like this.”
“Akira, breathe,” the doctor instructs. Oh. He sounded hysterical just now, didn’t he? A cracked voice, he can fix this. He can do that. Acting calm… everything’s fine.
“Stubborn,” Dr. Takemi sighs, “Your mind is starting to catch up now that your body is relaxed. I’m guessing you still might have been running on adrenaline or stress so to say. Akira Kurusu, you’re traumatized. Do you understand?”
He may as well be punched in the gut, but he nods to answer clear-cut Tae.
“He’ll have trouble getting proper rest, so his physical performance is going to be lacking. Make sure that nothing strenuous happens in the next few days,” her instructions were a hammer pounding away at his head.
“Of course,” Sojiro replied, leaving Akira without a say in the matter.
“I’ll give this a week then have him check in at the clinic for a follow up. This is all I can do since I’m not a licensed therapist,” she pauses, “That reminds me. Is there anyone he can confide in?”
“Well… he has Morgana there,” the adult man scratched his head.
“That should work,” she shrugs, “Well, take care.”
The click of her heels fades away and Akira feels his eyes becoming heavy.
“Get some rest. Today I’ll close shop for the morning so come downstairs anytime if you feel like eating or want some coffee,” he pauses, “Um, talk to Morgana. I’ll give you some privacy and won’t head up to butt in on any conversations. Got that?”
“Yeah,” Akira murmurs. Sojiro heads downstairs. Leblanc is safe, his friends are too, but the doctor’s orders are a problem.
“Akira...?”
“We just infiltrated Shido’s palace,” he groans. The frustration is evident from his hands curling up, but he’s too tired to form them into proper fists.
“Look, you should do what the doctor told you to,” Morgana reasons, “We can’t afford to get sloppy and have something happen to you again. A week isn’t a big deal, and we’ll have sixteen days left if you receive a clean bill of health on what- the first day of December?”
“All right,” his shoulders slouch with defeat.
“Now then… aren’t you tired? You should get some sleep Akira.”
When he wakes up again the conversation with Morgana doesn’t go very well in terms of comfort. The pit in his stomach keeps getting bigger. This might be the Phantom Thieves’ last job, and the risks going through the Palace are life threatening to both them along with an entire country of innocent people. Joker feels the weight on his shoulders becoming heavier while remembering the first impression of Shido’s Palace. It’s Medjed all over again.
Even though he sits by the heater, he feels cold.
“I made you upset, didn’t I?” there’s no avoiding the truth. Akira can feel the grimace on his own face without even touching it. This wasn’t subtle or quite like his reserved self.
“I’m not mad at you. I’m just…”
Scared.
“…tired.”
Morgana sees right through the lie, “Sorry.”
“Hey, come here,” he gestures. The feline’s ears perk up and saunters over. Akira brings him closer and hugs him, “When all this is over, you’ll still have a home, and I’ll help you find the rest of your memories. Okay?”
“Ha. Ha,” the cat squirms in his arms until a paw boops him on the nose, “I’m supposed to be comforting you, not the other way around, so maybe you should talk to someone else.”
“Maybe it just doesn’t work,” he puts Morgana down and goes to wrap a blanket over his shoulders, “I’m heading downstairs to eat…”
“Just think of someone you can be fully honest with no matter what mood you’re in,” Akira pauses by the stairwell.
“You need help Akira. Don’t do this alone.”
The words keep echoing in his ears as he slowly eats his curry. He keeps turning over the problem in his head through slow chews then pauses. Would a week be enough time? There’s so much at stake and he’s supposed to take it easy while the stress of the situation affects others. He glances at Morgana sleeping in the chair next to him then looks at Sojiro busying himself with checking stock. They seem at peace, but are they really?
Akira feels cold and tugs the blanket closer. A last spoonful of curry heats up his mouth and stomach then fades away.
“Doing alright?” Sojiro asks.
“I couldn’t be honest,” Morgana purrs in his sleep while Akira scratches behind the ears. He can’t help the small chuckle escaping from his throat, but whether it’s from fondness or his pitiful situation Akira can’t tell. His emotions are too mixed together to differentiate.
He prepares coffee for a resting cup, “Well you could invite that boyfriend of yours for the week.”
Akira flushes, “T-That’s…! I don’t want to give him any problems. He’s busy and his exams are soon...”
“Huh,” the man scoffs and sets the coffee in front of the flustered adolescent, “I would have thought teenagers would jump at this chance when their guardian approves or something. It can’t hurt to ask.”
Steam curls up towards his face as he cups the warmed ceramic. It seeps into his hands but the warmth that builds in his chest isn’t from the coffee in front of him.
Yusuke…
His heart plays two beats so quick it almost makes everything go silent. The gas from the burners still hiss, the television plays news in the background, and the clock ticks away. Akira stares at his own reflection in the surface of his drink before taking a sip. Hope is already beginning to settle in his heart with the tips of his ears burning with heat.
“I’ll ask,” his voice still hesitates but it’s expectant. Even though Yusuke’s agreement to the offer isn’t guaranteed, a part of his cunning brain used for thieving and puzzles kicked in. There’s a list of logical reasons and ways it could benefit his boyfriend if he stayed over at Leblanc. Also, while Akira doesn’t know Kosei’s policy about the dorms, Yusuke has left his room before and got back easily during that one day over the summer.
Akira’s hands are already trembling with the phone in his hands. He hasn’t even turned it on yet… Maybe he’s over thinking this.
“Well?” Sojiro lifted an eyebrow.
He bites his lip, “I really want him to say yes…”
It scares him how much he needs Yusuke but compared to last night it’s not what’s stopping him.
“Just don’t do anything funny during business hours,” he says a bit stern but he hears the push underneath.
It the first time he laughs this morning without something looming over him. Akira finishes his coffee then gets shooed to his room as the sign is flipped over. Morgana wakes up in his arms while he’s climbing the stairs.
“Was’ goin’ on?” he blinks lazily.
“Sojiro is opening Leblanc, and I’m trying to invite Yusuke over,” he lays Morgana near his pillow.
“Great,” his yawn sounds sarcastic, “I’m staying over with Futaba… don’t wanna watch newlyweds all day.”
Akira flicks the feline’s ear, “Stop that.”
“That’s good though. Yusuke is good for you,” Morgana mummers, “Good influence… You’re good for him too.”
“Thanks,” he scoffs. The minute Akira sits on his bed he’s surprised by the buzz of his phone.
>> Akira?
<< Yusuke?
<< Don’t you have class right now?
>> We have a free period to study for our exams. May I have a word with you at this moment?
>> If you’re not preoccupied that is. I assure you it’s nothing problematic.
Akira is about to send a message when he sees the dots and a new text shows up. He smiles fondly at his lover’s afterthought.
>> Well, not considering my eccentrics...
<< I love you because of your quirks my lovable weirdo.
<< What do you need?
There’s a brief pause, the dots blinking in and out, and it takes a minute before the next one sends.
>> That’s what I wanted to ask of you Akira.
<< ??
>> Futaba messaged me a moment ago explaining the circumstances. You're experiencing night terrors and want me to stay over to help, correct?
<< Wait
<< Futaba is up this early?
>> Indeed, a rather odd circumstance. I couldn’t believe it either until she mentioned you and then Sojiro’s suggestion.
<< Anyone else know about this now?
>> Not another soul my love. Does this mean you’re not informing the others? I'm certain they will understand your decision.
His heart does a flip and he repeats Yusuke's action from earlier. Akira writes, deletes his message, and then decides on something simple.
<< Some other time.
<< After this is over.
<< So… what exactly did Futaba tell you?
>> She informed me you were “chickening out” when you wanted to ask me to stay over for a week at Leblanc’s. I found it to be a pleasant idea.
>> I adore and cherish whatever time I spend with you, Akira. However, Futaba mentioned something about newlyweds when replying to my comment.
<< Funny, Morgana said the same thing.
>> Did he really?
<< Yeah.
<< So…
<< Will you stay with me for a week Yusuke?
The next text made him smile with all his care and love from his heart poured into it.
Of course. I would love to.
Morgana disappears around the afternoon leaving Akira to read a book on his bed. His head is abuzz with nervous energy but his body can’t keep up. It’s cold even with the blanket securely tucked around him and sighs as he puts the book over his face. The wounds from this morning are still fresh despite the ones on his skin fading away. He wonders how he had made himself vulnerable enough to let something like that get to him. It’s ridiculous yet…
The kicks, knuckles, drugs… So much screaming on his part. Not a moments rest until his vision fades into black. He’s suffocating. There’s footsteps…
“Akira?” in response he jolts like being splashed with a bucket of iced water. His body had curled into itself again and he tightens himself into a ball. Why’s it dark?
Oh… The quilt was over his head, and it was stuffy. There’s not even a glimmer under the thick comforter but he hears his name again.
“Akira, I’m moving the blanket,” the voice is soft and it’s as if his body sings with the melodic tones. His eyes dilate and the soft glow of light comes back. Akira holds his breath with vision clear when he wakes up. The smile Yusuke gives him makes his heart beat quickly for a different reason.
“Yusuke,” he says breathless and lunges for him. He falls back onto the mattress awkwardly with his boyfriend almost crushing his torso.
When Yusuke chuckles Akira melts, “I’m glad to see you too my beloved; although, I would rather sit up so I can hold you properly.”
“Mm,” he hums as if giving it a long thought, “No.”
A puff of air on his ear makes his cheeks turn warm, “Not even for a kiss?”
“That was an easy win,” Akira complains.
“I’ll take my victory in stride,” blue eyes shimmer with mirth.
Their kiss lets any chill seep away while Akira’s toes curl with delight. He sighs with content as Yusuke cradles his head while he wraps his arms around firm shoulders. They pull away and Akira nuzzles into the crook of his boyfriend’s neck.
“How have you been faring?” Yusuke inquires.
“Isn’t it obvious?” he kisses a fluttering pulse.
“Akira,” a soft chide.
“Nightmare…” he whispers and his eyes are dancing like a flame threatening to flicker out, “I was being tortured again.”
The growl in Yusuke’s chest cause his ears to burn for a second time that day.
“Never again. Don’t put yourself in such severe harm for our sakes,” he feels a pair of lips burying themselves within his messy hair.
He pulls back to look at Yusuke, “You know I can’t promise you that.”
“I know, but with every fiber of my being I won’t allow you to make such a decision again. I’ll protest anything that even suggests you doing it,” he hugs him while giving a light squeeze.
Try to take Akira away from me. I dare you.
For this moment, Akira feels secured as though there wasn’t anything grand at stake. This was just them hugging in the attic of Leblanc. The warm smell of coffee and paints mixed with soap is what smells like home.
It’s still there. Pain crawls on his skin and he blinks away the watery veil over his eyes. Akira breathes slowly while leaning closer into their gentle embrace. He isn’t sure how much time passes before he pulls away to grab his phone that’s near his pillow then squints at the brightness. It’s just two hours before dawn.
When he glances at Yusuke’s pale face in the shadows he smoothly replaces his body with the pillow he was resting on. Akira kisses his boyfriend’s forehead before heading downstairs then grabbing an apron.
He thumbs through his meal plans and recipe notes. Work is quiet and the pot quietly simmers while the rice cooker is set. Trauma has its claws buried into his skin but there’s peace in doing something useful when he can’t do anything else. Akira taste-tests both breakfast and Yusuke’s lunch before grinning at the progress he’s made. A bento is stuffed until it’s crammed to the edges and a thermos is filled right at the line. The lids wait on the side until the food stops steaming to prevent it from getting watered down.
Akira makes quick work of cleaning the kitchen and loading what he used into the sink. Third eye comes into play again for a minute with a chuckle at sensing Yusuke’s presence curling up with his pillow none the wiser. Burners hiss to life as he prepares coffee the way Sojiro taught him.
Halfway through his drink there’s footsteps coming down the stairs. Akira has his eyes closed when Yusuke wraps his arms from behind him. He becomes boneless in their hug and the talons buried in his head don’t hurt as much.
“Darling… come back to bed,” his groggy voice whines.
“You’re going to school soon sweetheart,” he gives him a good morning peck on the cheek.
“Mm…” Yusuke brings his eyes open halfway, “Blue Mountain?”
“My temporary crutch while you’re asleep,” Akira takes a light sip.
It makes his breathtaking boyfriend pout. Really, it’s unfair how amazing Yusuke looks with his hair a mess and there’s a drop’s worth of dry spit on the edge of his kissable lips.
“You could have woken me up instead of the smell of coffee Akira.”
“Says the guy who told me to go back to bed.”
“You wound me so. Oh, how will I ever recover from this?” he leans in and moves Akira’s hand. He doesn’t even try to stop Yusuke from gulping down the rest of his coffee. There’s something satisfying about an indirect kiss and tasting his handiwork from Yusuke’s lips afterward.
“Sit down, I’ll serve breakfast.”
They eat and eventually talk about the next terror. It isn’t pretty and he has to nudge Yusuke’s feet. They’re ice cold but Akira intertwines their ankles the best he can.
“Gaslighting?” Yusuke grasps his head in his hands, “Making you believe you were there for several days?”
Akira shrugs but his gaze is far off, “They were idiots though; should have put the date on the page after I was forced to sign the confession.”
“Forced?” the artist’s voice cracks. Akira scoots his chair closer and their bodies press into each other.
“Some guy threatened I didn’t need my legs to sign a piece of paper,” Akira mutters.
“The nerve,” he snarls.
“My legs are still here, in one piece,” he guides a hand over his thigh, hears Yusuke’s breath hitch, then quickly brings it up to his mouth to place a kiss there, “It’s not worth thinking about it. We have us now, and I’m back home. Forget them. They’ll get their retribution once we take down the Palace.”
“You’re an honorable person Akira,” his boyfriend sighs. “I’m not as… you’re so good I’m hardly deserving of you.”
“Would you change their hearts, or destroy their shadows Yusuke?” the other doesn’t look him in the eye. Instead he squeezes their hands together, and thinks before meeting him back in the quiet café. Just the two of them here.
“I would protect you first. Even if you weren’t there I would run to you,” Yusuke brings his hand to his face and Akira brushes a thumb over his cheek.
“You’re so loyal I hardly deserve you. See how it works?” they both laugh.
“You always guide me back to where I need to be. The light of my life,” Yusuke whispers as he puts his lips to his boyfriend’s forehead. A timer goes off and they both groan. The art student should leave now to organize his supplies at the dorm to have them ready to be brought back at Leblanc before classes start. He’d only brought his clothes and other essentials.
Yusuke’s school bag and lunch are in his hands and they’re standing at the door. They share a goodbye kiss and Akira giggles into it.
“You’re rather cheerful,” Yusuke finally smiles.
“They were right. We are acting like newlyweds,” he wraps him into a hug.
“Your point?” that sly smirk he loves shows on his lips. Akira always had the feeling Yusuke was a trickster himself given by the fact he wears a fox mask.
“I think at this point you should call me Akira Kitagawa for the week,” he purrs.
“T-That’s…” his boyfriend is adorable when he’s flustered. There’s no helping the urge to horde Yusuke all to himself. He’s a treasure.
“Do you know the saying how a first love never lasts?” Akira murmurs.
“So I’ve heard,” there’s an arm wrapped around his waist bringing him closer, “Although we aren’t really ones who go along with such trivial expectations placed by society. Were we?”
Akira brushes a strand of dark hair from Yusuke’s face.
“Yeah, and with you around I’ll never believe it. I want to stay with you for a long time Yusuke.”
“As do I Akira.”
In the future, they’ll grow old together, and the lovers act as if they were a new pair of love struck fools.
It’s two in the morning and Akira chokes back a sob. He would have snapped if he wasn’t looking at Yusuke’s face. Yusuke, his sweet grounding boyfriend, was here with him and somewhere in the back of his mind he had been told it was okay.
He dives right into his shoulder, a mess from his pains that still haunt him. A sharp inhale reaches his hearing before a hand begins stroking his back.
“Akira…?”
“Sorry… I’m sorry,” he whispers. It’s frantic, and he’s sure somewhere after saying it so many times it becomes incoherent. Yusuke is the one to lie them both on their sides and they stare at each other without saying a word.
“What’s wrong?” he's tired and Akira bites his lip.
“I… I want to die with you Yusuke. I don’t- I c-can’t…” his blood runs cold at the nightmares. Their grief and suffering over the failed plan to fool the traitor among their group…
The way Yusuke’s eyelids lower with understanding breaks his walls down even further.
Tomorrow would be their last night together, and in the morning, it would be Yusuke’s final day of exams followed by Akira’s checkup.
Depending on his condition the Phantom Thieves would be meeting up to discuss their next move.
“I’m so desperate… morbid,” his laugh is bitter against his gritted teeth, “It’s ugly.”
“I’ve seen far more unsightly things and you, my muse, could never be just that. An artist’s tastes change with their inspiration after all,” Yusuke reassured.
“I love you…” he feels his heart throbbing away in his chest.
“I love you as well,” he reaches out to touch the side of his face. Dark eyes close but the glint of white teeth forms a wide grin, “Akira Kurusu…”
“It’s Kitagawa,” he huffs but can’t keep a serious expression.
Maybe it’s his mixed-up emotions, or maybe it’s simpler than that. Yusuke is here with him and he can’t help that giddy feeling of reckless abandon. The taste of freedom is always close by when he’s with the one he gave his heart to by choice. A love that grew from time spent together just getting to know each other.
“I’ve lost count of the times we’ve proposed to each other over the course of this week,” he kisses him on the nose, “When will we amend this problem? I want my fiancé to become my spouse soon.”
“After we graduate. We can’t give Sojiro a heart attack, he’s getting older after all,” he laughs while a few tears slip away. Yusuke presses their foreheads together.
“Feeling better?” he breathes.
“Yeah… but I want to stay up a bit longer,” Akira wants to keep staring at Yusuke’s calming face.
“I refuse. You’re sleeping with me. There will be no compromise,” he yawns.
“I’m making katsudon with hon tsuyu broth for dinner.”
“You won’t tempt me.”
“Kiss me?” he brushes their lips together.
Yusuke finally opens one eye again, “What an easy victory.”
“I’ll take it with pride.”
Joker steps forward and the breeze billows out the flaps of his tailcoat.
“Everyone ready?” he looks over his shoulder to see the Phantom Thieves giving their leader grins. He locks eyes with Fox and smirks.
“Let’s move! We have a Treasure to steal!”
He runs forward free of his fears.