Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It’s slow; it always was on Tuesday’s. Not to mention the rain. Mid-July was the end of the rainy season, but the occasional downpours are still common in September. Sojiro’s last customer had left an hour ago, but he knew that Ahane-san would be in for lunch later. Sweet old girl; lost her husband last year. Sojiro knows she’s looking for quiet company in his absence, and he’s more than happy to provide it. 

He’d just finished washing the last of the morning dishes when the store phone rang. He didn’t often get calls on the thing, usually people who’d heard of the Cafe through word of mouth and wanted to check his hours or get directions. He made his way over to answer.

“Hello, Cafe Leblanc, Sakura speaking.” He says, less gruff than his usual demeanor, Futaba once told him he always sounded mean over the phone so he’s trying to work on it. 

“Sakura-san, this is Amamiya Akira. Ren’s father.” Well that was a surprise. He hadn’t heard from the man at all, in fact, he’d only briefly spoken with Ren’s mother when arranging his stay. He just assumed the kid spoke to them on his own time.

“Ren’s still at school, was there something I could help you with?” Sojiro asks. Was the kid's birthday coming up? No, that’s not until March. His grades were good, really good. He’s been the top of his class since he started at Shujin… So what’s with the phone call.

“What is a good address to send some documents to? The cafe, or your home address?” The man asks. Documents? Maybe related to his probation?

“The cafe is fine.” He gives the address. “Does he need to sign anything? Have anything notarized?”

“Yes, he’ll need to have it notarized, and he needs two witnesses when he signs it. Refusing to do so will land him in court.” Amamiya-san tells him. 

“Court? So this is about his probation?” Sojiro probes.

“No, we’ve decided to cut ties with Ren.” The man says casually. “We’ve paid you to take him in for the year, please honor that. But after April, he needs to find other accommodations as he won’t be welcome in our home any longer.” What? He’s so calm about this. Like he’s selling a car or—

“You’re disowning him? He’s doing well though! He’s a star student, he’s made friends, he’s getting job experience. He’s a good kid, what’s the problem?”

“It’s been a long time coming. The criminal record, the disrespect, and now finding out he’s… homosexual of all things.” He is?

“Did he tell you that?” There is a moment of silence on the other end, then an exasperated sigh.

“A friend of mine came by and saw him with his boyfriend at your cafe last week. Doing that in public of all things.” The man scoffs. 

“Ren doesn’t have a boyfriend. He’s got a couple of guys he pals around with, but he’s not dating anyone.”

“My friend told me he was with some boy playing chess and they were flirting with each other.” Ah. He and Akechi are… Close. Maybe he should look into that. “Boyfriend or not, it’s unacceptable. He’s old enough to figure his own life out.”

“He’s 16! Have a little compassion!” Sojiro argues.

“We do, we’re sending him a large sum of money so he can afford finishing high school, provided he doesn’t spend it all before then.” He can practically hear the man rolling his eyes.

“Have you already told him? He hasn’t said anything.” Would he have said anything?

“We haven’t spoken directly since April. We had people check in on him, like I said. Didn’t want him to just lie and say he was doing well.” Not at all? Was that normal for the kid? Have they always been distant? He’s never mentioned his parents now that he thinks about it. Actually, a lot of things are starting to click into place.

His independence, his tenacity, his fierce loyalty to his friends… The way he flinches if someone moves their hand too quickly towards him. 

How quiet his is until you get to know him, or rather, until he gets to know you.

“Fine. Well, send it to my address instead. Don’t want anything to happen to it.” He relays the address, feeling numb. It’s almost like he’s watching himself speaking to Amamiya-san. He’s really having trouble processing that someone would just give up their child. 

“He’ll also need to get a new phone line by the end of the month, he can keep the phone, just needs to be off our bill.” The man says. “I’m going to leave him a voicemail to explain the situation.”

“No need to call him, I’ll lay it out for him for you when the paperwork comes in.” Sojiro offers, praying he will accept.

“Thank you Sakura-san, I appreciate it greatly.” He certainly sounds grateful. He probably doesn’t want the chance that Ren would answer and get emotional of all things. “The documents will arrive by Thursday, please send them back by Friday. Let’s not drag this on any longer than it has to.” 

“Of course. Anything else?”

“I’ll send the rest of his belongings as well. There isn’t very much. Thank you again for your cooperation, Sakura-san.” With that, he hangs up. Leaving Sojiro to his thoughts. 

What is he going to do? What can he say? The kid doesn’t deserve this. His parents don’t even know for sure if he’s gay—not that it should be an issue in the first place. It just seems like another excuse to get rid of him.

He can hardly believe this is legal . Maybe he should consult a lawyer on Ren’s behalf, maybe see if he can at least get more money from those bastards. He hears the bell of the shop but it takes him a moment to register that means a customer has come in. Oh, it’s—

“Sakura-san? Is everything alright, you seem quite pale.” Akechi says. He sets his briefcase under the counter cautionly. “Can I help you take a seat?” He asks. Sojiro waves him off.

“Sorry, just had— I’m fine. Say kid, this might be a stretch since you’re just a rookie detective but are you at all familiar with…” Maybe he shouldn’t ask Ren’s possibly-boyfriend about this. “Actually nevermind. Your regular?”

“I’m more concerned about you at the moment. Please sit down, I can get you water if you need.” Damn kid’s too nice. Sojiro gives a nod and seats himself at the barstool next to where Akechi usually sits. 

“No school today?” He asks, Ren’s mentioned he’s a third year at some private academy.

“I had an interview today, then some paperwork to complete, though I finished much earlier than anticipated.” Akechi hands him a glass of water, he thanks him and drinks. It’s helping as much as he hates to admit it. “I know we don’t know each other well, Sakura-san, but if I can help you with anything please let me know.” He’s looking at him with such concern, he almost hopes Ren is dating this kid, he’d probably be a big help coming up.

“If you could change the sign to closed, that’d be great. You’re welcome to stay and I’ll get you some coffee in a minute.” Akechi nods and flips the sign. 

“Amamiya-kun has mentioned there is a doctor nearby, should I see if she can come by?” Sojiro shakes his head. 

“I just got some bad news is all.” Maybe it’s best to just ask. “Can a biological parent disown their child legally? What happens to the kid if they do?” Akechi’s eyes go wide.

“Is this about Sakura-chan? You’re already her legal guardian, she’d stay with you. Did you find her father?”

“No, it’s not about Futaba…” Akechi shrinks into himself a little.

“Well, it depends on their age. One can revoke their parental rights, and their child would end up in foster care if they’re younger than 15. Over that age is dependent on whether or not they’re enrolled in high school.”

“So, over 15 and enrolled in high school. What happens to the kid?”

“If the school has dorms they would go there with a stipend from the government until they graduate. After that though, they’re on their own.” He’s pretty knowledgeable about this sort of thing. He can’t tell if he should be worried.

“Is there any sense fighting the parents on it? Taking them to court or whatever?” Akechi makes a pinched expression.

“Maybe if you want money?” His face goes back to a more neutral look. “Even if they’re unable to legally disown, they can certainly do so emotionally. I’d argue that’s worse, having to live with people you know don’t want you there.”

“I see. Thank you Akechi-kun. It helps, really.” Sojiro tells him, he stands up and rolls his shoulders, trying to shake off what’s happening. Tonight is going to be awful.

“Of course. I do worry though. If it’s not about your daughter…” Akechi trails off, there’s an elephant in the room and the kid is too clever to have not put the pieces together. 

“No need to worry yourself. Coffee?” Sojiro starts heating the kettle, he needs some coffee himself.

“Um. Yes.” He sits stiffly and twiddles his thumbs only for a moment before speaking up. “I don’t want to pry, it’s truly not my place, and I know that.” He says, it’s polite but direct. “Is this about Amamiya-kun? We’re— well. He’s my friend and I can’t help but worry.” God, he’s never seen this kid act this way. He’s always put together and well spoken. He’s obviously trying to be that way now but…

“His… Amamiya-san called me telling me that he’s sending paperwork that Ren needs to sign. Legally cutting ties, he said.” Sojiro grinds the beans after he speaks, forcing the conversation to pause for the noise. 

“I see. Is it simply his record? He… he’s doing well on his probation isn’t he? He’s told me of his high grades, so I can’t imagine…” Akechi’s voice is tight, trying not to be outraged on his friends’ behalf, he assumes. 

“Ah, that, and a few other flimsy excuses.” Sojiro huffs. Probably not wise to tell the kid that it’s possibly their relationship that put the nail in the coffin. “I’m telling him when he gets home, don’t go spilling the beans before then, okay?” Akechi nods, he looks just as lost as Sojiro feels. The water’s boiling now, so he takes it off the heat and sets up the pour over.

“Of course. He’ll still be here until April?” Sojiro nods as he pours and some of the tension leaves Akechi. 

“If there’s anything I can do, please let me know.” Such a genuine expression, he doesn’t even realize he’s started crying until the kid pulls out a tissue out of the box nearby and hands it to him. 

“I know you have a bit of history, but can ask Sae-san if she has a friend who works these kinds of cases to help you through it.” Akechi offers, while moving the tissues closer to Sojiro. He nods, and Akechi smiles, a small smile, nothing like he looks on TV, and not like how he smiles at Ren. It’s nice though.

“Thank you, Akechi-kun. You’re a good kid, and Ren’s gonna need some good friends right now.” The coffee just needs to finish dripping now, he sets the kettle back on the stovetop, the cool side.

“I— thank you, Sakura-san. I try to be.” Sojiro pushes the coffee to Akechi, who thanks him and takes a sip. More tension leaves him as he drinks it, a good coffee is magic that way. Sojiro drinks some as well before speaking again, letting it deep into him.

“I can’t imagine my life without the kid anymore. Maybe there’s a selfish part of me that hopes Ren didn’t want to go back anyway.” He smiles wryly.

“You want to adopt him?” Akechi asks brightly, he can almost imagine a wagging tag on him.

“Of course I do. He’s family. Don’t you think that springing both at once on him would be a lot though?” Akechi nods, contemplating something.

“You’re right. There’s even a good chance he won’t accept because he feels you’re doing it out of pity.” Right, he hadn’t thought of that. Damn kid and his damn pride.

“You know, he’s going on that trip next week. Hawaii. He’ll be gone a while…” Akechi says, either trying to find his words or hoping Sojiro will fill in the blanks.

“And Ren has a lot, of dare I say, unique, friends

all over Tokyo. If we ask some of them, there’s a chance they’d be willing to help with a little attic renovation. It doesn’t have to be much, but something to show that you’re serious about taking him in.” Akecki says carefully. That’s… It’s really not a bad idea. They both drink some more of their coffee, it’s really helping to cool him down.

“Do you know where we can find these friends?” Sojiro asks, still a little hesitant.

“I guarantee that I can find out, I am a detective after all.” Akechi is positively beaming. 

“Ya know what? Let’s do it. Let’s keep this from the rest of his friends though. I’ll have to tell Futaba, but she can pitch in I’m sure.” He says. “You, Mr. Detective, need to rally the troops and find out what Ren wants in his room without him catching on. Think you can manage?” 

“Absolutely!” Goro seems to be downing the rest of his drink quickly, clearly eager to get started.

“I’m gonna look into some old contacts myself, I need a permit to renovate and we don’t have a lot of time. I think I can pull some strings though.” Akechi sets down his mug gently, and pushes it forward.

“Well, thank you for the coffee, and thank you for letting me help.” Akechi puts a 10,000 yen note on the counter. “I can’t provide much financially to this, but I hope this helps a little.” 

“You don’t have to kid, I’m buying your coffee anyway.” 

“I insist. No time to waste, I have less than a week to find some willing hands.” With that Akechi waves his goodbyes and leaves. 

Chapter Text

Couldn’t Amamiya-kun be friends with anyone even slightly normal? He hates that this includes himself, but somehow even Goro isn’t the worst of the bunch. 

It really wasn’t difficult to find out who Amamiya was palling around with. In fact he didn’t even need to follow him after his classes ended, he’d “bumped into him” at the station, they were holding a pleasant conversation when his stupid cat asked if he was going to pick up a shift at Crossroads or Rafflesia. “If it’s Crossroads you need to catch the train to Shinjuku soon.” The cat had said. Not long after Amamiya told him that he had a shift at Rafflesia he needed to go to. Goro bid him farewell, then immediately looked up Crossroads on his phone.

A crossdressing bar. In Shinjuku, the red light district. Well. Goro might have his work cut out for him.

If you asked him why he was doing this, he’d realize he didn’t have a clue. Was it because he and Amamiya had become close and he genuinely felt empathy for his situation? Obviously not, that would be ridiculous. 

No, now that he thinks about it, the answer is evident: he hates Ren Amamiya. He hates him, so he has to overcompensate to pretend that he does like him. Thus, such a grand gesture would prove optimal. 

He crams down the little voice in his head saying he is doing what he wished someone had done for him years ago. In fact, he crushes it, that little feeling, like the vermin it is. Such sentiments are a waste of his time. Unlike Amamiya-kun, Goro was an unwanted child. Amamiya is clearly wanted. Goro is going to do his damnedest to make sure that he knows that. That even if his parents don’t want him, half of Tokyo does. And the other half just hasn’t met him yet.

With that thought in mind he boards the train to Shinjuku. 

He finds the bar with little fanfare. It’s larger than he thought it would be from the outside. There’s only one customer from what he can see and she’s already intoxicated. 

“Lala-chan, another!” The woman demands with a playful note to her voice, though he can imagine how irritating it must sound to ‘Lala-chan’ at this point in the night. 

“Have some water first and I’ll consider it.” Lala-chan’s voice is deep and sultry, well practiced he assumes. 

“Welcome in, you’re free to sit down but I don’t serve alcohol to minors.” She (?) says. Goro thinks the correct pronoun in this case is she. He’s not familiar with crossdressing, he should have looked it up before coming. 

“Ah, I wasn’t here to drink anyway. My friend Ren Amamiya works here part-time, doesn’t he?” He asks, trying his best to sound innocent. Lala-chan looks him up and down then smiles broadly.

“You’re Akechi-kun, aren’t you?” Her smile is… unnerving in a way. Like she knows something he doesn’t? Well, she knows his name but that could be from TV…

“That would be me, yes. Has he mentioned me?” He asks, he didn’t mean to ask that. Curiosity got the better of him it seems. She lifts a hand to hide her mouth daintily laughing. The drunkard at the bar however isn’t as demure.

“Are you kidding? He doesn’t shut UP about you!” She yells. Ah. A regular drunkard it seems.

“Ohya! Don’t tell him that.” Lala scolds. “She’s drunk, don't listen to her. She and Ren often talk about… Politics. He’s good friends with Toranosuke Yoshida, do you know the Kuramoto Children?” She’s clearly trying to divert his attention, and he’s fine with it. Mostly. He has another name from this anyway.

“I’m familiar enough. I actually came to ask for a favor or two, if you wouldn’t mind hearing me out?” He asks.

“Sure, let me get you some water but go ahead and talk sweetie. A friend of Ren’s is a friend of mine.” Lala-chan tells him. It’s oddly comforting to hear that. 

“Thank you. I suppose I should start with a question. Has he ever mentioned his parents to either of you?” The air grows a little thicker, clearly the answer is yes. What has he said?

“Just that they’re not on speaking terms at the moment.” Lala says.

“And they hit him!” Ohya says. He doesn’t mean to, he really doesn’t, but he whips his head to face her immediately. 

“They what ?” 

“Ohya! We don’t know that for sure!” Lala hisses at the woman.

“Oh, whoops. My bad.” She… definitely isn’t sorry. Perhaps she is more lucid than he thought. Lala sets the water down in front of him and he thanks her.

“Regardless. It won’t happen again. They’re legally disowning him.” He tells the two before taking a sip.

“Is he okay?” Ohya asks, seeming even more sober than before.

“Does he need a place to stay?” Lala asks, she's seemingly doing the logistics in her head of housing a teenager.

“He doesn’t need a place to stay, and he also doesn’t know yet.” The tension fades a little as they all release a breath. “His guardian, Sojiro Sakura told me when I came into his cafe a few hours ago. I work as a detective and was able to make a few calls to find a lawyer to help him speed up the process as well as help him set up the adoption process.”

“That’s wonderful news. He speaks so highly of Sakura-san. And Sakura-chan as well, says she’s like his little sister.” Lala tells him.

“Ren Sakura has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?” Ohya says. Yeah. It does, doesn’t it?

“For the favors I wanted to ask… I need to find more of his non-school friends. Sakura-san and I are planning to renovate the attic while he is in Hawaii on his school trip and surprise him when he comes home. But we need a few helping hands.”

“So, some names and some help renovating? I can swing that.” Lala says. She reaches under the bar for some paper and a pens. She hands one to Ohya and they both start hitting down names. Two lists are handed to him, a few of the names repeat and a few are school friends. But otherwise it’s a decent list. He compiles them together shortly in his pocket notepad.

Toranosuke Yoshida

Shinya Oda

Chihaya Mifune

Munehisa Iwai

Karou Iwai

Tae Takemi

Jose(?)

Dr. Takuto Maruki

Hifumi Togo

Yusuke Kitagawa 

One thing of note. Is Amamiya-kun really talking about the flower-drinking metaverse kid to people in real life? He doubts Jose will be of much help. Well, one less person to worry about. 

Unfortunately he knows that Kitagawa and Togo-san’s class is also taking holiday that same week, so they’re out as well.

Maruki is the counselor at Shujin, ever since the incident with Kamoshida. He can track him down sometime tomorrow.

“Thank you very much for the assistance! Here’s my card if you think of anyone else.” Goro reaches into his breast pocket and pulls out his business card, its fairly plain. He didn’t do anything flashy for it, he wants to appear modest after all.

“I’ll text you soon, Akechi-kun, please let me know when and where to meet to help.” Lala tells him, Ohya expresses a similar sentiment. He leaves Crossroads, and walks a little ways, wondering if he should go home to research or try and find another contact tonight. Would there be anyone else in Shinjuku?

Goro lets his eyes scan the crowd. A lot of hosts, he doubts that Amamiya would be interested in anything like that. 

“You! Young man!” He whips his head around to see a young woman, maybe in her 20’s, with long gold-hued hair. She’s sat at a little table, holding a deck of cards. She looks like someone Ren would find himself acquainted with. 

“Hello, can I help you?” He asks politely.

“I wanted to help you actually!” She says, in a way that’s almost comically confident. He steps closer to see that the deck she’s holding is a tarot card deck. She must be a fortune teller. Yeah, he’d place money on this being a friend of Ren Amamiya.

“The cards tell me you are having an internal struggle. Wanting to choose between a path you’ve already set, and another that is starting to seem more appealing to you. Am I wrong?” She… she isn’t. Not entirely. 

His plans have never been fool proof. Not by any means. However, changing his plans would require a great deal of effort. He’s starting to realize it would likely be better if he forced Shido to have a change of heart, rather than kill him. He just… needs to find out how exactly they do it. 

Though, he’s realizing just how vague she was. This is a cold reading, and he almost fell for it like a moron. He sits down across from her, an amused uptick on his lips. 

“You seem very confident in that.” He says. “Do you have any other details?” He asks. Wordlessly she pulls cards, some sort of cross arrangement. Filling them one by one. When she finishes he can almost feel a glow of energy— which is preposterous. 

“Oh. Oh no.” She says, fretting her lip with her teeth. “The path you’re on now, it will surely lead to your death. You’re right though, you don’t exactly have free will in your position do you?” She asks.

“I never said anything about that.” He says cautiously. 

“It’s in the cards.” She explains. “The other path, the one you want to choose— I can assure you it has a better outcome. I see growing bonds and even romantic reciprocation down that path. There is a person you’ll need on your side though.”

“A person?”

“The cards can only tell me so much, this person is important to you. They’re represented by the King of Wands. This person is a natural-born leader. Compassionate, and likely self-sacrificial. Does this sound like someone you know?” Unfortunately . Though this may be an excellent time to broach the topic he actually wants to discuss.

“It sounds like my friend Ren Amamiya.” He confesses. Her eyes grow wide. Called it . 

“You know Ren-kun?”

“We’re close, yes.” This feels a little bit like a lie. He doesn’t want it to be though.

“I can assure you then, he can help you change your fate.” She tells him in earnest. 

“I suppose if anyone could, it would be him.” He offers. “I’m actually on a mission to help him right now though.” He explains the plans, and she’s immediately excited by the prospect. 

“He’s told me he really likes jewel tones by the way. Since it sounds like you’re in charge of decorations.” She offers with a smile. He pulls out his notepad and jots that down.

“I don’t suppose you know where I could find anyone on this list?” He shows it to her and she scans it. 

“Oh! Iwai-san is Ren’s boss at the model gun shop. He’s mentioned it before, asking for advice once… Untouchables? I think that’s the name. Somewhere in Shibuya.” He writes this down as well. “Be warned though, he’s said Iwai-san is a little… Gruff.” She tells him, her brow slightly furrowed.

“I appreciate your concern… My apologies. I believe we forgot to introduce ourselves. I’m Akechi Goro.” He extends his hand to shake hers. She reaches back, she’s unnervingly delighted.

“Chihaya Mifune. It’s so good to meet you! Ren’s told me all about you! It’s so sweet that you're doing this for him, he’ll really appreciate it.”

“It will be a team effort, I hope to see you next week.” They say their goodbyes and she promises to text him soon after he hands her his card.

&

Something about Untouchables felt off. It certainly exudes an energy of “Cops aren’t welcome here.” He isn’t in a police uniform, but if the man recognizes him as the Detective Prince… It’s probably best to change a little. 

He pops open his briefcase, folds his jacket and tucks it inside. Off comes his tie as well. The white button up is untucked and the first two buttons are undone. He rolls the sleeves up to his elbows neatly. Goro pulls a hair tie from his briefcase before snapping it shut. He uses the reflection in the glass of a shop nearby to wrangle his hair into a somewhat messy ponytail. It’ll have to do.

Approaching the shop was somewhat less formidable than before. He picks up his briefcase so the logo faces inwards. The bell jingles when he enters. The owner, presumably Iwai-san, gave a half-hearted welcome from his place behind the counter. His place being in a chair, heavy boots on the counter, sucking on a lollipop while reading some gun enthusiasts magazine. The picture of professionalism , Goro taunts in his head. 

The man is gruff, but handsome. What catches his eye quickly is the tattoo on his neck. A lizard—gecko he thinks. Yakuza? Did Ren know? He’s from a small town, there likely isn’t much talk of the Yakuza there, right? Would he not know the alarms a visible tattoo should raise? 

Or maybe he has asked, and it’s somehow not gang related. Perhaps covering a scar or something. Tattoos are technically becoming more acceptable… The stigma is not forgotten however.

“So kid, looking for something in particular or are you just going to gawk at me?” The man interrupts his thoughts. Was he staring? That’s unlike him. 

Though now that the man’s spoken he realizes he also needs to reign in his pleasantries, they won’t be taken well he fears.

“Uh… Sorry.” He starts. Just mimic Amamiya, he thinks. “I was coming to see you, I believe. Iwai-san?” The man shoots an eyebrow up, and swings his legs off the counter. The magazine is slapped onto the counter, and the man stands. He’s tall, intimidatingly so. It appears that’s what he’s trying to do to Goro. 

“Who’s asking?” It’s a question, but it’s said like a statement. 

“My name's Akechi, I understand my friend works here part time, Ren Amamiya?” The man visibly relaxes.

“Well Ren isn’t supposed to be blabbing about it, but I guess he would tell the famous Akechi-kun, wouldn’t he.” Iwai gives him a lopsided grin and looks him up and down. “Kid never shuts up about you, ya know?”

“Hah, you’re the fourth person to tell me that today.” Goro laughs lightly. “It’s funny, he doesn’t often talk to me about his other friends.” Iwai smirks. 

“Well, you said you came to see me, what can I do for you, kid?” Iwai asks. As before, Goro explains Ren’s new family situation. 

“Those fuckers. Ren’s a good kid. He told me that he started working under the table at a bunch of places when he was 12 because his parents wouldn’t buy him school supplies or clothes. He had to figure it out on his own. Damn bastards.” Even his foster parents bought him things, even let him pick what he wanted most of the time. It was often begrudgingly but they still did it.

“Anyway, you said Sakura-san is adopting him?” Goro nods. “That’s a good man right there. I ought to meet him sometime, I adopted my son Karou too, I feel like us Dad’s would get along.” He gives a little half laugh. 

“Well, you’re in luck, because I do have a favor to ask.” Goro proceeds to explain their plans to renovate the attic at Leblanc, and Iwai says he’s on board.

“I actually did a bit of construction back in the day. Think I could stop by and take some measurements?”

“That would be excellent, thank you! Ren’s working another job right now, I don’t know when he’s off though…” He takes a moment to think. “When do you close up shop?” 

“I could close up early tonight.” He says, already starting to straighten things out. “Cafe Leblanc? In Yongen Jaya, you said?” Goro confirms and writes the address on the back of his card and hands it to Iwai-san. Goro sends a quick text to Sakura-san letting him know that Iwai would be stopping by. Then he opens his messages with Amamiya-kun, asking when he’s off work. 

“Oh, before I forget, do you know where I can find anyone else on this list?” He hands the list over to Iwai, and the man reads it over. 

“Well, Karou is my kid, I’m sure he’d love to pitch in. I’ll send him a picture of the list and ask if he knows anyone. I do know Tae Takemi. She’s a doctor in Yogen. Ren said he goes there to…” The man trails off. “To help her with research.” He finishes. She gives him drugs for the metaverse, Goro fills in the blanks. 

“How very like him.” Speak of the devil, Amamiya texted him back. 

Amamiya: Hey! I’m off in 20 minutes, what’s up?

Goro: I was wondering if you’d like to get dinner somewhere together. That is, if you don’t have any other plans.

Amamiya: I’d love to. I’m at Rafflesia in the underground mall if you want to meet up here.

Goro: I’m nearby, I’ll see you soon.

“Karou says Shinya Oda is known as ‘The King’ at the arcade in Akihabara. Does that help?” Iwai asks.

“Possibly, give him my thanks.” Goro says, “I asked Ren to meet up for dinner, I’ll keep him distracted as long as you need me to. Just text me when you’re done.” Iwai nods, and tells him to enjoy his date. Goro rolls his eyes and heads out. 

Chapter Text

It’s not far to Rafflesia. He arrives before Amamiya’s shift is scheduled to be done, he debates looking around at other stores, or just hanging around the flower shop. As though there wasn’t an option at all, he decides on the latter.

“Welcome to Rafflesia!” A young woman greets, presumably, Amamiya’s boss. “Can I help you find anything?” 

“Ah, thank you, but I found the flower I’m looking for.” He nods his head over to Amamiya. His back is turned, he appears to be arranging some flowers for the elderly woman standing nearby. She’s speaking to him but it’s soft enough that he can’t hear what she’s saying. Amamiya is smiling gently, and speaking quietly back. He must say something funny or perhaps charming, as the woman laughs, covering her mouth delicately. 

“Well, Ren does mean Lotus after all.” She says. “In flower language it means compassion and purity. I think those qualities define that young man well. His parents picked his name well.” She tells him.

“You could say that.” He says, trying not to let any bitterness slip. She’s right that the name suits him though. “Are you two close?” He asks.

“Somewhat. He’s a hard worker, and nice to talk to. Recently he’s been opening up more about himself which is nice. Won’t stop talking about this friend of his that he swears he doesn’t have a crush on. Between you and me, it’s obvious.” She tells him. She’s clearly fond of him, but who wouldn’t be? His chest tightens though when she mentions his crush. Part of him wants to take a guess. Actually, what’s the harm?

“Oh, is it Takamaki-chan?” He asks, feigning a playfulness he doesn’t feel. She shakes her head, covering her laughter slightly.

“Oh no, it’s this boy, Akechi-san. He gushes about him. How smart he is, talking about some rivalry they have. It’s really cute.” She says.

“Hah. That makes five today…” He says quietly. Trying to ignore the way it makes his heart perform some complex acrobatics.

Amamiya hands off the bouquet to the woman, she thanks him and hands him a few yen notes. He turns around and his smile brightens so much it’s practically blinding. 

“Akechi-kun! Let me clean up and I’ll be ready to go!” Amamiya says before turning back around and starting to wipe down his station.

“Oh. You’re Akechi-san?” The owner says, her face entirely red. 

“Guilty.” He laughs lightly. “Do you happen to know his favorite flowers? I’d like to place an order.” She releases a held breath, clearly glad she didn’t just scare off Amamiya’s supposed ‘crush’. 

Should he find it odd that Amamiya speaks about him so much? Goro finds himself thinking of the other boy often, though he doesn’t really have anyone to talk to about him. Maybe he’d also be annoying people talking about his friendly rival. How clever he is, how he always manages to surprise him in the best ways, how much he loves making him laugh— 

“I think he’d appreciate red tulips…” She says. “When do you need them?” He gives her the details, and quickly gives her a few yen notes to pay before Amamiya sees. 

“I’ll pick them up that morning. Thank you for your help.” He smiles. 

“My pleasure, Akechi-san.” She takes his order and goes to file it, just in time for Amamiya to hang his apron and come to his side. 

“I like the new look, Akechi-kun. Did you get dolled up for little old me?” He teases. He’d forgotten his little wardrobe rearrangement. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” He teases back, their banter is so effortless, it merely slips off his tongue.

“God. Get a room.” The cat groans from inside Amamiya’s bag. “You’re insufferable together. Once you leave the mall, I’m ditching you two.” 

“So, where did you want to go?” Amamiya asks. Oh. He hadn’t thought of that. “There’s this Monjayaki place I’ve been meaning to try, would you like to go there?” 

“I’d love to. It’s been a while since I’ve had Monja.” Amamiya smiles broadly again. He says goodbye to his boss, Hanna-chan, and leads them to their train. As expected Morgana hops out of Ren’s bag before they board. Telling Ren he’s going to run some errands… What kind of errands can a cat run anyway?

The train’s crowded. He and Amamiya are squished against one wall, nearly touching. Well that is until someone rudely knocks into Amamiya, sending him toppling. Goro is quick to catch him by the waist, bringing his back flush to his chest. His face burns with the intimacy of this. Amamiya whispers his thanks. Goro assures him it’s not a problem. But it is a problem. 

There’s no room for them to move from this spot. He just prays that the other boy can’t somehow feel his rapid pulse through his skin. And God . Why does he smell so nice? Like flowers, citrus and something earthy that he can’t quite put his finger on. His damn teenage hormones are trying to ruin his life because he’s having to fight the urge to lean into him further to try and decipher that scent.

Thankfully their stop comes quickly. Though when Amamiya leaves his grasp he misses the warmth. They make pleasant conversation as they weave through the crowds of Tsukishima. There isn’t a wait to be seated, they’re a little early for the dinner rush. 

“I have to admit, I’ve never been much for cooking… Are you at all familiar with this?” Goro asks. Amamiya looks all too excited.

“I love cooking! That’s part of why I’ve been wanting to try this place. There’s also nothing like it in my hometown so…” They talk some more before the server comes by. He lets Amamiya order their ingredients. 

“What’s your hometown like, if you don’t mind my asking?” Goro’s actually a bit curious. He’s never really been too far from the city himself.

“Boring.” Amamiya laughs. “There’s not much going on. My high school had about 100 students total, my 1st year class was about 35 people total split between two homerooms.” 

“That’s quite small, sounds like everyone knows everyone, right?” He can only imagine how obnoxious it would have been to know Amamiya in his hometown. They probably threw him a whole parade for his birthday every year.

“Yeah, that part sucked.” He shakes his head. “Being known as the Principal’s son didn’t do me any favors.” He sighs. 

“Wait, didn’t you say you were expelled?” Goro blurts out before he can think better of it.

“Yup. Daddy dearest said he couldn’t have a criminal attending his school.” Amamiya rolls his eyes. “He didn’t believe I didn’t do it. Even when I’ve never caused trouble before.” The ingredients arrive, they both give their thanks to the server. Amamiya doesn’t waste time and starts arranging the pork on the griddle, followed by the cabbage and other dry ingredients.

“I’ve never really been close with my parents to be honest. I was already in hot water the month before the assault charge actually.” Goro. watches as Amamiya folds the ingredients together on the griddle, searing it and blending it evenly. He creates a well in the center. 

“What happened?” Goro asks gently, just encouraging Amamiya to continue.

“It’s a little embarrassing… Promise you won’t laugh?” Amamiya asks sheepishly.

“I will try my absolute hardest.” He assures.

“So for my school festival every year there’s a beauty pageant for the girls and everyone votes on who the prettiest girl is. As a joke pretty much every year a guy or two signs up and cross dresses. I think you can see where this is going.” Goro nods, but encourages Amamiya to finish anyway. Amamiya pours the batter into the well and starts mixing again as he continues. 

“I signed up. As was the standard for the cross-dressing, I did a fake name. Makoto Yuki. Which normally it’s funny because it’s so obvious who it is, right? And there was a third year boy also cross dressing and he was definitely doing it to be funny…” Amamiya flips the mixture over like a pancake.

“Well, I put in some effort. Too much, apparently. I bought makeup, looked up some tutorials, bought a wig, a nice dress, a bra that I stuffed by the way, and a bikini, do NOT ask how much tape I used to make sure my dick wasn’t visible by the way.” He laughs, Goro smiles. 

“I looked like a girl. I liked it too. Enough that I worried I might be trans. I’m about 95% sure I’m not, but I do enjoy cross dressing, like my friend Lala-chan. I met her here in Tokyo.” He explains, Goro nods, wondering now if Ren cross dresses when he works at the bar. “The food is ready by the way. Dig in.” Goro thanks Amamiya for the food. He keeps talking between bites.

“Anyway. The contest happens and somehow even though like you said, everyone knows everyone, no one thought twice about who the hell I was. I was just some pretty girl that entered the pageant.” He shakes his head softly.

“I fucking won. I won the damn thing. I beat out the most popular girl in the school, she was so mad she pulled my hair… since it was a wig it came right off… showing everyone that I was a boy.” He sounds so resigned, “Then my father stormed the stage, he didn’t even recognize me. He demanded that I say who I was right there in front of everyone… He… He was mortified to find out it was me.” 

“He dragged me off stage and into his office. I’d never seen him so mad. Even when I was arrested he hadn’t been as mad as he was that day.”

“I… I’m sorry Amamiya-kun. That’s truly awful. Especially because you clearly worked so hard. Sure it’s a more unusual hobby, but you weren’t hurting anyone.” He smirks. “Well maybe the ego of that so-called popular girl.” This makes Amamiya laugh, completely turning around his downcast mood. 

“You should have seen her face on Monday when she saw me again! I thought she was going to try and beat me up!” He laughs again, Goro joins him. 

“I’m imagining a girl that looks like Takamaki-san, shoving you into a locker.” He jokes. 

“She was nowhere near as pretty as Ann-chan. Imagine if Ryuji was a woman, you’d be closer.” Goro chokes on his water.

“That’s the best your hometown had to offer? No wonder you won, they were starved for beauty.” 

“Aw, you think I’m pretty Akechi-kun.” Amamiya bats his eyelashes at him, and while he knows that Amamiya is being playful, he knows this isn’t a good time to put him down like he normally would. It doesn’t feel right, even if he knows Amamiya wouldn’t be hurt. So instead of saying ‘Well, it’s not hard to beat a 6.’ he reaches around the griddle to put his hand on the other boys.

“I think you’re gorgeous, Ren-chan.” He says. Ren blushes a deep red, Goro clearly caught him well off guard.

“You— Really?” He squeaks out. Goro smiles kindly.

“Ren, you might need real glasses if you can’t see how handsome you are.” God, Goro is fucking idiot. He means it when he’s giving Ren these compliments. He’s foolish for allowing himself to be attracted to the damn leader of the Phantom Thieves.

But when Ren looks at him like this… So open, so vulnerable… He realizes it’s not just physical attraction. He unfortunately cares for the moron across from him. He knew this of course, that’s why he’s spent the better part of the day tracking down his contacts. 

Ren excuses himself to the restroom, which gives Goro an opportunity to check his phone, seeing that there’s a text from Iwai.

Iwai: Hey, sorry it took a while. Got to chatting with Sojiro. Helped him come up with a game plan for breaking the news to Ren.

Goro: Thank you for doing that. Is the coast clear then?

Iwai: It is. Did you a couple of favors too. Karou went to go see Shinya-san, and I stopped by the Clinic to talk to Takemi-san. They’re both on board to help.

Goro: I truly appreciate that. It seems like we’re going to have a decent size crew.

Iwai: Takemi-san said you can find Yoshida-san outside the station in Shibuya near the Buchiko Statue giving a speech tonight and tomorrow night. 

Iwai: Shinya wasn't all that helpful according to Karou. Said you can find Jose-san on the train tracks? Maybe he’s a conductor?

What the actual fuck is Ren telling people about that magical little egg boy?

Goro: Jose-san has been located, he can’t join us to help, but he’s providing great insight into things that Ren would like to decorate with.

A decent enough lie.

Iwai: Anyway. Are you busy tonight or tomorrow morning?

Goro: Just school, why?

Iwai: Let Ren know that, will ya? In case he needs someone to talk to after. 

Goro: Good idea. Thank you again.

It’s another minute before Amamiya returns, Goro was able to pay without Amamiya trying to fight him for the bill like usual. 

The trains are significantly less crowded than earlier. They’re even able to get seats next to each other. They stop in Shibuya to change trains. This is where they should part ways, Goro could try to find Yoshida, essentially finishing his list aside from Maruki. Though he still needs to make sure Ren knows he’s available to talk.

“Akechi-kun, thank you again for taking me to dinner. I know I was kind of a downer, I don’t usually talk about my past like that…” I can’t imagine why , Goro wants to throttle Mr. and Mrs. Amamiya. 

“You listened to me talk about my mother’s suicide, I think we’re even.” Goro counters. Amamiya doesn’t smile with his lips, but he can see it in his eyes. 

“Well, I’d better get going, Sojiro texted me saying he needed some help.” Goro nods, trying to think of how he can make it clear…

“You can call me Goro.” He says quickly. Ren’s eyes go wide.

“Goro.” Ren tests it on his tongue, and Goro is not immune to hearing him say it. “It made me really happy when you called me Ren, but I didn’t want to push my luck asking to call you Goro.” This confession squeezes Goro’s already weakening heart.

“I want to be close with you.” He admits, disgusted with his own honesty. “And if you ever want to talk about… well anything really. Don’t hesitate to call me. Okay?” Ren’s face shifts to concerned.

“Where’s this coming from?” He asks. Ah, he must have been a little too eager. He can talk his way out of this surely.

“You said you don’t talk about your past, but you have so many friends that care for you.” So far so good, he thinks. “You always let others vent to you, so I’m happy to be the person that you vent to. So tell me you will?” Concern melts into the softest expression he’s ever seen. 

“Goro, thank you. I value your friendship immensely. I promise I will.” He moves a little closer then freezes. “Um. Sorry. Can I hug you? Is that too much?” Goro feels his whole body become unbearably hot, he nods anyway. Ren closes the distance and wraps his arms around Goro’s neck. He barely has time to reciprocate before Ren pulls away. 

“I really do need to go, I’ll talk to you soon Goro!” He rushes off to his train. Goro is fucked. That brief hug just ruined his life. He has romantic feelings for Ren Amamiya. 

Nothing to do about it now. He needs to track down a school counselor and a washed up politician.

Chapter Text

Unknown Number: Sakura-san, one of Ren’s friends, Iwai-san, will be coming over shortly to take some measurements in the attic. He’s one of Ren’s many bosses. Is that okay?

This must be that Akechi kid. Damn , Sojiro thinks. This detective kid moves fast. It’s been what, 5 hours? Someone’s already coming over to take a look at the place? Maybe he should go up there and make sure the kid isn’t going to embarrass himself with a messy room. Not that he’s ever left it too bad. Speaking of the kid…

Sojiro: Should be. Is Ren working now?

Unknown Number: At the flower shop, Rafflesia. I’m going to take him to dinner to buy a little more time for Iwai-san. 

Unknown Number: He said he was looking forward to meeting you. 

Sojiro: That right?

Unknown Number: Something about you both being single fathers to adopted children.

Sojiro: Huh, small world.

Sojiro proceeds to not save his number. He doesn’t make a habit of saving men’s numbers in his phone.

The cafe is empty, he’d just finished up the dinner rush. He has dishes to do but it can wait until after he double checks the attic. The stairs don’t get easier with age, he can tell you that much, but he’s not so old that he gets winded or anything. Bones just creak a little more, and his hip aches a little by the sixth step. 

God , how is he going to get through doing a renovation?

Plans are already in motion. He’s not about to back out now. Akechi’s got people involved, Sojiro already called a contact of his to rush along a permit. An Inspector is coming out tomorrow afternoon while Ren’s still in classes. His old friend said it’s more of a formality than anything, so long as the place isn’t about to actually fall apart he’ll pass it.

Sojiro takes a good look at the attic. It’s dusty, even though he knows Ren dusts often. The plant’s looking more vibrant these days, it's sweet that the kid’s taking care of it. Overall nothing is out of place. No dirty clothes or dishes, there’s what looks like exam notes on his desk from studying a few weeks ago…

It’s just so hard to believe that a good kid like this… There’s nothing he can do about Ren’s parents, he reminds himself. Aside from becoming his parent, that is.

The jingle of the store’s bell has him turning around to head back down the stairs. He’s slower than he’d like, but now’s not the time to be breaking a hip.

“Be right down.” He calls out. When he gets to the bottom of the stairs he’s greeted with the sight of a tall man, maybe in his early 40’s. He’s a good looking guy , Sojiro admits to himself. A little scruffy, definitely a little thuggish from the tattoo on his neck, but Sojiro knows better than to judge a book by its cover nowadays. 

“Welcome to Leblanc.” He greets. He rounds his way to the other side of the counter. “What can I get for you?” He asks the man. 

“I’ll take whatever you recommend. Got a couple of teenagers telling me you make the best coffee in Japan.” The man winks at him, the corners of his lips are upturned in a half-smirk. He outstretches his right hand to Sojiro, he takes it and shakes. 

“Iwai Munehisa.” 

“Sakura Sojiro. Akechi-kun told me you’d show up sooner or later.” His hand lingers in the other man’s a moment longer than he’d usually allow. He moves away casually, getting things in order to brew the man a drink. 

“Go on and head upstairs, coffee’ll be ready for you when you come back down.” Iwai’s smirk grows a little wider, eyeing Sojiro up a little before he nods and goes up the stairs. 

Something about him is… he’s not even sure where that thought was going. The beans he picks are Panama Esmeralda Geisha, a bit on the pricey side but he feels like he’s got to show off considering Ren and apparently now Akechi-san are bragging about him. 

He also thinks the other man will enjoy the more complex flavors. Though, maybe that’s wishful thinking.

“Damn! That Akechi wasn’t kidding when he said ya need help renovating!” Iwai calls from upstairs. “Are those milk crates?” Sojiro laughs.

“His so-called parents gave me a 3 hour notice, saying Ren was already on a train headed here. So forgive me for the rush job.” Iwai laughs this time.

“Better than I would have done.” Sojiro can hear the metallic sound of measuring tape above him as he starts grinding the beans. The motions of doing a perfect pour over have long since become automatic, but he finds himself putting a little extra care into this cup. 

Akechi-kun had said Iwai-san was also a single father. With an adopted kid no less. He idly wonders if Iwai-san ever had someone in his life, or was more like Sojiro in that he never settled down. 

He might be a good person to ask for advice for… letting Ren in on the situation. There’s not going to be an easy way to do it, that’s for sure. Planning how to put it wasn’t going to be a cake walk either. 

It doesn’t take long before he hears boots on the stairs, and sees Iwai-san rounding the corner to come sit at the bar.

“We got a lot of potential up there!” He says with a broad grin. “I got a guy who owes me a favor who can supply some power tools and drywall for cheap.” He gestures to the coffee, confirming it’s for him. Sojiro nods, and the man takes a sip— drinking it black like he had hoped he would.

“This is incredible. Those boys weren’t kidding. I’m gonna have to come around here more often.” Iwai says before taking another sip. “Really, didn’t know black coffee could taste anything other than bitter. I never minded it exactly, but like; this somehow tastes… acidic? A bit flowery I guess. It’s really nice.” 

“A man after my own heart.” He jokes, “Coffee is a pretty complex subject, you’re picking up the right notes though so you’re practically a pro.” Sojiro says leaning closer on the counter. He sees Ren do this all the time, leaning in more when talking to Akechi-kun. Just like Akechi-kun does, Iwai leans in as well. He can see the appeal, kinda feels like they’re sharing some sort of moment. 

He can’t say he’s had many friends these last few years, he’s kind of forgotten how it feels to click with someone like this. Almost feels like a teenager with a crush, the way he hopes Iwai feels the same way about this connection.

“The flattery is charming, Sakura-san. Do you flirt with all your customers?” Iwai replies, drinking more from his mug. 

“Nah, you’re special Iwai-san.” Sakura laughs. Iwai joins in. It’s nice. Feels warm. He isn’t sure he’s felt this kind of connection since Wakaba… 

“So. Tell me, do you have any ideas about what you want up there?”

“A door for starters.” They both laugh again. “I feel bad that kid doesn’t have privacy.”

“Oh especially with that crush of his. He’ll definitely want the privacy if he manages to pull the trigger.” Iwai says.

“On Akechi-kun right?” Iwai nods. “This has to stay between you and me, but… Ren’s parents apparently sent a friend of theirs to my cafe to check in on Ren discreetly. Saw him with Akechi-kun and reported back that Ren’s gay. That’s what put the nail in the coffin so to speak.” Iwai is silent for a second.

“If Karou ends up being gay or whatever I don’t think it’ll matter. Won’t have to worry about him knocking anyone up.” He laughs bitterly. “Maybe I would have cared a few years ago, but it’s just…” He shakes his head. “Ya like who ya like. Don’t gotta make it a big deal.” Sojiro nods.

“I feel the same way about it. You can’t control attraction, even when it’s inconvenient.” He sighs, he knows it all too well from his unrequited feelings he held for years.

“Are you going to tell him about that?” Iwai asks.

“Do you think I should? I don’t even know where to start with all this.” He laments. 

“If he asks, be honest. But don’t bring it up if you don’t have to.” Iwai offers. “Be frank. Sit him down. Tell him you have something important to discuss.”

“I’m starting to get the impression he won’t be all that surprised.” Sojiro huffs.

“Tell him the facts. Don’t sugar coat it. I know you’re waiting to tell him about the adoption, but still make sure he knows he isn’t being kicked out.” Sojiro nods. It’s good advice, he feels like he should be taking notes.

“I told Akechi-kun to make himself available if Ren wants a friend instead of an adult. Don’t be upset if he doesn’t want to cry on your shoulder just yet.”

“I’ll make myself scarce if he calls over Akechi-kun.” Sojiro confirms. Iwai gives a solemn nod.

“Ya know, I adopted Karou when he was a baby. Tricky situation. I only recently told him the circumstances around his adoption… He told me he didn’t care about all that, just that we were family. Kid’s strong, he got his old man crying like a mess.” He shakes his head, laughing at the memory. 

“Sounds like you raised him right.” Sojiro tells him. 

“I’ve tried… Ren’s told me you have a daughter too, she’s 15 yeah?”

“Futaba, yeah. Only had her for two years. But I’ve known her and her late mother since she was a baby. She’s my world. She loves Ren too, already treats him like an older brother.”

“Does she know yet?” Iwai asks, taking another long sip of his coffee.

“Knowing her she’s figured it out, but I haven’t said anything yet.” Sojiro says, wiping down the already spotless counter. “She knows better than to text him about it though.” Iwai nods.

“I think you’ll do alright tonight. Shoot me a text if you think he rather have a distraction. I can always put him to work.” Iwai smiles. He pulls out his wallet, handing over a few bills for the drink, and pulls out his business card. He turns it over, pulling a pen from his jacket pocket. He writes another phone number on the back.

“That’s my cell. One of the front is the store phone.” He explains, handing over the card.

Untouchables

Iwai Munehisa

(xxx) xxx-xxxx

It’s not all that flashy, practical if anything. The handwriting on the back is bold, yet neat. 

“Thank you Iwai-san.” He smiles, and pockets the card.

“Please, Mune is fine.” The other man tells him. 

“Then feel free to call me Sojiro.” He tells Mune .

“Tell me how it goes, let’s keep in touch.” Iwai gives him another grin, “I’ll draw up a couple of different plans tonight and send them to ya.” The man tips his hat on his way out. 

Sojiro looks at the card in his hand again, then pulls out his phone. Carefully typing the number, he saves it under Mune Iwai. 

&

It’s maybe 20 minutes later when the bell rings, and Ren’s dopey grin comes into view.

“What’s got you in a good mood?” Sojiro asks, hoping he’s not letting anything on.

“I— I think I just went on a date!” Ah. Should he tell Akechi-kun that? Or maybe he should let them sort it out? Either way, the kid’s happy, and Sojiro is about to ruin it.

“That right? What makes you think so?” He asks, prolonging the inevitable.

“Well, he took me out to Monja, and he asked me to call him Goro! We’re on a first name basis now! Doesn’t that seem like a date?” If it is then he’s dating Mune. He shakes his head. 

“Maybe, he does seem to like you.” He tells Ren, who looks even more excited. “Hey, mind flipping the sign for me?” Ren’s excitement turns to confusion. He checks his phone to see it’s only 6:30.

“We don’t close for another hour, is something wrong?” Ren asks, while going to flip the sign anyway, and locking the door.

“Yeah, there is, kid. Mind coming to sit at a booth with me? I’ve got something important to discuss with you.” Ren nods, approaching with trepidation he’s never seen before on the kid. 

“Have I done something wrong?” Ren asks, his voice… has he ever heard it this small? Not even when he first arrived and Sojiro was reading him the riot act.

“You’re not in trouble with me, or anyone who matters really.” He lets out a small sigh as he sits across from Sojiro.

“But I’m in trouble with someone?” He clarifies, still so cautious. God he wishes there was more he could do to his awful parents. 

“There’s no easy way to say this. I need a couple things from you before I start, okay?” Ren nods. “Ya need to hear the whole thing, no excuses.” Ren nods again. “Believe me when I tell you that you’re going to be okay.” Ren tilts his head, but agrees.

“I got a call from Akira Amamiya today.” The look of terror that Ren quickly schools into his usual apathetic mask isn’t lost on the old man. “He has some paperwork arriving soon that you’ll need to sign and have notarized.” Ren nods, his brow furrowed with confusion.

“The paperwork… It’s legal abandonment.” There. Like a bandaid.

“What does that mean?” Ren asks, no recognition of the situation on his face at all. It can never be that simple, can it?

“They… They aren’t legally responsible for you anymore. They’re choosing to surrender you to the foster system.” Sojiro says. It seems to dawn on him now. His eyes go a little vacant, like he’s looking past him. It just occurred to him that the cat isn’t here. Probably could have used the company.

“You must have some questions, but let me start by telling you that I’m not kicking you out. You still have a place to live.” He assures.

“Thank you, Sojiro.” He says, snapping back to himself. “Sorry. It’s a lot to take in… Did he… Did he mention Amber?” He asks.

“Uh? No? Who is she?” God, does he have a sister he didn’t know about or something?

“She’s my cat. From back home. I… they always hated her. I just… I was hoping maybe… Well I know I couldn’t keep her here but I just want to know if she’s okay I guess.” Looks like he needs to find a cat now.

“Well, I can call tomorrow to ask about her. Your— The Amamiya’s are sending the rest of your stuff through the mail. They also said they’re sending you a check for you to complete high school with. I spoke to a lawyer and he said if you want you can take them to court for more—”

“No. Thank you for asking, but I… I don’t think I want anything more from them.” He can tell just how hard Ren is trying to maintain his composure. He’s trembling. Sojiro won’t mention it. Sometimes a man just wants to be tough. He gets it. Damn if it doesn’t hurt to watch though.

“That’s fine. I understand. If you need anything, I hope you know you can ask me.” Ren nods blankly. 

“Thank you for your generosity, Sojiro. I will forever be in your debt.” He bows his head, and looks back at him with shining eyes.

“Kid, Ren… You don’t owe me anything. You’ve got your trip in a few days, after you come back we can talk about the logistics of it all. Sound good?” Ren nods again. “Is there anything I can do for you right now? I know it’s a lot, I wish it didn’t have to be this way.”

“Did he say why?” Ren asks quickly. “I mean, I know but— why now and not months ago? I haven’t spoken to them since I left and…” Sojiro sighs heavily. Mune said he should tell him if he asks…

“He told me that they had sent some friends over to check in on you. He thought you’d lie if they asked you directly. Don’t know why they wouldn’t just call me, but they don’t seem like rational people.” He grumbles the last bit. “Anyway… This ‘friend’ came by the cafe and saw you playing chess with Akechi-kun… They reported back that you were flirting with him and I guess that was enough.” Ren nods again, slower than before. He looks like he’s going to bite a hole in his bottom lip. 

“I don’t… “ He starts. “What I mean to say is… Akechi-kun seems like a good kid. Hope it works out for you two.” He smiles, Ren gives him back a watery sort of smile.

“Thanks. I hope so too.” He sighs, and wipes his eyes with his sleeves. “Would it be weird if I asked for a hug? You can say no it’s—”

“C’mere kid. I thought you’d never ask.” Sojiro stands up, but before he’s even fully out of the booth Ren is on him. He hugs back with everything he has. One hand makes its way to his hair, gently stroking it soothingly. 

“I’m sorry.” Ren mumbles against his chest.

“Nothing to be sorry for, Ren. Let it out.” He urges. Ren doesn’t need to be told twice. He sobs silently into Sojiro’s apron. The only give away is the way his form shutters with every exhale.

They stay like that for a while, could have been a minute or ten of them, who’s to say. Ren pries himself off eventually. His cheeks are ruddy, tears soak his face, and he wipes his nose with his sleeve. He never wants to see him this sad again.

It really hits him in this little moment that he doesn’t just care about the kid. He really does love him. Feels like he’s known him forever, even though he weaseled his way into Sojiro’s heart only months ago. 

It took him a while to realize when he loved Futaba too, took him a long time to realize he loved Wakaba so long ago now. Some people are just slow to accept it, he guesses.

Sojiro reaches out his hands and wipes the tears from Ren’s cheeks with as much gentleness as he can muster. He doesn’t miss the way Ren flinches before leaning into the touch. 

“I really am here for you, Ren. Please know that.” Ren nods, then takes a deep breath. 

“Thank you.” He says. “Would you mind if I asked a friend to stay the night with me? I don’t… I don’t want to be alone.” Ren’s eyes have drifted to the floor, it’s so unlike him. Everything about this is so unlike him. 

“Yeah, ‘course. Where’s Morgana by the way?” He isn’t sure if the little guy would help or hurt the situation right now. 

“Futaba asked to borrow him today. She likes his company when she’s doing a big coding project.” He tells him.

“If you need him, just text her and I’ll make sure she brings him right over.” Ren nods. “Futaba is going to need to know about this, since you’ll be staying past your probation. Do you want me to tell her?” 

“… She probably already knows.” Ren says. Sojiro sighs. 

“Probably.” He repeats. “Go call your friend. I’m going to lock up and head home. I’ll make sure Futaba knows not to tell everyone, alright?” Ren nods again. He’s used to the kid being quiet sometimes, but right now it’s disheartening. “Call me if you need me. Don’t care what time.” He pulls Ren into another hug. Ren clings to him, but breaks away faster than last time. 

He lets Ren go upstairs. He sends a message to Mune telling him that Ren’s in the loop now. Mune texts back that he’ll call him in a few minutes, ‘if that’s alright.’ He agrees, and locks up.

When he gets home, Futaba is waiting by the door, eyes wet with tears of her own. 

“Is he going to be okay?” She asks. Sojiro nods.

“It might take a while, but he will be. How much do you know?” She tells him that she only heard his conversation with Ren, she’d been too busy with her code to tap in earlier. He needs to find those damn bugs. 

“How would you feel if I told you I wanted to adopt Ren?” He asks. Her eyes light up.

“I’d feel really REALLY happy if you’re being serious!” She tells him. She practically jumps into his arms in her excitement.

“Let’s sit down, we have some things to discuss.” He ushers her to the couch in the living room. 

He takes him time to tell her about the plan he and Akechi-kun are working on, she seems enthusiastic about the idea.

“Akechi-kun is helping?” She asks.

“‘Course he is. Those two are one more wistful sigh away from dating.” He laughs. She looks floored somehow. How did Mune know but not Futaba?

“I didn’t even know they hung out that much.” She tells him. She seems anxious for some reason.

“He’s at the cafe all the time, and he even took Ren out to dinner tonight. You heard the conversation didn’t you? Ren’s crush on the kid is so obvious that it made its way back to his parents. His boss at that model gun shop, Mune, even knew about it.” She takes this in, nodding a little vacantly.

“Do you think Akechi-kun likes him back though?” She asks warily.

“Oh yeah, big time. Akechi-kun might be smart but it’s pretty clear that he doesn’t know about Ren’s obvious crush.” He laughs a little, but Futaba doesn’t even smile.

“‘taba what’s wrong? Do you not like Akechi-kun?” He’s only seen them interact once he thinks… 

“It’s not that.” He doesn’t feel convinced. “It’s just. Ren talks about his friends all the time, and you even said he told his boss about Akechi-kun. So it feels weird that he hasn’t told me or the others.” She explains. That makes sense, could it be…

“Did you guys already know about his uh… preferences?” He asks. She’s confused for a second but he sees the recognition in her eyes.

“No, I guess I didn’t. I dunno if he’s told anyone else though.” 

“Now, I’m not here to judge your friends, so don’t take this the wrong way but… Ryuji… He doesn’t seem like he’d be ‘cool’ with it.” He tells her. 

“Oh.” She says. She’s clearly thinking about this. “I can see where you’d get that idea but I think he’d be okay with him liking boys… He hates Akechi-kun though so that’s probably why Ren hasn’t said anything. Him and Makoto.” She tells him. 

“Why’s that?”

“Ryuji thinks he’s ’a freaking prick’ and Akechi-kun’s close with Makoto’s sister and Makoto might be a little jealous but I could just be reading into it too much.” She says with a shrug.

“Well… Sounds like they’ll need to get over it. Akechi-kun could be a really big help with Ren feeling loved right now.” He chastises. “Don’t go telling anyone about any of this, okay?” She agrees. They talk a little more, and he gets up to heat up dinner. 

He looks over to the dining room and realizes that it only seats two. He should get one that seats at least six, he thinks. He has the space for it, just hadn’t had the need. He’s always been able to host bigger events at the cafe, but there’s something special about sitting down at the family dinner table. It's something he wants Ren to share with him, Futaba, and maybe his soon-to-be boyfriend. Maybe he can even invite over Mune and his boy Karou.

Dinner will be even more lively, and he never thought he’d be so happy to have that.

Chapter Text

This is terrible. Genuinely the worst thing that could have happened. He should have known though, he can’t do anything right in the end. He’s cursed. If anyone could foil his plans, it would be himself.

Goro can’t even find it in himself to truly blame Ren for his frustrating infatuation, not when everyone has been telling him that Ren fell for him first. He’d be foolish to deny it. He knows Ren flirts with him, he flirts back. He knows they’re often sitting a little too close together, but he doesn’t move away. 

At any point he could have stopped it. There would always be complications with it. He convinced himself that he was just indulging while he could, it was all in good fun. He hadn’t ‘caught feelings’ as he’s heard other teens his age so eloquently say.

That ship sailed. He’s truly ‘caught’ by these feelings; a fly in a spider's web. Unable to truly see the danger until it’s already collided with it head on. Ultimately awaiting its fate to be devoured.

Maybe he should just enjoy himself. Shido hasn’t given him exact orders yet, maybe there’s a chance they both get out of this alive. Why not just indulge? Take whatever Ren is willing to give him, and give in return. It would be far easier to infiltrate the Phantom Thieves this way anyway. 

Though, when he does receive the hit…

The turmoil brewing in his chest is stopped abruptly 

by his phone ringing. He allows his phone to ring only once before picking up. Goro didn’t fully expect the call, but he was prepared nonetheless.

“Hello Ren. Miss me already?” He teases playfully. He knows what this is about of course, but he can’t let on that he does.

“Hey, I know we just hung out, but are you free right now? I—” His voice breaks slightly. “I could use some company.”

“Ren, are you alright? I was running some errands in Shibuya so I’m not that far. I’ll be in Yongen in 10 minutes.”

“Okay. Thank you, Goro.” His heart warms hearing him say his name. It has never sounded better than rolling off Ren’s tongue.

“Can I get you anything? I’m happy to make a stop for you.” He tells Ren. He wouldn’t actually, he would rather get there sooner. However, if Ren were to ask for something, he already knows he’d drop everything to get it. Infatuation is problematic.

“I don’t think so, but thank you.” He hears the soft sniffle over the phone. “I just… Thanks.” Ren says. He’s never heard Ren sound so defeated. It’s pitiful. It’s getting harder and harder to hate him the way he wishes he could. 

“I’m about to board the train. I’ll be there soon.” He tells him. They say some quick goodbyes and Goro hops on the train. 

It’s not long until Goro is back in Yongen, but now he feels empty handed. He passes Leblanc in favor of the nearby supermarket. There’s been studies that say tryptophan, an amino acid, helps the brain to make serotonin, this is commonly found in chocolate. While he isn’t sure of Ren’s preferences, he does pick up a few dark chocolate bars as they have more tryptophan. However, he’s nothing if not thorough so he gets a few other varieties as well. 

Checking out takes less than a minute. Then he’s back on track to Leblanc. It’s closed and locked. He debates knocking or calling. Ultimately he decides to knock first. Ren answers faster than he anticipated. 

“Hey!” Ren greets cheerfully, an overcompensation considering his face is tinged pink and his eyes are slightly puffy from crying. 

“May I come in?” He asks, Ren of course steps aside and ushers him inside. “I know you said you didn’t need anything, but you sounded quite upset over the phone…” He felt empty handed before but now he feels ridiculous for having stopped. Great. “And I thought since we had dinner together, I could bring you a little treat as a dessert.” He finishes, holding out the bag to Ren.

Ren takes it and looks inside. “Chocolates?” He asks, a small smile crosses his face. “Thank you, Goro. You’re too sweet to me.” He beckons Goro to join him upstairs. Once there Ren sets the chocolates down on the dresser, and digs out two bars. He hands one to Goro, and takes the other for himself, both are dark chocolate. It’s what he prefers, and he’s hopeful that the plan with the tryptophan works.

Ren seats himself on his futon. Looking at Goro, he pats a spot beside him, wordlessly asking him to join. Ren opens chocolate and takes a square into his mouth. Goro follows suit. It’s sweet, but not enough to outshine the pleasant bitterness. After a few moments Ren speaks up.

“Thanks for coming back to see me. I… I just…” He sighs, defeated. It reminds Goro of a younger version of himself. Utterly lost to the world, without anyone to lend him a hand. That’s why he’s here now isn’t he? To be that for Ren?

“Take your time. I’ll be here.” Goro tells him. He nods. 

“This is… harder than I thought it would be.” Ren admits.

“Talking about your problems?” Ren nods. “We don’t have to talk. Let me keep you company.” He offers. “We could watch something if you’d wanted.”

“Will you— I mean. How cool are you with, like, platonic cuddling?” Ren asks him. He cannot help when he raises his eyebrows. Ren’s clearly embarrassed but before he can say anything Goro speaks.

“I’m not… opposed to the idea.” He ventures. He, by all rights, should be. However, he’s made the decision to indulge in his romantic whims. “Let me just…” He shrugs off his blazer, and kicks off his shoes as well. Ren lies down close to the window, watching while Goro pulls his tie off and undoes a few buttons on his collared shirt. 

It’s only now that he recalls he hasn’t done this before, not since before his mother passed away at least. It’s just holding another person, isn’t it? Can’t be too complicated, he reasons. Goro lies down next to Ren, facing him. A small smile tugs at the corners of Ren’s lips, and in turn it squeezes something in Goro’s heart. Ren shuffles closer, his face burying itself in Goro’s chest. In turn, Goro wraps an arm over him, and tucks his other under Ren’s neck. 

He smells nice. Coffee, of course, but also clean, and maybe a little like pine. Perhaps it’s a strange thing to notice, but his face is nuzzled into the top of Ren’s head, curly hair tickles his cheeks and nose, so it’s hard not to notice. Another thing that’s hard to not notice is the faint trembling. He can’t quite tell if Ren’s crying or not. 

Some horrible thing in his mind tells him to kiss Ren’s head, so he pushes his hair away from his forehead and listens to that instinct. He’s warm. Not feverish, but hotter than he should be, Goro thinks. From the crying most likely. Ren’s head pops up to look at Goro. Eyes shining, and searching Goro’s for something. Goro doesn’t let that moment linger, he leans in quickly to kiss Ren’s cheek, before pulling him back into an embrace. Ren’s head is now tucked into Goro’s neck, and it’s so terribly comfortable.

He feels gentle, softer than he’s been in years. Every part of him singing that this is where he’s needed to be all this time. If only we’d met sooner.

“My parents, they’re disowning me. Sojiro told me earlier.” Ren speaks up, his voice so small, muffled into Goro’s neck.

“Disowning you?” He asks, trying to act surprised. Ren nods into him.

“Yeah, I have to do some paperwork tomorrow… I’m not entirely surprised, I mean you already know how the relationship with my dad is from earlier.” Ren reminds him. Goro hums his response, allowing Ren to continue.

“I guess I kind of knew it was coming. After my arrest they threatened it. Said if I caused any more trouble they wouldn’t hesitate.” He sighs, the warmth over Goro’s skin makes him shiver slightly.

“You’ve been good, haven’t you? You haven’t mentioned any issues.” Goro says. Sojiro wasn’t specific with him, maybe Ren wouldn’t know either.

“They sent a friend to check on me, spying is more accurate but whatever. That friend told my parents I have a boyfriend, and that was that. They’d already warned me about it so I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“You have a boyfriend?” Goro asks hesitantly. Surely not, he would have called said boyfriend instead of Goro to comfort him.

“I wish.” Ren laughs humorlessly. 

“Did their friend lie?” He asks, though he realizes belatedly that prying into this isn’t going to help.

“No, they just jumped to conclusions. Saw me with a boy I have a crush on, and well. It’s my fault really, I shouldn’t have gotten so close to him anyway.” Oh. Oh God. It’s his fault. 

“What makes you say that? Because of your parents?” He presses despite knowing it’s a bad idea.

“That, yes. I kind of knew they were spying on me. They used to do it at home too. They’re really paranoid…” He trails off for a moment. “But also… This boy…” He starts again. “He’s wonderful. Charming, funny, smart, and devastatingly handsome.”

“That’s a problem for you?” Goro teases whilst his heart is trying to beat out of his chest. It’s strange to be in this position. Knowing how Ren feels about him, without Ren realizing. Or maybe he does, and they’re both playing some strange game instead of cutting to the chase. 

“Not exactly a problem. It’s just, he works really hard, ya know? Figuring out his life and all. He really doesn’t need a freshly orphaned delinquent in his life.” Ren explains, a slight waver to his voice.

“Does he know about your arrest?” Goro asks.

“Well, yeah, but—” Ren responds, about to argue.

“Does he still spend time with you?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I think it’s safe to say that it doesn’t matter to him. He’d be foolish if he thought otherwise.” Goro tells Ren.

“You think so?”

“I do. Ren, you’re intelligent, witty, compassionate to a fault, and perhaps even devastatingly handsome. ” He parrots. Ren lets out a small laugh, he can feel it rumble in the other boy's chest.

“I’ve never seen you so insecure.” He whispers against Ren’s head. “Always quiet, but never meek.” Ren remains silent for a moment. He curls himself in closer, squeezing a little tighter. That moment passes, then another, and another. He’s not sure if he should speak up, or just remain in the embrace silently.

“After a bad day, my dad would come home and drink.” He finally says. “If I could smell booze, I would try to lock the door to my room. It didn’t help, but it felt better than doing nothing, ya know?”

“Ren…” Goro says this cautiously. He hugs tighter, willing himself to listen instead of booking the next ticket to Nowhere-ville and actually killing Ren’s former parents.

“He didn’t— he just hit me.” Ren tells him. He feels the anger bubble in his chest. He pushes Ren away to look him in the eyes.

“What do you mean just hit you? Even the worst of my foster parents never hit me.” He doesn’t mean to snap. He really doesn’t. But it’s true. Neglectful, and verbally abusive absolutely, but he’d never been hit. No one would have dared risk leaving a mark.

“It could have been worse.” Ren counters. “Always places covered by clothes, he even wrote me notes to get out of swim class.”

“That just makes it sound worse.” He argues back.

“I know. I know that. I couldn’t do anything about it. My mom didn’t help me, my teachers wouldn’t help me…”

“I… I am beyond words. Ren…” He cups the other boy’s face, stroking his cheek to catch a stray tear. “I know I’m adamantly against your beloved Phantom Thieves but I think those are two hearts that need to be changed.” He laughs a little, Ren does too.

“I might post about it after the paperwork goes through.” He says. “That way they can’t have me back. They lose their second chance.” A biting edge lingers in his words. The resolve that granted Ren his powers, the very thing that drew Goro to Ren Amamiya in the first place.

Goro surges forward and presses his lips to Ren’s forehead again, trying to let all of his infernal affection seep in through his kiss. A small gasp escapes Ren’s throat, then he leans into the tender embrace.

“I don’t allow myself to get close to many people. I keep my walls up, and defenses high.” He tells Ren, whispering against him. “Why is it that I find myself completely unguarded with you?” 

“People say I’m easy to talk to.” Ren suggests.

“I think it’s more than that.” Goro says before laying another kiss on Ren’s head. “Perhaps it’s because we are equals, and you push me to be even better. But, I’ve never cared for someone the way I do for you.”

“Goro…”

“Let’s get some rest, Ren. You have school in the morning.” He reminds.

“I need to change and brush my teeth and all that.” Ren complains. “Plus I usually bathe at night.”

“Let’s go to the bathhouse then.” He stands up, and offers Ren a hand. 

“Are you staying with me?” Ren asks before taking his hand and climbing off the bed.

“Unless you’d like me to leave, I had planned to.” Goro tells him easily. Arms wrap around his torso in an instant, he returns the hug. 

“Don’t you have better things to do than hang out with me?”

“I have a lot of things to do, yes. But nothing better .” Goro tells Ren. God he’s a fucking sap. It’s almost embarrassing. Or it would be if Ren wasn’t also a sap. 

“I’ll race you there.” Ren challenges, already out of Goro’s embrace and bolting down the stairs. 

“Ren, we need shoes!” He calls after him, grabbing his and Ren’s before racing after him, laughter bubbling out of his chest.

He didn’t hear the bell but Ren’s gone, probably already at the bathhouse, he thinks. Well until he’s halfway to the door and Ren grabs him from behind.

“And here I thought we were racing!” He laughs.

“We are but you were right about shoes.” Ren takes his, and slips them on while Goro does his. Ren has to tie his, so Goro takes the moment to ditch him in the cafe. 

All he can hear in the background is Ren’s surprised, little, indignant squawk. The bell of the door follows him onto the back streets, Ren chases after. He reaches the door first, but Ren collides into him before he can open it. 

They’re both breathless from running and laughter. Ren pushes his hair out of his face, doubled over catching his breath. Goro feels so warm, so light. He doesn’t deserve these feelings, he doesn’t really deserve Ren. But Goro isn’t a good person. He’s selfish. 

That’s why after Ren stands up, Goro brushes a lock of hair from Ren’s face and kisses his cheek again. Ren freezes slightly.

“That was my prize for winning.” He tells Ren with a smug little smile. Before Ren can respond, he opens the door and leads them inside. 

Ren is the worst thing that could have happened to his plans, but he’s starting to find he’s not regretting it as much as he should.

Chapter Text

Goro had planned his day. To catch up with some of his work, find a few more of Ren’s contacts, and possibly ask Ren if he needed help packing for his trip. He shouldn’t have expected a normal day.

When he wakes up, it’s to his typical 5:30 alarm. He’s hotter than usual, and this bed feels like a rock. Yet somehow he is cozy anyway, but that’s probably from the teenage boy curled up against his chest. 

He wants this. This connection, this intimacy. He would stay with Ren every night if it meant mornings like this. He sets a second alarm— the first time in God knows how long. Just a few more minutes. Just to revel in this space, savoring the pleasurable warmth of their intertwined bodies.

Ren didn’t even stir from the first alarm, which will likely prove to be an annoying trait, but for the moment it’s endearing. He’s smitten and even using that word makes him cringe internally. He’s barely even opened his eyes at this point, but his vision is blocked by a bed of black curls anyway. He plants a kiss to the top of Ren’s head, and is granted a low murmur of his name from the boy in his sleep. 

He can’t stand it. It’s too hot now. Sweltering under this blanket and the touch of his skin. All he can do is shuffle his way out of the bed. Ren murmurs something but he can’t make it out, though the boy is still very clearly sleeping. 

Goro knows he’s being ridiculous. Ren wants to be with him, it’s sickening how undeniable that fact is to him now. 

Ren likes me back! Ugh. Get a grip, Goro. He has things to do and places to be.

It doesn’t take long for him to get dressed and there’s even a mirror in the attic so he can fix his hair and apply a couple dots of concealer. The things we do for the people we care about— skip our immense skin care routine. He muses to himself.

It’s only 5:45, but hears Sakura downstairs, presumably opening Leblanc. He won’t stick around for Ren to wake up, as Goro has to stop by the station to drop off some paperwork. Then he plans to go to Shujin to ask Dr. Maruki if he could be able to assist next week. The timing is perfect as Ren will be absent this morning to sign the paperwork at a notary with Sakura. 

There’s a pad of notebook paper on his desk, he resists the urge to skim and simply finds and tears out a blank page.

Ren,

I’m terribly sorry I couldn’t stay this morning, as I unfortunately have to stop by the station before school. I just wanted to tell you that I truly enjoyed spending time with you yesterday. Thank you for trusting me. 

You’ll be in my thoughts,

Goro

He folds it in half then he draws a tiny little heart on the page along with Ren’s name to make certain he knows it’s a note for him. He’d hate for there to be a misunderstanding. The heart isn’t an admission of anything, he assures himself. He’s waiting until Ren isn’t in such a vulnerable state. Even a murderer can have a semblance of morals. The paper is placed on top of Ren’s phone so he’s sure to see it.

Stairs creak underfoot as he climbs down them. He doubts it’s enough to wake him, but he rather not chance it. He’s greeted by the sight of both Sakura’s whispering to each other across the counter. When they notice him, Sakura-san gives him a smile, Sakura-chan however doesn’t bother with such pleasantries.

“Akechi-kun, can you drive?” Sakura-chan asks him. Where is this going?

“Futaba, most people start with ‘Good Morning’.” Sakura-san lectures gently. 

“Sorry. Good morning Akechi-kun.” She corrects sheepishly. 

“Good morning to the both of you as well… To answer your question, yes, I have my drivers license.” He says, plastering on a smile when he really just needs to grab some coffee before running all over town introducing himself to lunatic after lunatic in hopes of recruiting the last of Ren’s savants.  

“Cool, go pack your bags. We have a cat to rescue!” She exclaims— though keeps her voice down enough to not wake Ren.

“What happened to Morgana?” A genuine clutch of dread grips him. Ren adores that rotten furball! Where the hell did he—

“Morgana is fine! He’s still asleep in my room.”

“Oh. Then what cat are you talking about?” He asks, weirdly relieved in spite of his general distain for the chatty little thing.

“Ren had a cat back home named Amber. She’s 5 years old, and I just got off the phone with Akira Amamiya…” Sakura-san sighs heavily. “They gave her to the local shelter.”

“Please tell me it was recently.” Goro pleads.

“A week ago.” The man tells him, he looks just as frustrated as Goro feels. 

“Listen. The shelter she was given to opens at 11. They have listings of their cats that are up for adoption on their site, and it currently lists her as still being there.” Sakura-chan turns her laptop around to face him. He’s met with an image of a grungy looking tortoiseshell cat.

“I’m sensing there’s more to this statement?” Goro asks, looking up from the screen. Sakura-chan’s face falls.

“Well. She’s not at a no-kill shelter. A week is usually the ah… limit for adult cats.” She explains.

“Oh. Oh no.”

“SO! I need you to drive me there.” She tells him.

“I’d take her but I can’t close the shop, especially if we don’t want Ren to catch on to anything.” Sakura-san conveys his predicament.

“Okay. How far is it?”

“Three hours,” Sakura-chan laments. “I’d take a train but the nearest station to his little Ho-dunk town is an hour away.”

“Okay. So this is an all day affair. Great.” He checks his watch, if he leaves in 8 minutes he can catch the next train to Shibuya… 

“You can take my car to your place to grab some things, then head out from there. I just filled her up, but I’ll give you money for gas and—”

“I’ll take care of our travel expenses, including board if we end up needing it. I insist.” Goro states. Sakura-san looks surprised, then sizes him up. He nods, probably realizing it’s not worth arguing.

“Well, Sakura-chan? Are you packed?” He asks. She nods.

“Here’s the keys. Try not to wreck her, alright?” He takes the keys and bows to Sakura-san, promising to be careful with his car and daughter.

“I know you will be, kid. Now get going. Futaba already packed up the car.”

“Right. Okay. Wow. Let’s get going then Sakura-chan.” He gulps down more of his coffee and hands his mug to Sojiro, who swaps him with a thermos.

“A little for the road.” He says with a wide smile. 

&

Ren feels like hell. He aches, he needs water, but he also never wants to get up. The alarm going off nearby has other ideas.

He gets that his— they don’t like him. He knows, he’s known . The point is driven home further because it’s the middle of the week right before a school trip that they chose to drop this bomb on him.

It’ll be fine though. He’ll make it work. There was nothing left for him back home anyway, he could  make a life for himself in Tokyo. 

He swings himself out of bed, feeling for his blaring phone. He’s met with paper. With a great deal of effort for the morning he shuts the alarm off and then looks at the folded note. 

Ren <3

Ren unfolds the note and reads through it quickly. Goro said he’s going to be thinking about me!! Ren knows he’s hopeless. It’s so much easier to distract himself with this crush than to face the hurt he’s going through. He’s not unaware that he’s avoiding it, he just doesn’t have the time to deal with it.

The school trip starts in a few days, the last thing he wants is to bring the mood down for everyone. 

He gets ready. Uniform, deodorant, brushing his hair, and all that. Ren tumbles down the stairs, not hiding that he’s exhausted. 

“Hey kid, take your time to eat, still waiting on the mail.” Sojiro greets. “We are gonna get that paperwork notarized and sent off, then I’ll drop you off at school. But I was thinking I could treat you to lunch on the way. Sound good?”

“Is Futaba coming with us?” He asks.

“Just you and me kid.” 

“Okay, are we taking your car then?”

“I forgot to tell you, my car’s in the shop. Borrowing one from a friend for the day.” Sojiro tells him.

“What happened to your car?”

“A bit of an oil leak. Should be fixed in a few days, just bad timing as all.”

“I know how that is.” Ren grumbles.

“Hey, I know it’s not ideal, but it’s better now than right before you were supposed to go back, right? You have time to figure things out.” Sojiro says, in that gentle way that makes Ren’s heart hurt. 

Sojiro is his family. He’s felt that for a while now, even more so since Futaba entered the picture. As much as he wants to, he can’t ask Sojiro to keep looking after him. The man has enough on his plate, and he’s already being so good to him throughout all this. All he can do is swallow his hurt feelings and focus on school then his upcoming trip.

“You’re right. Thanks Sojiro.” He says instead of all the tears he wants to spill. The pitiful part of him that wants to ask if Sojiro loves him like Ren loves Sojiro. No, instead he eats his curry, then goes to brush his teeth. In a few hours he’ll sign the paperwork making him an orphan, then he’ll just continue his day. An ordinary Thursday. 

&

Goro had forgotten how much he dislikes driving. Sakura-chan was quiet, he knows that she is usually very bubbly in the company of friends, but he also knows that they two of them wouldn’t be considered friends. They don’t know each other well, and they both take a while to warm up to people it seems. This is going to be a long trip.

“I’m going to put on some music.” Sakura-chan says, plugging her phone into the car’s aux cord. Blaring through the speakers is the familiar soundtrack of Featherman Neo, a show he’s enjoyed since childhood. He’d never admit to that though. It’s childish, and he doesn’t want to give anyone any reason to think he’s anything less than mature. 

Part of him wants to use that connection to strike up conversation, but he remembers that he rather die than share such personal information about himself. 

So he listens in the quiet, hoping Sakura-chan will do something to spark at least some basic conversation between the two of them. 

At least three songs play before he’s about to resort to commenting on the weather of all things. 

“So uh. You wanna play the 21 questions game?” She asks eventually. 

“You’ll have to explain it to me, I’m afraid I haven’t heard of it.” He admits. It’s probably something that “normal” teenagers do, ones that have actual friends and social lives. Something that he’s frankly skipped with his plot for revenge on his father.

“Oh it’s EASY!” She tells him, “We just ask questions back and forth. It’s called 21 but we normally just play until we’re bored.” Sakura-chan explains.

“What sort of questions? Like trivia?”

“Nah. Things you want to know about someone. It’s an icebreaker. Ren and I played it a few times when we were getting to know each other.” Ah. Seems easy enough he supposes.

“Okay. Do you want to start?” He asks. If they were counting he wonders if this would be the first question by a technicality. 

“Sure. What’s your favorite color?” How mundane. Well, he’s already agreed to this and it beats awkwardly sitting in silence.

“It’s black, what about you?”

“WRONG! You have to ask a different question!” She scolds.

“You didn’t explain that!” He argues, he’s not sure why he feels so defensive over this anyway.

“I am now, so. Different question.” 

“Fine. What’s your favorite food?” He tries.

“Sojiro’s curry, duh.” She says. “What’s your favorite movie?”

“I don’t know if I have a favorite… I just watched Back to the Ninja and really enjoyed it.” He tells her. The movie is about a man who goes back in time to learn ninjutsu to avenge his friend who was slain by a ninja. It’s a ‘cult classic’ apparently but he rarely has time for such things. He only saw it because Ren insisted they watch it together.

“I love that one!” She’s practically vibrating in her seat. “The way they explained the science is so so cool, and the ninjutsu looked awesome!” 

“I thought so too. Really well done, I read that the main actor did his own stunt work.” He tells her. 

“Wow! That’s some dedication!” She seems genuinely impressed by the feat. “Anyway, your turn to ask me a question!” 

Goro thinks for a moment before asking.

"What's the most used emoji on your phone?" Sakura-chan giggles and pulls out her phone to check. 

"If we’re talking standard emoji’s it’s definitely the skull! I use it as a catch all to basically mean ‘I’m dead’.” She tells him casually. “But with kaomoji it’s one of the table flipping ones.” She shrugs. He might need to look into Kaomoji because flipping tables would be a very good way to express his feelings sometimes. Ren might think it’s funny.

“So. Are you fucking my soon-to-be brother?” She asks. Goro nearly chokes on his own spit at Sakura-chan's blunt question. He coughs, desperately trying to regain his composure. 

"W-What? No! Absolutely not!" He stammers, his cheeks burn, he takes a quick look in the rearview mirror to catch a glimpse of himself, and sure enough he’s bright red. Sakura-chan bursts into laughter, clutching her stomach. 

"Oh my god, your face!" She exclaims between ragged breaths. Goro's embarrassment quickly turns into annoyance.

"That’s not funny, Sakura-chan," he grumbles, gripping his hands tighter to the wheel. She finally manages to calm down, sputtering out a half formed apology.

"You fluster way too easily." she says, still chuckling. "But seriously, are you two dating?" Goro sighs, his annoyance dissipating. 

"No, we're not dating," he admits, a hint of disappointment in his voice despite his best effort. "We're just... close friends, I suppose." Sakura-chan raises an eyebrow, a mischievous glint in her eyes. 

"Just friends, huh?“ She reiterates. He’s not sure what to make of the question. Does she know about Ren’s crush on him? Is she trying to find out if he likes Ren back like the world's most incompetent wing-woman?

“We’ve been spending more time together recently. A few times a week usually. He’s very good company, but I’m sure you know that, you’re about to be his sister after all.” Goro says, trying to lightly divert the conversation.

“He’s told me that Sakamoto-kun, and Niijima-chan don’t like me all that much, so he avoids talking about me to your group. He said it’s because he doesn’t like to hear them bad-mouth me, but I do wonder if there is another reason…” He trails off, not even sure why he said all this. Sakura-chan looks thoughtful for a moment before responding. 

"Well, he’s not lying, Ryuji and Makoto don’t like you, but especially Ryuji. They’ve used some pretty choice insults.” She frowns slightly. “But, I'm sure if they knew what you're doing for Ren right now, they would change their minds. They just don’t know that you actually care about him."

Goro's eyebrows furrow in concern. "What kind of things have they said?" Sakura-chan hesitates for a moment before answering. 

"Ryuji can be pretty blunt, and he doesn't think before he speaks. If he ever thinks at all. I think Makoto might just be jealous of you. She mostly just makes jabs at you if you’re brought up for whatever reason." She tells him. “I’m not repeating anything, it’ll just make things worse.” He nods, she’s right about that. He had known that Sakamoto and Niijima might not have the best opinion of him, but hearing it confirmed still stings.

“Well, I can’t change their opinion of me,” He tries to sound nonchalant. “All I can do is be a good friend to Ren and hope everything falls into place, no?” She nods and sits back, a moment passes.

“It’s your turn to ask a question.” She says. They pick up the game as though nothing ever occurred.

&

Goro has to double take when he sees the ‘Welcome to Inaba” sign. Time passed more quickly than he’d imagined. Sakura-chan makes for decent company, he wonders if they could have been friends had he not killed her mother. Though he supposes she’ll never need to know that little detail.

“Thank God.” Sakura-chan groans seeing the sign as well. “The shelter opens in 56 minutes.” She tells him. “That’s enough time to get food before we rescue Amber.” Now that he thinks about, he is rather hungry. 

He idly wonders that if Sakura hadn’t been here to say anything, he’d have accidentally forgotten food the whole day. It’s a bad habit from his youth that worsens with stress. 

“Alright, let’s find someplace then.” It doesn’t take long to find the center of town, a little street home to local businesses. The shelter is about a block from here according to his GPS. There is parking on a side road nearby, so he pulls into the small lot.

He glances to Sakura, she’s typing on her phone— that’s fairly typical, he’s gathered.

“There’s a Chinese diner nearby and a… meat on a stick vendor? Isn’t that a kabob? Technically there’s a shopping center with a food court but that sounds lame.” She tells him. 

“The Chinese diner sounds good. Lead the way, Sakura-chan.” Goro makes sure to lock the car before they set off. It’s not terribly far. 

The two of them walk side by side, Sakura-chan leading the way with her phone in hand, occasionally glancing up to make sure they're heading in the right direction. Goro takes in the sights of the small town, which honestly isn’t much. This place is a dump. He notices a few quaint shops— a textile shop, a general store, and a blacksmith for some reason. It's a far cry from the bustling city he's used to, he wonders if Ren ever misses it here, or if he’d wanted to leave one day anyway.

The Chinese diner, Aiya, features antiquated decor in the same way Leblanc does, if not more tacky. A mouthwatering aroma of garlic, ginger and something vaguely sweet fills the air in the small diner. They're greeted by an older man from the kitchen who tells them to sit ‘wherever’. Goro takes a seat at the bar and Sakura sits beside him.

Sakura-chan is quick to order the Mapo Tofu, Goro likes a bit of spice but he’s not brave enough for that. He takes the special, the ‘Steak Bowl’ which apparently is a nod to the town’s local dish, grilled steak. The man behind the counter— the owner apparently— starts preparing it. 

“With a town this small, it almost makes me want to ask if anyone knows him.” Sakura says softly. 

“Has he ever mentioned friends from here?” Goro asks.

“Not really. He said he had a girlfriend once but they broke up a few months before his probation.” Well he must not have been a complete social pariah before, though from what he’d told Goro over dinner last night he can’t imagine he’d have many connections.

“A part of me wants to find where those bastards live and give them a piece of my mind.” He grumbles. Sakura-chan looks at him wide eyed. Ah fuck.

“That was hardly polite of me, I apologize.” He says, hoping that’s enough to cover it. 

The man behind the counter hands them both their orders, it smells incredible. They both thank the man graciously.

“Dude, you don’t have to be a TV personality in front of me.” She scolds.

“Of course, whatever you say.” He teases gently. The plating of the bowls looks really nice, surprisingly… Maybe he should take a picture for his blog. “Sakura-chan, would you like to take a picture with me? You know, to commemorate our trip?” He lies. A wicked grin crosses her face.

“I’d love to, but you don’t have to lie if it’s for your food blog Akechi-kun.” She tells him ever-so-sweetly. He feels himself pale slightly. “Don’t ask how I know about it, I just know.”

“Fine. Yes, it’s for that. Would you like to or not?” He says more snippy than he’d usually put it but she doesn’t seem to care.

“I’m pretty good at taking pictures, we can do the selfie and I can get a ‘candid’ pic of you eating too.” She offers. He agrees and they take a, frankly very cute, selfie together. Sakura does a peace sign, and Goro does a finger heart, his fans absolutely love that. 

Sakura takes his phone and gets a really great shot of him eating his first bite. He doesn’t normally go for those types of pictures, he worries he’ll look odd or ugly in them. She got a nice angle, and made sure he was pushing back his hair behind his ear to get a clear shot of his face. Despite the planning it truly looks candid. 

After the impromptu photo shoot, they dig in. It’s really good. Well seasoned and perfectly prepared. The two of them chat while they eat, Sakura plows through hers as though it’s not at all spicy. 

“Ya know? You’re right that we should make our feelings known to the Amamiya’s. We should go egg their house.” She says, and she doesn’t appear to be joking about either statement.

“Take it down a notch. We shouldn’t do something so outwardly illegal. I have a better idea, let’s hope the general store has what we need.” He pulls out his phone and types his idea out to Sakura-chan. She barks out a laugh.

“That’s evil! I love it!” She pats him on the shoulder, “You might be a cop but you’re a pretty cool dude.” 

“I’m not a cop, I’m a private detective that is occasionally hired by the police.” He corrects.

“Sure, sure whatever helps you sleep at night.” 

“Finish your food, we’ll go to the general store, get the cat, enact the plan, then drive back to Tokyo.”

“The Amamiya’s will never know what hit ‘em.”

“Did I hear something about the Amamiya’s?” Well fuck. Sakura and Goro turn around to find a young woman, in her early twenties and a traditional looking kimono. 

“Are you a friend of their son? How is he doing?” She asks, a little overly eager. He takes a quick glance to Sakura who nods before he speaks.

“He’s been better. We came here from Tokyo to collect his cat, which apparently was given to a shelter before his parents even sent the paperwork for his legal abandonment.” Goro answers flatly. The woman lets out a small gasp.

“They’re disowning Amamiya-kun? Just like that?” She asks. “He’s such a good kid though. He used to work at my family’s inn. Such a sweetheart. I can’t believe…” She shakes her head. “No, I can believe it. I’ve always disliked his parents. Very rude to service staff, that tells you a lot about a person you know.” She says to them.

“I wish you luck getting his cat back. And, if for any reason you need it…” She pulls a notebook out from her purse, and scribbles something down. “This is the address for the Amamiya residence. Perhaps he left something behind?” She gives them a too-wide grin. “You didn’t get this from me, and I’ve never seen the two of you. Have a wonderful day.” The woman says before hurriedly leaving the diner.

“I think that’s the very definition of Chaotic Neutral.” Sakura-chan says, watching her walk down the road from the door. Goro thinks she’s more elegant than that. 

“Anyway, let’s head to the general store then to the shelter.” Goro grabs his briefcase and gets out his face mask and a hair tie. He pays for both of their meals then ties his hair up.

“What are you doing?” She asks him.

“Hoping this is enough for me to not be recognized.” He answers while pulling up his face covering. Sakura leads them to the general store down the way. The woman inside is a homely sort of lady, though friendly.

“I’ll find the starch and water if you get the…” She trails off, her cheeks slightly pink. He nods, he figured he’d be doing it anyway.

“Don’t forget cat food and some litter.” He reminds her. Sakura gives him a salute and marches off.

Strolling through the medication aisle he finds what he’s looking for: condoms. He opts for a large box of fairly cheap ones. The two of them meet at the counter and Sakura immediately sputters.

“Why do they sell that many in a pack?” She whispers to him.

“It’s 36, that’s not that many in the grand scheme of things. For an average couple it’s probably a two month supply.” He tells her and her blush deepens. What he doesn’t say is that this probably would have lasted his mother a week, provided she could get her hands on any at all. He shakes the thought away while he and Sakura place items on the counter to pay.

“Find everything you were looking for?” The store owner asks. He nods, but she looks him up and down, then speaks again.

“Ya know, if you mix in some lube it makes it more realistic. A tip from my glory days.” She winks and Goro feels his own face flush. She grabs a new bottle from under the counter, he nods and she adds it to the bag. He pays and thanks her. 

“Everyone in this town is insane.” Sakura says when they leave. He can only nod. They head back to the car and while Sakura sets up the backseat for Amber, Goro sets to work on their prank— though he wonders if Sakura-chan will even touch the condoms at this rate.

He pours about half the water out of one bottle and adds some of the lube and a bunch of cornstarch. He shakes it up and… yuck. It does look a little too much like…

“You’re a guy, is it accurate? I’ve never seen any IRL.” Sakura-chan says from behind him. 

“What happened to being shy about this?” He asks, she just shrugs. 

“I’m over it, so accurate or not?” She asks again. 

“I think so? Not like I’ve experienced all that much in my life either.” She raises an eyebrow at him.

“Whatever you say. So we just fill these” She picks up the box of condoms, “with the bottle of… liquid, tie them off and throw them in the lawn?” 

“That’s the idea. We should take pictures too, in case Ren wants to see eventually.” She nods.

“Cool. How do I open these?” She asks, and… Oh. He’s never done this either.

“We don’t have scissors do we?” She shakes her head. He grips a packet with his teeth and tears it open. It’s slicker than he’d imagined it would be, but not like, wet. He feels odd that his first experience with this is in a car in broad daylight with a girl. 

Sakura holds out two fingers to him and braces herself. “Unroll it on me.” She says. He barks out a laugh.

“This might be the dumbest thing I’ve ever done.” He says as he pushes the condom over her fingers to unfurl it. It slides off of her easily enough. She holds it open and he pours the water mixture inside. Goro ties it off and hands it to Sakura-chan.

“Wow! This is gross!” She exclaims excitedly. “We should make a tiktok of us making one.”

“I’ll film this time because I cannot risk being associated with this.” He responds. They film making a few together, and he sends Sakura the footage. They make quick work of the rest, filling the paper grocery bag with ‘used’ condoms. He collects all the wrappers and the box and disposes of them in a nearby trash can. 

“The shelter is about to open, let’s head over.” Sakura calls to him. Goro takes off his coat and drapes it over the bag. It’s cold, but he rather hide the evidence of their idiocy. He and Sakura round the corner and walk to the shelter.

Inaba Animal Rescue Center is a small building, not even as big as Leblanc, he thinks. 

The sign outside indicates that they open at 11:00 am, and they arrive just a few minutes before. Goro can feel his heart pounding with anticipation as they enter the shelter.

Inside, they are greeted by a young, short woman, who introduces herself as Matsunaga-san, the shelter manager. She has a kind smile and a gentle demeanor that reminds Goro a little of Ren in a way. 

“Hey, we’re looking for a cat, a specific cat actually. My brother’s cat, it’s kind of complicated.” Sakura-chan tries to explain.

“I understand this shelter has to put down animals that aren’t adopted, have any cats…” He trails off but she responds anyway.

“It wasn’t an elderly tuxedo was it?” She asks worriedly. He shakes his head and she breathes a sigh of relief. Matsunaga-san gestures for them to follow her and leads them to a room filled with various cats. 

“We have two on the docket today, but luckily another shelter a few miles from here was going to come and collect them. Both are still here.” She explains and gestures to two cats in cages on the far wall. Sakura-chan makes a high pitched noise and launches herself toward one cage.

“That’s her, that's Amber!” Amber, as it were, is curled up in a cozy bed, her eyes closed as she naps peacefully. 

“I’m so glad you came today, then! It would have been hard to track her down otherwise.” Matsunaga-san tells them. “I take it you’ll be adopting her then? One of you is twenty, correct?” 

Sakura-chan nods and Matsunaga-san leaves to gather the necessary paperwork. Goro and Sakura-chan exchange nervous glances. 

“Sakura-chan. I’m not twenty.” He whispers. “Should we call Sakura-san?” She shakes her head.

“Just play along, and for the love of God call me Futaba.” She chastises. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a wallet, she pulls out an ID and hands it to Goro. It reads Futaba Isshiki, and lists her as 21 years old.

“Where did you get this?” He whispers harshly. “This is illegal, why would you show me this?” 

“Don’t ask questions you don’t want answers to.” She tells him plainly. Matsunaga-san returns, quickly checks Futaba’s ID and hands her the paperwork. Goro gives Matsunaga-san his card to pay for the adoption fees, and just like that, he and Futaba own a cat.

A short while later, Goro carefully carries Amber in a carrier provided by the shelter to Sakura-san’s car. Futaba walks beside him, her smile radiant.

“Well, it worked. One more stop before we head back.” She tells him. He decides to just keep his mouth shut for now. The drive to the address the woman gave them isn’t far at all.

The house is nestled in a well-maintained neighborhood in a quiet suburb. It is a two-story structure with a sloping tiled roof and a clean, minimalist design. It looks moderately expensive, definitely like there is some sort of homeowners association. 

It’s not hard to imagine Ren having lived here once.

“Film me throwing a couple of them!” Futaba tells him while she climbs out of the car. She tosses him her phone, which he thankfully catches. He hands her a spare face mask, which she accepts readily.

The paper bag is set on the sidewalk for ease of access. Goro starts filming, and Futaba addresses the camera.

“These horrible adults abandon their teenage son. If they didn’t want kids, they shouldn’t have had any. I’m here to show them how to prevent future children.” She picks up a condom balloon and holds it up to the camera. “Let’s practice safe sex.” She says before launching the condom at the front door. It bounces off before exploding in a gross slop on their front porch.

Goro watches as Futaba grabs a handful of the "used" condoms from the paper bag. She takes a few steps toward the front yard of the Amamiya residence, her mischievous laugh getting louder. With a swift motion, she hurls the condoms onto the neatly trimmed lawn, one by one. 

Goro can't help but chuckle at the absurdity of the situation, even as he feels a tinge of guilt for coming up with such a juvenile prank.

“Dude, you gotta throw a couple too.” She hands him one and takes the camera, she’s pointing it at the lawn and not him, which he’s grateful for. Goro leans down and grabs one of the balloons and chucks it at an upper window, somewhere that cleaning will be annoying. It bursts open and the condom gets stuck on a shutter.

The two of them can’t contain their laughter. 

“Let’s get one on the roof!” She challenges. He and Futaba take turns crying to get one to stick on the roof, it only takes a couple of tries for him to get it. 

Once they've exhausted their supply of "evidence," Futaba dusts off her hands and turns to Goro, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Mission accomplished," she declares triumphantly.

The exterior of the house is now adorned with the aftermath of their prank. The front porch is splattered with the remnants of the exploded condoms, creating an unsightly mess. The neatly trimmed lawn is now littered with the used condoms. There’s a split condom stretched on a pretentious looking lawn statue. As Goro and Futaba stand back, admiring their handiwork, they can't help but burst into laughter once again. 

“The Amamiya’s will be in for a surprise when they come home and discover our rather unconventional decorations.” Goro muses. Futaba chokes on her laughter. 

“Best. Prank. EVER.” She puts up her hand for a high-five, and though he hesitates for a moment, he returns it. It’s not as strange as he had imagined it would be.

“Let’s head back.” He tells her. 

They load themselves into the car, and they’re on their way. Somehow the drive back is shorter, at least it seems that way. And oddly enough, it ends with him and Futaba exchanging phone numbers. 

“See ya tomorrow, Goro-chan!” She says, clutching Amber to her chest.

“See ya.”

Chapter Text

The cafe is bustling with life as construction begins its headway. Surprisingly to Goro, Ohya is leading a lot of it. 

“I worked in construction for a few years. I’m pretty handy.” She says with a wink and elbow nudge. He chooses to not allow even a small smile grace his lips, which she seems to find all that much more amusing.

Iwai-san laid out the plans earlier, ones he and Sakura-san had decided on. They’re adding drywall, framing the window and replacing it with one that actually has insulation. The top of the stairs will be walled off, adding a door with a lock. The floor is being restored, not replaced, aside from a few boards that really need it. Most surprising to Goro at least is that Sakura is adding a bathroom, one with a standing shower. If Ren ever moves out Sakura could rent this to perhaps a college student one day. Knowing the man, it doesn’t seem unlikely he’d only charge a couple hours of working in the cafe as rent.

“This looks expensive,” Karou-san whispers. Goro thinks he might be the only one who notices until he sees the young boy— Oda-san— next to him nod. It does seem quite expensive, but from the research he’s done on Sakura, he’s hiding quite a bit of wealth. 

“Product will be arriving soon, I got a guy bringing in near everything we need. All hands on deck to unload. Everyone aside from Akechi-kun that is.” He looks to Iwai-san, a silent question of ‘why not?’ formed in the space.

“Listen. We all know Ren’s uh… a teenage boy. You’re going up there to make sure there isn’t anything he wouldn’t want anyone else seeing up there. You catching my drift?” Ah. He’s looking for pornography.

“Futaba!” Morgana calls from somewhere on the stairs. “We can’t allow him to go up there alone . Akechi could find evidence showing that we’re the Phantom Thieves.” If only Morgana knew he was being as bad as Sakamoto-kun at this moment.

“Oh, that’s right. Morgana is upstairs isn’t he? Futaba, would you accompany me so we can collect him? He sounds quite distressed and I’m not sure Morgana likes me very much.” Goro feigns modesty in this moment. He’s willing to show a little goodwill now. She nods silently as the others go to wait for the truck outside. 

Once they are both on the landing he turns to her, “Futaba, you understand that I am a detective, correct?” She nods. “And you understand that Ren is on probation, yes?” She nods once again, confusion knitting her brow. “So, while looking for what Iwai-san is implying I look for, if I were to accidentally stumble across something… illegal… I have a responsibility to report it to his probation officer. You understand that, don’t you?” Futaba looks more nervous than before. He needs to be a little more clear. 

“However, if I were to say, turn around and look very carefully at this poster of… Risette for instance, and someone perhaps gathered any stray evidence, I would be none the wiser.” Her eyes light up, she looks to Morgana subtly and he nods. 

“Yeah, that poster does look pretty suspicious, Goro-chan. You should check it out.” She says. A terrible actress, but he truly needn’t be fooled. He wants to assist in this way. 

“Okay, let Akechi handle the stuff under the futon, Ren won’t let me near it so it’s gotta be what Iwai thinks is up here.” Morgana says. Helpful. It’s where he’d hide it if he lived in this attic anyway.

Morgana directs Futaba to a few areas. Getting lock picks, stray calling cards, and the like. Morgana is pretty sure they got it all, so Sakura speaks up.

“Um. Thanks for… investigating the poster. I think you should look elsewhere now. Maybe under the bed?” She suggests somewhat breathlessly. “I’m going to take Morgana home and come back.”

“Of course… Should I find anything… Where should I um… Put it?” He asks, a little sheepishly. Her eyes go wide and she looks around for a moment before her eyes land on a small box.

“In here, then in the storage closet downstairs. Just tell Sojiro to not touch it and we should be good.” She says, handing him the empty box. He nods. 

“Thank you for your assistance, Futaba-chan. You as well, Morgana-chan, you served as quite the good excuse.” He smiles at the two of them. Futaba beams back, it’s quite sweet. She takes Morgana downstairs and Akechi moves toward the bed. Though he can hear them whisper on the stairs.

“Why did he do that? Does he know?” Morgana asks.

“It seems like it. But he didn’t want to come across any evidence proving it. Maybe he’s trying to help us?” Futaba asks, she sounds hopeful.

“Why not say so then?”

“Maybe we will find out soon. For now, I’m taking you back home so you’re out of the way. Keep an eye on Amber. Try to be friendly.” She asks of Morgana.

“But she’s a real cat.” He complains. “We don’t have anything in common.”

“Well, she’s friends with Ren, so that’s a start.” Goro hears them walking out of the store now, and waits until he hears the jingle of the bell. 

The futon is easy to lift off and move. Between the milk crates is a small box, not dissimilar to the one he’s holding. Inside said box is a myriad of things. Lube for one, not well used. A small vibrator, he thinks anyway. Barely the size of his index finger. Most damning of course is a magazine. Not one of pornographic nature, however. 

It’s a teen magazine, Lion Pop, it’s fairly popular. This issue, he had heard, sold incredibly well. This is because he’s the featured celebrity. He posed for a plethora of photographs. A few were of him in a fully unbuttoned shirt, which was rather salacious, considering his goodie-two-shoes reputation. The sales numbers set a record for the company. He already agreed to a new feature a few months from now— fully shirtless. 

Since Ren seems so fond of this issue, perhaps he can ask him to accompany Goro to the next photo shoot. Let him drool over his form in person. Going as far to sign a copy of the finished magazine… 

He’s getting carried away by these fantasies. He needs to pack this away and hide it to preserve Ren’s dignity. He’d likely be mortified to know Goro of all people found this, but not much can be done now. Would he have rather Futaba found it?

He comes back downstairs soon after with the box labeled “Do not touch: Ren’s Private Belongings” as well as having taped it shut before tucking it away in the broom closet. Futaba-chan is taking inventory of the unloaded truck it seems. When he steps outside, Iwai-san gives him a meaningful look. He nods in response, and Iwai gives him a thumbs up. 

Once Futaba confirms that the truck has delivered all of the materials, she hands the clipboard to Ohya-san, who speaks up.

“Alright, plan is that for the next hour we will all be gathering the items in the attic and clearing them out. The truck will be here until Tuesday so we can load everything in there so it’s off the street.” She tells them. “From there, Iwai-san, Akechi-kun and I will start the framing. Lala-chan and Maruki-san will assist in the drywalling process.” She explains. Iwai-san takes over for her.

“Oda-kun and Karou-kun will assemble the night stands to start. Make sure to actually read the instructions boys.”Ohya scolds playfully.

“What about me?” Futaba asks.

“You, Yoshida-san, and Mifune-san will be assembling the two desks.” Iwai answers.

“Hey! You didn’t give me a job to do!” Sakura-san chastises without any heat behind it.

“Oh sorry Sojiro, you’re also hanging drywall in a bit. Sound like something you can handle?” Iwai teases. They’re on a first name basis? Didn’t they just meet? 

“We’ll take lunch around one, then jump into painting and refinishing the floor. Takemi-san will be able to join us then.” Ohya says. “The teens and uh… Oda-kun are going to go shopping for decorations after we set up.” Oda rolls his eyes but doesn’t say anything to the comment.

“Akechi-kun, I’ll leave you in charge of final decisions, just try not to spend over 300,000 yen, okay?” Sakura-san says. That’s a damn good budget. “I already bought the new mattress, it’s a queen, it will be here by 3 today.”

“You can count on us, Sojiro!” Futaba says, she lightly punches Goro in the arm. It’s a little strange but he knows she means well.

All too quickly he finds himself in a bare attic. He’s more underdressed than he’s been in years, he realizes belatedly. Not that anyone else is anything but casual now either. It’s just a strange feeling to be in a T-shirt and jeans outside his home. 

Goro isn’t sure why he was chosen to be on the framing team. Maybe because he’s one of the more spry people here. Iwai and Ohya actually know what they’re doing though, Goro is wholly inexperienced in this.

Iwai, a seasoned craftsman with a rugged appearance, holds a measuring tape in his hand, carefully marking the dimensions on a piece of wood. Goro observes him with a critical eye, trying to make up for his lack of knowledge by goading some out of his partner.

"You sure you know what you're doing, Iwai?" Goro asks, a hint of skepticism in his voice. "Framing requires precision, and I'm not sure if your rough-and-tumble style will cut it." He teases.

Iwai shoots him a wry smile, his hands steady as he marks another piece. "Don't underestimate me, Akechi-kun. What do you think Ohya-san?” She looks over to where Iwai is marking and gives a thumbs up, then she goes back to helping Oda and Kaoru setting up their project.

“Kid, I’ll tell ya what my old boss used to tell me. We’re putting up drywall, not building a piano.” Iwai tells him. Goro feels himself wrinkle his nose, an expression he thought he’d long since suppressed. Iwai claps him on the shoulder with a laugh.

“It just means it don’t gotta be perfect. Just follow what Ohya-san and I are doing and you’ll be fine.” Iwai-san assures him.

It is, surprisingly, easier than he anticipated. A little more force is required to fit pieces together than he thought there would be. Pieces all fit together very snugly, and it seems sturdy. 

All too soon Goro finds he is paired up with Maruki-san to start hanging pieces of drywall.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Akechi-kun. Ren talks about you often.” Maruki greets. He hadn’t paid much attention to the older man before this moment. He’s a little taller than Goro is, dark, wavy hair. Far more kempt than Ren’s mop. He also sports glasses, but he lacks a spine it seems. 

That’s probably quite rude of Goro to think, however the man before him looks like he would grovel at the feet of even Oda-kun if the boy took a stern voice to him. It’s embarrassing, frankly. This man is Ren’s guidance counselor? Did Ren speak to him about his parents?  

“Ah yes, Maruki-san. Ren has spoken highly of you.” Goro lies. He can’t recall more than a passing mention of Maruki from Ren. However, he finds that flattery gets you everywhere. 

“Is that right? He’s very sweet, isn’t he?” Maruki looks near blushing from such a vague compliment. He’s truly quite pathetic isn’t he?

“I’d like to think so, yes.” Goro says, affection dripping from his lips. “Ren tells me that he is assisting you in research, yes?” This is more inference than anything. He knows Ren assists Takemi, so it’s likely he does the same of Maruki. Without much surprise, Maruki nods.

“He does, he’s been quite helpful in fact. I dabble a little in cognitive pscience, you know.” He tells Goro. Unfortunately for Maruki, that causes both of the Sakura’s to drop their tools. Goro is barely holding his, and Ohya-san isn’t much better.

“Maruki-san, was it? I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” Sakura-san says. No nonsense in his voice. Goro expected a negative reaction, but kicking him out completely wasn’t something he had considered. 

“I’m sorry? Did I offend you in some way?” Maruki asks, turning to face the man.

“I don’t take kindly to people digging their nose where it doesn’t belong. If I find out you’ve been using Ren to get close to Futaba—”

“Sojiro!” Futaba speaks up. “He’s fine. It's fine.” She assures him.

“Futaba—” She puts her hands on her hips, she’s also no nonsense. Like father like daughter, he supposes.

“If I may…” Goro steps in, metaphorically anyway, as he feels glued to the spot he’s in. “Maruki-san, you say you dabble in the subject? What exactly is your research?” He asks. Maruki may be a target that Shido would be very interested in. 

“Oh! Just… how it can relate to lucid dreaming.” Both Sakura’s visibly let out a sigh of relief. Goro doesn’t follow suit. He knows Maruki is lying. He doesn’t know why the man is lying, but the fact that he is, is obvious. His hands are clenching and unclenching, a slight tremor caresses his shoulders… He’s terrified of being found out. By whom? Does he know who Goro is? Perhaps who Futaba is?

“I am sorry for my judgment then, Maruki-san. I understand if you want to leave now, but you’re welcome to stay.” Sakura-san says, a gruff apology but sincere.

“Thank you, Sakura-san. I do want to help see this through.” He says with a stiff smile. The air is still somewhat tense but the rhythm of work returns. Small conversations are held nearby. Ohya and Lala are gossiping about some customers from her bar. Yoshida-san is talking to Futaba about ways to possibly come out of her shell more, Mifune-san seems enraptured by it as well. 

Particularly, he notices that Sakura-san and Iwai-san are quite close. Goro strains to hear them, curiosity getting the better of him.

“Sojiro, you’re just looking out for your kids. I’m sure Maruki-san understands. That cognitive whatever isn’t something people just talk about, right?”

“It’s not. I hadn’t heard it since Wakaba died.” Sakura says. 

“That’s Futaba-chan’s mother, yeah?” Sakura nods. “Tell it to me straight, Sojiro, you were close to Wakaba?” Iwai asks, something about it feels… vulnerable.

“We were. Not together if that’s what you mean. She rejected me at every turn.” Sakura laughs, Iwai returns with an easy smile. “Probably for the best. I don’t know if I was ever meant to be in love like that.” Sakura admits waving it off. It puts an ache in Goro’s chest. One he’s familiar with, but not one he’s ever felt in sympathy before. 

“Don’t say that, Sojiro. It’s never too late to find someone. A handsome guy like you? I bet the ladies are crawling all over you.” Iwai teases. That’s when it hits Goro. 

Iwai is flirting with Sakura-san. 

Well, he hadn’t expected it, but if it works out Ren gets another sibling and another dad, so he can’t really complain. 

“Akechi-kun, since you’re so close to Ren I was hoping I could ask your opinion on something?” Maruki asks hesitantly, eyeing Sakura-san.

“What would you like to know?”

“How to put it…” He starts, as lost in thought as one can be while still hanging drywall. “You know how everyone has an internal reality? Some conception of themselves they're striving for?” He isn’t sure he likes where this is headed already, but sure, why not?

“Yes, I can see that. I, myself, struggle with my internal concept of myself as compared to my external reception…” He says casually. “Try as I may, I can never truly be the cute and charming detective prince the media portrays me as.”

“I can see how being in the limelight may affect that, yes.” Maruki admires. “So that idealized reality and the one in actuality are often far apart. For most people anyway. That gap is responsible for a lot of people's pain. Does it ever hurt to know you can’t achieve your ideals?” He asks. What an odd line of questioning.

“It can be frustrating at times, of course, but my ideals aren’t strictly bound by other people’s expectations of me.” He answers. Goro can see the curiosity in Maruki's eyes, as if he's searching for something deeper. He can't help but wonder if Maruki suspects something, if he knows the truth about the Phantom Thieves. But he brushes off those thoughts for now, choosing instead to focus on the conversation at hand.

"I think it's important to have goals and ideals, even if they may seem unattainable," Goro says, carefully choosing his words. "It gives us something to strive for, something to work towards. And even if we don't achieve them exactly as we envision, the journey itself can still bring fulfillment."

Maruki nods, his expression thoughtful. "That's an interesting way to look at it, Akechi-kun. Allowing the process of trying to become our ideal selves lead to self-discovery. A balance between accepting who we are and pushing ourselves to be better." Hm. There’s something about Maruki that rubs Goro the wrong way. He can’t put his finger on what it is exactly though. 

Maybe it’s because he, like Goro, portrays himself like an open book. Though Maruki seems quite closed off. He lied about his research earlier too… He pushes it aside. Maruki isn’t important in the grand scheme of things, he’s just a school therapist.

As they continue working, Goro can't help but overhear snippets of conversations around him. Ohya and Lala are still gossiping, this time about some scandal involving a CEO. Mifune-san and Futaba are engaged in a deep conversation about fortune telling. Oda and Kaoru are talking about their favorite arcade games. Iwai and Sakura-san are sharing a quiet moment, their voices too low for him to hear.

Goro can't deny the slight pang of jealousy that stirs within him. He's always been on the outside looking in, never truly belonging. Seeing the genuine connection between these people, the camaraderie born from just caring about Ren… It's a stark contrast to the isolation he's grown accustomed to, and for a brief moment, he allows himself to imagine what it would be like to keep this. To change his goals, to— He can't afford to get caught up in personal desires or distractions. 

And so, he focuses on the task at hand, working diligently alongside Maruki. It’s not much longer until they’ve finished. Only 4 hours have passed since they began; they’re already wrapping up for lunch. The nightstands and desks are being tucked into the corner, they’ll have to do shifting around a few times, but they needed to get done at some point he supposes.

Goro wipes the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand, the progress they’ve made so far is satisfying. It already looks like a room now, and not just an attic. Lunchtime couldn't come soon enough, and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and curry fills the air as everyone starts to gather downstairs.

Sakura-san stands at the counter, a warm smile on his face as he hands out plates of food to each person. Goro grabs a plate and joins the others at one of the tables, he’s seated with Futaba, Lala-chan and Yoshida-san. 

“Akechi-kun! We hadn’t gotten a chance to speak since the other night when you asked me to join this project. It’s coming together nicely, isn’t it?” Goro nods, he is wary of politicians. Even though Yoshida-san seems nice, he can’t help his nerves. He’s seen Shido, and the politicians he associates himself with. Ruthless, vile men.

“Do you have any idea what sort of decorations you’re going to pick out?” Lala-chan asks. He’s thankful for it.

“I think Ren will like a classic look. I’ve seen him grimace at modern decor, so we’ll try to avoid that.” He says lightly. He does feel out of his depth doing this. He hasn’t even decorated his own apartment outside of basic furnishing. He’s hoping he can rely on the others to pick most of it while he handles the budget.

“Country boy through and through.” Lala responds sweetly. Conversation is pleasant. He does his best to keep up. But amidst the laughter and chatter, Goro's mind wanders back to Maruki's earlier question. The concept of striving for an ideal self, of finding a balance between accepting who you are and pushing yourself to be better… He finds himself pushing to be better all the time. When will he be good enough?

The detective prince is simply a means to an end. He’s always told himself as much. It isn’t who he is. But isn’t it? Is there a part of him that genuinely wants to be seen as that charming, charismatic figure? Someone kind, thoughtful, someone Ren can love and be loved by? That’s who Ren fell for, even with a few slip ups.

Goro pushes those thoughts aside for now, focusing on the present moment. He doesn't need to have all the answers right now. Perhaps, just being a part of this group, even if only for a short while, is enough. A taste at what he might have some day when he finally succeeds. 

He won’t have Ren though. 

“You look down, Akechi-kun, is there something on your mind?” Yoshida asks gently. Goro shakes his head.

“I suppose I just miss Ren a little.” He admits.

“That’s sweet. I’m sure he misses you too.” Lala says.

Soon enough, lunch is over. He, Futaba, Kaoru, and Oda are headed out the door to Shibuya. Goro has to drive again considering how much they plan to bring back.

“Futaba, Ren tells me you get nervous in crowds sometimes. Would it be helpful to bring Morgana with you?” He asks. While he does find the cat to be obnoxious, he likely has good insight into what Ren might like. That and maybe making him feel included might make Morgana like him more in the long run.

“That’s a good idea. Thanks Goro-chan. I’ll go get him.” She says. Not a minute later she’s back and the five of them are packed into the car.

“So Prince-sama. What are your intentions with Ren?” Oda says once they start driving. Goro catches the boy's eye from the rearview mirror.

“Akechi-kun is fine, Oda-san.” He responds. Futaba cackles quietly in the passenger seat.

“Hey! I’m serious!” The boy pouts.

“You’re certainly direct.” Goro grumbles. “I plan to ask him on a date soon. Just not… right away.” He answers.

“Great, I’m gonna have to listen to him about his stupid crush on you until the end of time.” Oda groans, crossing his arms and settling back against the seat.

“Is he really that bad?” Goro asks.

“Yes!” The two boys, and Morgana chime in, nearly in unison.

“Why does it seem that even Morgana agreed?” He asks with a faux playfulness.

“Akechi-kun is so smart! I love when he talks to me like I’m the dumbest idiot alive!” Oda mocks. 

“I don’t do that!” Goro defends himself. “Ren is plenty intelligent.” They’re nearly to Shibuya, hopefully parking and getting out of the car will end this conversation before he embarrasses himself further.

“I think you should ask him out when he gets back. Like, stay over in his new room with him and tell him how you feel.” Kaoru suggests.

“Is now really the best time? He’s dealing with this whole family situation. I don’t want to put too much on him at once.” Goro says. God forbid he accidentally outshines Sakura-san adopting Ren. 

“I think you’re right. Maybe wait a day or two.” Futaba suggests. “But not too long. You’d be surprised how many people are barking up that tree, he told me it’s hard letting them all down.” She adds.

“Really?” He has to force himself to loosen his grip on the steering wheel. “Do tell.”

“What are you, a cop?” She throws her head back in laughter. He sighs with irritation, trying to let it out discreetly. “But seriously, telling you who isn’t a good move when you’re clearly the jealous type.”

“I’m not jealous.” He says as he unclenches his jaw. 

“And they let this dude on TV.” Oda-kun pipes up from the back. No sooner do they arrive in Shibuya, thankfully ending this humiliating conversation. 

They have a lot to shop for, but he’s sure they can stay under budget and get everything they need. He also hopes he doesn’t regret having Morgana tag along.

Goro sends a quick text after he locks the car. His phone buzzes before he can even put it away. He reads it and puts his phone in his pocket, fighting the grin that’s spreading on his face.

&

It doesn’t take long for Ryuji to lose rock paper scissors completely, ending up on the floor. Ren isn’t much better off, getting kicked off his own bed for the couch. He’d have offered to share a bed with Ryuji… He doesn’t think he could hide his hurt if Ryuji made a ‘that’s gay’ type of joke about it. It’s better to keep it to himself for now.

“Hey, where’d Mishima go?” Ryuji asks. He knows Ryuji said something before this but Ren wasn’t paying attention.

“He’s in the bathroom.” Ann tells him. At least she’s aware of his goings on. Ren let him drink tap water by accident earlier. He seemed fine then so…

“Ain’t he been in there a while?” Ryuji asks. Hm. Maybe he’s not fine. Not his problem right now.

“The school trip…” Ann laments. “Shiho was really looking forward to this.” 

“Ann…”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring the mood down.” She sighs wistfully. “But it’s already been almost six months since then, hasn’t it? This all feels so strange.”

“Right?” Ryuji tries to bring the atmosphere to somewhere lighter. “Hard to believe the rowdy kids at school are now famous all over the world.”

“Don’t you think we will have a lot to learn about each other though?” Ann asks, a bright smile back on her face. “You know things like, what kind of people we like… So… time to come clean Ryuji.”

“Me? Uh Well… She’s gotta have a good personality. I’m okay with anyone who’s honest and nice.” Ren rolls his eyes at Ryuji’s answer.

“What about if two girls with equally good personalities confessed to you at the same time?” Ren has to turn away and cover his mouth to keep from laughing. Ryuji’s about to shove his foot in his mouth and Ren’s going to let it happen.

“If they’re equally nice? Then it’d hafta be the one with the hotter bod.” Ryuji answers, as expected. Ren starts choking, laughter racking his body while he attempts to settle down.

“So looks are what’s most important to you.” Ann says, not finding it nearly as funny as Ren does.

“What?!” He can’t imagine how Ryuji is shocked by this. 

“Your first answer was just superficial. The second answer was your true beliefs.” She tells him, letting the obvious sink in. “Huh. So you really are that kind of guy…”

“That ain’t fair!” Ryuji pouts. Ren is finally able to remove his hand from his face, 

“What about you, Ren? Come on, spill the beans, what kind of girl is your type?” Ann pushes. Well…

“Girls? Uh. I dunno. Smart, I guess?” He answers.

“Well I guess Ann is out of the running—”

“Ryuji!” Ann half-shouts. She clears her throat to make a point before asking, “Like Makoto smart or Futaba smart?”

“Ugh. Neither.” Ren groans. He’s so sure he and Goro are about to date, so answering questions about girls is feeling more tedious than usual.

“Did you have someone in mind?” Ryuji asks, weirdly interested all of the sudden. 

“I mean. Yeah. I have a lot going on right now so… Dating isn’t something I’m worrying about.” He lies. Well. It’s a half-lie. He knows he’s worrying more about his dating life than he should be given any of the circumstances. It’s more fun to worry about stupid teenage problems than every other horror breathing down his neck.

“Is something wrong Ren? You know you can talk to us.” Ann says. He furrows his brow. He knows he can, he just doesn’t want to. That's not it though, is it? He’s terrified. Especially now. 

But… he thinks better of them than that. Doesn’t he? He’s seen their weakness too, he knows they're stronger than it. So…

“My parents disowned me for being gay.” He says to the ceiling. He hopes to God they heard him because he’s sure as hell not repeating himself.

“For real?”

“Oh my God!”

“It’s fine. Sojiro said he’s going to try and help me. He’s not kicking me out at least. I guess I’m staying in Tokyo.” He shrugs. He tries to not seem affected. He’s not sure it’s working.

“Well. I guess that’s the bright side then. Right?” Ann asks, “Every storm has a silver lining, right? You have friends here. We’ll be your family, Ren.” She says confidently.

“For sure dude! We’re already like bros!”

“Are you both okay with the gay part?” He asks, sitting up to face the two of them.

“I mean, I thought you were into both. Sorry for dragging you along to hit on chicks when it wasn’t your thing… No wonder you kept striking out!” Ryuji laughs. 

“I got more numbers than you did in Tokyo.” Ren counters.

“She gave you her number because you said you were interested in part time work!” Ann teases.

“And now I have two florist jobs!” Ren says, breaking into a smile. “I love you guys.”

“We love you too, dude.” Ryuji says.

“Yeah, we love you.” Ann confirms. “We will do whatever we can to help you.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it guys.” Ren says, feeling lighter than he has this entire trip. The sound of retching takes him out of it soon though.

“Wasn’t Mishima drinking the tap water earlier?” Ryuji asks. “That’s like, the one thing you’re not supposed to do when you go out of the country!” Yikes. He can’t help but feel bad, he’s normally better about noticing things like that… 

Ren’s phone lights up with a text.

💕Goro💕: I miss you

Ren types back as quickly as he can.

Ren: I miss you too

It’s easy to forget all of his worries when he’s smiling as widely as he is now. 

Chapter Text

Stepping off the plane was a relief. He’s too tall to be in such cramped quarters for so long. Though he shouldn’t complain, the school had given him a good review with his probation officer to allow him on this trip. It was a good way to get his mind off things. Well, mostly. 

The last stress was last minute picking out souvenirs. In the end he managed to find a bandana for Morgana at the airport before leaving. That’s technically still Hawaii, and what Morgana doesn’t know won’t hurt him. 

He got gifts for all of his friends, the ones that weren’t already there anyway. The gift shops even wrapped the gifts for him in decorative paper printed with Hawaiian scenery. 

For Sojiro, of course, he found fancy coffee beans— small batches and hand roasted. A watercolor painting of a skeleton covered in Hawaiian foliage for Takemi’s office. An eye-catching camera strap for Ohya. Pen’s painted with local fauna for Yoshida and Chihaya. Shot glasses with volcanoes on them for Iwai. A beautiful hair comb with a hibiscus for Lala-chan and an assortment of weird American candies for Shinya, Futaba, Maruki and Kaoru.

He got a gold bangle for Goro. It’s got intricate detailing and on the inside it’s engraved with, Aloha wau iā ʻoe. He hopes it means I love you, since that’s what the description said in English. He had Ann translate the English for him to be sure— he had her translate three of them so she wouldn’t know what he was choosing. He may have some out as gay but he’s not prepared to come out as “having a huge crush on Goro Akechi”. He also triple checked with a translation app. 

It just seems odd to him that Aloha means hello, goodbye and love of all things. It’s very casual. The lifestyle in Hawaii is too from what he had seen and heard while there. Much more so than the formalities in Japan. It’s different. Ren thinks he might like it. Maybe he doesn’t need to settle in Japan. He could find a college abroad, and study far away…

That train of thought only lasts until he sees Sojiro waiting with a sign with scrawling writing “Aloha Ren!” 

He rushes forward, ditching Ryuji in the process. He can hear a “for real?” behind him but it doesn’t stop him. Sojiro laughs, drops the sign to the side and opens his arms. Ren slots into them so easily. It feels like home. 

“I missed you kid.” Sojiro says into the top of Ren’s head.

“I missed you too, Sojiro.” Ren answers into the man’s shoulder. If he cries a little bit, Sojiro doesn’t say anything. Just helps him take his bag to the car and load it in. 

“I’ll save asking about Hawaii until we’re back, since I know Futaba will want to know too.” Sojiro says once they’ve settled into the car. “We gotta stop for gas on the way back, do you need anything? Condoms?” He says with a teasing grin. It doesn’t stop Ren from his embarrassed laughter.

“You’re getting ahead of yourself! I’m classy, we need to be official before anything like that.” Ren shoots back as best as he can. “I promise I’ll use them if I get there.”

“A good head on your shoulders, glad to hear it.”

“Don’t wanna get pregnant, afterall.” Ren says as casually as he can. Sojiro wheezes. 

“I used to think you were shy! God, you’re quick, I’ll give you that.” Sojiro says as he catches his breath.

It’s not long before they pull up to the gas station. Sojiro hops out before Ren can even offer to help. It leaves him to his thoughts again. What is my future going to be like? It’s hard to ignore. Tokyo is expensive, isn’t it? Even with Yoshida giving him shadow negotiation skills; extorting shadows isn’t something he can put on an apartment application to ensure he has a steady income. His thousand and one odd jobs probably wouldn’t cut it either.

Sojiro said he’s not throwing him out, but is that just until his year is up? Maybe he’ll charge a low rent to stay in the attic longer? Ren could ask. What would be reasonable for just a room? 

“I see you getting lost in your head.” Sojiro tells him. It stirs him from his thoughts and Ren notices that they’re already near Yongen. “I have a surprise for you when we get back. A couple actually.”

“A third menu item?” Ren asks automatically. Sojiro laughs and playfully smacks Ren’s shoulder with the back of his hand. 

“You’re funny, kid.” The way he says it makes Ren’s heart ache in a pleasant way. “You’ll see.” Soon enough the car is parked at the Sakura residence. “Futaba is already at the cafe waiting for us.” In mostly silence the two of them make the short trek to Leblanc. Sojiro unlocks the door, steps in then holds it open for Ren. The second he steps through Futaba is on him.

“Ren!” She yells, he already braced himself for her running hug. “I missed you!” She tells him, burying her face into his chest.

“I missed you too, Futaba. Did Morgana take good care of you while I was gone?” He asks teasingly. 

“Of course I did. She’s been nothing but trouble.” Morgana answers from the booth nearby. Ren reaches out and scratches behind Morgana’s ear just the way he likes it. 

“Alright. Maybe we should let Ren put his things away, hm?” Sojiro suggests. Futaba pulls away and salutes like a dork. Ren chuckles and heads to the staircase. It’s darker than usual, like when he comes home after hours. He looks up the stairs and—

“You put in a door?” He asks, fully in awe. “For me?” He turns and faces Sojiro. The man has a wide grin and nods.

“There’s even a lock on it.” He winks. “Put your stuff away, you can be grateful later.” He’s a far cry from the gruff man Ren met months ago. Ren races up the stairs, twists open the door handle— his door handle— and steps inside. He immediately drops his bag. 

“Welcome home!” Ren is greeted by a chorus of cheerful voices and a sea of friendly faces. 

“What’s…” He can’t even complete that sentence. No words come to him as he gapes at the attic. It’s unrecognizable. There’s walls and paint and a real bed! It’s furnished and decorated and—

“Surprise!” Sojiro says from behind him. “Meet the construction crew behind your new bedroom.” His eyes drift over everyone here. It’s quite the mix. Iwai pushes Goro forward.

“Meet the brains behind the operation.” He says. Goro looks back at Iwai with a stern look. 

“I’d hardly say that…” He starts to argue, that is until Sojiro steps forward and claps a hand on Goro’s back.

“Don’t be modest. It was your idea and you went and found everybody too.” Sojiro tells him. “I just paid for it.” He laughs, and some of the other adults do too. Goro’s face is pink but when he finally meets Ren’s eyes he gives a small smile.

“This is incredible. Thank you all so much. I don’t even know what to say.” 

Futaba makes her voice heard while she comes up the stairs. “That’s not even the best part!” She yells. Ren turns around and she’s holding a beautiful tortie cat, the cat’s head turns towards him and she sees Ren. All at once she wriggles out of Futaba’s grasp, flops to the floor with the grace of a brick and leaps into Ren’s arms. He catches her on instinct. Her purr is exactly like he remembered, she’s clinging onto him like her life depends on it. 

“Amber!” He practically cries. She’s so warm, and as cuddly as ever. The best cat there’s ever been, no question about it. “How did you—”

“It’s a long story, I’ll post it on my tiktok later as a 5 part miniseries to catch you up to speed.” She says with a hand up. Goro catches a laugh behind his fist. 

“Don’t go replacing me now that you have a real cat.” Morgana warns with zero heat behind it. 

“Don’t worry Morgana, no one can replace you.” He answers. 

“Come on, we’re here to celebrate Guinea pig. Tell us all about Hawaii.” Takemi tells him. She looks tall even next to Maruki. The contrast between the two doctors is amusing, to him at least.

“I have gifts for literally everyone here from Hawaii, this makes handing them out way easier.” He laughs while he leans down for his bag, still holding Amber in one arm. It’s all so unbelievable. Even if someone had accidentally told him Sojiro was renovating the attic for him, he’s not sure he could have pictured this. The door alone was beyond words and—

Maruki is handing him a tissue, because Ren’s crying. Of course he is. Ugh.  

“Let’s set Amber down and take a seat. Would passing out gifts make you feel better, or would you like to take a few calming breaths with me to settle down?” He asks gently. It’s more therapist-y than usual. Ren hasn’t really opened up to Maruki though, so it makes sense that he hasn’t seen that side of him. 

“I’m okay, Maruki, really. It’s just a lot.” He sets Amber down, who happily goes over to Morgana and rubs her face against him. She’s always adored other cats.

“I can imagine. We’re all here because we care about you. Don’t worry about showing a little emotion.” He says with a gentle smile and a firm hand on his shoulder. Ren nods and dries his eyes. 

Akira and Yuki Amamiya aren’t part of his life anymore. He’s allowed to cry. No one can yell at him for it. He just doesn’t want to when he’s supposed to be happy.

“Thanks.” Ren says. He takes a few breaths and it does help. Damn this therapy stuff might actually work, who knew? Ren reaches into his and quickly pulls out the parcel he labeled for Maruki. The man takes it graciously and gives Ren a slightly awkward hug before he moves back to give Ren some space. 

So Ren starts handing out little packages, and being pulled in for hugs.

Yoshida’s hug is powerful, Ren feels like he’s being hit with Diarama. 

When Iwai hugs him it’s more of a ‘manly-side hug’, but Ren can see the misty eyes on the man. 

Ohya is sober so her hands don’t travel; unlike her normal hugs. 

Chihaya touches him like he’s made of glass, wrapping around him like colorful tissue paper.

Shinya opts for their usual ‘secret handshake’. It's needlessly complicated, and practically a dance since Shinya is always adding something to it, but the way his eyes light up when they get it all right is really precious. He doesn’t see that often enough in the boy.

Lala-chan pulls him in and it feels like what he’d always wished a hug from his mother would feel like. Soft and safe. She ruffles his hair and whispers that she’s proud of him. He hugs a little tighter before letting go in hopes he doesn’t cry again.

Kaoru isn’t shy about it. He squeezes the life out of Ren until he chokes out laughter. It’s a welcome reprieve.

Takemi is cordial and brief. Kind of like a check-up in hug form. He doesn’t mind it, it’s very her.

Futaba hugs him like she’s competing with Kaoru on who can crush his ribs better. She’s winning.

Sojiro tears up at the gift. “How much did you—?” Ren laughs and hugs him before he can finish. Sojiro is warm and fatherly. Not that Ren’s got any firsthand experience with that. It’s just the feeling it gives.

He didn’t intend to save Goro for last. Maybe subconsciously, but it’s more likely that Goro’s present sank to the bottom because of its density. Goro takes it and deftly unwraps it; just as everyone else had theirs. Watching Goro’s smile unravel when he sees the bangle is something he’ll treasure for the rest of his life. 

“This is beautiful, Ren. Thank you.” Goro threads his hand through the bangle, deciding to wear it right away. “Come here.” He opens his arms, inviting Ren into an embrace. Goro hugs like he’s never done it before and like he never wants to stop. Before Ren can pull back Goro whispers to him.

“That’s quite the bold confession.” Ren’s blood freezes in his veins. Of course Goro of all people would have figured it out. It’s not like Ren really hid it either. His fears are assuaged quickly. “You’re too good to me, my darling aloha.” Just a centimeter away from his lips, Goro presses a chaste kiss to his cheek before pulling away. Goro looks entirely too smug about it. 

“There’s one more surprise, and it’s the real reason I gathered everyone here. I actually only need two witnesses and a notary, but a few extra never hurt, right?” Sojiro says. Goro nudges Ren to go to Sojiro and Futaba. 

“I did all this because I needed you to know how serious I am when I say I care about you. This isn’t pity or charity.” Sojiro tells him, it sounds like one of his good-natured lectures. “I know I’m not much, it’s just me and Futaba after all… But if you’ll have me, I want to make it official.” He holds out a hand and Futaba does the same. “I’d like to adopt you, son.” 

Son. Son. For a whole week he— Ren never expected to—

“Really?” He can hardly get the word out. Sojiro nods. “Why?” The bell rings downstairs, was there someone else coming or is it a confused customer?

“You’re the best thing that’s happened to this family. Hell, you made it so we were a family. We want you here, Ren.” Sojiro says, and it’s bringing tears to both of their eyes. Heels click on the stairs. “She’s a little earlier than I had anticipated, but that’s just like a lawyer, isn’t it.” 

“Niijima-san, thank you for coming.” Sojiro says as Sae Niijima reaches the top steps. She smiles gently. 

“I’m happy to be here, though I can’t stay long.” She says. Several things click into place.

“You meant right now? Niijima-san is the notary?” Ren asks. Niijima smiles wider and nods. “I feel like there are far more effective ways to kill me than an elaborate set up for a heart attack or drowning me in my own tears.” A bit of laughter flows through his friends. There’s low conversation and mingling but the attention is still directed at him.

“There’s a few documents, and nothing is official as of today, but I have some contacts to help move things along.” Niijima tells him. “The first document is stating you are choosing to leave the foster system. This makes you a legal adult.” She explains. “The next is one you and Sakura-san will sign. It’s a consent to adult adoption.” Ren nods, in school he’s been told more than half of all adoption in Japan are people adopting adult men into their families for business reasons. He sort of wishes he’d paid more attention.

“The last one is optional for the process but I brought it in case it was something you wanted. It’s a form to change your legal name. Perhaps to Ren Sakura?” She says with a wry smile. 

Ren sort of knows that Makoto doesn’t get along well with her sister. But seeing her be so kind right now makes his heart hurt. They don’t get along all the time, but Makoto still says nice things about her. Makoto still has good moments with her. That’s a real family. There for each other through all of it. What he’s about to sign up for. 

“What do you think, Ren?” Sojiro asks from behind him. Ren turns around to see his guardian look sheepish . More so than when he had to explain the situation with Futaba.

“I think it’s a great name.” He says, he turns his attention back to Niijima. “Where do I sign?” While she directs him to a few places, Ren can see Sojiro starting to cry. Futaba hugs him but looks uncomfortable, she’s not really good at helping with other people’s emotions yet. Surprisingly, to Ren at least, Iwai steps closer to comfort him. He gives Sojiro a real hug. 

“Look at you, Sojiro. Ya got two great kids now. Think I could use one more too?” Iwai teases. 

“I already beat you to this one, good luck finding another kid like him, Mune.” Sojiro says while wiping his eyes with a tissue Maruki passed him. Ren’s gone for a few days and Sojiro and Iwai are apparently best friends now? He really didn’t see that one coming.

“I think Goro-chan is still—” Ren elbows Futaba before she can finish that statement. Goro chuckles and shakes his head. 

“Sakura-san, I need your signature on this one, as well as two witnesses over the age of 20.” Sojiro nods and steps forward to sign. Iwai grabs Sojiro’s hand(?!) and comes forward to sign as a witness. Takemi signs as well. Then finally Niijima signs as the notary. 

“Okay. I’ll get the paperwork sent out. I’ll keep you updated, Sakura-san.” Niijima says, she redirects her attention to Ren. “Congratulations. It seems you’ve found a wonderful family for yourself.” He looks over his shoulder at his mismatched crew. A room full of smiling faces. Futaba’s arm links around his, and she nods.  

“Yeah he did.” She answers for him. Goro slips his hand into Ren’s on the other side, giving him a reassuring squeeze.

“The very best.” Ren confirms. Niijima takes her leave and Ren is pulled back into the party. Everyone shows him around the room, pulling him in different directions. 

“Hey, you three get together for a picture!” Ohya directs him, Sojiro and Futaba. The two shove him into the center and Ohya snaps a few photos of them.

“That’s a good one.” She says. “I’ll send you the prints when they’re done, do you wanna see?” Futaba immediately crowds Ohya, taking a peek at their portrait.

“Our first family photo!” Futaba announces as she turns the camera to Ren and Sojiro.

“First of many.” Sojiro says. Ren doesn’t think he’s ever been so happy.

“Don’t you think Boss is old enough for grandkids by now?” Shinya whispers a little too loudly to Kaoru.

“Hey now! I’m not that old.” Sojiro snaps back with his sort-of-gruff and sort-of-playful voice. Ren can see an idea come to his mind with how he raises his eyebrow. “Plus Ren promised me earlier that if he enters a relationship, he’ll be sure to use protection so he doesn’t get pregnant.” Sojiro is oh so smug. Within seconds Futaba is doubled over, Chihaya is holding her up. Everyone is laughing and Ren feels himself turning red with embarrassment.

“Hey now, Takemi, ain’t you his doctor? Shouldn’t he know a little more about biology?” Iwai jokes, she giggles and exaggeratedly rolls her eyes.

“I’m a doctor not a teacher. Isn’t Maruki working at Ren’s school?” She quips back. 

“Yes, I even work in the nurse’s office… I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to be taught before high school.” Maruki answers. Kaoru speaks up. 

“Shinya, I’m pretty sure reproductive health is taught in your grade, isn’t it?” He asks, clearly knowing the answer.

“Yeah. They say when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much~” Shinya mocks. “Maybe schools need to add more classes on it. That’s like a government thing, right?” Shinya looks pointedly at Yoshida, who laughs heartily.

“Perhaps, but don’t you think it’s the responsibility of the parents to explain that as well?” He answers.

“Ah, that explains a lot, he only got one today.” Lala-chan says, hopefully ending this conversation.

“Don’t you worry now, I’ll give him the birds and the bees talk later.” Sojiro winks at him. Ren groans and buries his face in his hands.

“You should do it soon, Ren’s fortune is telling me he might be a little… lucky later.” Chihaya goads.

“Hmm… I wonder who could be helping him out with that?” Ohya nudges Goro who chokes on air. 

“Well luckily for Ren, I know firsthand that Goro-chan is good at filling condoms.” Futaba says. The laughter stops abruptly, punctuated by the sound of Goro slapping his hand into his face.

“Futaba-chan. Take a moment to think of the implications of that to someone who hasn’t watched your videos.” Futaba goes through the seven stages of grief in 15 seconds. 

“WE DIDN’T HAVE SEX!” She shouts. 

“Might I suggest having that talk with Futaba as well? Perhaps after she shows you the prank videos she’s talking about.” Goro suggests.

“Don’t worry Akechi-kun, she already showed me the video so I know I won’t need to kill you.” Sojiro claps Goro on the shoulder. A threat, is it ‘Don’t touch my daughter’ or ‘Don’t break my son’s heart’ or possibly both? 

“Alright everyone, let’s head downstairs.” Sojiro announces to the crowd. “I made pork katsudon at Futaba’s request, she said it’s from an anime Ren likes.” He waves it off. “How about you unpack, son, and join us downstairs when you’re ready.” Sojiro— Dad(?)— says before heading downstairs. 

Everyone else follows suit, various conversations flowing and disappearing down the stairs. Ren is left alone with Morgana, Amber… and Goro, who is waiting hesitantly by the stairs.

“I’m sorry-” They both say, overlapping each other. Goro chuckles as he walks himself to the couch and motions for Ren to come sit with him.

“What on earth are you sorry for, Ren?” Goro asks with a touch of amusement.

“That I couldn’t shut up about you, so now everyone I know thinks I have a crush on you?” He really thought he was smoother than this. Ren’s also never felt so strongly about someone so he’s not sure what he was expecting.

“Are they correct or should I refrain from kissing you?” Goro asks sweetly, already moving to cup Ren’s cheek. 

Ren can’t respond with words, he can’t think of anything to say that wouldn’t sound stupid. Instead he leans in and kisses Goro. His lips are so soft, softer than he’d imagined. It’s chaste and ends after only a few seconds, but he’s never felt anything like that in his life. He finds his words when he pulls away.

“So I think I’m owed a demonstration on filling up—” Goro captures his lips in another kiss before he can finish. They’re both smiling into it.

“I should let you unpack. Who knows what scandalous activities your loved ones think we’re up to now?” Goro says with a charming smile. 

“I’ll unpack later. I think I’d rather spend my time with my family.” Ren says, lacing their hands together.

“I like the way you think, Ren Sakura.”