Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Akira was in some deep shit.

No other way to put it really.

Weeks ago, After dinner, Akira had decided to go out for a walk as usual. Typically his dad Naoya or his mom Eriko joined him, but they had both decided to stay at home tonight. 

So Akira promised to be back soon, then went on his way. Wasn’t long before he’d stumbled onto a man in a business suit trying to force a woman into a car, Akira wasn’t an idiot and could read the signs. He knew what the man's intentions were, so he stepped in. One thing led to another and suddenly Akira was in a police car being charged with assault.

Akira sat there in his cell and stared at his hands. They said they were gonna call his parents almost 10 minutes ago, and he wondered to himself how long it would be before they would arrive-

Judging from the yelling they had arrived.

So after lots of explaining about what happened-Well, more like Akira explaining what actually happened and the police telling them whatever that man in a suit had told them to say.

Luckily his parents were more inclined to believe him than the police officers. But that didn’t stop them from slamming him with an assault charge and taking him to court for it. And now he was gonna be shipped off to Tokyo for his probation.

What few friends he had wanted nothing to do with him now that he was labeled a delinquent. The only friend he had left was Takashi, Uncle Reiji’s son. Who lived six hours away from the small town Akira lived in, all the way in Sumaru City.

“Are you all packed up Akira?” His mom Eriko asked from his doorway. Akira’s head shot up, he hadn’t realized she’d been standing there from how deep in thought he was.

“Yeah mom.” Akira sighed out more then said. He took after his father in how quiet he was, but he’d been even more quiet since the trial.

“It’ll be okay sweetie, I promise. Come on, your dad’s waiting to drive us to the station.” Eriko said. It was clear she didn’t like this either.

“I know...I know.” Akira reassured, more half-hearted then he would have liked. His mom, ever good at reading him, got down on her knees so she would be level with him.

“When this is all over, you can go back home and everything will be normal again...We can play around with Tarot cards and you can tell me all the new ghost stories you learned in Tokyo. You and your Dad can go to the arcade together again...We’ll even throw a party welcoming you back. All your Aunts and Uncle will be there.” She soothed. Sowing promises Akira didn’t fully believe would come to pass.

So Akira took a box that had his whole life in it and carried it outside and plopped it and himself down in the backseat of his dad’s car. Naoya turned and looked at him and gave a sad smile.

“It’ll be okay Akira. I promise.” He said. Akira was starting to get tired of hearing that.

“I know you're probably starting to get tired of hearing that, but it’s true. Kei ( Uncle Kei , One of Dad’s old school friends who was filthy rich) said he’s willing to help us foot the bill for all the legal proceedings. We’re gonna get your name cleared Akira, I promise.” His dad gave him a comforting look through the rearview mirror. Akira took a deep breath and nodded at his father’s words.

He couldn’t let this ruin him. Akira had always been a rebellious free spirit, and he wouldn’t let the guy who had framed him get away with all of his. One day, somehow, he’d have his revenge. Akira promised himself that much.

A short drive and a tearful goodbye later. Akira was on his way to his new home for the next year, Aunt Yuka knew this coffee shop, who’s owner was willing to take Akira in for the year. He knew the owner would probably hate him, but he hoped maybe, just maybe they’d give him a chance.

He didn’t.

His guardian was a guy named Sojiro Sakura. As soon as Akira had walked into his coffee shop, Leblanc, he’d been bombarded with suspicion and threats to keep quiet and to make sure not to break any rules, otherwise he’d be out quicker then he could blink.

“You better be glad Ayase-San knew about this place, and convinced me to take you in.”

His parents called, and he got a few texts and calls from his various honorary aunts and uncles. Aunt Maki offered a shoulder to lean on, but that just--felt wrong? Aunt Yukino and Aunt Yusa, alongside Uncle Masao and Uncle Reiji offered to hunt down whoever had falsely accused him and gut him (“No one hurts our Little ‘Kira!”) which Akira admitted to himself sounded great right now. Uncle Brown offered to put Akira in the national spotlight and expose whoever this was to the masses, but that idea really couldn’t work given Akira had no idea who it was.

This was his mess, he didn’t deserve any help. He’d deal with it himself.

He laid down onto the bed he’d been given and pulled his heavy blanket over himself. It was better if he didn’t talk to them at all…

As his eyes grew heavy, he hoped it wouldn’t worry them too much. He let sleep carry him away, into a place where his life was good again.

Chapter Text

“...And that’s why we recruit sponsors to make TV shows.” The PR woman spoke. “I’m sure you know about commercial breaks? Well, those are actually sponsor related product placements.”

Akira thought this to be common knowledge, yet the PR woman spoke as if she was giving the group of bored high school students secrets out of the ancient tomes his mother would tell him about late at night when he was eight.

After a few more minutes of Akira’s brain melting while he fingered at the Rosary in his pocket. He and Ryuji were “recruited” to “assist” by helping keep camera cables from getting tangled. A useless struggle, to say the least. Turns out the greatest threat the Phantom Thieves of Hearts could face wasn't a King Of Lust or a Man made of Paintings, but Camera Cables.

“I’m so pissed!” Ryuji cursed after they finally headed backstage, being given a chance to relieve themselves.

“Yeah, I can tell.” Akira smirked, rolling his shoulders to try and ease the aching pain shooting through his own limbs.

“Come on guys, It wasn’t that bad.” Ann entered into the conversation as she rounded the corner. She looked just as annoyed as them, so she probably didn’t believe that.

“Maybe for you. You didn’t have to fight a bunch of tangled Cables.” Ryuji grumbled. Akira sighed and pushed his glasses up to his face. ‘Here we go again, the blondies are gonna have another snark-to-snark facedown.’ Akira thought to himself dryly, not keen on being leader and breaking up the two’s bickering.

“Hey, do you smell that?” Morgana commented as he slid his head out of Akira’s satchel and sniffed the air. Now that Akira thought of it, he did smell something oddly familiar. The odor, whatever it was, was strong. It smelled like one of those expensive perfumes his mom owned, mixed in with the smell of scorch-black rice from that time Uncle Masao tried to cook for Akira ten years ago. Which was also the last time Uncle Masao was allowed to watch Akira, funnily enough.

Akira, deep in thought, didn’t notice the sounds of footsteps or speaking at first as Ann and Ryuji continued bickering and Morgana attempted to stop them.

Someone rounded the corner, and Akira’s head snapped up instantly. Only to see the source of the odor, and said source dropping his phone on the ground with a noticeable smacking sound as it hit the hard floor.

“‘Kira-Chan?” Uncle Brown muttered out, before a big grin crossed his face and he quickly approached to wrap his honorary nephew in a tight embrace. Which, Sadly for Akira, led to him choking on the odorous smell of what Akira had deduced to be some sort of expensive perfume his honorary uncle was wearing. If Akira didn’t have a strong willpower, he probably would have vomited on the spot.

“Oh My God!” Ryuji and Ann cried simultaneously as Brown wrapped Akira in the hug. After Brown let go, Akira returned his Uncle’s smile and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Hey Uncle Brown.” Akira returned. Before Brown could respond, Ann and Ryuji butted in once again.

“YOUR UNCLE IS HIDEHIKO UESUGI!?” the two yelled again, and both Akira and Hidehiko turned to face them.

“Not really. He’s an old friend of both of my parents, and has just sorta always been an ‘uncle’ to me.” Akira shrugged. Hidehiko gave an over exaggerated frown at Akira.

“Kiiiiirraaaa-Chaaaan!” Brown drew out the syllables on the nickname. Brown waved his arms around like a pair of drunk cobras, trying to draw attention to his gaudy outfit, which consisted of a purple fedora, a red blazer with a hot orange shirt underneath, a pair of ripped jeans and giant sunglasses, this combination making him look like an aging rockstar desperate to stay hip.. “You never told your friends about the great Hidehiko Uesugi? Variety Talk show host and idol to teens everywhere?”

“No.”

Brown stopped in the middle of his bizarre dance at Akira’s simple reply, and quickly turned red as laughter ripped from his throat.

“Oh! You never change Kira-Chan, always keeping up pace to pace with your ol’ Uncle Brown!” Brown slowly regained composure. “So, how’s school been? We’ve not heard much from you, we’ve all been worried ya know?” Brown was obviously talking about Akira's parents and other honorary aunts and uncles, who he'd only spoken too briefly in the last few months he'd been in Tokyo.

Akira rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly at this, searching for a reply anywhere that would deflect worry.

“I’ve been fine, for the most part. My friends here, Ann and Ryuji, have helped me get used to Tokyo.”

Brown clapped his hand down on Akira’s shoulder, and then looked to the aforementioned friends of his “nephew”. “If you say so...but you know we’re here for you, right Akira?”

Wow, this was serious, he actually called Akira by his name.

“But, away from that! Onto my adoring fans!” Uncle Brown always knew how to change the subject at the worst or best time. Up to this point Ryuji and Ann had been staring in stunned silence until Brown gave them attention, at which they lit up with noise and questions.

“Your sunglasses are so cool!”

“Is there any chance we could be on your show?”

“Can you sign my….everything!”

Brown threw up his hands. “Woah Woah now! Settle down, one at a time! I’ll sign some stuff for the both of you!” he grinned that dumb grin of his, and Ann and Ryuji barely stayed still while he signed offered objects. (Ann had her notebook signed, Ryuji had his arm signed, which he vowed to never wash again, to Ann’s disgust)

Brown looked back up at the clock, and then back to the group of friends. “Alright, I’m up next! I’ll see you lot in the crowd. I’m up right before that snot nosed ‘second coming of the detective prince’ Goro Akechi.” Brown practically sneered at the name of the brat. At least he was good for ratings…

“Alright Uncle Brown, see you later.” Akira waved his honorary uncle goodbye as he and the rest of the Phantom Thieves returned to the sitting area. As they left, Brown swore he felt that same strange “resonance” he’d felt minutes beforehand. But, he only got that from Persona users...Nah, Akira couldn’t be one could he? Perhaps there was another nearby? And Brown could have sworn he heard another, higher voice speak among Akira’s friends while he was rounding the corner. How curious.

Brown left the hallway, on his way to prepare for his interview. Around the corner, a boy around Akira’s age had been listening. Goro Akechi frowned, then left the hallway himself.

“Everyone, give it up for the great…. HIDEHIKO UESUGI!” The deep voice of the announcer called out to the roaring crowd. Hidehiko “Brown” Uesugi had become an idol to teens everywhere in Japan over the last 17 years he’d been in the business, and he’d done many acts to stay relevant in the public eye and his target audience of people who were around the same age he had been when he began his career as a talk show host.

Brown walked out onto the stage to more roaring cheers, and sat down in a chair across from two talk show hosts, a man and a woman.

“It’s so nice to have you here Uesugi-San!” The woman spoke, and Brown gave some suave comment about it that also complemented the woman’s beauty, which nearly made Akira gag in his seat.

The show went by at a blurred pace. Brown would make a clever pun or joke answer to every question, the crowd would laugh and laugh, and Akira would at most grin at his uncle's familiar antics.

It was the real surprise when towards the end of the show, Brown said this.

“Well, before I do head off, I would like to call someone up on stage if you don’t mind.”

“Of course Uesugi-San! Who do you plan on calling up?”

Brown got up out of his chair and pointed directly at the spot where Akira was sitting, causing every eye in the area to snap to that place, including Ann, Ryuji and Morgana’s.

“Um…” Akira said to himself, before he stepped up on stage and was put in a one armed embrace by his uncle.

“This everybody, is Akira Kurusu. He’s the son of some old friends, and I’m an honorary uncle of sorts to the kid!” Brown introduced, and the crowd let out a collected gasp at the knowledge, all eyes were on Akira now.

“I just wanted to show off my pride and joy. Everything the kid knows, I taught him. This one? Oh, he’s a real lady killer I’ll tell ya, had every girl in school back in our hometown basically melting in his hand.” Brown spun a yarn, not entirely false but not true either, exaggerated at most. Brown had taught Akira how to flirt once and Akira had been popular with girls (and some guys) back home but he’d never been quite at the level Uncle Brown was suggesting.

“Oh my! He is a handsome young fellow isn’t he. You should watch out Kurusu-san, some of the girls in the crowd are staring you down with hungry eyes!” The male announcer spoke again, and sure enough many girls were staring right at Akira, with bedroom eyes. Akira wasn’t easily embarrassed and kept his cool, deciding to play things off in a simple way.

He winked at the gaggle of girls, who swooned happily at the acknowledgement.

Akira made his way off stage, where Uncle Brown embraced him one last time before they seemed to go their separate ways for a very long time again.

“I’ll swing by if I’m ever in town, kiddo. You stay safe, alright? Don’t go giving Eriko and Naoya any grandkids yet, ya dig?” Brown smirked, and Akira cringed at his honorary family members suggestion and outdated lingo.

“Of course Uncle Brown.” Akira grinned back after a moment, and the two parted ways. At the end of the school trip, Akira returned to Ann and Ryuji, after narrowly escaping the same gaggle of girls he’d winked at earlier.

“Duuuuuuuude.” Ryuji was staring unblinking at Akira, who was starting to feel kinda embarrassed. Ann seemed...oddly jealous and told off several of the gaggle of girls, who scattered afterwards.

“Shut up Ryuji.”

“No, you shut up Ann!”

“No, YOU shut up!”

Akira let himself grin, and Morgana face (paw?) palmed in Akira’s bag. Everything was back to normal.