Work Text:
"What colour do you want?" Asked Ann as she pulled out a large box, filled to the brim with bottles of nail polish.
"Takamaki, I don't-"
"Ann."
"...Ann, I don't recall agreeing to this…" Goro huffed as he munched on his chocolates.
The two were sat on a bundle of cushions on Ann's bedroom floor. They had been hanging out with each other a lot recently, although it was mostly at different cafés and restaurants where they'd try all the limited edition deserts. They also had a few modelling gigs together where they vented to each other about the parts they hated about the industry.
But, that wasn't enough for Ann. She had noticed how closed off Goro was and wanted to help him open up. So, after weeks of pestering, she finally got him to agree to have a sleepover at her house. They had everything they could want: comfy pyjamas, plump pillows, some great music, piles and piles of sweets and a nice, warm hot chocolate each with some cream, marshmallows and chocolate sprinkles, of course.
One of the things that Ann had noticed was Goro was always wearing gloves. Even now, he was wearing his usual leather gloves… Although, Ann just had a feeling that it was because he was with another person, she didn't think that he kept them on when he was alone… At least… She hoped he didn't.
Anyway, her plan was to paint his nails. He'd have to take his gloves off for that! But, she wasn't going to force him; she didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable.
"Aww! But, they'd look so good! C'mon, just give it a try… You can pick any colour you want and if you don't like it, I've got some remover here so you can just take it off." She pleaded, displaying her bright rainbow of nail polishes.
Goro furrowed his brows together as he considered Ann's proposal. The blonde watched him carefully, trying to gauge his reaction. After a while, he let out a sigh.
"Fine… Although, just one hand, okay?" He muttered.
"Ooh! Thank you, Goro!" Ann squealed excitedly. Goro huffed, feigning annoyance, but the smirk on his face clearly displayed his true feelings.
Ann stared intently as he lifted his hand and grabbed the edge of his glove. With one swift tug, his glove was off. There wasn't anything there.
"What are you staring at…?" He asked with a baffled expression.
"Huh? Oh well… If I'm being honest, I thought that maybe you'd have scars on your hands or something 'cause, y'know, you're always wearing those gloves… It sound stupid now I say out loud…" Ann awkwardly admitted, twirling her hair around her finger.
"You make me sound like some kind of anime character." Giggled Goro.
"Yeah, I think I remember watching an anime that had a character like that! ... Or maybe it was in a game? Doesn't matter. Although… Why do you always wear those gloves?" Ann asked as she chomped through a cupcake. Goro's smirk fell and his face darkened.
"...I have my reasons…" He muttered, then glanced down at his hand with an anguished frown. Ann was intrigued by that response, but she didn't want to push when it was obvious that he didn't want to talk about it. So she changed the subject instead.
"So! What colour do you want?" She asked, shoving the box of nail polish in front of Goro. The chestnut haired boy puffed in disbelief as he stared at the sheer amount of pots.
"How many do you have?!" He gasped.
"Mm, enough. Now come on: a colour."
"I-I don't think I can choose from all this…" Goro stuttered nervously as all the colours started to blend together in his vision.
"Okay then… Warm or cold colours?" Ann asked, hoping to help him decide.
"Hmmm, warm."
"Okayyyy… Let's see…" Muttered Ann as she began rummaging around the box.
"Ooh! What if we use this black and blend it with this orange? And then we add just one quick layer of glitter and finish it off with a clear overcoat? It'll give your nails a kinda firey look!" Ann suggested excitedly, pulling out the required bottles.
"That… actually sounds like it could look quite nice…" Goro mumbled as he tried to envision Ann's idea.
"It does! I had the exact same nails for a modelling gig once!" Ann cheered with a big grin.
"Really? Which one?"
"I can't remember what magazine it was for… But it was for an Autumn clothes line!"
"Ah, yes. That is the perfect colour scheme for that season."
"Yep. Anyway, should we get this started?" Ann asked, getting the conversation back on track.
"Okay…"
"It's fine! Like I said, if you don't like it, I can just wash it off." Ann reassured him.
"Alright… So, what do I do with my hand?" Goro huffed in acceptance.
"Just rest it on this box so I have a steady surface to lean on." The pigtailed girl instructed him. Goro complied.
"Okay then, let's do this." Ann mumbled as she unscrewed the bottle and began painting the first nail red.
"Aaaaaaand done! Whaddya think?" Ann giggled as she placed the lid back on the nail polish. Goro lifted his hand and stared at his nails in amazement. They looked like glowing embers.
"...I love them." He muttered as his eyes sparkled.
"Yes! Do you want me to do your other hand too?" Ann celebrated with a victorious fist pump.
"Yes, please." Was Goro's reply as he went to take off his other glove.
"Wait! They're still wet! You gotta let them dry first!" Ann stopped him.
Goro glanced down at his hand. He didn't want to ruin his amazing nail art… He decided to take his glove off with his teeth instead.
"There. Problem solved." He stated as he spat out his glove.
"Awesome, now just blow on your nails, it should help them dry quicker." Ann told him as she got to work on his other hand. Goro followed her orders and began daintily blowing on his nails.
"The only problem with this is that I want to eat but I can't because of the wet polish…" Goro sighed.
"Yeaahhh… I used to have this little machine thing that you could stick your hand in and it would dry your nails really quickly but it broke when I dropped my school bag on it so now I need a new one…" Ann remarked as she coated Goro's nails with the black polish.
"What did you have in your bag to make it that heavy?!" Goro chuckled in disbelief. Ann thought about all of her Metaverse gear that kept hidden in her school bag.
"O-Oh, y'know! Loads of revision packs and all that!" She nervously lied.
"Ahh, exam season, huh?"
"Yep!"
Ann inwardly let out a sigh of relief, glad that Akechi was satisfied with that answer. She didn't think she would be able to withstand an interrogation with the phantom thief chasing detective.
"You know… I've never really done this before." Goro spoke up, changing the subject.
"Hm? You mean painting your nails?"
"Well, yes, that too. But I meant having a sleepover."
Ann looked up at Goro in surprise.
"Really?"
"Really."
"Didn't any of your friends ever invite you round or…?"
"I didn't really have any friends as a child. So, no, no one ever invited me to their house."
Ann couldn't help but frown at that sad revelation. She quickly pushed that sadness from her mind and smiled at Goro.
"Well, you've been invited now! And I'd happily invite you over again!" She giggled happily. Goro's eyes widened before he composed himself and smiled back at her.
"Yes, I have. Y'know… Ann… I actually quite enjoy our hangouts. It may have taken me until my late teens, but I actually have people I would call my friends now. You, Ren, Futaba, Haru… Makoto, even though we'd never admit that in front of the other… I would include Ryuji and Yusuke but I don't think Ryuji likes me and I honestly can never tell what Yusuke's thinking… So, I guess what I'm trying to say is… Thank you. For being my friend." Goro explained with the sincerest smile Ann had ever seen.
Those sweet words caught Ann off guard. She stared at Goro in amazed silence before composing herself.
"Idiot, you don't have to thank us for being your friend! We're your friends because we enjoy being around you!" She chuckled, playfully poking the end of Goro's nose. The chestnut haired just chuckled shyly. Ann glanced over at his free hand.
"Okay, that hand should be dry now." She informed him.
"Perfect." Was all he said before picking up a piece of chocolate and throwing it into his mouth.
Ann smirked as she continued painting his nails. She had something else she had suspicions about and prepared herself to question him about it. She started the next layer of nail polish as he picked up his hot chocolate and took a sip.
"Speaking of the others, can I ask you something?"
"Hm?"
"You have a crush on Ren, don't you?"
Goro choked on his drink. He sat there, coughing and spluttering while Ann patiently waited for a response.
"Wh-What on earth gave you that idea?! Th-There's no way that I, a famous detective, would e-ever fall for someone so- so plain! And cheeky! And wonderful to be around! Why would I-I like that idiot's soft hair or- or his deep onyx eyes?! R-Really, it's ridiculous!" He stuttered, his face a bright red, a panicked look in his eyes.
"You've got it bad, huh?" Ann asked simply with an understanding smile.
"...Yes…" Goro bashfully admitted under his breath.
"Why don't you tell him?"
"WHAT?!" Goro shrieked in horror before quickly clamping his hand over his mouth.
"Why is it such a big deal?"
"I can't tell him! I'd die from the embarrassment!" Goro protested.
"But, wouldn't that ten minutes of embarrassment be worth it if you ended up in a relationship?" Ann pointed out as she cleaned up her art of Goro's nails.
"W-Well, yes, I suppose… B-But, if we started dating, all sorts of rumours would be spread about him… I don't want that for him…"
"Mm, but I don't think Ren would pay any mind to them; there's plenty of rumours about him floating around already." Ann nonchalantly remarked.
"Huh?"
"You don't- Oh yeah, you don't go to Shujin, you wouldn't know about that, huh? Well, you know how Ren got arrested?"
"Yes, he told me the basic gist of it. It sounds to me like the trial was rigged…"
"Yeah, well, Kamoshida blackmailed a friend of ours into leaking Ren's criminal record online. So, the whole school knew about it and loads of stupid rumours started spreading: He carries a knife around in his bag, he does drugs, his mum's a hostess, his dad's a deadbeat drunk, he murdered a guy before… All sorts of stupid shit. But, Ren doesn't really pay any mind to all of it. He just kinda… ignores it." Ann explained with an irritated frown on her face. Goro couldn't help but scowl himself.
"Don't they have anything better to do?" He huffed angrily.
"I think the same thing every goddamn day… I mean these same students spread the rumours that I was dating Kamoshida."
"Ew."
"I know, right? I'd rather die than date, as Ryuji called him, that ripped mophead."
"Ppfffttt, 'ripped mophead' I love that."
"Same, Ren and Ryuji are brilliant at coming up with very unique insults."
"I want to hear more of them."
"Lemme finish these and then I'll see if I can find any from our old chats."
"Okay."
Despite the conversation moving on, Ann was still caught up on the Ren situation. She couldn't help but think that she should do something. Goro clearly cared about Ren a lot and it seemed to Ann that Ren felt the same way. She just thought that they deserved to be with someone that made them happy. That's when an idea popped into her head.
"Oh! By the way, I've been meaning to ask!" She announced.
"Oh?"
"You know that beef bowl restaurant on Central Street? They're gonna be doing some limited edition meals on Wednesday, maybe we should go?" She suggested, already scheming.
"Huh… I suppose it would be a nice change of pace. We only ever seem to eat sweets after all. Yeah, let's do it." Goro pondered as he watched Ann add the finishing touches to his nails.
"Awesome! Oh, but they tend to get pretty busy so it's best to book a reservation."
"Okay, where do we do that?"
"It's on their website. Look, let's do it now." Ann said, picking up her phone. Goro copied her actions.
"Okay, so basically, you go onto the events page and then fill out the form and after that, they give you reservation code that you have to give them when you arrive on Wednesday."
"Huh, so is this something that they're doing to prevent people from stealing a reservation's table?" Goro enquired curiously as he filled out the form.
"Yeah. Apparently the last time they did an event like this, that happened a lot and everyone made a huge fuss about it." Ann replied as she pressed 'submit reservation'.
"Well, at least they're learning from their mistakes." Commented Goro.
"True, very true."
The two sat quietly as they waited for their codes. After a few minutes, both of them received emails with their reservation codes.
"Aaaaand done! And speaking of done, your other hand should be dry now." Ann cheered, throwing her phone onto her bed.
Goro stretched his hands out in front of him and stared at Ann's work with a smile filled with childlike wonder.
"Oh, but you gotta promise me one thing!" Ann spoke up again.
"What's that?" Asked Goro, lowering his hands onto his lap.
"You don't wear your gloves when we go. I wanna see you proudly displaying your nails!" Ann stated, smirking proudly. Goro glanced down at his nails again with a thoughtful expression.
"It's a deal." He chuckled as he offered his hand to Ann. The two shook on it.
"Perfect. Aaaanyways… Now that we're done with your nails… You wanna watch a movie?" Ann suggested as she flopped down onto her mountain of pillows. Goro looked up at the clock.
"I suppose one wouldn't hurt…" He murmured, snuggling down and getting comfy.
"Great! Now, which movie…?" Ann deliberated as she stared at her dvd collection.
She thought back to their earlier conversation about Goro's childhood. He'd probably never watched a lot of classic kids movies too… Ann scanned her eyes across her dvds, trying to figure out which one Goro would like. Finally, she found one.
"You ever seen Howl's Moving Castle?" She asked. Goro innocently shook his head.
"No."
Ann just grinned and pulled out the case.
"You're gonna love it." She assured him as she placed the disc in the slot and pressed play.
Goro's checked the time again. It was Wednesday and he was stood outside the beef bowl shop. But there was no sign of Ann. He frowned as he glanced up the street again. Still no Ann in sight.
He'd been waiting for almost an hour now… Where was she? He couldn't decide if he was irritated, worried, or both. He tapped his foot impatiently as he checked the time again.
"Hey, Goro." A voice called out.
Although, the voice clearly wasn't Ann's. It was a boy's voice. Goro spun around to find an all too familiar raven haired boy stood in front of him.
"R-Ren?! What, uh… What are you doing here?" A flustered Goro asked.
"I got a text from Ann earlier. She said that she'd made plans with you to come here today but she's been sick since this morning. She said she didn't want you to go alone, so she gave me her reservation code and told me to go with you instead. I'm sorry if I kept you waiting..." Ren explained as he displayed the messages he had received from Ann and, sure enough, there was her reservation code.
Now that he thought about it, when had Ann ever been interested in non sweet foods?
It was at this moment Goro realised that he had been played.
He kept his annoyance hidden, not wanting to upset Ren.
"Oh, I see! It's no problem at all! After all, you couldn't have known when we were meeting if you were only informed a few hours ago. Well then, shall we go in?" He politely offered, gesturing Ren to walk in front of him.
"Thanks. It'll be nice to be eating the food here instead of serving it." Ren joked as he walked through the door.
"Oh, you work here?" Enquired Goro in surprise.
"Unfortunately, yes." Ren answered. Goro scowled and pulled out his phone. His scowl grew bigger when he discovered he had a text from Ann.
[Ann: Have fun on your date! ;3c]
[Goro: Ann Takamaki, I will end you.]
[Ann: You won't have enough time to when you're busy smooching Ren!]
[Ann: Look, you two are perfect for each other.]
[Ann: Just relax, have fun and if you need any advice, message me and I'll help out the best I can, okay?]
[Goro: …..Fine.]
[Ann: \(^_^)/]
[Ann: Sweep him off his feet!]
Goro groaned quietly in embarrassment. It was clear that Ann had good intentions… but why did she have to do this to him?! 'Sweep him off his feet'?! How the hell was he supposed to do that?! He'd never flirted with anyone before! He had no idea what to do!
"Goro?"
Ren's voice pulled him out of his panic.
"Y-Yeah?"
"The reservation code?" Ren gestured towards the man who was taking the reservations. The glasses wearing boy was slipping his phone back into his pocket, so Goro assumed that he had signed in already.
"Oh, right, yeah. Hang on." Goro awkwardly replied as he found the email.
"Here you go, Sir." He said as he displayed his code to the man. The middle aged man read the code and then scanned through the reservation list.
"Yep, there you are. The both of you are seated at that two-seat table at the back. Enjoy your meal!" He announced as he pointed out the duo's table.
"Thank you."
"Thanks very much."
The two boys politely thanked him and made their way over to the table.
"Whatever these limited meals are, they sure smells good." Commented Ren as he sat himself down.
"They do… Although, Ren, you said worked here right? Don't you know what they're serving today?" Goro asked curiously, leaning on his elbow. Ren shook his head.
"If I'm being honest, I've been trying to work here less because I'm always the only person here and it's exhausting." He informed Goro in a hushed tone.
"Wait, so you do the work of… three/four people and you get paid…?"
"The minimum wage."
"The minimum wage… Fairly certain that's illegal." Goro strained, honestly baffled by Ren's experiences.
"Yeah, I'll tell the owner that when I wanna get fired…" Huffed Ren with a tired smirk.
"But, I know that you've got money, I'm guessing that you've got some other jobs too?" Goro remarked.
"Yeah, a few."
"Can I ask what they are?"
"Mmmmaybe…"
"Ah, here we go. The usual insufferable brand of Ren Amamiya mysteriousness." Goro chuckled as he rolled his eyes. Ren just grinned at him.
"Can I guess what they are?"
"Go ahead."
"How many other jobs do you have?"
"Four."
"Four?!"
"Yeah. Gotta get that bread."
Goro stared at Ren in disbelief but the fluffy haired boy just kept his usual easy going smirk plastered on his face.
"O-Okay… Well, Leblanc is obviously one of them…"
"Yup. One down, three to go."
"I'm fairly certain that I've seen you in the convenience store up the street…"
"You probably have. Two down."
"Oh, I was right? Okay, uhhh… I remember seeing Ryuji walking through Shibuya Station with a bouquet in his hands, muttering that 'he's in every damn shop I go to'... So, I'll say a flower shop?"
"Correct. Yeah, I think I remember that day. He was buying some flowers for his mum's birthday and his jaw practically fell off when he saw me."
"Ah, so just one more?"
"Yep. You're never gonna get it though."
"Is that a challenge?" Goro asked with a determined smirk.
"Perhaps."
"Well then, bring it on. I am a detective, after all." Goro puffed confidently. He furrowed his eyebrows together as he considered all the possibilities for a high schooler.
"Cinema ticket booth?"
"No."
"Cinema confectionery stand?"
"Nope."
"Park keeper?"
"Nuh uh."
"Paperboy?"
"Do I look like I'm ten?"
"Bookshop?"
"Try again."
"Uhhh… Are you a waiter?"
Ren frowned thoughtfully.
"...Kind of?"
"Kind of? What? Where the hell could you be a 'kind of waiter'?"
"Do you want a hint?"
"...Yes." Goro sighed, feeling a little defeated.
"It's in Shinjuku."
"Shinju- You work in the red light district?!"
"Relax, I'm not doing anything dangerous!" Ren laughed.
"You don't… like… work in a bar or something, do you?"
"Bingo."
"You-?!"
"Easy! I don't handle any alcohol. I just prepare food and talk to customers." Ren explained, hoping to sooth the detective's nerves.
"Wh-Where exactly do you work?" Goro cautiously asked. He couldn't help but be a little worried, he'd worked on a few cases from Shinjuku and they were… disturbing, to say the least.
"It's called Crossroads."
"I've heard about that place… The owner is- Wait, Ren, you don't happen to crossdress too, do you?"
"Yeah, sometimes." Ren replied nonchalantly.
"Really?"
"Yeah, I don't get why everyone makes such a big deal about it. It's not like Lala-san forces me, I wear those clothes because I want to. Besides, I for one, think that I look stunning in my kimono!" Ren answered. Goro rolled his eyes as Ren's ego made an appearance.
"I'm sure you do…" He huffed as he couldn't help but smile at Ren.
"Hmmm, now was that the typical Goro Akechi brand of sarcasm? Or was that a genuine compliment?" Ren asked, raising an eyebrow as he leaned closer to Goro.
"You know what? I think it was both." Goro answered honestly. Ren just giggled in response. Goro felt his cheeks flush as the adorable sight.
"Sorry for the wait! We're packed, so it's been a bit of a struggle getting the menus to everyone!" The very flustered waitress apologised as she handed a menu to each of the boys.
"It's fine, don't worry about it." Ren reassured her, flashing an understanding smile. She just nodded thankfully at the two.
"Let me know when you're ready to order!" She said before walking off to another table.
"Ooh, all of these look really good." Murmured Ren.
"Yeah, it's going to be difficult to pick just one…" Goro agreed.
"Oh, there's an extra spicy one. I know which one you're not gonna be having." Ren joked with a snicker.
"Oh shut up…"
"This one sounds interesting: a sweet and sour pork bowl." Ren commented, pointing to the menu. Goro read through the description.
"It does sound interesting… But, I don't think it would be something I'd like…" He answered.
"Eh, everyone has their own tastes. I think I'll give it a go." Ren uttered as he flicked the page and began reading through the drinks.
"Fair enough. Hmm, western style beef bowl? What would that be?" Goro asked as one of the items caught his attention.
"Maybe, like… Beef casserole… but, like, in a bowl…?" Ren awkwardly suggested. Goro couldn't help but laugh.
"Well, there's only one way to find out. I'm gonna try it." He declared.
"So, are we both ready to order already?" Asked Ren.
"It seems like it."
"Cool."
"Thank you for waiting! Here is your sweet and sour pork bowl and your western style beef bowl with your two colas! Is there anything else you'd like?" The waitress politely announced as she placed their orders carefully onto the table.
"No, we're fine. Thank you so much!" Ren cheerfully replied.
"Thank you very much!" Goro added.
"Enjoy your meal!" The waitress said as she walked away.
"Wow, these really look and smell good!" Ren cheered as he took a deep breath above the bowl.
"Ah." He stopped as the steam fogged up his glasses. Goro held in a snicker before bursting out laughing.
"Oh, come on… It's not that funny…" Ren pouted as he took off his glasses and began wiping them on his shirt.
Goro instantly froze as Ren stared up at him. Goro had never seen him without his glasses before.
"Did I say something wrong?" Ren worriedly asked as Goro silently stared at him.
"Your eyes are beautiful." Goro blurted out. Wait, what?! Why did he say that?! The detective began kicking himself internally.
"O-Oh! Thank you…" Ren replied shyly, glancing off the side as he twirled a tuft of his hair around his finger and his cheeks flushed a light pink. Goro's chest pounded.
"A-Anyway, shouldn't we start eating? We don't want our food to go cold!" Goro anxiously changed the subject.
"Right." Ren quietly agreed, his cheeks still a little pink. As the two dug in, an awkward silence fell over them.
'Why the fuck did I say that? He's uncomfortable now! Goro, you damn idiot!' The chestnut haired boy inwardly chastised himself.
"Ooh!" He suddenly heard Ren gasp.
Before he could ask what was wrong, Ren grabbed his hand and pulled it towards him. An overwhelmed feeling swept through Goro at the sudden contact.
"Your nails look amazing! I'm guessing Ann did them, huh?" Ren remarked excitedly as he clutched onto Goro's hand and examined the artwork.
"U-Uh, yeah, she did." Goro somehow managed to reply despite his brain short circuiting.
'Ohhhhhh my god. He's holding my hand, he's holding my hand… He's holding my hand!' His thoughts were going wild as his heart pounded in his chest. Just the feeling of Ren's soft, warm hands against his own made Goro feel as if he was going to cry.
"She did mine before, but I had to wash it off 'cause Shujin doesn't let you have painted nails…" Ren lamented as he gingerly let go of Goro's hand.
"That's a shame…" The detective quietly responded, looking down at his hand.
"Y'know, if the modelling thing doesn't work out for Ann, which I sincerely doubt will ever happen, I think she'd make a great make up artist.
"Yes, I agree… Um, could you just excuse me for a minute? I need to use the bathroom." Goro hurriedly excused.
"Sure, although be quick, you don't want your food to go cold!" Ren called back as Goro disappeared into the bathroom.
He took a quick look in the mirror to find that his face was bright red. Great… Fantastic… He splashed some cold water onto his face in the hopes that it would make the colour fade. After calming himself a little, he pulled out his phone and texted Ann.
[Goro: Ann please for the love of god help me I don't think I can do this]
[Ann: Why? What's wrong? I can tell you're panicking 'cause you're not using any punctuation]
[Ann: Just breathe, calm down and tell me.]
Goro took a few deep breaths.
[Goro: Okay. So, uh, his glasses got steamed up because of the food. So, I just laughed, I mean, it was funny.]
[Ann: Yeah.]
[Goro: And then he looked up at me without his glasses on and I said that he had beautiful eyes!]
[Goro: It was an accident! I didn't mean to say it! I just blurted it out!]
[Ann: It's fine! Don't worry about it! That's a good thing to blurt out!]
[Ann: How did Ren react?]
[Goro: He just said thank you and looked embarrassed…]
[Goro: Wait he blushed why did he blush? Ann what does it mean if he blushed?]
[Ann: You know damn well what it means, idiot!]
[Ann: Quit freaking out. There's no need to panic, okay? Did anything else happen?]
[Goro: Yes. He noticed the art you did on my nails and held my hand to get a better look.]
[Goro: Ann, he held my hand!]
[Goro: I can still feel his hands there!]
[Ann: You touch starved bastard…]
[Goro: I probably am…]
[Ann: But, honestly? I don't think there's any problems so far. From the sounds of it, I just think you need to be yourself. Ren seems into just plain old Goro Akechi.]
Goro's eyes widened at the last message. He's interested in the real him? No… No, there was no way that was true.
[Goro: Don't lie to me, Ann.]
[Ann: I'm not!]
[Ann: God, you and Ren are both as terrible as each other for putting yourselves down!]
[Ann: Just love yourselves, you dumb bitches!]
[Ann: Now go on, get back to your date! You'll see I was right!]
[Goro: ...Fine.]
Goro let out a stressed sigh. He likes him for being him, huh? Ridiculous. Who would ever like the real him? Goro stared up at the mirror. A miserable looking boy stared back. He sighed again before forcing a smile onto his face and exiting the bathroom.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!" Goro announced cheerfully as he sat back down at the table, keeping his fake smile plastered on his face.
"Welcome back." Ren greeted him after swallowing a mouthful of his food.
"How's your food?" Asked Goro as he picked up his chopsticks.
"Really good! Shame it's a limited item…" Ren replied, blowing on another piece of pork before placing it in his mouth.
"I wonder if they'll add any of the dishes to the actual menu if they're popular enough." Goro pondered as he took the first bite of his meal. It was delicious. He felt as if he was forgetting something.
"...Hey, Goro?" Ren spoke up.
"Yes?" Goro sweetly replied with his smile still on his face. He was surprised to see Ren staring at him with a troubled frown.
"Are you okay?" Was all he asked. Goro's smile almost faltered at those words.
"Of course, I am! Why do you ask?" Goro asked, keeping up his act.
"You've been acting strange since you got back from the bathroom… Did something happen?" Ren expanded on his previous question, staring intently at Goro.
"Don't be so silly, I've only been back for a few minutes!" Goro tried to brush him off.
"Still… Your smile seems strained… It's like your wearing a mask…" Ren muttered.
Goro's smile dropped. He stared at Ren in disbelief. He… saw through it? How?
"Just… I'm not gonna force you to talk about it if you don't want to… But, I'm always here if you need someone to listen to you… Okay?" Ren continued with a soft tone.
Goro couldn't believe what he was hearing. Ren… saw through his disguise? Ren… wanted to talk to the real him? Ann was telling the truth? An amazed chuckle left Goro's mouth as he displayed a genuine smile.
"I'll… keep that in mind. Thank you, Ren." He quietly replied. Ren smiled back in relief. The softness in his eyes made Goro's heart skip a beat.
"That's good to hear… Now that I think about it… You haven't taken a photo for your food blog yet." Ren remarked as he took a sip of his drink.
"That's what I forgot to do!" Goro exclaimed as he quickly pulled out his phone. Ren burst out laughing. Goro struggled to find the perfect angle that included both bowls. He clicked his tongue in irritation.
"Ann always takes selfies with her friends when she goes to restaurants, why not just do that?" Ren eventually suggested.
"You know… That's a good idea." Goro agreed, readjusting himself and managing to get himself, Ren and their food in the shot.
"You ready?" He asked Ren. The raven haired boy just smiled and flashed a peace sign. Goro took the picture. He checked it in the camera roll. A fond look made its way onto his face. It was perfect.
"And now you can eat!" Ren giggled as he continued munching on his meal.
"Give me a minute." Goro requested as he uploaded the picture onto his blog. He couldn't figure out what to write in the caption. He twirled his thumbs around as he tried to think. After a while, it hit him:
[At the Limited Edition Beef Bowl Event in Shibuya with my best friend @AmaAmaRenRen! The food is delicious! I hope they add the dishes to the normal menu! You're missing out @Anndorable!]
"That was delicious…" Goro sighed as the two left the restaurant, very happy and very full.
"That it was." Ren agreed as he rummaged through his wallet.
"So, do you want to wander around some shops or go to the arcade for a while?" Goro offered, just wanting to spend some more time with Ren.
"I'm sorry, I promised Sojiro that I'd only be out for a few hours… If I didn't need to help out at the café, I'd love to… Sorry…" Ren explained with an apologetic smile.
"Oh, I see…" Goro replied disappointedly.
"So, uh… Yeah, I know you didn't invite me but thanks for letting me hang out with you. I had a lot of fun today." Ren awkwardly thanked Goro, shifting from foot to foot as he spoke.
"You don't need to thank me. I had fun too." Goro assured him, smiling softly.
"Thanks… Well, yeah, I should, uh… I should probably go now. So, yeah, um… Bye, Goro." Ren clumsily stuttered as he began to walk away.
"Y-Yeah… Bye." Goro called back. His chest hurt as he watched Ren grow further away. He frowned sadly as he pulled out his phone.
[Goro: Ann, he couldn't stick around…]
[Goro: He had to go back to Leblanc…]
[Ann: Walk him home!]
Goro's eyes widened at Ann's order. Of course! Why didn't he think of that?! He shoved his phone back into his pocket and quickly jogged after the raven haired boy.
"Ren!" He called out to him. Ren stopped and turned to look at him, a surprised expression on his face.
"I'll walk you home." Goro stated after catching up to him.
"O-Oh, no, you really don't need to…" Ren answered, flattered by Goro's offer but not wanting to trouble him.
"What if I want to?" Goro shot back with a smirk. Ren was caught off guard by that answer. His cheeks turned pink as he looked to the side.
"W-Well… If you want to, I can't exactly stop you… Thanks…" Ren sheepishly thanked him, twirling his hair around his finger again.
Then, shall we get going?" Goro giggled. Ren just hummed bashfully as the two went on their way towards the train station.
"Welp… We're here…" Ren announced as the duo approached Leblanc. They stopped outside the door.
"I know I said it earlier but I really did have a lot of fun today, so again, thank you." He giggled quietly, pushing up his glasses as he spoke.
"Really, you don't need to thank me. I had fun too, and who knows, maybe next time Ann could come with us?" Goro replied lightly as he scratched the back of his neck.
"Yeah! I feel pretty bad that she had to cancel…" Ren mumbled.
'I don't…' Goro couldn't help but think. He still needed to give her a stern talking to for setting him up on a date without telling him.
"Although… With just the two of us, it kinda felt like a date…" Ren mumbled, gently rubbing his foot against the back of his other leg.
Goro's heart leapt out of his chest at those words. Was Ren trying to suggest something? Or was Goro just being hopeful? He decided to play it cool, just in case.
"Pfft… You could do a lot better than me." He stated dismissively. There's no way Ren could actually like him anyway… Goro began to doubt himself again. Why did he walk him home again?
"...What if I don't want better?" Asked Ren. Goro froze.
"W-What?" He stared at Ren. Did he just say what he thought he just said…?
"... What if I don't want better or worse?" Ren asked again, hesitating slightly. Goro's jaw dropped wide open as Ren looked down at the floor, his cheeks slowly turning bright red.
"...What if I want you?" He added under his breath. Goro didn't think he was supposed to hear that last part. But he did. And he was over the moon. He could barely think straight.
"I-I should probably-" Ren tried to awkwardly excuse himself, growing extremely flustered. Goro quickly stopped him by grabbing his shoulder and gently pulling him back.
Without really thinking about, Goro leaned in closer to Ren.
And kissed him.
Ren's eyes shot wide open in surprise. He began to relax, however, when Goro softly cupped his cheek in his hand. Ren slowly closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Goro's neck. Goro's head was swimming. He couldn't believe this was real. He was in a state of bliss.
Although, it was ruined by his phone buzzing. Goro pulled away and let out an irritated sigh. He wasn't sure who texted him, but he knew that he now hated them. Ren couldn't help but giggle at Goro's annoyed pout. After reading through the text, Goro let out another irritated growl.
"I have to go… They need my help on a case…" He huffed as he shoved his phone back into his pocket. Ren placed a soft kiss on Goro's cheek.
"Good luck at work." He sweetly encouraged him. Goro smiled lovingly back at him.
"Same to you." He said as he began walking back to the train station, waving at Ren until he turned the corner. As he entered the station, he pulled out his phone again.
[Goro: God bless you, Ann Takamaki]
[Ann: ?!]
[Ann: Mission accomplished?!]
Goro couldn't help but laugh at the way she worded it.
[Goro: Mission accomplished.]
[Goro: B u t]
[Goro: I still need to talk to you about this little stunt you pulled…]
[Ann: ...Fuck.]