Chapter Text
It was easy to get lost in the crowed underground station in Tokyo. People walking in every direction, like traffic, trains crowded, people shoved unceremoniously into train cars. For Goro, the whole hustle of it was a nice distraction. It was a system that he could get into easily and lose himself in the rhythm of it all. It was much easier to be out of the world than be in it.
Unfortunately for him he’s received a few dirty looks since entering the underground station- probably people who were against him ever since the hacker group, medjed, seemed to have been taken care of by the phantom thieves as well.
Alas, what can he do.
His eyes drift towards the packed train car in front of him. Two Shujin students are talking to each-other.
One of them he recognizes immediately, he couldn’t forget your face anytime soon. You were talking to the person he loathed- for many reasons more than one. Large glasses that didn’t seem to have a prescription in them, and hair. Oddly styled hair-messy.
Was Akira’s hair messy? Or was it styled to look that way? From his slouched back you might assume it’s out of negligence but his clothes seem too crisp, clean, and well ironed to jump to that conclusion.
Goro knitted his brows, That’s unfair. Something as simple as his hair can make you consider the depth of him in so many different ways. Consider what really is the truth- and no one will ever truly know what is the truth.
Your eyes find Goro, which snaps him out of his internal monologue. “Akechi!”
He waves, which is meet with the chime to signal the doors closing.
Now what he doesn’t expect is your hand shooting out, forcefully dragging the boy into the over-packed subway car.
“Wh-”
Goro nearly looses his balance, his suitcase whacking against someone, practically tripping into you. The doors shut instantly behind him and there’s this horrifying moment where everyone in the subway car leans into one another, uncomfortably. His hand scrambles for leverage, and eventually finds a shoulder of some kind, as another hand grabs the back end of his coat to help him lean back against the closed door. Apologies murmur out of his mouth, as the whole car gives a disgruntled rumble.
“Sorry about that.” It’s you, standing close to him still (it’s not that you really like to, it’s just there’s no more space in the cramped subway.) “I just…acted on instinct I guess, hah.”
Goro manages to recover quickly, sweeping hair out of his eyes with his free hand. “It’s…alright, it just surprised me a bit.”
“You didn’t need to be that forceful, s/o.” The man next to you says, at the same time releasing Goro’s shoulder.
The voice makes his teeth clench, he bites it back and pulls the muscles into the best smile he can.. “Oh, you must be Akira Kurusu.” -Stretching the sides of his mouth until it hurts-
“Mhm. You’re Akechi from the T.V studio, and like, all over the news.” Akira smiles. “Pretty hard not to know who you are at this point.”
“I suppose so…” he changes the subject. “S/o has talked about you before.”
Akira looks towards him, the ends of his mouth curving slightly. “Oh,” then turning to look at you, “Really?”
You smack the boy’s shoulder, who’s hand’s fly out of his pockets to grab onto the railing for support. “Hey now- no need to be so mean.”
Goro wants to disappear . Just end him now, anything would be better than seeing this subtle flirting going on between you two.
He sneaks a glance up towards the ceiling. The route this train is taking is the one he’s not supposed to be on, he’ll have to get off at the next stop. “You two are heading to school I suppose?” He asks- anything to stop the conversation you and Akira continue to have.
“Huh? Oh-yeah.” you say, pointing to your bag. “Me and Akira take the subway together in the morning.”
“I see.” he hums. Jealousy claws at his chest. Why.
Why does everything seem to fall in favor for him.
The announcer comes on, informing them that they’ll be ariving at the next station momentarily. “Well I best be going…I’m actually not on the right train-”
“Oh really?” Guilt is imminent on your face. “I’m so sorry I had no idea-”
“It’s quite alri-”
The doors open, and Akechi is forced to be swept away by the crowd, the words dying in his throat.
The doors shut soon after, and in a whipping of air the train is gone.
Akechi shuts his mouth, and bites his cheek.
That’s all there is to it.
—-
He tries to put you out of his mind. Away, locked in box in the basement of his mind that he dares not go to.
It would be okay most days- he’d hide his thoughts from it and sink further in the dark ocean that was his mind. The harder days were when he saw you two, always together at the train station- laughing, smiling.
Teenagers having a good time. Everyone was out there having a good life except for him.
It got to the point where he was taking the long way to get to school- to not run the risk of seeing you or Akira.
As a result his investigation on the phantom thieves had bubbled to a standstill. It was a little difficult to investigate the people who you were trying to avoid.
He was doing a good job of it too, that was until Sae’s younger sister contacted him, inviting him to the school festival as the guest speaker.
He remembers wanting to say no, he could come up with tons of reasons why he’s busy.
Then the next thing he knows, he’s saying yes, and immediately wants to throw his phone against the wall.
He’s an idiot, for taking this on- he’ll see you for sure when he goes. He’ll have to face the music and explain why he hasn’t been texting you back or responding to anything you say. It was supid, why did he do it?
Oh he knows exactly why he did that, the little voice in his mind says. He shuts it up, grouchily turning in bed and throwing a pillow on top of his head.
He knows why, he’s known for a long time now-
He just refuses to accept it.
—
“Oh, everyone’s all here.”
He tosses a stray ribbon from his shoulder as he walks up to the gawking group sat at the table. Everyone stares at him with either contempt (Ryuji, Futaba, Yusuke) shock (Makoto, Haru, Ann) or curiosity, ( Akira) or….something he can’t quite place (Yourself)
Speaking of which, Akira and yourself are sitting next to eachother. Goro locks eyes with you for a split second before turning away. The bag in your lap rustles slightly.
“T-the panel isn’t until tomorrow though…” Makoto mumbles, knuckles clutching the edge of her chair. Shes bad under pressure, Akechi thinks.
Well, certain types of pressure.
“He can come if he wants to…” You mumble back, side-eyeing Sae’s sister.
“I came to check out the venue-” He begins.
“Venue, huh….” There’s nothing to your voice, no spite, no emotion, it’s flat. To be honest, he’d rather have you yell at him- he deserves it.
“I can’t make any mistakes after all.” he finishes. “A lot of people will be preassent.
He ignores the comments Ryuji and Futaba murmur about him. In an attempt to assert himself he reaches out for the red Takoyaki ball.
Now that he thinks back to it, he should have known it was spicy.
He eats it whole, and his world explodes in flames.
“A-are you okay?! Do you need water?!” Ann fretts.
“I-i-im fine! I just love- uh- love spicy- spicy stuff…” He coughs, it feels like he’s experiencing 100 heart burns at once now.
Despite everything, the whole group’s expression has softened, you’re trying to hide a smile that curls around your hand. Even Futaba and Ryuji are smilling at his suffering.
Hah.
“Well then I’ll! S-see you t-t-t-tomorrow!!” He turns sharply and stumbles off, not bothering to make it out of the door before he’s running.
—
Fuck Russia. he thinks, gargling water in the back of the school Them making spicy food.
Now he’s rinsing his mouth with water that just heightens his pain, and spitting it back into the grass. People have shot him looks passing by, but there’s nothing that can be done.
“Hey.” there’s a shadow above him, looking up he’s met with you, full uniform. He has to say- red and black look splendid on you.
“Ah-” He tries to say something but his tongue fills his mouth and he resorts to panting, like a dog.
You place a carton of milk in his hand. Probably one from the vending machines. “Drink it, it’ll help.”
He’d be worried about how much of a mess he looks- water dribbling down his coat if it wasn’t for the fact that his mouth was still on fire. You take a seat next to him and it isn’t until he finishes the carton and has the breath to say “Thank you.” that you talk again.
“So- Venue?”
“What about it?”
You shake your head, knees tucked under your butt. “Nothing, I guess there is nothing.”
There’s silence, for a long while he thinks you’re gonna get up and leave.
“Why, Akechi.”
“Come again?”
“Why do you do this to me?” your voice is weaker, splintering like thin wood.
“Do wha-”
“Stop fucking with me Akechi.” You’re not calling him by his name.
“I’m sorry for being busy…work with the phantom thieves has been-”
“Its not about the fact that you’re busy!” You plead. “You don’t talk to me! Never! I feel like I’m talking to a ghost- I haven’t seen you in months, I found out through Makoto you were coming to visit.”
Guilt courses through him. It was all for the best, he thought you’d be happier this way, at the very least you be better off without worrying about him.
“-and when you do show up, all you have to say is that you’re checking out the venue. No hello.” Broken, sad words. “Do I even mean anything to you, Akechi.”
More than you imagine, the voice in his head says.
“S/o.” he starts carefully. “I know I haven’t been there a lot. I’m sorry… I know that must have made you feel….unwanted, believe me I know a thing or two about it…as for why I did it well…”
You deserve better, better off with hot-as-fuck-Akira and crawl up to the attic that is his room as he pushes you onto your bed and fu-
The idea of you and Akira having sex makes him want to puke.
“…a motivation of…madness, lets say…” he gulps.
You’re looking at him, eyes pleading with him. “Akechi, Goro, we’re friends, right?”
“If that’s what you want us to be.”
“No, is it what you want it tobe? Or do you just not give a fuck-”
“I care, s/o, more than you imagine, I think.”
You close your mouth, hands clenching. “Goro I really want to be your friend.”
“I want to be your friend as well, admittedly I don’t think I’m the best but…if you’ll have me then I’m happy.”
You held out your hand, he took it, shaking it as if sealing a contact.
You sighed, leaning up against the school building. “I’m sorry for cursing at you.”
“And I’m sorry for ignoring you.” Because I was jealous of you and Akira being so close to each other
You smilled. Oh so brightly smiled. “Please text me, Goro.”
He nodded, “I shall.”
Not I shall try, or I will keep that in mind. But a promise.
Akechi isn’t good on meaning the things he says. He just hopes, he’s saying what he really means, this time around.