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“Akira…? You up here…?” Goro grumbled as he stepped outside onto the rooftop, the cold February air nipping at his cheeks. After agreeing for the final time to reject Yoshizawa’s deal and stand up against her, the two had parted ways. Only for Akira to send another message to the Fool a little while later, asking to meet up once again. He didn’t give much elaboration other than that, as his texts always seemed to be. The detective was always so cryptic when he texted Goro. {Would it kill him to get to the point every now and again?} He thought to himself before his eyes landed on the detective.
Akira’s back was facing the door Goro exited from. He didn’t look back towards his rival but it was clear he heard him by virtue of the door being weighted and loud. “Jeez, there you are! You know, whatever this is about, it would have been easier for you to say it at the Jazz club we were *just* in. Instead of making me go on a wild goose chase attempting to find you!” When Akira gave no retort, Goro approached, softening slightly towards the alternate Wild Card.
“Hey.” He started, unsure of exactly what to say. His attempt sort of fell flat. He looked at the detective sitting over the edge of the roof, looking at something in his hands. Goro simply shrugged and sat down next to the other. Perhaps it was best to let the other speak first.
The mood around the duo was somber. Actualization could only do so much. In fact, it might have made the feeling worse. This fake happy world moved on… no care for those awake within its suffocating confines. The winter was cold and silent against all those dwelling below them with their artificial smiles.
It soon became clear what was holding Akira’s attention. A small black crow that seemed to show no fear when faced with a regretful assassin. He softly stroked it, his pallor digits contrasting against the avian’s dark feathers. The two sat together, still in the cold. He tried his best to keep it warm, having shed his blue plaid scarf and wrapped it around the crow. What could it mean? If anything at all.
Perhaps it was a spirit guide of some kind, or maybe it was divine intervention. Or perhaps it encapsulated a Western idea. A warning of death and decay… The latter option seemed the most likely possibility in Goro’s mind. Especially after she revealed that he was a dead boy walking. What was Sumire trying to do? Hold Akira hostage? Whatever the case, it didn’t seem to sway him and his convictions. The same could not be as easily said for Goro. But they’d already made their choice. And if Akira desired to be free, even in the face of death, he had no choice but to accept it.
“Hey.” Justice echoed the Fool, finally breaking the silence. It felt like an hour had gone by. But in reality it was only three minutes of the cold silence, if even that. However, Akira also fell quiet after the word was spoken. He wasn’t sure how to approach any of this exactly. How was he supposed to ask the boy he had every intent to kill in cold blood for a favor? How selfish was he?
“We’ll be fighting Yoshizawa-san tomorrow. I trust you still have your head screwed on right?” Goro’s eyes narrowed at this. “Akira. If this is just a rehashing of what we spoke about at the club, I’m going home. Before Morgana gets on my case for not going to bed at a decent hour.” Akira continued to stroke the bird as it let out a small satisfied trill. “No,” was all he really said in defense. “I guess… I’m just stalling. I really don’t know how to bring this up.” “Then try to-“ Goro swiftly responded. Perhaps it was a little too fast. He backpedaled a little, still feeling awkward. “I mean- just take your time to find the words. We’re not in *that* big of a rush I suppose.” He looked up towards the cityscape’s horizon as the sky was beginning to be painted deep oranges and purples by the setting sun.
“I know I just grilled ya about Morgana. But really, he can deal with it. You’re more important right now.” Goro could tell something was different about Akira at this moment. He just couldn’t quite tell what. But the way the other gazed at him finally, there was a sadness in his eyes that even his glasses couldn’t hide. It wasn’t his normal piercing gaze. It was soft and… strangely human.
“Where is he, by the way?”
“Stop changing the subject, Kurusu.”
“Yeesh, we on last names now? Cold. But you did bring it up. Now I’m curious.”
Goro rolled his eyes, but decided to indulge his rival. If for no other reason than to appease Akira. And hopefully get to the point faster. “I got the sense this would be better as a private conversation.” The detective raised an eyebrow but let the other continue. “He’s at the base of the building.” That seemed to satisfy him.
“Can I touch him?” Goro suddenly asked, gesturing toward the bird. Akira shrugged and gave him the go ahead. Placing his hands over the crow, he slowly mimicked the movements of Justice from just moments before. It was so soft and still, almost like Akira had trained and tamed it. But that obviously wasn’t possible. He couldn’t help but feel its presence was an omen. But for whom, it wasn’t clear just yet.
“You know… I’m not supposed to be here. You saw me die in that place. I know you know this. You’re infuriatingly smart.” Goro grunted in confirmation before withdrawing from the crow. “Where are you going with this?” Akira shifted ever so slightly, careful to not disturb the animal in his care as he did so. “Well… I know I have no room to make a request like this of you. You know… considering everything I-“ “-Water under the bridge,” Goro interrupted his monologue. “You’ve more than proven yourself in this reality. Supposed to be dead or not, you’re still here. We still won’t forget all that happened. I’m sure Yusuke and Makoto can attest to that. But you’re trying to atone, whether you realize it or not. So don’t give me that. Whatever it is, I’m sure I can make it work. You have to believe that.” Akira swallowed a ragged breath and nodded, continuing onward.
“Right. So as you also obviously know… my brother. Ren. He’s on our team too.” The false delinquent nodded knowingly, but didn’t interrupt this time. Akira fell silent then, looking up into the growing sunset and away from his rival. “I just wanted… mm…” He muttered, unsure of how to approach this whole thing. The wind suddenly picked up and blew, messing up his already messy hair more. Any snapshot of him in such a pose would surely be a beautiful photograph or painting. “When all of you move on towards the future. *Please,* take care of him.” Akira’s voice wavered as his eyes shut, feeling tears he absolutely refused to set free bubble up in his throat. “I haven’t been a good brother to him, I know. I won’t try to make excuses for myself. But I still do care about him. I can only imagine how he feels… knowing his twin is a monster.” His body language became a little more reclusive as he curled into himself slightly. The crow in his lap trilled again and rubbed its beak against him.
Goro was a little taken aback by this. He thought back to the boy that shared Akira’s face. And yet, they couldn’t be more opposite. The way they carried themselves, it was easy to tell them apart just by that alone. As the elder of the two, even if by a couple of minutes, Akira must feel like he should protect him. Or… would ‘should’ve’ be the correct term? No wonder he was trying to stall for time… Goro felt the air around them grow heavy with the weight of it all. But even so, one response immediately came to mind.
“I’ll try my best.”
“What?” Akira’s eyes shot open as he looked back to the opposite side of his own coin. Goro merely doubled down. “You heard me. He’s my friend too, you know. When things happen how they’re meant to, I’ll look after him in your stead. You have my word. Besides, I care about you too. So it’s killing two birds with one stone.” Akira suddenly gasped and the Fool looked confused, cocking his head to the side like a puzzled puppy. It was only when the other gingerly cupped the ears of the crow, he understood. “You *monster,”* Akira exaggerated. “Read the room, Goro!” Said boy couldn’t help but laugh at that. Especially when the crow mimicked his confused movement with its own head. “You’re an idiot, Kurusu.” Despite the harsh words, Goro smiled as he spoke them. “Could you stop calling me by my last name? You sound like one of those stuffy reporters.” “Only when you stop being an idiot,” he countered. Justice was forced to shrug. “Fair enough.” The mood was instantly lightened with that and he removed his hands from the confused crow’s head.
This time, it was the detective’s turn to laugh as he returned to petting the bird. His cheeks turned slightly rosy, the source of which was likely the cold. But… Goro stared at the offending blush. Probably a little more intently than he needed to. Akira noticed and shifted again on the ledge, eyebrows furrowing. “…What?” In his heart, Goro knew it was most likely just from the cold. But the slimmest chance of it being something more… it captivated him. “Seriously. Do I have something on my face? You’re starting to freak me out now.” That seemed to snap the boy out of his daze. He furiously shook his head and he quickly tried to look for an excuse. “I just zoned out. Your cheeks, they’re… y’know? I think you should put your scarf back on.” Nice save. At least he thought it was.
“But then little crow here will be cold. Even if this world is supposedly perfect, I don’t want to risk him getting hurt. I’ll gladly be a little cold if it means it can be cozy. Maybe it’s me being selfish again. But I’m living on borrowed time here. I guess I just want to make a small difference to the world before I disappear from it forever. Somehow prove to it that I was actually here. ‘Akira Kurusu was *here.* And maybe he’s not all good. Hell, maybe he’s not even mostly good. But he did something worthwhile.” He went quiet yet again, focusing his attention on the bird again as the color in his cheeks slowly spread like molasses on a tabletop. Without thinking. Goro put a gentle hand on Akira’s leg, looking up at him. His maroon eyes were laced with apparent concern. “I’ll remember. You’ll be going out with a yell, not a whimper. I know that for a fact. Even if no one else hears it, I will. You were here. You made mistakes, but who doesn’t, right?” “I think being an assassin is a little more than just a petty mistake, Akechi.” Goro smirked, knowing he only used his last name to try and push him away when he thought the two were getting too chummy. “Look who’s using surnames now~” “Oh hush it, you.”
Goro laughed yet again, rather enjoying getting under the skin of the famed Detective Prince. But his expression soon grew a little more serious. “But… really. Mistakes big or small, we still make them. That’s what we’re fighting for, aren’t we? It’s what makes us human. For… what it’s worth, even before the world went to shit like this, I did enjoy the company we shared.” Akira tilted his head as he continued. “When we’d hit the batting cages in Yongen-Jaya and you hit a home run every single goddamn time. It was really some of the most fun I had since moving to Tokyo. Or when you showed me that café you really like. Leblanc. You’d never shared your love for the gentle atmosphere with anyone before. But you did with me. You taught me about coffee and your favorite blends. You might not think so. But you *are* here. You lived, you felt, you made a difference. Even if no one else was touched by you, which I find unlikely, you made a difference in my screwed up life.”
“Akechi-“ Akira’s eyes narrowed as that blush spread exponentially. Goro didn’t even seem to realize that his hand was still on his leg. But Akira sure did. It certainly wasn’t helping his blushing situation. The other leaned in a little closer. “You know what? No. I’m not done, Akira. If this is the last chance we get, I’m telling you everything I think. I know you only call me by my last name when you’re trying to push me away. I don’t know why you’re so scared to get close to people, but I see it. And yet, you got close with me. And for some reason that scares you. But the bonds we forge are a part of life and make it so much more meaningful. Someone really important to me helped me remember that. If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t feel the remorse like you do. You wouldn’t have shown me the café, or the batting cages. You maybe wouldn’t even have given me a second glance at the TV station that day. You—“
“Akechi!” Both of the boys’ bodies stiffened in tandem. Goro finally realized where his hand was and quickly retracted it. Akira averted his eyes, resting his hand on the little crow for comfort. He took a deep breath as he created a little distance between them again. The piercing charcoal eyes of Justice narrowed. “Go.” “But-“ Goro sputtered, immediately feeling guilty. He jumped the gun with such a volatile individual. There was still more he wanted to say. “It’s getting late. Go back to that basement you crawled out of. Don’t want to keep Morgana waiting, right?” He used the other’s words against him as a last ditch effort to push him away. If he did, he wouldn’t get hurt. Like he did with Ren. Or his mother. His fate was already decided. Once Yoshizawa’s heart was changed, he’d cease to exist. Just like it was meant to be.
“I think I know where this is going… and I…” He looked away as the crow cawed. Like sounding the toll of his impending doom. “Just… protect Ren. Okay? After tomorrow it’s best if you forget about me. I can’t- I can’t do this. I can’t do this to you.” Both of the boys closed the distance between one another, looking deeply into one another’s eyes. Another caw sounded. “Akechi…” “Akira.” They both fumbled whatever they planned to say. The air hung still around them… like the world was waiting for one of them to commit to this doomed dance. Or for one of them to chicken out.
After a tense second that felt like an eternity, Akira just pulled back and looked away. “Please just—“ The words he was going to say next immediately died in his throat as he was pulled in by the collar of his coat. He wasn’t sure what exactly happened until he felt a set of soft warm lips collide with his own. The detective stiffened again before slowly loosening out. He gently wrapped his arms loosely around Goro’s shoulders as they held the tender moment. As they did, the crow leaped from Akira’s lap and scarf and flew away into the dusk. There was no doubt now… it was like the bird was waiting to seal their fate. And now they could never go back. A warning of oncoming doom… this had the longevity of a night-blooming cereus. But like the dazzling vine that only bloomed once a year, they had time. Not a long time to be sure. But they had time. Time to make something beautiful out of what little they had.
Slowly, the two parted from one another. “Goro,” he started. “You’re crazy. You know that right?” The Fool cocked his head again before pulling back. “Maybe so. But only because you’re an idiot. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He shuffled a little before taking the now abandoned scarf from his lap and wrapping it around Akira’s neck to protect him once more from the now growing chill.
Both boys blushed and kind of just looked down. “So… what now?” Akira started with the elephant in the room. “We gotta cram an entire relationship into one night, obviously.” “You’re crazy.” Goro scoffed. “You just said that.” Akira looked up again, incredulous. “Only because it’s true! This is absolutely insane.” Suddenly, he felt himself be brought to his feet via a tug to his sleeve. The slightly taller of the two wasted no time, already making his way towards the exit. “I’ve… always wanted to cuddle someone? Is that weird?” Akira muttered that part, slightly embarrassed to admit it. “Not any weirder than the rest of this. We’ll keep it simple. Go back to the Jazz Jin and make it up as we go along. We’ll cuddle though, for sure.” Akira somehow blushed more at this. His entire face was akin to a tomato at this point. Meanwhile the other seemed to more or less completely keep composure. Only the slightest tint of pink to his cheeks was the hint of the new development forged.
A bond between a Fool and Justice… it was unclear what the rest of this night would bring. But it’d certainly be one to remember. It just had to be. Before the flower wilted and disappeared under the light’s rays. Before that crow’s foreshadowing came to fruition. A promise that was sealed with a kiss… of protection and of ever fleeting love. For just one night, they could pretend to have the life they’ve been denied.