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"He's killing me, Ann, and I don't think he even realizes it."
Of all the things Ryuji might have expected to hear Akira say, that was far from anything on the list. Scratch that, hearing Akira right now was a surprise in the first place. A glance at the time from when he was snapped out of his groggy daze by his phone ringing had told him that it was 11:42, a time by which Morgana had typically forced Akira to go to sleep. Though he was trying his best to understand what the hell Akira was talking about, the number one word in Ryuji's mind was definitely huh?
And yet, here Akira was, calling Ryuji—he, Akira, was calling unprompted—and groaning into his phone's microphone. Loudly.
Ryuji's head snapped over to his doorway on instinct as he lowered his phone's volume and tucked his phone into the crook of his neck. Akira was still talking despite the lack of response.
"-And it's just not fair that he teases me like that! He's not even aware he's doing it, Ann, but I swear he's going to be the death of me." Ryuji's brain was spinning trying to process what Akira was saying through his sleepy haze. Someone was... Bullying him? Someone was bullying his best friend? There was an immediate flare of indignation in Ryuji's chest at the very thought.
Akira kept ranting. "I can't even go to the gym anymore, Ann, it's that bad. Just one little-"
Ryuji tuned out of the conversation the second Akira said those words. It was someone at the gym? But Ryuji had just invited him there that afternoon. He had gotten Akira's attention the second the boy stepped out of his last class and basically pleaded with his best friend to work out with him.
When Ryuji thought back on it, there had been a hint of something sharp in Akira's eye for a split second at the request. Had he been startled? Felt panicked? Or pressured? Ryuji was one hell of a right hand man if he hadn't even noticed that his request had Akira reacting so badly behind his quiet facade.
Damn it.
He considered Akira a brother-in-arms, his best friend in the whole world, and he hadn't even realized that he was being harassed. And that Ryuji was putting him in the way of further harm. The thought made bile rise in his throat.
When Ryuji tuned back into the world, Akira was silent. He stayed that way for a moment, then two, before he finally spoke again. "Sorry, Ann, I know you were probably about to go to bed. I know sleep's more important than my stupid situation, but he's just so..."
Akira's voice trailed off, frustrated. Ryuji almost wanted to punch whoever was making Akira sound like that, making him feel so- so- insignificant. But Ryuji knew that it wouldn't help anything, and he knew that Akira was more than capable of fighting his own battles. Verbally, too- he had always stepped in to reign Ryuji back before it got physical. Ryuji knew that Akira was able to handle tense situations with grace and ease that Ryuji could only be jealous of, even if it sounded like he wasn't doing anything about this one.
He also knew damn well that he was not Ann Takamaki.
"...Akira, dude, if you didn't feel comfortable at the gym, why didn't you say something?" Ryuji's voice was rough with sleepy disuse, the words coming out all gravelly, but he persisted despite it.
"...Ryuji?"
There was something in Akira's voice that made Ryuji wince. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Hey, 'Kira." Ryuji said weakly. He could almost see the other boy burying his head in his hands.
"Oh, god." Akira's voice was indeed muffled like he was talking through his palms. "I called my most recent number, I forgot that you called me after-"
"-After we went to the gym." Ryuji finished, trying and failing to suppress the guilt the words brought. "Seriously though, if you don't wanna go there because-"
"It's fine." Akira spoke quickly, cutting him off. The words were like a stab to the heart, the hurried tone an extra twist. Akira was always the calm, reserved leader who always knew exactly how to help people. The fact that Ryuji had inadvertently caused him to rant at Ann- because by the tone of Akira's voice, this was in no way the first time he had called her like this- and desperately spill his guts about some asshole who thought that Akira was deserving of this treatment was almost enough to make Ryuji shout.
Unfortunately, the time was currently 11:55 PM and any shouting would have to be saved for a time when it wouldn't get another noise complaint dropped off on the doorstep.
"So... You heard all of that, then?" Akira asked. The cadence of his normally smooth voice was all wrong, and Ryuji found himself not liking it at all.
"Yeah. Akira, I'm sorry-"
"Don't be. It's not your fault that I..." Akira cut him off again, voice quickly failing once he started speaking. Ryuji shook his head as if Akira could see it, feeling the knife in his chest turn further.
"No, 'Kira, I..." Ryuji trailed off as he chewed on the inside of his lip. Akira was everything- his leader, his best friend, his training partner, his only ally against Kamoshida when he first came to Shujin. His savior. And Ryuji's feeling the same urge to be right behind him that he's been feeling the past few weeks, to watch his six the way Akira watches his, and to royally curbstomp anyone who thinks they can just get away with bullying Akira. His best friend.
Ryuji sighed and slapped the side of his face. Anger isn't going to help him do anything productive for the boy on the other end of the line.
"I'm sorry I didn't notice that there was someone giving you shit," Ryuji saof. Somehow, the other end of the line went from quiet to perfectly silent. Ryuji swallowed, mouth dry.
"Huh?" The confusion in Akira's voice was palpable.
"Seriously Akira, I should have noticed that you didn't want to go to the gym. We could have gone for ramen, or you could have just hung out with Ann or Makoto or something today." Ryuji lowered his head in guilt.
"What do you mean I'm being 'given shit'?"
Ryuji's brain froze. "Uh. Isn't that what you were saying?"
"...What exactly did you hear?"
Ryuji blinked, trying to recall what he had heard just minutes earlier. "You said that there was someone who kept teasing you and that he was gonna be your death. You said it was to the point that you couldn't even go to the damn gym anymore, even though you came just 'cause I begged you to. Which, really, I'm-"
"Ryuji, nobody's harassing me." Akira interrupted. You could almost hear the record scratch in Ryuji's head.
"Huh- what?"
"I promise, I'm fine. I love getting to work out with you at the gym. I-" Akira's voice cut out from the speakers of Ryuji's phone as he paused. "I think you misunderstood what I was saying. That's all."
Ryuji deflated a little, and he's not sure if it's mostly from relief that his leader is okay or embarrassment that he got it that wrong. Something in his mind refused to click, though.
"But then what about the guy who was teasing you?" Ryuji asked quizzically.
"...Who?" Akira asked.
"No dude, I swear you said someone was teasin' you," Ryuji protested against Akira's obliviousness. Across the line came a strange sound, like when you tried to suppress a cough or sneeze and you just made it come out all weird. With how dusty Leblanc's attic is, Ryuji's not surprised.
"No, no, he's- uh, nothing to worry about. Seriously," Akira said the final word with conviction, and Ryuji couldn't doubt that voice. But even if the teasing is just jokes, Ryuji couldn't find it in himself to be alright with it. For some reason it rubbed him the wrong way to think about it, someone ragging on Akira like that, no matter what they actually meant by it. Ryuji found himself bristling just envisioning it.
"Well then, I'm glad you're alright." Ryuji said instead of any of the choice words circling his mind. "Since it's already 12:06—damn, it's past midnight already?—I'm pretty sure Ann's asleep for real now. But hey, you need anything, you can call me, aight?"
Akira paused, then huffed a tiny laugh. "Yeah. Thanks, Ryuji. I'll see you at school tomorrow," he said, and hung up before Ryuji could even say it back.
Ryuji leaned back in his bed, his phone falling away as his back hit the mattress. The screen turned off after a minute, but Ryuji kept staring at it.
The hell was up with Akira?
The other boy knew that Ryuji would do anything for him. To hell and back, and who wouldn't go that far? Even if he already had the more-qualified Ann to confide in about this mystery man (whom Ryuji had decided to hate regardless of what Akira said), Ryuji found a part of him wishing that Akira would come to him first. That Ryuji could help him tend to his wounds. Like Akira always had done for his friends, y'know? Yeah. Like repaying the favor.
It was with that thought that Ryuji's brain drifted off to sleep. Elsewhere in Tokyo was a boy who could do anything but.
Texting with: Ann Takamaki
Akira: Ann, I fucked up.
Ann: How badly?
Akira: "Called Ryuji instead of you" badly.
Ann: You did WHAT?
Akira: He was kind of out of it so I think I'm still safe?
Ann: You mean you didn't even take advantage of the opportunity?!
Akira: If you knew how badly the call almost went you'd be sympathetic.
Ann: You're buying me crepes tomorrow and explaining everything, Akira Kurusu.
Akira: Are you going to order the most expensive one again.
Akira: Ann answer me.
There was no reply.
Akira: I see how it is.
Akira: I'll see you tomorrow, then. Goodnight.