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Goro puts his phone down. It wouldn’t do well to let the food get cold. His vlog has been doing quite well recently. Today’s pictures came out well too. Though, the food itself is quite forgettable beyond their appearance.
He returns home; his roommate cooks so much better than these aesthetic cafés. As always, there is the scent of food cooking on the stovetop when he enters. “Amamiya, I’m back.”
“Ah, Akechi, you’re early today.”
“The food at that cafe was so ass today…” he grumbles.
“I was listening to it, you should say that if you think so.” Ren hums, plating the curry rice.
“It’s all just eye-candy, no one actually goes out to buy it because of one simple video.”
“I think you’re quite compelling at least.”
“You always say that.”
When he finishes he goes into the office. Ren never follows after him… he doesn’t really show an interest in these things beyond watching his content. He shakes his head, he should get to editing that video to post.
Like clockwork, Ren knocks on his door with a cup of brew in hand. The time is seven at night already, he should prepare for tonight’s evening stream.
These evening streams were why he was surprised Ren even agreed to become his roommate. He’s gotten several noise complaints before from getting so worked up from these damn games; now that he has his own place it’s been better but he’s tried his best to soundproof the room and his cursing still leaks through despite it.
His digital identity as Karasu is quite different from his day vlogs as Goro where those viewers often called him a prince. He even wears a mask and everything to hide the fact that they’re both him. Of course, Ren knows both sides, he had puzzled out his voice easily.
The people who watch Karasu all know how huge of a Featherman fan he is. He has opinions on the newest set of movies and how their newest game is just a cheap remake of an old one. He also, in spite of himself, plays those games to 100% completion. Their otome game especially pissed him off when he was playing for completion- it was like they barely took into account their character arcs as they wrote their voices!
Ren leaves a few snacks at the door; he makes sure not to interrupt Goro’s stream, it’s nice. Though it’s also embarrassing to know that Ren watches all his videos and live streams. No matter, he should go live soon.
…
He was getting ready to end the stream when a message from a viewer caught his eye.
Ak4matsu: Hey this guy totes got the build of Black Falcon, right Crow-dono? Check out J0ker on Twitter.
He ends the stream smoothly. With Twitter now open on his monitor he is scrolling through Joker’s photos. Matsu’s right. The soft but still prominent muscles of this cosplayer, their height, and their certainty of their poses… It’s perfect! No one could ever match so perfectly!
He’s never followed an account so fast.
This person only cosplays characters who have their face obscured, but it’s clear that they have the build of a man. He can also fit the build of not just Black Falcon, but also Red Hawk if he adds just a little more height, or maybe Feather Arrow too…
This… this may be going beyond obsession as he now makes it his goal: make this Joker cosplay anyone of the Featherman series!
Ah but he should begin his pushing tomorrow, or at least after he finishes editing the vod of the last stream.
“Akechi?”
He flinches, closing the tab on his screen. “A-Amamiya?! I’m still working!”
“A-ah, sorry, it just got quiet and you ended the stream a good hour ago, so I thought you finished.” He bashfully rubs the back of his neck.
“It’s…” he takes a deep breath, “It’s fine.” He isn’t quite done with editing, but he can do it later. “What did you need anyway? I’m surprised you’re still awake.”
“Um… well, you made quite a deal about it being your favourite character’s birthday, so um, there’s a cake on the table. Just thought I’d let you know.”
Now that he’s looking at Ren properly, the man looks exhausted and also smells noticeably sweet. “Oh,” right he did make many comments at the start of the stream about it being Falcon’s birthday today. “Thanks.”
“Alright, ‘night Akechi.”
“Yeah, see you.”
He watches as Ren stumbles into his room for the night. He should get up, he had been in his seat for close to five hours. The time is around half past midnight; he’s still fairly awake, not that the coffee cake is helping it. He made sure to take a picture of it before he cut a slice for himself.
Part of him wonders how Ren even puts up with him like this.
He cuts himself a second slice before putting the remaining cake back into the fridge for later. He should finish editing that video before he does anything else.
…
Goro goes to bed at roughly four in the morning. Crouched uncomfortably over his desk. He still wakes in his bed in his own room though. Which is Ren’s doing, probably. It spooked him the first time it happened, but he’s used to it now. It still astonishes him that Ren can carry him but he has seen Ren fresh from a grocery run, carrying heavy bags stacked sky high.
He tiredly shuffles towards the living room. “Amamiya… when do you find the damn time…?”
“Ah, good afternoon Akechi.”
“It’s the afternoon?”
“Well, soon.”
“A~ma~mi~ya… you know I have shit to do in the mornings…”
“Might I remind you that I’m your roommate not your maid.”
“You sometimes act like one.”
“Yeah? This place would be unliveable if I didn’t clean up every so often.”
“I’m not that bad.”
Ren doesn’t answer that.
Goro sighs, letting go of the subject. He doesn’t have a late night stream today because his doctor is going to riot at some point if he doesn’t fix it sometimes. He can do something towards the evening today… he is getting sick of all these cafés anyway.
“Whatever, I’ll go get ready.” Goro grumbles, still tired.
Ren nods, going back to whatever he was doing before. He leaves to at least apply photo-suitable cosmetics for today’s video. Sometimes he wishes his night streams paid as much as the vlogs do, because those are much more fun to record. Far more than this saccharine alter ego he has to make for this audience… though these viewers think that the overtly sweetness fits his face, which the thought certainly finds its way to sour his mood.
…
He’s at a fairly fancy bar tonight, he posted one drink but… he’s had plenty more since then. Damn snide comments making him drink so damn much… he, despite knowing he’ll be reaching his first limit of alcohol, orders another beverage. Ren… Ren is rarely pleased when he gets like this, not that he remembers what happens while in a state of drunkenness.
He pulls out his device while in such a cloudy mindset.
…He doesn’t remember what he did between that fourth drink and when he was brought home. Whatever happened, it’s caused Ren to be… pitying? Upset? Or maybe he’s angry? Goro has a bit of a difficult time determining Ren’s mood when he’s truly silent like this. And well, the hangover isn’t helping.
“H-hey, Amamiya,” he tries, feeling Ren drape a wet cloth over his forehead. “Did… did I do something to upset you? You’re too silent.”
Ren doesn’t reply, and the door clicks shut. Goro doesn’t leave the bed—his bed— because his head just hurts too much, and his vlog will live just one day of inactivity. He would love to know what occurred in his gap of memory, but his phone is a bit too far out of reach to make getting up worth it.
He’ll do that later, he decides.
…
When next he wakes, he decides to scroll through Twitter to see everything he missed the night before.
@J0ker: Someone so kindly funded my next project~ stay tuned my dear Featherman fans!
He paused. Someone what? Someone funded this cosplayer to make a Featherman suit? He jumps up from his bed, overjoyed. He goes to beam at Ren, but Ren is nowhere to be seen. There’s a note on the counter detailing that he’ll be late tonight. He only has a part time job so he shouldn’t be very late. Goro heads out for the day, he’ll do a short clip today, nothing like the longer videos he had been doing for the better of the month.
And now, after recording his latest video, is when he spares a glance at his bank account… with a good 35000 yen missing during the time he was far too drunk to reasonably do anything. He can put two and two together, he is that ‘someone’ that Joker had mentioned. That’s embarrassing. Not that they were that strapped for cash, but 35k is still nothing to scoff at. That must be why Ren was upset with him, and maybe he still is, but it isn’t like their finances are linked so it should be fine.
He returns home, no one is there to greet him today.
It’s quiet, but that’s fine. He returns to his room, a bag of chips set up at the side of his main monitor. There’s a new animated episode of the side series focusing on Black Falcon that comes out today.
…
There was a scene that gave him a bit too much of a normal pause. He understands that shows will give a certain amount of bullshit fanservice, but, this is something he’d consider different. Black Falcon and the rest of the group that he begrudgingly teamed up with falling into a trap due to Grey Pigeon’s absentmindedness which ends up with his best boy all knotted up in ribbon with the whole works. The scene is almost wholly seared into Goro’s mind. He may be going a tad pink the more he thinks about it, but he’s at the very least not alone about it. The fandom agrees that the scene was hot, and the Falcon shippers are at it again with their insane speed.
“Akechi?”
He jumps, closing the tab. “A-Amamiya! When did you- when did you get back?!”
“Uh? Like ten minutes ago?” Ren’s eyes narrow at him. “Is everything alright?”
“Yes! Everything is alright, I assure.”
“You seem almost panicked.” He turns to leave the room, “well, I’ll start on dinner, though maybe you should lie down for a bit, that was quite a nasty hangover you had yesterday.”
Goro blinks, unsure what to answer all that with. “…Sure?”
Ren leaves the room. Goro sighs, going to his room and flopping back onto his bed. It’s one damn scene in a side series of all things! His heart is still beating quickly from when Ren suddenly intruded on him. He needs to calm down damn it!
He glances around his room, with featherman posters and action figures as far as the eye can see. Ah that reminds him, that special edition figure of Red Hawk should be arriving soon. Although it upsets him that most of his figures are red… they simply don’t offer enough merchandise of the others- most of all Black Falcon!
Joker has sent out another update… they certainly work quickly! They even directly sent him an image of its progress put up on a mannequin. While it may have been a drunken mistake, he is quite pleased with how this is turning out.
…
It’s been a couple weeks, he (just barely) manages to keep in character, even as he receives another one of Joker’s cosplay updates during his vlog. Though everyone on his Karasu streams knows for certain that he was the one who funded it. To which he is not beating certain obsessive allegations… not that he was trying hard to dispute them anyway.
Joker informs him that the cosplay is finished, and that it should be only a few hours for some more professional pictures. One of the images attached seems to be from within whatever studio that Joker had sewn it, it’s an alright mirror picture. The other pictures are as Joker is trying out Black Falcon’s more iconic poses, though Goro can place where in the series that they’re taking reference from.
The professionally taken pictures show up by the evening! Goro is almost jumping with joy. He would, genuinely, if Ren wasn’t in the building at the moment. He keeps scrolling through the photos, both of the professional ones and the more casually taken ones. This is so much better than he could have ever imagined…
But…
It seems to not be enough.
He messages Joker again.
Karasu: Would you happen to take posing requests?
Joker is quick to message back.
J0ker: Well, it depends. If you pay me, I might be a bit more inclined to do anything~
Ah, a dangerous thing to tell an obsessive Featherhead like himself. He contemplates for a moment whether or not he was actually going through with this… no, there was nothing to really consider, Joker has the perfect build, no other cosplayer fits so perfectly! He cannot let this chance slip through his fingers! So he sends another message, one containing the link of that episode of the ‘villain focused’ animated side series, giving the timestamp of the scene that has not left his head since he had first seen it. Then as an additional push, he sends Joker another 5000 yen.
Karasu: if that does not suffice, do tell.
The reply bubble shows up, then disappears a few times.
The reply never arrived.
Oh no, did he scare them off? Did he fuck up??? Shit- maybe he didn’t offer enough?! He gets up, pacing around his room to calm himself down. How on Earth should he remedy this situation? The easiest way is to merely offer more money, but they could just take the money and disappear off the platform… that wouldn’t be ideal; it’s not like their following is that large. And neither is his own… at least, not as Karasu. But he’s not going to out himself as a Featherhead on his vlog! That is the worst case scenario!
He struggles going to sleep as he thinks more and more if he just ruined everything.
…
He shuffles to the main floor. Ren is already up and done with cooking breakfast. “Akechi? I was just about to—” He must look horrible if it even stops Ren from speaking. “What happened?!”
“You wouldn’t care…” he mutters. Joker still hasn’t replied.
“Well clearly you do.” Ren points out. “I’m sure your fans will forgive missing one day; when you finish eating, go right back to bed.”
Goro sighs, pushing his chopsticks against the omelet, but not quite breaking through the egg. “They’ll notice.” He leaves it at that.
There’s the Joker issue, and his Red Hawk figure is delayed… ugh! Today is the worst!!! Goro returns to his room, locking the door behind himself. He doesn’t need Ren checking in to make sure he’s actually trying to sleep. He lies down, waiting for anything to happen. Whether sleep would overcome him or just a notification… just anything.
He closes his eyes… not that he’s that tired, but he may as well try.
Then he’s jolted awake by a notification on his phone.
It’s Joker!
J0ker: My apologies for the late response! 5000 yen will do for the request, I assure! Please, you do not need to worry. I should have time for pictures by next week… I just need to acquire the ribbon first.
Goro could not be more relieved that he finally got an answer. Sleep knocks him out within the minute.
…
Akechi has been patient but… Joker is a bit late. Usually they would warn him if there were unexpected slowdowns but… it’s complete silence from them. He puts his phone aside, keeping it propped up as he ate for his vlog, lying through his teeth about the dish’s taste. He thinks a couple people can tell that he’s a bit distracted, but he doesn’t care enough to try and hide it more.
Once he finished his vlog for the day, he went to message Joker for a possible update.
Karasu: Is everything alright? I haven’t heard from you since a couple weeks ago.
And… silence. He is not that patient when it comes to this, he realized. He should be headed back soon. Of course, a new Neo Featherman Again capsule machine distracts him, he gacha’d until he obtains the Black Falcon minifigure.
Minifigure in hand he returns home a bit more pleased.
He opens the door, “I’m home,” he announced like he usually does. Except, it’s quiet. There’s nothing cooking, he doesn’t even hear Ren’s presence. There is also no note left for him so it’s not like Ren was going to be expectedly late either.
At least, until his eyes catch on a blazing red coming from Ren’s room. The thought occurs to him that he has never entered Ren’s room before. “Amamiya?” He calls, slowly making his way towards the room.
“A- Akechi?! D- Don’t come in here!” Ren’s voice sounds strained, sorta choked out. It only worries him further.
He enters the room, only to stop at the doorway. There is an extensive camera setup with proper coloured spotlights hooked up to give the scene before him a gentle reddish hue. Then, at the centre of the spotlight, a dance of red ribbon and, well, a figure that could be assumed to be Ren… in cosplay… in a Black Falcon cosplay… “No way… you’re Joker…?” He didn’t suspect a thing. Not. A. Single. Thing.
“Ak- Akechi?! P-please… don’t make… this more— embarrassing!”
It seems like the ribbon is tightly wound, but that would be to fit the source material. Goro reaches to untie Ren’s throat… except he has no idea where to even start with this bondage handiwork. But he also doesn’t want to risk scratching the outfit if he tries cutting the ribbon; it is taut enough that he can see the skin beneath the fabric also bulge around the restraints.
“Ak-keshi… juss, untie me… please…” Ren asks, meekly. Or maybe he’s not getting enough oxygen.
Goro is, of course, not going to admit that he doesn’t know where to start. Instead he tugs off the helmet as it’s probably not easy to breathe through the metallic mouth part of the mask. Ren sucks in a deep breath once the mask leaves his face. Ren… why is he also wearing a face of makeup too? “How the hell did you tie yourself like this?!”
“A-Ah- Gorrw~oo… just… cut— it.” He’s trying to force deep breaths between every word but they’re getting shallower as he keeps squirming to loosen his own restraints. It doesn’t take much to know that Ren is panicking. And Goro is too. He doesn’t see anything that can cut the ribbon so he runs out of the room to grab the nearest and sharpest knife he could.
Ren’s dead if he fucks up now.
He takes a knife, inwardly praying that it’ll work, and runs back to the room. Outfit be damned, a life is on the line here! He tries severing the section of ribbon by Ren’s neck… it’s messy, but he slices through a layer, now able to pull loose a few more. He has to cut another set off because some idiot decided to double it! He loosens the binds around his chest too so Ren can breathe a bit more easily.
“You idiot…” he mutters, keeping Ren propped up to breathe.
“You… wanted it…”
“Don’t fucking talk until you can sit up on your own damn it.”
That’s right, it’s Goro’s fucking fault this happened in the first place. Ren wouldn’t have done this if Goro could have just had a little common sense and kept his damn kinks to himself. It wouldn’t have been that damn close if he didn’t stop at the fucking Gachapon machine, if he had just noticed that Ren was Joker!
“Goro… It’s not your fault.” It’s like the man can read his stupid mind. His fingers are trembling as he fusses with the rest of the ribbons that are binding Ren’s body. “I… I should have heeded the safety precautions— hell, should have had an easy way to unravel it…” Ren continues, as if trying to defend Goro’s idiotic actions.
Goro had a million things to say… yet he couldn’t even utter one of them.
“Oh, Goro, you’re crying.”
Who the hell wouldn’t?! You almost fucking died! Idiot! And apparently his hands’ fumbling around is doing shit all to the knots. It’s frustrating! He’s frustrated with himself! Ren… Why is Ren comforting him? It doesn’t make any sense!
“Goro—”
“Stop.” He hissed. “Stop calling me that!” He doesn’t deserve this. “I have no right to be called by that— not after I almost killed you!”
“Akechi.”
“What is it now?”
“Do you want to know why I did your request?”
“Because… I paid you?”
“No!” Ren almost yelled. “God you think I’m so shallow sometimes…” he muttered that, which Goro heard in full. “I did it because it was your request!”
He what? Because it was Goro’s request? “Bullshit.” He muttered, but he had nothing to disprove it.
“You don’t have to believe me,” Ren assures. “But I’m not lying.”
Ren is smiling— how is he smiling? Ren- Ren almost— Ren just almost—??
“Gor— sorry, Akechi?…” Ren makes obvious glances at his still bound arms.
“You’re unbelievable…” He takes up the knife again, shredding away the box tie that had kept his arms behind his back. When Ren’s hands fall loose from the ribbon, Ren spends no glance at his arms… instead he achingly wraps them around Goro’s back.
“Amamiya…” He grumbles. Ren immediately releases him.
Why is Ren not upset with him? Why is Ren trying to comfort him and not the other way around? Ren almost suffocated!
What does he do? He leaves, he runs, he flees; because of course he does. He locks himself in his room. He doesn’t deserve Ren’s presence. Ren should leave!
He hears Ren’s steps in the hall, but only approaching his room, not passing it. “Akechi?”
“Go.”
“I’m not going to leave.”
Stubborn idiot! Why is he so inclined to stay?! Goro remains silent, as does Ren.
He feels a buzz from his phone. Ah, so Ren is going to message him instead.
J0ker: Akechi… Everything is okay, please, come out of your room.
Karasu: You… Idiot. You’re much better off moving out.
This is still technically Goro’s house. Ren was just a roommate that happened to agree to living with him. Ren was just some guy who weirdly accepted all of his ‘qualities’. Ren is the only one who has stayed longer than a week.
J0ker: Is… is that what you think? After everything?
He can hear Ren sigh just beyond the door.
“Goro.” It’s muffled through the wood, but he can still hear it. “Come now, the issues are settled so please come out of your room.”
He makes no effort to move.
“Akechi, please?” Ren begs.
It would only be fair if he complied… Ren has done everything he has asked of, and more. Finally, he gets up to open the door.
Ren had changed into more casual wear. Goro immediately noticed the indents left by the ribbon that remained on his bare arms. Ren doesn’t immediately delve into a tirade, he doesn’t do anything. Ren lets Goro have a moment to analyze the situation, Ren’s wellbeing, and the delicate balance of everything else.
“I won’t force anything,” he starts, as if assuring Goro. “But I also won’t be leaving this house.”
“Why?” Goro asks, sharply. Ren should leave. He’d be much better off if he did.
“Because…” His weight shifts between one foot and the other as he finds the words. “I… I like it here.”
“You’re insane.”
“So be it.”
“‘So be it’? So be it?! Amamiya- you—”
“Almost died… yeah, it happens.”
Goro is stunned into absolute silence, nay an absolute stupor!
“Akechi, do you know why I ‘put up’ with you?” He motions air quotations as he said it.
No, how could he? He has ideas, sure, but none seem the type that Ren would possibly reason with. He watches Ren, hoping that it’d lead to some sort of clue. Red blooms across Ren’s cheeks the longer he stares.
“You can probably realize I’m different, right?” He rubs at the back of his neck. “That the other people didn’t stay for long…”
“What are you getting at?”
“Well, um, you see… I think I kinda…” Ren quiets, red-faced.
“Louder, Amamiya.”
“I- I think I like-like you!”
Silence.
“What?” Goro stares at him, blank faced.
Ren nods, confirming that that was indeed what came out of his mouth.
“What?”
“I said that I…have a bit of a crush… on you.”
Things click together logically.
The willingness to listen to his content; his ability to listen to Goro’s tirade about this and that; every meal made without complaint; the touches, the hand holding; the agreeing to his more personal tastes; that fucking coffee cake— no normal person bakes a fucking cake for their roommate’s favourite character.
Goro crumples to the ground. “I’m such a fucking idiot!” He hissed at himself.
“Goro,” Ren pats his shoulder. “Everything is alright; I’m not going anywhere. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
It’s always ‘alright’ when it’s Ren… he glances up at him, silver eyes are only on him. He’s not smiling nor disinterested; he’s concerned. For him- for him of all people!
He eventually picks himself up from the ground. As Ren said, he hasn’t left his place in the room.
“Hey, Goro?” Ren asks once Goro can finally look at him properly face to face. “Why don’t we eat out today?”
“Not today…” Everything is so bland compared to Ren’s food. “I- I’ll try for once… it can’t be that hard.”
Ren looks surprised. “O-oh! Okay!”
Ren remains a step or two away, ready to lend any assistance to Goro’s inexperience in the kitchen… but it’s not like soup can be difficult! “Amamiya… the reason I offered to cook today is so that you can relax.”
“Mm… I’m a bit nervous about that… I haven’t seen you so much as cut a potato in the last year.”
“I’m not so unreliable that I cannot do something as simple as—” he in fact slices his finger just then. “Shit.”
Ren is quick to take everything out of his hands, dragging him towards the sink. Putting the wound under running tap water… it does burn. Ren runs off into the bathroom, likely for the medicine cabinet… ah, bandages. Did he buy a new package? They’re Featherman themed. Ren’s touch is delicate as he dabs a clean towel over the injury, swiftly covering the wound with the bandage.
“I’ll take over from here,” he says, “and while I appreciate the thought, we happen to be lacking food gloves at the moment.”
He’s so fast at this sort of thing… Goro could never hope to possibly catch up. He settles behind the counter of the kitchen island, that way he won’t be in Ren’s way. He glances down at his hand, Red Hawk is front and centre on the design… It must simply be coincidence. The minifigure capsule machine seemed to spare him today, as he only needed to pull twice to get the one he was looking for. The other he obtained just happened to also be Red Hawk.
He’s brought back to the present as Ren places a bowl in front of him. “Still feeling guilty?” Ren asks, is he still worried about that?
“I’m not changing my opinion about it; it was my fault in the first place.”
“It’s okay, I forgive you.”
“Let’s stop talking about that.”
It’s safe to say that he’s traumatized by what happened today.
Not that he’ll ever admit it aloud…
They then migrate to the living room. Goro, for once, lets Ren pick what they were to watch today. Ren picks some mystery series, something about phantom thieves dancing around a detective’s deductions, Goro tried to get interested into it but simply couldn’t. He had half the mind to wonder if that was how Ren felt every time Goro pushed him to watch the next new Featherman movie, anime, or live show. Maybe… maybe he should hold back his obsession a bit. Today was certainly testament to that.
“Oh, Goro, that reminds me,” Ren says conversationally, “today’s photos came out great! I’ll send them to you later tonight.”
Goro… Goro can’t outright admit that he won’t be able to bring himself to look at the photos. Not after today’s mishap. Goro only hums a reply. It is getting rather late, and the episode is soon to finish as they begin to build up the cliffhanger. Though, it seems his eyes refuse to stay open… so in the meantime, he may get just a few seconds of shut eye…
He did fall asleep, but not before hearing soft- yet annoyed- coos of “Goro…”
Goro is slowly lifted from the couch. Even with Ren’s arms still feeling raw from the bindings earlier that day, he will still bring Goro to his proper bed for the night. Though he would have liked for Goro to put himself into bed for once, Ren cannot deny that he’s still cute like this. He can only hope that today wasn’t too traumatic for him
He places his dear black bird down into the bed, tucking him in like the affectionate roommate he is. The new minifigures catch his attention, and Ren is sure to display them properly on the shelf with the other figurines.
He’s not much of a Featherhead himself, though the lore has been drilled into him from Goro’s various streams and little rants about inconsistencies from each of the series’s. Maybe he can pop in view of the camera while masked up as this Falcon character. Goro would like that, wouldn’t he?
Ren is excited for what tomorrow may bring.