Work Text:
The shining sun beamed through the window and onto Akira’s face. The high schooler squinted his eyes at the light, but ultimately let it wake him up. And, with the sun's bright help, he was able to sit up and stretch his tired limbs. It was almost noon now. Soft footsteps were heard going up the stairs and he groggily turned his head to look until two triangle ears were in view.
“Finally you’re awake,” Morgana said once he climbed over the last step. “Boss bought the expensive cat food. It has real tuna.” He nearly started drooling despite apparently eating his fill.
*PI* *PI*
At the sudden noise, Akira groaned his sleepiness away and stretched again before unplugging his cellphone.
-------CHATROOM-------
Ryuji: yo!
Akira’s still face immediately broke into a soft smile.
Akira: Good morning.
Ryuji: good morning? dude it’s already 11
Ryuji: well anyways do you wanna hang out >:)
Ryuji: i’m starvinggggg all I had was toast for breakfast
Akira giggled a little at his teammate’s dramatism.
Morgana, who had been cleaning himself (and hates when you point that out), got up from his spot on the floor. “What are you laughing at?” His ears flicked. “What’s so funny? I wanna see!” He jumped up on Akira’s bed and tried craning his head upwards toward the phone. In response, Akira moved it to the side out of his view. “Whatttt? C’mon, lemme see!” Morgana tried jumping to look, and Akira moved farther to the right.
“Sorry, this is top secret information,” he said, still smiling slightly.
“Top Secret!? But I’m a member of the Phantom Thieves too!” He reiterated his point by jumping to attempt a look again, and again, Akira moved it out of sight.
“It’s…,” Akira paused for a second, “Government stuff.”
Morgana squinted his eyes and stared, thinking. “Yeah, right,” he huffed. “I know you're lying,” he accused. Akira smiled at how worked up Morgana was and looked at his phone again.
Akira: Where do you want to eat?
Ryuji: oh yeah that’s what I like to hear!
Ryuji: meet me in Kichijoji!
Akira smiled again and put his phone down. “I’m meeting Ryuji in Kichijoji,” he said, getting up to go grab an outfit.
“You could have told me that from the beginning,” Morgana whined, “It’s not nice to lie y’know!” He turned around when he saw Akira taking his shirt off. “I don’t wanna hang out with Ryuji though.”
“You can stay here,” Akira stated.
“But it’s so boring,” he whined again.
“.....You can go out on your own, you know. You don’t always have to be with me.”
“But what if I get catnapped? Who will be your brilliant leader then?”
“You can climb a tree if someone chases you.”
“Don't patronize me.” If he had eyebrows they would be furrowed. His tough face fell with a sigh. “I guess you’re right though, I don't have to force myself to go with you.”
“We’re two separate people,” Akira said, adding to his point. “I'm done.”
Morgana turned back around at the safety cue. He looked at his outfit: His normal black cotton shirt underneath a vivid red button up. “I’ve never seen that red shirt before,” Morgana
commented. It fit well and, despite being plain, made him look sharp.
“It’s new,” Akira said, fiddling with his hair in the reflection of the CRT.
“Hmm,” Morgana hummed, staring at him.
Akira finished and grabbed his things when he stopped at the top of the stairs. He turned his head toward Morgana expectantly.
They stared at each other until Morgana threw his head down. “Ughh fineee,” he heaved, “go have fun with Ryuji or whatever…but tell him I said he smells!”
“Will do,” Akira said with a smirk.
--------
Akira walked out of the Kichijoji station and quickly spotted Ryuji by his bleached hair and carefree stance. He was standing by the planters, scrolling on his phone. Akira smiled and walked up to him.
Ryuji looked up from his phone and immediately smiled from ear to ear. “Hey dude!”
“Hey,” Akira reciprocated the grin, “So what are we gonna eat here?”
“You’re gonna love it man. Now c’mon follow me I’m sooo hungry,” Ryuji let his giddiness, and empty stomach, guide them to the food.
As they walked side by side Ryuji blathered on about this video game he started playing and how he wished he could play games instead of doing homework. Akira listened intently. He watched the words flow quickly out of his mouth and his ears soaked up every syllable. He loved listening to Ryuji talk. Whether it was about video games or “dumb” teachers or strategizing how to take down an enemy. He just had a way with words that affected Akira.
“Oh hell yea!”
Ryuji's shouting snapped him out of his thoughts and made him look at their surroundings. Besides the few people that were looking over because of Ryuji’s outburst he saw in front of him a small shop that sold filled buns.
“This place is awesome dude! You should get the pork or beef ones and they also have a vegetable one too that's pretty good but man I cant choose that over meat!”
Akira giggled at his enthusiasm and looked at the variety of buns. He went with pork and green onions and the vegetable filled one. Ryuji got two pork buns and a shrimp bun. After paying they walked for a bit and found a bench just a little outside of the shopping center. They sat down and pulled their food out of their bags. Akira brought one up to his nose and sniffed it.
“C’mon dude just eat it, I promise it’s good,” Ryuji said, already chewing a bite.
Akira shrugged his shoulders and took a bite. He paused. Chewed. He swallowed the bite and then took another. And another. Ryuji was right: it was really good. The marinated pork had a nice meaty and slightly sweet flavor and the green onions weren’t too strong but still added a brightness to it. All wrapped in a neat little bun that complemented the otherwise strong flavors.
Ryuji’s eyes went wide, “W-Woah slow down dude!” But he couldn’t hold his laugh in, “Haha see I told you it was good.”
Akira finished his first bun. Not only was it good but he realized he was pretty hungry too. The two boys sat next to each other, peaceful in each other's lack of words as they ate their food.
-------
“Man, that was so good,” Ryuji said, stretching his arms and legs.
Akria looked at him and nodded with a similar face of satisfaction.
“Oh right I forgot to ask but is that shirt new?”
Akira suddenly got very sheepish. He glanced down at the shirt then looked back up at Ryuji’s brown eyes. “Y-ugh,” he cleared his throat, “Yeah.”
Ryuji smiled, scooted in closer and grabbed just below the collar, “Well, red looks good on you,” He looked up and made eye contact with his gray eyes. Then quick as a flash, Ryuji dropped his hands and brought them back to his body. “Shit I’m sorry I haha I don't know why I did that,” He looked down at the ground.
Akira's heart was racing, his face matched the shirt that Ryuji just complimented him on. He took a deep breath to calm himself. “Thank you.” He braved looking at Ryuji’s face and not looking away.
Ryuji looked at him too and shyly smirked.
There was a pause. Neither said a word. It was quiet. So quiet as if no one was sitting on those benches at all. A woman and her dog walked past. As they walked the dog snapped its head towards Akira. Can it hear my racing heart?
Ryuji broke the silence, “I uh this probably isn't a good time to ask this but like I uh I need your advice...dude.”
“What’s up?” Oh god what’s up, Akira thought.
“I didn’t know when I should like, bring this up I was thinking about today but I got nervous but its been eating away at me and-”
“It's alright,” he interrupted. “You don’t need to feel worried around me.”
Ryuji looked at his confident face and let out a sigh. His body untensed. “You’re right dude you’re our leader I trust you,” sounding a lot more sure of himself. He paused again, psyching himself up. “I- I think I might be… I don’t think, I don't know, no yeah I guess I dont think I’m straight I guess.”
Ryuji waited for a response. He couldn't look at him. He couldn't look anywhere besides down as he fidgeted with his pants.
“Really?” Akira asked without thinking.
Ryuji gulped, “Y-Yeah. Is- Is that ok?”
“Is that ok,” Akria repeated in his head and laughed softly after he processed the question. “Of course it’s ok.”
“Really? Are you sure you don’t like, think I’m weird,” Ryuji’s voice sounded hopeful but still cautious.
“It would be hypocritical if I did.”
“Hypocritical….wait!” Ryuji finally looked at Akira. Akira giggled and brought his hand up to his mouth. Ryuji was always so quick with his emotions. It was cute.
Ryuji saw his smile, his happy eyes, the sound of his laugh. It was his weakness. He couldn't help but laugh along at Akira’s casual coming out. They both laughed, the two different sounds melding swirling together into a shared happiness and relief. It surrounded and danced around them, shielding them from the outside world. It was just them. Laughing. Together.
Ryuji lightly punched him in the arm. “You’re so fucking dumb dude.”
Akira stopped laughing and grinned looking into the other’s brown eyes.
Ryuji stopped too and made eye contact. A shared feeling of safety was communicated wordlessly.
“So,” Akira started, “How did you find out?”
Ryuji’s heart stopped. Not only his heart but his whole body suddenly froze.
Akira saw his reaction and waited for a beat before deciding to apologize. “Sorry, you don't have to tell me.”
“N-No!” Ryuji suddenly shouted, startling the both of them. “I-I mean,” He sighed, “it’s ok I can tell you uhm it’s just you can’t tell anyone um.” He went back to feeling the butterflies he felt before. “Well there’s this guy at school…he um I’ve never really felt anything for guys before but this guy he’s so like pretty, I know that words’ for girls but he just is pretty and he’s handsome too. He’s also way smarter than me. He’s really nice too and funny and he just gets me.” At the end, he smiled. It was obvious a picture of this guy was in his mind. Suddenly he remembered where he was, who he was with, and cleared his throat, “So uh yeah I just assumed that that means I like guys too.”
Akira took it all in. His deep confession that no one else has heard. “Is it me,” Akira asked. His face was stoic but his heart was pounding so so fast. It all made sense but god please be right.
There was a moment of silence and then…
“Shit.”
Ryuji let out a sigh that ended with a half hearted chuckle. Neither of them said anything, they both just sat there. Waiting? Thinking?
After a minute Ryuji spoke up, “I’m…so sorry dude. I- listen I can…”
“No it's ok, “ Akira figured it was now or never, “I…feel the same way.”
The air went still again. Akira waited, aching for a response of some kind until, “...No fucking way…”
At his reaction, Akira let go of the breath he was holding and looked up to see Ryuji's face in complete shock.
“You…You like me too?!” Ryuji jumped up. “You haha yes! Fuck yeah haha oh man I thought I was fucked like ha oh god dont fuckin’ scare me like that dude!” He let out an adrenaline fueled chortle.
“Sorry,” Akira said with a smile.
After Ryuji’s quick celebration he sat back down, “So, what do we do now?”
Akira looked up at the sky and thought for a moment. “Well…we can go on another date for now. Since you’re still figuring yourself out.”
“Another date…” he trailed off. “Fuck yeah dude I’d love that! But, wait, was this a date?”
Akira shrugged his shoulders, “I mean…kind of?”
Ryuji swatted his hand, “Well whatever, definitely yes to that date.” They both looked at the other. Neither expecting this, but still indescribably happy.
“Let me walk you to the train station,” Akira stood up. Ryuji smiled and nodded and wrapped his arm around the other boy's shoulder. I could get used to this, Akira thought. As they walked, they talked about school and other food spots they should try.
“Oh right,” Akira said as they got to the station entrance. “Morgana said you smell.”
Ryuji, high on endorphins, really couldn't care what Morgana said about him.
“Well tell him I said…,” Then he stopped, “Oh man he's not gonna be happy about this huh?”
Ruyji gestured to the two of them.
Akira smiled, “Nope.”
“Well not my problem,” He threw his hands behind his head, “I'll see you tomorrow at school!”
“See you,” Akira said and then paused. Before Ryuji could ask, Akira gave him a small hug.
Ryuji, though stunned, gave him a small hug back.
They pulled away and looked at each other's wonderful faces. Their smiles leaked fondness and warmth.
-----
“Hellooo,” Morgana padded over to the top of the stairs as Akira was coming up. “How was it? What’d you guys do?”
Akira ignored him and immediately collapsed onto his bed. He turned onto his back and thought about earlier.
“What’s that dumb smile for?” Morgana asked, slightly upset at being ignored.
“You should be happy you didn't come,” was all he said.
And eventually he did stop pestering, but Morgana didn't find out what happened. At least not for now.