Work Text:
Goro sat among his friends the Phantom Thieves in Akira's dusty little attic. Next to him sat Akira, one of his hands rested tantalizingly close to Goro's leg... Part of him wanted to reach out and take it, a large part actually... But he refrained. He knew better than to seek affection when he wasn't wanted. As if Akira could ever not want him. He was already intruding on their little get together eno-
"How is it?" Goro nearly jumped at the sound of Akira's voice. Akira frowned as he leaned in closer. "How come you're not eating?"
"I'm already full," Goro lied. He'd had a small bowl of hot pot before deciding that he'd intruded enough. This wasn't his party and they didn't even want him here... They'd just invited him out of pity. Why bother if they didn't need to tell him at all?
"Come on," Before Goro could protest, he realized Akira was filling up his bowl. The small smile on his face made his heart race. "I promise it's good."
"Akira I can't eat all-"
"If I gave you too much," Akira suddenly leaned in. A hand made its way to Goro's shoulder as he pointed to Yusuke. Goro would have thought about how unnecessary the contact was if he wasn't trying to keep himself from bursting into flames. The small touch, it was more than he'd had in a long time from most people and it felt too nice to complain about. "Yusuke would be more than willing to finish the rest for you."
Goro wordlessly nodded, feeling somewhat empty when Akira pulled away. He looked down at his newly filled bowl and smiled despite himself.
Goro nervously tapped his fingers on the table as he waited for Akira. Every few seconds, his eyes scanned the small, cozy cafe hoping to find that familiar mop of black curls.
He's going to stand you up. A voice that sounded suspiciously like Loki's hissed. Goro scowled and tried to ignore it. He knew it was his own worries... Still, he checked the door again. No sign of him.
Of course there wasn't, he was still five minutes early.
You care more than he does.
Just as the clock struck three, Akira made his grand appearance. His hair was windblown and his cheeks were still rosy from the cold. "Goro!" Akira's eyes immediately lit up as soon as they landed on him. Goro couldn't stop the butterflies that fluttered in his stomach. "Sorry to keep you waiting,"
"Don't be," Goro tried to sound casual, unaffected. He didn't want the sheer weight of Akira's words showing. No one ever cared about his time, not even when he was the Detective Prince. He'd always been someone who could be easily stood up, someone who wan't worth the time. "You were right on time."
Akira took the seat across from Goro without another word. It wasn't long before a waitress came with two menus. Goro looked down at them... Plenty of the food looked good but...
"I'll just have a coffee," Goro announced as soon as the waitress came back. He handed off the menu with his polite smile. "Two pumps of cream."
When Goro looked back at Akira, he saw an almost uncomfortable intensity in his gaze. He fought the urge to shrink back while Akira seemed to effortlessly dissect him with his eyes. "I'll take two slices of chocolate cake."
Huh. Hungry today, wasn't he?
As the waitress ran off, Akira's gaze softened and Goro relaxed. It wasn't long before small talk began.
"So, how have you been?" Akira leaned forward, his eyes shining with genuine interest. It made Goro's heart flutter... The sensation was so different from the one he'd been getting before. Suddenly, he was no longer under a microscope, now he was surrounded by a fuzzy warmth... "I haven't gotten to see you all week."
"Well, classes have been picking up..." Goro turned his eyes down to the table. "I'm sure Niijima could tell you a similar story."
"Haru too."
Goro hummed in agreement. Okumura... It felt strange to even say her name. And maybe he was a little scared. As irrational as it was, he was worried the mere mention of her might make her appear right then and there. It might even tear apart the already flimsy unspoken agreement they had to avoid each other at all costs...
"She... She's doing okay, you know."
"Pardon?"
"Haru. She's been telling me how much she's learning with her classes," Goro felt his heart sink. He tried to push away the jealousy that clawed at his chest but was only mildly successful. Of course they were talking, she was one of his best friends. Of course they were together, why anyone choose you over her? "She actually told me about how much she thought you'd enjoy one of her classes."
All his self deprecating thoughts grinded to a halt. Goro felt his breath catch in his throat. "What? She- Erm, I came up?"
"Yeah," Akira leaned forward. "You actually come up in a lot of conversations."
They're laughing at you behind your back.
"Ah... I suppose that make sense-"
"Not like that," Akira's eyes took on that same intensity as before. Goro was left unsure of what to do as the other boy's gaze pinned him to his spot. "They're not... I don't think you have a really good picture of them," Suddenly, Akira's hand was across the too small table. Suddenly, Goro felt a warm hand grabbing his own. He fought to keep his face neutral but he could tell it was a losing battle. "They want to talk to you-"
Akira was mercifully cut off when the waitress arrived with the cake and coffee. Goro watched as the two slices of cake were placed in front of Akira. They looked delicious... Maybe next time Goro could try it...
Wordlessly, as if reading his mind, Akira slid the second plate to Goro. Goro just stared at it, trying to comprehend what was happening. Logically, he understood but, "This is yours."
"I'm giving it to you," Akira's smile made it difficult to argue. Still, Goro tried his best.
"I can't accept this-"
"Think of it as... paying you back."
"For what?"
Akira paused for a moment to think. Suddenly, he grinned. "You always pay for me at Jazz Jin." Goro opened his mouth to protest only for Akira to preemptively cut him off. "Come on Goro, let me treat you today."
Goro looked between Akira's pleading eyes and the slice of cake. He was hungry... With a sigh, he finally lifted his fork and took a bite. It was just as delicious as it looked, and not overly sweet to boot.
"Well?"
"It's adequate," Goro said in an attempt to preserve his dignity. Then, "...Thank you."
The way Akira's face lit up was more than enough to push away the unwanted feelings he'd been having before. It filled his chest with a comfortable warmth, one he wanted to hold onto as long as he could.
Goro's heart began to race when he heard a knock at the door. He immediately rushed to it before stopping himself. He waited for a few seconds for Akira to knock again before he opened it in a horrible attempt not to look too desperate.
In Akira's hands were a few bags of what looked like groceries. Goro reached out to take them from him on instinct only for Akira to pull them out of reach with a sly smirk.
"Nope," He said, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "It's a secret."
Goro rolled his eyes. As if Akira hadn't been barging in for dinner once a month for a while now. As if it wasn't always curry. Not that he was complaining, Akira made possibly the best curry on the planet but still... It wasn't exactly difficult to figure out.
"Sure," Goro stepped out of the way to let Akira in. It felt... nice to let someone else in his space. Even if it had been terrifying at first. Goro was glad to have done it though, he was glad Akira had somehow convinced him that his crappy kitchen would be better for cooking than LeBlanc's. "I'll go pick out a movie."
While Goro searched through his small collection of movies, Akira began cooking. It wasn't long before the smell of curry filled the entire apartment. Goro smiled to himself as he grabbed his favorite Featherman movie. When Akira came into the living room with two bowls, Goro already had everything set up.
"There's still some in the kitchen if you want more," Akira said as he handed Goro a bowl. He took a seat next to him on his cramped sofa but didn't seem to mind the closeness. Vaguely, Goro wondered if Akira could hear his pounding heart. Maybe he could and was politely ignoring it. Maybe he could and was laughing at the joke.
Watching the movie with Akira was nice. They poked fun at it, they made jokes, and they enjoyed Akira's delicious curry. As fun as it was though, Goro found himself getting tired halfway through. Akira seemed to be feeling the same when he let out a yawn... Then casually rested his arm around Goro's shoulders.
Goro froze in that moment. His mind began to race. It was a mistake. It was a mistake. It meant nothing because why would it mean anything? Akira was just-
"Goro? Are you okay?" Goro turned to Akira and let out a shaky nod. That didn't ease the concern on his face. In fact, that seemed to make it worse. Akira's expression suddenly turned bashful as his cheeks tinged a light pink. He removed his hand from Goro's shoulder and muttered an apology. "Sorry, I should have asked-"
"It's fine!" Goro blurted out before he could stop himself. His mortification was only tempered by the way Akira stared at him. A glimmer of something, of hope was clear in his expression. "I... I liked it." He quietly admitted and God, didn't that make him feel absolutely ridiculous.
"Goro," Akira suddenly leaned in. Goro fought the instinct to back away. He resisted the urge to push Akira away. After a moment of consideration, "...Can I kiss you?"
Goro hesitated for just a second before he nodded. It was all he could do since his throat suddenly felt too dry for words. Then, Akira leaned in. His lips met Goro's in what felt like an absolutely magical union. It started out gentle and unsure before quickly becoming more confident and passionate. It wasn't long before Goro found himself laying back on the arm of the sofa with Akira on top of him. Only when they needed to breathe did Akira pull away. Even then, it only lasted a few seconds before Goro pulled him back in. He buried his hand in soft black locks as he lost himself in the kiss.
"I've wanted to do this for so long," Akira whispered in between kisses. "Ann was going to go insane if I didn't make a move soon."
"I thought about kissing you at the aquarium you know."
"I thought about pinning you to tanks," Akira suddenly moved from Goro's lips to his neck. "You looked amazing there..." He gasped as Akira began to nip at the sensitive skin.
"O-Oh, I see-" Goro bit his lip to stop himself from making too much noise as Akira's hands began to wander. He didn't want to sound too needy.
"I should have said something sooner, huh?" Akira suddenly stopped. His lopsided grin was absolutely beautiful. "I didn't know if you were interested... I just wanted to be sure."
"And I suppose I should have realized sooner," Every casual touch suddenly ran through Goro's head. Every flirty joke, every strange look... He suddenly pulled Akira close. It was so obvious in hindsight, and they needed to make up for lost time.
...
When Goro woke up in the morning, Akira gave him a goodbye kiss before heading out. He'd been ready for a while which was strange since, to Goro's knowledge, he was normally a late sleeper. It didn't matter much though. Goro smiled at the warm feeling in his chest. The events of the previous night never left his mind... And when he found a fridge full of nothing but left over curry, that feeling only grew.
Goro leaned his head on Akira's shoulder. He relished the sensation of their entwined fingers. He memorized the feeling of Akira's hand in his- It's only temporary. -and tried to push aside doubtful thoughts.
"The others are coming soon," Akira looked at Goro with a smile. "Did you want some lunch?"
Goro closed his eyes. He wanted to stay here forever. He wanted to hold on to this moment. "Maybe in a little bit."
Akira followed Goro's request for a little while. He stayed there with him, running his hands through Goro's hair, stroking the back of his hand... Goro absolutely melted into the small touches. Although, that only made it all the worse when Akira finally got up. Goro whined but it was met with a chuckle.
"Come on, let's go eat something."
"I'm not hungry," It was a lie. The look Akira gave him said he knew it just as well as Goro did. "We can eat later." He amended.
Akira fondly rolled his eyes before he made his way down the stairs. Goro followed after only a moment of hesitation. His mood was soured but only mildly. After all, Akira was still by his side. For how long? He was still there. And he wasn't leaving anytime soon.