Work Text:
The cafe was quiet.
Sojiro found the quiet a little unusual as he studied his almost empty cafe with a blank expression. The only people who were here were an elderly couple who visited quite regularly and apart from some friendly small talk they didn’t really make much noise. He didn’t want to admit it but he guessed he had become used to the presence and noise of the boy and his cat. For some reason the kid hadn’t come downstairs yet despite usually being quite an early riser. Sojiro was actually starting to get a little worried. Akira didn’t really bother anyone or make much fuss and wasn’t any trouble despite Sojiro worrying that he would act like the delinquent punk people made made him out to be when he first met him but he always managed to show his face in the morning for breakfast or to offer his help in the shop. It felt weird not seeing him down here. Even though in the beginning he made it clear he didn’t want the kid around his customers much, Akira had really shown him that he was trustworthy and Sojiro had found that he actually liked having him around even during the day.
Sojiro took a quick glance at the clock on the wall and noticed that it was getting closer to lunch time. He frowned now feeling a little more confused and worried. Akira was usually downstairs by now and even if he didn’t immediately come downstairs, Morgana would come down to search for some food. Sojiro would often sneak him a bit of food when there weren’t as many customers because he really couldn’t resist it when the cat would look at him with those big eyes almost begging him for food. He was fond of the little guy though he often weakly denied it to Akira and his friends. Sojiro was so lost in thought he didn’t notice that the elderly couple had stood up and had said something to him until the elderly man was standing in front of the counter.
“Sojiro?”
Sojiro startled out of his thoughts at hearing his name and blinked for a second while taking in the man standing in front of him. He cleared his throat awkwardly at the man’s concerned expression.
“Uh sorry..” he trailed off rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly “What did you say?”
The man simply chuckled while shaking his head “Oh nothing we were just saying we’re heading out, thank you for the coffee.”
“Oh right yeah thank you for stopping by”
The man’s wife furrowed her brow and her usually friendly smile changed into a small frown. “Is everything okay, dear?” She asked him in a softer tone than her cheerful husband’s voice. She then took a glance at the stairway that led to Akira’s room and the two men followed her gaze.
“Ah yes!” The elderly man spoke up, his eyes lighting up as if he’d just suddenly remembered something “Your boy, I haven’t seen him today.”
Sojiro didn’t want to admit it but he felt a warm feeling in his chest at Akira being described as ‘his boy’. He pressed his lips together gently to contain a smile. It was true that ever since he’d gotten closer to Akira he’d begun seeing him as family. He was so kind and gentle with everyone he came across and he’d been a great help with making Futaba feel safe now she was starting to interact with people again. He couldn’t really imagine their lives without him and he often found himself worrying about the day where Akira would have to return home. His stay at Sojiro’s cafe was only supposed to be temporary but the idea of him leaving the cafe and the attic once again becoming so quiet like today didn’t sit well with him. He shook his head as he considered what the elderly man said.
“He’s probably up in his room” he answered with a shrug “You know what teenagers are like.” They all chuckled slightly, not noticing that Sojiro’s laugh didn’t sound as genuine.
“We do,” the woman answered with a small giggle. “Our daughter was the same when she was a child.”
Sojiro could only politely smile in response but it seemed enough to reassure the couple that everything was okay. He watched as they left through the door and quickly looked at the clock again. It was now around time when people would be looking for somewhere to eat lunch but it was Monday today so it was never too busy due to most people still being at work and the cafe was also quite hidden unless you were a regular and knew to look for it or had been pointed in its direction. He figured the shop would be fine for just a moment while he went upstairs to see what Akira was up to and it wasn’t a big place he’d hear if anyone came through the door. With that in mind he walked past the kitchen and around the counter to make his way up the stairs.
When Sojiro finally made his way to the top of the stairs he noticed that it was darker in the room than it was downstairs. There was only one window in the attic which meant the only way any light would come into the room was if the window was open during the day or if the lamp Akira had bought was turned on. He looked towards the bed and saw that the kid was laying on his bed with his back to him. He was sort of curled up into a ball. He frowned as he watched the boy for a moment. He saw that their cat curled up at the foot of the bed watching him with what looked like a worried expression. Sojiro swore that the cat could understand them. He moved closer to the bed but quietly so as not to startle him and gently placed a hand on Akira’s shoulder.
“Akira?” He murmured softly, giving his shoulder a light shake “You okay?”
Akira didn’t startle at Sojiro’s touch which concerned him because Akira could be quite jumpy around unexpected touches or noises. Sojiro gave his shoulder another shake but this time a little firmer. He felt relieved when he heard the boy groan and shift slightly because it meant that he was at least awake.
“Akira?”
Akira shifted slightly and opened his eyes and squinted at Sojiro over his shoulder and Sojiro was alarmed at the look on his face. His face was pale, paler than usual and there were dark circles under his eyes. His dark wild hair was even more untidy and slightly stuck to his forehead. He looked completely out of it too, like it was taking him a few moments to fully comprehend that Sojiro was standing before him. For a moment Akira continued to stare before he tried to speak.
“Sojiro?”
Sojiro winced at the sound of the kid’s quiet yet rough sounding voice. He must’ve developed a cold or something during the night.
“Can you sit up, kid?” He asked stepping back to give him space.
Akira tilted his head to the side and Sojiro would’ve laughed at how innocent the kid looked if he didn’t feel so bad for him. Akira didn’t get sick often at least Sojiro had never noticed him getting sick. When he’d first met him he’d basically told him not to get sick and that it was his problem which was something he now felt bad for and he hoped Akira didn’t go along with that and decided not to tell him he’s sick. This was perhaps something he’d have to talk with him about.
“I need you to sit up so I can check on you properly”
Akira seemed to finally understand and Sojiro watched as he used what looked like most of his strength to fully turn over onto his back and then push himself up into a sitting position. He winced at the quiet wheezing sound that was coming from Akira. He brought his hand up towards Akira’s forehead but Akira’s eyes widened and he flinched away. Sojiro felt his heart break at the sight and tried not to think about why he might flinch. He didn’t know his parents, only really knowing them through an acquaintance but even the idea or possibility of them being the type of people who would hurt a child made his blood boil. He clenched his jaw for a moment before relaxing and trying to seem as calm as possible. He saw out of the corner of his eye that Morgana was watching them carefully. He knew that the cat was quite attached and protective of Akira which Sojiro appreciated because having a pet that was so close to you was definitely what Akira needed.
“It’s okay,” he said in a gruff yet gentle tone “I’m just checking your temperature.”
Akira’s pale face flushed red and he looked down at his lap. “Sorry” he mumbled and he continued to look away.
Sojiro held back a sigh but couldn’t help the tiny frown yet again appearing on his face.
“Don’t apologize” he uttered gently “it’s not your fault.”
He moved his hand again and placed it against Akira’s forehead. His frown deepened as he kept his hand on his forehead for a bit longer. His forehead was really hot to touch so it seemed he was definitely coming down with something.
“Woah looks like you’re burning up!” He said as he pulled his hand away and he took a step back.
He contemplated for a moment whether he should go call for a doctor but he didn’t want to waste time if it really was just a simple cold. He watched as Akira’s brows furrowed and a slight frown formed. His only experience with caring for a sick child was Futaba and she was quite different from Akira. The only similarities were that both worked too hard until they got sick and both seemed incapable of telling him when they felt unwell. Whenever Futaba was sick he usually left her in her room and let her sleep for most of it until she felt well enough to get up. He’d noticed that ever since she’d started going out in public more the number of times she’d been ill had dropped. He didn’t really know what Akira would feel up to or how to comfort him. It was easier with Futaba since he’d known her longer and he found girls easier to comfort than he did boys. He never knew what Akira was thinking and despite getting closer to him, he didn’t know if he’d comfort him correctly without making it awkward.
“Sojiro?”
Sojiro was startled out of his thoughts by the boy’s voice and he looked back towards Akira who was looking at him with a concerned expression.
“Ok?” He mumbled out and Sojiro guessed he was trying to ask if he was okay.
“Yeah don’t worry, kid” he said with a light smile. He then went to pull the chair from near the tv over to the bed to sit down. Akira studied him for a moment and Sojiro noticed that his eyes were starting to flicker and slowly drooped. He needed him to stay awake for just a moment so he could see what he needed.
“Hey” he slowly reached out his hand so he wouldn’t startle him and he shook his shoulder “I need you stay awake, Akira.”
Akira let out a pitiful whine but he listened and tried to keep his eyes open. “Why?” He asked, trying to keep himself upright.
“I need to give you something to eat and some medicine, okay?” He asked and Akira nodded but seemed to regret that as he let out a tiny groan and tightly closed his eyes for a second. “How long have you been feeling this way?”
Akira opened his eyes again and looked away from Sojiro. “Not long” he mumbled as he started pulling at his sleeve. Morgana, who was still watching, let out a yowl that startled Sojiro for a moment as he’d forgotten that their cat was still there. Akira lightly glared at Morgana but the cat seemed to just stare back with what looked like an unimpressed expression. Sojiro watched them with a raised brow and a curious look for a moment.
“Akira?”
Akira looked away from the staring competition he was having with Morgana and finally looked Sojiro in the face again. He hesitated before beginning to respond.
“A couple of days.”
Sojiro stared for a moment, his eyes widened and he didn’t know what to say at first.
“A couple of days!” He finally exclaimed, the shock apparent in his voice. He felt a little guilty when the volume of his voice made Akira wince and turn his head away. He quickly apologized but knew he needed to discuss this with the kid before he had some food and medicine.
“I’m sorry but, kid…why didn’t you say anything? It’s not because of me is it?” He’d feel awful if what he had said when they first met was the reason why he hid that he was unwell. When they first met he’d been annoyed that he had to look after what he thought was a criminal delinquent when he already had his daughter to look after and most of what he said was due to his temper and it was a way to keep the kid at a distance. He regretted ever being so cold towards what he could see was now a lonely kid that clearly hadn’t had someone to look out for him before coming here. Akira looked at him with these sad eyes and with his hands clenched his sheets that were pooled in his lap.
“No it wasn’t…not entirely” his voice was still rough and now getting quieter due to his sore throat making it harder to speak. “I didn’t want to bother anyone.”
Sojiro felt his heart drop and he exhaled a shaky breath. “You wouldn’t bother me” he responded firmly “If you don’t feel well you can tell me or any of your friends.”
Akira didn’t say anything but watched Sojiro as he spoke with a surprised face. Sojiro couldn’t believe that the assurance that he could talk to him about anything was such a novelty to him.
“Is there anything I can do for you? You know, aside from medicine and food like anything your parents did?”
Akira tilted his head to the side, his surprised expression morphing into a confused one. “My parents?” He asked slowly.
Sojiro didn’t know if he was going to like Akira’s response to his next question but still he pressed on. “Yeah” he nodded “Like anything they did to help you out when you’re sick.”
A look of understanding dawned on Akira’s face but he also looked a little uncomfortable.
“Not really?” He shrugged “They usually just leave me to it and tell me to sort it out?”
Sojiro could feel his blood boil once again and he clenched his hands again. If he ever met this kid’s parents he was going to have major words with them. He knew he’d felt that way in the beginning when he thought he was a troublemaker but for his parents, the people who are supposed to love and take care of him to say the same thing about their son made his head spin. The idea of ever being so distant and cold with Futaba felt unfathomable.
“What about when you were younger?” He asked in hopes that his parents were at least good to their son when he was too young to really care for himself.
Akira chose not to answer, instead looking away and reaching out to stroke Morgana who had come to rest on his lap and purr gently as he nuzzled into his side. His expression was still uncomfortable. Sojiro clenched his jaw at the confirmation that his parents really didn’t care.
Bastards.
He watched for a moment as Akira continued to stroke the cat before realizing that he really needed to grab some medicine and food before Akira started to fall asleep again. He stood up from the chair and pulled it away from the bed so Akira would have space if he needed to get out of bed.
“I’ll go get you something to eat,” he said with a smile. Akira looked up and nodded his head, returning his smile. He stood for a second thinking about what he wanted to say. He wanted to make it clear that Akira could come to him with his problems.
“Akira…what I said when we first met about you not coming to me with your problems” he paused for a moment before continuing “I want you to know that you can come to me if you need to, okay? I’m sorry that I made you think that you couldn’t.”
Sojiro turned away and started to make his way to the top of the stairs once Akira had nodded in agreement but stopped when he heard Akira’s quiet voice.
“Sojiro?”
Sojiro turned to face the boy and noticed that he looked a little hesitant.
“Thank you.”
Sojiro’s face softened and he nodded at Akira, his smile still gentle. “Don't mention it” he said before turning to make his way back down the stairs. As he walked back down he could hear Akira talking quietly to Morgana and then heard the cat make a noise back.
He shook his head with a slight chuckle, wondering how strange his little family was and how lucky he was to have found it.