Work Text:
Yongen-Jaya was surreal and different after a particular time, Akechi noticed. It was 17:56, and the rush was still going strong after an hour. Typically, the streets would become crowded with foreigners and residents coming from work or school, so it would be difficult getting back to his apartment without any hiccups.
Goro had the liberty to fight the traffic by boarding the trains thirty minutes early to go home. Still, sometimes the Tokyo Police Department Chief and the Phantom Thieves case prosecutor, Sae Nijima, wanted to know if he had any leads. And, after those sudden meetings, he would stop bothering to save time and roam around for at least two to three hours. Sometimes he would catch the subway to Yongen-Jaya before returning home to Kichijoji, just to wait out the traffic and the large crowds of people. Yet, the transition from an enormous and busy city to a somewhat quiet residential area is still a surprise to him.
Even during the recent pouring rain, the residents of this area would quickly walk to their destinations without a fuss. Maybe Akechi would hear a child saying something loudly or a dog barking, and it was usually quiet. It was something that he was grateful for, that the hole-in-a-wall cafe had a serene environment for him to relax. Maybe that was why he always came, even in the middle of a downpour, so that he could have a cup of delicious coffee. Making sure to be generous with his wet gray umbrella, he placed it in the umbrella rack that was outside of the cafe. This must be new, he thought and opened the door to Cafe Leblanc.
The familiar chime, the smell of coffee, and the odd smell of homemade curry made this trip - and rain - worth it.
"Welcome!" There was a person behind the counter, yet they were making something in the kitchen portion. Goro couldn't see them, but he recognized their voice among the chaos of washing dishes. "We have an umbrella rack now, so please place them outside!"
“I’ve noticed that,” Goro commented, “It’s a nice addition to the cafe.”
“Oh, welcome back!" It was difficult to hear him because of the clanging pots. "I'll be with you in a moment, so just sit anywhere you want!"
“Thank you,” the detective said, then took the initiative to walk deeper into the cafe’s hall, embracing the quietness and the lack of customers. Though he became informed by the worker here the business was doing well on its own, he often questioned its reality. Each time he entered the coffee shop, there was no one present. It was always so clean, the coffee was never out of place, and the glass case of desserts close to the register never seemed out of place. It was like the place was polished just for his arrival, but he had been informed that was not the case.
Still, it’s hard to believe at times. Unless they had some sort of trust fund or had a business rush during lunchtime, Akechi didn’t think this business was not going to last long. But if the owner of Cafe Leblanc said the store was not going to close and it was profiting well, then the detective couldn’t say otherwise.
He welcomed himself into a familiar seat on the bar, next to the bijou of classic books. Though he finished all of them, it was nice to sit next to the adjustable bookshelf and simply look at the spines. The Blonde Lady & The Jewish Lamp and The Hollow Needle were his favorites from Sojiro Sakura’s collection, but he also appreciated 813 for its dark fantasy. And then there was Eight Strokes of the Clock, which was - to him - subpar, but he also noticed most of the books were written in the early 1900s. Then again, it was just something to pass the time, nothing more.
“Akechi.”
Goro paused in his thoughts but turned to face the younger man that approached him. With shaggy black hair, thick and round glasses, and appropriately dressed for work with jeans, a long-sleeved beige shirt, and a green apron, the teenager looked like he belonged to the cafe.
It was strange he was doing this position to ease the chore that is his delinquent younger brother.
“Well, hello there,” the prince detective smiled. “You seem busy today. Did the cafe finally have a rush?”
“No,” The barista rolled his eyes, “I was baking for the cafe for tomorrow. Everything I made yesterday already sold out.”
“Really?” Well, that was a shock to him. Who is entering the coffee shop just to buy his pastries?
“Yeah,” the young man continued. “There is a couple that comes here so often, but they say they liked my Financiers and -”
“Finance? As in economic finance?”
“No no,” the teenager laughed, light and carefree, “Financiers. It’s a french pastry. You didn’t have this one yet.”
“Is it because it’s complicated to make?”
“It’s more of I’m not sure how they would sell,” The barista sighed. “Sojiro wants me to be sure the baking goods will sell and, well, I try to bring pastries from overseas so this place is a bit more noticeable.”
“And I assume he doesn’t want that?” He wasn’t sure why Sojiro Sakura didn’t. Wouldn’t that bring more money to the coffee shop?
“It’s complicated,” He waved off his hand. “Not sure what it is, but Sojiro is just weird with some things I guess. Some recipes are asking for exotic or imported goods, yet he doesn’t want me to get them even when I offer to pay for them.”
That is strange, but he assumed Sojiro Sakura wanted to run his cafe his way. Goro wasn’t foreign to how adults were stubborn by their ways.
“Anyway,” The teenager leaned on the counter, his hands on top of something since he couldn’t see them. “What did you want to get today, Goro?”
“Kurusu.”
“Seiji,” He lifted his index finger as if he was saying a point.
“Your surname is Kurusu,” Akechi corrected. “And mine is Akechi.”
“But we spend so much time together. We might as well call each other by our first name.”
“Valid point,” It honestly wasn’t. They knew each other since January, and Goro spent a lot of time in the cafe. But just because they went to the movies, played darts, played billiards, and listened to Jazz with him in Jazz Jin, that didn’t mean-
“And we spend time together at least three times a week. Plus, you won’t let me call you Goro in public - which I don’t mind - but you know enough about me. You can call me by my first name. That, and I’m also a twin, so unless you put numbers next to our last names, you have to call me by my first name.”
“... I see your point.” Ah, right. That was why he spent his time with the elder brother instead of the younger one.
Kurusu Seiji was a year younger than him, but he was still a gifted individual. He was from a wealthy family, he earned high marks to go to Goro’s academy, and he was almost complete with graduation as a second year. At first, Akechi was envious of him. His family was there to support him, everything he did seem perfect, he was something Goro tried to be to the public, but he didn’t have to face his personality. His future was set, he knew what he wanted, and he knew how to make friends so fucking well.
But then he learned about him. Akechi observed him and noticed countless things that were not right, that were wrong yet fit in place. That’s when the envy flew out of him. He nearly pitied him. Now, he saw him as a potential case partner, an intellectual rival with the information he didn’t know and languages he didn’t know how to speak. That was why he was able to let his guard down…
Well, enough for Seiji to notice.
Goro faked a sigh.
“Fair enough. I’ll have the classic blend, please, Seiji.”
“Got it.” The barista smiled again, now turning away to make his coffee request.
Akechi could only shake his head at how Seiji was at times - caring yet somehow stubborn - but it made him an interesting character that way. He was a caring yet forceful individual towards his friends, yet a polite and respectful person otherwise. It still surprised Goro to say he has one friend at all, and it happened to be a country boy from Nagoya that came to Tokyo only because of his younger brother’s assault charge.
Ding ding!
“Hello!” Seiji called out, not glancing at who was at the door. “Welcome-!”
“Goro-chan~!”
Speaking of the devil, he arrived in the knick of time. Goro turned his head towards the front door to see an identical copy of Seiji standing there with a two-layered strawberry cake in a clear container. He wore a long-sleeved white collared shirt and maybe a sleeveless black shirt underneath it, blue jeans, and brown loafers, but Goro felt that he stole them from Seiji. This was the most normal he had seen the younger twin wear, and that was somewhat clear when he noticed the wide-ass grin on his face like he had killed someone…
He possibly did.
“I missed you, Love~!” the younger brother called out in a sing-song tune. He then walked to Goro’s left and placed the cake on the counter before sitting beside him. At least the cake took some of the space. “You’ve been so busy that I haven’t seen you.”
“Akira,” Seiji called out, “You know he works.”
“So? That doesn’t make me miss him less.”
“I’m just saying. He can’t visit that often.”
“He visits enough that I knew he would be here today.” Akira chuckled, then turned his attention back to Akechi. “I knew you didn’t like vanilla all that much, but I made you a strawberry cake. I hope you’ll love it.”
But why did he bother to make him a cake?
“Thank you, Akira.” He smiled enough to be polite. “I’m sure it’ll be delicious.”
“Oh, I can guarantee it. So, how are you?”
“I’m fine, thank you for asking.” the detective answered but made sure to stay his distance. Normally, he didn’t like doing so, but Akira always asked-
“So are you open to date, fuck, or what? How long are you going to keep me waiting, darling?”
Those questions.
“AKIRA!” Seiji screamed and sputtered no words because of how sudden it was. Seiji stopped doing what he was doing just to face his brother. So much for his coffee. “You can’t j-just ask that so suddenly! And in public!”
“He knows how I ask it. I do it all of the time.” Akira answered emotionlessly, “So why do I have to censor myself now?”
“YOU CAN’T ASK A CELEBRITY THAT TYPE OF SHIT IN PUBLIC, AKIRA!!”
“Why not? It’s a question, isn’t it? And I can ask questions.”
“THAT ISN’T-”
He toned the rest of the argument out, knowing damn well Akira would not understand why his brother is screaming at him in a high octave about societal norms. It took him some time to understand it and comprehend his condition, but Seiji did a fantastic job of explaining it. It was nearly sad how well he described it.
Akira had psychopathy, a rare personality disorder that was often shown wrongly by the media. It was an antisocial behavior that led to little or no consideration for the well-being of others, and it can include him harming other people. Akira’s empathy, remorse, and boldness were impaired compared to an average person. His restraint to social convictions was more than impaired; they were close to nonexistent. It was like he was an emotionally disabled toddler, but a vulgar one that didn’t give a shit about what he said.
Akechi often envied that part of him. It must be nice to say whatever he could in public without a care in the world. Then again, that would ruin the image he worked hard to obtain.
“Anyway, can you close up? I want to eat the cake with Goro.”
“Akira, we’re still open,” Seiji finally turned back to make the coffee. Since the detective had no idea how they made the coffee, the hand movement was foreign. “I can’t close whenever I feel like it.”
“It’s like, what, 18:21? It dies after this time, so it’s fine. Sojiro won’t miss that much money.”
“He’ll miss enough that he’ll complain about it. We already owe so much to him. How about you just eat the cake here-”
“Boring,” Akira groaned. He placed propped his left arm on the counter and leaned into it. “Today is special, so you have to do it.”
“What’s so special about today?” Seiji asked, pausing at his coffee making. Goro said nothing but was curious about what was so remarkable that the entire cafe had to close early.
“You have to close early for me to tell you.”
Seiji gave Akira an impatient look. “That isn’t how this works. You have to tell me before that.”
“Goro knows what it is,” Akira said, glancing at him. At that, Goro had to pause in his thinking to see what the hell he was talking about.
What was so special about today? It was just a typical day. Nothing happened outside of work and school. He didn’t go on social media today either since he was too busy on the Phantom Thieves case.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Akira,” the detective answered. “Maybe you remember something different?”
“No, I’m not. It’s today; I know it is. It’s always this day every year. Why would I have mistaken it?”
Every day in the same year? He could be talking about that, but he wasn’t entirely sure. He didn’t tell Seiji about that yet.
“How significant is the day?” Goro asked.
“It’s something that is celebrated every year,” Akira furrowed his brow. “Are you not going to tell him, Goro?”
It was Seiji’s turn to furrow his brows and continued to make the coffee, finally placing it in front of the detective with a quiet “sorry about this” before turning to his troublemaker of a brother. “Alright, so Akechi has no idea what you’re talking about. Do you want to explain to us now?”
“Son of a bitch,” Akira said in a disgruntled tone. He pulled out his phone just to search for what he was speaking about. Akechi took the coffee with a small ‘thank you’ and began to sip on the edge of the mug’s rim.
Ah, it was always fantastic when Seiji made his coffee. Granted, he didn’t know if Akira knew how to make it, but he was sure Sojiro taught him how to make it as well. Then there was Sojiro himself, the master, who knew how to make the coffee so extravagant, it almost tasted like a completely different blend. Seiji was close, but Sojiro knew precisely what he was doing. Now that he thought about his earlier mantra, he hoped the coffee shop will still be open. He wouldn’t have anywhere else to go if it closed down suddenly.
“Here it is,” Akira exclaimed, then pushed his phone in Seiji’s face. The poor teenager had to adjust himself so he could see what was on the screen. “I told you it was today. I remember this day specifically. I wrote it down on my calendar on my phone.”
“...And you’re sure this is right?” Seiji strangely sounded serious, like he discovered something. Akechi noticed that his eyes were hidden by the light above him, which wasn’t comforting.
“Yes, I know this is right.”
Seiji sighed after a moment of silence but reached into his pocket and placed a set of keys on the counter. All the twin did was smile widely, snatched the keys from the surface, then stood from his seat to strut to the front door.
The detective was sure he heard the door lock.
He turned his head towards Seiji. He was removing the container cover from the cake with a box of candles in his left hand.
Akira was now on the other side of the cafe where the television was. He turned it off with his finger and came back to his seat with his wide grin.
Seiji now had a lighter in his hand but didn’t light the candles yet.
Both sets of twin eyes were now on the Detective Prince, who was sipping on his coffee with shifty eyes going back between the two. He removed his lips from the mug to say something since the twins refused to speak.
“May I ask what is so special about today?”
“Goro,” Seiji sighed with a grimace. “It’s your fucking birthday.”
“Yes? And?”
“The hell do you mean ‘and’?” Seiji was a bit louder than average, probably offended. Goro was used to this, however. “It only happens once a year! It’s something that we need to celebrate!”
“We don’t need to celebrate it. You prefer to.” Akechi corrected. “And it’s just another typical day. There is nothing special about it.”
“Ooohh no,” the elder twin shook his head. “We are not doing that. You need to celebrate your birthday! I need to gift you a gift now, and I have something in mind!”
“I have something too,” Akira licked his lips but stuck out his tongue and placed his two right fingers between it. He was seductively kissing his fingers, poking his tongue to the right side of his cheek, and winking at the detective with lustful eyes.
Seiji immediately pinched his arm.
“OW!” Akira cried out, rubbing his left shoulder. He pouted but said nothing else about Seiji’s sudden abuse. The punishment was well deserved, however. Akechi was glad he didn’t fight about it like he usually would.
“Anyway,” Seiji continued. “We are going to have a movie night, and we are going to eat this cake with coffee. You can pick whatever movie you want, Goro.”
“I have work and school tomorrow.” Akechi pointed out. “And I have priorities to take care of.”
“It’s still early, sleeping beauty,” Seiji scoffed. “You’ll be fine. The trains stop four hours from now, and I can make you as much coffee as you want for payback.”
“And I can cook something here, so we don’t have to leave.” Akira immediately entered the conversation again, “Whatever you have a taste for, I can make it, Love.”
“I shouldn’t.” Goro stood from his seat, gathering his suitcase that was on his left side. “I not only have school work to do, but I also need to research my other cases-”
“Fine, we don’t have to watch a movie.” Akira interrupted him, which Goro didn’t expect. Usually, he would let him finish his thoughts, but he seemed adamant. “We can just eat dinner and the cake. How about that?”
“That does cut some of the time from a movie, at least.” Seiji pointed out with a finger on his chin. “And after we eat, we can just make up what we want to do next time.”
Wait… Next time? So they were planning on celebrating his birthday after the day was gone? What is the point of that? Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of celebrating his birthday? Did he have any say in this?
With the look of the twin’s expecting glances, the answer was an obvious ‘no’.
Then again, when was the last time he celebrated his birthday? It had to be at least a couple of years. Maybe a decade had passed since the last time he thought about it.
Maybe it was when he was around eight years old when his mother was still alive. She would stop her plans for the day just to spend time with him. She would make a homemade cake just for him. They would watch episodes of his favorite television show, Phoenix Ranger Featherman R, all day until he got tired of them. Then they would do whatever Akechi wanted - watch a movie, play video games, go to a restaurant, go to the park - until the sunset. Back then, it was the high lights of his life. He always loved spending time with his mother, even when she was busy handling her occupation in the home. Whenever she could, she would spend time with him.
But after her death, he never celebrated his birthday again. Back then, he said it was because his mother wasn’t there to make the day memorable, now he had no idea. Was it because it was too much attention? Was it because he didn’t have any friends to share the day with? He wasn’t sure anymore. Now it was public information, and it still wasn’t enough to celebrate it, even though he is a celebrity. There were hundreds of thousands of birthday wishes through social media, daytime television, and whatever else that could be a media outlet. And he just ignored it, simply because of his mother’s death.
Maybe, this one time, he would let it happen.
But it was because the twins wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer.
Goro sighed exhaustedly.
“I suppose I can stay for dinner before I return home. We might as well watch a movie since both of you are so adamant. But I want Okonomiyaki.”
“Done.” Akira’s twisted grin returned. He was now standing up from his seat to go to the kitchen and open the refrigerator. “You’ll have the best damn Okonomiyaki in this region, Love. I can guarantee that.”
“And while you wait, you can have more coffee. You can’t touch the cake yet until we eat dinner.”
“That’s fine. I wanted to wait on the cake anyway.” Goro shook his head but settled back in his seat while Seiji began to make him another cup of coffee.
It was suddenly quiet again. The twins were creating something completely different with concentration, not bothering to engage in idle chatter. For once, the detective was happy with it, returning to glance at the spines of the books. It didn’t matter that it was the same books he read before, but he did realize something.
Each time the twins were in the coffee shop, Goro was either interested in something the twins wanted to do or was invited to do something against his judgment. Usually, when a person would ask him to do something he wasn’t interested in, he would avoid comments and retreat. Maybe he would say he was busy, and that would be the end of it. But the Kurusu twins didn’t seem to accept those types of answers. Plus, somehow, he always enjoyed himself in the end. Every single time. It was peculiar and, frankly, unexpected, but it was one reason he liked spending time with them. They were always unpredictable, spontaneous, willing, and argumentative. It was pleasing to have such company. It was the company he craved since his mother’s death.
There was no wonder he enjoyed their antics and conflictive personalities.
“I have to go to the store to get ingredients, but if you want me to, I can get condoms just in case-”
“Akira, can you fucking not do this?!”
Their arguments were additional entertainment.