Chapter Text
"You know, I always used to think I couldn't amount to anything," Yuuki spoke up, a bittersweet look in his eyes. He and Kurusu, who sat opposite to him in their little booth at the diner, had recently ran into Akiyama, Yuuki's former bully with a changed heart and his two luckiest consisting of a yappy, thin-browed boy and short, brown haired one that added to each of his companions words like some sort or poor comedy duo. It was then that Akiyama had said something that had struck Yuuki.
"You've changed though," Akiyama's bashful notice of Yuuki Mishima's striking change ever since the Phantom Thieves had come into his life rang in his head. Had he changed? He asked himself and well, it would be a lie to say he hadn't. To think only a few months ago he was shy, coy Yuuki Mishima who simply felt bad for himself and desperately clung onto the fame of others for a slice of his own validation.
That Yuuki Mishima was far behind him now as he looked into the eyes of Akira Kurusu. Amazing, awesome Akira Kurusu who was responsible for rising up for him and everyone else who was wronged by Suguru Kamoshida- that bastard - and giving hope to a world where Yuuki no longer would wallow in self pity.
"But…" he continued, looking down at the wooden table underneath his arms, "Somehow, I managed to step up and help Akiyama-kun with those thugs," his grey eyes twinkled with pride, "It made me realize there really are things I can do to save people."
Kurusu smiled back at him. Akira Kurusu, when Yuuki first met him he thought he was nothing more than another delinquent bully like Ryuji Sakamoto- who he too had thought very wrongly of- but in due time the 'delinquent' transfer student had become the leader of the Phantom Thieves and Tokyo's savior. Yuuki couldn't think of a cooler guy everytime his heart fluttered in his chest at the thought of him.
"You did a good thing, Mishima," Akira nodded, ever the silent one, but always a great listener. His smile was warm under the yellow lights of the diner and Mishima grinned widely in return.
"That's why I've started to write a documentary on the Phantom Thieves," he chirped up, excitedly, "The research I did on that gang Akiyama was wrapped up in actually pushed me to do it," he recalled, trying not to mention the fact that he almost peed himself again while researching the thugs. "And now I'm basically putting together a massive log of all your activities on the Phansite."
Akira sighed affectionately, finding his 'source of intel's' (as Mishima dubbed himself) passion for his so-called Phantom Thief aficionado charming.
「Don't use our real names」
「This came out of nowhere」
>「I can't wait to watch it」
"I can't wait to watch it," he replied.
Mishima chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck with an innocent, pinky glow to his cheeks, "That's some serious pressure, but I'll show you what I can do," he remarked, "I mean, I won a composition contest back in 5th grade, so this shouldn't be any more difficult, right?"
Akira raised a brow with an amused smile, "Yeah, sure."
An air of peaceful silence passed by the two for a second. Without Morgana, there was no snarky comments or explanations meowed to Akira, so now it was simply the two of them, alone in the warm atmosphere of the diner. Akira glanced at Mishima who seemed to be taking a breath in and out, cheeks tinged red, as he drummed his fingers on the table, nervously looking over at the other boy.
"Something wrong?" Akira asked in response to Mishima's sudden anxious behaviour, looking down to see his leg bouncing up and down with nerves.
"Uh, no!" He yelped, before breathing in again and muttering something faint that Akira could barely make out, resembling a " Please go well !" hurriedly whispered. "Actually," he met the black-haired boy's dark, black eyes like the night that hid behind the light reflection in his glasses, "I wanted to…tell you something."
"Go on," Akira encouraged, curious as to what Mishima wanted to say that had him tangled up in so much anxiety.
"I-I," Mishima stuttered, squeezing his eyes shut as if he were in pain, "I've changed so much because of you, Kurusu-kun, and I'm so happy you came into my life, so…"
Akira listened intently.
"I really like you!" Yuuki confessed, loudly, "Please be my boyfriend!" He pleaded.
Akira didn't speak, keeping silent to think, " I should choose my next words carefully… "
「Sorry…」
>「I feel the same way」
Akira had known Mishima since he had come to Shujin Academy on probation, watching him develop from a rather shy, shut in boy to an outspoken and passionate person who truly wanted to help others. What was more admirable than that? Akira realised that his admiration for his self-proclaimed number one fan had stemmed into a sweet kind of love, he smiled at this. "I feel the same way."
"That's alright, I understand if you- wait what ?" Yuuki's eyes widened, staring Akira up and down, as he rested his chin on his hands propped up on the table by his elbows like a satisfied cat. "Really?" He asked, as if the simple " I feel the same way " wasn't enough clarification.
Akira nodded.
"W-Wow," Yuuki felt his cheeks burn up, "I didn't think I'd get this far," he shook his head, grinning widely like a kid on Christmas, "at any rate, we should celebrate today, my treat!" He rose up swiftly, ready to proclaim his new relationship to the world (or at least to the diner), "Screw the fountain drinks, let's go straight for the fancy fruit juice!"
"Slow down there, tiger," Akira chuckled, pressing a hand to his blushing cheek as he looked up at Yuuki who seemed to glow under the light above their little booth, "The fountain drinks are fine."
Yuuki whined, "Yeh but these ones are three times the price, so it's gotta be three times better!" He insisted, wishing to prove a point in his tastes.
「Meh.」
「How about a parfait instead?」
>「I'm feeling steak, actually」
"I'm feeling steak, actually," Akira pitched in, deciding if Mishima was offering, who was he to say no to a meal other than curry and rice with a side of coffee?
"But I only have so much money…" Yuuki quickly took back the offer to spoil him, making Akira pout, "If you want to order anything else, it'll have to come out of your own pocket. Okay?"
"But Yuuki ," he whined, "I'm your boyfriend," he batted his eyelashes playfully, "you gotta spoil me," he joked, knowing the money he had saved up from working his various side jobs was enough to get by.
"H-Hey…" Yuuki blushed, "Since when did we get to first name basis so fast?" He asked, "Does this mean I can call you Akira."
"You can call me…anytime," Akira clicked two finger guns in his direction and Yuuki whined into his palms, face reddening by the minute.
"I'll take that as a yes," he muttered, before lifting his face up. "Anyway," he smiled,
"Let's party until we have to go catch the last train!" He giggled.
"Let's do just that," Akira nodded.
" WOOO !"
Several customers turned to look at Mishima, who quickly sat back down in his seat from his cheering pose.
" Wooo !" He cheered quietly.