Chapter Text
There is a calendar hanging on the kitchen wall, and with each passing day Goro tries to pretend he doesn’t see it. Unfortunately, a big red smiley face drawn on the paper was intentionally made to be as flashy as possible to whoever walks by, and each time Goro looks at it, the mocking expression seems a little bit more real.
His birthday is right around the corner and no matter the circumstances, Goro doubts that any celebration will actually be involved.
If only convincing everyone would be as easy as it sounds. Akira’s been acting like there’s a secret only he is privy to, and the random questions Goro is occasionally asked both by Akira and Morgana are starting to get on his nerves. Subtle jokes about his plans for the next week (If I had 100 yen every time you told me I’m handsome, I’d still have nothing. How am I supposed to take you to the restaurant you’ve been telling me about, let’s say… next week?), sudden questioning of his fashion choices (Between that cute sweater and the jacket you’ve always wanted, explain which one would you chose and why would it be letting me buy you both in exchange for your eternal love), and rather interesting offers of spending their free time together (I know you like cycling, but I have something else you can ride), convinced Goro that Akira lost his air of mystery a long time ago.
It’s not that he doesn’t appreciate the effort Akira is willing to put into celebrating together. Every little hint still brings a smile to his face, even if inside Goro is on edge at every mention of the dreaded day.
The only time he ever felt happy during his birthday was the short time he spent with his mother. It was barely anything, just a small cake and blowing the candles, his childish mind wishing for ludicrously bright future he never got. Soon enough, he was the only one to remember about his birthday when he realized that the foster home considered celebrating a waste of time and money.
Since then, no matter how much Goro tries to tell himself that the date is of little importance, the ghost of happiness he once tasted continues to haunt him till this day. It shouldn’t matter now, he should finally put the past behind him and let himself enjoy the newfound future he once wished for, but never thought he would ever experience. Still, old habits die hard.
Although not much of a habit, the pre-birthday depression hits him no matter how little Goro glances at the calendar. Not to say that his life is a bed of roses during the rest of the year, but at least once his birthday comes around, Goro can put a blame on something that is not his bad decision making. Even if it’s for that reason he can never fully enjoy anything in life.
Through all the years of living alone, Goro never once learned how to properly cope with loneliness. He always repressed it, kept it hidden and denied that something so simple is still capable of having control over him. Whenever it became too much, it always ended up with him breaking down and wasting an entire day staring at a wall and laying in bed.
When he became a celebrity, suddenly the whole world was set on reminding him how important he is. His fans would bombard him with gifts, all with little to no thought put into them but still better than nothing. Most of it was just chocolate and flowers, both impermanent and useless to him. He couldn’t eat anything due to the safety reasons anyway, and soon the smell of withering flowers would become unbearable, to the point where he threw the flowers away as soon as he got them.
He tried to tell himself that it’s genuine, that people really do care about him. But the more popular he got, the more every gift felt like a fresh stab to his heart, and at the end of the day Goro could only hope he got enough resolution left to not grab his gun as soon as he’s back at his apartment.
Instead, just to make his demise a little bit more interesting, he decided that safety protocol be damned, eating too much chocolate seems like a great way to go. Three boxes later he was dozing off in front of the TV with no sign of food poisoning, and few hours later he was stuck in the bathroom and regretting leaving his gun in the hall. In the end, having a sweet tooth ended up being a much cheaper addiction and a way to handle reality than any other.
This time, however, his craving for sweets is not enough to save him from overthinking, and if Akira noticed all the empty chocolate boxes, he never said anything. Goro thought it would be different this time around, that having someone to spend his birthday with would finally get rid of the bad memories. But even without meaning to, Akira is a walking reminder of all the lonely evenings he spent wishing for a better future.
Goro is sure that Akira carries nothing but good intentions, and his enthusiasm is both endearing and terrifying, but all the extra attention Goro’s been recently showered with is finally getting to him. Every kind-hearted gesture seems mocking, and the way everyone keeps tip-toeing around him only strengthens his assumption that whatever they’re planning, it’s nothing but pity. The former thieves are surely busy enough with their own lives, and Goro can’t imagine why they would be willing to waste their time for him. After everything he’s done, it’s understandable if they’ll barely even acknowledge his birthday.
He can’t be sure if all of them are involved in Akira’s scheme, but knowing the raven, he would give Goro the world if it would make him happy. Surely inviting all of his friends to celebrate together is nothing compared to what Akira is capable of. Still, outright asking about it seems too obvious, and on the off chance that Goro is just being paranoid and nothing is actually going on, he doesn’t want to make it seem like he’s desperate for attention.
Which leaves him with no one but Morgana to drill for answers.
While Akira is much easier to read than before, Goro still won’t be able to get anything out of him, no matter how excited he seems to be. Morgana, on the other hand, seems like a perfect victim to corner, and with the raven leaving the cat at the apartment quite often it was only a matter of time before the two of them would be left alone.
His birthday is still few days away when Goro finds himself in the kitchen, preparing a dinner with Morgana who keeps looking over his shoulder. After all this time watching Akira cook, the brunette picked up how to make the simplest dishes so he wouldn’t need to rely on the raven to feed himself. Still, Morgana never really expressed interest in Goro’s culinary career, and it’s not hard to guess the cat has his own mission to carry out.
Sometimes he wonders why they haven’t found Morgana a new home already.
“You’re getting into it, aren’t you?” The cat asks, sitting on the nearby counter.
“What, feeding myself?”
Morgana rolls his eyes. “I can give you some advice if you want. I used to watch Akira cook all the time, I bet you could be even better than him if you put your heart into it!”
Unfortunately, Akechi’s competitive streak isn’t reserved for cooking contests, so he just hums in affirmation.
“Maybe…” Morgana continues, “… we can get you something that would help? Like a cooking book?” The cat searches the brunette’s face for a sign of agreement, but finds nothing. To be honest, Akechi finds it hard to enjoy cooking, it always seemed like a waste of time when he could simply order take-out while doing far more important things in the meantime.
“Honestly, I enjoy Akira’s cooking far more than mine. I don’t think he’ll mind me staying out of the kitchen.” Akechi says.
Morgana brightens up and smirks. “Sooo… You like it when he cooks for you, hmmm?”
This is ridiculous.
“Yes, I enjoy when he’s not letting me starve quite a bit.” The brunette replies with a deadpan expression, not letting his eyes stray from the chopping board.
He hears Morgana sigh, “So what-“
“And before you ask, he knows what my favorites are.” Akechi interrupts.
“That’s-…! I wasn’t gonna ask you anything!”
Akechi smiles and turns around to face the cat. “Morgana… What is it all about?” He asks cautiously. Maybe by some miracle they won’t need to dance around the subject.
“I’m just curious! We rarely talk when Akira is around.”
Never mind.
“Is it about my birthday?” Akechi finally asks.
Morgana looks surprised, his eyes widening as he speaks up excitedly “W-Wait, your birthday’s coming up?”
Akechi sighs. The cat’s feigned amazement is way too easy to see through. “What are you planning? The both of you are not as inconspicuous as you think.”
“I’m not telling!” He stands up defiantly. “Akira will kill me if I’ll say anything.”
Great. It’s even worse than Akechi thought. “Listen.” He says and leans on the counter. “I don’t want you to tell me anything. I appreciate the thought, but I’d rather you forget about this altogether, okay?”
“Oh, hell no!” Morgana exclaims. “After everything Akira put me through we can’t just forget about your birthday!”
If the preparations are such a traumatic experience, Akechi can’t imagine what the end result would look like. “I already have everything I need. To ask for more would be an arrogance on my part, and I don’t want to inconvenience you even more than I already did.”
Morgana frowns and speaks up with indignation. “Hey! You’re not an inconvenience. We can’t just leave you alone, you’re one of us now.”
One of them… Even if they think that, Akechi has a hard time believing it. In the recent months he’s been continuously invited to hang out with them whenever the opportunity arose, and with Akira’s insistence he never really had a chance to decline . Denying them is not an option anymore, but it doesn’t stop Akechi from making himself as small as possible whenever they spend time together. To know that he could be the center of their attention once again is making him nauseous.
“Please. It would make me feel better if I knew you’re not going out of your way for my sake. You have already done so much for me, and I know I don’t deserve even half of it.”
Morgana winces and walks up to Akechi. “Akira would whoop your ass if he heard you say it.”
Akechi laughs breathlessly. “That’s why I’m talking to you. I need you to tell him to call it off. Whatever all of you were planning.”
The cat sighs and looks up with sad eyes. “Is it really going to make you happy?”
Akechi smiles unsurely. “It is.” He says through gritted teeth.
And if for the next few days Akira seems a little bit more distant, Akechi just needs to deal with it.
~~~~~
Despite his better judgment, on the second day of June Akechi ends up in the Underground Mall first thing in the morning. The message on his phone was already waiting for him when he woke up, and with Akira hovering over him it was clear that the brunette wasn’t going to weasel his way out of that one.
This is fine. It’s just another meeting with him as a decoration. Nothing out of the ordinary. If anything will be out of place Akechi can just bolt out of there.
Walking around the corner he notices Ann, Makoto, and Haru chatting vividly, and despite his growing apprehension, he’s happy he won’t be the only conversation partner.
Not like he plans on speaking up unprompted. After all, even after all these months, Akechi did not have a chance to have a proper talk with young Okumura, and when it comes to hiding their true feelings, she is far more skilled than Akechi.
“Goro! Over here!” He hears Ann shouting excitedly. Out of all of them, she is the one he is inclined to believe the most about being happy to see him.
“Hello Akechi.” Makoto says, followed by a curt nod from Haru. This is going to be a long day.
“Hello. I hope I haven’t kept you waiting for long.” He replies.
“No, no, we’re just getting started. I hope you’re ready.” Ann says vaguely with a sly grin.
“For what?”
“Usually when we’re shopping, we tend to get a little carried away. “ Makoto chimes in. “Ann thought it would be a good idea to hire you as our hanger.”
“I believe porter would be a better word.” Haru corrects her, wearing a smile that could be considered pleasant for anyone who doesn’t know any better.
If becoming a hanger would grant Akechi a privilege of remaining silent, he’ll gladly be one. Although, when he thought about being a decoration, he never meant it in a literal sense.
If Akechi had any doubts whether it’s another one of Akira’s schemes to celebrate his birthday, they’re already long gone. For the next hour he’s keeping the girls company on their shopping endeavors, providing his insight whether they asked about certain outfits and paying them simple complements if he thought it was acceptable to do so.
It’s not like they should take his suggestions seriously. He knows very well that his old sweater vest became a well known meme among the group, and Akechi refused to show his face to the group for a week after one of them recognized him wearing Akira’s clothes.
Hell, even his old Metaverse outfit gives him nightmares. Who even wears stripes these days?
After another hour, and several shopping bags Akechi was forced to carry, he became vulnerable to the girls’ whims of making him their model. With his hands occupied, he finds himself unwillingly trying on sunglasses and hats in different shapes and forms, each one making him look more ridiculous than the other.
“Hold on.” Haru says, taking off the oversized shades and the cap Akechi is currently wearing. “I have an idea.”
If it didn’t sound ominous on its own, Akechi sees her grabbing a pink straw hat which she quickly puts on his head. So far, the brunette was spared from seeing himself in the mirror, but Haru tugs at his sleeve until he’s standing right in front of it.
Surprisingly, it’s not as bad as he expected. Pink isn’t really his color, and the hat is just slightly too big and keeps sliding off to the side. The small bow on the brim isn’t making him feel any better, but he doesn’t feel nearly as humiliated as he probably should. That is, until Haru smiles mischievously and takes something out of her bag.
One minute later he is standing in front of a mirror with a tiny ponytail tied with a ribbon, the girls giggling uncontrollably and Ann snapping pictures with her phone.
If this is his penance, then so be it.
“Oh my god Goro, you look so cute!” Ann says, still laughing.
“Say…” Makoto tries to stifle the laughter. “Do you think we can make him put on a dress to complete the picture?”
“Oh!” Haru exclaims excitedly. “I think he would make a charming girl.” She says with delight.
During the short exchange, Akechi’s face managed to blend in perfectly with the color of the hat, the blush slowly taking over his ears and his neck. Fortunately, no one seems to be paying them any attention, because any more audience and Akechi would surely run out of the store with no plans of returning.
“Ok, line up, girls.” Ann says, and suddenly Akechi finds himself in the center of the group. “Say cheese!”
The brunette has only a second to react before Ann lifts up her phone and snaps a picture. Admittedly, the attire is not something Akechi would want anyone to see, but at the moment it doesn’t really matter. When he sees the picture, he can’t help but feel a rush of emotions he didn’t expect.
He looks ridiculous, that’s for sure, but it’s not something he wasn’t already anticipating. The blush on his face is still present, but there is something else that grabs his attention.
He is smiling. A genuine, careless smile that looks nothing like the practiced, stiff grimace he is used to. A smile he would never expect to see on himself, especially on a day like this. All these years of playing pretend, enduring the empty affection of the masses, and here he is, happy and laughing in the company of the last people who should be making him feel like this.
He turns around to hide the tears welling up in his eyes, and hears the lively chatter of the girls behind him. Maybe he can finally let go of the past, if only for today.