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In their desperation to exonerate themselves from the media's scrutiny, the Phantom Thieves enlisted the help of one acclaimed detective prince, Akechi Goro.
The group's feelings towards him were split, though they leaned towards distrust and strong disdain for the most part. Yusuke's feelings weren't too dissimilar from the others' in the beginning, he was sure, but he soon found himself becoming the one who occupied the most negative corner.
In fact, the opinion Yusuke formed was so strong that it made him wonder if he could be totally wrong about him. Normally, he was the type who was slow on the uptake. He was used to people telling him to read the mood and get a clue, but when it came to Akechi, for some reason, he felt a definite certainty in his judgment. It was, of course, very vindicating to hear the others agreeing with his negative assertions, but...
It felt like it was getting him nowhere, keeping the worst of his feelings to himself.
He was irritating.
Like the sound of a leaky faucet at night, like someone loudly chewing gum or tapping to an off-rhythm beat, Akechi Goro's very presence among their group was insufferably irritating.
For the time being, it was supposed to be an act. In spite of their suspicions, they were fair people who were fairly giving him a chance to prove them wrong, but Yusuke's convictions already felt concrete. After they joined, Makoto, Futaba, and Haru had all thrust past the initial distrust they created in the group, but things with Akechi were different.
Yusuke could tell that Akechi was hiding something behind his shallow compliments and niceties. Nothing about him was straightforward.
That smile of his... It was fake.
Knowing that he had prior knowledge of the Metaverse, there was a chance that he was the mysterious, black-masked invader they'd heard mutterings about from the Palace rulers. If that were true, his cooperation came with all kinds of unsettling and unsavory implications. The figure in the black mask was responsible for the mental shutdowns, meaning that he'd even personally affected the lives of those in their own group.
But it was more than just that.
Yusuke cared about how that affected the others. He cared about what Akechi's cooperation meant for his own future as well. But it was Akira he worried about most.
Apparently, Akechi Goro was something of a regular at Leblanc, and apparently he liked to think himself a friend of Akira's.
That frustratingly phony smile was directed at Akira more than anyone.
That would have been bad enough had Akira not been smiling back.
It had to be a ploy, Yusuke thought. Their leader was kind to everyone, but he had to be aware of the potential danger posed by Akechi. Yusuke knew that he should trust that he had something up his sleeve, but it annoyed him to no end to see Akira smiling at him. It awoke a part of him that Yusuke was ashamed of.
Akira was his own person – free, owned by no one – but Akechi didn't deserve that smile. It didn't belong to him. He had no right to receive it.
Yes, Yusuke was ashamed.
He was ashamed, but he refused to take the blame. Akechi Goro was the one responsible for that terrible, unsightly feeling that clawed out of him and bared its fangs. If he was wrong about him, then he was wrong, but that awful part of him hoped that he was right. He wanted to be given an irrefutable reason worth introducing his blade to that phony's gut – figuratively speaking, of course. Though Akechi annoyed him to the point of murderous daydreaming, Yusuke could never realistically imagine lowering himself to that despicable level.
That was why he needed to stay on his guard, however.
If Akira's smile was sincere... If he incidentally became careless...
If that Akechi did anything to hurt him, then Yusuke was afraid he'd have no problem drawing his blade after all.
It was too painful for him to even imagine what it would be like if anything happened to Akira. Right when his life had found its direction... When he'd been found by someone who honestly cared about him and his future... The mere thought of losing him paralyzed Yusuke's heart. It was still too soon for him to walk without him.
His love for him was no secret, yet its depths were a thing he felt afraid of revealing. Like a spoiled, coddled child, he depended on him. Akira was his precious leader in the truest sense; without him, would've been lost. Despite his eccentricity, even Yusuke was aware of how extreme his affection sounded, bordering on obsession. Even if he understood where those heavy feelings came from, he knew that it would be wrong to burden Akira with their weight.
Akira was just one person. He couldn't be selfishly made responsible for someone else.
Yusuke wondered if Akira knew how it made him feel when he saw him smiling at Akechi that way. He wondered if he knew how important that smile was to him.
“Hey, Yusuke, what's that look for?”
Ryuji was saying something to him. Yusuke hadn't even noticed his attention.
Once he turned and looked at him, though, Ryuji recoiled. “Uh. You know what? Never mind. I think I get it. Just don't chop my head off, too, okay?”
“I would do no such thing,” Yusuke assured, crossing one leg over the other. He did his best to rid himself of the face that Ryuji had been speaking of, but he was unable to discard his scowl, especially when he noticed Akechi looking at him with that smirk of his.
As Akechi continued to stare, Yusuke grabbed his pack of snacks off the table and crushed a potato stick between his teeth.
“Oh? It looks like someone's ready to get serious,” Akechi said, leaning back against the wall by the window. His tone sounded playful but his attitude was nothing but condescending. “Where was that enthusiasm during the first part of our infiltration? Room in the main infiltration party is limited, you know. You have to bring that commitment with you every time unless you want Joker to sideline you.”
“Akira decides party formation based on the usefulness of our individual skills to the current situation. There is no other order of priority,” Yusuke said. It seemed Akechi needed to be told.
“Usefulness...?” For a moment, he looked surprised, but then his deceptively cheerful smile returned. “My, in that case, I ought to always be on the front line. My skills deal neutral damage. I can handle just about anything.”
“You fool.” The others were sitting there, just watching. Yusuke was certain that they knew the obvious counter-argument, but he didn't mind being the one to deal it to him at all. “Neutral damage? What an arrogant approach. Unless you can confidently take down every enemy by yourself in one hit, you should be aiming to immobilize the enemy by targeting their weaknesses. Neutral attacks are rarely so useful. An effective party requires the cooperation of every member.”
Prosecutor Niijima's Palace reflected her perception of the court system as a gamble with one and only one victor. Akechi was in danger of falling prey to the same type of delusion if he believed he could succeed there by himself.
For a moment, his prideful attitude fell away and Yusuke caught a glimpse of something much darker underneath. Those eyes looked at him like trash, like he couldn't believe he was being argued with by someone beneath him.
The others could've missed it. It was there one second, gone the next. It was replaced by the usual mask of a polite, modest boy.
“Ah... I must apologize, then. It's a dog eat dog world we live in. I'm used to doing everything my own way. It's carried me this far in the real world, but perhaps the same strategy shouldn't be applied to the Metaverse.”
He was so quick to concede. Did he think that made him look agreeable? It only bothered Yusuke further.
Yusuke didn't have anything else to say to him, though – not while the others were there.
Akira, ever the quiet one, was keeping to himself. Yusuke wondered if he was as taciturn when it was only him and Akechi. It was easy to imagine that unpleasant boy holding a whole conversation by himself as Akira provided an occasional nod or mutter to keep him from noticing his disinterest. Akechi seemed arrogant enough to ignore that kind of signal.
At least... That was what Yusuke hoped. He hoped that the friendly relationship between them was one Akechi had perceived by himself. If it were more real than that, then he hoped that things had changed for Akira once they realized the possibility of Akechi being the culprit of the shutdowns.
He needed to speak with Akira about it.
He didn't want to look controlling, though, especially if it turned out that he was misjudging Akechi...
That was a problem. It was a kind of problem Yusuke never would have even considered in the past. Before, he would have been able to say everything that was on his mind without worrying about how it would make others think of him. He wasn't sure whether that was a good or bad thing, but it was definitely getting in his way.
Ann laughed. Yusuke could tell she was forcing it just to keep the mood up.
“Don't worry about it,” she said. “Your Bless skills were kind of handy, you know? Akira has a few of those, but... Uh... I mean, he can't always be shifting through his Personas! He'd get dizzy! So maybe you should focus on sharpening those skills. You'll be an irreplaceable member of the team in no time.”
Yeah. She was really forcing it. If that was supposed to be her best effort, then she hadn't gotten much better at acting.
Even Akechi didn't look convinced. “A-ah... Yes. I'll try that. Thank you.”
As he reached for his coffee cup, Yusuke looked across the table toward Akira. Like Futaba, his attention was absorbed in his phone. For the heck of it, Yusuke opened the group chat, but there weren't any new messages, so...
What were they doing? Playing games?
...Well. That was fine.
“Being a member of a group... really is a different experience,” Akechi said. “It's quite something, seeing the way you all work together. I may even feel inspired. I wonder how things would have been for me if I'd had people like you supporting me all along.”
“Hm...?” Futaba picked up her head, her attention seeming to have been drawn by something he said. “We agreed that this would be our last gig, but this doesn't have to be the end for us. We keep telling you that you're part of the group now, so why are you talking like an outsider? After this is over, are you just going to forget about us?”
“I'm not sure I understand. If this will be the end of the Phantom Thieves, then what else is there?”
What exactly did he think the Phantom Thieves were?
Even if they disbanded and ceased their operations, the bonds they shared would still exist.
Before Yusuke could become too outraged, Ryuji voiced those thoughts in his stead.
“Man, are you serious? Phantom Thieves or not, we're friends! Haven't you learned anything by hanging out with us?”
It was dangerous for them to be talking like that, though. It almost sounded like they thought there was some hope for him. There was a chance that Akechi Goro was worse than any of their previous targets. No matter how similar they were, there was no hope of redeeming someone like him. They could never be his friend. Maybe once upon a time, things could have been different if they'd been there for him, but that time had come and gone without them even being aware.
For a murderer, the best case scenario involved a prison sentence.
To suggest something as mild as friendship to a condemned man was pure, cruel sophistry.
Yusuke didn't even consider himself a realist.
“Friends, huh...? Well, I'm afraid I'm going to have to keep our cooperation professional for the time being. Perhaps, after we've finished the Phantom Thieves' last mission, we'll see if friendship prevails.”
Without looking up from his phone, appearing indifferent to the situation by all accounts, Akira idly scratched the back of his head and told him, “You should listen to them.”
“Oh? You agree with them?” Akechi suddenly looked surprised and willing to listen. “How interesting. Yes, of course. You are their leader, after all.”
Hearing one word from Akira, Akechi looked both ready to lick his shoes and backhand him. His reactions would have seemed strange for a sane person. That was why Yusuke had his doubts.
“I agree with them about more than just that,” Akira said. He finally lifted his head and looked over his shoulder at Akechi. “You're useful – and not just to us. In a way, the Phantom Thieves are limited, being unable to speak freely in fear of having our identities revealed. All we can do is work towards upholding our sense of justice while trying to satisfy the expectations of the public. But you... The public knows your face, so they trust you. No matter where you've been, you still have the chance to choose your own path.”
“Your class interviewed the hosts of the morning program on your field trip, so you must be aware, though – everyone puts on an act in front of the camera, even when there's no script. Please, you must have noticed that I act differently in person.”
“Yeah?” Ryuji said, staring. “What's your point?”
Ann shook her head at Akechi. “If you're unhappy with the way people see you, then do something about it. Get on air sometime and show them who you really are.”
Akechi didn't look so taken with that advice. “I... don't think that would be good for my image.”
That was certainly one way of putting it, Yusuke thought. Assuming that he was who they thought, then they were asking a lot, telling him to show his true face in front of the camera. Getting a criminal to confess was no easy feat. It was easier for those people to shove their burdens onto others and run away. An honest change of heart was a one-in-a-million miracle, and Akechi seemed too reluctant to beat those odds.
Ryuji snorted and kicked back in his seat. “Huh? Image? Who cares about image?”
Morgana sighed. “Ryuji, you're the last person who should say anything.”
“Regardless, our leader's right,” Makoto said, rejoining the conversation with an attitude to steer it back on track. “Your usefulness extends beyond battle. We may not have had much choice, but we wouldn't have agreed to work with you if we didn't believe that you could help us. We're going to be counting on you – not only for our own sakes. You have the opportunity to do what's right.”
Setting his phone on the table, Akira turned around to face Akechi and looked up at him with an earnest expression. “Everyone here believes in you, Akechi.”
Those eyes felt familiar. Whether or not he was simply playing along with him, Yusuke could tell that those eyes were the real thing. Their feeling was real.
The worst part, possibly, was how genuinely moved Akechi appeared to be.
“My... You're something else. For some reason, when you say it, I really believe you. If only it could be that easy...” His voice became quieter and distant as with thought. “It would be nice if I could show my true self and still be accepted.”
Haru cast her eyes aside sadly. “A-... Akechi-kun...”
How frustrating it was, watching them succumbing to that manipulative display. It would've been wonderful if their words managed to reach him, but Yusuke could tell that Akechi had no intention of listening. Their sympathy was dangerous in the hands of someone like him. Yusuke had seen that act before. He'd been a victim to it, once.
Akechi was calculating every move. If they gave him an inch, he'd take a mile. He was going to be waiting for the moment when they'd show him hesitation.
Akechi crossed his arms over his chest with a complicated, downcast look. “I'm sorry. What am I getting all melodramatic for? You've all been so kind to me. I shouldn't ask for more than that. This time we have together... This mission... Even if it won't last for much longer, I'll try appreciating what it means to be a Phantom Thief.”
Akira nodded, showing his encouragement.
It was a waste. It wasn't going to do a thing.
Yusuke didn't know how the others could sit there and smile as Akechi lied to their faces. He knew that he wasn't the only one who experienced such manipulation, so they had to be aware. Inside, behind their own smiles, they had to be fiercely denying the image Akechi was presenting of a sympathetic, helpless victim. Even though they had no evidence yet, even though he had nothing to be sorry for yet, he was already setting up his strategy.
He was a smart boy, that Akechi. He knew that they would never join his side, whatever that might've been. When they inevitably cornered him, he wanted them to remember those heartfelt conversations they shared together, to remember who they thought he was and question whether he was really so bad...
For his own part, Yusuke couldn't take it. He refused to listen to a single word. It was too painful to even pretend.
Whenever he saw him smile at Akira and watched him smile back... Whenever he saw the others' faces falter with emotion, moved by the tellings of Akechi's regrets that very well may have been true...
Whenever it hit too close, it made Yusuke wish he could be somewhere else.
Anywhere. So long as he didn't have to suffer the pain of being there.
In the seconds of silence following their conversation, they heard a sound – Akechi's phone, it seemed. All eyes went to him and watched, trying to act inconspicuous, as he removed his phone from his pocket. He took one look at the screen, then looked up at everyone and raised a hand to politely excuse himself.
“I'm sorry. I have to take this.”
As he answered the call, he was already on his way out of the attic. He quickly disappeared down the stairs, and they heard the chimes at the front of the store a moment later.
The room was quiet a moment longer as everyone waited to be sure that they were in the clear.
“Urgh!” Ryuji flopped face-first onto the table, giving the ones around him less than a second to make way for him. “He's so fuckin' exhausting. I can't take it... I'm doing my best, but I feel like I'm going to explode when I'm talking to him. Keepin' up an act is too hard. I just wanna go off on him.”
“Really?” Haru daintily held a hand to her chin and uncertainty crossed her features. “For a minute there, I really got the sense that he-... I don't know. I just think... he may not be that different from us. Regardless of whether he's guilty, I get the feeling that we might really be the only ones who can help him.”
Ann uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, resting both elbows on the table as she adopted a look of intense thought. “Do you think he has a Palace...?”
Sadly, Futaba shook her head. “He can't. I mean... He can't, can he? Mona, what do you think?”
“I suppose there could be an exception, but...” Morgana's tail thumped slowly against the surface of the table. “I don't think so. It would go against everything we've learned up until now. He has a Persona, which means that his heart won't become distorted. He knows who he is and clearly has convictions he believes in, especially when it comes to his sense of justice. I hate to even think about it, but if someone like that is also capable of killing, then...”
“Y-yeah...” Futaba looked down, clutching her phone tightly in her hands. “That'd make him a pure-blooded killer; the kind of person who sincerely believes that what he's doing is right... It makes me shiver when he talks about things like 'justice'. There's no way my mom was a bad person... And yet someone killed her with one of those shutdowns. What kind of 'justice' is that?”
Makoto looked toward their stoic leader. “Hey... Akira... Do you have anything to say about this? I know it's a lot to ask, but I think we all want to know what you think we should do about him. Even if all of this is necessary, he is a difficult person to be around for various reasons.”
Don't worry. Just ignore him. Don't let him get to you.
Those were the kinds of words Yusuke expected to hear from him.
But instead, he was quiet. Like Haru, it looked like there was something holding him back.
His eyes were filled with pity.
That look... Yusuke hated it.
Yusuke pushed out his chair and stood.
Startled somewhat by his suddenness, Futaba turned and looked up at him. Had she spared a moment to think, she may not have turned around and shown him the tears that glistened in her eyes, unshed. Once they were seen, though, she must have realized that there was no point in trying to hide them.
Yusuke understood their meaning.
He couldn't just sit there and listen as they debated how they should feel about a person like Akechi Goro. There was only one answer, as difficult and painful as it might've been to acknowledge. It was right there in the expression on Futaba's face.
Akira also looked up at him. That look was still there; he must not have had the time necessary to discard it. Yusuke didn't have it in him to feel disappointed by it. He certainly didn't feel betrayed...
If he had been Akechi, Yusuke would've been grateful for those pitying eyes that bitterly fought against sadness. Akira was trying hard to act indifferent, but he was really quite bad at hiding his true feelings. Had those feelings been directed at his guilty self, Yusuke would have cherished them even if there was no turning back for him.
Those eyes were the eyes of a person looking at someone hopeless; a last offering of sympathy.
So that was why he couldn't stay. He needed to go after Akechi. He couldn't let Akira's kindness be taken advantage of.
No one tried to stop him. Not even Akira. Yusuke didn't know what he even wanted to say to Akechi, but he figured that it would come to him once he was in front of him. As long as they were alone, he'd be able to say some of the things he wasn't able to say in front of the others. It was probably his only chance, and he couldn't let it slip away. Come what may, he wouldn't have been able to live with himself if he just sat there and chose to say and do nothing.
As he made his way down the stairs from the attic, Yusuke clenched his hands into fists and took a breath, strengthening his resolve. Passing through the shop, he nodded to Sojiro, smiled, and told him that he'd be back inside shortly.
Outside, Akechi was just finishing up his call. The look on his face was particularly worthy of interest. The grin he wore wasn't the same arrogant smile Yusuke expected to see – the one that appeared whenever he thought he was being clever. No, instead, his grin looked a bit sardonic, a bit resentful.
It wasn't a matter of reading the mood. As an artist, Yusuke could read the nuances of his expressions the same as interpreting the heart of a painting.
Whoever he was on the phone with, Akechi didn't much care for them. But his seriousness said it wasn't just average business, either.
His conspirator, probably.
Yusuke was glad that he wasn't interrupting. If Akechi said anything incriminating, then it would get picked up by the bug Futaba surreptitiously installed on his phone. Upstairs, there was a chance the others were already reviewing his call.
After he closed his phone and put it back into his pocket, Akechi turned toward him with that insufferable face. Any feelings of sympathy Yusuke thought he might've caught for him vanished, replaced by the visceral feeling of irritation he'd been poorly suppressing. He couldn't be reckless, especially before they had all of the facts, but he wanted to do something...
His fingers itched.
“Hello, Kitagawa-kun. Did you have something to tell me?”
Beneath the café awning, in the narrow space of the street in front of Leblanc, Yusuke held his back tall and looked down at Akechi. When he spoke, he made sure that his voice carried the promise of a threat.
“Stay away from him.”
“Huh?” Akechi took a step back, acting surprised. “I'm sorry, have I done something to offend you?”
“No need to play dumb here. I'm not asking you to explain. In fact, I don't care. I don't care why you do what you do. Just don't involve him. That's all I have to say.”
“I'm still not sure I understand. I don't think I treat Akira differently than anyone else...”
For some reason, it felt wrong to hear Akechi use his name. Yusuke would've been happier if he continued calling him 'Joker'. Akechi said that he didn't give Akira special treatment, yet he still stubbornly referred to all of the others politely. Acting like Akechi's friend was part of their plan, but Yusuke didn't even want to pretend. Even as a joke, he didn't want Akechi to think he was allowed anywhere near Akira.
Yusuke calmly brushed the hair away from his eyes. “I heard that you come here frequently. You like to stay late, even after you've finished your coffee. The Boss lets you stay and watch the news until closing time. You weren't coming around for the coffee, though, were you? You were waiting for him.”
“Could it be you're speaking from your own experience?” Holding the back of a hand to his mouth, he laughed quietly, making his derision only more obvious by pretending to hide it. “My, it's almost like you're jealous. Jealous of what, I wonder? Do you think I'm here to replace you? Or... Are you afraid that I have some kind of special interest in your leader?”
“You won't provoke me that easily,” Yusuke replied coolly. “Yes. Indeed, that is a part of my concern. However, I think you know that I'm talking about something much more sinister. Let's suppose you have feelings for him. Let's suppose he shared feelings for you, as well. While the thought of such sickens me, that isn't my worry.”
“Feelings, huh... Hm. I don't really know. I don't have much time in my schedule to think about things like that.”
A lie.
Compared to what else he could lie about, it was a petty lie, but it made Yusuke grind his teeth. It may have been an inconsequential thing, but the fact that Akechi even felt it necessary to lie about something like that was just... Sad.
Yusuke didn't like being lied to, but, more than that, he hated the way Akechi looked away so regretfully as he forced himself to lie.
Akechi looked back at him, flicking his eyes up with a smile too cheerful. “You think he has feelings for me?”
Bad people could occasionally do good things.
The truth was...
The truth that Yusuke always dutifully avoided like a crack in the sidewalk... was that bad people didn't really exist. The line between what made a person 'good' or 'bad' was too vaguely defined. His own heart kept obstinately clinging to the person who hurt him. While he remained clinging to his fond memories, he couldn't look at Madarame and see him fully as the bad person he was supposed to be. As hard as he tried to overwrite his thinking, Madarame was still his teacher... He was still the person who cared for him and nurtured his talent...
Regardless. He'd learned his lesson.
Even if no one could be entirely bad, it was possible for someone's bad to outweigh their good. Akira had proven that to him. As much as Yusuke loved Madarame, his life was better without his former teacher's influence holding him back.
Akechi Goro was one of those people.
So Yusuke was able to look at that hopeful smile of his without flinching.
He stepped closer, crowding Akechi's space, making sure he barely had room to breathe. He looked down at him, asserting himself.
“You know all about me, don't you? Then you must be aware of what I experienced under Madarame Ichiryusai. As they say, 'fool me once, shame on me'. I won't be fooled twice. I know the smell of a con man, and you, Akechi Goro, are drenched in that foul stench.”
Akechi didn't react. He kept a straight face and looked at him with eyes that said nothing. Yusuke stayed where he was, hoping that he was unnerving him at the least. Slowly, Akechi looked away and shuffled back, lifting the collar of his shirt to his nose.
“Hm... No? I just washed these, so I honestly don't know what 'smell' it is you're referring to. Are you sure it isn't just in your imagination?” He let go of his collar and straightened out the front of his clothes. “Your concerns are understandable, though, Kitagawa-kun. Everyone is tense right now. My cooperation is almost too good to be true, isn't it? But I assure you, what you see is what you get. I'm just as committed to finding the culprit of the shutdowns. I want to see justice for the Phantom Thieves.”
Yusuke wasn't even sure how to react.
It was obviously still part of Akechi's act. Yusuke wasn't swayed by it at all, but it left him stupefied.
He just stared at Akechi, head tilting until his hair touched his shoulder. “How do you do it?”
“Do what, now?” Akechi asked, sounding innocently confused.
“How do you do... This?” Yusuke gestured in the air with a hand, indicating the entirety of Akechi's pretend persona. “Do you enjoy it? Is it fun for you? Don't you ever get tired? Isn't it difficult, keeping track of the threads?”
“The...? Ah. You still think I'm lying...”
Akechi turned away from him again, arms crossed.
Yusuke suddenly remembered the look Akira had given Akechi when he watched him leave the attic, and he realized that he was making the same face at him.
Had things gone a little differently, had Akira not found him at just the right time, it wasn't hard to imagine himself in Akechi's position. There was still a frightening, fearsome rage within him that resulted from the realization of how much he'd lost to Madarame.
Killing?
It scared him just how easy it sounded.
If, instead, someone had placed a knife in his hand at one of his lowest moments and told him that he could free himself and find justice for the other pupils by putting the sharp edge to Madarame's throat...
“Leave,” he said.
Ah, really.
He couldn't stand him.
Akechi turned back around, confused.
But Yusuke repeated himself, leaving no room for Akechi to doubt his seriousness. “Leave. I'm not letting you back in.”
“Is this harassment? Leblanc is a public establishment, you know. You can't prevent me from entering.”
“Of course I can. I would just rather avoid having to get physical. So I'm telling you instead,” he said, leaning against the doorframe to block his way. “Leave. And stay away from Akira. You still have time to put yourself back on the right path, but if you're determined to sink into the mire, I will not let you drag him down with you.”
“I'm disappointed we couldn't be friends, Kitagawa-kun. It's unfortunate you have such a negative opinion of me. I don't know what it is you think you know about me, but... Justice is all I'm after. Perhaps I've come across too forceful in my pursuit of it. If that's the case, I apologize.”
That was funny.
Yusuke didn't laugh, though. “I won't accept your apology until I've seen your sincerity. Begone.”
As if he couldn't believe that he was still there standing in his way, Akechi stared at him silently with his brows pinned together, his posture having gone somewhat slack in disbelief.
“Alright.” He straightened up and nodded multiple times to himself, looking like he was having trouble processing the turn of events all while trying to maintain an air of innocence. “I'll see you tomorrow. I hope you reconsider. That teamwork you spoke of earlier requires your cooperation, too. It would be troublesome for Akira if you couldn't find it in yourself to trust me.”
With that as his parting shot, Akechi left, retreating through the shadows between the buildings toward the station at the end of the street.
He thought that was going to shake him. As if that thought hadn't passed through Yusuke's mind already.
After Akechi was gone, Yusuke continued to stand there, trying to steady his shaky breathing. He knew that he couldn't go back in and face the others in that condition. He'd been able to assert himself and he thought he did an admirable job of holding himself together, but that sort of confidence was heavy and difficult to carry for too long. Once he was alone, Yusuke felt its weight pressing him down.
He was scared of him, that was the thing.
Akechi Goro was terrifying.
Anyone would've been scared, though. There was a chance he was a murderer, even if that chance wasn't yet an explicit fact. It was the unknown that surrounded him that made him so intimidating. Yusuke approached him in spite of himself, perhaps foolishly. He wasn't going to know what sort of consequences that encounter would have until later. Waiting was going to be painfully nerve-wracking, but he was going to keep his eyes wide open. Akechi wasn't going to sneak anything past him.
Back upstairs, the others were talking, but they quieted once they saw Yusuke at the top of the stairs.
“So?” Ryuji asked. “What did you two talk about?”
“Where's Akechi?” Ann asked.
Yusuke glanced back, then shook his head. “He had to leave for today. He said he'd see us tomorrow. I suppose he had some business to take care of.”
Rising from her seat, Makoto regarded him cautiously. “You didn't say anything that would make him question how much we know, did you? I know how responsible you are, so I probably don't have to ask, but...”
She had her own concerns to be worried about; her sister, namely. With Niijima Sae at the center of their mission, it was Makoto's priority to keep her safe.
“I don't think I gave him reason to think our tension is anything more than what it has been. I simply made my own position clear.”
Makoto released a breath. “Alright. That's good.” She looked down at her seat, but remained standing, looking a little lost. “Honestly... I'm kind of glad it was you. I really want to say something to him as well, but I don't know if I would be able to stand up to him without revealing what we know, or... raising a hand. It was hard enough for me to hold it together during the assembly, and that was before we even had these suspicions.”
It was too early for guilt, but Yusuke felt worried. “Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. It won't be to our advantage if I only succeeded in making him carry out his plans more carefully.”
Futaba also got out of her seat. She patted Makoto on the shoulder, then hopped over and bapped Yusuke's shoulder, too. “Hey, it's alright. Akira let you go, so that means it was probably fine, whatever you said to him. Leader knows best.”
Akira nodded.
Rubbing the back of his neck wearily, Ryuji rolled himself out of his chair and started heading for the stairs. “I feel like I need to go home and take a shower now after being near that guy. Just shoot me a message if anything happ-” He stopped suddenly and whipped his head toward Futaba. “Oh, yeah! Shit! We were so busy gossiping about him, we forgot all about his call. Well? Did that thing you installed on his phone pick up anything suspicious?”
They hadn't even paid attention to his call...?
At least it was reassuring to know that they were just as distracted by Akechi.
Futaba took her phone out of her coat pocket and gave it a look. Then sighed. “Eh. Give it some time. See, it recorded his conversation and stored the raw data on my personal server, so now I have to wait for it to download-”
Ryuji looked disappointed. “Geh, fine. I was hoping we'd have dirt on him already. I don't know if it's going to help me feel better... But the sooner we know something, the better, right? At least it'll be something.”
“Then it sounds like we're done for today, right, everyone?” Haru looked around at them to confirm. “I would also appreciate it greatly if you'd tell us what you find, Futaba-chan.”
“I'll keep you posted,” Futaba said, giving a small salute.
After that, they began to leave. As they were leaving the attic, Futaba stayed behind the group and moved herself close to Yusuke's side. Keeping her head down, she grasped the end of his sleeve and gave it a light tug to get his attention.
“Yo, Inari, um...” Quickly, she glanced up just once to let him see her face – the way her eyebrows were pulled together, the way her mouth was sealed in an unsteady line. “I think I know what you probably told him, and... Thanks. I know I wouldn't have been able to do that.”
He answered her back quietly.
“We'll protect him.”
She looked up again, that time with a smile. After making a sound of agreement, she scurried away with the others.
That left just him, Morgana, and, of course, Akira. It was his room, after all.
With all of that out of the way, Yusuke was disappointed that he didn't feel at ease yet. His fingers still itched. His mind was still turning over all the ways his confrontation with Akechi could affect the others. He just... wasn't comfortable. And the fact that Akira wasn't saying anything wasn't helping. It was like he was waiting for him to make the first move, but Yusuke didn't know what he was supposed to do or say.
A part of him felt bad for acting on his emotions without asking Akira for permission first. Considering what he had to say to Akechi, there was no way he could have asked Akira about that, so... When he started thinking about it that way, he felt like it must have been a mistake for him to do anything.
But if he hadn't done anything...
The thought kept going 'round in circles. It had no satisfying conclusion.
He just wanted it to be over with. He wanted Akechi Goro to go away.
The atmosphere was unbearable. It was November, but the attic felt so stuffy – he couldn't breathe. Yusuke wanted to gasp for air, but he had the feeling that some of the things he didn't want to acknowledge would come flying out of his mouth when he released his breath. If he just stood there, then he was going to suffocate, so he did the only other thing he could think of.
It would have been wrong of him to put his hands on Akechi, but Yusuke knew he was allowed within Akira's space. The air around Akira felt different than it did anywhere else. It was comfortable there.
Even though his feet fell heavily on the floor as he flew across the room, even though he grasped Akira's shoulders too tightly, even though he didn't want to let him see that horrible side of him...
Akira had seen it before.
Yusuke knew his indignant scowl must've been nothing new to Akira, but it hardly mattered; within seconds of their lips meeting, that unpleasant expression quickly slid off Yusuke's face, leaving along with the pathetic mutter that left his mouth as his lips parted from Akira's, as he crumpled to the floor at his feet.
“Uhhhh?”
Oh. He forgot about Morgana.
Yusuke looked back at their small friend, feeling too exhausted to fix his appearance. “Apologies. I wasn't able to restrain myself.”
“Um, yeah, I could tell!” Morgana yapped back. Seeming too tired to carry on, he picked himself up and bounded toward the stairs. Before leaving, he stopped to look back once. “It's fine. I'll let you have some quality time, but it's getting late, so keep the time in mind. If we're going to go back into the Palace tomorrow, you guys need your sleep.”
When Morgana was gone, Yusuke released the last of the tension he'd been holding and laid his head in Akira's lap. He felt Akira's hands gently petting his hair, and he tried to not think anymore.
Although the silence was comforting, Yusuke was glad when Akira finally spoke.
“You weren't really jealous, were you? You were acting that way, but you know how much I care about you... And you know that I'm capable of taking care of myself. So? Did confronting Akechi help you learn anything?”
Akira was dangerously perceptive.
Futaba knew what she was talking about; Akira let him speak to Akechi... Because Akira knew that he needed to speak to him in order to figure out something about himself.
“Akira... How do you feel about him?”
It was a few quiet moments until Akira seemed like he was able to select an answer he could be satisfied with.
“A few times, I thought that he and I had things in common. But when I look at where we are now, I can see that we're two very different people. Every time, the sympathy I feel for him kind of melts away, and I think... 'Oh well. That's a shame.' It's hard because helping people is what I do... But I can't help him. There's a stubborn, selfish impulse inside of me that wants to try anyway, but I have to ignore it.”
Coming from Akira, that sort of deduction was like a condemnation.
“So you think he can't be saved?”
“Yeah. I can tell.”
Their leader's word was always trustworthy. He did nothing without first poring over the possibilities. If he seemed close to Akechi, it was probably because he'd already spent hours thinking about him, trying to figure out what he could do to get him on their side.
Yusuke turned his head, putting his cheek against Akira's thighs as he glanced up. “So then... When I look at him and I start fearing that he and I might not be so different...”
Maybe they were actually a lot more different than Yusuke thought. No matter how far he fell, probably, Akira would have always seen him as someone he could save. Probably, he would have always reached out to accept Akira's help. Even if he ended up doing something horrible, he would have tried to make himself better to respect the kindness shown to him.
“It isn't just a coincidence that we're here together, Yusuke. Fate doesn't exist. I know who you are because of the choices you've made... You're a gentle person. You stood up to Akechi, but you didn't hurt him, did you? Even now, you didn't accuse me of anything. I mean... Your first instinct was to kiss me.” For a moment, Akira stopped petting his hair. He gently leaned over him like a shelter and hugged his back. “If you love me so much, then be proud of the person you are as a result of your decisions, because that's who I love.”
It kind of hurt.
“But... If he... If anything happens to you...”
Yusuke could hear Akira's smile. In that position, he wasn't able to see Akira's face, but he noticed something bittersweet about the thoughtful sound he made.
“I know... You'd cry.”
That was why it hurt.
If anything ever happened to Akira – especially if he had a conceivable way of preventing it – Yusuke knew that he wouldn't be able to live with it. But he also knew deep down that he wouldn't be able to retaliate. If that happened, no matter how much his heart desired revenge, he would drown in despair first. He wouldn't even be able to lift his sword.
“How pathetic...” Even more pathetic, he could feel tears stinging the backs of his eyes. “I...”
“Yusuke.” Akira sat up, but he allowed Yusuke to keep his face hidden in his lap. “I know how much you need me. I'm grateful for how much you need me. So I promise, I won't leave you. This is an extraordinary situation. You shouldn't have to think about these kinds of things. So, if it helps, please, try not to think about it.”
“It's hard for me to ignore,” he said. He tried to will away his tears, but they just escaped instead. “After all... You're something extraordinary, too.”
“You're such a good boy,” Akira said. The way he placed his hands reassuringly on his shoulders felt comfortingly familiar, taking Yusuke back to when he was little, to when he was still able to confide in Madarame. “I'm sorry for being so quiet today. I must have worried you.”
“Apology isn't necessary. The mood was off for everyone.”
“Yeah.” Yusuke felt Akira's fingers twitch. “It's tough... I've tried giving him the opportunity to speak honestly with me in private before, but he's always dodged me when it comes to the truth. I get the feeling that he really does want a friend, but he isn't willing to take the steps on his end.” He paused, his fingers tightening loosely in the fabric of Yusuke's shirt. “And then I think about how bad that would sound – extending friendship to a potential murderer...”
Hearing the uneasy edge in Akira's voice, Yusuke felt wrong for just sitting there. It didn't feel right to only let Akira comfort him when he deserved the same.
Gently pulling away from Akira's grasp, Yusuke sat up on his bended knees and looked up at him, trying to look as straightforward as the thoughts he had to tell. “Whether or not you're able to convince him, I think it's more than generous that you would even offer him the thought.”
The look on Akira's face was the same as the one Yusuke saw earlier. It looked more troubled, but there was no mistaking its meaning any longer.
“I feel bad about him, but, in the end, it's his decision. Although it sounds harsh, if he ends up sticking to his ways, then... It won't be my fault.” Shaking off those negative feelings, Akira smiled and leaned forward, putting his hands back on Yusuke's shoulders. “Besides, I'd much rather spend my energy on this good boy.”
Leaning his weight forward a little more heavily, Akira pushed Yusuke back and went tumbling with him down onto the floor. They didn't land very hard, but it was hard enough to make Yusuke worry for a second whether anyone below them was able to hear. It wouldn't have been good if the Boss or Morgana heard and decided to come up to check on them while they were in such a compromising-looking position.
...Yes, if he wasn't mistaken, it was a rather suggestive position they were in. And the look he was being given by Akira did feel... suggestive as well.
“Akira...?”
Instead of using words, Akira answered by grasping his chin and coming in for a kiss. It seemed innocent enough at first, but it quickly grew in intensity, collecting heat as Akira moved a knee between Yusuke's clumsily parted legs. When he opened his mouth in a gasp, Akira stole that opportunity as well and slid his tongue inside his mouth.
Though bewildered, Yusuke didn't have any objections. His fingers uselessly pawed at the front of Akira's shirt as he tilted his head and gave Akira better access to his mouth, observing the unique feeling of their tongues moving against each other.
When Akira pulled back slightly, remaining above him with his hands on either side of Yusuke's head, Yusuke looked at him, dazed.
“Sorry,” Akira said, his glasses askew. “We just haven't had enough time alone together lately...”
Yusuke hummed in agreement. “I know how you feel. Perhaps the troubling feelings inside of me wouldn't have manifested if we'd simply had more time together. When I'm with you, I'm able to see things more clearly.”
A sigh of frustration passed through Akira's sealed lips. “I wish this attic had a door I could lock. It's too difficult to do things like this here, especially during business hours... Going to have to limit myself, I guess. I can hold on for a while longer, but I'd like to give my precious guard fox a reward for defending me.”
“Th-That's not-... I don't expect-...” Yusuke had to keep cutting himself off and eventually stopped when he realized that none of the things he was trying to say were the truth. “I was just trying to assert myself. The same with that kiss. To avoid my real concerns, I convinced myself that I needed to prove my strength.”
“Well, now that you know that you don't need to compare yourself, I hope you realize that you're strong enough. Being able to show your sensitivity takes a lot of strength. That's... probably what I... love most about you. Your honesty.” As he spoke, his face gradually became pinker. By the time he finished, even his ears were red.
Akira was good at practicing the things he preached. It looked like it took him a lot of effort to say that out loud, but he did it for his sake.
Lifting his arms out from between them, Yusuke pulled him into an embrace. As soon as he felt Akira's warmth against his chest, a wonderful feeling poured from his heart and spread throughout his chest. All of his earlier troubles seemed to disappear that easily. Even the intense feelings he thought he should fear... They weren't as threatening as he thought. Akira saw right through it all.
Yusuke laughed softly to himself. “Reward me, you said?” He didn't think he needed a reward for any of that. If anything, he was a bother for always running to Akira with his problems.
Akira nodded silently and moved a hand between them, grasping Yusuke through his pants.
“Ngh--! You were serious?!”
“Well, yeah. Of course,” Akira said, as if it were obvious. “Now remember to keep your voice down.”
Keep his voice down? Was he really going to...?
“Ah...”
Yes. Yes, he was.
Yusuke couldn't help but release a few noises as Akira felt him up, but he tried to keep his voice from escalating. Akira was indeed very serious about rewarding him. Really, he probably just wanted an excuse to touch him. Yusuke wished that he could do the same, but, like Akira said, they didn't have time to spare. At any second, he expected Morgana to return. If the Boss noticed that he didn't leave with the others, there was a chance he'd come up to check on them, too.
“A-Akira... Perhaps we should save this for another time... Right now isn't-”
Akira gave him a tight squeeze to stop his words. His fingers made short work of the fastenings of Yusuke's pants and he pushed them down just enough to show him the way he was straining against his underwear. “Hm, I dunno. Do you really think we can stop when it's become like this? Wouldn't that be inconvenient? If I were you, I'd be really embarrassed if I had to walk out of here in this kind of condition.” A grin spread mischievously across his face as he teased the outline of his cock. “Guess there's no helping it. This is my fault. I'll just have to take care of it.”
“But you're the one who...” Wait. That was the point. Akira was quite the trickster. He was too good at manufacturing situations that benefited him. Yusuke couldn't even think of a reason to stop him. It would've been embarrassing if they were found, but it would've also been embarrassing if he had to walk back to the Kosei dorm without fixing himself.
He would've just been kidding himself if he tried to tell Akira that he wanted him to stop, anyway.
The feeling of Akira's gentle fingers touching him... There was nothing else like it. Akira had introduced him to a whole new world, and Yusuke was still eager for any opportunity to explore it. Though he sought to capture only the purest emotions in his artwork, he had the feeling he was going to end up drawing a lot of lewd things soon enough because of him.
That wasn't so bad, though. There wasn't anything wrong with those kinds of things. The intimate moments he shared with Akira were pure in their own way, filled with emotions and sensations he could find nowhere else.
Thinking about how important Akira was, possessive feelings began to seep into him again. Akira's presence brought a color to the world that Yusuke had never known before. It was possible that everyone had their own color, but Akira's was his favorite, and, though Yusuke wanted to share that color with the world, he also wanted to keep it all to himself. It was best in his hands.
He yelped when Akira suddenly flicked him between the eyes. Though it didn't hurt, Yusuke rubbed at the spot as he looked up.
“What was that for?”
“I'm over here touching your dick, but you're spacing out. Kinda rude, y'know.”
“Oh... I was just... thinking. That's all.”
“Obviously.” Akira leaned down, gave him a small smooch on the lips. “I was hoping this would be enough to make you stop. You don't have to say anything for me to know what it is you must've been thinking about.”
He didn't need to be thinking about it anymore. Although Yusuke feared that he'd be no different from Madarame for wanting to hoard Akira all to himself, it was totally different in reality. He could never be like Akechi, either. He wasn't like them, and he never would be. He was too honest to be like them.
He hadn't stolen Akira, nor did he have to defend his possession of him. It was so simple, Yusuke felt like he must have been blind...
Akira had willingly placed himself in his hands.
“Sorry.”
“Don't worry about it. You're still cute.” Resting over his chest, Akira leaned in for one more kiss, then looked back up at him with that mischievous light glimmering in his eyes. “Now I can suck your dick, right?”
Caught so off guard by his boldness, Yusuke could've swallowed his own tongue in surprise. “I-If you wish...” His answer made Akira laugh, but Yusuke had no idea what else he was supposed to say.
He definitely wasn't forcing him to do that. Akira had made his mind up about that all on his own.
It didn't matter how much they did together – Yusuke felt like he was never going to get used to it. In a way, that was a good thing because it ensured that every experience would be fresh and new and provide lots of excellent stimulation, but it also came with the cost of his embarrassment. He'd always been like that, even getting flustered over nude models for figure drawing, but it was totally different when he was the one being exposed. Perhaps, by the time he was finally able to get used to it, once he finally found himself able to bare everything for Akira without a shred of shame, he wouldn't think about any of those troubling things anymore.
In the meantime, while he was still capable of feeling it, he was going to try to absorb even his sense of shame as useful experience.
In the middle of pulling down Yusuke's underwear, Akira glanced up and made a sound. “Whoa, what's up with that slutty face? Did I flip a switch...?”
'Slutty'...? Wasn't that the opposite of 'shameful'?
“I was just starting to enjoy myself,” Yusuke said.
“W-Well don't stare at me with that perverted look. I won't be able to do a good job if I know you're looking at me that way.”
His reaction made Yusuke wish for a mirror so he could see what sort of face he was making. He got called a pervert all the time, but for Akira to say that, he must've been looking especially shameless. However, knowing that he did something that embarrassed Akira made Yusuke feel embarrassed, too, so it all worked out in the end, and Akira was able to confidently return to what he was doing.
Yusuke's head fell back against the floor as Akira's fingers closed around his naked flesh. His hips jerked subtly and a cry attempted to rise from his throat, but he swallowed it back down. It was too soon for him to start losing control. But... He knew better than to overestimate himself. If he didn't keep himself in check, he knew how quick he was to lose his composure. He was still no match against Akira.
Akira chuckled. “That's a good boy. I'm afraid I'm not that good, though. When I see you like this, it really makes me wanna tease you. And this big one here...” He tightened his hand around him and rubbed his thumb over the tip. “It's just as pretty as the rest of you, so I can't help but want to put it in my mouth.”
“Which one of us is the pervert, again?” Yusuke asked. He propped himself up on his elbows so he could stare at Akira for his weird comment.
“The more time I spend here in this city, the more I realize how much of myself I was suppressing. I don't want to be like that anymore.” Situating himself comfortably between Yusuke's legs, he ran his other hand along his inner thigh, over Yusuke's hip. Yusuke watched intently as both hands encircled him, as Akira leaned closer... “A 'pervert' is just someone who doesn't satisfy society's expectations. If acting on my own will and desires makes me a pervert, then that's fine.”
Yusuke couldn't escape the feeling that Akira had just come up with a sound justification for his perversion. In fact, it was like he'd made himself invulnerable to the word.
He didn't know if he should be impressed, but he was impressed.
There might've been a witty response of his own to be made, but it was lost along with the rest of his thoughts when Akira dipped his head and took him into his mouth without warning. To keep himself from shouting, Yusuke tightly clenched his teeth and let his head fall back against the floor again. He didn't want to admit how weak he was, but he knew he would have lost control completely if he watched Akira. He needed to prepare himself first. To take a breath. Or five... Or a hundred...
That was bad. Even without looking, Yusuke couldn't escape the image stuck in his mind; Akira's soft lips wrapped around him, one hand holding the base of his cock, the other delicately keeping his hair away from his glasses.
Well. If it was just going to get stuck in his head like that... Then it was better to watch the real thing, Yusuke thought. Better to go down blazing, having witnessed the real deal before his own eyes.
When he noticed him watching, Akira pulled up, lips glistening and pink. There was a light flush in his cheeks, but he somehow managed to look elegant despite the position he was in. “Wow, you look so intense. But it's not a bad look. A-...” He cleared his throat and glanced away for a second. “As long as you don't do anything to embarrass me, I don't mind being watched.”
Yusuke held up a hand. “Hold on. Before you continue, could you answer me a question?” he asked. “...Why are we still on the floor?”
“Think about it,” Akira said, gesturing toward the stairs. “If anyone comes up here, they can see straight ahead toward my bed. At least when we're down here, we're partially hidden by the table and chairs – nobody would expect to look at the floor first to find us.”
“But you have a folding screen...”
“Yusuke. That's-...” With a hand still loosely wrapped around Yusuke's cock, Akira stared off into space for a moment, jaw slack. “You know, that's not a bad idea... But don't you think that's suspicious, too? For a number of reasons...” He stopped himself again, discarding the thought. “Would you please stop distracting me? Do you want me to blow you or not?”
“Yes. Please continue.”
Akira laughed under his breath. “Jeez. You're impossible... I love you.”
Even outside of the Metaverse, Akira was skillfully able to juggle a multitude of personas; stoic, serious, cute, sexy, sweet... It was a talent. Yusuke loved seeing each of his distinct faces.
He looked down at him, breath hitching as Akira stroked him. “You too, Akira.”
Looking away, blush intensifying, Akira squeezed him more tightly – just enough to make him wince. That might've been revenge. “I told you not to embarrass me.” It was definitely revenge.
Where time was concerned, they were already pushing it, so Yusuke closed his mouth and allowed Akira to continue. That time, he made sure to prepare himself first, taking in a deep breath as he watched Akira go down. It didn't help much, but at least he was able to keep himself from making noise.
Akira must have been understating how much he wanted it. Yusuke still found it hard to believe that anyone would even like him, much less eagerly want him in that way, so it was kind of astounding to see Akira there between his legs, happily letting out an occasional moan or two as he worked his lips and tongue around him. Akira wanted to leave him no doubt of his interest, but at least half of it had to be for himself.
“I thought you might have been joking before, but you really are enjoying yourself, aren't you.”
Akira glanced up without removing his mouth from around Yusuke's cock.
Yusuke felt a brief threat of teeth along the length.
“I-I won't say anything else!” he promised, sweating. To start with, Akira was the one who said he felt the urge to fellate him, so was he really in the position to act embarrassed about it? It was the truth. But, for the sake of his delicate anatomy, Yusuke wasn't going to question it any further.
Strangely, Yusuke noticed that his body reacted positively. It could have been the sensation of Akira's teeth lightly grazing his sensitive flesh or it could've been the sudden danger it posed... Either way, it made him harder. He didn't know why. But, suddenly, when he started thinking about it, even the thought of them being discovered made his pulse quicken.
That would have been very, very bad, but... The idea of it. That was something good.
“Akira...”
He was already breaking his promise. But he couldn't help it. Akira's name came out involuntarily. There was a thought he wanted to convey that he just couldn't articulate.
He watched as Akira lifted his head slowly, languidly drawing his lips up the length of his cock. For a second, their eyes connected before Akira went down again, taking him all the way in. Akira winced and Yusuke heard the faintest choking noise as the head of his cock nudged the back of his throat, but Akira weathered it well. As he pulled back again, he let out a long, satisfied-sounding breath through his nose.
Yusuke could hardly handle it. Until Akira, he didn't have much of a concept for what he found 'hot', but that was... That was definitely hot. The sight of Akira's red lips around him, his saliva dripping down his cock, each inch of him disappearing into Akira's mouth, going impossibly far...
He'd never seen anything so erotic. It was practically obscene.
His heart was beating so quickly, it was almost distressing. Yusuke's hips were aching to move, but he felt simultaneously frozen in place, transfixed by the sight in front of him. Had he a sketchbook handy, he would have loved to draw that image and keep it for himself.
Knowing that Akechi Goro had been there just a short while ago made the corners of Yusuke's mouth twitch. He didn't think himself a cruel person, but he distinctly enjoyed knowing that he had what Akechi wanted. Akira was his. Akira wanted him.
Possessing honesty and basic human decency wasn't something to feel smug about, but...
Yusuke felt proud of himself. Once in a while, it wasn't bad for him to feel that way, was it?
It felt nice to feel proud of himself for something that had nothing to do with art for a change. To have someone who loved him, who wanted to be that close to him, who desired him, Yusuke knew he must have done things right.
Those thoughts made him really wish that he could return the favor for Akira... But Akira seemed to be satisfied with what he was doing. The pleasant moans and other sweet sounds Akira made as he worked his mouth around him went straight to Yusuke's heart. The sight he found so erotic suddenly seemed cute as he listened. Sure, Akira was following his own desire, but he wouldn't have put himself between his legs if he didn't also feel strongly for him. If it were for anyone else, the same act could have seemed degrading. That context was very important.
Yusuke felt like taking notes.
It was getting hard to think about the complexities of the situation, though. As he tried to delve into it more deeply, his thoughts got tangled up.
“A-Akira...”
He heard and felt Akira hum warmly around his cock, something of a laugh. For a moment, Akira pulled off and grinned at him. “Oh, good. You looked so serious this whole time, I was starting to wonder what it was going to take to break you down.” He moved his hand from the base of Yusuke's cock up the length, smearing his spit. As he drew his tongue over his upper lip, he rubbed his thumb around the head and lifted his fingers away with a line of precum. “You must've been thinking about something good.”
If only he knew.
Yusuke's thoughts weren't exactly dirty by typical standards, but they sure were enough to get him worked up.
When Akira took him back between his lips, Yusuke had to cover his mouth again. That time, he was sure he would have alerted the whole shop if he hadn't silenced himself. He must've underestimated how aroused he was. While he was caught up in his own head, he'd ignored how hot his body felt. Even on the floor, he couldn't feel the attic's seasonal chill at all anymore. The only thing he could feel was the warmth of Akira's mouth, the wetness of his soft tongue against his sensitive, heated skin.
Despite himself, a few moans slipped out anyway. Although he wanted to keep watching, Yusuke let his head fall back against the floor and he stared up at the stars on the rafters for a moment before closing his eyes.
Even in a situation like that, when his blood was pumping, he felt a sense of calmness.
Akira was an excellent leader. When he had something to prove, he knew just the way.
As Yusuke tried to grasp at the floor, his fingers flexing ineffectually, he felt Akira's hand join his own, their fingers weaving together. It didn't take much longer after that. In seconds, he was coming. His eyes squeezed shut on their own and he bit back a groan as his hips lifted off the floor, chasing after the heat of Akira's mouth.
He kind of... didn't think about it.
Once his breathing returned to normal and he pushed himself up onto his elbows, Yusuke looked down to find Akira licking his lips and cleaning off his palm.
“Ah-”
“My share,” Akira said. He stuck his clean tongue out at him playfully.
“You really...”
“Mmhm.”
Akira was a frightening individual – frightening in all the kinds of ways that intrigued Yusuke. He could be sweet and devilish and also very considerate. He was kind enough to help Yusuke fix his clothes and he even fastened his pants for him, leaving him as he found him.
After all of that, Yusuke still felt the need to repay him. “Akira, are you sure we don't have some extra time? That was...” It was a little embarrassing. “That felt very good, and... Whenever I'm with you like this, I feel like I discover something new about myself, too. S-So it wouldn't just be a simple indulgence of carnal pleasure. I-It's research! If you'd allow me the chance to return the favor, I'm certain you would benefit from it in more ways than one.”
Akira nearly looked sold, but not quite. “You don't have to come up with excuses for me. I am just a regular high school boy when it comes down to it.” Getting up off the floor, Akira fixed his chair and sat down. “That is to say... I'm super turned on, but I'll deal with it. But thank you, Yusuke.”
What incredible spiritual fortitude.
Though his heart was still throbbing and he would've liked to remain recumbent for a while longer, Yusuke decided to join him, taking the seat closest to Akira.
At that moment, barely a minute or two after they finished, Morgana appeared at the top of the stairs. He looked at them suspiciously.
“You two got up to something funny while I was away, didn't you?” he said.
Yusuke shrugged. “Funny? That isn't the word I would use, personally...”
Eyebrow twitching, Akira elbowed him in the side. “Nothing at all, Morgana,” he assured.
“Nothing?” Morgana lifted his nose to the air. “Doesn't smell like 'nothing'...”
“What, are you a dog now?” Akira asked.
“How dare you. I'm a ca-- No, wait, you tricked me! I'm a human! A human!" he yowled, tail sticking straight out. When he realized that his growling of frustration wasn't getting him anywhere with them, Morgana gave a final huff and settled down. “Well... Whatever you got up to, it looks like it helped, so I guess it's fine. You weren't acting like yourselves.”
He came over and jumped onto the table and curled into a ball.
Yusuke linked his ankles and stared at the surface of the table. “It was because of that Akechi Goro. He has a dreadful presence. Just being near him, my thinking became warped... I truly wasn't myself.”
“That doesn't surprise me. We do think he could be the perpetrator of the shutdowns, after all,” Morgana said. “That effect he has on us... For all we know, it could be more than a feeling.”
Eyes narrowing, Akira rested an elbow on the table and released a frustrated sigh as he put his chin in his palm. “I can tell he's holding back. It was hypocritical of him to talk about how Yusuke is in battle when he hasn't used his full strength to support us.” He directed his attention toward Yusuke, intensity burning in his gaze. “Continue giving it your all. Don't start holding back just because he is. Even if he turns out to be an enemy, we still outnumber him.”
Morgana scoffed. “Do you think he's underestimating us?”
“No...” Akira straightened back up. His intensity remained, but there was bitterness mixed in. “I'm not sure if he thinks he can do everything on his own... But that's how he wants it to be. He wants to rely only on himself so he won't be hurt by other people.”
It sounded like he was getting close to sympathizing with him again. That was the territory Yusuke couldn't stand for.
“But Haru's father... Futaba's mother... Had we not been there, he may have even gotten to Sen-... Madarame.”
“We'll take care of him,” Akira said. There was a promise in those words. “Akechi will probably continue to be a difficult subject for everyone. I can't talk like this when he's with us, so I'll have to try bringing it up with the others when he isn't around. Our feelings about him are complicated... So let's do our best to listen to everyone.”
Somehow, Akira always knew just the thing to say.
“You're right. That's very important,” Yusuke agreed. “Thank you for this, Akira.”
Smiling, giving him that soft, affectionate look that Yusuke had fallen in love with and felt so protective of, Akira lifted a hand, gently brushed aside his hair, and touched his cheek.
Yusuke felt like he could be content to remain cradled in that warm gaze forever, but their moment was interrupted by another scoff from their feline companion.
“I knew it. You two were definitely up to something funny.”
Akira put his hand down and looked at Morgana, grinning one of those devilish grins. “We were just performing a trust-building exercise. Aren't you impressed by our improved synergy? Yusuke and I share a brain now.”
“That's scary.”
The two of them were so amusing. Yusuke had to wonder if they even knew how much he valued them and their casual, comfortable atmosphere. That chilly attic was nothing like the cold, lonesome corner he used to occupy in Madarame's drafty shack. Akira's place was more than just the attic. It was the whole shop with the smell of coffee and the distant background noise of happy customers. There was so much happiness there. And the Sayuri was there, too, watching over it all.
Akira was right...
When they met, Yusuke noticed something in him. He was scared of it at first. He was afraid of getting near it, and it still scared him at times. But that thing he found in him – patience, kindness, a fragile hope... It was worth the discomfort. It was worth revealing himself.
It wasn't coincidence that saved him.
He saved himself.
Until Akechi Goro could boast such courage, he'd never be as strong.
“I shall take my leave,” Yusuke said, feeling like that was the perfect place to end his day. He stood from his seat, picking up his snacks, retrieving his bag. “I'll see you both tomorrow. I have the feeling Futaba might get back to us about her findings, so I'll be watching the chat.”
Akira got up and walked him to the edge of the stairs. “Feel free to stop by a little earlier tomorrow for some coffee,” he said, giving him a secretive wink.
“Hm. Perhaps I sha-” Yusuke realized the meaning of that wink and suddenly felt hot under the collar. Akira wasn't talking about coffee at all. Not at all. “I... Yes. I'd like that.”
Before he could go down a single step, Akira stopped him by the shoulder and pulled him back, surprising him with a kiss. That was probably payback for the sudden kiss Yusuke had given him earlier. Or maybe Akira needed that kiss as much as he had.
“Okay. See ya.”
It was hard to leave him after that.
With the memory of Akira's soft lips still lingering, Yusuke walked down the steps, already eager for the next day.