Chapter Text
It wasn’t until Goro looked up from his textbook and saw a pitch black sky outside that he realized he had spent more hours studying than he had originally intended. With a sigh, he cleaned up his scattered notes from the table.
The drop in temperature from day to night tauntingly reminded him the importance of keeping track of time. Goro pulled the ends of his cardigan around himself and walked quickly across campus, only pausing to check both ways before stepping onto a crosswalk.
His grip tightened on the handles of his messenger bag upon hearing an extra pair of footsteps behind him.
The university tended to be safe, but it would be foolish to assume nothing ever happened on campus. He knew there had to have been instances covered up by the school administration.
It was a brightly-lit area at least. Maybe he was being paranoid. The possibility that someone would try to assault him here was low.
“Hey! Where are you headed?”
Of course, with his luck, the stranger decided to approach him.
Goro did not like the fact that the stranger had such an alluring voice. Smooth with an underlying deep pitch; it wasn’t the type of voice he would have imagined belonging to a low-grade hassler.
He quickened his pace in an attempt to shake his pursuer off.
A shadow loomed in front of him, forcing him to stop in place. Fantastic, he was going to be mugged by a couple of lowlives only a few weeks into the new semester.
The same voice from earlier laughed softly in front of him. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I just wanted to ask if you’d like me to walk you home since it’s dark out.”
Goro blinked dumbly and chanced a quick glance behind him. There was no else around.
He looked back at the boy in front of him. Leather jacket, curly black hair, and a nice face. He took that last thought, crumpled it up into the smallest ball he could, and flung it far out of his brain.
“Oh, I should introduce myself. Kurusu Akira,” Kurusu said, taking a hand out of his pocket and extending it.
Goro looked down at it and then back at his face. “You’re in my way,” he finally said.
Kurusu retracted his hand and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Ohhh, mean teddy bear. I don’t mean any harm, promise.”
“What did you just call me?”
“Oh, uh,” and here Kurusu had the gall to look embarrassed. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re cute… like a teddy bear. Wouldn’t want to see you get jumped.”
Goro scoffed, ignoring the heat rising up his neck and spreading through his upper cheeks. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
He stepped to the side, away from Kurusu, and started to walk forward. A hand fell onto his shoulder.
“Hang on—”
Whether it was out of pure instinct or a desire to put an overly friendly stranger in his place, Goro dropped his bag, grabbed Kurusu’s arm, and swung him up and over his shoulder and down to the ground. The loud crash echoed in the otherwise quiet area. Kurusu, flat on his back, blinked dazedly up at the sky.
Heart thudding in his ears, Goro picked up his bag and looped the strap around his shoulder and chest. He set off on a brisk pace, looking back when he was a decent distance away.
Kurusu’s silhouette, with his arms spread out and still on the ground, would be comical if Goro’s fight-or-flight instinct wasn’t currently turned up to eleven. He resisted breaking out into a run, but he remained acutely aware of his surroundings and made sure he wasn’t being followed on his way home.
He passed his apartment complex, circling back after walking a couple of blocks in a different direction. He shot furtive glances behind himself, only stopping in front of his apartment door once he ensured there was no one around.
The smell of miso soup calmed him down the second he stepped inside. “I’m home,” he called out as he took his shoes off.
“Welcome home,” his mom said. She kept her attention on the stove. “Dinner’s almost ready. Could you set the table after you wash your hands, sweetie?”
Partway through their meal, his mom set her chopsticks down with a definitive clack on her plate. Looking up with a questioning smile, Goro set his chopsticks down as well.
She placed her chin on her hand. “Is everything okay? You’ve barely touched your food.”
That wouldn’t do, she didn't need to waste energy worrying over him.
“I’m just a little stressed. My classes are a bit tougher than I expected.”
She hummed. “Well, don’t overwork yourself. Resting is important too. And try to avoid staying out too late. There’s been more news about the Phantom Thieves.”
“Of course, Mom.”
It was during his Oceanography 101 class, where he saw a distinct bed of curly black hair moving down one of the aisles of the lecture hall, in which he promptly dove into the seat Makoto had saved for him.
“Oh,” she said in subdued shock as he leaned into the wooden bench. Only when Kurusu took a seat a few rows in front of them, chatting with a friend and none the wiser, did Goro emerge. He ignored the look Makoto threw his way and set his notebook and messenger bag down, taking care to avoid squashing her Buchimaru pencil case.
With his eyes downcast, he heard her intake of breath and smiled when the professor chose that exact moment to start the lecture. She clamped her mouth shut, clearly frustrated, and wrote quickly in her notebook.
What was that about?
Akechi tapped his pencil against the paper, on the line below her question. She moved it closer to his hand.
I’ll explain after class.
You better.
She took her notebook back, erased their brief, written conversation, and began writing notes diligently. Goro matched her pace, not one to fall behind.
His eyes strayed downward to see Kurusu leaning back as much as one could in these wooden benches, showing no sign of taking notes. Irritation spiked through him at the sight. Even if the class was an introductory general education course, he could at least try to put in some effort and pay some respect.
He shook his head. If he spent the lecture angrily glaring at the whorls of hair on Kurusu’s head instead of listening, he wouldn’t be any better than him.
He locked his gaze on the powerpoint. If he sometimes saw Kurusu’s hair in the corner of his eye, it was because he had to glance back at his notes to ensure his writing was still legible.
When class was over, Goro waited, as Makoto bored a hole into the back of his head with her stare, until Kurusu left the lecture hall before he rose from his seat to leave as well.
She crossed her arms as they walked to their usual cafe. “Goro, I’m not one to talk considering my own troubles with relating to peers, but—”
“I know; it wasn’t my best moment. However, it was dark, I was alone, and he was pushy. I believe you would’ve reacted similarly.”
Makoto opened her mouth to retort, thought better of it, and sighed. “I can’t argue with that.”
The bell above the cafe’s door jingled as they entered. They gave their orders at the front counter and then sat at a table tucked to the side for two. The familiar sound of whirring blenders and aroma of coffee filled the air.
Makoto pulled out a heavily annotated copy of an assigned reading. “Akira’s a good person though. He would be the type to offer to walk a stranger home just to be nice.”
Goro sputtered. “You know him?”
“Oh.” Makoto tucked her hair back and, strangely, blushed. “It was a chance meeting. He needed my help for an assignment, and I thought it wouldn’t be right to refuse.” Her explanation came out breathy by the end, even more so than usual for her.
It sounded like a normal encounter. While Makoto didn’t tend to socialize with others, she was relatively well known for being one of the better tutors at their university-run tutoring center. It was rather common for a student to request her specifically. There shouldn’t have been any reason to be anxious about knowing Kurusu. Oh good lord, unless…
Scrunching up his nose as if he smelled something foul, he said, “You don’t find him attractive, do you? Is that why you feel the need to defend him?”
Makoto rolled up a loose sheet of paper and smacked him on the head with it. “What on earth makes you think that?”
Well, because he was.
Goro willed away the thought. “You’re acting nervous. It’s obvious, honestly. You need to get better at hiding it.”
“I have no idea why anyone finds you charming.”
He gave her one of his fake pleasant smiles in response. “Well, I think that—”
He nearly choked on his own spit when the smooth, deep voice from the other night, calling for Makoto, reached his ears.
She gave Goro one of her own fake smiles, the one she used on students that repeated the same question numerous times despite already obtaining the answer, before turning to the source of that wretched voice. “Akira, it’s nice to see you.”
Goro turned to his bag and rifled through it with his full attention. He wasn’t avoiding eye contact with Kurusu, not at all, and Kurusu was conversing with Makoto anyway. With a quiet cough, he pulled out his textbook and set it on the table.
He flipped open to his most recent bookmark when Kurusu dipped forward to bring his face alarmingly close to Goro’s. A large grin split across his vision. “Hey, I thought it was you.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t believe we’ve met,” Goro said, smiling pleasantly, hoping to confuse him enough to leave him alone.
Kurusu straightened up and put his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. Now that Goro wasn’t running on adrenaline and was in a better lit area, he could tell that it fit Kurusu disgustingly well, hugging his shoulders and arms snugly while still being comfortably loose so that the leather didn’t creak with every movement. He wore it hanging open so that one could see his henley shirt, a couple buttons unbuttoned, underneath. That clavicle was distracting.
Goro snapped his eyes back up to Kurusu’s face and, to his mortification, Kurusu’s grin grew impossibly wider.
“From the other night, remember? I wanted to say sorry for scaring you,” he said.
“Oh, well, that’s quite alright.”
“I don’t think I caught your name.”
Goro felt his own smile momentarily slip. Fine, Kurusu was confirmed non-mugger, a decent person actually, and Goro shouldn’t have had any hang ups on providing a name, of all things, but he still hesitated in sharing it. It wasn’t as if he would be able to do anything with it, so Goro didn’t know why he was treating it like a coveted treasure.
“Niijima!” the barista called out as he placed two cups of coffee on the counter.
Goro jumped from his seat. “There are our orders. I’ll go get them.” He strode past Kurusu, who, appearing unruffled by the brush off, moved aside for him.
Grateful that he had chosen to wear gloves today, he grabbed both drinks and slid them to the side of the counter where the milk, cream, and sugar were located. He’d gotten coffee with Makoto countless times and had memorized her preferences to heart.
By the time he returned to their table, Kurusu was nowhere to be found. Makoto thanked him for bringing the coffee and then immediately sighed.
“You couldn’t have made it more obvious you wanted him gone,” she said.
Goro opened his textbook primly and tucked a lock of hair behind his ear. “As long as it worked,” he said, sniffing lightly.
Makoto sighed again.
Feigning offense, Goro pinched the end of her pencil, effectively stalling her writing, until she swatted his hand. He chuckled and returned to his textbook.
Despite concentrating all of his willpower into reading the words on the page, he was unable to absorb any of the content. After rereading the same sentence five times with no success, he abandoned it as a lost cause and shoved his textbook back into his bag. He pulled out his notebooks; if he could at least transcribe his notes to his nicer notebook, then he wouldn’t be completely wasting his time. Stupid Kurusu with his bright smile floating into his head and distracting him.
He watched as Makoto placed post-its with scrawled notes on various passages in her book. Her eyes were unfocused at times, and it took her longer than normal to notice that she had become Goro’s object of attention.
She frowned at him after rubbing at the corner of her eye with the heel of her palm. “What is it?”
“You’ve been having grey circles lately.”
“Thanks for noticing,” she grumbled.
Goro pressed his knuckle into his brow. “What I mean is that you should consider cutting back on your volunteer hours. Lack of sleep does more than just affect your appearance.”
“I cannot believe you got away with saying something like that to sis.”
Goro giggled demurely. “It’s a talent.” Makoto’s very pointed eye roll transformed his giggle into a loud laugh. “I’m serious though,” he said as he covered his mouth with one hand, “campus security won’t fall in disarray if you skip a day or two.”
Makoto placed her book down, finger holding her place. “It’s okay, seriously. Things have been a little hectic since the last incident with the Phantom Thieves. It’s not just me; every student volunteer has been asked to commit extra hours.” She cleared her throat, and tried to sound nonchalant, but reverted to the usual way her voice got breathy when she was nervous or upset.
“It’s something I’ll have to expect when I work full-time at a police station after university anyways. Once we catch the Phantom Thieves, things will be less busy.”
Goro placed his hand on his chin as he scrutinized her expression. “Well, at least put some time aside for me to apply face masks for you once it’s all over.”
The fact that she agreed was testament to how exhausted she actually must have been.
For whatever godforsaken reason, their professor decided to assign everyone their partner rather than letting them pick like last time. Something about needing to broaden their network and becoming comfortable with having to meet new colleagues and how they’ll have to learn how to work with people they may not always agree with and blah, blah, blah.
He called off their names. Makoto was assigned to a blond girl with voluminous pigtails, who whirled around excitedly to look back at her. The way she brightened up immediately upon meeting her eyes indicated she already personally knew her, which completely defeated the point of having assigned partners, but Goro digressed.
He clicked the top of his mechanical pencil and started writing the date on the corner of his opened notebook.
“Kurusu Akira and Akechi Goro.”
The lead snapped and skittered off his notebook and the desk. Goro looked down in mild horror at Kurusu raising his hand and turning his head to and fro while scanning the lecture hall.
“Akechi Goro, please raise your hand,” the professor said after several seconds passed.
Goro covered his face with one hand and raised the other. He could hear Makoto making the ugliest snickering noises he’d ever heard in his life as she tried to stifle her laughter. Incredible. He should record them and send the audio clip to Sae.
He removed the hand covering his face to surreptitiously pull out his phone, but froze at Kurusu locking eyes with him and breaking out into a wide smile. He looked at Goro as if he had the sun shining out of his ass and not the disgruntled expression of a student on two shots of espresso and with eyebags hastily covered with concealer.
When class ended, Kurusu hopped up the stairs, skipping one step at a time. Goro disliked the effortless charm he exuded: the cocksure way he held himself, the messy look that somehow simultaneously looked heavily styled, and the easygoing attitude he carried.
Makoto covered her mouth, obviously laughing at him again. Goro ignored whatever conversation they exchanged before she descended the stairs, joining the two blond classmates Kurusu was sitting with earlier.
He wrapped his arms around himself, not entirely sure why he felt so rattled under Kurusu’s gaze. He just needed to get this over with. “Hello,” he said.
“Hi there,” Kurusu said. He stood there, waiting for Goro to talk. When Goro didn’t, he extended his hand. “Can we start over? I’m Kurusu Akira.”
Goro scoffed, but it was out of amusement more than annoyance. He shook Kurusu’s hand, which was calloused but warm. “Akechi Goro.” Then, “I expect to get a good grade for this class.”
That prompted a choked laugh from Kurusu. “Noted. I won’t drag you down. Here,” he said and took out his phone, “put your number down. We should figure out a day to go soon.”
Once Goro entered his contact information and handed Kurusu his phone back, he received a message consisting of a black cat emoticon and Kurusu’s name.
Goro felt a twitch at the corner of his mouth. He refused to smile because of a stupidly cute emoticon from a delinquent, especially one skating by class without a care. It was insulting to have to witness someone put in minimal effort when most people would study to death to get into a university like theirs.
“Do you have a preference for time and day?” Goro asked, trying very hard to keep his expression from twisting into that of, as Makoto so gracefully informed him of, a serial killer.
Kurusu shrugged. “Not really. Just message me and I’ll let you know if I’m free or not.”
Resisting the urge to click his tongue, Goro merely nodded. He’d expected he’d have to take the initiative for the assignment. It was annoying, but he would make do. If Kurusu so much as thought of pushing all of the work onto him, he wouldn’t be shy about reporting it to the professor.
“Well then, I’ll be in contact.” Goro said.
“Can’t wait,” Kurusu said with an effortless wink. Goro hated him.
Eventually he made his way to Makoto, who bade farewell to her partner, so they could leave together.
Shortly after they found a spot in the library, Goro sent a date and time to Kurusu.
He received a reply instantly, and they were able to decide on where to meet without fuss. Goro put away his phone, a bit stunned.
He apparently couldn’t hide his emotions as well as he thought because Makoto looked up from her textbook at him and said, “You need to stop assuming the worst from him.” She'd already began writing in her notebook by the time Goro’s brain caught up to respond.
No amount of whispering spurred her to look up again. Of course she’d pick the library to say a remark, knowing Goro wouldn’t raise his voice enough to call attention to themselves. He couldn’t even poke her in the ribs, lest her high pitched shriek resound in the entire second floor.
He stewed in his seat, and didn't get as much work done as he intended to. Only when they stepped outside did he manage to enact his revenge, and he prodded and poked at her sides until she smacked him in the face with a book.
The trip to the beach was off to a terrible start. Due to his impulsiveness, Goro had picked a weekday to travel. He’d just wanted to get the first day done and over with as quickly as possible, and hadn’t considered the rush hour— a mistake that resulted in being pressed flush against Kurusu as if they were canned sardines.
Kurusu had managed to secure a hand around a pole amidst the packed train car. On a particularly strong lurch, he placed a hand on Goro’s back to keep him upright. While he seemed completely unperturbed, Goro was far too aware of the heat of his hand burning into his skin.
He stared past his shoulder, directing every last bit of his mental energy into willing Kurusu to not turn his head.
Which is, of course, why he did.
Kurusu laughed quietly and slid his hand upward, which caused Goro to stand even more stiffly. “It’s pretty warm in here. It’ll be a relief once we reach our stop.”
Goro opened his mouth to respond, but only a hiss of hot air escaped. He cleared his throat. “I apologize. I should have been mindful of the rush hour. Next week, we should go during the middle of regular work hours to avoid the crowd.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
They pushed through the crowd, barely making it through the sliding doors before they closed again. The cool wind did nothing to alleviate the warmth Kurusu had left on him. The phantom heat clung to him even as they walked along the ocean shore.
Goro crouched, Kurusu followed, and they dipped their vials in the water. The frigidity of the water, though expected, still shocked him. He screwed on the lid as quickly as possible and flapped his fingers to shake the excess water off. Jumping back before the oncoming waves could wet his shoes, he pulled out a towel and dried his fingers. He handed it to Kurusu when he began to wipe his fingers on his jacket.
“Thanks, good foresight.” Kurusu pocketed his sample, zipping over it carefully. He handed back the towel after folding it. Their fingers touched briefly, but Goro didn’t focus on it.
Truthfully, Goro hadn’t had an exact expectation of Kurusu’s behavior during their trip. Maybe he expected him to goof off, to say abysmal pickup lines, or to talk too much in the pursuit of becoming ‘friends’. However, Kurusu was focused, quick, and had pointed out better areas to collect their additional samples. The one thing Goro could fault him for was forgetting a towel, and that was barely an inconvenience.
It was an odd hour when they boarded the train again, so they were able to nab seats. Goro felt relaxed, strangely enough. They rode in silence, the rumble of the train lulling Goro into a half-asleep state. He didn’t realize he’d actually dozed off until he was shaken awake gently. He almost fell asleep again, but a voice near his ear stopped him.
“C’mon, teddy bear. It’s our stop.”
Goro blinked awake and looked up to see Kurusu leaning forward, the corners of his eyes crinkling in fondness. He shot up from his seat, pausing only to smooth his shirt down. The sliding doors open, and he strode out with Kurusu following closely behind.
“Are you heading home? I can walk you back,” Kurusu said.
There were students bustling about campus and the sun had not completely set yet. Kurusu’s insistence to walk with him was perplexing, especially since Goro had demonstrated he was capable of taking care of himself on their first meeting. “I’m sure you have better things to do with your time,” he said.
Kurusu tapped his foot against the ground and looked off in the other direction. “Now that you mention it,” he said and checked his phone, “I do have other things I should probably get to.” He skipped backwards with his hands in his pockets, looking so ridiculously charming as his hair bounced in the sunlight. “Next time, though.”
He gave a small salute before turning around and jogging off to his destination. Goro watched him, wondering how he ran so fluidly with combat boots, until he was a speck in the distance.
Kurusu turned out to be an adequate class partner. More than adequate. Fantastic, actually. He was perhaps the best partner he’d paired up with for any of his classes so far. It was a realization he wasn’t going to admit to Makoto any time soon.
They’d collected their second sample a week after the first, and had already planned the day and time for their third, final, sample. Though Goro always initiated their text messages in concerns to their assignment, Kurusu always responded straightaway. Any time he asked for Kurusu’s section, he sent it over without a fuss. Goro scanned them each time to make sure they were written well, but they had not once needed any editing.
Having woken later than usual, Goro raced to lecture and just barely made it in time. Makoto waved him over to where she was seated next to her partner, Takamaki Ann, and Kurusu.
He shot a look of betrayal at her, which she completely missed because Takamaki had captured her entire attention with animated conversation. Out of options, he sat next to Kurusu and hunched over his notebook immediately.
Halfway through the lecture, his curiosity got the better of him and he turned his head slightly to see if Kurusu had fallen asleep.
He nearly did a double-take at the intense glare Kurusu kept concentrated on their professor. Without shifting his eyes, he adjusted the right sleeve of his jacket and then crossed his arms.
Goro checked again a considerable amount of time later, and Kurusu still watched the professor with the same intense glare. If he hadn’t blinked in the brief moment Goro had looked at him, he would’ve thought he’d fallen asleep with his eyes open.
When class ended, as if struck out of a spell, Kurusu stood up and stretched his arms over his head, a low noise rumbling from his throat as he did so. Goro felt his blood pressure spike as Kurusu’s shirt rode up to expose a small stretch of skin. He averted his eyes quickly and packed his things.
He shimmied past Kurusu, patted Makoto on the back, muttering some excuse unbelievable to his own ears, and rushed his way out of the booth.
Forgoing studying at the library, Goro headed straight home, changed into his gym clothes, and ran on the rec room’s treadmill until he couldn’t think anymore.
Which was why he currently was in the first floor’s lounge, finishing up an assignment he’d normally be done with by the afternoon. Though his mom had insisted it was fine, Goro knew that sound traveled in their small apartment. Considering his tendency to pace back and forth when he brainstormed, he didn’t want to risk waking her up in the middle of the night.
He scrubbed at his face. It wasn’t very late by university students’ standards. As long as he kept his concentration, he anticipated finishing within half an hour.
Nothing would distract him; not the occasional footsteps outside, not the door creaking open, not the voice, sounding incredibly similar to Kurusu’s, softly saying his name questioningly in the otherwise silent room.
Wait.
Goro whirled around in his seat to see Kurusu Akira, hair perfectly tousled as always, holding a mug in one hand and a laptop in the other. He was wearing a dark grey shirt, a black jacket, and green sweats that hung low on his hips and tucked into his black combat boots
It had to be a hallucination. His dumb, hormone-addled brain was imagining Kurusu rumpled, sleepy, and so, so soft, to alleviate his stress over a simple assignment just because he’d screwed up his schedule. He didn’t want to analyze why his brain felt the need to put him in his high combat boots while wearing sleepwear. He did not need to go there.
Goro turned back to his textbook and laptop, deigning to ignore the hallucination. That was, until said hallucination decided to approach him. The dull thunk as Kurusu set his things on the table sounded much too realistic.
“Are we on non-speaking terms again? I thought things were going well too,” Kurusu said, an amused smile playing at his lips.
Goro glared at him. “You don’t live here.”
“Not here, here, but I do live on the third floor.”
Goro closed his eyes and pressed the heel of his palms into them. When he opened them again, splotches of color danced in his vision, but the hallucination— no, Kurusu was still there.
Dear lord. He was actually there.
In that moment, Goro remembered he was wearing his Neo Featherman themed pajamas with a red cardigan hastily thrown over his shoulders. He felt like sinking into the floor. Of all of the outfits to encounter Kurusu in, it had to be his silly cartoon pajamas.
His spiraling thoughts came to a stuttering halt at the confusion of why he cared about what clothes Kurusu saw him in. It wasn’t as if he was trying to impress him. It wasn’t as if he messaged him about anything other than their class assignment. They weren’t even friends. They were merely classmates, acquaintances if that.
The reason, he concluded, was because he had a reputation to uphold. Since his arrival to the university, he’d kept a sharp appearance to stave away judgment. He felt oddly vulnerable in his pajamas, the material too thin to feel like a proper shield between him and the rest of the world.
Kurusu was close, too close. He bumped his hip against Goro’s side, and it felt excessively intimate with the clothes they’re wearing.
Goro began to type on his laptop. “You’re distracting me,” he managed to say without faltering. “I have to get this finished so I can rest.”
“Can I take that as a compliment?” Kurusu said.
Goro continued typing without responding. The clacking from his keyboard breaking the silence in the room.
Kurusu laughed lowly, and Goro hated that it was such a nice sound.
“Okay, I get it. I’ll let you be.” True to his word, he grabbed his things and moved to a couch a good distance away.
Free from further interruption, Goro completed his work in the time he predicted. He piled his things together, ready to leave and crash onto his bed. And yet, he zeroed in on Kurusu’s figure.
Seeing his head tipped to the side and his chest rising and falling slowly, he could tell Kurusu had fallen asleep from a distance.
The courteous thing to do would be to wake him up, he reasoned as he walked toward him. He took a moment to examine his features, gawking at his unreal eyelashes. There was no possibility those were natural.
“Kurusu,” he said. When Kurusu didn’t stir, Goro lightly shook his shoulder. “Wake up.”
Kurusu blinked blearily, tipped his head upward, and smiled dopely. “Goro.”
Goro sucked in a breath. “What?”
Blinking once more, Kurusu grew more alert and straightened up. “Hey, Akechi. All done?” He rolled his neck.
“Yes,” Goro said slowly. He stared at Kurusu’s laptop. Now that he’d woken him up, he should leave. “What’re you working on?” he asked instead.
Kurusu hummed. “An essay that’s due tomorrow. I completely forgot about it. It’s not much, thankfully, just a few pages.”
“Do you usually procrastinate until the last minute?”
Although he grinned, Kurusu ducked his head sheepishly. He coughed into his elbow, a poor attempt at hiding a nervous laugh. “Would you believe me if I said no?”
Goro bit his lip to prevent his smile from spreading. “Probably not.” He doesn’t know why he was still here when he wanted nothing more than to go to sleep already. “Yet, I wouldn’t expect you to be discouraged by my opinion.”
Still humming, he said, “To tell the truth, I got distracted. I’ve only been thinking about our trips for our Oceanography assignment.” He propped his arm on the table, resting his chin on the palm of his hand.
“Your sections have been adequate.” Goro could feel his cheeks beginning to heat from guilt. “I may have been weary initially, but I’m sure we’ll receive a good grade. You needn’t worry so much about our assignment.”
Kurusu’s eyes darted to the side and then back to Goro, almost as if he was preparing to roll his eyes but had stopped in the middle of the action.
“You’re pretty dense about some things, huh?”
Goro’s face was definitely red then. He marched back to his table and grabbed his things, ignoring Kurusu’s apology surrounded with laughter. “Good night, Kurusu,” he said stiffly.
“Good night, Akechi. Sweet dreams.”
The more time Goro spent with Kurusu, the more he had to admit that he was not the simple-minded delinquent he had pegged him down for.
Unfortunately, acknowledging Kurusu’s intelligence infuriated Goro.
During another lecture in which he had been forced, forced, to sit next to Kurusu, the T.A.s handed back their graded exams.
He hadn’t intended to look at Kurusu’s grade; he just happened to see his score marked in bright red at the bottom of the last page.
He’d received a 45/50.
The same grade as Goro.
Not a single lecture did he ever witness Kurusu take notes.
It wasn’t as if Goro spent every waking moment studying. He took notes every class, but that was the normal thing to do. Okay, he did spend at least twenty minutes every other night reviewing materials and that could perhaps be the reason why he was somewhat annoyed that Kurusu had obtained the same grade as he.
Kurusu looked at him questioningly. “Are you okay?” His eyes darted down to Goro’s hand, which had been gripping his exam hard enough to crinkle the paper. He relaxed his grip.
“I’m perfectly fine,” Goro said. He winced at his own voice cracking. “Well, I should be going. Busy day and all.” Thank goodness he brought his gym bag as well. Rushing home to use the rec room there wasn’t practical.
Once he changed and stored his possessions in a provided locker, he headed directly to the rock climbing and bouldering section of the recreation center.
In almost no time at all, he was concentrating all of his mental energy on climbing. His muscles burned, his breathing became harder, and his anger drained completely out. On the topmost artificial rock, he twisted, jumped, and landed on the padded mats. He took a moment to stare, mapping out another route to possibly scale up the wall more quickly.
He’d gone through his third run, his hands on his hips as he caught his breath, when Kurusu crouched into his vision.
Just when he’d finally got to forgetting about their test scores too.
“Fancy meeting you here,” Kurusu said, dusting excess chalk off his hands.
Goro considered leaving. If Kurusu was here to show him up again, albeit unintentionally, then he may be tempted into committing his first murder.
Kurusu continued talking, unaware of the storm brewing in Goro’s mind. “You’re really good. I just started a couple of weeks ago.” He tapped a foot against the floor. “I can’t get up that far. Can you watch and give me some tips?”
That lifted Goro’s mood. “Sure, but keep in mind I won’t sugarcoat my advice.”
For some reason, that made him laugh. “Wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Since the weather had been consistently chilly, Kurusu, alongside the majority of the student population, had been wearing layered clothing each time they’d met. Now, in his loose tank top and shorts, he revealed a lean, fit figure.
However, his arms didn’t have much muscle to them. He had a nicely toned ass and thighs though, which likely meant he focused on cardio.
A nice ass that he promptly fell on when his grip slipped off the rock he tried to swing his weight onto. Goro didn’t try to cover the bark of laughter that burst from him.
Kurusu’s smile turned into a grimace as he sat up. “That bad?”
Goro offered him a hand and pulled him to his feet easily. He wasn’t light by any means, but he definitely had less muscle than Goro.
Kurusu’s eyes skimmed from his hand up his bicep in wonder. Smug from the attention, Goro’s grin twisted into the one that Makoto had said made him look like a serial killer.
But Kurusu didn’t recoil from it like other people had. Instead, he matched it with a wicked one of his own.
Oh, that shouldn’t have affected Goro as much as it did.
He led him back to the wall, their hands still intertwined. He tried not to think about it too hard. He patted one of the lower rocks with his free hand. Don't think about it.
“Try again, but this time, tell me where you want to reach before you do,” he said.
Kurusu squeezed his hand before letting go. He patted more chalk onto his palms and then grabbed and curled around the largest rock. Once secure in his position, he looked back at Goro. Then, he tapped a protruding part of a higher rock.
“Good. Where will you anchor your feet after?” Goro said.
Silence. A long silence.
“Were you not planning that?” When Kurusu still didn't answer, Goro crossed his arms. “You’ve been winging it this whole time, haven’t you?”
“I’m a beginner?” Kurusu said sheepishly.
“Evidently.”
With the primary problem out of the way, Kurusu performed much better while following Goro’s guidance. He still instinctively made rookie mistakes, but gradually started fixing them. Due in large part to the fact that Goro yelled “toes!” every time Kurusu placed his foot down incorrectly.
“Don’t rely on your arm strength alone when you climb,” Goro said when Kurusu plopped onto the mat in fatigue. “You have muscles in your legs, use them.”
“Been checking me out?” he said in mock coquettishness and stretched a leg out.
Goro rolled his eyes. “If you mean watching you repeatedly fall on your ass, then yes. Honestly I need to congratulate you on how often you managed to do that. Do you know most people tend to land on their feet?”
Akira laughed at that, brushing the hair sticking to his forehead back. It was a devastating sight.
“Can I watch you climb?”
Goro pinned his bangs to the side. “I don’t believe I’d be able to stop you if i wanted to.”
It felt as if he was on surveillance the entire climb. He knew Kurusu had a piercing gaze, but being under it was another thing entirely. He wondered if he hadn’t known Kurusu was watching him, would he have been as aware of it.
His neck prickled.
Jumping off upon reaching the top, he landed cleanly on his feet and wiped his forehead with one arm.
Kurusu, clearly impressed, bounced off the wall he was leaning against. “My turn. Will you coach me again?”
Goro should be heading home, having spent a significant amount of time bouldering already. There was no benefit to helping Kurusu after all.
“I wouldn’t be opposed to helping you once more,” he said.
The day they were supposed to collect their last sample, Kurusu messaged him the exact moment he was about to board the train.
Akira: Can’t make it today
Sorry
Odd. It wasn’t as if Goro knew him especially well, but in regards to their class and assignment, Kurusu had always been punctual.
Goro: That’s fine. Do you have another day in mind?
Akira: Tomorrow, same time?
Goro was about to answer in affirmative when the ellipses bubble popped up on Kurusu’s end.
Akira: Actually, can we do Thursday?
Thursday was cutting it much closer than Goro would have liked, being the day before their assignment, with all collected data and observations, was due.
Goro: That would be difficult for me. Could we try Wednesday instead?
Though Akira had been answering instantly before, he now went silent. Goro would have preferred he just tell him “no” rather than leave his message unanswered. With his afternoon no longer occupied, he walked back to campus to the nearest cafe.
Akira: Sure, see you then
Why Kurusu decided to postpone their last trip to the beach was answered the minute Goro saw him days later at the train station.
“You look like shit,” he blurted out.
If Makoto were next to him, she’d use that momentary lapse of judgement against him for the rest of their lives.
Kurusu’s crooked grin fit the band-aids littering his face and the grey circles under his eyes well. He pulled at the hood of his jacket. “Feel like it too. Let’s go?”
They managed to find seats, and Kurusu flopped down inelegantly, arms and legs sprawled out for a split second, before he remembered his manners. He let out a deep sigh, tugging again at his hood.
Goro sat next to him and pulled out his flashcards. Barely five minutes later, he felt something fall onto his shoulder. He turned for his nose to immediately meet a mess of black curls. It was a miracle he didn’t sneeze right into Kurusu’s dumb, nice smelling hair.
“Sorry,” Kurusu murmured. “Just give me a second.” He shifted, but before he could lift his head fully, Goro laid a hand on him and stopped him from moving off.
“It’s fine. Do you want your hood on?”
A pause, then Kurusu said even more quietly, “Yeah. Thanks, Akechi.”
Goro pinched the hood from where it had slipped off of his head and pulled it over. He kept his grip on it until Kurusu settled back down on his shoulder.
While very much aware that he had been the one to offer Kurusu his shoulder, Goro could feel his chest and shoulders tense. He willed himself to relax, if not for Kurusu to feel more comfortable, to at least tame his own racing heart. He breathed in and out slowly, matching Kurusu’s lethargic breathing.
When their stop came, Goro couldn’t tell if he was relieved or annoyed at the speed at which the train reached their destination. He hadn’t been able to absorb any information from his study materials.
Kurusu slowly lifted his head when Goro woke him, scrubbing at his eyes and wincing when he accidentally pressed into a bruise in the process.
The walk along the shore felt different than before. The sky painted a mellow orange, and wispy clouds floated past delicately. Shallow waves crept up to Goro’s feet, retreating once they came within a hair’s breadth.
Kurusu was silent the entire time they collected their samples. He hadn't been particularly chatty during their last trips, but he tended to say something every once in a while. The lack of any conversation bothered Goro.
He was wordlessly drying off his fingers when Goro finally decided to address the elephant in the room.
“Did you lose a fight?” he said, cringing at his crassness.
Blinking in shock, Kurusu eventually pulled his hood down further, again, despite it having stayed securely on the entire time they’d been walking. “It wasn’t a fight exactly…” he murmured.
Alarm bells set off in Goro’s head. He stepped closer to Kurusu, whose eyes went impossibly wide. This close, he could see every bruise and scratch in full detail. His skin crawled at the sight.
“Kurusu, tell me if you’re in an unsafe situation.”
He blinked several times again, drawing Goro’s attention to his absurdly long eyelashes. “What?”
“If you—” Goro licked his lips. He had to approach the subject delicately. “If you ever need somewhere to stay for a while, you’re welcome to my place. My mother would understand.”
“That’s… okay, wow, that’s really generous of you, but that’s not—” Kurusu looked away, a small blush forming on his cheeks. “I think I know what you think is happening, but I promise that’s not it.”
“Then what caused this?” Goro gestured around his face. He didn’t know why he was being insistent on ensuring Kurusu’s safety. Usually he didn’t step into other people’s business unless they were one of the select few he actually cared about.
Kurusu rubbed the back of his neck, the action causing him to lean into Goro’s space as he looked at the ground. “I fell.” He laughed; it sounded forced. “Kind of embarrassing.”
Unconvinced, Goro grabbed him by the chin and lifted it up to inspect the large band-aid covering the bottom.
Kurusu winced. “Um, ow.”
Goro let go; he forgot himself there. “My offer still stands,” he said, brushing past him to head towards the train station. Kurusu caught up to him.
“Thanks. Seriously. Where are you headed now?”
“Home.”
“Okay.” Kurusu said, and Goro could hear the smile in his voice. “Can I walk you back?”
Goro turned to look at him, felt his lips twist into a smile against his will at the hopeful expression he saw. “I suppose you may as well.”
Unable to ignore the doorbell, Goro stood up from the couch before his mom could. “I’ll get it,” he said.
Through the peephole, he recognized the figure waiting outside. He took in a breath and opened the door.
Kurusu swung around on one heel and practically sprang towards Goro. The porchlight illuminated him well, bouncing off his hair and leather jacket to make him shine. His cuts and bruises had healed partially, leaving small pink and yellow sheens, but otherwise doing nothing to detract from his appearance.
“Hello, to what do I owe this pleasure?” Goro said, raising his eyebrows.
“Aw, I’m flattered.”
Goro rolled his eyes in response, only smiling a little when Kurusu laughed.
“My roommates and I are having a party. Nothing too crazy, but we have alcohol.” He leaned against the doorframe in what he probably believed to be cool nonchalance. It worked, but Goro would rather have extra homework than admit that out loud.
“I don’t drink.”
“We have soda and juice too.”
Goro brushed his shirt down. He didn’t know why he wasn’t rejecting the invitation outright. Kurusu’s effortless charm was starting to get to him. “I shouldn’t. I’m—”
“Goro, who’s at the door?”
Goro startled, but not as badly as Kurusu did. He jumped away from the doorframe and straightened his posture immediately as his mom approached them.
“Just a classmate, Mom.”
“Well, don’t leave him standing out in the cold. Let him come inside,” she said with a smile.
Without hesitation, Kurusu bowed his head slightly. “Hello, I’m Kurusu Akira. It’s nice to meet you. Please don’t mind me, I don’t want to intrude.”
Goro watched flabbergasted.
“Oh my, it’s no trouble at all. Come on in.”
“Thank you. I appreciate your hospitality, but I only came to invite Akechi to a small get-together at my apartment.”
His mom looked delighted. She clapped her hands together. “That sounds wonderful. Goro, why don’t you go?”
“We’re supposed to watch a movie tonight. You finally have some free time.”
“The movie will still be here! Go have fun with your friends,” she pushed him out the door and placed his keys into his hand. “Make sure he doesn’t get into trouble, okay, Akira?”
“Of course. I’ll make sure he gets back home at a reasonable time too.”
“I’m counting on you,” she said, closing the door.
Goro whirled around, ready to give Kurusu a piece of his mind, but his mind stuttered as he met his strangely bashful smile. The reprimand died in his throat.
“Sorry, I didn’t know I was interrupting movie night,” he said. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”
It was a perfect opening to take, offered by Kurusu himself. Yet, when Goro opened his mouth, he ended up saying, “it’s fine.” It was too late to take it back then, especially with the way Kurusu brightened up immediately.
“Alright, follow me," he said, leading Goro to his apartment with a skip to his step. Goro didn’t understand how he could make walking in combat boots look so light and graceful. Somehow, he barely made a sound despite walking on shitty concrete flooring.
They walked up the stairs, Kurusu looking back at him halfway through. Goro paused mid-step. “What is it?” he said.
Kurusu let out a nervous chuckle. “Nothing. I’m glad you’re coming.
His embarrassment was infectious. Goro crossed his arms in an attempt to feign annoyance instead. “It’s nothing to be so excited about.”
“I can’t help it.”
Goro couldn’t believe he was real.
They reached Kurusu’s apartment soon after. He opened the door for him, bowing with flourish as he did so. Goro stifled the laugh threatening to escape him, and simply strode past him into the dimly lit apartment.
There weren’t as many people inside as he had initially feared. Most were new faces, though he recognized Takamaki, who waved at him enthusiastically upon seeing him. She wandered over, took his hands, and held them between hers. “Akechi! It’s good to see you again.”
Goro stared at her, the cogs in his brain locking up and getting stuck for a moment. “It’s good… to see you as well,” he said. It was an effort to get the words unstuck from his tongue.
A boy approached them with a can in each hand. “Hi! I’m Mishima. You’re Ann’s friend?”
Takamaki let go of his hands and twirled the end of one of her massive pigtails. “He’s more Akira’s friend. But, I want to get to know you too, Akechi.”
“Well, a friend of Akira’s is a friend of mine.” Mishima thrust a can a little too close to his face. “Here, what’s a party without some beer?”
“Oh, no thank you. I don’t—” Goro started.
“It’s not a problem. Take a load off!”
“No, really. I don’t drink, so—”
Without his noticing, Kurusu appeared by his side and pushed the can away gently. “Hey, knock it off. He already said no, right?”
“Oh, yeah. Sorry, I wasn’t trying to pressure you,” Mishima said, at least having the self-awareness to look embarrassed.
Goro buried the knee-jerk reaction to say something biting, and smiled politely. “That’s quite alright. You wouldn’t happen to have soda instead?”
His practiced charm worked well, and Mishima grinned immediately in response and gestured at the cooler situated in the corner of the room. Next to it was a table, where a scruffy-looking blond boy in a garish tank top and low-rise capris sat. He raised the bottle in his hand in greeting as Goro walked towards it.
"Yo, you Akira’s friend?"
Friend was a generous term, but Goro believed saying so would come off as unnecessarily cold when he didn’t know anyone else in the apartment. “We were assigned together for a lab assignment. He’s been a reliable partner.” He rummaged through the cooler until he found a can of fruit juice.
The boy stared at him blankly, to the point Goro felt uncomfortable and then he suddenly leaned forward with a wide grin. “You’re Akechi Goro!”
“Yes, that’s correct. Have we met?”
"Nah, Akira's just mentioned you a couple of times. Yeah." He looked entirely too pleased with himself for such a simple statement. "Anyways, I'm Sakamoto Ryuji. You can just call me Ryuji." He tapped his bottle against Goro’s can.
An overly friendly type, but Goro should’ve expected that. All of Kurusu’s friends seemed to be so, based on the ones he encountered when they entered. It wasn’t unwelcome, just something he wasn’t used to.
He searched for Kurusu, feeling his heart drop to his stomach when he found him.
Takamaki was hanging onto Kurusu’s arm as they spoke to another boy. The boy gesticulated dramatically before grabbing Kurusu by the shoulders, jostling him while speaking in a grandiose manner, and only becoming more enthusiastic when Kurusu laughed along.
He turned back to Sakamoto watching him with his wide grin. “What is it?” Goro asked.
Sakamoto shrugged. “Akira’s a pretty cool guy, isn’t he?”
“He’s…” Goro didn’t understand exactly how he felt about Kurusu. He’d initially thought he was a mugger, then a stereotypical directionless punk, then a surprisingly reliable classmate, then a somewhat irritating but enjoyable presence.
“He’s unpredictable.”
Sakamoto’s bark of laughter resounded around the room, causing Goro to jump. It didn't seem to stop the chatter though; Kurusu and his friends were likely used to Sakamoto’s volume.
“You can say that again. I thought he was some ordinary dude, but he's always up to something. We've had to run from campus police a few times because of him."
Goro hummed. Perhaps the "punk" impression he’d had wasn't too far off. Still, it wasn't like he disliked him. Not really.
Sakamoto hooked his foot around the leg of an unoccupied chair and pulled it towards Goro. "Here," he said.
"Oh no, I don't plan on staying for long," Goro said, laughing politely.
"Whaaaat? You just got here. C'mon, take a load off."
Goro gritted his teeth, keeping the pleasant smile on all the while. There wasn't anything he could imagine conversing about with Sakamoto, having already felt tired from the few sentences they’d exchanged. He'd been planning to slip away shortly, spend some time on his phone in the lounge downstairs, head back to his apartment, and tell his mom he had a great time, but he was a bit too tired to stay out late.
"I really—"
"C'mon man, Akira told me you're a pro at bouldering. I need some pointers."
That piqued Goro's interest. "Oh? Well, I suppose I could spare some time."
Though not the quietest audience, Sakamoto’s attention never strayed. He was a very engaged listener, responding to almost everything Goro said with vigorous nodding or a question or loud acknowledgement. For all that Goro tried to keep to himself in his life, he admitted that having such rapt attention on himself was exciting. He felt invigorated, Sakamoto’s energy infecting him and making his limbs looser as he gesticulated during some of his explanations.
He didn’t know how much time passed until Kurusu came by, at which he checked the clock and realized with a jolt that it’d already been an hour since he arrived.
Sakamoto held up a fist for Kurusu to bump, and looked past him to hoot loudly at whatever he saw. Goro didn’t bother to learn what it was, because he was looking up at Kurusu, whose cheeks were a bright pink and who grinned lazily at him. The sight of it shouldn’t affect him, it should be annoying if anything, but it caused his stomach to somersault.
“Hey,” Kurusu said.
“Hello,” Goro mumbled.
He immediately wanted to slap himself. There was no reason to act so nervous.
Kurusu leaned against his chair, pressing into his side, rather than grabbing one of his own like a normal person would. This close, the post-alcohol heat radiated off him, warming Goro throughout. For one delirious second, he considered snaking his arm around Kurusu’s hips and pulling him into his lap to see his surprised reaction, but he caught himself and tossed and pulverized that temptation into oblivion.
“You’re talking to Akechi without me?” Kurusu said, pouting cutely at Sakamoto. Goro felt like slapping himself again for thinking he was cute.
Sakamoto snorted. He tossed his empty bottle into the recycling bin and grabbed another beer. “You get to see him at least twice a week.”
“It’s still not enough.” Kurusu nudged Goro playfully. “Right, Akechi?”
“It’s more than enough,” Goro retorted and cringed immediately. He didn’t actually dislike him, and he should at least act more amicable in front of his friends.
Kurusu took it in stride however, and he tapped his fingers against Goro’s temple. They lingered and threaded through his hair. “Cheeky. That’s what I like about you though.”
Sakamoto laughed, and Goro felt his face heat. Whether it was from being watched or the mind-melting way Kurusu was running his fingers along his ear, he didn’t know.
Eventually, Sakamoto stood up, placed his hands on Kurusu’s shoulders, and steered him to the chair he’d previously occupied. “Sit down for a bit, man. I’ll get you some water and you’ll get to gaze into Akechi’s eyes. Good deal, right?”
Kurusu gripped Sakamoto’s arms and gave him one of his intense stares. “You’re a good friend. The best.”
“Yeah, yeah. Hang tight.”
Kurusu slumped down into his seat once he let go of Sakamoto, long legs knocking into Goro's as he did so. There was no way he was playing footsie with him; Goro chalked it up to clumsiness as a result of Kurusu’s drunken state. He stood up to put his empty can in the recycling bin as well.
Kurusu let out a whine when Goro moved. "Where are you going?" he said, trapping Goro by the ankles.
Goro stayed in place to avoid tripping. "I'm just going to get rid of this," he said, shaking the can. "I'll come back."
Kurusu grinned and ran his foot up and down Goro's calf. "Alright, come right back okay?"
Goro hoped he was too drunk to have noticed him shivering at the action. Stiffly taking the three steps he needed to reach the recycling bin, he stepped over Kurusu’s splayed legs and returned in a matter of seconds.
He’d already stayed much longer than he’d initially planned. Once Sakamoto came back and Kurusu had someone else to occupy his attention, he would leave. He stared at a ring of water on the table, ignoring the foot that had crept up his leg again.
Thankfully, Sakamoto returned soon with the promised glass of water. He didn’t say anything about Kurusu’s foot becoming intimately acquainted with Goro’s calf, and simply patted Kurusu on the shoulder.
Taking the chance, Goro scooted his chair back to escape the tangle of legs. “I really should be going now,” he said after clearing his throat. “Thank you for inviting me.”
With his head bowed, Kurusu grabbed his wrist. “Hang on, I’ll walk you back.”
“That’s unnecessary,” Goro said, but didn’t shake off his hand. His heart skipped. A weaker part of him screamed at him to let Kurusu leave with him. “I can walk down a floor by myself.”
Kurusu looked up then, and the sincerity in his expression took him aback. “I promised your mom I’d get you home safe.”
“Well— that’s—”
Sakamoto gently pushed the glass of water against Kurusu’s cheek. “Hey, big guy, drink this first. Akechi can take care of himself, right?”
At the offering, Kurusu gingerly took the glass and tipped it back slowly, neck stretched back as he gulped. Goro watched his Adam's apple bob in the process.
He averted his eyes when Kurusu leaned forward again.
“Okay, yeah, you’re right,” Kurusu said to Sakamoto. Then to Goro, “Message me once you’re back home?”
“I will.” He needed to leave now or he never would. “Sakamoto, it was nice to meet you.”
“Ryuji. Nice to meet you too.”
“Um, yes. Ryuji. Have a good rest of your night.” He strode out, making his way through the apartment quickly so as to not bump into anyone else who could recognize him. Once outside, he leaned against the wall in an attempt to let the cool night air calm him down.
The thudding in his chest took longer than he liked to subside. He raked his hand through his hair. The spot where Kurusu brushed it still tingled.
Another night of losing track of time and Goro was power walking across campus again. He wondered if he’d bump into Kurusu again, if he tended to prowl around this time of night.
Lately, he’d been daydreaming of encountering Kurusu in random spots. Maybe he could catch him off guard for once.
He knew he was smiling to himself like a lunatic imagining the look of shock on Kurusu’s face, but the campus tended to be empty at night anyways.
His neck prickled suddenly, and the feeling of being watched overtook him. In the corner of his eye, he saw a figure in the distance dart away. He turned quickly, catching the inky silhouette of a familiar leather jacket moving in the darkness.
If Kurusu was going to approach him in the dead of the night again, then he’d better have an explanation as to why he was trying to sneak up on him rather than calling his name like any other person would.
Except, he was moving away, not towards Goro. His footsteps didn’t make any noise, and his body seemed to disappear into the shadows. As Goro watched, he stuck to the darkness and avoided any beams of light from the streetlights.
Suspicious.
Goro wasn’t exactly silent like Kurusu, but he kept quiet enough as he tailed after him. He thought he was doing pretty well, considering he hadn’t been preparing for such a task.
Then he stepped on an errant twig.
He breathed sharply at the snapping noise, firecracker loud in the silence.
Kurusu definitely heard it, what with the way his head turned to and for before he ran off as if his life depended on it. Goro cursed under his breath, and he didn’t bother being quiet anymore and sprinted after him. If Kurusu was participating in delinquency for the mere thrill of it, then Goro needed to stop him. It’d be a waste, Kurusu who was much smarter than he let on, to get swept up in ridiculous impulses.
Goro wasn’t sure if Kurusu knew it was him, with the urgency of which he was running away. He hadn’t turned to look back at all, intent on separating himself from his pursuer as much as possible.
He whipped around the corner of a building. Goro followed, to stop dead in his tracks at the sight of a gun barrel pointed directly at him.
A moment passed, filled only with heavy breathing and then Kurusu’s arm faltered, lowering the gun, and his eyes widened in recognition.
Using that second of hesitation, Goro launched at him and slapped his wrist to the side.
Kurusu grunted, but kept his grip on it, and waved his other hand. “Wait, wait, I’m not going to hurt you!” He tucked it away, and held both hands out. “See? Now—”
He didn’t make a sound when Goro grabbed his wrists and pushed him against the wall, but he squirmed in his hold and that was an image Goro enjoyed a bit too much. He chased away the butterflies in his stomach and squeezed tightly in warning. Kurusu's rapid breathing didn’t evade his notice.
He needed to focus.
“What are you doing?” he said.
Kurusu flashed one of those crooked grins, looking entirely too cocky for someone held in place. “Look, while I wouldn’t be opposed to this position normally, I’d rather be taken out to dinner beforehand.”
“I’m warning you, Kurusu.”
“I don’t know who that is, but—”
“Drop the act. Do you actually believe a scrap of fabric covering the bare minimum of your face would prevent me from identifying you? I could tell it was you from a distance.”
Kurusu huffed. “It’s not a scrap of fabric. It’s a mask. I look fly as hell.”
It took every last inch of willpower to not roll his eyes. “Whatever. Are you going to answer my question or not?”
Kurusu clenched his fingers into a fist and struggled, but Goro’s grip remained steadfast. His mask truly didn’t hide anything, including his frustration.
“I’ll explain later,” he said. “You caught me at a bad time.”
“Then talk fast.”
“Right now isn’t—” He stopped midsentence upon seeing a beam of light shining parallel to them.
Unsure of whether to let him go, Goro slackened his grip at the sound of footsteps.
“Kurusu—” he whispered, turning back to him and freezing when he noticed his face was a lot closer than before.
He hated the whimper that escaped his throat when Kurusu’s lips landed on his. The sound encouraged Kurusu to press into him more, and Goro couldn’t bring himself to push him away when his lips felt so soft. A slow buzzing filled his head, and he closed his eyes as he loosened his grip entirely. He trailed his fingers down Kurusu’s arms to his elbows.
He opened his mouth to quickly gasp in a breath, shaking when a tongue slipped in and slid against his to explore his mouth. At this rate, he may faint— whether from the kiss or the lack of air.
Kurusu spared him from such a fate when he pulled back. “Breathe through your nose,” he murmured, slipping off his mask and pocketing it. Goro only had a second to process the statement before Kurusu ran his hand up Goro’s neck until it grasped the base of his scalp and tugged him forward.
Goro stumbled towards him, transfixed by the moonlit gleam in his eye, and fell into another kiss. Tentatively, he placed his hands on Kurusu’s waist, squeezing at the approving hum. A hand clenched the back of his sweater, forcing him even closer until their chests were pressed together— Kurusu solid and warm underneath him.
Plastering his front onto Kurusu was undoubtedly better than anything else he’d experienced in his life. He should’ve been doing it sooner, instead of wasting his time trying to get information out of him in the shivering cold.
It didn’t feel enough, he wanted to bury himself in the warmth. He removed one of his hands, wrapped it around Kurusu, and tugged him in closer. A surprised moan, muffled against their lips, went straight to Goro’s core.
His worries and the outside world seemed to drift away. The only thing he cared about was the warm body melding into him, the feeling of their spit-slicked lips moving together, and—
And the sound of heavy footsteps getting closer and stopping next to them.
Light blinded him for a brief moment before the hand on his neck guided his head to rest on Kurusu’s shoulder. Shielded by his frame, Goro’s momentary confusion dissipated and he started to gather his thoughts. He tensed when the newcomer spoke.
“What are you two doing here?”
Goro felt the laugh rumble out of Kurusu, the hand on his neck trembling slightly. “Sorry, officer. We were… well…” Another laugh, sheepish.
The police officer sighed. “You shouldn’t be wandering around here this late at night.”
“Yes, of course. Sorry.”
“I remember what it was like to be young, so I’ll let you off this time. But if I see you two again around here tonight, I’ll have to take you to the station for questioning. Understand?”
“Understood. Thank you, sir.”
The hand on his neck transferred to his hand and led him away. Goro followed without resistance, glancing back to see the officer making his rounds again.
Once they were a fair distance away, Goro planted his feet to the ground and nearly caused Kurusu to trip. He turned to Goro, eyes wide.
“Kurusu, what the hell was that about,” Goro said, tightening his hand around his.
Embarrassed, Kurusu ducked his head and rubbed his neck. “Okay, that wasn’t the way I imagined our first kiss going."
“Not that, ” Goro hissed, ignoring the heat crawling up his neck. Kurusu imagined kissing him? All this time he thought Kurusu was just trying to rile him up, flirting as easily as he breathed. Wait, no, he probably kissed anyone he found attractive. He probably thought of Goro as another fling.
Goro remembered the way Takamaki had hung onto his arm the other night. They’d looked entirely too comfortable, leaning towards each other as if it was a normal occurrence.
The memory made his stomach squirm awfully and he tried to stop thinking about it.
He didn’t really want to be around Kurusu anymore. He dropped his hand and shivered, feeling much chillier than before. “Whatever,” he spat out as he wrapped his arms around himself. “Go do… whatever you were doing. It doesn’t concern me.” Avoiding getting anywhere near him, he started to walk in the direction back to his apartment.
“Akechi, wait.”
As much he hated to, having become weak to Kurusu, he stopped and waited. Refusing to look at him, he heard rustling noises and jumped when a moderate weight draped over his shoulders. It was warm, and Kurusu’s scent surrounded him.
Kurusu smoothed the jacket’s lapels down, settling his hands on Goro’s arms after, with a genuinely fond expression that stole Goro’s breath away. “It looks good on you,” he said.
Goro opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
Kurusu rifled through one of the pockets, and Goro’s face warmed, feeling his fingers sweep and poke at his side, to retrieve his mask.
He slipped it on, looking unfairly charming as he did so. “I’ll explain another time. Promise. Get home safe.” He leaned in but stopped, suddenly hesitant. And Goro couldn’t help himself; he tilted his head forward and closed his eyes.
Warm, soft lips pressed against his, just for a moment and then they were gone. Goro opened his eyes to an empty sidewalk, only the jacket on his shoulders evidence of Kurusu having been there at all.