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Rain softly pattered against the window in the attic of Leblanc. A brunette sat in front of it, the rust-colored eyes following the droplets from the warmth of the cafe. For the past few months, he’s been somehow graciously allowed to sleep in the same space as his “white knight.” He cringes a bit at the thought, no matter how accurate it truly was. If it wasn’t for that stupid wildcard, he would still be stuck in a dingy cell, in a palace, in America. Curse those thieves.
Speaking of which, he hears the bell of Leblanc ring. He sighs as he stands up, grabbing a nearby towel for his roommate. His feet make the stairs creak a little, but it’s nothing to sneer at when a drenched Ren Amamiya is in front of him. He’s completely soaked, his white v-neck stuck to the peachy skin, which Akechi rightfully ignores.
“Damnit! Should’ve brought an umbrella.”
“Or a raincoat.” The former detective adds, handing him the towel.
“Thank you.” The other murmurs, taking off his coat.
Despite not acknowledging the somewhat taboo peek at Ren’s chest, Goro will be the first to admit that the man has begun to look more mature. Or at least since their last duel in Shido’s ship. The goofy boy has gained a sharper jawline, even though his cheeks have stayed soft. He’s also put on some more muscle, which isn’t too much of a feat since so has Akechi.
“The rain sorta came unexpectedly, huh?” Ren chuckles, heading upstairs to change. The other man follows, getting back into his seat at the window.
“Not really. You just didn’t check your weather forecast.”
“Well, we haven’t had rain all week, so I thought it’d be fine.”
“That’s how the weather works. One day it’s sunny, the next it’s raining.” He huffs, looking back at the glass. He can see the reflection of Ren changing, shifting his eyes so he doesn’t see it.
Eventually, the black-haired boy gives out a pleased hum and falls back onto his bed with a bounce. He seems to be in a good mood. Maybe this would be the best time to have the conversation.
“Amamiya?”
“Mm?”
“Can I say something?”
“Sure, not like I’ve ever stopped you from that.”
“It’s serious.”
“Okay, okay.” He hears him sit up, obvious that he sits with his legs crossed. “Go ahead.”
“It’s about my place in Tokyo.”
“Metaphorically or literally?”
“Metaphorically.” He won’t correct him that it’s not actually a metaphor.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m extremely grateful for this hospitality. I truly am. However…”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Akechi.”
Akechi stands up, furrowing his brows. “Pardon? Why are you angry?”
“You’re going to bitch about something, aren’t you?”
“I would certainly not call this bitching. I told you this is a serious conversation.”
“This is just another talk about you pushing me away and refusing my help.”
“Fine then. You want to be an asshole about this? I won’t give you the dignity of receiving a goodbye.”
“Goodbye? What?”
He scoffs and grabs his coat, putting it on. “I’m leaving, Amamiya. As I said, I’m grateful for your kindness and the thieves’ generosity, but I need to go.”
“No, you’re staying in Tokyo.”
“You can’t change my mind.”
It’s Ren’s turn to furrow his brows, rising to his feet. “Why are you leaving?”
“Because. I endanger your little group and I simply don’t want to cross paths again.”
“Do you hate me?”
“That’s quite the conclusion to jump to.”
“I think it’s reasonable. If you don’t want to see me again, you must hate me.”
“There are other reasons besides hate that one might not want to see someone again.” Akechi faces the stairs and attempts to walk away, before fast creaks make their way across the floorboards as his wrist is grabbed.
“You’re not leaving. You’re staying in Tokyo. If I have to handcuff you to me, I will.”
“Let go of me. It’s better for the both of us.” He sharply hisses, but the grip doesn’t cease. It’s not constricting, but he can’t easily yank his hand away.
“I refuse to let you go a third time.”
“You sentimental fool. I had the decency to let you know. Perhaps I shouldn’t have said anything.” He tries to pull away, but Ren stays firm.
“You don’t get to do this. You don’t get to just leave after I went halfway around the world for you. That’s not fair.”
“Life is unfair. That’s how it works.”
“Sure, but leaving after I saved you? That’s an asshole move.”
“I never asked you to save me.”
“And I never asked to be humanity’s savior, but it happened.”
“You sound self-centered.”
“This isn’t about that. This is about you saying you’re grateful, but your actions being completely selfish.”
“Selfish? Didn’t you say you had wished me alive when some damn therapist altered reality? Weren’t you the one who couldn’t just believe I was dead?”
“That’s not the same.”
“It is. You selfishly wanted to see me. Humans are inherently selfish creatures, and you and I are no exception.”
“You don’t get it.” Ren lets go, a clear frustration on his face.
“What don’t I get? You’re so eager to save everyone. News flash. Not everyone can be rescued.”
“It’s not that. I grieved for you, Akechi.”
“You grieved for me? A waste of tears, frankly.” Goro snarls.
“Listen here. When I say I grieved, I mean it. I mourned your death, two times. I had sleepless nights, and countless nightmares, because I thought you were dead. Every trip to Mementos felt empty, it felt wrong. Here we were, continuing on like it was normal that you weren’t alive. Everyone moved on, but I didn’t.”
“I would have never thought my rival to be so pitiful.”
“You’re a bitch, ya know that?”
“I’m quite aware of my behavior.”
“For once in your life, can you hear me out?”
“Fine. It’s not going to change anything. Why do you want me to stay, anyway? Besides the grieving thing.”
“Because I love you. I’ve been in love with you. Goddamnit, please just stay. At least one more night.”
The air quickly leaves the room, and Akechi chokes on his remaining breath. “…What?”
“Shit. I…I shouldn’t have said that. Just ignore it.”
The brunette finds his feet carry him closer to the other, the soft creaking of the floorboards being the only sound in the room. He places his calloused hands on Ren’s face, not a word from either.
He decides, to hell with trying to keep Ren Amamiya, the man who has no fears, out of danger. Because here he was, danger in the form of a person, and the thief was willing to bet it all on him. He was ready to receive nasty looks from strangers and concerned advice from friends, all for the sake of loving him.
So Goro leans in, preparing to place a chaste kiss on his lips, but hands grab his own face and make it passionate. It’s clear how long Ren had been into him, just by the sheer love put into the action. He’s kissing like he’ll never get this chance again because he’s unsure whether he can change the mind of someone so set on abandoning him. He knows he can’t force him to stay.
As they pull away, Ren swallows hard and puts his forehead against the other man. His voice is shaky as he speaks. “You don’t have to stay. I can’t make you. But please, Goro. Stay here with me, even if just for tonight. That’s all I ask.”
Akechi nods. He couldn’t refuse the request. He couldn’t leave him without a proper goodbye, not again.
“So?”
“So what?”
“Does that kiss mean you love me too?”
“Yes, it does.”
For once, Ren doesn’t say something cheesy or ruin the mood.
The night had taken hold of the sky, the only light in the room being the moonlight and a desk lamp on Ren’s workbench. The two held each other close, fingers intertwined and a thumb caressing the brunette’s knuckles. They had planned to do more, but once they were pressed together, they had refused to move.
Akechi sighs as he watches the thumb run over his finger joints. “How long?”
“Hm?”
“How long have you…been attracted to me?”
Ren chuckles with embarrassment. “I…uh…the TV station.”
“Since we first met? Are you nuts?”
“You asked when I first was attracted to you, not when I fell in love with you.”
“Okay, then when was that?”
“Mmm, when I tousled your hair and put my glasses on you.”
“Christ, not even when that crazed therapist took over? You fell in love when I had that idiotic and cutesy personality?”
“Just means I fell in love with you again. I was in love with that illusion of you, but seeing you again, alive? I swear to any gods above, you were just as beautiful as the day in the boiler room.”
“You’re just as fucked up as me.”
“Duh. Why do you think I’m in love with someone who killed people?”
“Haha, very funny.” Goro scoffs.
“It’s okay. We’ll try not to tell Haru, Makoto, or Futaba about us for as long as we can.”
“Sure.”
“What about you? When did you fall in love with me?”
“To be fair, I never realized until you confessed. But I suppose I was interested when we went to the aquarium.”
“Oh, you mean the date you so miserably tried to disguise as someone giving you tickets?”
“Tch. How did you even know?”
“Because there’s not a single person besides me or Sae that you could go with. And I’m sure Sae was busy.”
“You’re insufferable, Ren.”
“Did you just call me…by my given name?”
The heat rushes to Akechi’s face, pausing for a second. Suddenly, he tries to wiggle away from Ren. “Shut up! Ignore that!”
Ren laughs as he holds onto his wrist, not enough to make him feel trapped. “Nooooooo, come back!”
“I’m leaving.”
“No, you promised you’d stay the night.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time I broke a promise to you.”
Ren just gives a fake pout as he lets go. “You’re so mean to me, Goro. I thought you loved me.”
“I do, but I hate your little attitude.”
“You don’t like me teasing you? I think it’s cute how flustered you get when I do.”
“You haven’t even done it enough to know.”
“Yes, I have. Remember that time in the Monabus when we were forced to sit on the floor in the back, and you fell asleep on my shoulder? And when you woke up I called you ‘Crow’ in a flirty tone?”
“Don’t remind me.”
“Or the infamous ‘honey, I’m home?’ You blushed like crazy when I called you that.”
“Stop it.”
“Hooooonnneeeeeyyyy. Come back to bed.” Ren teasingly coos, drawing out the pet name.
“Fine. But not because I like being called cutesy names. But because I made a promise.”
“Mhm. Sure. Love you…little crow.”
Goro couldn’t help the pink dusting his cheeks at the nickname, mumbling into Ren’s neck. “Don’t call me that.”
Light just barely crept in through the curtains, sunlight shining onto the two. The brunette was the first to stir, groaning quietly as he tried to sit up. Unfortunately, the other seemed to be very touchy-feely and was a mess of limbs on Goro. He manages to silently untangle himself, swinging his legs off the side of the bed.
He gives a hushed thanks to Sojiro for getting a proper bed for Ren, since he decided to attend a university in Tokyo and probably pitifully asked to stay in the Leblanc attic again. This new frame and mattress really were a godsend for his back.
He looks behind him, studying the raven’s face. He slept with a content smile, and it felt contagious for Akechi. He let the smile creep on his face and gently set a hand on his cheek. The sunlight that did peek through let a golden line cascade across Ren, covering his face and the mop of black hair on his head.
This was perfect. This sight of waking up next to Ren Amamiya, someone who—despite the lack of a skincare routine—was naturally gorgeous, and the fluttering light of the morning sun. He allows himself to softly grin. No furrowed brows or unhinged looks. Just a smile. For the first time in his tragic life, he was happy.
He pulls his hand away and stands up, careful not to disturb the sleeping man with any out-of-place creaks. Even then, as he’s tidying up the room, he hears a groggy voice whine about the empty spot next to him.
“Goroooo…”
“Mhm?”
“Come back to bed, please. You always get up at the asscrack of dawn.”
“It’s 10:30.”
“Mm, still. Come here.”
“You need to get up.”
“Just spare me, like, five to ten minutes, honey.”
Goro huffs and makes his way to the bed, climbing back in. As soon as he lays down, Ren clings onto him with a hum and nuzzles into his neck. He can’t help but wrap his arm around him and lazily trace circles on his back. He spares him those ten minutes, happy to lay there with him.
As soon as those ten minutes were up, though, Akechi was slowly pushing his new boyfriend off and walking downstairs to the cafe. Ren protests the end of the cuddle session but follows him. He ends up making coffee for both of them, which Ren gladly pays for. They sit at the bar and talk, updating on Akechi’s attempts to access the Velvet Room and Ren’s progress in law studies.
“So I thought it was a little bullshit that gay people couldn’t get married. Of course, I didn’t say anything, because otherwise I’d out myself.”
“To not get in trouble with the law again, let’s just say we’re ‘really close friends.’” Goro snickers.
“Oh? Is that a joke? From the lips of my grumpy boyfriend? I can’t believe it.”
“Yeah, it was.”
“You seem…happier today.”
He hums in response, sipping his coffee. “I thought hard about my priorities. That’s all.”
“Am I a priority?”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” He sighs, setting the cup down again. “I’m staying.”
“I hoped that you would. After all, would really suck to not be able to see you. You mean a lot to me.” Then a grin forms on Ren’s lips. “My little crow.”
“No.”
“You like it.”
“No, I don’t.”
Goro Akechi did, in fact, like that nickname.