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When Yusuke first heard the news of Akira’s death, he was in the Kosei studio, putting the final touches on the first piece of his new series, focussing on ideas of newfound love.
Logically, he knew that the news was fake, but there was a tiny part of him that wondered if their plan could have failed. What if Akira actually ratted them out to Sae? Did they drug him too much? Did Akechi see through their schemes?
What if, after everything they had been through together, the Phantom Thieves failed at their final hurdle?
Upon receiving the final confirmation of Akira’s safety, Yusuke didn’t feel nearly as relieved as he expected to. All he could do was give a large exhale out of his nose. He should have been happy, should have been celebrating on the inside, but there was a certain… unease in the air, despite everyone’s best efforts.
Akira seemed quieter too, more subdued in a way that worried Yusuke. Maybe a part of why he had asked to spend the night in Leblanc was to calm the billowing nerves in his chest. Maybe it was out of loneliness. Maybe he had simply missed his partner.
In any case, Sojiro agreed, digging out a spare futon for Yusuke to sleep on. Akira fell asleep fairly quickly, likely tired after the exhausting experience he had during the interrogation. Yusuke was never one to sleep when he wanted, and tonight was no exception, he simply watched, staring at him wondering if he was even going to wake up the next morning, the thought of the ‘truth serum’ as Akira called it being too much for his body to handle, especially with all of the medication Takemi had supplied them with, as well as his own prescription medication.
Either way, he just had to trust that everything went as smoothly as expected.
He just had to trust them…
***
Watching Akira wake from a nightmare was a strange experience.
When Yusuke had nightmares, he was often dunked right into wakefulness full-force. He had received noise complaints from his dormmates multiple times due to his propensity for screaming himself awake.
Akira, on the other hand, woke up slowly, almost as if he hadn’t had a nightmare at all. If you didn’t know Akira well, you would have assumed he was simply waking up from a pleasant dream and nothing more.
However, Yusuke knew Akira far better than that. He could see the tension and anxiety Akira was holding in his bones, the slight shaking in his hands and the shakiness of his breath.
“Did you have a nightmare?” Yusuke asked, noting how Akira glanced away upon hearing the question, not wanting to make eye contact.
Akira didn’t even deign to answer the question. “Why are you up so early, Yusuke?”
“I couldn’t sleep,” Yusuke replied simply. “And it seems that you couldn’t either.”
“I don’t need you to watch over me like a child,” Akira retorted, standing up. “I’m going to get some coffee.” Before he left the bed, he took some time to stroke Morgana’s fur, as one of their earliest members was still fast asleep, only slightly tossing and turning when Akira got up, but not enough to wake up himself.
Yusuke raised an eyebrow. “At four in the morning?”
The tension Akira was holding turned to irritation. “Yusuke, please don’t fight with me about this,” Akira replied, his voice barely above a whisper. “Not today.”
“... alright,” Yusuke acquiesced, “but I’m coming with you.”
Akira ended the conversation with a shrug and the two headed downstairs.
***
Like always, watching Akira brew coffee was like watching a master craftsman at work. At least something had remained familiar, despite everything that had happened in the last few days.
For a moment, Yusuke wasn’t sure what to say, merely sipping his coffee and thinking. Perhaps Akira’s experiences in the interrogation room had scarred him more than anyone realised? What if Akira was forever changed by what happened to him? What if… he wasn’t the person Yusuke fell in love with anymore?
That particular thought elicited a full body shiver from Yusuke.
Eventually, Akira set down his cup and spoke. “I can tell that you want to ask me something,” he stated. “You don’t need to tiptoe around me, Yusu.”
“I don’t want to upset you,” Yusuke mumbled, fidgeting with the sleeve of his sleep shirt.
A tiny frown appeared on Akira’s face. “I’m the same person I’ve always been, Yusuke. You don’t have to treat me differently.”
Yusuke looked away from Akira, only to be met with, “If this is about the interrogation room, I get it. Not many people can pull that off without a bit of stress going on in your head.”
“Stress? What did they do to you?” Yusuke asked at last.
Somehow, Akira was caught off guard by the question. “I was hoping we would wait a few more days to talk about this, but I’ll admit, it wasn’t pretty. I suppose some people would consider it… well, torture.”
Yusuke’s worst fears were all but confirmed. The Phantom Thieves had gotten Akira tortured because they weren’t able to protect him.
“I’m not going to pretend what happened is going to be easy to deal with, but a Kurusu always bounces back,” said Akira, a small smile on his face. “I’m not ready to talk about it just yet, but I will tell you more soon, I promise. Just know this: I’m okay, and as long as I have you and the others, I think I’ll manage.”
“Promise?”
Akira rested his head on Yusuke’s shoulder. “I promise.”