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September 9th, 2016, a special day for the students of Shujin Academy.The anticipated trip to Hawaii from Tokyo, a perfect reward for the thieves who helped a person who’s own victim was themselves. Besides, things needed time to settle and find a new target so Hawaii was also perfect for that, essentially the entire team would be there too.
Going to the land of pineapples, luau and volcanos was definitely on the list of places to go. Akira still remembered the 1st day of this hectic trip. You had to room with a person of the same gender and same class as you. Mishima is by far the worst person to room with. It was always Phantom Thieves this, Phantom Thieves that, Akira could barely sleep with him worrying about the Phan-site. So he begged his home room teacher Ms. Kawakami to room him with anyone else.
“Kurusu, you can’t just do that, it would take a lot of work to even try and rebook a room, and it might not even be the room you want.” The woman with short somewhat curled hair said.
“Please, I’m desperate, I can’t sleep.”
“Fine…, you’d have to find a student who’d want to share a room with you.” She said with a sigh.
Wow real easy…, especially with his criminal record…
“Wait, you have to rebook an entire room, that doesn’t even make sense.”
“Tell me about it…, so the school doesn’t lose track of students, but I think it’s just a way to stop students from seeing their friends.” She tells the frizzy black haired student.
Eventually a student with blonde hair and a punk looking stance stepped in the conversation.
“Am I hearin what I’m thinkin?”
Kawakami sighed.
“Yes, you can room with Kurusu, but no funny business.”
“Hell yeah!”
Ryuji high fived Akira. And that’s how we move to the 2nd day of the trip. The crew had a layout and plan to sort of split up. Ann would be helping some students learn American culture, Makoto would be supervising students, Yusuke was just going to do something. Which left Akira and Ryuji with plans.
The time it took was always heartracing. Akira already knew why. That stupid blonde golden retriever himbo of a man had everything. He really lived up to being a Phantom Thief. In fact it was almost humorous for Akira to picture Ryuji like the embodiment of a golden retriever, because without fail he lived up to the definition almost at every time. Yet eventually thinking about him enough summoned him.
“Yo Akira!”
“Dude! Took you long enough!” He said with excitement
“Sorry man, I tried talkin Mishima into joinin us but he got sick from drinking the tap water.”
“Still?” Confusion plagued his voice.
“The third years had to give em some meds, thank Makoto for him bein alive” Ryuji
“So it really is just us?”
“Yup.”
When the two were alone it was always fun. The air was always full of chatter of things they’ve done. Sure maybe after 10 times of seeing him or so would max out the bond, but it always felt so much deeper. Futaba kept joking on how the two should get married, which wasn’t a half bad idea at all.
“Come on dude, we gotta tear up Hawaii, we gotta see if people know us!”
“Alright Ryuji.” Akira chuckled.
Running around with Ryuji really highlighted the golden retriever traits. They would try and see how many people knew what the Phantoms did. And surprisingly enough a lot of the people in Hawaii knew of their actions. It was weird to go from a vague group changing a teacher's heart to being known from a different end of the globe. It felt… good? It’s hard to say. But what wasn’t hard was the shrimp they ate. The vendor even joked about how they should tell the Phantom Thieves to make everyone love shrimp, and even gave them shrimp on the house.
“Yo!” Ryuji said sorta loudly.
“Hm?”
“Wanna race?”
“Sure? Mind I ask why?”
“We gotta see the sunset yah know, like in all those damn movies.”
Akira just smiles while waiting for Ryuji to start the countdown.
“3, 2, 1.”
It was always fun whenever they tried to race for something stupid. It felt exhilarating. Was this why Ryuji liked to run? Or at least do track? They see the bench which as per usual Ryuji beat him in a race. Sitting down on the bench while holding onto his knee. Akira sat down beside him.
“Is your knee doing alright?” Akira asked.
“Yeah… it’s still hurtin even after all this damn time…” He clenched his teeth a bit
“Did you take your meds with you?” Akira tilted his head.
“Nah, left em at the hotel clerk and shit.”
Akira scavenges his pockets and pulls out a bottle of pain medication with Ryuji’s name on it.
“How did you-” He was wide eyed.
“Your mom gave me some back up just in case you needed it at any point”
“Damn, lucky me.” He laughs a little.
Ryuji took the medication, eventually the duo were stunned by a sight. The sun setting just behind the waves, with the water reflecting the light in a gentle way. Yet Akira couldn’t focus on the setting sun. God how gay was it to look at how the sun reflected in the eyes of your crush than see a once in a lifetime thing? They could always go back to Hawaii, they could always look each other in the eye. Yet the silence between them was tempting to fill.
“We’ve been out for that long huh.” Akira quips.
“Damn… I didn’t even notice.”
A comforting silence soon washed over them.
“Hey…”
“Hey” Akira smiles back.
“I actually gotcha somethin.”
Ryuji handed Akira a little ramen charm.
“This looks like the beef bowl place you first took me to.”
“Glad yah still remember.”
“I actually work there now.”
“Really? That means you get free food from them all the time?”
“Yeah, but it really doesn’t taste the same as it did back when we were changing Kamoshida’s heart.”
“You gotta get me somethin sometime man, it’s been a while since we hit the place up.”
“Then call it a deal.”
Eventually Akira’s phone vibrated, it was a text from Makoto saying their curfew was almost up.
“We gotta go back already?” Ryuji whined.
“Well we still have some time until we have to get back home.”
“Oh right.”
Ryuji was already back in his normal mood, learning the way to the hotel. But once they got there, there was a sight that confused the two of them. Sure the room was the same as your average hotel but…
“Did they really…” Ryuji squinted.
“It’s one bed, not even a couch either…”
The two laughed.
“I mean you wanted a different room with me, they might of misunderstood”
“Alright, you gonna hit the shower first or me?”
“Don’t care.”
Eventually the two got cleaned up and changed, staring at each other.
“You gonna take the bed?”
“I thought we were sharing!” Akira feigns some dramatism.
“Dude be serious.”
“Look I really don’t care, if it’s only one bed, then we gotta make it work.”
“I don’t like it when you make sense man…”
“I’m not forcing you dude, I’ll sleep on the floor.”
“Nah, come on dude…”
The two got under the sheets.
“Oh yeah, I kinda sleep weird…” Ryuji stated.
“Oh?” Akira said.
“I gotta sleep with my knee propped on a pillow. But there ain’t enough room for a pillow to prop it on.”
Akira gained a sly smile. He knew this was now or never.
“I could be that pillow for tonight.”
“Really? You sure?”
“Dude I don’t mind at all, it’s only for a few nights.”
Ryuji got closer to Akira, propping his knee on him. Akira leaned into Ryuji’s embrace just to make sure Ryuji was comfortable. It was comforting, it felt protective. Hearing Ryuji’s heart matching his own was reassuring. It gave him hope that maybe he didnt have a unique feeling only to him.
“Hey Akira…”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for everythin…”
“Dude don’t mention it, I owe you so much for bein my first friend and ally in a place I didn’t know.”
“It ain’t a problem, you gave me somebody I wouldn’t trade for the world.”
“You know, keep talking to a guy like this and you might steal his heart.” Akira jokes.
“Well you already stole mine.”
Ryuji quickly covered his mouth. He tried to move away from Akira but Akira softly held him in place by turning around and hugging him. Akira only chuckled.
“Don’t worry, the feeling is mutual, I’m just wondering how you fell in love with me.”
A quick bit of nervousness took over Ryuji.
“Dude I kinda fell for you so hard you were my awakening into realizing I could like a guy, I mean did you see how yah saved me. Yah know.” Ryuji couldn't help but laugh nervously.
Akira smiled.
“Should I tell you when I fell for you?”
“When?” Ryuji said quickly.
“It was back when you told me everything at the ramen shop, the damaged past you had, the track team you wanted to join, just everything. I realized I helped you not because you were a friend, but because I really, really, liked you.”
Ryuji just blushed.
“So what now?” Ryuji asked.
“We could kiss, or we could just cuddle and hug for tonight, I’m cool with both.”
“I think I wanna hug for now, it’s a lot to handle the thought of you just liking me.”
“Then I’ll be here until you’re ready man.”
“Thanks.”
Eventually Ryuji turned off the lights.
“Night Akira.”
“Night Ryu.”
Akira nuzzled into Ryuji, being the last movement that was made before the two fell asleep in one another's arms, preparing for what the future had in store.