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"Of course, Yuuki! I'd love to go out with you!" Ryuji shouted in the middle of the hallway.
“Sakamoto, please! This isn’t helping!” Mishima huffed and turned away from Ryuji.
“Ah, Mishima, come on!” Ryuji placed both of his hands on Mishima’s shoulders and spun him around to face him again. “I’m trying to help you!”
"You're not! This is so embarrassing…"
"Dude, look," Ryuji put on his stern voice, "Ren's never gonna date you if you get all weirded out over dumb stuff."
"Could you please just keep it down, then…?" Mishima felt intimidated and looked away, watching the students passing by the two of them in the hallway. "People are looking at us."
Ryuji took his hands off Mishima and crossed his arms, "People are gonna be looking at you all the time when they hear you're dating the transfer student with a criminal record."
He sighed, defeated. Of course Ryuji was right about that, but that was only if Ren said yes. Mishima knew he wouldn't.
"Okay, okay, fine. But could you just try to sound a little more… like Ren?"
"Like who?" Ren stepped up behind Mishima.
"Ah!" Mishima shrieked and turned on his heel quickly to see Ren standing right in front of him. "Like… Um…"
He froze. He was too embarrassed to be honest with Ren, but too afraid to try and tell a lie. He settled on saying nothing.
Ryuji laughed softly, "Dude…"
"Hey, Ryuji?" Ren asked, "Could I meet up with you a bit later? I actually wanted to ask Yuuki something."
"Sure!" He smiled wide and gave Mishima a knowing look. "See ya later."
Ryuji walked off with a casual salute towards them both, and Ren took another step closer towards Mishima.
"Hey, so…" Ren nervously played with his bangs as he spoke. "Can I ask you something…?"
"S-Sure, yeah." Mishima responded slowly, unable to think about or even hope what the question would be. "Ask me anything, fire away."
Ren laughed under his breath, his adoration for Mishima clearly visible to anyone other than him. "So… The school festival is coming up, and I was wondering if… if you had a date?"
"Oh. Yeah. It should start on the 24th, I'm pretty sure." He responded, more than a little disappointed, but still trying to hide it.
"No," he held back another laugh. "Like… You know how Haru and Makoto are going together? As girlfriends on a date?"
"Yes…" It started to click for him, but he refrained from saying anything more in case he was misinterpreting it somehow.
"So, are you going with anyone? Like that?"
He shook his head, "No, I'm not. I don't have a… No."
"Do you wanna?" He smiled at Mishima, who was turning more red by the second.
"Um, maybe… Wh-Why do you ask…?"
"'Cuz I wanna go on a date with you, dummy."
Mishima froze again, completely forgetting how to speak. It didn't seem real. It had to be a prank. He must've been joking. He—
Ren held onto Mishima's wrist loosely and pulled him in closer as he leaned down to kiss him.
Mishima instantly softened into the kiss, taking his free hand and putting it behind Ren's head as he lifted himself up more to meet his lips.
After a few seconds, Ren disengaged and smiled at Mishima. "That a yes?"
Mishima nodded excitedly.
——
Goro Akechi always strived to cultivate the perfect celebrity persona with everyone around him. The only time he would drop his facade was in private moments with people whom he trusted, or to put it more simply, when he was alone. With everyone else, the Akechi they thought they knew didn’t even exist. Most of the time, he liked it that way, but sometimes it would wear on him. Especially on days like today.
His schedule for the day was jam packed with interviews, which he hated doing lately. It was inevitable for him to be asked about his Soulmate. He'd dodge questions, or try to turn it into a lighthearted joke, but it was becoming more painful for him each time.
You're already a third year. Why don't you have a Soulmate yet? Have you not been looking? Surely a celebrity like you must have met their Soulmate by now. Why don't we help you find your Soulmate here today? Ladies in the audience; who here wants to test your Soulmate compatibility with THE Goro Akechi?!
It was exhausting. All he could do in these interactions was nod and smile, then express mild disappointment for the hopefuls who turned out to be someone else's Soulmate.
"My sincerest apologies, but it seems it wasn't meant to be." He'd smile kindly at them. "However, when you do find your Soulmate, I believe he'll be a very lucky man."
He would keep up with his pleasant demeanor all through the rest of the interview, up until the moment he was able to leave the stage and lock himself in a dressing room.
"Ridiculous," he muttered to himself as he sat in front of the mirror. "Asking me about worthless trite… I don't have time for—!"
He caught a glimpse of his slightly crazed reflection and stopped himself to regain composure. He took a closer look at himself and sighed heavily.
The hair and makeup teams were always able to make him look pretty enough for TV interviews, but he felt disgusted with himself when he saw his reflection up close. He leaned in to study his flaws more carefully. His eyes were tired and his hair was getting too long. His eyelashes and eyebrows were uneven from all the times he idly pulled at them. He sighed again, frustrated with himself.
Some of the makeup on his cheek was coming off and he rubbed at it with his thumb, revealing the freckles hidden underneath. He quickly turned away from the mirror, wanting more than anything to just go home to his empty apartment.
By the time he was back home, he was emotionally spent, and didn't even have the energy to change into more comfortable clothes. He laid down on his bed, the interview from earlier in the day playing in his head on a loop.
He couldn't understand why so many people cared about who he'd end up with. Sure, he'd wondered himself if there was a person out there who was made for him. A person in the universe that was created from the same bit of stardust as he was. Someone who'd understand him and love him unconditionally. Someone who could hold him when he cried...
That thought became overwhelming, and he shook his head to try and get rid of it. He told himself he didn't have time for relationships, anyway. Even if he did, he knew there wasn't anything he could offer a partner in his life.
If he truly did have a Soulmate, he felt sorry for them.
——
Mishima was sitting at his and Ren’s usual booth in the diner. He was scrolling through his phone absentmindedly, while waiting for his recently declared boyfriend to arrive. The two of them had only been dating for about a week, and Mishima was still actively nervous before they met up every single time.
Tonight especially made him intensely anxious. They’d been to the diner together plenty of times, but tonight was the first time they were coming here as boyfriends. It was also about time the two of them would be having “the talk” to determine their Soulmate eligibility.
Whenever two people start dating, it’s only a matter of time before they try to find out if they’re Soulmates. All it takes is one sentence. If you can tell a lie to the person you’re speaking to, then you aren’t Soulmates. It’s impossible to lie to the person you’re destined to be with. Even a white lie is impossible. Most couples try to test the theory early on in the relationship so that neither person is wasting their time.
Fate and destiny and even Soulmates weren’t things that Mishima particularly believed in. After all, he had always been able to lie to people. Not like he made a habit of it, but he’d always test his luck every now and then. A simple white lie, just to see if he could. He always could.
Mishima felt like he either had to believe there was no such thing as Soulmates, or face the fact that he didn’t have a Soulmate of his own. There seemed to be plenty of proof, however, that Soulmates really did exist, and it was getting harder and harder to deny it.
The only person that Mishima had never even tried lying to was Ren. He couldn’t bring himself to do it. The idea that Ren wasn’t his Soulmate was too much for him to handle. Especially now that they were dating, he didn’t want anything to ruin it.
Mishima nervously fiddled with his straw wrapper until Ren had showed up. He slowly slid into the seat across from Mishima so as not to startle him. Gently, he reached over to place his hands on top of his boyfriend’s to calm him down.
“Hey.” Ren smiled.
Mishima couldn’t help but smile back. “Hey!”
Ren noticed Mishima anxiously bouncing his leg underneath the table. “You okay?”
He nodded. “I’m fine… just…” He exhaled loudly, trying to prep himself for his next words. “Can we please not talk about whether or not we’re Soulmates or whatever? I just want to talk about… requests on the Phansite, or exams, or whether we should go to Shinjuku or Akihabara this weekend!” Ren’s smile faded as he looked at Mishima, waiting for him to finish. “I mean, who even says all that Soulmate crap is real, anyway? My parents lie to each other all the time! I’ve heard it!” Mishima turned away from Ren. “I… I really like you Ren, and I’m–”
“Scared?” Ren asked and Mishima nodded slowly. “I understand. I’m scared, too, because I like you a lot, Yuuki. But aren’t you curious?”
“It’s eating at me…”
Ren attempted a smile. “Then, let’s just try it. Tell me a lie.”
“I-I couldn’t lie to you!” Mishima stammered.
“You could try.”
“No!”
Ren sighed. “It’s just a test. I won’t be hurt by you lying. I just want to see something.”
“O-Okay…” Mishima glared down at the table. “Wh-What should I say?”
“Oh, I don’t know… How about… you tell me that you hate the Phantom Thieves?”
“I can’t say that!”
“Yuuki.”
“Fine. Fine.” He inhaled deeply, trying and failing to ease his nerves. “I… hate the Phantom Thieves.”
Silence.
Ren just stared at Mishima, analyzing his expression. He noticed that he was very disappointed, maybe even on the verge of tears. He sighed, “I hate the Phantom Thieves, too. Screw those guys. Who do they think they are?”
Mishima chuckled a bit. “Who am I talking to? Goro Akechi?”
Ren reciprocated the laughter and stood up straighter, lifting a finger to his chin. “Oh. My apologies. I didn’t mean to intrude, but you have indeed given me much to think about.” Ren smiled, proud of his Akechi impression.
“Whoa, that was good! Do you watch his interviews as religiously as I do?”
“Daily.” He laughed more.
Mishima’s laughter subsided and he stared at the table again. “Yeah…”
Ren frowned and held onto Mishima’s hand. “Hey… so we aren’t Soulmates. Who cares? I really care about you, Yuuki. I want to be with you still.”
“Really?” He looked up at Ren. “You don’t think I’d be a waste of time?”
He shook his head. “Not at all.”
“I feel the same way.”
“Good, then. It’s settled.” He leaned back and let out a sigh. “Now. Tell me more about how much you hate these so-called Phantom Thieves.”
——
Akechi had asked Ren out to lunch the next day. He wanted to talk about the invitation that had been extended to him to be the special guest at the school festival.
His original intention was just to get information out of Ren, but it wasn’t as simple as he thought it would be. Ren quickly caught on to what his intentions were, staying reticent and only giving one word answers. Still, Akechi cranked his charm up as much as possible, hoping it would have any effect on Ren as it usually did with others.
He gently pressed Ren on the nature of each of his relationships. In particular, everyone he had deduced was a member of the Phantom Thieves. There was one person, however, who he frequently saw Ren spending time with, but never saw around the other members. It was clear to him that he was working with them in some way... but how?
“He’s my boyfriend,” Ren answered him simply.
" You have a… boyfriend?" Akechi asked, unable to remain his typical composure.
"Is it that surprising?" Ren raised an eyebrow at him.
Akechi cleared his throat softly, "Not particularly. Excuse my incredulousness."
"Well, yeah. He's just my boyfriend. Nothing else."
"Hm," he put a finger up to his chin and Ren held back a scoff.
"Yeah, so, I mean if you were interested in him or something… he's already taken."
"Not interested," Akechi said flatly. "But I must admit, I am a little intrigued. There seems to be more to your relationship than…" He faltered, unsure what word he was even searching for.
"Nope. Just boyfriends."
Akechi eyed him carefully. "How did you two meet again…?"
"School." Ren shifted in his seat uncomfortably, "We're in the same class."
"Ah, of course. Well… I've done some research on him."
"Oh?" Ren couldn't decide if that was more creepy or pathetic.
"He was on the Shujin Academy volleyball team, correct? The same team Suguru Kamoshida coached?"
"What does that have to do with anything?"
Akechi chuckled softly and waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, nothing, nothing."
"Is there something you want ?" There was an edge to Ren's voice.
"I suppose I might as well cut to the chase. I only want Mishima-san's contact information."
"His number? Fine." He pulled out his phone to text the number to Akechi. "If that'll get you to stop asking me questions."
"Indeed it will." Akechi's phone buzzed and he smiled pleasantly at Ren. "Thank you very much."
"We're done here?"
Akechi held out his hand for Ren to shake. "Until next time."
Ren begrudgingly shook his hand back.
——
“Tell me another.”
“Okay…” Ren was on his stomach, lying on his bed, then flipped over onto his back. “I definitely did not eat those leftover crêpes you asked to keep in the fridge last night.”
Mishima, who was sitting on the floor and leaning against Ren’s bed, gasped dramatically. “You what?”
“I said I didn’t!”
He shoved Ren playfully. “You liar!”
“Not a liar! I’m telling you, it was Boss! That guy is crazy over sweets.”
Suddenly, Mishima’s phone buzzed and pulled it out to check the notification. “Oh?”
Ren leaned over to look at the screen. “What is it?”
“Unknown number. They want to meet with me.”
“Oh, that must be Akechi. He asked me for your number earlier.”
“Mine? Me? Why?”
Ren lifted himself up and then moved to sit on the edge of the bed. “Beats me. He’s been really weird around me lately. He saw us together at the park or something the other day, though. I think he’s caught on that you work for the Phantom Thieves.”
“With.”
“Hm?”
Mishima sighed. “I work with you guys. Not for you.”
“Right. With.”
“Anyway.” Mishima set his phone down and turned to look at Ren. “Why do I have to be an accomplice of yours? You couldn’t just tell him I was your boyfriend?”
“I told him that, but he still seems suspicious.” Mishima’s face fell. “Hey, hey.” Ren moved down to the floor to sit next to Mishima and put his arm around him. “You okay?”
“You gave him my real number…”
“Yeah?” Ren furrowed his brow, slightly confused. “Was that bad?”
“You couldn’t have lied to him?”
Ren frowned then brought Mishima closer to his side. “I could have. I’m sorry. I just didn’t.”
“You two have a lot of chemistry… I’d understand if you were Soulmates.”
“We’re not.”
Mishima didn’t say anything.
“We’re not,” Ren repeated. “Even if we were, I wouldn’t care. I want to be with you, Yuuki. You’re my Soulmate. I don’t care about some stupid lying rules.”
Mishima nodded. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Good.” Ren kissed Mishima on the cheek quickly, which caused him to start giggling. “I love your laugh, by the way.”
“Stop!” Mishima blushed and covered his face. Ren wrapped his arms around him and kissed him more. “Quit it! I have to go home and get changed before I meet with everyone’s favorite detective prince.”
“Maybe I should be worried about you.” Ren teased.
“Oh, please.” Mishima wriggled out of Ren’s hold on him and stood up. He dusted himself off and gave Ren a quick, final kiss. “I’ll text you after I get home, okay?” Ren nodded and Mishima smiled.
——
“You chose this booth…?” Mishima stared at the empty seat in his usual booth with Ren. Although instead of Ren sitting on the other side, it was Goro Akechi.
Akechi glanced at the empty seat across from him and then back at Mishima. “Is it not to your liking? I feel it is a standard booth.”
“No, no. It’s fine.” Mishima cautiously sat down and looked at Akechi, preparing to put up several walls and say nothing that could be incriminating. “Let’s just cut to the chase and you tell me why you wanted to meet with me.”
“Well, I am investigating the Phantom Thieves. I figured maybe you’d have some information. You work with them, do you not?”
Mishima had every intention of lying through the whole meeting. Akechi had no right to the information he was privy to and he was never going to let him get the upper hand in his investigation.
“I am the admin of the Phansite.” Immediately, Mishima gasped and covered his mouth. What the hell?
Akechi just chuckled. “How honest. I was expecting to have to work up to your confession.”
Mishima kept his mouth covered and his eyes widened. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“Are you all right, Mishima-san?”
He set his hands down flat on the table and avoided eye contact with Akechi. “Stop… Don’t…”
“Mm.” Akechi wrapped his gloved hands around the mug of coffee in front of him. He patiently waited for Mishima to say what was on his mind.
“Everyone keeps telling me you’re the bad guy…” Mishima fidgeted with a napkin on the table. “You don’t support the Phantom Thieves. You think they’re... unjust. You think they should be tried in a court of law!”
“Yes, that is true.” Akechi wasn’t sure where he was going with this.
“But you’re my… Soulmate.” Mishima faltered on the last word.
This couldn’t be happening. He didn’t love Akechi. Did he? Of course not. He loved Ren. Ren was his actual Soulmate, no matter what the stupid rules said.
Akechi choked on his coffee as he took a sip. He tried to recover and calm himself down. “Pardon me? Soulmate?”
“Lie to me.”
“Hm?”
Mishima slammed his hand on the table. “Lie to me!”
“Mishima-san. Please, relax.”
He leaned back and took a calming breath. “I… I can’t be your Soulmate. I’m dating someone.”
“You’re dating Ren. I know.”
“And… I love him. I don’t love you, okay?”
Akechi laughed. “You’re being quite forward. I wouldn’t say I love you, either. We only just properly met today.”
Mishima retreated. “Right. I’m sorry. I must sound crazy.”
“Only a little.”
He sighed deeply. “I should go.”
“Are you sure? You wouldn’t like to stay and order something?”
“No, I need to go. Before you just get all the information you need to know out of me.” Mishima stood up and walked away, leaving Akechi alone at the booth.
——
Akechi was back home, and he paced around his room, unable to think about anything other than his conversation with Mishima. He'd try to come across as coy and uninterested, but inside he felt like he might combust right there in that diner.
The most likely explanation, he thought, was just that Mishima was playing some cruel, practical joke on him. Perhaps Ren put him up to it. He was well aware that Ren hated his guts, so he must've been in on it somehow. He felt nauseous thinking about that, and he decided to lay down before he passed out.
Once the nausea subsided a little, he thought more. Mishima didn't seem like a cruel person at all. If anything, he really was just as nervous and scared of what it meant for them to be Soulmates.
Against his better judgement perhaps, he pulled out his phone to draft a text message.
Akechi: Good evening, Mishima-san. I do hope you are doing well. You seemed rather shaken up after our conversation tonight, and I wanted to take this opportunity to clear the air on a few things. The first of which being, I do not intend to pursue a relationship with you. Regardless of how modern society feels about these cosmic restrictions, it truly means nothing to me. I have exactly zero desire to interfere in your relationship with Ren, as well. I do hope this eases some of your anxiety towards this situation.
——
Yuuki: I couldn’t lie to him.
Ren: What did you tell him?
Yuuki: Did you not read what I just said? I COULDN’T lie to him!!!!
Ren: Oh.
Ren: OH.
Ren: Can you come over? Let’s talk about this.
Yuuki: On my way.
Mishima knocked on the door to Leblanc. Sojiro had already closed up for the night so everything was locked. The light was on, however, and Ren quickly rushed to the door. He opened it and Mishima ran into his arms, hugging him tightly.
Ren wrapped his arms around Mishima and hugged him back. Ren’s eyes were red, and it was clear that he had been crying. “Yuuki, I love you. But I understand that you need to be with him...”
“What? No! I don’t want him! I want you !”
Ren gently took Mishima’s hands into his own and kissed the top of his head. “I know.”
Mishima just shook his head violently and shut his eyes tight. “This isn’t fair! It’s not fucking FAIR!” He rammed his head against Ren’s chest and sobbed loudly. “Screw Soulmates. Screw Akechi! That’s not love!” Slowly, he took a step back and raised his head to look into the dark, watery eyes staring back at him. “That’s not love… right?”
Mishima sniffed and felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. When he pulled it out to see who it was, he scoffed loudly without even reading it, and tucked it away again.
“Who was that?”
“Akechi…” Mishima answered bitterly.
Ren matched his bitterness, “What does he want now?”
“I don’t know… I don’t care…” He quickly snatched his hands away from Ren and moved to hug himself tightly. “S-Sorry… I don’t know what to do…”
“Hey…” Ren whispered and placed a hand on Mishima’s back, trying to soothe him out of a panic attack. “You don’t have to do anything, alright? You don’t even owe him a text back. Just forget about him.”
Mishima nodded once, his devastation quickly being replaced with embarrassment over getting so upset in front of his boyfriend. Ren was so perfect, but Mishima really wasn’t. Ren was probably starting to see that now. Somehow, he had fooled Ren into thinking that he would be a good boyfriend and that he was worthy of being loved. Of course it was too good to be true when Ren asked him out. Ren didn’t know him well enough to know how annoying or unstable he was. No one deserved to deal with someone like that. It was asking for too much. Especially for someone that wasn’t even your Soulmate.
Mishima’s phone buzzed again, pulling him out of his spiral, and he sighed. “I should go, probably…”
"Huh?" Ren moved his hand back and looked down at Mishima, even more concerned. "You just got here."
"Sorry. I just don't think I should be here. R-Right now."
"Okay, well…"
Mishima swiftly turned on his heel to face the door and started to leave. "I'll see you at school tomorrow," he mumbled just as he walked out of Leblanc.
Ren began to feel dizzy and he stared at the closed door, half expecting and hoping for Mishima to walk through it again.
——
Mishima didn't go home after leaving Leblanc. Instead, he got on the train headed to Shinjuku. Whenever he was upset or overwhelmed, he'd go to Shinjuku to just walk around and eventually he'd calm down. There was something about this side of the city that reminded him that his problems weren't as monumental as they often felt.
He stood against a storefront and finally took out his phone to check the notifications he kept getting on the train ride over. Akechi had texted Mishima a few more times after he didn't respond the first time. Each message was sent several minutes apart.
Akechi: Perhaps this is unwarranted or not the best time to ask, but would you like to meet up and discuss things more calmly?
Akechi: I understand this is quite a shocking development for you. It is for me as well.
Akechi: I would enjoy talking things over with you just so we're on the same page.
Akechi: It is ultimately your decision, but I am free for the remainder of the evening.
Akechi: You are free to call whenever you make your decision.
His eyes scanned over the texts a few times, an uncomfortable feeling tugging at his chest. He of course noticed the usual pleasant and polite facade that Akechi played constantly, but the more he read over the texts, the more obvious it was to him that Akechi's true character was showing through. Akechi could lie to anyone else in the world, but it was impossible for him to lie to Mishima.
He decided that if he owed his Soulmate anything, he at least owed him a phone call back. He dialed Akechi's number and he picked up after one ring.
"Hello? Mishima-san?"
"I'm in Shinjuku." Mishima wasted zero time on pleasantries. "I'm outside Crossroads. The bar. I don't know if you've—"
"I'm quite familiar."
Mishima tried to not be annoyed over being interrupted and continued, "If you wanna meet, just meet me there. I'll be here awhile, so come or don't."
"Sounds splendid. I will be leaving posthaste."
"Okay," Mishima rolled his eyes before hanging up the phone.
——
Akechi was shocked to see an incoming call from Mishima. Getting ignored by him several times had led him to believe he wouldn't be hearing from Mishima at all. Which would've been fine. Akechi didn't need to say much more than what he already said, and he figured no response was, in a way, an answer to his questions.
But as soon as he hung up the phone with Mishima, he immediately left to go to the train station. His heart rate quickened and his breathing became more shallow, which were both unusual for him. He didn't know why that would be happening. Once he got on the train, he realized he was bouncing his leg nervously and tried to stop himself. It wasn't very becoming to be so visibly anxious over meeting with a boy he barely knew.
He made it to Shinjuku, and when he turned the corner to head to Crossroads, sure enough, Mishima was there.
"Hello, Mishima-san," Akechi walked over to him and bowed slightly.
"Oh, uh…" Mishima bowed as well, "Hey."
"So," he tugged on one of his gloves, "you wanted to meet with me?"
"Well, you asked me first. I was just free tonight, so… y'know."
He nodded and hummed softly, "Indeed."
"And you wanted to talk, so we can talk."
"Yes, actually," he held his hand out and looked up at the sky. "It looks as though it will be raining soon, would you like to head inside?"
Mishima shrugged and let Akechi lead the way, "Sure."
Akechi held the door open for him and he stepped inside. He'd never actually been inside Crossroads before. He knew that Ren worked there some nights, and minors were allowed inside as long as they didn't buy any alcohol, but he still felt like he wasn't allowed to be there.
However, Akechi seemed very comfortable and slipped into one of the seats at the bar. "Good evening, Lala-chan."
"Hi there, honey. Usual?"
Akechi nodded, "Two, please."
Mishima sat down to join Akechi as Lala moved to the other end of the bar to fix the drinks. "You've been here before?"
"Yes, it's a nice place for me to escape to some evenings."
"Oh, yeah." Mishima shifted in his seat, trying to come off as being more comfortable than he actually was. "I know what you mean."
"A lot of the regulars here aren't very concerned with me, so, it is a refreshing change of pace."
"Sure."
After a few moments of awkward silence, Lala-chan returned and placed two fruity beverages in front of the two boys. "Enjoy," she smiled before returning to the other end of the bar.
"This is your usual?" Mishima looked down at the drink and then suspiciously towards Akechi who was already taking a sip.
"Mm, try it before you pass judgment."
He stared at the drink again, "Does it have…?"
"It is non-alcoholic." Mishima didn't seem convinced and Akechi sighed softly, "Would I lie to you?"
For some reason, Mishima felt nervous after Akechi said that, but instead of responding, he took a sip of the drink.
"Thoughts?" Akechi asked eagerly.
"It's sweet," he responded as more of an observation than a judgment.
"I prefer sweet," Akechi took another drink.
He nodded, "It's nice."
They sat in silence for another moment while Mishima was enjoying his drink and Akechi was working up the courage to ask him something.
"Mishima-san," he began. "Is it alright if I… try something?"
"Hm?" He looked at Akechi, "What do you mean?"
"I would like to try and lie to you. Just to be certain."
Mishima nodded, not at all offended by Akechi not trusting him. If he had encountered someone claiming to be his Soulmate, he would've been skeptical, too. He never really thought of Akechi as someone who cared about that sort of thing, though. But maybe they were more alike than he thought.
Akechi turned in his chair to face Mishima and he cleared his throat. His heart was practically beating out of his chest, and he kept his eyes closed.
"I despise my father."
Mishima blinked, unable to tell if he really was telling the truth or not. He knew he couldn't lie to Akechi, though, so he must've been telling the truth.
"This figures…" Akechi laughed bitterly towards himself. "The universe would let me meet my Soulmate, only to tell me that he's in love with someone else…" He downed the rest of his drink and sighed.
"I, um…" Mishima held onto his drink and swirled it as he spoke, "I didn't know… I mean, I've never heard you say anything about your parents before. In interviews, or whatever."
"There's not much to say that would be acceptable for printing in a magazine." He spoke harshly, but Mishima could tell it wasn't directed towards him.
"I'm sorry to hear that…" He set his drink back down and shoved it out of the way. "Am I the first person you've told that to?"
"You are." He mirrored Mishima's action and shoved his own empty glass away from himself. "Congratulations."
"I haven't told Ren about my parents. Or anyone else, really."
"No?" Akechi looked over his shoulder at Mishima. "Why is that?"
He let out a small chuckle, "I despise them, too. And I really don't think I can handle anyone telling me that they do the things they do because they want what's best for me. They don't."
"Why would anyone tell you that?"
"I dunno," he shrugged. "They might not. But I have too much experience with my abusers being believed over me." He glanced at Akechi for a moment before turning away. "Sorry. I don't really like referring to him that way."
Akechi eyed him carefully, unsure if he should press him anymore than he already had. "Would this happen to be about that volleyball coach of yours? To my knowledge, he did abuse his team members."
"Yes, but… he's not my anything. He did so much damage to me and… to others. I hate thinking about him and the things he did. I…" He shuddered, afraid to confront what he was feeling. "Everyone knew about what he was doing, but no one stopped him. My own parents knew and they didn't do anything. I was too much of a coward to do anything about it myself. The only one who actually did was…"
"Ren." Akechi interjected.
Mishima froze, instantly feeling like he screwed up. "I… um… uh…"
"It's alright. I'm already aware of his identity. I know he ‘ saved ’ you, for lack of a better word."
Mishima closed his eyes and nodded, trying his hardest to not cry.
Akechi was somewhat moved by Mishima's vulnerability, and decided to open up himself. "My father doesn't know I'm his son. I work closely with him, but as far as he knows, it's simply a business relationship."
Mishima sniffed, "Why do you hate him so much?"
He paused, thinking about where he could even begin on his long list of reasons. "I suppose the hatred is mostly tied to how he treated my mother. She's no longer with us."
"O-Oh. I'm sorry… Did he…?"
"Not directly, I suppose." He laughed even though he didn't think it was very funny. "It rules over my life. Thinking about him and… revenge. Sometimes I wish I could've been a normal high school student. If only my worries extended to just midterm exams." Mishima didn't say anything else to that, and the silence was palpable. Akechi worried he had shared too much and cleared his throat again as he sat up straighter. "Apologies for oversharing…"
"It's okay."
"I had originally asked you here just to make my intentions clear. Even though we are Soulmates, if that means nothing to you, then it means nothing to me."
Mishima didn't know how to respond. He had always dreamed of meeting his Soulmate, and after awhile, he thought he didn't even have one. But he did have one. He was sitting right in front of him.
"I love Ren," he finally said.
"I'm aware."
"So, I just… I can't."
Akechi waved his hand and stood from his seat. "No matter. I understand fully. It's good that we could get this cleared up."
Mishima quickly stood while Akechi took out his wallet to pay for the drinks. "Can I walk you to the station?" Mishima offered.
"If you would like, I won't stop you." He set the money on the counter and thanked Lala-chan before leaving the bar.
It was now raining heavily outside, but Akechi didn't have an umbrella on him, nor did he want to go through the trouble of finding one to rent. He just wanted to get home as quickly as possible.
Mishima didn't have an umbrella either, but he followed after Akechi, noticing that he seemed closed off again. "Are you okay?"
He shook his head, frustrated that he couldn't lie around Mishima, "No. I'm not."
"What's wrong?"
He rolled his eyes, "Being rejected by your Soulmate isn't the best feeling."
"I wasn't—"
"I don't blame you, Mishima-san." Akechi started to walk faster in order to get to the station quicker. He just wanted to be alone.
Mishima sped up as well. "Akechi, you can't really be upset over me . You don't wanna be with me."
He abruptly stopped walking and turned to face him. "Evidently, I do."
"You… You do?"
He crossed his arms over his chest and averted his gaze back towards the storefront of Crossroads. "Not exactly sure why. But… I suppose I'm developing feelings for you. I realize they have no place in your life, however."
Mishima took a step closer and slowly rested his hand on Akechi's arm to get him to look at him. They were under an awning, but the rain was still hitting them from the side. Akechi exhaled softly and held onto Mishima's hand to guide him further under the awning to stay dry. "You're going to catch a cold standing in the rain like that."
"Thanks," he smiled and looked up and into Akechi's eyes.
Akechi looked back, falling further into his feelings the longer he stared into Mishima's eyes. He didn't even realize he had leaned in to kiss him until he felt Mishima kissing him back.
——
Mishima wasn't answering any of Ren's texts or returning any of his calls. He had done his best to avoid him, but it was near impossible to do given the fact that they were in the same class.
"Yuuki," Ren sighed out as he walked up to Mishima's desk during lunch. "What is going on with you?" He lowered his voice, "Why have you been ignoring me?"
Mishima kept his eyes down, boring holes into his desk. "Not trying to," he half-lied.
Ren exhaled sharply, frustrated with the response he was given, but still trying to stay patient. "Can we just talk? In private?"
"Sure…" He gathered his things to leave the classroom, and followed after Ren to wherever he wanted to have this private conversation.
He chose the PE faculty office, which had gone relatively unused these days, but it still felt like adding insult to injury.
As soon as Ren shut the door behind both of them, Mishima spoke up, "You don't have to say it. I'll just save you the trouble."
"Trouble of what?" Ren was lost. "What are you talking about?"
"You're breaking up with me, and I don't blame you. It's okay."
"What? No! That's not what I—!"
There was nothing in the room that Mishima could focus on without getting more upset, so he shut his eyes tightly instead. "You shouldn't be with me. I'm not worth it."
"Yuuki, that's not true—!"
"It is!" Mishima shouted back, scaring himself a little. Ren stayed silent, and after a moment, Mishima continued. "You have a Soulmate out there who isn't me, and I know they have a lot more to offer than I do. I'm not going to keep you from someone you're meant to be with."
A lump started to form in Ren's throat that he tried to swallow before saying anything else. "I've told you. I don't care who my Soulmate is. If it's not you, then—"
"I cheated on you."
Ren instantly froze and only stared at Mishima, who was now looking back at him. He felt his heart sinking and his legs beginning to give out. He took a few steps back to lean against the wall and keep from falling. "You… you didn't… that's a lie…"
"It isn't. Akechi kissed me."
"But you—"
"And I kissed him back."
Ren's legs finally gave out and he slid down the wall to sit on the floor. He couldn't say anything. He couldn't process what he was even being told. Mishima hated Akechi, and Akechi had said he wasn't going to pursue a relationship with Mishima. None of it made sense.
He buried his head in his knees, "I'm gonna be sick…"
"Ren…" Mishima moved closer to Ren and knelt down next to him. "I'm sorry. I wasn't planning on this happening…"
"So, what? Now you two are just gonna live happily ever after?"
"No," he mumbled. The guilt that he was already feeling was mounting by the second. "I haven't thought about that, really. But it's not right for us to keep dating."
Ren laughed bitterly, "Are you serious?"
"You already have a Soulmate out there. Whenever you find them—"
"I know!" Ren shouted, "I fucking know! I know I have a Soulmate, and I know who they are, but there isn't a damn thing I can do about it!"
Mishima looked at him, dumbfounded. "You know?"
Ren couldn’t figure out how to respond to that and clumsily tried to stand up again. Mishima attempted to help him stand, but Ren quickly shoved him off. "I'm not going to let you turn this on me, so please just… just leave me alone."
He stumbled out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
——
Akechi felt so disappointed in himself after he kissed Mishima. He told himself and Mishima that he wouldn't act on his feelings, but he was too weak. Too idiotic. He understood why Mishima hadn't spoken to him since. He might've caused his relationship to be ruined beyond repair, and it made him feel sick.
He went back to his usual schedule of work, school, and Metaverse, trying his hardest to forget about Mishima. Although, it was hard to carry out his plans for the Phantom Thieves without thinking about Mishima.
He was staying in one day to only catch up on school work when his phone buzzed with a text message.
Mishima: Could we talk?
Mishima: I'm sorry it's been so long but I didn't know how to talk to you about what happened
Mishima: But I'm ready to now if you are
Akechi: Is there any place in particular you would like to meet?
Akechi: I live alone if you would like to come here.
Akechi: But I could meet wherever is most convenient for you, as well.
Mishima: Your place is fine, just send me the address.
Akechi: Will do.
Akechi shot up from his desk and moved to his closet to get changed into something a little less sloppy.
He attempted to fix his hair and make himself look halfway decent, and realized it was pointless. He didn't have any makeup on and worried about Mishima seeing his bare face, but he'd been plenty honest with Mishima already so what harm would it do?
He settled on pulling his hair back into a ponytail and went back to his desk to continue focusing on schoolwork until Mishima arrived.
After around twenty minutes, he heard a knock on the door. He went to open it and saw Mishima standing with an umbrella in his hands.
He held it out shyly. "I got you this. I… I didn't know if you had one, so…"
"Thank you," Akechi politely held onto it. "I do own one, but there was poor planning on my part back then." He scoffed under his breath, "In more ways than one."
Mishima hummed in response and stared down at his shoes, waiting for permission to step inside.
"Goodness, where are my manners?" He set the umbrella down and stepped aside to welcome Mishima in. "Please come in, have a seat."
Wordlessly, he slipped his shoes off by the door and sat on the closest couch.
Akechi joined him, "Is there something wrong?"
Mishima was quiet for a bit, not wanting to say anything out of the fear of it finally being real. He took a deep breath in before he said it, "Ren and I broke up."
Akechi's heart dropped. He felt solely responsible for this. He reached out to maybe hold Mishima’s hand as he spoke, "Mishima-san, I cannot begin to express how sorry I—"
"Ryuji is his Soulmate."
He dropped his hand. "His…? Who?"
"His best friend," he clarified, feeling too sad to elaborate any more than that.
"I think I'm familiar. The blond one?" Mishima nodded. "And he just found this out?"
"No. They both knew about it for months…"
"I'm afraid I'm slightly lost, then…"
He sighed, regretting the idea of meeting up with Akechi to tell him all of this. He could've written him a letter or something. It was too painful to talk about it now.
Regardless, he preserved, "When they found out about each other… Ryuji told Ren that he wasn't ready. I dunno, something about his Soulmate being another guy was weird for him. He knew I liked Ren, so he kept trying to set us up for months."
"And how exactly has this led to you breaking up?"
He shrugged, "Ren's always loved Ryuji. He tried to have those same feelings for me, but he could never do it. And, when I told him that we kissed…" He looked up and over at Akechi. "It wouldn't make sense for me and him to be together when the people we're supposed to be with are right in front of us."
"Yes, but, if the feelings aren't there, then what is the point? You don't have feelings for me."
"I do." Mishima's voice was small, but Akechi still heard it clearly. His heart fluttered.
"Do you?"
He smiled and laughed in spite of himself, "Would I lie to you?"
"I suppose not," Akechi smiled back.
"I don't know what to do about it, yet. I'm still really heartbroken over Ren and I still have to run the Phansite, so… I know it doesn't make a lot of sense for us to date or anything right now."
His smile started to fade. "No, you're right. It doesn't make much sense."
"But," Mishima looked into his eyes again. "If you want to be friends for right now… I would like that."
"As would I." Akechi experimentally held out his hand in the hopes that Mishima would take it.
He grabbed onto Akechi's hand and intertwined their fingers, and for the first time, he felt like he was exactly where he was supposed to be.